Nobody knows how to be a villain better than me.

Sensing the formidable power within the sharp edge, Karna immediately withdrew his attack and leaped away.

Rumble——!

With a deep, lingering echo, several giant trees along the path of the sword light crashed to the ground, raising clouds of dust.

A figure clad in heavy silver-white armor emerged from the darkness, accompanied by the crisp scraping sound of the armor plates.

He was tall and lean, with slightly brown skin that was proof of being bathed in dragon blood, and strange, luminous divine patterns appeared on his chest, cheeks, and other areas.

Just like his resolute and somber face, although the man was taciturn, his constantly revealed temperament made people think of his good upbringing. He was the type who spoke simply and communicated with only the necessary and minimal words.

In contrast, the blond, mustachioed, chubby man dressed in the Thousand World Tree family attire, accompanied by him, appeared rather noisy and arrogant.

"Lancer of the Red Team, we have indeed witnessed your attempt to kill Ruler. To attempt to eliminate a Heroic Spirit who governs the Holy Grail War is an extremely egregious violation of the rules! Prepare to receive my Saber..."

The middle-aged, overweight man with a protruding belly glanced at the saintess beside him, and with an attitude of shared hatred, snorted and rebuked her.

"...And what happened to Ruler?!"

The Thousand World Tree magician named "Gold" had a smug glint in his eyes.

The enemy Lancer did something incredibly stupid: he attacked the Holy Grail War mediator on the way. It was like a pillow being delivered when someone was sleepy.

By winning over Ruler, not only can they compensate for the shortcomings of their own Assassin...

With the absence of a referee and the privileges of the arbiter, the Yggdrasil family has essentially won more than half the battle in the Holy Grail War ahead of time.

"No, if you fight here, I have no objection, and I guarantee I will absolutely not intervene. Please rest assured."

However, the smugness in Gold's eyes quickly froze.

"The Red Lancer covets my life, and the Black Saber wants to fight the Red Lancer. These are two completely unrelated things. As the Ruler, I have an obligation to maintain order in this battle, not to interfere because of personal grudges."

Joan of Arc explained calmly, stepping aside to observe from the sidelines, revealing the impartial and peaceful nature of the judge.

"As expected of Ruler, even with his life threatened, he still upheld justice and fulfilled his duty."

Inside the car, Rokudou Reika, who was gradually embracing her identity as a Master, looked at the righteous and awe-inspiring French saintess and couldn't help but admire her.

"Heh, fairness?"

Samael rolled his eyes, his gaze filled with disdain.

"The other side's actions are so obvious, even a fool could see that this Gold is clearly trying to use Jeanne d'Arc to stage a righteous two-on-one fight. She's not familiar with the Thousand Trees family, and the current situation is unclear. Just because the Red side wants to kill her doesn't mean the Black side is necessarily a fair and kind-hearted person."

"So, what do you mean?"

Hearing this completely different perspective, Liu Daolingxia was slightly taken aback and humbly asked for advice.

“As long as you’re human, you have feelings and selfishness. There’s no such thing as absolute fairness. If you can’t get an ‘I’m sorry’ from her, just try it. This woman will definitely take up her flag and fight Karna to the bitter end.”

As Samael tore apart the dried sweet potato in his hand, he made a rude complaint about one of his old acquaintances.

This is the Orleans faction commander who fought in the Hundred Years' War between England and France. She's a tough girl who led her troops into battle, personally charging through enemy lines despite being called a "saint." Although she's known as a "saint," her actions have absolutely nothing to do with "compassion." When it's time to kill, she's absolutely ruthless.

The reason for not agreeing to join forces was not because of any absolute fairness, but simply because they did not want to be easily manipulated by either party.

"【sorry】?"

Upon hearing a strange title, Liu Daolingxia couldn't help but feel a little bewildered.

"Here comes Saber of the Black Faction, the great hero Siegfried the dragon slayer, who appears in the German Nibelungenlied."

Samael gestured with his lip toward a sullen, handsome man on the field, wielding a longsword and clad in heavy armor, his gaze mocking.

Siegfried, a great hero who accomplished many great feats, ultimately slew the dragon Fafnir, bathed in its blood, and gained immortality. He married Krimhilde, the sister of the King of Burgundy, and became the prince who inherited the throne of the Netherlands.

They live like a "wish machine" that responds to every request without distinguishing between good and evil.

Even the poorest villagers won't be helped unless they ask. Even the greediest tax collectors will grant favors if asked. Because, in any case, one person cannot save everyone. Therefore, one can only respond to those in need.

After gaining an immortal body, all attacks became ineffective against him; he simply slaughtered enemies at will. Unconsciously, "combat" turned into "work," and he could no longer experience even the slightest excitement of battle.

Suddenly he realized that he had absolutely no idea what his hopes and dreams were, nor could he envision his future. And that he had been deceiving himself all along.

Although I love the world, I cannot fill this emptiness.

Finally, the renowned dragon-slaying hero, who had never even had a chance to squander the Rhine gold he had obtained, entrusted his only weakness—his back—to his only friend.

Because the country needs his death to resolve a crisis.

As for myself, I just need to do it.

Siegfried saw this as a step toward resolving the conflict between Krimshild, who was already at odds with his sworn brother's wife; however, he made a fatal mistake here.

That is, Krimhild loved him so much that she was willing to sell her soul to the devil to avenge her husband Siegfried.

So, after losing her husband, Krimhilde, determined to avenge him, took Siegfried's beloved sword Balmung and stabbed Hagen, who had murdered her husband, to death. She was then killed by her sworn brother.

Siegfried saw himself as the spark that ignited all tragedies.

Although he was hailed as a dragon-slaying hero, his final actions often only brought about a more tragic future.

Because it has caused so many people to bleed, it will inevitably lead to bloodshed in the things that you want to protect in the future. This is the absolute retribution, or it may be the curse from Rhinegold.

Therefore, he often underestimates himself, adding this sentence to everything he does:

"sorry".

Therefore, this dragon-slaying hero was nicknamed "Mr. Sorry".

Furthermore, when he asked his best friend Hagen to kill him, Hagen granted his wish. Before dying, he finally learned what he truly desired.

"Even if no one recognizes me, no one praises me, I just want to protect what I believe in. Not for others, not for myself, but for what I believe in."

Yes, their wish is to become "partners of justice".

An empty wish, a pale hero.

This is Samael's opinion of this butcher.

Evaluation of Dragon Hero.

Because, in reality, Siegfried does not exist.

On the one hand, he is portrayed as the protagonist hero in the German epic poem "The Nibelungenlied"—a prince of the Netherlands—and also a knight of noble character.

But the true protagonist of this epic is Krimhilde, the Burgundian princess who avenges her husband. This epic poem can be seen as a grand revenge drama born from her despair and hatred.

On the other hand, "The Song of the Nibelungs" is a fictional work, or "fan fiction". Its prototype is the "Wolsunga Legend" in Norse mythology, which tells the story of the hero Sigurd.

Therefore, Siegfried's personal will is so empty, and he lacks knowledge and memories related to the Valkyries.

In short, he is a "man-made human" created from a mixture of legends, and his emotions and sense of self are quite weak.

Speaking of which, the Burgundian princess, in the show, apparently married Attila the Hun, right?

What do we do? Yuri?

Sama stroked his chin, his thoughts drifting, and he couldn't help but imagine a scandalous affair involving an old friend.

Meanwhile, scorching flames spread across the scorching landscape, devouring everything in their path. Thunder rumbled as rolling clouds burst open and then coalesced again, like venomous snakes slithering and waiting for their chance. All living things in the world were silenced in this fateful battle, and the parched air was occasionally filled with the agonizing screams of hard rock being cleaved and burned.

The battle was extremely fierce, and the sky was even beginning to lighten with the first hints of dawn.

But Siegfried, the dragon-slaying hero who was engaged in a fierce battle with Karna, suddenly shivered for some unknown reason and was put at a disadvantage for a moment.

"Are you underestimating me? The enemy's Saber."

Karna, who had repelled his opponent with a single blow, frowned slightly.

"I have the utmost respect for your martial arts skills, your legend, and your suffering."

Siegfried, regaining his senses, raised his hand to wipe away the blood that had seeped from one side of his cheek. He pondered solemnly, full of respect, and then habitually added an apology at the end.

"I was distracted, I'm sorry."

"Then abandon these useless words and show us your true strength!"

Karna murmured, his gaze sharp, as he slowly raised the God-Slaying Spear, its edge aimed directly at his opponent, igniting a blazing golden sun flame.

"Saber, stop wasting time, defeat him quickly!"

At this moment, Gold, watching from the sidelines, saw that the attempt to win him over had turned into a long battle where he was a key player, and he felt a loss of face. He couldn't help but angrily shout at him.

Upon receiving the order, Siegfried habitually looked apologetic, gripped the hilt of his sword tightly with both hands, slowly raised the holy sword Balmuk to his chest, and solemnly murmured.

"The evil dragon will eventually fall"

"The light and shadow that cuts off everything"

"The world has now reached sunset"

"Shoot down my enemy—Fantasy Greatsword: Fallen Demon!!"

In an instant, a stream of scarlet spiral light burst forth from the sword, reaching the heavens and tearing through the clouds of the night sky.

Dimly, Mordred, who was watching the show from inside the car, inexplicably felt a strong pricking sensation. Her pupils constricted subconsciously, and she instinctively adopted a defensive posture.

Balmk, the cursed holy sword that accomplished the feat of slaying a dragon, also possesses the attributes of the original demonic sword "Gram of Destruction," and can transform its attributes into either a demonic sword or a holy sword depending on the user. The blue gem on the hilt stores and preserves the magic power of the Age of Gods, namely True Aether, which, when released, unleashes a blood-red sword aura in the color of dusk.

Because of Siegfried's dragon-slayer nature, he possesses a significant killing effect and destructive properties against those who possess dragon blood.

Coincidentally, Mordred, who was born from the bloodlines of Artoria and Morgan, possesses the characteristic of dragon attributes.

Therefore, the rebellious rider in the car would involuntarily enter a state of alert.

This is just a glimpse into the whole picture.

Siegfried's attack was clearly not to be underestimated.

Karna, who was locked on by the aura and was the first to bear the brunt, naturally had a more profound understanding of this, and immediately roared and activated his Noble Phantasm.

"Sun, transform into armor!"

Instantly, the golden armor and golden earrings, shimmering with divine runes, fused with his body, releasing a dazzling solar radiance that enveloped the son of the Indian sun god, forming an indestructible barrier.

This Noble Phantasm cannot defend against attacks generated from within, but it can generate flames within the body that cycle through burning and purification.

Its external defense is amazing. Even if it suffers damage in normal battle, it can recover through its self-healing function. Even if it takes a hit from an A+ rank anti-military Noble Phantasm, it will not affect its movement. Even fatal wounds can be slowly healed.

Legend has it that Karna's mother, Gunti, fearing the prospect of becoming an unwed mother, asked Surya for the golden armor and earrings to protect her son. Because they were formed from light itself, even the gods could not destroy them.

It can reduce all hostile interference (physical attacks, magic, curses, etc.), nullifying 90% of its effects and reducing the damage Karna suffers to only one-tenth. As the armor of the Son of the Sun, it can even prevent interference from divine will.

Karna, facing his enemy head-on, withstood the fierce attack. The radiance of the sun within his spear and his body grew ever stronger, tearing apart and burning away the crimson light that was eroding the holy sword Balmuk inch by inch.

.

"That Siegfried is such a loser! He's already exhausted after only fighting for a short while."

"That's right, that's right, I'm definitely better than him!"

Samael and Mordred, who were leaning on the front seat of the car, ate sunflower seeds and watched the show with great interest, making comments and criticisms.

However, these unscrupulous spectators, who didn't care about the spectacle, soon learned what it meant for joy to turn to sorrow.

"The evil dragon must be destroyed!"

At this moment, Siegfried, who was at a disadvantage, gritted his teeth and immediately burned his dragon blood, which further fueled an even more violent torrent of ether, which he then swung forward.

The roar of the raging dragon instantly swallowed up the blazing sunlight.

Dodge!

Karna, who was using the old moves, changed his expression slightly and subconsciously dodged the attack.

In an instant, the red and black ethereal torrent, having lost its target, surged forward like a thunderbolt, striking the gentle slope not far away.

Meanwhile, Samael and Mordred, who were gloating in the SUV, changed their expressions as they looked at the overwhelming crimson color in their field of vision, and similar friendly greetings popped into their minds at the same time.

Hey!

Chapter Thirty-Eight: Joan of Arc, A Trade? (4.6k)

"Crack!"

Amidst the billowing smoke and dust, two agile figures, one in black and one in red, were simultaneously thrown back by the powerful impact of magic, accompanied by a crisp metallic clang.

A sharp sword mark pierced through the golden armor of Karna, the son of the sun god, leaving a bloody wound on his chest.

Similarly, Siegfried, the great hero with dragon horns on his head and scale-like patterns on his body, also had a hideous scratch on one side of his chest, the cut flesh curling outwards like a baby's mouth.

The dragon slayer merely glanced down at his chest and then paid no further attention.

Fortunately, it was just some minor cuts and bruises, nothing serious.

He was able to fight to a standstill thanks to another of his talents.