Shirou, who returned from the Fairy Kingdom

Shirou and Mordred were both stunned—

Joan of Arc seemed completely unburdened, speaking frankly about a topic they both avoided at all costs.

"What's wrong with this woman's thought process?" Mordred wondered.

Shirou said, "My true identity is King Arthur's double..."

"Yes, yes, yes~ Artorius, the shadow knight of King Arthur, the Knight of the Round Table, the Black Knight of the Hidden Throne, right?"

Joan of Arc no longer believed his words at all.

After all, just last night, during the battle with Caster's Noble Phantasm "Crown: Light of Wisdom"—

Shirou once publicly revealed his real name, which was "Arthur Albion".

Joan of Arc continued to make conversation:

"Red Swordsman, what is your wish? If you could win the Holy Grail War... what would you wish for?"

Upon hearing this question, Shirou also looked over curiously.

Mordred stopped the large Doxi, looked at Shirou, and said.

"I will challenge the chosen sword and become the true king."

Joan of Arc paused for a moment, then asked the exact same question she had asked during the Lion's Catch.

"Um, if you can't pull it out..."

"How could it not be pulled out?"

Shirou spoke first.

"........."

Mordred stared wide-eyed at the red-haired boy in disbelief.

"Did I say something wrong, Mo?" Shirou retorted.

Mordred shook his head: "No...no...you're right, of course I can pull it out."

I will become a king who surpasses King Arthur, a king even greater than that guy—do you have a problem with that?

Shirou smiled and said, "Of course not, I look forward to that day."

The red-haired boy and the blonde girl exchanged a gaze that held a special unspoken understanding.

What an awkward parent-child pair...

Joan of Arc watched this scene silently, and couldn't help but smile.

Sigh... Can I handle my relationship with Mordred and be a good stepmother to her?

That's really unsettling, huh.

"Hey, what are you laughing at? That's disgusting."

Mordred looked at Joan of Arc with a look of disgust.

"Xiao Mo, is this enough for you? Would you like to order some more? I'll call the waiter for you."

"No need! And you're not allowed to use that term of address!"

The saintess's inexplicable attentiveness sent a chill down the girl's spine.

During his lifetime, many women, such as the fairies living by the lake, took the initiative to curry favor with Mordred and her sister in order to get closer to their father.

Joan of Arc now looks just like those other women, her schemes all over Mordred's face.

If my mother finds out that I've developed a relationship with a woman who's plotting to get close to my father...

"Alas!"

The girl's shoulders trembled slightly.

Through the "Red" assassin, the Servants received a notice that Amakusa Shirou was gathering them, and they all gathered in the audience hall.

"—According to the messages relayed by the pigeons, the 'Black' swordsmen and the Thousand World Tree clan seem to have joined forces under Ruler's mediation."

It's safe to assume our intelligence has been leaked, and unsurprisingly, it was the "Black" assassins who did it.

None of the "Red" Heroic Spirits showed any surprise; they accepted reality.

"What's next in the battle?"

In response to Karna's question, Amakusa Shiro further explained the situation.

The Grail reaction, which had once disappeared, has reappeared and is now moving towards the Romanian border.

Amakusa Shiro sees this as an excellent opportunity to seize the Greater Grail and plans to take action tonight.

"Excuse my bluntness, but no matter how you look at it... this is a trap."

Atalanta said, arms crossed.

As the foremost female hunter in Greece, she possessed hunting instincts far exceeding those of ordinary people, and she saw through the clues at a glance.

Moreover, after two encounters, she was certain that the "Black" Swordsman was no pushover and couldn't possibly be without his own plans.

“I know this is undoubtedly a trap to lure us in—even so, we must go to war.”

Although Amakusa Shirou had stripped the Command Seals from the Masters of the Mage's Association, he couldn't possibly steal other people's Magic Circuits like Aozaki Touko did.

In the original plan, Amakusa Shirou was supposed to seize the Greater Grail a few days ago and use the Ruler power to transform the Grail into a vessel for the collective magic of the "Red" Heroic Spirits.

However, the plan was ruined by someone's intrusion.

In other words, he has been providing the magical power of six Heroic Spirits all by himself until now.

Although, like the World Tree, it had accumulated a lot of resources during its sixty years of dormancy, it had almost exhausted them after several days of continuous fighting.

In other words, he was not actively seeking battle, but had reached a point where he had no choice but to go to war.

Fortunately, the main force of the "Red" camp is still alive and well.

As long as we can deal with the most troublesome "black" sword soldiers, we still have a very high chance of winning.

"Leave the 'Black' swordsman to me; I won't fail."

Karna noticed his Master's distress and offered to fight the strongest enemy.

Although his expression was indifferent, a fighting spirit burned in his eyes.

In the previous battle, although the two sides were evenly matched, it is an indisputable fact that Karna's proud golden armor was broken by the "black" swordsmen.

From that moment on, Karna lost interest in the Holy Grail War itself and focused all his attention on that man.

He is a hero whose opponents Karna has faced so far are all different.

Karna longed to fight that king again and considered him an enemy to be defeated, for this was the highest honor and joy for a warrior.

In his second life, the son of the sun god finally understood that his own "selfish desires" existed on the battlefield.

For Karna, joy can only be found in battle.

By focusing everything on the tip of the gun, freeing oneself from worries and thoughts, one can reveal one's "original self" without reservation for a moment.

Despite his arrogance, he even believed that his life was about enjoying the thrill of battling powerful enemies.

So when Karna realized that the "Black" swordsman was the first "hero stronger than himself" he had ever encountered, he developed an unprecedented fighting spirit.

The great hero vowed to give his all.

……

……

When Shirou, Jeanne d'Arc, and Mordred arrived at the ambush site, the Heroic Spirits of the "Black" faction were already waiting for them.

"I will not participate in your battle tonight."

Joan of Arc cut to the chase and stated her plans.

Her mindset remained unchanged—she still considered peaceful dialogue with Amakusa Shiro as her primary objective.

She will only take action after figuring out what the other party is thinking; she will not help either side until then.

"Huh? What's going on? I thought you'd help!" Mordred said, looking displeased.

"If the 'Red' faction continues to attack me, I will definitely take countermeasures."

"They really take fairness and justice to the extreme," the rebellious knight quipped.

"Okay, stop arguing! I saw it!"

Everyone looked in the direction the "black" cavalryman was pointing.

High in the sky, beyond the reach of human intelligence, a black shadow appeared, resembling a city in the sky.

"The Hanging Gardens of Vanity".

No matter how many times you see it, you can't help but marvel at its majesty; its mere shadow can obscure everyone.

The Greater Grail had already been buried in the ground where everyone was standing.

If what Caster said is true, and Amakusa Shirou is a Ruler left over from the last Holy Grail War, he should be able to detect the exact location.

In this way, the "Red" faction only needs to do one thing—

"boom--------!"

A tornado blew out from the bottom of the sky garden, quickly forming a vacuum tunnel connecting the sky and the earth.

Semiramis, resorting to her old tricks, planned to once again suck the Greater Grail into the Hanging Gardens.

In an instant, their foothold collapsed, and vast amounts of land, along with the Golden Cup, were absorbed into it—

Along with the Holy Grail, Shirou, Jeanne d'Arc, and the Servants of the "Black" faction also flew into the sky.

This is Shirou's final battle plan—

Instead of considering how to infiltrate the Hanging Gardens, they wanted Her Majesty the Empress to invite them in.

Since Shirou held the Holy Grail tightly in his arms, the other party dared not make any rash moves.

The self-disciplined defensive costumes, "The Black Coffin of Ten and One," which were placed around the fortress, have now become decorations lined up to welcome the enemy in.

"……excuse me."

As Shirou put the Holy Grail into his treasure vault, he stepped into the Queen's Garden, which seemed to have an infinitely expanding interior space.

---------------

Volume 5, Chapter 234: The Final Battle! (There's no mana replenishment section, so it's hard to say)

"Hmph...looks like a few rats have sneaked in. A man who's persistent and clingy isn't welcome, you know."

Just as Shirou had gained his footing and was surveying his surroundings, a seductive female voice came from somewhere.

"You are—the assassin of 'Red'!"

Joan of Arc immediately looked around alertly, but saw no one.

The sound did not travel through the air, but appeared directly in the minds of the intruders.

Either the Assyrian queen used some kind of magic, or—they have now truly become the Assassins' playthings.

"They actually abandoned the external battlefields that were advantageous to them and chose to actively enter my territory."

Even I have to commend you for your courage... Do you think I would say that?

Hahahaha! So utterly hopelessly stupid!

"Oh, here's a sword that looks like it's two thousand years old. It's mine now."

Shirou took a longsword from the wall of the corridor and was about to put it into his treasure vault.

"Stop! You wretch! Don't touch the furnishings in my garden!"

"What a stingy thing... But it's okay, I've already analyzed its structure."

Shirou hung the longsword back on the wall.

"How far are you going to fool me, you bastard?"