Fate: Livestream in Chaldeas

Chapter 26: Stop Right Now! I'm About to Be Purified!

[Did she just say her name is Johanna? The female pope who disguised herself as a man?]

[Wasn't it proven that she never existed?]

[Haha, in the Fateverse worldview, even those who don't exist can manifest.]

[I heard she was discovered to be a woman only when she suddenly gave birth in the middle of a parade.]

[Hard to imagine. If she was pregnant, wouldn't someone have noticed? Why not use the pope's power to give birth in secret?]

[That's why it's just a legend—just take it as an interesting story.]

The girl dressed in papal robes took quite some time before stepping out of the summoning circle, which was cluttered with miscellaneous items and piled high with stuffed animals.

"Senpai, this person is...?"

Mash seemed accustomed to her Senpai summoning Servants at such moments, so she simply inquired about the new arrival's identity.

"This Demi-Servant girl, hello. Just call me Johanna. We are both Servants of Master, so let's fight together for Master's great cause."

Popess Johanna spoke gently, with a pure and serene smile.

As she said those words, it seemed as if a divine radiance emanated from behind her. Just seeing that smile alone made one feel healed.

But Ethan paid no attention to that and instead immediately voiced his doubts.

"Right, your class, could it be...?"

"Ara~, Master noticed already?"

The young girl smiled and nodded softly.

"My class is Ruler."

Ethan's heart sank slightly.

It wasn't strange that Johanna, a female pope, would have the Ruler class.

What was suspicious was that the original Ruler should have been Jeanne d'Arc Origin.

The fact that he could summon a Servant of this class meant that the possibility of Jeanne Origin existing in Orleans had significantly decreased...

Why was a Servant that was supposed to be automatically summoned by Alaya unable to appear on time?

At the moment, Ethan had no time to think deeply about this issue because his own situation was still extremely dangerous.

"Chiu——!!!"

The snow-white dove perched on Popess Johanna's hand suddenly cried out, facing toward the city gate.

"It seems this is not the right place for a chat. Master and the adorable Demi-Servant girl, let us discuss matters in detail later."

Popess Johanna took a step forward, tightly gripping her sacred staff.

From her body, a pure and holy light spread outward, and a faint, divine halo appeared above her head.

Then, she bowed her head in reverence and began to pray.

"Oh Lord, please grant us guidance, protect us from peril."

As she prayed, silver light began to radiate outward from her center, forming a consecrated sanctuary around the area.

[Ah, this is bad, this light… I'm about to be purified!!!]

[This gentle light reminds me of the peaceful days of my childhood… Ah, the warmth of a mother…]

[I swear I will get baptized right here, from now on I will livestream a service every week! Amitabha… no, Amen!]

[Hmph, I'm an atheist, how could I possibly believe in this? Wait, why do I feel like all my desires are being dispelled? Stop it, yamerooo——!!!]

…

At this moment, in front of the city wall, Mordred and Emiya Kiritsugu were still locked in battle.

"GRRRRAAAAAAAA——!!!"

Fafnir's eyes were continuously barraged by a dense hail of bullets. Though they couldn't inflict real damage, they were enough to obstruct the dragon's attacks.

"What's wrong, huh! Weren't you acting all high and mighty just a moment ago?!"

Mordred laughed as she swung her sword down fiercely onto Fafnir's tough scales, sending sparks flying!

Upon closer inspection, she noticed the dragon's scales had been clearly scorched by lightning.

"Enough already!!!"

Jeanne Alter withdrew her mocking smile, her face now filled with rage.

"Don't make me laugh. The destruction of France is inevitable. Having you all as entertainment before I destroy this country wasn't too bad, but this is the end."

She raised her evil dragon flag.

At that moment, a deafening roar echoed from the sky, growing louder and louder. The surrounding air also began to tremble uncontrollably.

Mordred immediately took notice.

In the distance, it seemed like a massive black cloud was surging toward them. No… that wasn't a cloud…

It was a swarm of wyverns!!!

Their numbers were at least twenty times… no, fifty times… no, at least a hundred times greater than the previous assault!!!

As if they had received an order, they all charged forward simultaneously.

"Damn it, this situation is seriously bad..."

Even Mordred, who feared nothing, couldn't help but mutter as she saw the sky completely covered by wyverns.

Hiding in the shadows, Emiya Kiritsugu quickly assessed the situation. He raised the pistol in his hand, already loaded with an Origin Bullet, and aimed directly at the evil dragon flag.

That flag looked like some kind of Mystic Code. While the Origin Bullet couldn't destroy objects without magecraft, it could temporarily nullify this Mystic Code's ability to absorb mana.

There was only one chance.

Emiya Kiritsugu carefully adjusted his aim.

——————?!

Suddenly, he let go of the trigger and turned his head.

A sacred sanctuary had already expanded to his position and continued spreading toward the city gate.

Just by standing in this area, he could feel his mind gradually calming.

This sense of peace… it was as if he had felt it somewhere before.

"Kiritsugu..."

A gentle voice suddenly whispered in his ear.

Emiya Kiritsugu immediately glanced around, but there was no one there.

…A hallucination?

But then, he quickly realized—

A girl dressed in papal robes was standing beside Ethan, praying devoutly.

"A new Servant."

Emiya Kiritsugu let out a small sigh of relief but remained in a combat-ready stance, prepared to fire at any moment.

The sky was filled with wyverns, their wings flapping ceaselessly as they surged forward at the call of the evil dragon flag. The vanguard wyverns were just about to breach the city.

"This is bad. Master needs to retreat first."

Mordred immediately came to a decision. She fought while retreating, preparing to cover Ethan's withdrawal, but—

The sacred sanctuary had already expanded to the city gate.

The once-fierce wyverns suddenly halted, screeching wildly at the area below but refusing to come any closer.

Not only that, but Jeanne Alter, still standing atop Fafnir, also felt an inexplicable discomfort.

It was as if the sacred sanctuary before her was trying to drive her away, preventing her from advancing any further.

"——————?!"

Jeanne Alter's gaze finally locked onto the center of the sanctuary—where a noble girl stood, holding a holy staff.

"Ruler?"

Since when had the ruined fortress below become a magical stronghold, now covered by a holy barrier that prevented the wyverns from approaching?

Realizing that the situation had become troublesome, Jeanne Alter let out an annoyed sigh.

"Hmph, consider this your final performance, you jesters. But the destruction of France is inevitable. After that, I'll let my knights have a little fun with you all."