Bashmu.
That was the name of a legendary beast from ancient myth.
In Mesopotamian mythology, there existed a goddess.
She ruled over the primordial sea and created all life in the world. As the embodiment of original chaos, she gave birth to gods themselves, becoming the mother of all deities—known as the Primordial Mother.
Her name was Tiamat.
And while Tiamat birthed the gods, she also gave rise to terrifying monsters powerful enough to oppose them.
There were eleven such monsters, each capable of matching gods in strength.
Among them was a venomous serpent.
Legend had it that this serpent's poison could dissolve even the gods themselves. Its existence was no less terrifying than that of a Dragon God.
The moment this serpent was created, the seas around it turned into a deadly ocean, instantly becoming a realm of death.
Even the gods dared not approach this horrific serpent, and so begged Tiamat to seal it away.
As the most ancient of poisoners, Semiramis had obtained the right to summon this terrifying beast—a being she herself feared to casually summon, let alone touch.
This serpent was the creature summoned by the Assassin of Red, Semiramis, using the power of [Sikera Ušum].
Even Semiramis couldn't fully summon it instantly, manifesting only its upper half.
Yet facing Emiya Shirou—a man like Amakusa Shirou Tokisada who could bring about miracles—Semiramis held nothing back. Perhaps enraged by Shirou's outright refusal of her offer, she unleashed her full strength to eliminate this threat once and for all.
Thus, the monstrous serpent from Mesopotamian myth—the beast known as Bashmu, which even gods feared—was summoned at this moment.
The magical beams reached Emiya Shirou simultaneously with Bashmu's emergence.
In that same instant, Astolfo saw a red glow flash from Shirou's left hand, which previously had no [Command Spells].
"By the authority of this [Command Spell], appear before me—Ruler!!!!!!!"
"Here I am, Master!!!"
At Shirou's call, a fierce female voice resonated in front of him.
A banner adorned with an iris flower radiated holy white brilliance, shielding Shirou and Astolfo just before the magical blasts struck.
This was Jeanne's [Luminosité Eternelle], a Noble Phantasm that transformed her EX-ranked [Magic Resistance] into an absolute defense, even capable of blocking physical attacks. It was the manifestation of her legendary deeds—waving her sacred banner upon the battlefield and triumphing unscathed.
Even the terrifying magical bombardment couldn't penetrate the defense provided by this EX-ranked [Magic Resistance].
The purple-black poisonous fog itself was likewise completely blocked.
"Shirou, Ruler!"
Following that call, Kairi Sisigou and Astolfo's Master had somehow also arrived at the Holy Church.
Shirou and Astolfo hadn't advanced far into the church. After all, Semiramis had attempted to recruit Shirou near the entrance and had not moved deeper inside.
The two masters had arrived just as Shirou stood protectively before Astolfo.
Jeanne's defense swiftly expanded to cover them all.
Clang—!
Astolfo struggled furiously, finally breaking free from the chains binding him, and climbed up with his Hippogriff.
With Semiramis occupied by controlling the continuous magical bombardment and summoning Bashmu, she couldn't spare attention to restrain Astolfo any further.
Besides, given Bashmu's presence, restricting Astolfo was unnecessary.
Once Astolfo stepped outside Jeanne's protective barrier, he would instantly succumb to the poison.
Even Mordred, who possessed A-ranked [Magic Resistance], would have died instantly upon breathing such lethal poison had Sisigou not forcibly protected her using [Command Spells].
Surrounded by this terrifying toxin, Semiramis had no reason to worry about their movements.
Every action would be futile.
Semiramis didn't believe Jeanne could sustain this defense indefinitely.
As long as she continued the barrage, it was merely a matter of time before they died.
"So that's how you summoned Jeanne here so quickly—by contracting with Shirou!"
Astolfo, being the first witness to this scene, instantly realized how Jeanne had arrived so swiftly and managed to shield Shirou.
Only [Command Spells] allowed for spatial teleportation of that caliber.
Everyone's eyes naturally moved to Shirou's left hand, where a single remaining [Command Spell] glowed vividly. They all knew Shirou had no [Command Spells] left previously—meaning Jeanne must have granted him this one.
"Everyone, this isn't the time for idle chatter. I can't withstand attacks of this magnitude indefinitely," Jeanne urgently reminded Astolfo, whose thoughts had already started to wander. The situation was critical; every passing second was vital.
While Jeanne raised her sacred banner, she couldn't perform any attacks. Moreover, the flag itself steadily accumulated the damage from enemy assaults.
She couldn't endure unlimited assaults from a Noble Phantasm of siege-level power.
"The Grail—it's right there!"
Shirou lifted his knightly sword, pointing at the spherical altar floating distantly in the air.
Though lacking concrete evidence, Shirou's intuition told him clearly: that was their objective, the prize they'd risked everything to claim.
"But right now, we have no way of getting through that layer of poison mist," Astolfo's Master voiced their most urgent issue.
Indeed, aside from Jeanne, whose [Magic Resistance] reached EX-rank, anyone else stepping into the toxic mist would die instantly. They couldn't even get close to Semiramis, let alone reach the Holy Grail.
"[Trace—On]"
Countless swords attached to chains materialized instantly upon the ground.
"Rider, armor formed from these swords can temporarily block the poison gas. Using your Noble Phantasm, can you approach Semiramis?"
When Astolfo activated his Noble Phantasm, he continually shifted between "existence" and "non-existence," effectively evading any form of attack.
But against a toxin lethal upon the merest contact, Astolfo would perish instantly at the moment of transitioning into a physical state during his Noble Phantasm's activation.
Unless there was some way to counteract the poison, even using his Noble Phantasm would leave Astolfo powerless to engage Semiramis.
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T/N: shirou is still dying from muramase posion and hydra venom lmaooaoads