Chapter 505: Assault on the Hanging Gardens (Patreon)

The sudden turn of events left Shinji dizzy and disoriented. Amidst his daze, he heard Justeaze's anxious call.

"Shinji, Shinji, are you alright? Answer me!"

"I'm okay... just a bit of a concussion."

Pressing his throbbing head, he quickly regained control of his body, thanks to the combat instincts honed by Scathach's training.

"What exactly happened just now? On your end—"

Before he could finish speaking, Shinji's body froze. Pegasus, which he had pinned his hopes on, had reverted to spirit form at some point, and its current state silently revealed what had transpired.

Just as Pegasus had ascended with full force, preparing to accelerate and ram into the Greater Grail, an attack came out of nowhere. It struck Pegasus's body, causing the unbalanced beast to crash directly into Shinji.

Although Pegasus dissipated its physical form immediately to avoid further harm to Shinji, the mysterious attack inflicted significant damage on it. This attack deprived Pegasus of its ability to fly and fight for a short period, completely clearing the way for the Greater Grail to enter the Hanging Gardens.

Kneeling on the ground, Shinji looked up at the slowly ascending golden sphere, his face filled with pain and frustration.

"Why did this happen? We were so close!"

The fall from heaven to hell gnawed at his heart. He hammered his fists against the smooth stone slabs beneath him, futilely venting his chaotic emotions.

At this point, he had no way to stop the Greater Grail from leaving. He could only watch as it ascended higher and higher, while the contract linking him and Justeaze became increasingly vague due to Semiramis's interference.

"Damn it, damn it, damn it—!"

He muttered through gritted teeth, his deep blue eyes bloodshot.

In his despair, Shinji saw a resolute figure appear by the remnants of the city wall, standing like a snow-capped peak on the Nordic landscape.

The most famous hero of Norse mythology, the knight who traversed Niederland, and the dragon slayer, Siegfried!

With his appearance, more heroes gathered. There was the great sage of ancient Greece with a longbow on his back, a tyrant dressed in black exuding a formidable aura, and a master golem maker as steady as a rock.

These heroes came from different backgrounds and experiences, but they all exhibited the same trait when facing the colossal object above—they showed no fear.

Even with the Greater Grail taken and their advantage turned into a disadvantage, they did not despair nor did they give up. They leaped, using the floating stones altered by the change in physical laws as footholds, and charged into the Hanging Gardens without hesitation. This was the spirit of heroism, the true essence of heroes, something Shinji lacked.

Perhaps he had enough strength, and his mind was sharp, but he was missing a crucial quality.

As Vlad III had said, only those who could laugh in the face of overwhelming odds and despair were worthy of being called heroes. Shinji, although he had faced various hardships and adversities, had never been driven to despair.

Perhaps it was his nature; no matter how reckless or risky his actions were, he always left himself an escape route. Even when confronting the Ortenrosse, he had a secret plan to escape with Pegasus.

When someone has a way to retreat, they lack the courage to fight to the death. Now, Shinji was finally cornered with no way out.

Amakusa Shirou could connect to and control the Greater Grail through his Noble Phantasm. This would inevitably lead him to discover Justeze, who also held some control over the Grail. Given Amakusa's ruthless decisiveness, if he saw Justeaze as an obstacle to his control, she would be in grave danger. While there was a chance she might be deemed harmless, Shinji dared not gamble on it. He couldn't risk the life of the woman who meant so much to him, no matter how slim the chance of failure.

"No, it's not over yet, there's still a chance. If we can take the Hanging Gardens, we can reclaim the Grail—wait for me, Justeaze, I'm coming to get you!"

Shadows silently crept up and enveloped Shinji's body, transforming into a cloak that also rendered the assassin beneath it invisible.

◇◇◇

The Hanging Gardens, Semiramis's Noble Phantasm, was a place that instantly alerted her to any intruders. As soon as the Black Faction Servants led by Vlad III set foot in the temple, Semiramis detected them and relayed this information via surveillance images to the waiting Red Faction.

Red Lancer Karna raised his immortal blade and calmly declared, "I'll handle Black Berserker Vlad III."

"My target is, of course, Black Archer."

Red Rider Achilles had already made his decision.

"Hmm... I wanted to choose Black Archer too."

Red Archer Atalanta scratched her beast ears in frustration. As a fellow archer, she was burning with a strong fighting spirit, but—

"Sorry, sis, I really can't let you have this one."

"Ah, I know, so I won't fight you for it."

During Karna's absence, Atalanta had learned Black Archer's true name and understood the complex relationship between him and Achilles. This master-student confrontation was inevitable, and she neither wanted nor could disrupt it.

"But who should I choose then? Black Saber? Or the Black Caster whom I haven't seen?"

Atalanta was indecisive. To be honest, neither Black Saber Siegfried nor Black Caster Avicebron were good matches for her.

Siegfried, with his near-invulnerable body and Balmung, was like an impenetrable iron turtle.

Similarly, Avicebron, as the master of golem creation and a key source of the Black Faction's infantry, would undoubtedly bring golems with him. Atalanta didn't believe for a second that he would come alone. Once the number of golems increased, it would be hard for her to maintain the front line—not because she couldn't defeat them, but because the current situation didn't allow her to use her favored kiting tactics.

Kiting required the enemy to focus solely on her, but the Black Faction's primary goal wasn't to defeat the Red Faction's Servants; it was to reclaim the Greater Grail. If Atalanta tried to fight while retreating, Avicebron would surely leave some golems to block her path and then advance with the rest of his forces.

Her Noble Phantasm, "Phoebus Catastrophe," had already been exposed, and one of its targets was the golems. If Black Caster had any sense, he would be prepared for this.

Suddenly, a thought popped into her head.

"If only Caster would help..."

Shakespeare's skill "Enchant" could turn the mundane into the extraordinary, creating "explosive arrows" for large-scale attacks and "armor-piercing arrows" specifically for Black Saber. This would greatly alleviate her concerns.

Unfortunately, the powerful support of the great playwright had always been capricious. As soon as he left the Throne Room, he exclaimed, "Thanks to the Greater Grail, I've suddenly been struck with creative inspiration! Excuse me!" and hurried back to his so-called "study," leaving everyone else exasperated.

While Atalanta was hesitating, Karna spoke up:

"I have a suggestion."

"Let's hear it."

"Don't choose. Use your Phantasmal Puppets for the front line, and you find opportunities in the back. This should play to your strengths."

"You're right!"

Atalanta's eyes lit up at his words. She wasn't alone; her side also had phantasmal puppets. If the enemy had high defense and numbers, so did they. With meat shields, she could shoot to her heart's content.

"Thank you, Lancer."

"Then it's settled. Let's give it our all."

Achilles hefted the meteor spear made by his teacher and gifted by his father, ready for the enemy's arrival.