146 Chapter 145: Final Hurdles

The very first heroic spirit who arrived was none other than the Ruler-class servant, Jeanne d'arc. She was the first one who 'saw' the familiar pillar of light.

Much to her surprise, there was a modern military base standing on the ground. She was certain that it wasn't there before. The only thing that could explain it was magecraft (Reality Marble). That, or a Noble Phantasm.

However, it was her first time seeing one that could construct a modern military base.

A huge wall towered over everything else. On each of the sentry, there was an unmanned rectangular gun keeping watch.

If one would look from within, they are all filled with all kinds of technology that the people of the current time wouldn't understand.

"You are the first one to come, Ruler."

Jeanne's attention was taken by the man in black. He sported a set of black armor and a violet cloth that paired well with it.

"You are…?!"

The man decided to not hold back any longer. He didn't keep his identity hidden or his existence low.

Naturally, his [Hidden From Time] stopped working.

"...Ruler. What are you planning?"

"The salvation… no, this sounds wrong." Nobu paused for a moment before rephrasing, "I am here to save a world from its end."

"..."

Jeanne didn't fully understand what he had just said. Nobu saw her look of confusion and continued explaining:

"Don't overthink. I meant what I said, word by word. There is a world about to face its end. I am here to seek one of the best solutions for it."

"...Why did you tell this to me?"

"Why, indeed. Both of us could hear His voice. If I am plotting something sinister that would cause harm to the world, you should've received a revelation by now. And yes, if you are pertaining to His revelation and the reason why you were summoned, it lies within the Red Faction."

Nobu's reasoning was simple. Both Jeanne and he could hear His revelations. Their high rank of [Revelation] on their Saint Graphs are mainly caused by their final moments.

Both of them heard His voice at their deaths.

Nobu even has a guess that He might be waiting at the end of this. The answer behind his possession of the Holy Grail as well as its full potential would be unlocked after the Greater Grail finished charging.

"How are you certain?"

"I've infiltrated the Black Faction once. Aside from possessing the Greater Grail, there aren't any anomalies on them. Well, except for that one golem that has the potential to become a huge threat."

A look of realization passed through her.

"It was you!"

"Indeed."

Silence overcame them after that.

"So, what's your decision? Will you stand back or..?"

"I have a final question." She replied. "How did you become a Ruler? You should be devoid of any wishes…"

"How are you sure that all Rulers are devoid of wishes? We might all be Saints who could hear His Voice, though there could be accidents on the way. I wouldn't even be surprised if there was another Ruler behind that revelation."

Nobu thoroughly thought of everything. It was the advantage of being an outsider who could weigh in all of the possibilities.

"As for my wish… was it wrong to prevent a future tragedy?"

"...We servants exist to give a push to the ones living in the present. However…"

Jeanne silently thought about it.

Servants exist merely to serve as a lending hand during a certain time. They are there to assist the people of the present to create their own marks in the future. The matters of the present have to be left on the people living in it.

It is for such a reason Jeanne found Nobu's… rather, Galahad's motive to be conflicting. He is writing the futures of these people—affecting them in full with his actions.

The Ruler-class Heroic Spirits exist to prevent such anomalies from the beginning.

Yet…

"If it will bring about danger to them…"

She chose to silently acquiesce his actions.

*****

'Something's wrong…'

A growing feeling has spurned on me ever since I visited the Yggdmillennia castle. It was as if I missed something crucial. It might be the work of both my [Revelations] and intuition as a [Magister].

I thought about this feeling for quite some time. There was nothing strange that came up in my investigations. I didn't leave any traces up until now. Miss Jeanne only found out about myself now, too.

Nevertheless, I decided to keep it at the back of my mind. I assigned a mind partition to sift through the endless possibilities that I formed.

Just then, countless "projectiles" came out of nowhere and assaulted my current position.

Hum-!

Buzz-!

A magic circle with a circular pattern appeared on top of the military fortress. It enveloped the entire base, blocking any of the projectiles from advancing.

"Atalante…"

I didn't expect to meet a version of Atalante in this world. She is different from the Lante that I am used to. They have completely opposite personalities if I were to say it.

If the Lante that I am used to is friendly and cheerful, the Atalante here is more withdrawn and cold. Her eyes are feeling a bit lost, too.

As such, I wanted to clear up that confusion if I could.

"Their fortress…"

Currently, I am able to exert more strength in this world. The Greater Grail's charging time would be finished in less than half an hour. All I have to do is to hold out while the restrictions become looser and looser.

Moreover, the entire Red Faction aren't supposed to come this early. Perhaps they used their command seals to accomplish this impossibility.

In short, my enemies had exerted a huge amount of resources. It would be a loss for them to fail here—

"Dea…" (My goddess…)

A longbow made up of the Orion constellation condensed in my hands. It turned into a crystal bow with white spots all over its body. The bowstring is made up of a plate white light akin to the moon's glimmer.

"Obsigno…" (...I leave…)

A single arrow made up of bluish-white light appeared on the bowstring. Its nock was already on the bowstring.

I pulled it back in one smooth motion.

"Faatum." (...my fate to you.)

The Grand Magicka, [Orion's Moon Hunt], was unleashed on this world for the first time. The single arrow tore through the air at extremely fast speeds. It didn't take long for it to pass through all three magic circles.

The moment it was about to fall, the fourth and final magic circle appeared. It was the cause behind Orion's separation and wide scale attack.

Fwoosh-!

Whistle-!

Boom-!

A set of barrier magecraft set up on the flying black fortress, [The Hanging Garden of Babylon]. However, it was to no avail. The arrows eventually found their mark, piercing through holes on the said fortress.

At this moment, my senses which were connected to the grand magicka passed several pieces of information to my mind.

"My guesses were right."

Firstly, there were the "Masters" of the Red Faction servants. They are currently located in the Hanging Garden in a drugged state.

Second, the cause of the revelation that we received is none other than the third Ruler-class Servant on the Red Faction. He might've planned something that would spell the end of this world—which prompted both the Grail and His Voice to reach Miss Jeanne and I.

"This clears everything."

More questions were answered as the once-majestic flying fortress gradually lost its altitude.

Rumble-!

*****

It was a sudden attack. Amakusa Shirou ordered Atalante to launch a pre-emptive attack on the "military fortress" in the distance. However, not only was it blocked, their opponent also launched his own counterattack—one that is eerily similar to Atalante's own Noble Phantasm.

"Big sis, was that the guy from before?"

"...It should be."

As the Rider, Achilles should've had the role of rescuing their Masters, yet they were ordered by Shirou to serve as an advance scout to the enemy's fortress.

It was a strange order to say the least.

Nevertheless, Karna himself ensured the safety of their Masters. They knew his loyalty to his summoned master. As such, the two chose to oblige on Shirou's orders. Still, it didn't mean that they buried the questions that arose in their hearts.

"Orion… Was it really him..?"

The Orion that Atalante could recall was that of a huge muscular guy. He was already around since her goddess, Artemis, had adopted her. Atalante saw him every now and then up until his death.

The sole person who could launch an attack similar to hers is none other than him—Orion, the chosen of the goddess Artemis.

Yet, she could remember that the "person" she saw was completely different from him, hence her confusion.

"If it was really him… this would be a tough fight."

"Orion… He was that strong?"

"Very."

It didn't take long for the two of them to see the military fortress from a distance. As they were endowed with "some" knowledge of the present age, they knew it looked strange and dangerous from the get-go. They are aware of "guns" and other technological weapons, yet everything they have seen is unrecognizable.

Just as Atalante was spying on the fortress, her gaze met the knight's eyes on the fortress walls. A sense of danger crept up on her, making her freeze on the spot.

"Big sis?!"

"I'm fine. It's just that…"

A knight.

Along with "strange homunculi", there was only the knight on the fortress. At least, that's what Atalante had seen with her eyes.

"There's only a single person… or a servant."

"One..?"

The two decided to pass this news on to their masters' "representative".

*****

Amakusa Shirou wore a contemplating look as he heard the news.

"A single servant…"

There are innumerable amounts of heroic spirits one could summon on the Throne of Heroes. Each of them come with varying strength. Some possess abilities that could let them summon their entire ten-thousand army at will, though there are some who could completely "kill" an unkillable being.

The possibilities of summoning these heroic spirits are endless and Shirou considered it to be the biggest variable to his plans.

"...Was it a Saint? Assassin would be a far-fetched idea for them…"

A new probability came to his mind.

"Another Ruler like Jeanne..?"

It was a completely wild guess that he dismissed it immediately. Though, this possibility is now considered by him.

"Since there's only one person…"

*****

"Eighteen minutes left… I have waited long enough."

I mumbled as the signatures of each heroic spirit came to my mind. The entirety of the Red Faction is nearby, followed by the entirety of the Black Faction behind them. It might be inevitable that I have to fight against all thirteen heroic spirits of this Great Grail War.

At the same time, I could vaguely feel that the counterforce lowered its guard on me. I could now exhibit enough strength that the world—the counterforce—finds to be acceptable.

For a moment, I could feel a flame blazing within me.

The last time I was challenged like this was when I fought my enemies back in Gekai. I haven't reached my current level back then which made each fight a close shave.

"It looks like I'll exercise again…"

Still, I wasn't carried away by this feeling. The Greater Grail is the most important as of now. I would be able to go straight to the Reverse Side the moment its miracles bear fruit. I'd be able to accomplish my goals and have extra power on top of that.

"An illusion… I need to amp this "Domain"."

I poured most of my attention to the dreamland around my body. It is now able to block nearly all external attacks. It is at this moment that I reached Satoru-san's peak level with his cursed technique.

"I'll hide this and…"

A few moments later, I went into my battle-ready state. The [infinite Conversion] was up and running while several grand magickas were prepared within my mind.

"Twelve heroic spirits… Will they be able to force my limits..?"

Anticipation swept through my entire being as I waited for the arrival of my final hurdles to success.