One virtual soul after another entered the remains on the ground. Warriors who once fought for humanity were reborn, rising from the ground with their broken bodies, charging towards the Ghouls and Dead Apostles etched into their hearts.
Necromancer warriors, possessing equally high immortality, clashed with Ghouls and Dead Apostles, adding another layer of grimness to the night that had begun to return to peace.
With the help of the Necromancer warriors, the three of Gudako successfully rushed into humanity's last bastion, heading towards the inner fortress where traces of resistance still remained.
Touko, who had now returned to the inner fortress and reunited with everyone, glanced in the direction of Millennium Castle, then turned to look at the frightened civilians behind her, muttering.
"Looks like I'll have to break my promise!"
"Boom!"
A low-flying armed helicopter instantly turned into a fireball. Soon, several other helicopters also transformed into fireballs and crashed to the ground, crushing a swath of Ghouls. Touko looked closely and saw a flock of strange crows now dominating the sky, constantly circling. It was clear that the recently crashed helicopters were the work of these peculiar crows.
"Be careful! The Black-Winged Duke is here!"
Touko, who had been protecting humanity according to Zelretch's plan, recognized the strange crows in the sky as a precursor to the Black-Winged Duke's appearance. An alarm instantly blared in Touko's heart.
Sure enough, a bizarre bird-man, accompanied by Touko's cry, emerged from the tide of attacking Dead Apostles and Ghouls, disdainfully looking at humanity's last gathering place.
"Kill them all!"
The Black-Winged Duke gently waved his slender left hand, and the Dead Apostles and Ghouls, who could no longer hold back, began their assault on the inner fortress.
Immediately, gunshots, chants, and roars echoed through the sky, and this last bastion of survivors faced its final battle.
The highest-ranking American military officer and the highest-ranking Japanese Self-Defense Force officer remaining exchanged glances, then tacitly walked to a canvas-covered truck.
The American military officer in the driver's seat pulled out a crumpled pack of cigarettes from his pocket, then paused. After a moment of thought, he took out the last cigarette, lit it, and took a deep drag, then handed the cigarette to the Self-Defense Force officer in the passenger seat.
"I never thought I'd end up with you. God loves to joke."
The Self-Defense Force officer took the cigarette, reluctantly took a few small puffs, and handed it back to the American military officer.
"Indeed! I never thought so either. Perhaps this is fate's arrangement. Come, Ross, let us face fate together!"
The American military officer tossed the cigarette butt out the window, laughed loudly, and started the car, charging towards the precarious gate.
The strong wind from the speeding vehicle lifted the canvas covering the truck bed, revealing a truck bed packed full of gasoline barrels.
The truck, which had already reached the gate, did not slow down. As the American military officer floored the accelerator, the truck directly broke through the gate and plunged into the army of Dead Apostles and Ghouls besieging the inner fortress.
The Self-Defense Force officer looked out the window at the Ghouls and Dead Apostles surrounding the truck, and with a couple of wild laughs and shouts, pressed the detonator. Accompanied by their cheers, a violent explosion formed a magnificent mushroom cloud that shot into the sky.
"Die, you monsters!"
"Long live humanity!"
Rita Rozian looked at the scenes of humans nobly sacrificing themselves on the battlefield and said to Meilian Solomon with some emotion.
"I understand what you mean. It seems these guys have other values besides creating works of art. Let's make our entrance! If this continues, humanity will be doomed!"
Meilian Solomon smiled slightly, and his right leg transformed into a giant, four-legged, two-tailed whale, carrying Meilian Solomon and Rita Rozian onto the battlefield.
The Black-Winged Duke, who was enjoying humanity's last struggles, looked at the colossal creature charging towards him and said fiercely.
"King of the Land! It's these traitors again! This time, none of you will escape!"
Along with the Black-Winged Duke's fierce words, countless thick withered trees burst from the ground. At the same time, a black-haired girl appeared on the battlefield with two knights, one black and one white.
Rita Rozian shivered slightly, looking at the appearing girl with some fear, and exclaimed.
"Oh no, it's a trap! It's Anash and the Long Princess!"
"Yes! It seems we're doomed this time!"
Altrouge gave Meilian Solomon a smile. Then, the Black and White Knights behind Altrouge, understanding her intent, charged towards Meilian Solomon and Rita Rozian on the King of the Land.
At the same time, Fubayashi Anash extended countless thick vines, coiling around the King of the Land. The two colossal beings thus began to fight.
Altrouge elegantly walked to the Black-Winged Duke's side, looking at Touko, who was resisting the invasion of Ghouls and Dead Apostles at the inner fortress gate, and said to the Black-Winged Duke.
"Black-Winged Duke, your old opponent has appeared. Aren't you going to say hello to her?"
"No need. That guy is Zelretch's person. Even if I defeat her, it's useless; Zelretch will just rescue her anyway."
"Is that so? But I'm really looking forward to meeting my father. What should I do?"
The Black-Winged Duke, who had not intended to intervene, heard Altrouge mention the True Moon. The Black-Winged Duke, who served the True Moon wholeheartedly, silently glanced at Altrouge, then turned and charged towards Touko.
"Altrouge! Remember, this is for my Lord!"
After all the Ancestors entered their respective battles, Altrouge gracefully walked into a shadow and approached Lev, who had been hiding there.
Then Altrouge pulled a golden Holy Grail from her body, holding it and asking Lev beside her.
"Mr. Lev, why did I find this thing in my body? I'm very curious, can you tell me?"
Lev's heart suddenly quickened when he saw Altrouge pull out the Holy Grail, and his blood surged. Knowing it was Altrouge's ability, Lev politely removed his top hat and bowed to Altrouge.
"Esteemed Black Princess, this is the Holy Grail. I believe you know what it is!"
"Of course, but why is it in my body?"
"Of course, it chose you. And you can rest assured, even if I had the greatest courage, I would not dare to harm you in front of the Dark Six Authorities."
Altrouge, who had been monitoring Lev's blood with her ability, didn't detect any signs of deceit in his blood, so she withdrew her ability and re-integrated the Holy Grail into her body.
Suddenly, Altrouge turned her head, looking with interest at the three of Gudako, who, surrounded by Necromancer warriors, were rushing into the battlefield not far away, and asked Lev.
"Are those three your enemies? They seem very weak!"
"Esteemed Black Princess, those three are just pawns. The true enemy hasn't appeared yet!"
Then, Rin's Ishtar-transformed figure appeared in Lev's mind. He unconsciously looked at the easily visible golden star in the night sky and clenched his fists.
Altrouge saw that Lev, who could maintain composure even when facing multiple Ancestors, became so flustered when 'that person' was mentioned, and she also became interested in Rin.
"Chaldea Director... Who exactly are you?"
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