The stairs seemed to extend infinitely underground.
Stepping on the stairs, Jeanne continuously advanced.
Although the Red Faction had gone to great lengths to conceal it, Jeanne had already learned the true name of the Servant she was about to face from Shirou: the world-renowned literary giant, Shakespeare. In terms of fame alone, even Jeanne could not surpass Shakespeare's renown. But that was all there was to it. In terms of combat ability, Shakespeare was far inferior to Jeanne; in fact, he was among the weakest existences in this Holy Grail War.
After all, according to general theory, the more recent the Heroic Spirit, the weaker their combat power. But this was merely a general theory; there were always exceptions. After obtaining a Spirit Origin and becoming a Servant, Heroic Spirits from the Age of Gods might experience weakening, but modern Heroic Spirits all received corrections. Just like Jeanne herself; in her lifetime, she was merely a village girl from the countryside who led the French people in battle. She was not good at magecraft at all. But due to her religious faith, she was now a top-tier existence among all Servants.
But that was because she had legends of combat in her lifetime. As a world-famous writer, Shakespeare had no connection to combat whatsoever. So, in terms of fighting, he should be completely unskilled. Yet the Red Faction believed he could stop her.
"Noble Phantasm, then!" Analyzing the situation she was about to face, Jeanne gradually came to a conclusion. If it was a writer-type Heroic Spirit, their Noble Phantasm would mostly be one that actualized stories. Even fictional heroes, as long as the writer himself was a Heroic Spirit, could be summoned to this world. And in Shakespeare's case, the number of heroes he could summon was simply countless.
For example, the invincible Macbeth, or Richard III from historical plays, or even choosing from Oberon the Fairy King and the Three Witches, would be no problem. And there was another possibility: a causality or world-altering Noble Phantasm. A spear that reversed causality with a legend of always striking the heart, or something that altered time, or a Noble Phantasm that could rewrite the world. Of these, the most troublesome was, of course, the altering type of Noble Phantasm.
Summoning was manageable; no matter what kind of hero, they were ultimately fictional existences. As long as one realized this, it wouldn't be difficult to defeat them. However, causality alteration was a?? (magical principle) on a completely different dimension from such things. It was deceiving time, space, or the world itself. In such an alteration, there was no "impossible."
Thinking of this, Jeanne's brow furrowed even more. As she continued to advance, a door once again appeared before her. After pushing it open, Jeanne finally arrived
at the place she was looking for.
"This is" Continuously looking around, Jeanne found this to be a vast space with almost no discernible boundaries.
But even from Jeanne's perspective, she could clearly see the gigantic Greater Grail placed in the central part. She could sense one Servant. Since Shirou Kotomine was not a Servant of the Holy Grail War, she couldn't sense him originally, but he absolutely had to be in this place.
"Come out quickly, Red Caster."
"Oh, oh! Even if you don't call me, I'll come out myself!
My missive, a blend of sincerity, spirit, true feelings, and various other things, is finally complete!"
Shakespeare, who had been in spirit form, finally revealed his appearance. He wore flamboyant medieval aristocratic clothing, held a pen in his hand, and tucked a thick book under his arm.
"Shakespeare!" Although she had heard his famous name before, this was Jeanne's first time meeting him. The distance between them was quite far. As if speaking on a stage, Shakespeare bowed deeply and said: "A pleasure to meet you, mad country girl! Oh dear, how rude of me, I inadvertently fell back into old habits. Indeed, I am the Red Caster."
"What do you think, are you disappointed? 'But Jeanne d'Arc, in the chasm between heaven and earth, there exist things our philosophy cannot fully imagine!'" To his theatrical tone, Jeanne merely cleared her throat and said: "Though it's useless to say, shouldn't you surrender?"
"Oh, surrender! That's really difficult. Because you don't meet a single one of the absolute conditions for surrender!"
"Conditions?" Shakespeare nodded, writing words in the air with his quill. The words then appeared one by one and began to move.
"Condition one, a matter of sentiment. As the saying goes, 'There is no monster more terrifying than an ungrateful person.' I am currently receiving the Red Faction's bounty. Furthermore, in terms of style, even within the Red Faction, I am confident I can rank among the top two, so I absolutely refuse to become a mindless monster!"
"Then there's condition two, a matter of entertainment.
'The poet's eye, with heavenly grace inspired, doth roll from heaven to earth, from earth to heaven.' My eyes are in excellent condition right now! I am simply a creator filled with inspiration. In other words, this very moment, this instant, is utterly delightful!"
"And finally, condition three, a matter of combat power.
Our combat power is far more despairing than you imagine. Although you rushed here in a hurry, you still didn't make it in time. No, no matter how much you rushed, it would probably always be too late! Like Achilles racing the tortoise. And, since you didn't make it, you will die here."
"Death? It seems a battle between us is inevitable!" As a Ruler, Jeanne genuinely wished to avoid all battles except with Shirou Kotomine. After all, she was a Ruler, not one of the other seven classes. Interfering freely with the Red and Black Factions' confrontation was not her intention. But since the Red Faction intended to prevent her meeting and clashing with Shirou Kotomine, she would certainly not give up easily!
With that, Jeanne waved the flag in her hand and charged towards Shakespeare. Facing Jeanne's attack,
Shakespeare dramatically raised both arms, holding the book he had previously tucked under his arm.
"In that case, savor my Noble Phantasm, First Folio (The Curtain Rises on the Roaring Applause)!" Jeanne's earlier worries were correct. Shakespeare's Noble Phantasm, First Folio, was indeed a world-altering Noble Phantasm.
However, it wasn't a Noble Phantasm that changed the world itself.
"Come, my Noble Phantasm is opening! Sit down properly! No smoking! No photography! No rude curses! The world is in my hands, it is my stage! The curtain rises now, please give a thunderous applause!"
Instead, it was a stage-type Noble Phantasm that enclosed this world, generated a script, and then forced a story to play out. Just as Jeanne's Holy Banner was about to pierce Shakespeare's chest, Shakespeare's Noble Phantasm had already activated.
"Huh!?" The surrounding scenery shifted. Before she could even comprehend it, the nostalgic scent of fresh grass wafted through Jeanne's nostrils.
"This is... my hometown!?" Jeanne looked at her hands.
They were hands that, from a young age, had helped with farm work at home, their knuckles slightly protruding, making her feel a little self-conscious. The armor she wore and the Holy Banner she held had disappeared without a trace.
"Is it an illusion?" This was indeed Domrmy, Jeanne's hometown. It was here that she received divine revelations before venturing into the outside world.
"What twisted humor!" Remembering everything from the past, Jeanne couldn't help but frown.
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