A few minutes earlier—on the outskirts of the plains beyond Trifas, near the Fortress of Millennia.
Whoosh!
Amidst the deafening explosion that erupted at the center of the plains, Saber of Red—Mordred—finished releasing her Noble Phantasm. Unharmed, she charged once more toward the orderly ranks of Astartes Legion warriors.
"First Legion, fall back! Create distance!"
At once, Alex issued the command. His massive frame vanished simultaneously with Mordred's in a blur of motion.
Whoosh!
Bang! Bang! Bang!
The air rang with a series of earth-shaking impacts, the shockwaves resounding across the plains. What had begun as a static line engagement had now become a mobile duel. Each collision released explosive bursts of wind and dust, tearing up vast swaths of grassland.
Within mere moments, the once-peaceful scenic meadow had been utterly devastated. Nearly a five-hundred-meter radius was left in ruins—lush flowers and grass flattened, the earth scarred with craters and cracks.
...
Within the Hanging Gardens of Babylon—
Seated upon her pyramid-shaped throne, Assassin of Red—the Queen of Assyria, Semiramis—no longer exuded her usual aura of decadent languor. In its place was a heavy, urgent tension.
Her gaze swept across the transparent magical display projecting images of multiple battlefronts, each locked in bitter stalemate. A sigh escaped her as she rubbed her temple in frustration.
"Master... I hope your plan succeeds," she murmured, turning toward the now-empty space beside her throne where Amakusa Shirou Tokisada had once stood.
By this stage, the situation was clear—it had devolved into a deadlock. Neither side could gain a decisive advantage. The Red Faction could not crush the Yggdmillennia family, nor could Yggdmillennia overcome them.
Archer—Atalanta—was tasked with containing Archer of Black—Chiron. Even with the magic circle of the Hanging Gardens bolstering her, allowing her to suppress him and occasionally harass Saber of Black—Siegfried—to prevent him from supporting other fronts, the problem remained.
Atalanta lacked a powerful single-target Noble Phantasm. Her area attacks, though wide-ranging, lacked the lethal force to deliver a finishing blow—unless she struck the Bodhi mark on Siegfried's back...
Otherwise, the minor wounds she inflicted amounted to little more than an inconvenience to him.
Saber—Mordred—was trapped in combat against the overwhelming numbers of these superhuman soldiers. Though capable of defending herself, she couldn't break free. Even after unleashing her Noble Phantasm, she found herself blocked by that high-ranking black-armored officer.
And Lancer—Karna—truly lived up to his title as the Son of the Sun God. His might was extraordinary.
He not only suppressed multiple Servants of the Black Faction with ease but even gravely wounded Lancer of Black—Vlad III—amidst their combined assault.
Yet, the true game-changer was Rider of Black's army-summoning Noble Phantasm—not only summoning legions of extraordinary warriors but now even producing commanders whose raw combat power rivaled that of genuine Servants!
Was she seeing this correctly?
Karna—the divine son of Surya—was being overpowered in close combat by that titanic golden-haired giant, a man whose strikes had forced him to cough blood. It was almost unthinkable.
He wore Kavacha—a divine relic that reduced all forms of interference—physical, magical, or conceptual—by ninety percent, impervious even to the wrath of gods.
"And yet... this may actually work in our favor," Semiramis muttered, resting her chin on her hand, brows furrowing deeply. "Drawing such powerful enemies out of the Fortress of Millennia should have weakened its defenses considerably. That should improve Master's chances of success..."
She sighed quietly, trying to reassure herself.
For once, she regretted not preventing Rider—Achilles—from accompanying Atalanta on the mission to escort and detonate Berserker—Spartacus.
Even if their personalities and philosophies clashed, Achilles' presence would have been invaluable—a powerful combatant they now sorely lacked.
Losing him on the very first day of the Holy Grail War had been a terrible blow.
Semiramis let out another weary breath. "Now... all that's left is time. Every second we can hold them off... increases our chances of victory."
"Mr. Kairi Sisigou, the command of Saber's frontline engagement will be left to you. You hold the Command Spells—use your discretion if retreat becomes necessary."
"Ah... understood."
Kairi Sisigou, who had been watching Mordred's battle on the display with intense focus, blinked for a moment before nodding solemnly.
"What a pity... the final decision isn't ours to make."
Rising from her throne, Semiramis turned her gaze toward the projection—where a silver-white figure, enveloped in violet-red mana particles, shot through the sky like a supersonic missile toward Trifas.
The next moment, her body dissolved into motes of spirit particles. When she reappeared, she was standing upon the outer ring platform of the Hanging Gardens of Babylon.
Visible even to the naked eye, the approaching figure trailed a massive... sonic boom cloud.
"So she's arrived..."
Boom... boom... boom—!
The thunderous roar drew ever closer, echoing like war drums deep within Semiramis' chest. Against the backdrop of the spreading vapor cone, Rider of Black streaked across the heavens like a falling star.
Without hesitation, Semiramis issued her order. "Lancer, retreat! Rider of Black has arrived!"
"Lancer, can you hear me? Fall back! The baiting operation is complete—don't waste your strength fighting that summoned soldier any longer!"
Her voice, transmitted through the mana supply network linking her to the Servants, resounded urgently in Karna's mind—bereft of its usual calm composure.
Boom!
"What?"
Karna's expression hardened as he clashed with the towering warrior known as Budo, straining his body and mana to the limit.
He had to withdraw—immediately. If he delayed even a moment longer, facing Rider of Black and her entire army simultaneously would spell certain defeat.
"My apologies, General. My Master and allies are calling for me. It seems our battle must wait for another time."
"Hahaha... no matter. This is war, not a gladiator's arena. Any act that favors survival is both wise and justified. But tell me, boy—how confident must you be to turn your back on me and think you can escape alive?"
BOOM!
Budo slammed his fists together, the sound echoing like thunder. A tremendous surge of power radiated outward, shaking the very air. Between his fists, countless arcs of lightning coiled and converged.
BOOM! BOOM! BOOM—!
In mere seconds, Budo unleashed massive, man-high pillars of lightning, his power continuing to climb as he drew in even more mana, transforming it into raw thunder. His aura swelled to terrifying intensity.
"Her Majesty is returning—your defeat is assured!"
"My honor is loyalty! For Selene—!" Budo's roar shook the heavens.
Blue-white lightning, as thick as tree trunks, surged from the hydraulic gauntlets of Thunder God's Rage · Adramelech, releasing another torrent of energy. The already-massive lightning pillars grew even larger.
Zzzzt!
Karna's movements faltered slightly under the intensified assault. His legs sank deep into the ground as thunderclaps tore through the air. Sparks erupted across his golden armor wherever the currents struck.
As Karna's footing slid back, desperately calculating an escape, Semiramis' urgent voice once again rang in his mind through magical transmission.
"Lancer! Rider of Black's trajectory leads directly to your position! No—Lancer, move! She's accelerating!!"
A moment later—BOOM-CRASH! BOOM-CRASH!
Explosions resounded from the heavens, rapidly approaching.
No time! She's too fast!
Gritting his teeth, Karna made his choice instantly.
"Sun—become my armor! Kavacha and Kundala!"
The divine golden armor, integrated with his very being, flared to full power. The sun-disc pauldrons on his shoulders retracted and interlocked behind him. He raised his gaze skyward.
A searing beam of condensed firelight swept across the ground, leaving a molten trench in its wake—hurtling toward the massive, descending meteor of sonic clouds.
Karna made his choice—he abandoned the mana clash with Budo, redirecting his full attack toward the descending Rider of Black.
As for Budo's thunderous bombardment, there was no time to think. Karna chose the simplest and fastest option—to endure it head-on, invoking the full radiance of his golden armor, blazing like the sun itself.
It was an easy decision: between Rider of Black and her summoned soldiers, the true threat was obvious.
After all, Rider of Black was a divine being incarnated as a Servant—a warrior who had single-handedly defeated Saber of Red—Mordred—and slain Rider of Red—Achilles. There was nothing fragile about her.
"Karna..."
In her sights stood a striking figure: a white-haired, pale-skinned man with heterochromatic eyes, his slender frame contrasting the Empire's ideals of strength. A crimson gem gleamed upon his chest, while the golden armor enveloping his body shone like sunlight itself. His golden spear glowed with divine brilliance.
But his condition was dire—his breathing ragged from dual Noble Phantasm activation, his body trembling from the immense strain of mana exhaustion and the muscle trauma of previous blows. Every detail revealed the price of his power.
"A pity... but the Romanian Holy Grail War ends here."
"God's Wrath!"
As the high-pressure incineration beam tore through the air toward her, Selene chanted—not even attempting to evade. Instead, the violet-red mana particles surrounding her flared violently, accelerating further.
In that moment, the night sky seemed to ignite, though the light carried not warmth, but a dreadful aura of annihilation.
Selene's innate skill—Divine Core of the God-Empress—unleashed her dense divinity into the atmosphere, transforming the battlefield into the realm of the divine.
Karna could feel it—the half of his godly blood within him boiling in response.
In an instant, the Anti-Army Noble Phantasm granted to him by Parashurama—the Brahmin warrior who wielded the divine axe—collided head-on with the descending form of the God-Empress.
Then—
A wave of cataclysmic force exploded outward, its violent shockwaves lighting up half the sky in crimson-gold fire.
SHHHHHRRRK!
The ground shattered like fragile cloth beneath the raging torrents of energy and unleashed mana. The violet-red radiance engulfed everything as Selene pierced through Karna's beam and slammed into the earth below.
BOOM!
RUMBLE—!!!
A new sun rose over the horizon, erupting with an earth-shattering roar that tore through heaven and earth alike.
The shockwave reached even the distant Trifas and the Fortress of Millennia, where the tremors could be felt clearly.
The plains convulsed violently. Verdant grass withered and ignited instantly. The ground heaved like molten feathers as destructive energy—Honkai power embodying the nature of the strong nuclear force—devoured everything, driving Selene deeper into the earth.
A storm of annihilation swept through the impact zone. The air twisted and blurred from the unimaginable energy release.
A massive fireball rose skyward, forming a mushroom cloud that illuminated the night like a false dawn. The deafening rumble spread across the land, shaking both eardrums and souls alike.
The people of Trifas gazed in terror at the monstrous light blotting out the heavens. Fear consumed them. It had been barely a decade since the end of the Cold War—the shadow of nuclear annihilation still fresh in the world's memory.
"Is that... a nuclear bomb?!"
"My God! Oh Lord, have you abandoned your children?!"
"Is this... the Third World War?!"
Those who had studied civil defense and nuclear survival recognized the sight—and panic set in. The apocalypse had come.
"An atomic bomb?!"
On the balcony of the Fortress of Millennia, Darnic gripped his short staff so tightly that his knuckles whitened. He stared at the sky, now bright as day beneath the blinding violet light.
Unlike some old-fashioned magi, Darnic—though in his seventies—was well-versed and unafraid of modern human technology. A habit he attributed to his service in the military during Nazi Germany's reign.
"This power of destruction... nuclear deterrence... Frozen Sun—how fitting."
Recalling Selene's class data and her unique skill Frozen Sun, Darnic exhaled a wry, almost reverent sigh.
Behind him, Celenike, Gordes, Fiore, and Caules all nodded in uneasy agreement.
And none of them noticed—the shadowy figure in black priest's robes, draped in a crimson shroud, silently slipping into the Fortress of Millennia under the cover of divine concealment magic from the Age of Gods.