Chapter 478: [478] Oh No, the Empress Is Stealing Our Base!
After Sakatsuki projected the divine-forged greatswords and destroyed the Fortress of Millennia, Semiramis immediately commanded the Hanging Gardens to move toward the Black Faction’s stronghold.
"Hmm, I had expected destroying that fortress would require some effort, but this makes things much easier. I initially thought we’d have to rely on Lancer’s Noble Phantasm to handle it... Who would have thought Sakatsuki would prove no less formidable than King Arthur?"
On her solitary throne, the Empress rested her chin on her palm, her narrowed eyes betraying a hint of wariness.
She could sense the immense divine aura emanating from the twin greatswords—their concepts of "creation" and "severance" were absolute counters to any structure.
The Fortress of Millennia was no exception, and neither was her Hanging Gardens. In fact, the latter was even more vulnerable.
A fantasy forcibly pieced together through magecraft, if struck by either Ig-Alima or Sul-sagana, it would undoubtedly revert to its most basic form—mere clumps of earth and branches.
Fortunately, he wasn’t an ally of the Black Faction...
Suppressing her relief, the Empress raised her head and addressed the retreating Servants:
"You’ve all worked hard. I see the fire in your blood hasn’t yet cooled—no matter. Endure it a little longer. The next battle is about to begin."
Hearing this, Atalanta, who had been stealing glances at Sakatsuki, withdrew her gaze and asked in confusion:
"I don’t mind that, but why are we approaching the fortress now? Are we going to kill their Masters directly?"
"Isn’t it obvious?—We’re here to reclaim the Greater Grail."
For a moment, all the Servants present fell silent. Achilles and Atalanta exchanged glances, and even the pale-faced Karna looked at the Empress in surprise.
"You’re making them hand it over? Wait, more importantly... how exactly would that work?"
The Empress smiled and pointed at the floor:
"The reason this Hanging Gardens floats in the sky is entirely based on the concept of ’reversal.’ Plants grow downward here, and water flows upward."
The Gardens came to a halt above the Fortress of Millennia. If the residents of Trifas looked up at the night sky now, what would they think of this massive structure blotting out even the moonlight? At the very least, their sanity wouldn’t remain intact.
"Watch closely, ignorant magi. This is the true pinnacle of magecraft."
Semiramis let out a haughty laugh, spreading her arms as she unleashed the spell.
Boom—
A violent gale erupted from the base of the Gardens. The tornado-like current connected to the fortress like a conduit, linking directly to the Greater Grail buried beneath—the very one Sakatsuki had exposed.
"Now, come forth, Greater Grail! Show me your form—ugly yet beautiful, crafted by godlike magecraft!"
The spiraling storm plunged into the heart of the Fortress of Millennia like a steel needle. Brick walls were torn apart, windows and doors shattered. The pitiful homunculi, still reeling from the Noble Phantasm clash, were helplessly flung from their rooms by the gale, their bodies shredded by the debris flying like bullets—only to become tools of destruction against their own kin.
The Greater Grail, manifesting in the form of the Winter Saint, was gradually being drawn toward the Red Faction’s garden under this conceptual-level pull.
"That’s the Greater Grail...?" Atalanta murmured with a stunned expression. Not just her—even Karna, Achilles, and Shakespeare were frozen in awe. The vast, colorless, transparent magical energy that had accumulated unchanging over sixty years now swirled before them.
"That is the Holy Grail! Splendid! Truly splendid! Magnificent! Even from here, I can feel its overwhelming magical energy! It makes me want to dive in and drown myself in it, to become one with it! And yet, that grotesque, exposed humanoid form! Truly, ’fair is foul, and foul is fair’!"
Shakespeare’s voice overflowed with passionate delight. With a Greater Grail like this, calling it a "wish-granting device of near-omnipotence" would hardly be an exaggeration, at least for wishes not too grand. It was only natural for the Servants to be so exhilarated.
"...Hmph, it’s already fully merged with the leyline. It’ll take some time to extract it. But we can’t just stand around—they’re coming, everyone."
—No one dared to attack the Greater Grail directly. Unless they ascended the garden and severed the Empress’s magecraft, the Black Faction could only watch helplessly as the Red Faction succeeded.
There was no need for the Empress’s warning—every Servant present sensed the shift. To prevent the Greater Grail from being seized, the Black Faction’s Servants began arriving one after another.
"I must focus my power on the Greater Grail for now. The rest is up to you. If we don’t hold out, your wishes will vanish like bubbles—so tread carefully, won’t you?"
"Well then, the Greater Grail has suddenly inspired me! I must take my leave to write!"
"...At least pretend to help, would you?"
Ignoring the exasperated gazes of the others, Shakespeare hurried off to the workshop built specifically for him—his "study."
"Ah, one more thing I forgot to mention. This garden does not belong to Romania. You may find that useful in battle."
With those words, the Red Assassin vanished. As for the Greater Grail, though the process was slow, it was indeed being gradually extracted from Trifas.
If the Black Faction still intended to reclaim the Holy Grail, this was their last chance.
————
"That’s... Sakatsuki?!"
A look of shock crossed her beautiful face. At the center of the battlefield, where the ground had caved in radially, Artoria watched Jeanne d’Arc’s bewildered expression and sighed inwardly.
There was no way Sakatsuki had revealed everything. In other words, this foolish girl had been kept completely in the dark, unaware of his schemes, believing him to be nothing more than an envoy from the Clock Tower.
But now, his actions—seizing the Holy Grail for the Red Faction—made his stance unmistakable. Worse, those two slashes of his had killed or wounded countless homunculi and magi within the fortress, nearly harming innocent residents of Trifas. For Jeanne d’Arc, such behavior would be utterly unforgivable.
Just as Artoria had thought, Jeanne d’Arc found herself questioning her own ’Revelation’ for the first time.
Was Sakatsuki truly the key to saving this Holy Grail War, as the Revelation had indicated?
"...Apologies. Though there are many things I still wish to ask you, I must now ascend to the Red Faction’s garden and get answers from Sakatsuki directly!"
After hurriedly tossing these words to Artoria, Jeanne quickened her pace toward the fortress.
"Oh, and... thank you for that!"
Watching the saint disappear from view while still expressing gratitude, Artoria gave a helpless smile before her expression turned serious again. Her gaze shifted to a certain figure standing atop the floating garden, further solidifying her conviction.
This form of Lord Sakatsuki... is dangerous.
Yet they were Master and Servant, and Lord Sakatsuki still held three Command Spells in his grasp...
Finding no solution through contemplation, the ahoge-bearing king sighed in resignation before similarly dematerializing to pursue the Greater Grail.
I hope I can trust you, Lord Sakatsuki.
And thus, the second round of battle revolving around the Holy Grail’s possession began anew.