"Join forces? Hmph. Looks like that bastard Ruler can't stay idle."
Jeanne's voice was heard by everyone, even by the Chaldea group as they traveled back to Romania.
Gilgamesh, now riding Enkidu's Vimana, scoffed at Jeanne's actions, yet he also understood they were necessary if they wanted to stop The Monster.
Fortunately, this was a World War. Unlike the Black and Red Factions, the other Servants were all extremely powerful—strong enough to restrain Original Sin. If it had been a normal war, there would have been nothing they could do. Original Sin would have been unstoppable. But if it were a normal war, Yuki would never have been summoned in the first place.
"Don't say that, Gil. This works in our favor."
With Ruler's announcement, forming alliances would now be much easier. As helpers of Chaldea, this aligned perfectly with their objective.
"We should head to the Green Camp. They must have heard it too..."
Ritsuka clenched his fist. His original mission had been to find the Black Faction and bring them into an alliance, but the overwhelming number of Servants made him hesitate. In the end, they were interrupted by the Yamai sisters.
That was why he decided to go after the Greens instead. Now his top priority was strengthening their group. He didn't know when The Monster might appear again, and because of his earlier objective, Mash was in danger.
Ritsuka tightened his fist. He had to protect Mash.
"Senpai..."
As if sensing Ritsuka's resolve, Mash smiled and clasped both hands to her chest.
"Hm. I agree. The Blacks are probably under attack right now..."
As a child born of the earth, Enkidu could feel an intense concentration of Magical Energy in Romania. That could only happen when high-level Servants were fighting.
"I agree as well. The Greens seem more trustworthy..."
The Blue Camp was their target, and as a traitor to the Blues, Sakura was now a thorn lodged deep in their side.
"It's settled. Let's look for the Greens."
"In that case, I'll lead the way."
Supporting Ritsuka, Enkidu—son of the earth and master of Presence Detection—could sense the immense magical power of Servants, as well as those whose Presence diminished. With that ability, Enkidu was the nemesis of all Assassins.
"Father..."
Noah, on the other hand, felt sorrow from his ancestor's aura. He had always been proud to be the legitimate descendant of the Progenitor, yet now that same being sought to destroy the humanity he once protected.
At Yggdmillennia Castle, the battle continued. Unfortunately for the Blacks, nothing but bad news awaited them. Ruler's announcement didn't bring other Masters rushing to help.
No one was foolish enough to face Blue Berserker, whose strength had proven to be the greatest among the Servants. It was only a matter of time before they were wiped out by the three Evas of Heaven.
[In the name of the Command Spell! Lancer, kill Rider of the Green!]
[In the name of the Command Spell, Rider, eliminate Ruler!]
"Damn it, Darnic!"
"Master!"
Vlad III roared in fury. He had enough Endurance to resist mental control, but Darnic did not. As a result, Astolfo and Vlad III himself were forcibly controlled by the Command Spell.
[In the name of the Command Spell! Rider and Lancer, ignore the previous command!]
Fortunately for the two Heroes, Jeanne still had enough Command Spells to stop them.
"Thank you, Ruler..."
"Thank you so much, Ruler!"
Being forcibly controlled by a Command Spell was the worst possible outcome—a complete lack of trust from a Master toward their Servant. Vlad III and Astolfo expressed their gratitude immediately.
"Mouu~~ you're really no fun when you oppose me."
Miku puffed out her cheeks, but Jeanne frowned. This was bad. No Heroes were willing to help. At this rate, her only option would be to forcibly summon other Servants—but that would violate the rights of Masters, and as Ruler, she had to remain neutral.
BOOM, BOOM, BOOM
With the other Heroes actively chasing each other, Kotori and Origami didn't wait either. They split up. Origami pursued Iskandar—air battles were her specialty—while Kotori dropped like a bullet toward Jeanne. The temperature spiked as fire spread.
"Here I come, Ruler!"
"Tsk!"
Jeanne leapt backward, barely avoiding the impact, but—
"Grrrrll!"
"Geh?!"
Another roar came from behind, and Jeanne was struck head-on.
"Black Berserker!"
Jeanne gritted her teeth and slid across the ground to lessen the impact of the Mace. Her attacker wore a bridal dress and growled incessantly.
It was Frankenstein....
"Haha, how amusing, Ruler..."
With two Berserkers attacking together, Kotori couldn't help laughing. This was the true terror of Berserkers—irrational and powerful. Since they couldn't catch Iskandar, Frankenstein had switched targets.
"You'd better give up, cutie~ Come on, be good and lower your Flag~"
Laughing sweetly, Miku descended gently, cutting off Jeanne's escape route.
She was cornered...
"Ruler!!"
At that moment, a Hippogriff descended at full speed. Miku noticed it and frowned, but didn't act. She could fly as well—no matter where Jeanne went, she wouldn't escape.
"Hee~, interesting."
"Grrrrlll!!"
Kotori didn't move either. She crossed her arms. Only Frankenstein charged forward, trying to stop Jeanne.
"HAAAAA!"
It was a mistake. The moment the Hippogriff caught Jeanne's outstretched hands and lifted her skyward, countless lances erupted from the ground. Vlad III pushed his Noble Phantasm to its limit, attacking across a wide area.
"AAAAAHHHH!!"
The stakes melted upon touching Kotori, but it was different for Miku. Part of her Astral armor shattered, forcing her to jump back. Her Sonic Attack then formed a spherical barrier around her, destroying the stakes nearby.
"Not bad. Using both the terrain and the magic of the Greater Grail to unleash thousands of stakes—impressive, Black Lancer..."
"You bastard! You ruined my dress!"
"It's your fault. You should've stayed in the sky."
"Mouuu~!"
Kotori was impressed. Miku was furious. Even so, both remained unharmed. They already had experience dealing with the stakes, so no matter how many were summoned, it was useless.
Unfortunately, the same couldn't be said for Frankenstein...
"Grrrr!"
She was pierced by dozens of stakes. Her Spirit Core was severely damaged, and she began to fade away.
"How cruel. Killing your own companion just to escape, hee~"
"What a waste! She was such a cute girl!"
None of the girls had intended to kill any Servants before the war officially began. But now there was friendly fire—or perhaps Vlad III simply didn't care.
He had been betrayed by his own people and his Master. Killing them was the same as weakening the enemy.
"Damn it! Their armor is too thick—I can't pierce it."
Kotori was right. Vlad III didn't lament Frankenstein's return to the Throne of Heroes. Those who allowed themselves to be deceived by the enemy were better off dying early. His focus was entirely on the Evas. His ambush had failed, and now he faced the fury of the Mother of humanity...
"Lancer, get on! Hurry!"
Fortunately for him, Astolfo descended after rescuing Ruler and picked him up.
"What a surprise. I thought you'd stop them."
As the trio grew distant atop the Hippogriff, Kotori glanced at Miku in surprise. Given her personality, it should have been impossible for her not to make things difficult for them—especially Vlad III, who had torn her dress.
"Hmph! Darling said to recover the Greater Grail and not kill them. I won't disobey Darling's orders~"
"Is that so?"
Kotori raised an eyebrow and stared at Miku, who put on an innocent expression.
"Of course! Mouuu~ What kind of image do you have of me, Kotori-san!"
Kotori rolled her eyes. Only they knew who Miku really was—a vengeful girl with an insatiable desire for a harem.
In fact, Miku had already set her sights on everyone in Yuki's Crystal Palace. Unfortunately for her, they all knew her terrible personality and avoided her.
"Anyway, it's about time he shows up..."
"Hehehe, I can't wait for Darling to come~"
Sticking out her tongue flirtatiously, Miku slipped one hand behind her back and crossed her fingers.
It was true. She didn't care about Servants, and their only goal was seizing the Greater Grail. But things were different when a man disrespected her. She tolerated Jeanne's whims as much as needed—but Vlad III was different.
Miku would never forgive him. Not any man....
[In the name of the Command Spell, Lancer, release your Noble Phantasms and kill Rider!]
And she was right—Darnic had just activated his final Command Spell.
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