[FDJ]Chapter 58: Curtain Call of the Clown

"Until Judgment Descends Upon Me (Brynhildr Tragedy)!"

Black flames ignited around Brunhilda, more corrosive than the previous blue flames, instantly generating high temperatures and spreading malevolence. Aetius was prepared in advance and was not affected by Brunhilda's Noble Phantasm, but the evil entity restraining Brunhilda wasn't so fortunate.

All the wrists that had previously entangled Brunhilda were severed by her Noble Phantasm, and the black flames indiscriminately ignited the wrists of the evil entity and the surrounding trees and rocks.

Brunhilda raised her staff and symbolically pointed at the creature hindering her. The black flames accelerated their corrosive speed, completely incinerating the evil entity hidden in the darkness. Dealing with these lesser familiars was effortless for Brunhilda; her Noble Phantasm now only feared holy objects and had no adverse effects on entities belonging to the evil camp.

Noticing that Aetius took the opportunity to disappear, Brunhilda directed her anger toward the summoner who had called forth the creatures. The summoner could establish a channel to attack her using their soul-stealing black magic, but she could also use that pathway to counterattack the summoner directly.

One after another, dense black substances continued to appear around Brunhilda, and an increasing number of unidentified magical creatures surrounded her. Both sides were in a contest of speed, having established magical channels of connection. If either side stopped, they would face merciless attacks from the other.

Under Brunhilda's control, the black flames scattered and split. This magical flame with its inherent power automatically recognized its targets. The surrounding trees had already burned, and anything living was more susceptible to burning than rocks. The type of creatures that appeared had no relation to the flames.

Amidst the burning black flames, Brunhilda managed to evade the tentacles' attacks a few times. Despite the numerical disadvantage compared to the previous ambush, she was prepared and relied on her Noble Phantasm's black flames to deal with these creatures from another world.

Not limited to defense, after the black flames fully spread, Brunhilda immediately "saw" the spellcaster summoning the evil entity through the magical connection. It was Mephistopheles, the orthodox Caster-class Servant in this Holy Grail War.

Using the high-speed incantation ability she gained from her transition to a different class, Brunhilda quickly recited the incantations of two spells. She ascended from her original position, avoiding the evil creatures appearing beneath her. The black flames partially converged, igniting the creatures that appeared below her as well.

If Gilles de Rais' books could summon holy beings like angels, Brunhilda would only have one option left—to escape. Unfortunately, the creatures from another world were effective against humans but ineffective against Servants.

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Caster was in a dire situation. He was being suppressed by an indescribable mysterious force within the magic circle drawn by Gilles de Rais. It could be understood that he had become a hostage connected. The force, which harbored obvious hostility towards the living beings in this world, aided Caster in attacking the designated female Servant. It also opposed Caster, who was chanting incantations. To the evil entities from another world, all beings in this world emitted an unbearable aura, regardless of their camp—be it Servants, humans, or animals. It was just that the magic circle restricted their influence. Otherwise, the entire camp of the Western Roman Army would have become a breeding ground for the creatures.

"No, Caster cannot bear this alone..." Upon hearing inaudible whispers from behind, Suzuki endured the discomfort in his body and attempted to turn around. Before he could see Caster standing within the magic circle, his eyes were covered by Saber Gilles de Rais' hand.

"Master! Humans cannot bear witness to the mysterious things recorded in my books. It's best if you don't even cast a glance." Gilles de Rais could see the twisted black smoke coalescing into a tangible prison-like cage around the magic circle. Caster relied on the body as a Servant to resist the erosion. He had to constantly chant the incantations from the book and summon the recorded creatures. If he stopped, these creatures that were hostile to everything would launch indiscriminate retaliatory attacks. However, using this power allowed him to "return" the favor to Brunhilda, who had come to unleash her large-scale black magic attacks.

There was no choice. This was the only trump card in Gilles de Rais' possession. He didn't want to use it, but as if cursed, the more he resisted using the book, the more he found himself in a situation where he had to use it. Just like now, he desperately wanted to defeat Brunhilda and save Jeanne d'Arc, yet he didn't even realize that he was actively creating an environment where he "must use the grimoire."

Watching Caster, who was suffering, Gilles de Rais himself was also influenced by the mysterious power from the otherworld. The suppressed urge to kill, which he usually restrained, gradually surged within him. If it weren't for Caster acting as his substitute, Gilles de Rais would likely have already been infected by the grimoire, becoming a dark sorcerer in history.

The Noble Phantasm, "Prelati's Spellbook," is a magecraft book that instills fear in ordinary people simply by its true name. Gilles de Rais awkwardly turned his head away, avoiding continuous focus on the ritual scene. Although he could resist it with his magical resistance ability, his body instinctively desired to approach.

"It seems that using this book is my destiny after all." He sighed softly and continued to move away with Suzuki. However, at that moment, a large mass of black flames burst out from the magic circle, igniting Caster's clothes.

Caster immediately used his mastered spells to neutralize the black flames. However, before he could examine how his clothes were burned, pure darkness leaked out from the magic circle. It was completely different from the creatures summoned during the ritual. The black liquid did not contain any possibility of life.

Gilles de Rais noticed that Brunhilda had launched a counterattack. He quickly squatted down on the soft mud beneath his feet and began sketching the incantation. His speed couldn't compare to Brunhilda, who was already a Caster. Within seconds, the seeping liquid in the magic circle transformed into countless amorphous water droplets. In the almost enclosed space, Caster had nowhere to hide.

After continuous explosions, a large amount of black mist enveloped the entire camp. Gilles de Rais and Suzuki were both trapped in the mist. Thanks to the Mystic Code given to Suzuki Tomoe by Aetius, the highly corrosive black mist did not harm him. However, the unlucky Roman soldiers near the ritual location were not so fortunate. Before they could understand what was happening, they dispersed along with the black mist, expanding its range.

It took a full minute for Gilles de Rais, as a Saber-class Servant, to rewrite the corresponding incantation and gather all the spreading black mist. Suzuki could finally see the center of the black mist, where the traces of the magic circle remained, but Caster was nowhere to be found.

"Could it be..." Suzuki didn't understand black magic, but he heard the soldiers who were engulfed by the black mist emitting horrifying screams. It was clear that being enveloped by the mist had dire consequences. Although Gilles de Rais controlled and contained the black mist, those unfortunate soldiers had disappeared without a trace.

Gilles de Rais also didn't know if Caster had been killed by the black magic just now. In his estimation, if he had not taken precautions and exposed himself to the black mist, his armor and clothing would have been burned, but one minute was not enough to endanger his vital organs. It was possible that Caster, who lacked magical resistance, had been truly "dissolved" by this black magic.

Gilles de Rais and Suzuki were momentarily unaware of the answer to this question. However, Brunhilda, who bathed in black flames and could resist all evil creatures, knew. She could hardly believe her eyes. That frail Caster had audaciously appeared before her, wielding the evil Grimoire capable of summoning familiars.

"Aren't you afraid of death, clown?" Brunhilda immediately abandoned the idea of attacking the Roman Coalition camp from a distance. An enemy Servant stood right in front of her, a madman who continuously summoned abominations. She wouldn't allow the opponent to exist for even a minute.

"Death is inevitable, no matter how you choose to meet it. Isn't a glorious death, a splendid choice?" Caster's hands were already tainted with black slime, or rather, materials that originated from within him but didn't belong to him. Ever since he arrived here, the speed of familiar appearances had noticeably increased. They were on the verge of overwhelming Brunhilda's black flames through sheer numbers.

Although he spoke eloquently, Caster found it difficult to maintain his smile. His magical energy was rapidly depleting. To hasten the summoning speed, he voluntarily connected his spiritual core to the Grimoire, transforming himself into a part of the familiars. The result was either self-destruction or assimilation into indescribable monsters.

"Clown, you are a repulsive and hideous creature who disgusts others even until death!" Brunhilda quickly grasped Caster's condition. She wanted to use her magecraft to kill the enemy right before her eyes, but she hesitated due to the imminent birth of a large-scale monster from within him. Moreover, the number of summoned monsters in the vicinity was increasing rapidly. Some of the monsters' "hands" had already managed to pass through the black flames, posing a threat to her. "Then go ahead and die here by yourself."

Rising quickly, Brunhilda maintained her composure and didn't fixate on the honor of killing a Servant. She was never the type to value honor in the first place.

As expected, Caster laughed one last time as Brunhilda distanced herself from him. He now clearly understood that Brunhilda, after changing classes, possessed formidable strength that rendered Gilles de Rais's tactics ineffective. However, this didn't hinder the performance of the clown—a being existing for the sake of twisted amusement—as he prepared for yet another disruptive act.

"TikTok Bomb."

Explosive worms emerged from behind Brunhilda, as Caster had set them in place using his tentacles, taking advantage of the opportunity to make contact with her. Of course, he knew that relying solely on his Noble Phantasm's power wouldn't be enough.

Brunhilda noticed a multitude of metallic bomb creatures resembling centipedes crawling out from behind her and quickly condensed magical barriers to separate them.

Simultaneously, a massive explosion occurred. Caster, utilizing his Mystic Code could perform surprise attacks by teleportation, and he appeared beside Brunhilda. Brunhilda didn't possess such a peculiar Mystic Code, but her magical defense weakened the power of the explosion significantly.

Caster unleashed the full power of his Noble Phantasm, summoning twelve explosive worms in one go. Sixty bombs detonated together, causing Brunhilda to fall with only minor superficial injuries.

But that was enough. Caster maintained a wide smile as he watched Brunhilda land and angrily raise her beautiful face. A beautiful Servant and an ugly Servant consumed together—wasn't it a perfect ironic comedy?