Ah...
How wonderful...
I'm so looking forward to it...
The "holy nectar" couldn't help but flow down her delicate leg skin, dripping onto the floor.
--------
After receiving the rewards for Reika Rikudou and Jack the Ripper, Haruka Kasugano went to regroup with Artoria alter.
"Didn't you say there would be a battle tonight? When do we set off?" Artoria alter asked curiously.
Haruka Kasugano checked the time; it was currently dusk. They weren't far from the Yggdmillennia castle and could get there quickly. He began to calculate his plan for the night.
In the original plot:
Shirou Kotomine pilots the Hanging Gardens of Babylon toward the Black Faction's castle to seize the Greater Grail. In that battle, Frankenstein blew herself up to take out Mordred. But now that Mordred is in his own hands, how could he allow her to self-destruct? His first task tonight was to "handle" Frankenstein.
Then there was Astolfo's Master, Celeike. Out of jealousy over Astolfo's bond with Sieg, she went off the deep end and was eventually cleaved by Mordred, allowing Sieg to become Astolfo's Master. Celeike... her figure is top-tier too~! Tonight, he could totally use Astolfo to force her into submission. What a waste it would be to kill her.
Furthermore, Berserker Spartacus would go berserk, nearly destroying the castle and the surrounding town. Jeanne, playing the biased referee, would use Command Spells to force everyone to deal with Spartacus. Meanwhile, Shirou Kotomine would use the distraction to hover the Hanging Gardens over the castle and suck up the Greater Grail. Everyone would then fly up to the gardens to continue the fight.
Darnic would use a Command Spell to turn Vlad III into the vampire Dracula, merging his own soul into him. And Jeanne—that referee—would then order everyone to team up against Dracula...
Haruka Kasugano almost laughed until his stomach ached thinking about it. They were following the rules and using their Noble Phantasms, yet in her eyes as a referee, it was a foul. Hilarious.
Following that, Shirou Kotomine would insta-kill Dracula, and Jeanne would be rescued by Astolfo and Sieg. Then, using Shirou's "foul" as an excuse, Jeanne would team up with the remaining Black Faction...
At that point, it was hard to tell if it was a Great Holy Grail War between Red and Black, or just Jeanne's personal solo show. However, as a Ruler, Jeanne was indeed ridiculously powerful. Aside from mimicking Sieg, he truly had no way to conquer her...
But that led to one problem. In the final moment, Jeanne would still use her second Noble Phantasm, [La Pucelle], against Shirou Kotomine. If that happened, wouldn't his efforts be in vain? Getting Jeanne's love but not her body? Ridiculous. He wasn't a child; he didn't want a "holding hands" kind of love.
He had to find a way. Following Sieg's path was the right way to capture her heart... but how to solve the endgame?
Haruka Kasugano smiled. He decided to go back to his old trade: Collaborating with the villains!
He immediately used the communication magecraft left by Shirou Kotomine to try and contact him. Soon, Shirou's image appeared in the crystal ball.
"Saber's Master? I didn't expect you to contact me; I was just about to reach out to you. Tonight, we launch our general offensive against the Black Faction. Please, you must participate," Shirou said in his usual calm tone.
"No problem!" Haruka Kasugano nodded. "But before that, I want to discuss something with you."
"What is it? Speak freely," Shirou smiled.
"This concerns whether or not you can seize the Grail. I know you've been wary of Ruler. So, how about we cooperate to deal with her?" Haruka Kasugano grinned.
"Oh? But didn't you say you wanted to compete for the Grail? Wouldn't this be handing it to me?" Shirou inquired.
"Hahaha, what is a mere Grail worth? I've taken a liking to Ruler; I want her for myself. You understand," Haruka Kasugano sneered.
"Understood. You've found a wish beyond the Grail, making it useless to you. That makes you my most premium partner!" Shirou was clearly much happier. "Fine, tell me your plan. I'll see how to coordinate."
Haruka Kasugano nodded. "Great! For the first part, follow your original plan. But at the very end..."
-----------
After hanging up the communication, Shirou Kotomine turned to Semiramis. "Assassin, what do you think?"
"He seems to know our plan inside and out. How is that possible?" Semiramis frowned, perplexed.
"Perhaps he has some form of Future Vision. That would explain why he didn't move with us earlier," Shirou smiled. "Regardless, Ruler is always our biggest threat. If he can help us deal with her, we shouldn't pass up his assistance."
"Hmph," Semiramis snorted. "Vulgar... to give up the Grail for a village girl like Ruler. He's an irredeemable fool. But then again, men who think with their lower halves are the easiest to use~!"
"Indeed. Well, Ruler is about to catch up to us. Let's move!" Shirou urged.
Semiramis gave a light wave of her hand. Boom boom boom boom! The massive Hanging Gardens of Babylon instantly rose from the ground.
----------
After parting with Haruka Kasugano, Jeanne continued her investigation of the Holy Grail War's abnormalities based on her [Revelation]. Like Void Shiki, Jeanne's revelation couldn't see any direct information about Haruka Kasugano. He only appeared in the vision where Leticia became a "thirst-trap" for him. It was as if he didn't belong to this world.
Helpless, she could only follow her other revelations. She checked the alley where Haruka Kasugano and Fiore had fought, then sensed magecraft traces at the church on the hill. This was the place where Haruka Kasugano and Semiramis first met.
As soon as Jeanne entered, she tripped the surrounding magecraft. A dozen chains instantly bound her. "Damn it... what is this?" Jeanne realized these spells were specifically designed for her.
Crash! Jeanne broke the chains with brute force. Suddenly, a revelation triggered—a vision of Shirou Kotomine.
"Who... is he? Why is the Lord showing me his business..." Jeanne was bewildered. In the vision, this man was walking with Assassin. Using her Ruler authority, she quickly locked onto Assassin's location and sprinted in that direction.
She was almost there when the ground shook. The village not far ahead suddenly rose into the air, turning into an aerial fortress in an instant. "What... Don't run!!!" Jeanne chased the Hanging Gardens in a fury. But on foot, how could she possibly catch up?
----------
Achilles, Karna, Atalanta, and Shakespeare were all marveling on the Hanging Gardens.
"Incredible~!"
"So this is the legendary Hanging Gardens!"
"Haha, how is the Black Faction supposed to fight this?"
"Wonderful! Beautiful! Tonight shall be the fall of the Black Faction!"
Semiramis sat on her throne, enjoying the Servants' praise. She crossed her long legs, looking stunning.
Soon, the Yggdmillennia castle detected the intrusion. Fiore went to the watchtower, staring at the gardens. "Archer, what's the situation?" she asked Chiron from her wheelchair.
Chiron enhanced his Clairvoyance. "That aerial fortress is hovering in the distance. They likely intend to use the plains ahead as the battlefield!"
Sure enough, Semiramis waved her hand, dropping a mass of dragon teeth that transformed into Dragon Tooth Warriors upon landing. Thousands of them marched toward the castle.
Darnic flew to Fiore's side. "Fiore, all Masters inside the castle. Let the Servants handle the combat."
Vlad III materialized with a smile. "Indeed. From here on, it is the domain of Servants! Darnic, release Rider. And the 'turning' of the Red Berserker is complete, right? Release him too!"
"Is that wise?" Darnic questioned.
"The enemy wants total war! Let them have it!" Vlad III said excitedly.
In an instant, the army of homunculi and golems was assembled. Vlad III mounted his black horse and barked orders: "Archer, you command the homunculus army!"
"Understood. Then the Red Rider..." Chiron wanted a duel with Achilles.
"Fine, but command the army until then!" Vlad III laughed.
"Caster, you stay in the rear. Handle golem supply and release the Red Berserker at the right time!"
"Understood," Avicebron nodded.
"Berserker, you are free! Dance to your heart's content!" Vlad III shouted.
"AAAAHHH..." Frankenstein roared.
Astolfo skipped out with a laugh. "Eh? Lancer, you're on a horse. What about me?"
"Rider, I don't care about what happened before. Just focus on taking down that aerial fortress!" Vlad III said coldly.
"Okey-dokey~! One thing at a time! I'll do my best~!" Astolfo laughed.
"Saber is dead, Assassin is missing, and the enemy is likely all here except for their Berserker. We are at a disadvantage, but victory shall be ours! We fight with our backs to the wall!" Vlad III shouted.