In Britain, the Noble Phantasm: Divine Key

If anything were to happen to the two of them, she alone would have no chance of stopping the [beast].

Therefore, no matter what, these two absolutely cannot have any problems before the inhibitory force reacts!

Thinking of this, a resolute look gradually appeared in Joan of Arc's eyes.

She decided to use her ultimate Noble Phantasm, [La Pucelle], to blast this Noble Phantasm apart!

Even if she disappears after using this Noble Phantasm, it's worth it as long as she can provide some help to Black Archer and Black Rider!

At least, it's better than standing here like an idiot, unable to do anything...

With this thought in mind, Joan of Arc no longer hesitated. She planted the holy banner in the ground beside her, took out the silver sword from her waist, cut her palm with the sword, and then knelt down devoutly, put her hands together, closed her eyes, and made a gesture of prayer.

"The heavens are the glory of the Lord, and the sky is the work of the hand of God."

"Language is conveyed by day, knowledge is transmitted by night..."

What is she doing?

Correspondent, who was gazing at the battlefield from afar, pointed at Joan of Arc with a look of surprise on his face.

It's no wonder he showed such an expression, because the magical aura emanating from Joan of Arc at this moment was too immense, far exceeding the scale of Karna's [Sun Wheel, Obey Death] spell. Even from such a distance, he could clearly sense it.

"Is that even a question? Judging from the way he's acting, it's obvious he's activating a Noble Phantasm." Gorde glanced at Koles with disdain, then a thoughtful expression appeared on his face. "Judging from the scale, the power of this Noble Phantasm is probably quite extraordinary."

"Then why didn't she activate this Noble Phantasm before?" the homunculus Sieg asked curiously.

"Uh, well..." Gold scratched his head awkwardly, "It's probably because we were a bit too far away before, not enough distance to activate it..."

“Some Noble Phantasms require Servants to pay a very high price to use.” Danic looked at the marks left on the back of his hand, a complicated expression on his face. “They won’t use them easily unless it’s a matter of life and death.”

"It seems that this saintess is preparing to fight desperately," Lion's Robber remarked, then sighed helplessly. "It's a pity that we can only stay here, unable to help at all, or even get close to her."

“We have done everything we could.” Fiore, sitting in her wheelchair, clasped her hands together, her fingers interlocked. “The next thing we need to do is trust them.”

Lion Robber nodded, then seemed to sense something and turned to look east.

There, the deep darkness of night was gradually fading, and a faint glimmer of dawn was quietly rising on the distant horizon.

Dawn has broken.

"My end is here, my destiny is here, my life is here..."

As the chanting drew to a close, the magical energy emanating from Joan of Arc grew stronger, with fiery red flames dancing around her, conveying an indescribable sense of holiness and tragedy.

"Lord, I entrust this body to Your disposal—"

Just as the ceremony was about to be completed, Joan of Arc suddenly heard a sharp shriek, and something was clearly rushing toward her.

She immediately stopped chanting, opened her eyes wide, picked up the holy flag beside her, and waved it. With a crisp "clang," the incoming weapon was knocked away.

Joan of Arc's gaze followed the weapon and found that it was a weapon that resembled both a thorn and a sword.

If Joan of Arc's modern knowledge included anything about the Church, she would have recognized it immediately as the Church's standard weapon for exorcism: the black key.

She turned her head and looked in the direction from which the black keys had come.

There, a figure slowly appeared in her sight, stepping into the rising sun.

Chapter Fifty-Six: The Final Battle of Magic – The Summoning Ritual and Heroic Spirits!

"It's you... How is this possible..." Joan of Arc gasped as if she had discovered something incredible, her face showing obvious astonishment as she watched the figure approaching.

"Greetings, Your Excellency, Saintess of France." Amakusa Shiro Tokisada, dressed in an ancient swordsman's outfit, stopped a hundred meters away, a distance that was safe for both him and Jeanne d'Arc. "My name is Amakusa Shiro Tokisada, and I am also the Master of the Red Assassin in this Holy Grail War."

"...I never expected that a sixteenth Servant would appear in this Holy Grail War, and a Ruler at that." Jeanne took a deep breath, as if to exhale her surprise and shock. "If I'm not mistaken, you should be the Ruler summoned in the Holy Grail War held in Fuyuki City sixty years ago, right?"

Amakusa Shiro Tokisada remained silent for a moment, then nodded slightly.

As Jeanne d'Arc said, he was one of the participants in the Holy Grail War sixty years ago. Unlike Jeanne d'Arc, although his class was Ruler, he was not a Judge. Instead, he was a Servant summoned by the Einzbern family, one of the three founding families, to compete for the Holy Grail. Although he did not achieve final victory in that war, he still managed to come into contact with the Greater Grail and thus gained a physical body, and has been living in the mortal world to this day.

This explains Joan of Arc's long-standing question: why was she manifesting in this way through possession?

Upon closer examination, it becomes clear that if the Greater Grail judged that having fourteen servants would inevitably cause chaos, then it would be far better to successfully summon Ruler in the correct manner. Relying on this method is not only risky but also has various inconveniences, making it a poor choice from any perspective.

And now, the answer is right in front of her.

Normally, it is impossible for two Rulers to exist simultaneously in a Holy Grail War. However, this "impossible" situation actually happened in the real world. No one would have thought that someone could summon a Ruler outside of the seven regular classes. Moreover, this Ruler successfully survived the Holy Grail War and became a participant in the next Holy Grail War. Due to the special nature of this Holy Grail War, the Greater Grail had to bring down another Ruler.

If any one of these conditions is not met, then this thing cannot happen.

Honestly, this is like doing a 10-pull and getting only SSRs. While it's possible from a probability standpoint, it's practically impossible. Even if it did happen, people would suspect it was photoshopped or a bug.

Now, Amakusa Shiro Tokisada has become a bug in the Holy Grail War system. It's estimated that even the person who designed the system would never have imagined that such a thing would actually happen one day.

It was precisely because of this bug that the understanding of the Greater Grail became confused, which led to Jeanne d'Arc's unconventional arrival.

The reason why Amakusa Shiro Tokisada wanted to keep avoiding Jeanne d'Arc and even eliminate her was not only because she possessed two Command Seals that could target every Heroic Spirit, but also because she was a Ruler. One of the privileges of a Ruler is to possess this special skill—[True Name Perception].

This skill can see through a Servant's class and true name, even those who have already taken flesh. Once he makes contact with them, his plans will be completely ruined.

“Now I finally understand why I was summoned down.” Joan of Arc gripped the flag tightly, her amethyst-like eyes fixed on Amakusa Shiro Tokisada. “So all along, the object of the divine warning I felt was you, Amakusa Shiro Tokisada.”

"Although I don't intend to deny this fact, there is one thing I still need to clarify: I have no intention of defying the gods at all; I just want to fulfill my long-held dream," Amakusa Shiro Tokisada said with a helpless smile.

"Your dream?" Joan of Arc frowned slightly. "What exactly do you want to do?"

She was certain that Amakusa Shirou Tokisada's reason for taking such a great risk to participate in the Holy Grail War could not possibly be for personal gain. While those Heroic Spirits who become Rulers are not without desires, what they pursue are often unconventional things like beliefs or rules. This also means that once they achieve what they seek, it could bring unpredictable consequences.

Joan of Arc pondered silently, perhaps the reason the Holy Grail made her stop Amakusa Shiro Tokisada was because of the dream he spoke of.

Faced with Joan of Arc's question, Amakusa Shiro Tokisada remained silent for a full ten minutes before finally saying, "What if I told you that I did it to save all of humanity?"

"Save...all of humanity?" Joan of Arc was taken aback; this answer was indeed unexpected.

“If it were before, I might have been in the mood to explain to you slowly, but I’m sorry, there’s no time now.” Amakusa Shiro Tokisada glanced at the sunrise gradually appearing on the distant horizon and sighed sadly. “In short, I have given up on this dream now because I have more important things to do.”

Joan of Arc frowned deeply, a hint of wariness in her eyes. She was not an innocent and naive little girl like Laceylia. Facing a Ruler with such deep cunning and shrewdness, she remained highly vigilant, even regarding the things the other party said, she still only believed half of them.

Amakusa Shiro Tokisada, who had spent sixty years navigating the real world, clearly saw Jeanne's hostility, but he didn't care. He pointed to the "black velvet curtain" behind Jeanne and said, "I'm not here to cause you trouble, but to help Black Rider and Black Archer drive that [beast] out of this world."

Joan of Arc glanced at the "black velvet curtain" behind her, then turned to Amakusa Shiro Tokisada and asked, "What do you plan to do?"

Amakusa Shiro Tokisada raised his hands, with two vortexes of magical energy of different colors and attributes swirling around each side.

"These are my Noble Phantasms: Right Hand - Evil Eater and Left Hand - Xanadu Matrix. This Noble Phantasm is derived from the legend of my 'Child of Miracles' and possesses the ability to create 'miracles'. This Noble Phantasm can be connected to any magic matrix, allowing the use of any kind of magic."

Joan of Arc frowned and pondered for a moment, then suddenly her eyes widened: "Could it be that you intend to..."

"To defeat the [Beast], the Grand Servant must take action himself," Amakusa Shirou Tokisada said calmly. "And what I need to do is use this Noble Phantasm to connect with the Greater Grail and activate the final battle magic—[Summoning Ritual: Heroic Spirit Summoning]!"

As mentioned before, the so-called Holy Grail War is a summoning system that was downgraded from the final battle magic [Summoning Ritual - Heroic Spirit Summoning]. The true purpose of this final battle magic is to summon the Grand Heroic Spirits, who are at the pinnacle of the Heroic Spirits, to destroy the great calamity [Beast] that is hindering the development of the Primate World.

If Amakusa Shiro Tokisada could actually activate this magic, there would be a great chance of defeating the beast, since the Counter Force would definitely cooperate fully with him under such circumstances.

But the key question is, is Amakusa Shiro Tokisada, this man, truly trustworthy?

If he were to come into contact with the Greater Grail and then take the opportunity to make a wish upon it, then all would truly be over.

Although Jeanne did not know what Amakusa Shiro Tokisada meant by "saving all mankind," she was well aware that in order to stop this man, the Greater Grail was willing to risk violating the rules to pull her down. This alone was enough to prove how serious the impact Amakusa Shiro Tokisada's wish would be on the real world.

However, only he has the potential to completely eliminate the beast.

What should I do...?

Joan of Arc stared silently into Amakusa Shiro Tokisada's eyes, as if trying to see something in them, and the latter met her gaze without flinching.

Five minutes later, Joan of Arc slowly exhaled, her tense body gradually relaxing, and she stepped aside to make way.

“I thought you would consider it a little longer,” Amakusa Shiro Tokisada said. He didn’t mean it with any sarcasm, because if he were in Joan of Arc’s shoes, he would only hesitate more.

“We have no time to waste any longer,” Joan of Arc said softly, looking at the “black velvet curtain” before her. “Besides, I don’t trust you, but I trust the instructions the Lord has given me.”

"You mean, the Lord just gave you instructions?" Amakusa Shiro Tokisada's expression instantly turned serious.

“The Lord is always in our hearts, and when we are lost, He will guide us on the way forward,” Joan of Arc said earnestly.

Amakusa Shiro Tokisada gazed intently at Joan of Arc, and after a moment, he nodded slightly: "Your faith is indeed much more devout than mine."

Joan of Arc did not respond, but said, "Hurry up and do it, or it will be too late once the [beast] breaks free."

Amakusa Shiro Tokisada nodded, passed Jeanne d'Arc, and arrived at the Yggdrasil Castle, which had been almost completely razed to the ground. There he found the Greater Grail that Anaconda had previously placed in a corner.

He gently stroked the outer wall of the Greater Grail with his hand. At this moment, he could clearly feel that after absorbing so many Heroic Spirits, the Greater Grail had now fully awakened. The magical power that had accumulated in the spiritual veins for sixty years was surging within it like waves. In the face of such immense magical power, even the most unbelievable delusions could become reality.

Now, he is only one step away from the dream he has longed for for sixty years...

“...It’s truly frustrating,” he said softly. “However, in a sense, I’ve saved humanity in another way.”

Different colored magical vortexes coiled around his arms, and then, as if drawn by a force, the two vortexes connected to the Greater Grail along his arms, and through that mysterious connection, all the way to the Throne of Heroes, which transcends time and space.

Intricate and dense patterns appeared beneath Amakusa Shiro Tokisada's feet, forming a massive magic circle that surpassed all current magic, along with an endless stream of magical power, as vast as the ocean.

The final battle magic [Spirit Summoning Ritual - Heroic Spirit Summoning] has begun.

......

"It's over now."

Kama, who had already leaned heavily towards Moro, looked at Anan, Hercules, and Mordred, who had fallen into depravity, and a smile gradually appeared on his face.

She is a fallen goddess of love who holds the power to make all living beings fall into fallen love. She does not fall into love so that the other party falls into love, but rather uses love so that the other party falls into love. This is her bestial nature.

If the Demonic Bodhisattva is the embodiment of self-love, who "fills the universe with his own love," then she is the embodiment of love for others, who "dries up the universe with love for all mankind." Using her own love to occupy the love of others, in a sense, her authority is more aggressive than that of the Demonic Bodhisattva.

That is precisely why creatures that fall into her domain are virtually impossible to escape, because in that world, anyone can get everything they want without any worries, do whatever they want, and release all their desires. Even if they degenerate into worthless livestock, it doesn't matter; she will still bestow upon them endless pampering.

How could anyone possibly want to leave such a perfect paradise?

"Once they've all completely fallen, we can deactivate the Noble Phantasms and get our hands on the Greater Grail," she said softly, a hint of relief on her face.

On the contrary, any creature that falls into her domain will eventually become her slave. With the power of Black Archer and Black Rider, plus her having obtained the Greater Grail, even that damned demonic bodhisattva could not possibly be her match.

Then she can devour that arrogant woman and completely transform into the third beast.

Just as she was lost in her reverie, an unusual surge of magical energy suddenly drew her attention back.

She turned her head and saw crimson feathers fluttering around Black Rider, like clusters of burning flames illuminating the dark universe.

"This...this is..." Kama's face showed astonishment for the first time as he looked at the unexpected scene before him.

Amidst the burning flames, a pair of eyes, as deep and unfathomable as a dark abyss, slowly opened.

Chapter Fifty-Seven: Manifestation of All Desires