Shirou, who returned from the Fairy Kingdom

"Who do you think I am, your son?"

"It should be a daughter, right?"

……

Golden light burst forth from the silver armor as it flew.

That was not the magic of the rebellious knight, but the blessing of the liberated King's Shield (Pridowyn).

It can provide defensive protection without taking up hand space, and it also significantly enhances the user's flight ability and mobility.

Its principle is the adjustment and optimization of "magic release".

From any perspective, Pridowyn is the most suitable Noble Phantasm for Mordred.

With the blessing of the King's Shield, "Magic Release" instantly closed the distance by tens of meters, and Mordred arrived above the Empress's throne.

She raised the magic sword high in her hand and slashed it down at the head of Semiramis in front of her.

"Die, Assassin!" The blonde girl wore a smug and vicious smile.

"You're the one who deserves to die!"

Although Semiramis was taken aback, she quickly regained her composure and calmly hooked her slender fingers together.

She judged that defensive spells could not stop the lightning-entangling magic sword, so she decided to strangle Mordred herself.

Instantly, countless dark green chains with hooks shot out from the void.

……

……

"This is the fastest way to reach the audience hall. I think the Assassin's Master should be right above the audience hall."

Atalanta and Shirou had been running through the corridors of the Hanging Gardens for thirty minutes.

During this time, they did not encounter any enemies or comrades.

Things seem to be developing in a strange direction.

It was as if all the Servants who participated in the battle had disappeared, leaving only the two of them alive.

Shirou suddenly stopped in his tracks.

"what happened?"

Atalanta asked, puzzled.

"Someone is approaching."

"Huh? How is that possible..."

Atalanta frowned slightly. Although Shirou had slowed her down, she never imagined that something would catch up with her from behind.

However, Shirou's idea was soon proven true.

The "Red" cavalry, who had vanished from sight, reappeared before the two.

"Rider, where did you go?"

Atalanta was about to go up and say hello when Shirou stopped her.

"Don't come near."

He sensed an incredibly intense killing intent emanating from Rider.

Considering that the other party was the unruly hero Achilles, this evil and manic aura was rather strange.

Atalanta also noticed the cavalry's unusual behavior and asked in confusion.

"What happened, Rider?"

Achilles did not answer, but snapped his fingers, and immediately a chariot drawn by three fine horses appeared behind him.

He stared at Shirou with empty eyes and said, "I'm sorry, Black Swordsman..."

Although I have no grudge against you, you must die here.

"Only when you die can this world be saved."

"Aha?"

Shirou frowned in annoyance. What was this guy saying?

On the other side, Achilles jumped directly onto the chariot and swung the reins.

As the warhorses neighed and their iron hooves pounded the ground, the chariot transformed into a trajectory that even the eyes of a Servant could hardly follow, and Asashirou charged forward.

The three horses pulling the chariot were no ordinary creatures; they were Maxanthos and Balius, the immortal gods given to them by Poseidon, and Pedasos, the famous horse acquired during the conquest of Aeotium.

The chariot is named "Troyius Tragoidia," a super-fast weapon (Noble Phantasm) capable of abandoning everything in the world.

Although the Sky Garden was enormous, the small rooms were not suitable for the movement of tanks, but this was not a concern at all in the long corridors.

The immortal chariot smashed through the ground and walls as it hurtled toward the red-haired boy and the girl he was carrying under his arm.

anyway……

As Shirou fled, he thought: Would it be faster if I rode on Atalanta?

……

……

Joan of Arc once tried to understand Amakusa Shiro's motives.

As a Servant, she can automatically load relevant knowledge and information from the Holy Grail after recognizing a Heroic Spirit.

What Amakusa Shiro Tokisada experienced in his lifetime, what kind of faith he held, and what his fate was... Jeanne d'Arc already knew.

Just like myself...

No, it might have been a boy who was even younger than Joan of Arc, executed at the age of fifteen or sixteen.

His life was far too short, and very little valuable information could be found.

So Joan of Arc borrowed the library in the city of Millennium, where there were records of the Third Holy Grail War.

Amakusa Shiro witnessed the massacre perpetrated by the shogunate army during his first life. 37,000 people, including women and children, were slaughtered in Shimabara Castle.

In his second life, he personally experienced the ugly struggle between magicians and the military against the backdrop of World War II.

"Artoria, what are your thoughts? Do you think Amakusa Shiro's declaration of 'salvation for all humanity' is serious?"

Joan of Arc sat on the bed in the inn, closing the Holy Grail War record she had borrowed from the World Tree.

"If you're just having fun... that kind of pipe dream can't possibly last 60 years."

"Yes, you're right, that's what I think too."

Joan of Arc murmured, “To live as a hero or a saint, one must see both the ugliness and the beauty of humanity.”

Human beings' evil and good, or things that transcend good and evil, no matter how ugly they are, we still want to believe in their beauty.

He wanted to save humanity because he "hoped to continue liking them"—that's perhaps what he thought.

"Then, Ruler, why are you here?"

"I'm……"

"You should have realized it by now—you might have come to this world to stop Amakusa Shiro."

Joan of Arc nodded solemnly: "That's right, my premonition has been growing stronger these past few days..."

Amakusa Shiro may be planning something very dangerous—at least, that's what the Greater Grail thinks.

I must find out for myself exactly how he intends to save all of humanity.

"Hmm, let's put the arrogant imposter priest thing aside for now... How have you been lately? Have you gotten used to this body yet?"

Shirou suddenly sat down next to Jeanne, whose cheeks flushed red.

"Huh? W-why are you suddenly asking this? I'm alright, ahahahaha."

Joan of Arc lowered her head, squeezed her plump legs together, and looked coy: Is he concerned about me?

"It's good that you're alright. I was a little worried that you might have overdone it for Leticia."

"So you were worried about Leticia all along!"

"What else?" Shirou said, dumbfounded.

Joan of Arc puffed out her cheeks adorably: "Foolish Artorius."

The blonde saintess glanced at Shirou and then explained the situation to him.

The body he possessed—the body of the French girl Laetitia—had a backup.

The moment the adjudicator achieves its goal or is defeated midway, Leticia's body will revert to the form shown in the intelligence report and, depending on the situation, be forcibly teleported to a safe location.

During this process, no matter what kind of injury you suffer, you will immediately regenerate.

Therefore, it can be said that no matter how many injuries the adjudicator suffers, it will not endanger Leticia's life.

"I see. The prototype had already been saved to another domain beforehand?"

"That's right, I'm not messing around~"

Joan of Arc puffed out her impressive chest with a proud expression: "As a last resort in case the operation fails, the possessed person's body has been perfectly 'preserved'... Huh?"

"what happened?"

Shirou looked at Jeanne d'Arc with a puzzled expression.

The adjudicator snapped out of his daze and quickly shook his head: "N-nothing..."

Shirou frowned: "You look suspicious today. Don't go easy on Amakusa Shirou out of pity."

Joan of Arc looked displeased: "What kind of person do you think I am? I am a fair and impartial judge."

Artoria is the one, so don't go easy on her just because she's a cute female Servant from the "Red" faction!

"No way."

"Hmph, that's hard to say."

Joan of Arc placed her hand on her chest.

The heart beating inside her now is not her own, but Leticia's heart.

To protect her life, the spirit possession ritual employed methods to preserve her physical body—

So, what is it that Artorius, who has appeared in this world as the "Preserver," is here to protect?

If Amakusa Shiro is my enemy, then where are Artorius's enemies?

"Crack! Crack!"

Joan of Arc slapped her cheeks twice to clear her mind of confusion, then walked into the arena for the final battle—

The deck garden at the very top of the floating fortress.

Although she had been mentally prepared, Joan of Arc was still speechless for a long time when she saw the other person in person.

One of the Arbitrator's privileges is a skill called "True Name Vision".

This skill can see through the servant's rank and true name, and it also applies to the victim.

The other person's identity was clearly visible to her—

Ruler, Amakusa Shiro Tokisada, was summoned during the Third Holy Grail War.

"Hello, this time's adjudicator."

The white-haired, brown-skinned boy smiled kindly: "I am the one you are looking for, the original arbiter."

I've actually been wanting to talk to you about this for a while now.

Joan of Arc said irritably, "Don't joke around. Haven't you been avoiding me all along?"

Amakusa Shiro scratched his head somewhat awkwardly: "After all, if I had met you on the battlefield earlier, my entire plan would have been ruined..."

Well, although it has now completely failed.

The boy laughed heartily; his voice held no hatred, but rather a resolute will.

Amakusa Shiro was well aware of his current predicament; he had reached a dead end, and even so, he could not be persuaded.