Chapter 498: Red and Black Showdown - Mass Attack

Although Spartacus's self-detonation was comparable to a small-yield nuclear bomb, this referred to the destructive power and range of the explosion's shockwave, not the subsequent nuclear radiation. Nuclear radiation is the most terrifying aspect of a nuclear bomb. Spartacus's magic did not possess such properties; once the explosion was over, the magic dissipated.

It came quickly, went quickly, and was clean and pollution-free, making it the first choice for conscientious military commanders—Spartacus-brand Fuel King Bombs, highly recommended... Ahem, sorry, got carried away.

In short, this self-detonation lasted only a moment, and the hippogriff's "impossible existence" also lasted only a moment. As the shockwave passed, the presence of the two riders and the hippogriff became clear again—several hundred meters away. At the original site, now engulfed by the shockwave, the afterimages of the hippogriff and the two riders remained, illustrating the concept of an ethereal existence.

As soon as their presence solidified, Astolfo turned around and hugged Sieg, laughing, "How was that? My partner is pretty amazing, right?"

"Yeah, ah, it is amazing," Sieg said blankly, still shaken from the life-and-death situation, "but it seems to be in bad shape."

As if to echo Sieg's words, the hippogriff let out a weak cry and collapsed to the ground, its front claws giving way. After a series of collisions and being hit by the aftermath of the magic cannon and Pegasus, and then forcibly activating "impossible existence," even a magical beast with a griffon bloodline found it hard to bear.

Astolfo gently patted his partner's back and softly said, "Thank you, partner. You can rest now."

In the next second, the hippogriff turned into spirit particles and disappeared, leaving only the embracing servant and homunculus.

The homunculus asked, "What should we do next?"

The servant replied, "Didn't you say you wanted to save your companions? Let's go together. There should be many like you in the castle."

"Is that okay?"

"Why not? I've completed all the tasks Assassin gave me, which means I can act freely now. Originally, no one would blame me for not saving you, but since you're back, I should be prepared for what's to come."

"No... no matter how you think about it, the other servants won't agree to this in this situation, right?"

"What? That? We'll think about it when the time comes! Come on, let's go!"

Astolfo grabbed Sieg's hand tightly and headed towards Millennia Castle, completely unaware that this scene was being watched by Celenike and the other Masters of the Yggdmillennia clan.

"Damn, damn, damn Rider, damn homunculus!"

Celenike bit her finger hard. It was that homunculus again. If it weren't for him, Rider wouldn't have... It seems it's time to make a decision. Two Command Seals, just enough.

"Danic, I..."

She had just spoken a few words when she was interrupted by the excited Roche.

"Ah, it's that homunculus, the core that the Teacher wants! Celenike, Celenike, quickly orders Rider to bring him back. With this, Teacher's Noble Phantasm can be activated."

"This..."

Celenike hesitated slightly. Roche's approach differed somewhat from her plan. This punishment wasn't enough for Rider and that homunculus.

"Celenike, do it. Use the Command Seals if necessary."

Danic glanced indifferently at the homunculus in the projection. In the Yggdmillennia clan, his word was law.

"Ugh, this is troublesome."

Shinji's mouth curled into a barely noticeable bitter smile.

Did Sieg grow a backbone or something? Coming back without any cheats for protection?

Is the inertia of the plot really that strong?

Could it be that by giving you Sieg's name, you also gained Siegfried's courage?

So if I called you Spartacus, would you immediately pick up a knife and cut down these oppressors?

The problem is that you're not strong enough. Anyone here could easily crush you. Why can't you see that?

Well, there's no point in saying more now. We can only play it by ear. If I can help, I will, but I can't let Astolfo mess things up and drag us down.

The success or failure of the Holy Grail War hinges on today. There can be no mistakes—perhaps that ominous feeling I had is related to Astolfo. His rationality evaporated. Nothing he does would be surprising. If he releases all the homunculus batteries in a fit of anger, the hard-won advantage of the Black Faction would be lost, and my combat effectiveness, which relies on my Noble Phantasms, would be weakened.

While Shinji was silently calculating, while Danic and Roche were urging Celenike, while Celenike was making her final struggle, a massive roar accompanied by violent shaking assaulted everyone in the throne room.

No, it wasn't just the throne room. The entire Millennia Castle was shaking. The defensive spells that had withstood the explosion's aftershocks seemed to have no effect.

This was to be expected because the bounded field's focus was on warding off mystic attacks. This time, it was a purely physical attack—a mass attack, directly striking the castle with a heavy object.

Where did the heavy object come from?

From the sky, from the Hanging Gardens.

Having endured Spartacus's self-detonation at relatively close range, even the EX-rank Anti-World Noble Phantasm "Hanging Gardens of Babylon" couldn't remain unscathed, despite Semiramis's best efforts to defend it.

The core palace area fared relatively well, experiencing only minor shaking, but the outer sections of the gardens weren't so lucky.

The green spaces created by various Age of Gods plants were uprooted in large patches and then burned by the high temperatures from the explosion. Exotic birds and beasts, extinct for hundreds or thousands of years and living in the gardens, perished, some leaving no trace behind.

The worst hit was the area serving as the nest for the Dragon Tooth Warriors, positioned at the head of this aerial fortress. Being closest to Spartacus in a direct line, it bore the brunt of the explosion first, then was used by Semiramis as a sacrificial pawn to absorb most of the shockwave through her magic, leaving it riddled with holes and gradually separating from the main structure.

Having her palace, meticulously constructed over three days, heavily damaged in its first battle, Semiramis couldn't possibly feel good. If maintaining the garden's stability and repairing other areas hadn't consumed so much of her mana and energy, she would have unleashed a full-scale bombardment on Millennia Castle.

Enraged with no outlet, she exuded a chill that could almost freeze the space around her, even making Shakespeare, who usually loved to stir up trouble, stay silent.

The only one daring to speak at this moment was her Master, Shirou:

"Didn't you want to vent your anger on Millennia Castle? I have an idea. The prow section is useless now, so let's put it to good use—as a giant boulder, it should be enough to smash a hole in the castle's outer wall, right?"

Hearing this, Semiramis finally smiled, cold and enchanting, like a spider lily blooming on the banks of hell.

A few seconds later, a giant rock fell from the sky, and the castle walls that had stood for hundreds of years collapsed with a thunderous crash.