Shirou, who returned from the Fairy Kingdom

Ignoring Corles's shouts of "Wait a minute," Shirou unilaterally interrupted his reading.

He tried to contact Aika Sajou, and unsurprisingly—there was no response.

This wasn't the first time he had contacted Ai Ge tonight.

The previous attempt also failed, and Shirou believed that Assassin had blocked the communication channel between the garden and the ground.

But now he understands, it's not like that at all:

Shirou and Aika's telepathic communication was blocked by a barrier inside the garden—she was somewhere in this aerial fortress!

The red-haired boy felt a growing unease: Aigo, what exactly do you want to do?

……

……

"One-sided" is not enough to describe the current situation.

The "Black" Berserker was knocked away once again, and he had almost no strength left to get back up.

Not far from where she fell, lay the corpse of the "Red" sorcerer, being devoured by a shadowy figure in a pool of blood.

Frankenstein pursued Shakespeare relentlessly, finally cornering him, only to have a new enemy suddenly appear and instantly kill Shakespeare.

The enemy's identity—is the heroic spirits who should have already died.

She has both allies and enemies from the "Red" faction.

Frankenstein didn't understand what was happening and had been unable to contact his Master since earlier.

She fought back time and time again, but was defeated without any doubt.

"Black" swordsmen, "black" spearmen, "red" spearmen...

Any one of these three could easily crush Frankenstein in a one-on-one fight, and now they have the girl surrounded.

Whether to flee, fight, or surrender, all options have been eliminated.

Is the "Black" Berserker left with no choice but to grit his teeth and accept the status quo, or to unleash his Noble Phantasm and go to the underworld together?

Forced to make a decision, Frankenstein murmured, resigning himself to the fact that he would do everything in his power to take at least one of them with him.

Frankenstein's second Noble Phantasm, "Blasted Tree".

Insert the "virgin's chastity" into the ground, release all restrictions, and unleash a full-force electric discharge.

Lightning, cascading down in the shape of towering trees, spreads and tracks the path.

"Come with me...! Blasted Tree...!"

The warhammer containing the girl's heart pierced the earth, and emerald lightning shot from the ground into the sky, forming a spiderweb-like thundercloud that covered the entire ceiling.

Immediately afterwards, lightning cascaded down like a waterfall, engulfing the black-clad heroes in light.

Frankenstein was actually always in a state of being restricted by limiters.

When she is freed from her restrictions, she can unleash tremendous power in an instant.

But if that were done, Frankenstein would completely cease functioning, in other words, "die."

Of course, this Noble Phantasm can also be used without fully unlocking its limitations, but its power will be greatly reduced.

Faced with Servants far stronger than himself, Frankenstein had no choice but to prepare for a fight to the death.

Unfortunately, the Berserker's thoughts had already been discovered by the Dark Maiden.

That's why she sent Karna, Vlad III, and Siegfried—these three possessed top-tier durability.

Karna fearlessly faced the lightning strike, his golden armor directly reducing the damage by 90% at the conceptual level.

Siegfried raised his demon sword to parry, and the twilight-colored true ether and the Noble Phantasm "Blood Armor of the Evil Dragon" also blocked most of the lightning strikes.

As for Vlad III, he was blasted into pieces by the green light, but he quickly transformed back into a bat and reformed into human form.

As a result, the girl's desperate counterattack yielded no substantial results.

Like the "Black" sorcerer, she was also captured by the shadows and dragged into the abyss.

Seeing that their mission was complete, the black-clad heroes left in silence.

Soon, they will have two new companions.

……

……

The "Black" Berserker also died in battle.

Koles stared in astonishment as the three Command Seals on the back of his right hand disappeared one by one.

An indescribable emptiness and powerlessness welled up in the boy's heart.

"...I did nothing for her."

Frankenstein's wish may have already come true.

Despite having a human appearance, a girl is forcibly treated as a monster; her wish is—

It's just a small wish: to have "someone" who is willing to cherish me.

She met the "Black" Swordsman during the Holy Grail War and regarded him as her father.

Although it was a bit strange, Corles thought that as long as Fran was happy, that was all that mattered.

If possible, let them win together in the end and share the joy of victory.

Koles lamented that he couldn't even help fulfill this most basic wish.

Frankenstein died from using his self-destruct Noble Phantasm.

Koles had ordered against its use, but he knew very well that the berserker must have been forced to use it.

However, he was unaware that the "Thunder Tree of Crucifixion" possessed a hidden power.

On the design blueprint that was obtained as a summoning catalyst, there was a small section of text that even Caules hadn't noticed, which read:

"This lightning strike was no ordinary lightning strike; it was the power of Frankenstein's consciousness intervening."

"As long as lightning exists, she will never be destroyed."

The hall returned to calm after the battle.

The shadow not only dragged away the berserker's corpse but also drained away all the blood, leaving nothing behind.

Only the warhammer (the maiden's chastity) standing on the floor testifies to the battle that once took place here.

"Crack... crack... crack..."

Emerald lightning emanating from the girl's heart illuminated the dark corridor.

Book 5, Chapter 242: Joan of Arc: No one understands the Savior better than me.

After passing through several more trap rooms, Joan of Arc and Mordred finally arrived at the audience hall at the deepest part of the Hanging Gardens.

Semiramis sat atop a jade throne tens of meters high, looking down upon the saintess and the Knights of the Round Table who had entered the Queen's domain.

“You’ve come at the right time—it’s not appropriate to say that under the circumstances, since I was the one who led you two here.”

The "Red" assassin revealed a bewitching smile.

She did nothing, yet her mere smile seemed to possess an almost bewitching magic power.

No wonder that in some legends, Semiramis is hailed as the incarnation of Ishtar, the goddess of beauty, who can easily steal men's souls.

Of course, no matter how much she flirted, it was all in vain for Joan of Arc and Mordred.

"Ruler, it's approved."

The person you're looking for is in the garden above; my Master also wishes to speak with you.

Joan of Arc looked up and met Semiramis's gaze, then walked around the long staircase leading to the throne and toward the back door of the hall.

"Hmm? Can only the adjudicator pass?"

Mordred slung the magic sword over his shoulder: "My Clarent also wants to have a good talk with that fake priest."

Hearing the taunts of the "Red" Swordsman, the "Red" Assassin chuckled.

“A rude fellow like you has no right to see Master…”

Saber, you can stay here and I'll "treat" you.

"They called it a treat, but there wasn't even a single dish served."

Semiramis slowly raised her right hand: "Don't rush, I will now—"

An electric sensation coursed through Mordred's body; "Intuition" had been activated.

"Tsk...!"

Mordred freed the helmet stored inside her armor, but even so, she was still a beat too slow.

"……hateful……!"

This is... Assassin's magical poison.

Semiramis, the oldest poisoner among humankind, possessed an ancestral poison capable of connecting all toxins.

Generally speaking, Mordred, who possesses an A-rank "magic resistance," is not affected by toxins in the air.

But inside this hanging garden, Semiramis is almost a god, and her poison has risen from magic to a level close to authority.

Fortunately, Mordred's helmet was a treasure bestowed upon her by her witch mother, which could neutralize the poison to some extent.

"Oh... I see. The maker of that helmet must have been a very remarkable magician."

"Of course... she's a woman ten thousand times more powerful than you!!"

As Mordred said this, she used "Magic Release," shattering the marble floor with her feet and shooting her body like a bullet towards the jade throne in mid-air.

Semiramis was secretly taken aback.

The toxins she releases have the effect of paralyzing nerves and dissolving muscles, but Mordred is able to quickly regain her freedom of movement after being poisoned.

Even if the other party is Mordred, who is known for his tenacious vitality among the Knights of the Round Table, this is too abnormal!

Could it be that the "Red" Swordsman is now carrying some kind of defensive Noble Phantasm besides that helmet?

……

Hours before the final battle, Mordred was found by Shirou.

"Father, are you calling me?"

The red-haired youth nodded, took out a huge golden plate from the treasure vault, and tossed it to Mordred, who hurriedly caught it with both hands.

"This is... Pridowwin!?"

Its name is "Prydwen".

It was an incredible artifact possessed by King Arthur, which could be used as both a ship and a shield.

Lightweight yet sturdy, its design, sharing the same family language as the Holy Sword Sheath, gives one an overwhelming sense of security.

Shirou said, "Momo, take this."

It should come in handy in the battle against the "Red" assassins.

"Hmm? Thank you, Father! I will make good use of her!"

Mordred didn't stand on ceremony with Shirou at all and happily accepted the golden shield.

"But speaking of which, how did Father know I was planning to cause trouble for Assassin?"

Shirou gave her a meaningful look.

Well, Semiramis does resemble Morgan quite a bit after all...

It's probably inevitable that you and she would have a conflict...

"Now that you've accepted these good things from me, you'd better not lose them, okay?"