Chapter 524: Persuasion

Atalanta trembled with rage, standing up solely fueled by her anger despite having lost her source of magical energy.

She had never met her Master, nor had she had any interactions or bonds with them. However, if all this was a scheme by Shirou and Semiramis, whom she thought were her allies, it was a different story.

The honest and straightforward huntress despised betrayal and conspiracies the most. Her tragic childhood and life's miseries all stemmed from such treachery, and now she was being treated the same way again. In that instant, her hatred for Shirou and Semiramis surpassed all others, even the blasphemous Shinji.

Achilles, who always shared her sentiments, felt similarly angry but for a simpler reason—no matter what, it was his Master. He could dislike his Master, but he wouldn't tolerate these bastards plotting against him.

Seeing this scene, Semiramis's lips curled into a seductive smile.

"Oh~ you still have the strength to stand, but it's useless. Without magical support, just standing is exhausting for you, and with the Ruler's Command Spells binding you, even if you reach me, you can't harm me."

"Aren't you the same as us?"

Achilles snorted coldly.

"The same as you? Hmm, indeed, for now—Master!"

As Semiramis spoke, she glanced at her Master, who extended a hand, radiating blue magical energy.

"Set—"

"Not good, stop him!"

Receiving a "revelation" or using "intuition" to foresee danger, Jeanne and Artoria shouted in unison.

"Too late, Right Hand - Evil Eater!"

With Shirou's declaration, a mechanism within the palace was activated.

Achilles and Atalanta, who had struggled to stand, collapsed again.

At the same time, Jeanne and the rest of the Black Faction, who were ready to attack, suddenly felt a wave of nausea, followed by dizziness, weakness, and intense pain throughout their bodies, even Siegfried with his Armor of Fafnir was not spared.

"Poison?"

Chiron, skilled in medicine, immediately recognized something was wrong and covered his mouth and nose.

"Hehe, as expected of the teacher of the God of Medicine. But it's useless; my poison doesn't just work through breathing. It directly affects the space itself. As long as you remain in this courtyard, the poison will enter your body. Let's see if you, the great sage, can cure the poison of the Oldest Poisoner. Ah, I almost forgot, you, who are immortal, died from poison, didn't you?"

Upon hearing Semiramis's words, Chiron's expression darkened. It wasn't the insult that brought back painful memories, but the situation of the entire space being poisoned was too troublesome.

Unless it was the highest grade poison like that of the Hydra, Chiron could handle most poisons. But he needed a suitable treatment environment. In the current situation, even if he cured the poison, they would immediately re-ingest new toxins, creating a vicious cycle. The most troublesome part was that this poison would gradually erode the Servants' magical energy. If this continued, everyone would lose their ability to resist.

In an instant, the situation took a sharp turn. Jeanne's army, with their overwhelming numbers, all fell to their knees, while Shirou's side, despite being at a complete disadvantage, remained unscathed and soon revived in full strength.

Shirou aimed his left hand at the Greater Grail and his right hand at Semiramis. As the red and blue magical lights alternated, Semiramis recovered from her state of magical depletion.

He used the same method on Shakespeare, who also recovered and dramatically made a gesture as if to embrace the Greater Grail. As a staunch supporter of Shirou, Shakespeare had already been treated with Semiramis's anti-poison magic before the battle began, so he wasn't affected by the poison.

"Oh, oh, oh, this feeling of endless magical energy, this is the power of the Greater Grail? So wonderful. Thank you, Master, for giving me this marvelous experience. I have newfound inspiration."

"As long as you're happy."

Shirou's expression remained gentle, showing no hint of being a villain who intends to destroy the world.

"I have connected your magical pathways to the Greater Grail. Now, you can freely draw magical energy from it. The privilege of using Noble Phantasms unrestrictedly is no longer exclusive to the Black Faction. The conditions are finally equal."

"No, no, Master. There's no such thing as equal conditions because today, the Holy Grail War will end with our victory. So—Archer, Rider, I give you one last chance to choose. Will you pledge your loyalty and join us in victory, or vanish as defeated losers?"

Facing Semiramis, who was standing high and mighty with the demeanor of a victor, Atalanta looked disdainful.

"Whether it's victory or defeat, the world will be destroyed. What difference does it make?"

Achilles was even more aggressive, spitting on the ground.

"Swear loyalty to a witch like you? I'd rather die."

"You—forget it, I do not need to argue with the dead."

Semiramis wasn't surprised by their choices. She turned to the last Servant of the Red Faction, Karna.

"Lancer, what is your choice?"

Karna silently stood up and walked over to Shirou, then said,

"I accept."

"Lancer, you—!"

Atalanta exclaimed in shock, and the others were equally astonished. Those who knew Karna's legend knew he was a noble hero of high moral character. Why would someone like him make such a choice?

"Karna, I misjudged you!"

Achilles cursed angrily.

He had always seen Karna as a heroic rival, equal in strength and character. He had hoped for a climactic duel after the Red and Black factions settled their scores, which would have been enjoyable.

To his disappointment, this scoundrel showed no integrity at all, leaving Achilles deeply disillusioned.

Karna didn't look back or speak. He simply knelt on one knee to show his allegiance.

"Welcome to our side, Karna."

Shirou was slightly surprised but quickly connected Karna's magical pathway to the Greater Grail as he had done before.

After completing this, Shirou spoke again,

"Is there anyone else willing to join my side? To make the Greater Grail an omnipotent wish-granting device, we need the souls of seven Servants as sacrifices. Excluding the already departed Spartacus and Vlad III, we still need five. There are eight of you here, which means three slots are still open. Black Faction members need not worry; this is Semiramis's domain. As long as you don't resist, severing the original Master-Servant contracts is a simple task—I'll give you ten seconds to consider. After that, I'll begin the Greater Grail's activation ceremony."