With Vlad III's acceptance of the challenge, the battle instantly commenced.
The Black Faction's Servants, excluding Vlad III as the
King, Chiron as Archer, and Avicebron as Caster, quickly charged out.
As the King of an army, Vlad III's unwavering stance was natural. After all, the Black Faction's current situation was not the dire one depicted in the original story. In the original, Jack the Ripper betrayed them, and Siegfried committed suicide. The Black Faction, with only five members remaining, naturally had no possibility of holding back.
Although they also had Spartacus from the Red Faction, this couldn't fully compensate for the impact of Siegfried's disappearance. Therefore, in the original story, Vlad III led the charge. But now, the Black Faction had not only lost no one but had also captured the enemy's Spartacus. And they had eliminated the strongest Saber class, Mordred. Under such an advantage, Vlad III naturally wouldn't lead the charge.
Although this was a Holy Grail War, with Servants divided into Red and Black factions, no one would willingly engage in a two-on-one fight or bully opponents with fewer numbers. After all, before clashing, who would submit to whom? Heroic Spirits all possessed their own pride.
Unless they truly couldn't defeat the opponent and were at death's door, one-on-one was inherently the Servant's style of combat. What's more, the enemy's King had actively provoked him, wanting to compare who was the more sagacious King. As Kings from different eras, how would they compare? Of course, by comparing their respective subordinates! The enemy's King hadn't moved yet, so how could their own King be impatient?
As for whether their own Servants would be no match for the enemy? With Chiron, an Archer, surveying the battlefield, how could he possibly give the enemy a chance to kill their Servants! Therefore, Chiron staying in the rear, besides commanding the army as a tactician, was even more importantly to be ready to support their Servants at any time. In this situation, how could they lose! Furthermore, they still had Spartacus unreleased; their troop deployment hadn't reached its limit. The advantage was already firmly in their hands. Vlad III faintly gazed at the Servants on the battlefield and gently smiled.
"My wish is about to be fulfilled!"
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Shirou and the other three charged out of Millennia Castle and continuously advanced.
Aside from Astolfo, who, as Rider, rode his griffin towards the enemy's aerial fortress, Shirou, Siegfried, and Frankenstein continued to charge forward. Behind them were the Black Faction's homunculi and golem units. As both sides' 'armies' continuously pushed forward, Siegfried and the others initially expected another Servant to be present, but instead, they found that their front was entirely comprised of Dragon Tooth Warriors.
Shirou, as the leader of this army, immediately halted their advance. He could feel the killing intent emanating from the enemy.
"It's coming!" Recalling the scenes from his memory, Shirou loudly warned.
Standing on the edge of the aerial fortress, Atalanta notched two arrows onto the bowstring of Tauropolos, aiming not at the vast land below, but at the night sky illuminated by the hazy moonlight. The cold, dry wind unique to late autumn ruffled her hair, and her beast ears twitched slightly. The time had come.
"By my bow, I request the protection of the sun god and moon goddess." The arrows began to glow. Her Noble Phantasm was not the bow, nor the arrows shot from the bow. Both were merely catalysts. Her Noble Phantasm was the very concept of 'nocking an arrow and shooting it'.
"Offer up such a disaster!"
"Phoebus Catastrophe!" The two arrows shot into the sky described dazzling trajectories, piercing through the clouds and vanishing without a trace. This was a signal flare, the first arrow. It was an appeal to the gods.
Apollo, the god of the sun, and Artemis, the goddess of the moon. Both were gods deeply connected to the sun and moon. Apollo was also the god of archery, and Artemis the goddess of hunting. As the price for Atalanta seeking their protection, their demand was disaster. So-called protection meant causing disaster to the enemy.
The night sky filled with a faint radiance, and a subtle sound, like rain carried by the wind, echoed. However, it was not a gentle breeze and fine rain. The savage gods sought sacrifices, showering the earth with a storm named disaster. Countless light arrows flashed in the air, and homunculi fell one by one, pierced by arrows. Even the normally sturdy golems were pulverized by the impact of countless arrows. Although Servants like Shirou dodged, blocked, or deflected the attacks, their formation was completely disrupted.
"This attack range is not on the same level as the previous attack!" Unlike the previous attack, which focused solely on Shirou, compressing the attack range to maximize lethality, Atalanta's Noble Phantasm release this time pursued the maximum possible attack range. It was a true Anti-Army Noble Phantasm.
"Such an attack can't be fully blocked with a shield!"
"It seems the enemy Servants are about to arrive too!" As Shirou's words fell, a flash of magical energy burst out from the enemy's fortress. This enemy was none other than the enemy Rider, Achilles! Originally, this battle would have been his first encounter with his teacher Chiron, but now, he had a better opponent!
In mid-air, Achilles gripped the reins in his chariot and whipped his warhorse. The thundering neigh of the powerfully built horses instantly resonated throughout the battlefield. "Come on, let the war begin! I am the Red Faction's Rider, and I shall lead the charge!"
As soon as his words fell, Achilles brought his chariot down to the ground. Homunculi and golems blocked his path. But not to mention the combat-specialized homunculi, even golems weighing over a ton were crushed into dust before the immortal horses granted by Poseidon. The colossal blender was carving through the earth and the world at bullet-like speed. Simply by galloping across the ground, the chariot controlled by Achilles could devastate the entire battlefield.
"Come on, Black Faction Servants! Show us your power!
If anyone can stop my Rider's chariot, then come and try!"
"Is that so? Then here I come!" A massive flame slash instantly traversed the distance between them, exploding before Achilles. Shirou, following close behind, arrived before Achilles in an instant, moving at a speed imperceptible to the naked eye with the aid of magical energy. With the immense power to cleave mountains, Shirou's sword struck Achilles's spear. But facing this strike, Achilles steadily received it! However, Shirou's subsequent kick immediately sent him flying from the chariot.
"I hate those base stats with a '+' the most!" Achilles's Strength stat was B+, meaning his Strength could double at any time.
"How troublesome!" Unlike Shirou's lament, a joyful smile was plastered on Achilles's face as he faced Shirou's kick.
"I didn't expect you to also share the same bloodline as me. It's truly wonderful that the Black Faction has two strong individuals like you!"
"Is that so? It seems our battle was destined then!"
Shirou naturally knew what Achilles meant by "the same bloodline" Divinity. Achilles, with his undying body due to his Divinely Blessed Hero, was invincible against enemies without Divinity. And invincibility meant boredom, which is why he became so excited when encountering enemies with Divinity!
"Then come on, great hero of Greece, Achilles!"
"Let's see whose strength is greater!"
"You've already seen through my True Name? I'm getting even more excited!" Looking at Shirou, who held a greatsword before him, Achilles also raised his spear, his eyes filled with fighting spirit. The two, having found their respective opponents, both burst forth with fighting spirit. In the next moment, they clashed. The battle between demigods had begun!
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