At this moment, Astolfo, fully armored, was enveloped by a pervasive purple poison mist. Even protected by [Incursio], empowered by a [Command Spell], and shielded within the spectral space of Hippogriff, he still couldn't completely ward off the poison's effects.
Gathering the last reserves of strength from everyone, Astolfo shouted with all the passion in his heart:
"End this now—Hippogriff!!!"
Using the last shred of his strength, Astolfo swung the reins fiercely.
"Kyaaaaaa——!"
Answering Astolfo's resolve, Hippogriff beneath him surged forward, reaching an even greater speed.
So fast that Semiramis had no time left to erect defensive magecraft.
BOOM————!!
A deafening explosion erupted from the walls of the Holy Church.
Despite Semiramis's modifications making them extraordinarily resilient, even a B+ rank Noble Phantasm wasn't enough to collapse them completely.
"Gah——!"
A mouthful of blood erupted violently from Semiramis's lips.
Intense pain and overwhelming weakness surged through her mind.
"Damn you! Damn you! DAMN YOU!!!"
Semiramis's beautiful features twisted grotesquely as magical circles began swirling frantically around her.
She raged; she was unwilling to accept it. Her meticulous defenses, carefully constructed with her Master, were shattered in mere moments.
She refused—absolutely refused—to accept such humiliation!
Unbridled rage consumed her thoughts.
She was furious that not even Bashmu's appearance could halt the Black Faction's advance.
She was furious at herself for being defeated by a Servant she had always despised.
The purple poison mist vanished the moment Semiramis lost her power to resist. The toxic haze dissolved as though it had never existed, and silence returned once more to the Holy Church.
The divine serpent Bashmu—a monster feared even by gods—couldn't remain in this world long, unlike Hydra. Even Semiramis, capable of summoning such horrors, needed to pay a considerable price: a continuous, immense supply of magical energy.
But, gravely injured as she was, Semiramis could no longer smoothly channel mana to sustain Bashmu's presence.
Now, the outcome was sealed; resistance had become meaningless.
Just as the magic circles formed, several gunshots rang out behind Astolfo.
The bullets smashed into Semiramis's hastily conjured spells before she could even react, neutralizing them instantly.
One must never underestimate an opponent—even a mage incapable of confronting a Servant directly.
It wasn't that the bullets had any extraordinary power to destroy magical arrays; rather, Semiramis's makeshift spells were fragile enough to break with only slight magical disruption.
And Kairi Sisigou immediately discerned this vulnerability.
Thus ended Semiramis's final resistance.
"Looks like… we've won."
Poisoned heavily, Astolfo collapsed off Hippogriff onto the ground, exhausted. Hippogriff sank weakly beside him.
Semiramis no longer needed restraint—her Spirit Core had already shattered under the tremendous impact. Beyond her last desperate struggles, she was utterly helpless.
Golden particles began emanating from her dissolving form.
Seeing Semiramis's defeat and her imminent departure, Jeanne sighed deeply in relief and sank weakly to the ground. The golden barrier around her dissipated.
Whether it was the full power unleashed by her Noble Phantasm or the extreme concentration required to block even the smallest trace of poison, Jeanne had been taxed to her absolute limits.
Even more so since her Noble Phantasm had already endured the residual blast from Karna's attack. Holding on this long had stretched her to the breaking point—another second later, the enemy's beams might have penetrated.
But Jeanne couldn't entirely prevent the poison from seeping through either.
She slowly lowered the flag in her hands, clasping them in prayer as she gazed at the Great Holy Grail before her.
At the very moment they struck down Semiramis, Shirou Kotomine stepped onto the altar and merged into the Great Grail, disappearing completely.
Then, an untimely voice echoed from in front of the Grail's altar.
"What a magnificent epic! What utter madness! Are you truly willing to burn away your pitiable selves to prevent a wish that would save this world?"
Accompanying those dramatically theatrical words, countless particles of light gathered before the Grail, manifesting into a Servant's form.
It was a man dressed in lavish medieval noble clothing, a quill in his hand, and a thick tome tucked under his arm.
Deeply moved, he uttered those dramatic lines and bowed gracefully towards Jeanne.
All eyes immediately shifted toward him. In the desperate struggle against Semiramis, they had almost forgotten that Red Faction still possessed one more Servant yet unseen.
"Greetings! As you see, I am the Red Faction's Caster—long have I awaited you all!"
The man spoke grandly, full of theatrics.
In an instant, Jeanne grasped his True Name.
"Shakespeare…!"
The realization brought an unusual expression to Jeanne's face, softening her vigilance and replacing it with pure astonishment.
William Shakespeare.
This was a name recognized by virtually everyone.
He was England's greatest dramatist, one of Western literature's most esteemed authors—one of the greatest literary figures in history.
He'd left behind 38 plays, 155 sonnets, two narrative poems, and many other poetic works.
His plays had been translated into every major language and performed far more than those of any other playwright.
In terms of pure fame, this Servant surpassed even legendary heroes like Jeanne herself, Karna, and Achilles, perhaps among the most renowned names in the world.
But Shakespeare wasn't even a mage—merely an ordinary writer, elevated to Heroic Spirit status solely by his unprecedented fame, without any grand exploits or legendary feats.
In short, forget Servants—even a normal magus might defeat Shakespeare.
Moreover—and perhaps most importantly—as an English author, Shakespeare had been Jeanne d'Arc's greatest detractor.
His insults toward her had been particularly vile, knowledge imparted to Jeanne by the Grail the instant she discovered his identity.
Thus, her astonishment was all the more justified.
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T/N: heres ur updates :3 meeting the 4 chaps a week quota :3 do u think itd be better to do it earlier in the week to make u guys wait more for the bonus chapters
bonus chaps
100 stones -> 1 chapter
200 stones -> 2 chapters
300 stones -> 3 chapters
and so on
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