Chapter 558: Aerial Battle Outside the Gardens

Although there was something slightly off about Semiramis, the interception spell she cast was undeniably a pinnacle-level grand magecraft.

"Tiamtum Umu: The Black Coffin of Ten and One"—a massive black coffin modeled after the eleven beasts born of the legendary monster Tiamat, capable of repelling external enemies with super A-rank light projectiles. It was her greatest masterpiece.

"Perish, you ugly, stupid birds!"

With Semiramis's sharp words, eleven black cubes, each over 20 meters long, simultaneously unleashed terrifying magic blasts.

No, calling them magic blasts wouldn't do them justice—they were more like meteors, each containing the power to destroy armies and fortresses.

Under such terrifying attacks, the aerial golem army created by Avicebron was utterly powerless, with more than half destroyed in the blink of an eye.

Fortunately, the Hanging Garden was positioned over the sea, preventing secondary damage from the magic torrents and golems fragments.

"Ah, what a pity. I worked overtime to make these."

At the end of the golem army, Roche stood on the tail of a large bronze bird, complaining in dissatisfaction. Beside him, Shinji remained calm.

"They were meant to be disposable cannon fodder. It's impressive they made it this far. Next—prepare to land. Caster, wait for my signal to use that."

"Understood."

Avicebron responded indifferently, maneuvering the puppets forward.

Shinji grabbed Roche and boarded another nearby golem with him.

"When we reach the garden, take the remaining golems and leave. Don't return unless the garden is destroyed."

"Got it, you don't need to tell me. Hurry up, I don't want to see you."

Roche's attitude towards Shinji had always been poor due to Shinji's coercion of Avicebron.

"I don't need you to tell me; I'll leave."

Shinji didn't mind. He spread his Hades Cloak and disappeared into the night.

As long as Avicebron followed his plan, it didn't matter how much Roche cursed. As for what would happen to them later? Whether Roche would meet the same fate as in the original timeline, being betrayed by the teacher he revered. He didn't care at all.

Tiamtum Ūmu once again erupted with terrifying magical waves, seemingly intending to wipe out all aerial enemies in one fell swoop.

Achilles, lurking among the golems, let out a dissatisfied grunt.

"Tch, how troublesome. Is this that woman's doing? It's up to you now, Black Rider. Don't embarrass us Riders."

"Oh, leave it to me!"

Astolfo replied proudly, raising his head high.

"Alright, let's go! Master!"

The Hippogriff neighed loudly, a sound no less piercing than the wind, as its iron hooves and sharp claws shattered the bronze shell on the golem's back. With a running start, it soared into the sky.

"Astolfo of the Twelve Paladins of Charlemagne, here to fight!"

His voice echoed through the night sky. Though he didn't use his horn, and it was just a brief moment, everyone present became aware of his presence.

Riding the Hippogriff, a mythical creature born between a griffon and a mare, he flew high, high up in the sky at an altitude of 7,500 meters, swiftly and fiercely, with his Master who shared his destiny, launching a bold assault towards the enemy fortress!

Of course, Semiramis would never easily allow an invasion by external enemies.

"Foolish beings. Last time, you were outside my range and survived by luck. This time, I will leave not even your bones intact. Regret while you still have your skulls, along with your Master, before I blast them off!"

The black coffin changed direction, locking onto the Black Rider.

Amidst high-pitched laughter, the light projectiles fired, and it was supposed to end there, but—

"This is—it happened just as Master said."

The magic blasts filling the field of vision were so dense and terrifying in power that Astolfo's body couldn't help but tremble.

Even so, the pink knight neither retreated nor fell.

His Master clung tightly to him from behind. Words weren't necessary; the trust between them had long surpassed the need for verbal communication.

Regardless of whether his rationality evaporated or whether he was strong or weak, in Sieg's heart, he was a brave knight, the hero who saved him. As long as he was there, they could endure any terrifying battlefield together.

"Alright, the time is now! My heart trembles in the moonless terror, But it shall never retreat! Casseur de Logistille!"

The pages of the book he took out began to spread and dance in the strong wind.

The light projectiles approached at the speed of sound, but Astolfo ignored their presence and continued to charge forward. Magic blasts capable of penetrating A-rank anti-magic barriers did not cause the Rider any harm this time.

With a sound akin to shattering steel, the light projectiles were deflected. Of course, it wasn't just one light projectile; countless light projectiles rained down on the pink knight like a meteor shower.

However, under the effect of the liberated magic book, all magic dissipated meaninglessly.

"Ahahaha! This feels amazing! Master, hold on tight! I'm going to speed up even more!"

"Okay, got it!"

Sieg, the homunculus Master, responded with a voice no less loud than Rider's. Light projectiles continually struck the pages surrounding them, shattering and scattering.

"But it's amazing!"

Hearing Sieg's words, Astolfo shouted:

"Are you saying the book is amazing!?"

"No, the amazing one is Rider!"

Being entrusted with this book meant gaining the trust of Queen Logistilla. Not long ago, he had bravely soared through the skies even when he couldn't recall his true name.

"Hehe, it's still too early to be surprised! Come on, we're the first!"

Astolfo gently patted the neck of the speeding Hippogriff, urging it to accelerate further. The number of light projectiles continued to increase; among the eleven black coffins serving as defensive mechanisms, six locked onto the Black Rider.

"Firing simultaneously?... Come on, bring it on!"

It was like a waterfall of light, pure and overwhelmingly violent in quantity, yet—it couldn't crush its target.

The Hippogriff didn't stop, single-mindedly charging forward.

"The target is that huge black cannon! Without it, Assassin and Ruler can reach the garden! Charge—whoa!"

"Rider, be careful!"

As the duo simultaneously increased their magic power, ready to close the distance in one go, a burst of flames exploded near their faces. A black arrow grazed their heads, and the intense wind pressure even drew a trail of blood.

"What is this?!"

"An ambush!"

Astolfo, his momentum interrupted, scrambled to maneuver evasively while searching for the attacker.

Quickly, under the flickering light of the black coffin's projectiles, he spotted two black figures. One held a bow, each arrow posing a lethal threat to Astolfo. The other had empty hands, but magic continuously transformed within them, evolving into various spells.

In terms of rank, these spells were much lower than the light projectiles fired by the black coffin and couldn't break through the defense of the magic book. However, the physical effects of the combined magic did indeed hinder the Hippogriff's advance, providing more opportunities for their ally's shots.

"Scary, so scary," Astolfo cried out in panic.

"How can I get close to that cannon with them around?"

"What about using the trick we used to dodge the big explosion earlier?" Sieg suggested.

"No, no, in that state, the enemy can't hit us, but we can't hit them either. Plus, it consumes a huge amount of magic. What should we do? This wasn't in the battle plan!"

At that moment, a voice suddenly echoed in his mind.

"Just keep moving forward!"

"That voice... Chiron?"

"You only need to destroy the cannon. We'll handle the arrows—betting on the honor of an Archer!"

The words were accompanied by two arrows piercing the air, one green and one brown.

The great sage Chiron and the legendary huntress Atalanta, two archers whose skills had reached divine levels, took their shots simultaneously.