[FDJ]Chapter 40: Chaos Battle

The spirited horse galloped steadily through the forest, and the low shrubs couldn't slow down the rider. Attila's eyes were fixed on what lay ahead. It had been a long time since she felt so exhilarated, with her desire for battle overpowering the cold wind rushing past her as she rode. She could come up with various reasons to confront Aetius, but now all she would say was, "Someone thinks they can surpass me in this era, Attila." She was determined to prove that person completely wrong!

Suzuki rode on the same horse as Jeanne, while Archer and Berserker, who didn't ride horses, followed Attila. They didn't bring any other soldiers, as the battlefield between the Servants was far beyond what ordinary people could handle.

"It's clear that the Hun King, Attila, is filled with fighting spirit," Jeanne remarked. She was familiar with this feeling, having experienced it herself when she led her troops to Orleans, leaving behind supplies and the main forces. She led a portion of her cavalry straight to the heavily fortified city of Orleans. In the past, she firmly believed that the besieged people needed hope, and hope couldn't be delayed for even a moment. She was willing to risk her own life for it.

But what was driving Attila?

Suzuki didn't have Jeanne's extensive combat experience. He simply felt an unusual attraction to Attila's back at this moment, as if a magical light was emanating from the mounted queen. It was far beyond the brief descriptions and a few illustrations he had seen during his education at the Chaldea organization. He had witnessed an ancient hero who was no less impressive than a Servant, a radiance that belonged solely to humanity.

Perhaps the legendary power of the Servants originated from their unique brilliance during their lifetimes, and it became their Noble Phantasms after being sublimated.

"King Attila is very beautiful, isn't she, Master?"

"Yes, she is more beautiful than the morning sun."

Suzuki instinctively replied to Jeanne without thinking. It was fortunate for him that the Servant he had summoned was Jeanne. If he had summoned a female Servant with a strong sense of jealousy, the incantations wouldn't be enough to smooth over the possible cracks.

"You don't care about anything other than the Holy Grail War. You'll run into big trouble in the future," Jeanne remarked keenly. As a Saber-class Servant, she didn't possess the power of revelation, but having experienced one life as a fellow human, she understood.

Archer had already spotted the enemy Servant approaching to intercept them. At her call, Attila and Jeanne pulled on the reins to bring their horses to a stop. Berserker followed suit when he saw Jeanne stop.

"The enemy approaching consists of three individuals. Everyone, be careful!"

"Archer, you go around separately. We'll handle the fight here," Attila fearlessly faced the approaching enemy Servants, positioning herself at the forefront of the team. She pointed her whip in the direction of the Western Roman Army camp. "Take the opportunity to feign an attack and then return to join our formation. If there's no chance to hold the enemy back, just retreat."

"No problem." Archer was accustomed to operating alone. She had confidence in Attila's strength, knowing that even if Attila was unfortunate enough to be injured, she would quickly recover with the support of the Holy Grail. Following the edge of the forest, Archer acted according to the plan she and Attila had previously agreed upon.

As expected, the Servants who came to confront them were Rider Martha, Saber Gilles de Rais, and an unknown Lancer.

The term "unknown" was limited to before. As soon as Suzuki saw one of the three enemy Servants wielding a giant spear, he immediately recalled the intelligence data in his mind.

The female spear-wielder was the Valkyrie from Norse mythology, Brynhildr. Chaldea had a photo of this Servant in their records. Her Noble Phantasm was a powerful single strike unleashed by releasing the true name of the giant spear. She possessed the special ability to use rune magic. In other aspects, she was similar to conventional Lancer-class Servants. Based on Suzuki's estimation, her strength was only slightly stronger than Rider Martha.

"I'll take care of Lancer!" Attila took the lead and headed straight for Brynhildr, the Lancer wielding the giant spear.

"Lancer's true name is the Valkyrie Brynhildr!"

Attila vaguely heard Suzuki's shout, but she didn't care about the specific identity of the Servant. The fact that Suzuki didn't call her back indicated that the opponent's strength wasn't worth her concern.

The additional knowledge provided by the Holy Grail was very limited and could only help Attila momentarily recognize a female hero related to the gods in a certain myth.

Attila released the reins midway, leaped from her horse, and jumped towards Lancer. Her Rainbow Sword was unsheathed, its sharpness aimed directly at Brynhildr, who appeared to be the strongest among the three Enemy Servants.

Without waiting for Jeanne to make a choice, Berserker charged towards Saber Gilles de Rais. It was unclear whether he recognized his former acquaintance, but it had no impact on the battle. Berserker would swing his sword without hesitation even if his former comrades confronted him.

Jeanne was left with Rider Martha, whom she had clashed with previously.

The true names of the enemy Servants were all known, and due to Saber Gilles de Rais, Suzuki believed that the enemy was also aware of the true names of his Servants.

In the Holy Grail War, there was no way to conceal one's true name when fighting against former acquaintances. This was especially true for Jeanne, as even Attila and Atalanta could easily see through her identity as the Maid of Orleans.

Thinking about this, Suzuki hesitated for a moment. Jeanne, as a Servant from the 15th century, was now in the 5th century, while Archer hailed from Greek mythology. How could she see through Jeanne's true name?

Before Suzuki could dwell on it further, Jeanne dismounted and drew her sword, ready to continue the unfinished close combat with Rider from yesterday.

"Isn't this the female swordsman who was injured by my Noble Phantasm yesterday? I thought you needed a few days to recover."

"You managed to escape yesterday. Is your luck good enough today?"

Both Jeanne and Martha possessed a saintly aura, but they found each other uncomfortable. Because of their similarities, even the slightest differences in their eyes were significant flaws that couldn't be ignored.

Relying on her self-taught swordsmanship, Jeanne closed the distance first, pressing Rider with her initial attacks until Rider could use her staff to block.

Then Jeanne continued to press Rider into a defensive posture with her incredibly sharp Holy Catherine Sword. She was now proficient at "utilizing" the entire set of sword techniques she had never mastered. By allowing her sword to attack freely, she could unleash exquisite and unparalleled swordsmanship. She could focus her energy on observation, searching for an opportunity to deliver a powerful blow to Rider.

For the time being, Rider didn't give Jeanne an opening. Close combat was also Rider's strong suit. During the skirmish, two short-duration strengthening magecrafts were applied to herself, allowing Rider to keep up with Jeanne's "fully automatic" sword techniques.

Suzuki, relying on the abilities of a Master, was able to see the approximate attribute data of Rider. Compared to the data recorded by the Chaldea organization, the Master's qualifications for this Holy Grail War seemed to be less than satisfactory. Suzuki dismounted and stayed in place, turning his gaze to the battles happening on the other two sides.

Berserker La Hire and Saber Gilles de Rais were evenly matched. One possessed unstoppable brute strength, while the other had superb swordsmanship. It was difficult to determine the outcome in a short period. On the other side, Attila confronted Lancer Brynhildr with her flesh and blood. However, she had managed to take advantage of Lancer's carelessness and had already inflicted a sword wound on Lancer's arm.

Immediately, healing magecraft was applied to Lancer, indicating that Lancer's Master was nearby. Suzuki immediately became alert and observed his surroundings, shifting his primary task from supporting the three Servants to finding the enemy Master. In the teachings at Chaldea, Suzuki had learned basic reconnaissance methods, albeit all relying on magecraft.

Suzuki realized that the methods he had thought of on the spot were not applicable. He could only rely on the horse behind him and observe his surroundings, hoping that if the enemy appeared, he could use a small magical trick carried on his Mystic Code to knock them down.

"You, a mere human, managed to injure a Servant?" Lancer Brynhildr's expression remained unchanged. The tone of her voice was completely different from her icy exterior, and her arrogance was no less than that of the Hun King, Attila.

"So what if I'm human? Who said that humans couldn't injure Servants? Strength determines the truth! How capable are you?"

For Attila, fighting against a legendary Valkyrie was far more interesting than competing with Assassin in combat skills and reaction speed yesterday. She could barely block the opponent's massive spear and relied on her speed advantage to disrupt the range of Lancer's spear swings.

To her surprise, Lancer's spear technique was too slow and didn't seem to be proficient.

"Fire Tower!"

After a few unsuccessful moves, Lancer immediately changed tactics. She stepped back by two spear lengths and quickly completed a spell with a raised hand. Flames appeared out of thin air, forming several towering pillars of fire that blocked Attila's attempt to continue her attack.

"Magic?"

Attila did not know magic and didn't dare to approach the pillars of fire. Only after the pillars burned out did she chase after Lancer. By this time, Lancer had already finished writing a series of Runic letters, and more pillars of fire surrounded Attila.

In desperation, Attila released a greater amount of magical energy than Lancer, using the most wasteful manner to forcefully break through the pillars of fire. Without a reservoir of magical energy, she could only use it extravagantly when magic could be squandered. Unlike the controlled release of magic, the released magical energy instantly dissipated, providing no enhancement to Attila herself.

Suzuki saw the pillars of fire rise and thought Attila was in danger. However, when he saw Attila somehow squeeze out from the encirclement of the pillars of fire, he became even more puzzled. Previously, he only thought Attila could barely fight against a Servant, but now it seemed that she was even stronger than any of the individual Servants in this Holy Grail War.

An ordinary person could never achieve such power.

The massive spear clashed against Attila's sword, and relying on its superior mass, Lancer initially managed to suppress Attila. However, it only lasted for a moment. Attila's strength was not inferior to Lancer's, and she simply lifted the spear upwards. Attila forcefully pushed away the massive spear that was pressing against her.

"Are you a monster?" Lancer couldn't help but ask. Previously, she could fight on par with Berserker, but when facing Attila, she couldn't find a suitable opportunity for a counterattack.

"If you think so, then so be it. I am indeed different from ordinary people."

While Attila chased after her with her sword, Lancer seemed to suddenly receive support from her Master, and her spear technique became faster. This time, she applied runic magic to her massive spear, and the spear's shaft immediately emitted a blue flame.

Lancer continued to engrave runic letters as if preparing to unleash her Noble Phantasm and deliver a fatal blow to Attila's flesh and blood.

"King of the Barbarians, relying solely on the Holy Grail won't be enough to defeat me. What do you think?"

Lancer's stiff smile became menacing. Suzuki didn't notice, but Attila saw it. Runic letters were not only used for the release of magecraft.

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