Fate's Choice: Livestream at the Start Summoning Billions of Ravens

At that moment, Joan of Arc looked up at the "sun" that was rapidly enlarging in her field of vision.

As the meteorite rubbed against the atmosphere, it ignited a blazing inferno. The terrifying heat and oppressive force even caused the air below to distort.

She did not back down.

The girl's clear blue eyes reflected the devastating sea of ​​fire.

She simply held the holy flag high above her head in silence.

The surface of the flag burst forth with an unprecedentedly dazzling golden radiance.

The radiance was so pure, so sacred, like the first rays of dawn piercing through the gloom of doomsday.

Facing the falling meteorite powerful enough to wipe an entire city off the map, Jeanne calmly chanted the true name of her Noble Phantasm.

"My lord is here!"

The moment the words fell.

The holy flag in her hand unfurled in the wind.

The flag, printed with irises and saints' prayers, transformed into a massive golden light curtain covering a radius of over five kilometers the moment it was unfurled.

The light curtain, like a flawless circular holy shield polished by the hand of God, precisely enveloped the sky above the core area of ​​Hiroshima City.

The screen was ablaze with light and color.

Countless phantom images of angels appeared in the light curtain, blowing horns, plucking harps, and chanting solemn and dignified hymns in unison.

The singing seemed to possess a tangible power, reaching everyone's ears through the live broadcast signal.

The sacred aura, like a gentle tide, soothed the fear and despair that had arisen in people's hearts.

People who were running for their lives in the street instinctively stopped in their tracks.

They looked up, staring blankly at the enormous golden holy shield in the sky, and the doomsday fireball falling from the shield.

Time seemed to slow down infinitely at that moment.

The burning meteorite collided violently with the golden light curtain.

The expected earth-shattering explosion did not occur.

No shockwaves from the landslide or earthquake occurred.

The whole world heard only one clear, far-reaching sound, as if it came from a bell in heaven.

"clang--"

The terrifying kinetic energy, enough to destroy a modern city, was completely absorbed, transformed, and neutralized by the holy light flowing on the light screen the moment it came into contact with it.

The meteorite struck the light screen without creating a ripple.

It simply sank deep inside, like pressing a red-hot iron into a golden ocean.

Its speed, visible to the naked eye, slowed down dramatically.

Finally, after sinking nearly a hundred meters into the center of the light curtain, all its kinetic energy was completely exhausted, and it came to a standstill.

However, the crisis is not over.

The kinetic energy is gone, but its terrifying mass remains.

It was a real mountain, heavy enough to crush any man-made structure on Earth.

Joan of Arc remained motionless, holding the holy banner aloft.

The girl's slender arms were supporting the entire sky above Hiroshima.

Her class skill, Magic Resistance: EX, was transformed into pure physical defense without reservation under the influence of her Noble Phantasm.

She single-handedly bore the weight of a mountain.

"Click...click..."

After a few seconds of stalemate.

The massive meteorite, under the combined pressure of its own terrifying weight and the divine energy of the Noble Phantasm, finally reached its limit.

Cracks began to spread from the inside of the meteorite.

Ultimately, it could no longer maintain its shape and collapsed with a crash.

Countless burning, enormous stones, ranging from several tons to hundreds of tons, silently slid down along the smooth arc of the golden light curtain.

They flew over the protected urban areas and accurately struck the uninhabited mountains and vast sea surrounding Hiroshima.

Boom! Boom! Boom!

The long-awaited explosion finally erupted on the outskirts of the city.

Huge plumes of smoke and water vapor shot into the sky, forming small mushroom clouds.

On the sea, towering waves tens of meters high were stirred up and spread out into the distance.

But all of this is irrelevant to Hiroshima City, which is protected by the Holy Shield.

The golden light curtain in the sky slowly receded after confirming that all the fragments had fallen, transforming back into the ancient holy banner.

The crisis has been completely resolved.

Joan of Arc withdrew her Noble Phantasm and took one last look at the city below, a scene of devastation, yet its core remained intact.

Her figure transformed into countless golden particles, slowly dissipating into the air.

The live broadcast from around the world finally came to a close.

On one side are the streets and buildings of downtown Hiroshima, completely unharmed under the protection of the golden light curtain.

On the other side, the city's outskirts were riddled with holes by meteorite fragments, resembling a shattered landscape devoured by a giant beast.

This extremely strong visual contrast brings an unparalleled impact, leaving a deep impression on the minds of every viewer.

Twenty-four hours after the Hiroshima attack.

The whole world fell into an eerie calm.

From the White House to the Kremlin, from 10 Downing Street to Beijing, the official institutions of all major powers have surprisingly chosen to remain silent.

There was no statement, no announcement.

It was as if the crisis that could have destroyed the world had never happened.

But in the shadows unseen by ordinary people, intelligence agencies in all countries are operating at unprecedented efficiency.

CIA, MI6, Mossad, China's Ninth Bureau...

Countless top analysts, physicists, and linguists were urgently summoned to analyze the global live broadcast frame by frame, again and again.

In stark contrast to the official silence, the global internet erupted in a frenzy of celebration.

The moment the crisis was confirmed to be over, the long-suppressed fear and despair instantly transformed into the most fervent worship and catharsis.

"Holy shit! Holy shit! Holy shit! I'm speechless except for 'holy shit'!"

"I declare that from this day forward, I am the most faithful follower of Saint Joan of Arc!"

"Holy Maiden, my God! That was a meteorite! She really withstood it!"

"Upstairs, what saintess? You should call her the Holy Mother! Even the Virgin Mary isn't as good as her!"

In particular, Japanese netizens, who were twice pulled back from the brink of death, have fallen into a kind of religious fervor.

Countless people spontaneously flocked to the church, even though most of them were not even believers.

Some people even printed out the final image of Joan of Arc, placed it on an altar in their homes, and devoutly worshipped it.

Within just a few hours, the name "Joan of Arc" was spontaneously bestowed with titles such as "Saint of the Nation" and "Guardian Deity of Hiroshima" by the people of Japan.

The hashtag #WeOweTheSaintWomanANationality# even topped the trending search list in Japan at one point.

Of course, while some were celebrating, others were gloating.

"To be honest, Japan's luck is unparalleled. They're practically the VIP victims of the Holy Grail War, aren't they?"

"Last time it was a parade of a hundred demons, this time it's a celestial obstruction, will Godzilla land next?"

"Don't make baseless accusations. Godzilla is also a specialty of Japan. If it actually appeared, it would be like a civil war."

"I'm curious, isn't Madara Uchiha a character from your Japanese manga? Isn't this a case of cultural export backfiring?"

This comment instantly awakened countless netizens who were just following the gossip.

Yup!

Li Bai and Fu Ningna are from China.

Roosevelt was America's.

Joan of Arc was French.

The previous Shuten-dōji and the current Uchiha Madara...aren't they just myths and manga drawn by your Japanese mythology?

Suddenly, public opinion began to shift in an extremely subtle direction.

"I get it! This was all the author's conspiracy!"

"It must be that manga artist named Kishimoto; he's Madara Uchiha's Master!"

"Otherwise, how do you explain a comic book character appearing in real life? The author must have summoned him using the Holy Grail!"

"I suggest a thorough investigation! The author must be interrogated! Make him hand over the Command Seals!"

This statement, which was originally just a joke, went viral online.

Countless angry and fearful citizens of Japan actually believed this logic.

They flooded the official accounts of the Prime Minister's Office and the Ministry of Defense, leaving frantic messages and petitions demanding the government immediately arrest Masashi Kishimoto, the author of "Naruto".

This surging wave of public opinion quickly made it impossible for the authorities to remain silent any longer.

……

late at night.

Inside a quiet detached house in Tokyo.

A middle-aged man wearing glasses, who looked somewhat tired, had just put down his paintbrush and rubbed his sore shoulders.

He is Masashi Kishimoto, the author of "Naruto".

The events of the past few days felt like a dream to him.

The character he created nearly destroyed a city in the real world.

Just as he was about to make himself a cup of coffee to perk himself up.

"Ding-dong—"

Doorbell rang.

Kishimoto was somewhat puzzled. Who could it be at this time?

He walked to the entrance and looked out through the peephole.

Outside the door stood two men in black suits with serious expressions.

Each of them wore an iris badge on their chest, which did not belong to any known department.

Kishimoto's heart sank suddenly.

He opened the door.

The man in the lead showed him a red document stamped with the seal of the Cabinet Office.

"Mr. Masashi Kishimoto?"

The man's voice was devoid of any emotion.

"We are from the Cabinet Intelligence and Research Office. There are some things we need you to do to come back with us and assist in the investigation."