Looking at the distant Yggdmillennia Castle, Alaric's long-desired Holy Grail awaited him there. The thought of it ignited an uncontrollable impatience in him, even for someone as composed as Alaric.
"Kotomine Shirou, do you still think you have a chance of winning?"
Before leaving, Alaric turned to glance at Kotomine Shirou with a smile, asking, "Do you want to keep trying?"
"I don't think I'll lose, Alaric."
Kotomine Shirou met Alaric's gaze with calm confidence, as he always had during their year-long interactions. Nothing had changed between them.
"I quite like you, so good luck."
With a wave of his hand, Alaric took a few steps forward and leaped from the Hanging Gardens of Babylon.
As Tiamat entered the Hanging Gardens, everything was decided. Kotomine Shirou was no longer relevant; as long as Semiramis remained in the gardens, nothing would change.
But Alaric had no intention of waiting idly. The Hanging Gardens were already in his possession; the only thing left was the artificial relic that had reached the domain of the gods—Einzbern's ultimate masterpiece, the Holy Grail.
To eliminate all unstable factors, Alaric decided to join the battlefield himself.
"I'll take the field as a Knight of the Round Table!"
The wind roared past him as he fell, the pressure of freefall lifting his white hair upward.
Whoosh.
He tore off his coat, letting the fierce wind carry it high into the air until it dissolved into specks of magical light. Dressed only in a fitted black short-sleeved shirt, Alaric dove straight toward the battlefield below!
After Alaric had left, Kotomine Shirou finally shifted his gaze to Atalanta, who was aiming at Tiamat. He smiled and said, "You can stop now. The goddess Tiamat is not an opponent we can fight."
"You know this too, don't you? As a deity descending to the mortal realm, her power stands at the apex of this Holy Grail War."
Hearing this, Atalanta lowered her Celestial Bow but remained on high alert, never descending from her vantage point. She watched warily as the chaotic tide, which had covered the garden's surface, continued to erode its interior.
Tiamat, having transitioned from the Mother of All Creation to the Daughter of Creation, had also shed her Self-Sealing.
Although this change came at the cost of her immense power, the binding constraints of "I am no longer needed by humanity" had also vanished.
While Tiamat could not wield her nearly invincible Authority for extended periods, her abilities were still overwhelmingly superior in the context of the Holy Grail War—a high-dimensional force crushing all beneath it.
Moreover, the Hanging Gardens was intricately tied to Tiamat. Even the "Ten and One Black Coffins (Tiamtum Umu)" surrounding the gardens were profoundly connected to her.
"How's the situation now?"
Kotomine Shirou stepped beside Semiramis and asked, "How much control do you still have over the gardens?"
With his insight, Kotomine Shirou could easily discern that Tiamat's current actions aimed to seize control of the Hanging Gardens. However, he could not judge the extent of her progress.
"My magic and the garden's enhancements are still intact, but the garden's weapons have slipped from my control. I'm also losing my authority over its functions."
Semiramis shook her head, a hint of amazement in her eyes as she gazed at the goddess's figure. How beautiful the Maiden of Fate standing amidst the chaotic tide was!
She should have realized it sooner—
Semiramis, once queen of the Assyrian Empire, had excelled in various disciplines since childhood, mastering makeup, hairstyling, decoration, dancing, music, astronomy, and more.
The Assyrian Empire was a nation that arose in Mesopotamia. In the thousands of years of history in the land of the Two Rivers, Assyria was arguably the most enduring civilization.
Modern historians possess a nearly continuous list of Assyrian kings from around 2000 BCE to 605 BCE.
Although Assyria oscillated between strength and decline—sometimes becoming a vassal of other nations—it existed as an independent state or relatively autonomous region throughout history.
Around 900 BCE, Assyria suddenly became extraordinarily powerful, rising as the invincible Assyrian Empire, only to be destroyed in 605 BCE, after which the nation ceased to exist.
Semiramis's rise to queenship was straightforward. Born of the fish goddess Derketo of Syria and a mortal man, she was abandoned by her mother and left by the water's edge.
There, Semiramis was warmed by the wings of doves and nourished by the milk they brought.
As she grew, she was discovered by Simmas, who taught her various skills. Despite marrying the old general Onnes, her beauty captivated the Assyrian King Ninus, who took her for himself.
During wartime, Semiramis gained the king's favor by proposing innovative tactics, eventually becoming queen.
Shortly after their marriage, Semiramis poisoned King Ninus. For decades thereafter, she ruled Assyria as regent. Her capabilities as queen were extraordinary, overseeing the construction of city walls and the Ishtar Gate, as well as leading numerous expeditions.
This is regarded as one of the oldest poisonings in recorded legend.
Thus, she came to be known as the world's first poisoner.
Additionally, being born of the fish goddess and a mortal man, she was sometimes considered an incarnation of the goddess Ishtar. The earth mother goddess Tiamat was, in fact, the origin of Semiramis's homeland.
Semiramis should have recognized Tiamat upon their first meeting—
Feeling a slight regret, Semiramis wondered: if she had prepared more thoroughly, could Kotomine Shirou's plan have succeeded?
For this priest, who was neither her servant nor her master but a comrade-in-arms, and who cared little for her existence, Semiramis had lost the judgment she once wielded as an empress.
The emotions swirling in Semiramis's heart were known to no one. At this moment, Kotomine Shirou, having received her response, turned his gaze to the origin mother, who was observing them with one eye open and the other closed.
The girl, standing as if to embrace everything, tipped her toes, while an endless chaotic tide rose from the void. Her coiled blue hair and radiant horns shone brilliantly, exuding the air of an aristocratic young lady.
But what truly drew attention was Tiamat's distinctly girlish behavior, as if secretly peeking after being forbidden to do so. She seemed every bit the mischievous noble daughter.
After making eye contact with Kotomine Shirou, the girl naturally pouted, as if upset with him.
Uncertain about the cause of her displeasure, Kotomine Shirou stepped to the edge of the chaotic tide. Even though it could engulf the entire Hanging Gardens and wrest away its authority, Tiamat had never allowed the tide to reach where Kotomine Shirou and the others stood.
"Revered Earth Mother—Tiamat, may I ask why you have manifested in this world?"
Kotomine Shirou detected no hostility from Tiamat. Combined with the mystery of a divine servant's manifestation, he sensed something beyond his understanding between Alaric and Tiamat.
Kotomine Shirou wanted clarity. He needed the truth to decide his next move.
"Hm? Human, do you want to know why Mother has manifested?"
Tiamat tilted her head, her blue and red star-like eyes shimmering brilliantly.
To Tiamat, the origin mother, Kotomine Shirou, Semiramis, and the heroic spirits fighting below were all her children.
Answering her child's question was no trouble at all.
"Yes. Please tell me—are you truly a servant summoned for this Holy Grail War?"
As a Ruler, Kotomine Shirou understood the summoning limits of the Holy Grail system created by the Einzbern family. Regular Holy Grail Wars could only summon servants at the pinnacle of Heroic Spirit records.
Great heroes like Gilgamesh, the King of Heroes, or Karna, the Charity Hero, represented the upper limits of servants in ordinary Holy Grail Wars.
Even in this fourteen-servant Holy Grail War, such limits wouldn't change much—unless unknown external factors caused deviations.
"Nope! The Holy Grail didn't respond to his summoning. Mother kicked out a naughty child and then became a servant to stand by his side."
Tiamat shook her head, suddenly pouting as if recalling a certain someone. She looked adorably annoyed.
"Ah, I see. So, you are outsiders then."
Kirei Kotomine immediately recalled the various things Alaric had displayed in the past and couldn't help but smile.
Alaric had not obtained the identity of the Red Faction's Master from the Clock Tower or Lord El-Melloi II but had instead intervened in this Holy Grail War through his methods.
Even though it was clear that Alaric was an outsider, Shirou was unable to do anything about it.
The Holy Grail would not reject Alaric either. What could the Ruler, as the arbitration system of the Holy Grail, do in the face of Alaric? That, too, remained an unknown.
With that thought, Shirou moved to the edge of the Hanging Gardens, overlooking the battlefield below. The pitch-black aurora had already begun to bloom.
Without any hesitation, Shirou rolled up his sleeve. The series of crimson markings revealed on his arm were part of the Command Seal system built by the Three Founding Families, representing not only the absolute authority over Servants but also practical control over them, albeit without providing them with magical energy.
"That is—"
Upon seeing the absurd number of Command Seals on Shirou's arm, Atalanta's expression changed slightly as she immediately realized something.
It was impossible for Shirou, participating as a Master in the Holy Grail War, to possess such an overwhelming number of Command Seals. The only possibility was—plunder.
He had obtained these Command Seals from other Masters!
Shirou could not have taken Command Seals from the Black Faction's Masters, which meant they could only have come from the Red Faction's Masters—those who had long since disappeared!
Raising his hand and pressing on a particular Command Seal, a red light flared up. Shirou's voice, devoid of any emotional fluctuation, resounded: "By the power of this Command Seal, I order you, Lancer, to come before me."
The great hero who wielded the spear that could slay gods—though he might not be able to claim victory, he was the most suitable opponent to face the primordial deity, Tiamat.