Semiramis moved with great difficulty, forced into defensive maneuvers. Unlike her [Hanging Gardens], she couldn't quickly use spatial displacement inside the Holy Church.
Had she been in her aerial fortress, she wouldn't have bothered setting defenses against these incoming sword-arrows, simply dodging them instantly through spatial magecraft.
While she could certainly block Shirou's projectiles with magecraft, Semiramis clearly understood the swords' true danger lay not in their direct impact.
After all, she'd witnessed the destructive power of his [Broken Phantasms] firsthand. If she merely stood still, she'd be swallowed entirely by their explosions.
Although she hadn't anticipated that Emiya Shirou's arrows alone could already shatter her magical barriers.
Yet, all she needed now was to buy time. The moment Jeanne faltered, Bashmu's poison would annihilate everything.
However, the anticipated explosion never came. Instead, a silver figure burst fearlessly from Jeanne's golden barrier into the lethal purple-black mist, racing toward the spherical altar suspended in the air.
"No—!"
Semiramis immediately recognized her mistake. The Black Faction had intentionally forced her from her original position, giving Shirou an opening to rush toward the Greater Grail before she could react.
Only now did Semiramis realize her flawed logic—how could Shirou use [Broken Phantasms] in such a confined space? The first to collapse wouldn't be herself, but Jeanne's own barrier.
Yet, this realization was too late.
Shirou had already achieved his goal, sprinting rapidly toward the Holy Grail.
From the previous assault on the Holy Church by Shirou and Arthur, Shirou had deduced that Semiramis must already know his projectiles were capable of becoming [Broken Phantasms].
If she was aware of their destructive potential, she would never foolishly remain in place.
After all, Semiramis couldn't withstand point-blank explosions from the likes of [Caliburn].
Furthermore, Shirou's barrage included not only [Caliburn], but also [Clarent], [Balmung], [Murasame], and many other Noble Phantasms.
It was an open ploy—Semiramis couldn't possibly risk enduring these projected [Broken Phantasms] head-on.
Within that brief moment, she'd had no chance to reconsider her position. By the time she understood, Shirou had already slipped past her.
And in this Holy Grail War, the Greater Grail itself was paramount. After all, Amakusa Shirou Tokisada could directly make his wish upon it even before the war concluded.
Semiramis would never permit Emiya Shirou to interfere with her Master's goal. It was a matter of pride—and the trust Amakusa Shirou Tokisada had placed in her.
Though known as a treacherous poisoner, she still had no intention of betraying that trust.
"As if I'd let you succeed!!!"
Even as her voice echoed, the magical arrays hovering above the Holy Church swiftly rotated, aiming straight at Shirou's speeding figure heading for the altar.
Immense energy gathered within each formation. Perhaps in the exact moment Shirou touched the altar, those beams would instantly pierce him, leaving nothing but scorched ashes scattered across the church.
These magical blasts, upgraded from the previous bombardments, were far beyond the defensive capabilities of Shirou's [Incursio].
It would shatter like paper.
However, how could Semiramis have predicted that Shirou's charge towards the altar wasn't even their primary goal?
The Black Faction had crafted this intricate plan within mere moments, granting Semiramis no opportunity for contemplation.
"By my [Command Spell], resist the poison, Rider! By my [Command Spell], resist the poison, Rider! By my [Command Spell], unleash your Noble Phantasm, Rider!"
"By this [Command Spell], resist the poison, Rider!"
Just as Semiramis repositioned her magical formations, a male and a female voice shouted simultaneously from within Jeanne's golden barrier.
At this stage, there was no reason to hold back [Command Spells]—only to pour everything into a decisive strike.
Though Jeanne spoke only once, her mastery of [Command Spells] far surpassed Astolfo's Master. With a single utterance, she empowered Astolfo with two [Command Spells] at once.
"Understood, Master!!!"
With the reinforcement of five [Command Spells] combined, Astolfo—covered head-to-toe, along with his mount, in silver armor—transformed into a streaking silver meteor.
"Hippogriff!!"
With Astolfo's declaration, his form vanished instantly like a phantom from sight.
One reason was sheer speed, but more importantly, Astolfo had already stepped into another dimension under his Noble Phantasm's activation, charging toward Semiramis through an intangible plane.
Yet, Semiramis's reaction as a supremely skilled magus was lightning fast.
The magical arrays initially targeting Shirou pivoted immediately toward Astolfo, unleashing blasts at the precise moment of his charge.
BOOM! BOOM! BOOM! BOOM! BOOM!
Without deviation, these terrifying beams directly struck Astolfo, who had just emerged from the barrier.
Yet, in the very next moment, an overwhelming sense of dread surged through Semiramis.
"How is this possible—?!"
Before the smoke even cleared, an entirely unscathed silver figure emerged at blistering speed.
Semiramis stared, utterly disbelieving, at Astolfo's untouched figure. She clearly knew the defensive limits of that armor—it should have torn apart effortlessly, no sturdier than paper.
But she had forgotten—in this very instant, Astolfo existed within the illusory realm invoked by his Noble Phantasm. In such a state, not even a strike capable of destroying gods and buddhas could touch him.
Even Karna's Noble Phantasm would not leave the slightest scratch on Astolfo now!