Although the degree of mana consumption during a Heroic Spirit's summoning does not always equate to their strength, a summoning that devours such immense mana from the start could only mean one thing—the responding Heroic Spirit was anything but ordinary!
"Celenike, hold on!" Darnic called out sharply as he hurried to her side, placing a hand upon her shoulder and channeling mana into her.
Buzz!
As Darnic's own magical circuits flared to life, waves of power surged from his body and flowed into Celenike. Soon, her spasming form, wracked by mana deprivation, began to ease slightly.
Enduring the pain with a hoarse voice, Celenike gasped, "Lord Darnic... I can feel it... it's still not enough..."
"What?!" Darnic's eyes narrowed. Still not enough?!
Could this Heroic Spirit's strength truly exceed the limits of his control? But there was no time for hesitation—if they failed now, Yggdmillennia could lose an irreplaceable powerhouse before the war even began!
Resolute, Darnic turned toward the second-floor gallery and shouted, "Caster! Redirect all auxiliary mana output from the homunculus supply chamber—feed it all into the circle!"
"Understood."
Wearing a deep blue ceremonial robe, with a golden faceless mask devoid of eyes or mouth, not a shred of skin exposed, Caster pressed his palms together, chanting several cryptic incantations.
Instantly, the entire hall's artificial leyline network ignited—brilliant veins of light spreading as torrents of mana converged toward the summoning circle before Celenike.
The air surged with violent pressure. Silk draperies whipped against the walls as the human-shaped homunculi serving nearby crouched low in fear.
The sigil's radiance intensified exponentially. BZZZ—BOOM! A shockwave erupted as purple-red mana particles shot skyward, bursting from the circle like a tangible tide, sweeping through the room with crushing force.
"Master, get back!" A man wielding a bow and arrow stepped protectively before his wheelchair-bound Master. His long pale-yellow ponytail and moss-green cloak identified him instantly—Chiron.
"This can't be... this divinity... it far surpasses even my time," Chiron muttered, feeling the pressure from the raging magic.
As the sagacious centaur of Greek mythology—mentor to countless heroes such as Heracles, Achilles, Jason, and Asclepius—Chiron was blessed by the gods with unmatched wisdom and insight. Having dealt with deities countless times during the Age of Gods, his sensitivity to divine presence and authority far exceeded that of ordinary Heroic Spirits.
"Which god could this be...? Destruction... war... terror... abyss... night... sovereignty... harvest..."
The more divine attributes Chiron sensed, the colder his sweat became. "...Even the presence of the sun god? Such an abundance and complexity of divine authority... this must be a pinnacle of an entire pantheon!"
How could the Holy Grail possibly summon a divine monarch of such level?!
Within the data-formed body of Selene's Heroic Spirit manifestation—shaped by the Empire's collective faith and further modified by Selene herself—lay fragments of divine authority she did not originally possess (albeit incomplete versions).
"This divinity... even my body, once bathed in dragon's blood, trembles before it... Could it be a higher dragon king—or perhaps... a slayer of dragons?" (Cross-Tail Dragon protested: 'Yes, that's her! I barely survived!')
Each felt something different. Among them, a silver-haired man clad in full silver-gray armor raised his great fantasy sword, standing protectively before his Master.
Siegfried, the dragon-slaying hero, stood in silent vigilance.
"..."
A girl with short pink hair covering her eyes, a sharp metallic horn protruding from her forehead, and a slender frame draped in a white gauze dress stood before her Master. Without a word, she gripped her massive club tightly, watching the summoning circle stained in violet-red light with guarded vigilance.
"My Servant... has manifested!"
The next instant, as Celenike exclaimed in delight, dazzling violet-red radiance filled everyone's vision, followed by a violent shockwave that swept through the grand hall.
When the winds finally settled and the brilliant light began to fade—
"...A God-Empress..." Chiron whispered in awe. Seeing the figure now wrapped in shimmering hues of white, gold, and violet only confirmed his conviction.
Though what stood before them appeared to be an elegantly, exquisitely beautiful woman—perfect and unmoving like a goddess carved in marble—Chiron could feel it clearly.
Before them stood a God-Empress at the summit of all creation. That overwhelming aura of dominion—the divine right to speak laws into being, to decide the life and death of all—was something even Zeus himself could not compare to.
For Zeus, though titled King of the Gods, still bore the burden of five primordial creators and the Titans before him, shared dominion with his brothers Poseidon and Hades, and faced the rise of countless successor deities. Even in his own realm, he was bound by the laws of the cosmos.
But this goddess—this God-Empress—embodied absolute isolation, absolute coldness, absolute arrogance.
That gaze... the kind that regarded all creation as mere dust beneath her feet... sent a chill through the hearts of all present.
...
Moments earlier, when Selene followed the guidance of the Counter Force and responded to a Holy Grail summoning, she had forcibly intruded into a summoning channel.
Upon arrival, she saw a pink-haired figure about to answer the call—ready to descend into the mortal world.
"Ah... Astolfo?" she murmured.
After a brief pause of curiosity, Selene immediately suppressed the figure.
"Who are you? Why are you in my summoning path?"
Before her stood a slender youth with braided pink hair, wearing a white cloak, thigh-high black garters, and a mischievously innocent smile—
A boy disguised as a girl.
Even when clutched within Selene's Imaginary Claw, the youth looked entirely unbothered, cheerfully replying, "Who are you, miss? And why are you here?"
"Who I am is irrelevant," Selene replied coolly. "You only need to know this—your position now belongs to me."
"Eh?! N-no! I'm Astolfo—one of Charlemagne's Twelve Paladins! This summoning is meant for me—it's my honor! I can't just—"
Selene ignored his protests.
With a flick of her hand, the Imaginary Claw crushed him effortlessly.
Crack—huff.
No blood was spilled. The still-unmanifested Astolfo disintegrated into a cluster of azure particles, fading quietly before Selene's eyes.
"With Astolfo involved, I think I know exactly which Holy Grail War this is..." she mused lightly.
...
As the summoning completed, the Greater Grail—somewhere beyond—instantly infused Selene's mind with the "common sense" of this world.
"Thou art my... Master?"
Hearing the cool, regal voice, Celenike stiffened. When Selene's crimson-gold eyes turned upon her, she quickly raised her trembling hand marked by red Command Spells. "Y-yes! I am!"
"Good. Then our contract is sealed. Master, I shall lead you to final victory."
Selene's gaze lingered upon her gray-haired summoner for a moment, then she looked away. The woman's bloodstained aura and manic undertones didn't concern her in the slightest.
So long as she did not provoke her, Selene would not interfere.
"...Are these people," she asked coldly, her scarlet diamond-shaped pupils glinting with gold, "the ones to be cleansed?"
"Master, be careful!"
In an instant, Frankenstein and Siegfried stepped protectively before their respective Masters. Frankenstein let out a guttural growl, her monstrous aura flaring, while Siegfried silently raised his great sword, his silver armor gleaming.
But the most shaken among them was Chiron.
Having once possessed high divine nature himself, his heightened senses reacted violently to Selene's overwhelming divinity.
And because of that—he alone perceived the full scale of her presence.
What he felt was not just threat... it was terror.
This time, it wasn't just cold sweat. Though Chiron hadn't taken a single step back, he could feel every cell in his body trembling uncontrollably. His eyes, locked on Selene, were filled with unmistakable dread.
It was the same primal fear an animal feels upon encountering a predator at the top of the food chain.
"Archer?!" Behind him, the wheelchair-bound girl Fiore Forvedge Yggdmillennia seemed to sense his unease, speaking anxiously.
"Master, if combat breaks out... forgive me. I may not be able to protect you. Because—I cannot be mistaken—she's a being above even the God-King level!" Chiron declared gravely, standing protectively before his Master.
"What?! A... god?"
In the span of a single breath, the entire Fortress of Millennia was thrown into full alert. Every Servant and Master of the Black Faction felt it—the crushing, divine pressure radiating from the woman before them.
"Oh? Not bad. You mortals... though only fragmented avatar, you still stand firm under my deliberate release of pressure. I shall remember this."
Following the image she had impressed into this world, Selene played her role to perfection—her voice, gestures, and regal bearing fully embodying that of a divine sovereign and emperor.
And indeed, compared to the usual Fuyuki Holy Grail Wars—often little more than familial melodramas—the magi of this Great Holy Grail War were far more competent. Especially compared to the... domestic disputes of the Fifth War.
Her icy tone and overwhelming aura sent another wave of tension rippling through the hall.
"Celenike!" Darnic tapped his cane, his voice urgent.
"Rider... no, Your Majesty," Celenike quickly corrected herself, "please, do not attack the other Servants of the Black Faction. They are allies. The enemy lies with the Servants of the Red Faction."
It was obvious—Selene was not the type of Servant one could command lightly. Given what Fiore's Servant had said—that she was divine—addressing her as one would an ordinary familiar was suicide.
Celenike wasn't foolish. The moment she heard Selene speak in that archaic register, she knew that addressing her as Your Majesty was the only safe choice.
"...Understood. Worry not. Since they are not enemies, I shall not strike them down."
Selene stepped forward until she stood before Chiron. Seeing the wary gleam in his eyes, she let out a soft, amused laugh.
"You were once divine yourself, were you not? I can feel the remnants of godhood within you."
"Yes, Your Majesty. My true name is Chiron." Now certain that Selene had no hostile intent, Chiron lowered his bow and performed a perfect Grecian salute. "It is an honor to stand before you."
Chiron knew that gods of Selene's level never broke their word. For deities of such rank, promises were sacred—binding even beyond life, save for those who embodied deception itself.
"Eh? Archer?! Why would you reveal your true name?" Fiore exclaimed in shock.
A Servant's true name was meant to be guarded with utmost secrecy. Revealing it risked exposing their fatal weaknesses, as the method of their death could easily become the key to their defeat.
If one had perished by poison, poison could kill them again; if slain by an arrow, a single arrow could end them once more.
"It's fine, Master. We are allies... and besides," Chiron said with a faint smile, "before a true god, there is nothing we can hide. She already knows all our names."
"Chiron," Selene said softly, "the great sage of Greece, mentor to heroes, embodiment of Sagittarius—the child of the Titan Cronus and the nymph Philyra... you are rather honest."
"Divine Majesty, greetings. I am Vlad III, Vlad Țepeș, Grand Duke of Wallachia—Lancer of Black. With your arrival, I am certain that victory is now within our grasp."
At that, Vlad III rose from his throne. As a devout Christian, he had no intention of flaunting mortal kingship before a deity. With composed dignity, he approached to within three paces of Selene, lowering his stance without submission, but with the utmost respect.
Despite his cruelty toward his enemies, Vlad was, at his core, a noble and honorable ruler.
"Honored Divine Majesty, I am Darnic Prestone Yggdmillennia, nominal leader of the Masters of the Black Faction," Darnic added, quickly glancing toward Vlad. Seeing the Grand Duke nod with approval, Darnic continued.
"Your response to our summons is a blessing upon the Yggdmillennia family, and upon Celenike herself. Under your divine guidance, we are certain to claim ultimate victory!"
Changing leaders among Servants was nothing unusual—it was a matter of strength. And now, with a god manifesting among them—no mere god, but one beyond the God-King tier—Vlad himself offered no protest. Naturally, Darnic followed suit, recognizing Selene as the new ruler of the Black Faction's Servants.
One by one, including Vlad III and Chiron, all Servants of the Black Faction knelt upon one knee behind Selene.
Watching this, the pale-faced Celenike approached Darnic, her voice trembling with barely restrained excitement. "Lord Darnic... we've won. We've already won!"
Just moments ago, using her Master privileges, Celenike had accessed Selene's Servant parameters.
True Name: Selene
Class: Rider
...