After the departure of the three Servants, Marie has been aiding the civilians to evacuate. She knew she didn't have much time until enemies arrived and lo and behold, the first one was here.
"So you have come...Sanson." Marie said to the white-haired man who now had only one arm. Sadly for him, his arm was completely destroyed so there was no option of reattaching it.
"Of course, Marie. I already said it but I'm the only one with the qualifications to execute you." Sanson calmly replied, holding his sword with his remaining arm.
"It seems you have seen better days." There was sadness in her voice when she looked at his missing arm.
"It was a little mishap that I didn't expect. However, rest assured, it won't hinder your beheading. I will make sure you have the greatest experience." Sanson smiled like nothing was wrong.
"You won't change your mind about this, will you?" She asked, even though she knew it was hopeless.
"That's right, my job is to give you the ultimate -climax- when you die. That's the reason I was summoned as a Servant, I practiced and practiced getting better with each execution after all." Sanson replied with a little pride.
Marie released a small sigh of resignation. "I see, then I will have to face you, for the people of France who I decided to protect."
"Don't worry about those citizens, I promise that I won't lay a finger on them. You are my only target, the others don't interest me." Sanson said, pleasantly surprising Marie.
"I see... Even though your mind has become twisted, you still have the soul of an executioner. You have my thanks, Sanson." Marie for the first time since the coming of Sanson smiled like she used to.
Summoning her crystal horse, she mounted it and faced the white-haired executioner.
Not wanting to wait anymore, Sanson dashed toward Marie and slashed his sword at the neck of her horse. The sword managed to sink into the crystal horse's neck two centimeters but couldn't go further. With a look of annoyance, he withdrew his blade from the construct before quickly retreating.
As he was gaining distance, multiple shards of ice-like glass shot from the ground. Unfortunately, he was grazed by some of them due to him not finding a correct center of balance, something that proved difficult having recently lost an arm.
It was time for Marie to attack, her horse galloped as fast as it could and like a bull put its head forward to ram Sanson.
Not having time to dodge, the executioner put his sword horizontally to block the attack. However, not having an arm to support the upper end of the blade, his resistance became meaningless, and as such like a meteor was sent flying crashing into numerous buildings before finally coming to a stop.
Marie gave a pause to her attack, looking at the fallen Sanson through the hole in the ruined houses who was slowly getting up. "You should stop this, Sanson. I respect you from the bottom of my heart but that gives you no excuse to go to such lengths to 'kiss' me a second time."
"No...you don't understand. You were my greatest execution, no matter how many people came next, you were the only one who made me feel the true ecstasy of executing someone. I want to share it with you...why don't you understand?" Sanson said while using his sword as support, activating Medical Techniques A he managed to heal himself though many wounds still remained.
"I'm sorry but I don't share your perverse hobby, and you don't hold the right to kill me. Isn't that absurd?!" Even the usual happy-go-lucky Marie couldn't help but complain.
"That's the tie that binds us, of course, I'm the only one with that right. I'll show it to you." Sanson said while raising his sword vertically like a knight.
« "Death is hope for tomorrow."
Shadow hands shot from the ground and each one of them grabbed both the horse and Marie alike. The illusory image of a giant Guillotine appeared and with each second it was becoming more and more real until it finally became a solid construct.
"Here is your sentence." 『La Mort Espoir』 »
And with that, the guillotine fell, ready to execute the Queen of France once more.
"I'm sorry Sanson but I already told you that I won't die at your hands once more. Let's go, Guillotine Breaker!" Her horse neighed, and all around them crystal budded like flowers in spring. The hands around Marie got frozen and eventually broke into pieces allowing Marie to avoid the Guillotine.
Out of options and frustrated now that his Noble Phantasm didn't work, Sanson shot toward Marie who did the same.
As man and horse neared each other, Sanson jumped and use the horse's head as a foothold. Once he was at striking distance, the executioner wielded his sword aiming for Marie's neck.
The world slowed as if time had been altered. Sanson's sword was reaching the Queen's neck little by little while the said Queen looked at him with an unyielding gaze.
When his sword was just centimeters away from decapitating her, a giant crystal shard exploded from the ground and pierced Sanson's from side to side.
"Gah!" With a pained yell, Sanson let go of his sword before falling to the ground as the shard disappeared per Marie's command.
The executioner didn't have the strength to get up anymore. He could feel his fake life slowly dwindling.
Getting down from her horse, Marie walked toward the fallen Sanson and sit beside his body.
Turning to look at her, Sanson asked, "Why? I don't understand...I'm much better than before, so why...?" Sanson said with a little blood slipping away from his mouth, not comprehending the reason for his defeat.
"You are wrong Sanson. You became a better killer, not a better executioner. You lost the way you believed in at the start. The convictions you had when you killed my husband." Marie's sadness didn't seem to reach Assassin. No, in fact, it only made him unable to accept reality even more.
"No, that's not true—Cough" Sanson agitatedly said before coughing some blood. Taking rapid breaths for a second, he calmed down. "That's not true...I did all of this for you..."
Marie smiled sympathetically at him. "Silly, you didn't have to do anything for me. I didn't hold a grudge against you and I never will."
"...I see... All this time...I..." Before he could finish his words, he faded away right before Rider's very eyes. Marie stayed silent for a few seconds before getting up. Lightly hitting both her cheeks, she returned to her usual cheerful personality.
Suddenly, multiple roars were heard. Looking at the sky, she saw the army of Wyverns making their way into the town with Jeanne Alter leading them.
Jumping from the Wyvern she was mounting, Jeanne descended in front of Marie. "So Sanson died? Honestly, they are all a bunch of useless pieces of trash, they can't even kill a stupid Queen on her toy horse.
"Isn't that a cold way to refer to one's underlings?" Although Marie asked with a tone that denoted lightheartedness; inside, she was very upset at the black Saint.
"At least it's better than an idiot queen protecting the same people that beheaded her." Jeanne's disgust was easily noticeable. The way the little Queen did things remained her of that little goody two shoes. It was no wonder why both got along so well. They were both retards.
"It's the job of a Queen to protect her people, no matter what. Besides, I'm sure my death was the start of a new era for France that could bring more smiles to its people." Marie smiled, not at all offended by Jeanne's words. In fact, there was a trace of pity in them.
"No matter the words you use to say it, you are a fool." She said before looking around. "I don't see nor sense that little bug over here. Does that mean she escaped? It seems she doesn't have the courage to face me."
"She is not a coward, she left to give us an opportunity to defeat you." Marie lightly shook her head.
Jeanne sarcastically laughed before looking at her with disdain. "You sure know how to tell jokes. What opportunity? No matter what you try your resistance is futile!"
"Not at all, as long as the people continue to smile, we will have a bright future. A future that people will fight for with their own hands. That's why I say Viva La France!" Marie cheerfully replied.
Jeanne's face contorted in disgust. "Talking with a fool sure gives you headaches. Let's see what opportunities you have now. Wyvern, rejoice! Today you will be eating a hopeless idiot for dinner!" And with that, she commanded her army of Wyverns to attack.
Marie remained unwavering through all of this, ready to give her life if that meant saving at least one more person.
When the Wyverns launched themselves to prey on Marie, a rumbling sound echoed on the battlefield growing louder and louder by the second.
Looking toward the sky with eyes filled with hate. Jeanne saw black clouds with lightning moving between them like a restless snake. 'You!' She knew perfectly well who was the one behind this.
The attacking Wyverns as the mindless beasts they were didn't take notice of the storm but the opposite couldn't be said. With raging fury, the lightning descended on them without mercy.
The only cries that could be heard were the ones from the still-alive and panicking Wyverns, as those who were struck turned to dust instantly without being able to do anything, much less shriek.
Marie was surprised until someone came to mind. She gave a happier smile in thanks. Jeanne, however, was the opposite. Different from Marie, all she felt was hate.
The Black Saint had to dodge the falling thunderbolts as she was also a target. Clenching the hand holding her black short sword, she screamed at the top of her lungs. "Stop hiding up there and come down you fucking coward!"
In response to her words, the lightning assault stopped. She smirked thinking that the man she hated so much was finally going to appear before her so she could torture him until his death.
Contrary to her expectations, the lightning converged in the middle of the storm clouds and produced an even bigger sound than before.
Suddenly, there was a high-pitched noise that wiped the smirk from her face. A few moments later, a thunderbolt thicker a redder than the ones before shot toward her at an impressive speed.
Sensing the incoming danger, Jeanne put her flag and sword forward in an 'x' shape. The world turned white just as the lightning bolt descended, creating a big explosion that destroyed everything around the point of impact. Fortunately, the civilians had already evacuated and Marie had retreated to the outskirts of the city when the lightning was striking the Wyverns.
Jeanne was lying on the ground, multiple burns could be found on her body, even more than when he was struck by his lightning before. Intentionally or unintentionally, the strike didn't hit her head-on. She only received collateral damage, but that didn't mean she was unscathed.
"Well, little kid. I stopped hiding, what did you want?" Seth appeared right in front of her, having used the previous attack to arrive there. The fallen girl, who was slowly getting up, although with some difficulty, felt a deep sense of anger at what he said.
"Y-You...you think you can mock me..." Her face contorted in rage. She wanted nothing more than to stab him multiple times and burn his flesh as painfully as possible. To have his screams of agony be heard by everyone he considered an ally. To make HIM realize that he was someone helpless that could do nothing before the impending fate.
"Every single one of you...I will make sure you regret this..." Catching her breath, she took a few seconds to be in the condition to fight. Seth observed her struggle without doing anything, merely limiting himself to listening to her rambling.
Cladding her sword on fire, Jeanne dashed at him. The black-haired man materialized his spear and parried her blow. There was a moment of stillness where neither of the two did anything, yet that same moment was broken when the black-haired man kicked her in the stomach, throwing her away to crash into a building. Jeanne came to a stop only after having destroyed three houses with the momentum of her body.
"ARGHH! I HATE YOU! I HATE YOU! WHY DON'T YOU JUST DIE?!" She screamed in fury before preparing her strongest attack, torturing him, making him scream, making him beg for forgiveness as he crawled into the ground. All of that could go to hell! She was so angry that she wanted nothing more than to see him die.
« "All evil is here." She started to chant.
"The time for revenge has come!" She pointed her sword toward Seth. Strangely, the man did the same motion with his spear.
"This is the roar of my soul that was polished by hatred..." Flames started forming around her as well as around him. Noticing the similarities, Jeanne's rage grew if that was even possible. A fool. He was making a fool out of her!
『La Grondement Du Haine!』 » Both said at the same time before the flames shot toward each other like a dragon's breath.
Orange and black flames against pure black ones. The outcome would be decided shortly.