Fate: Question And Answer System of Traversing Heroic Spirits

"By the way, do you really have nothing else?"

After all the bodies had been sacrificed, Bluebeard pulled out a book and placed it on the table in front of Darnic.

The book was the "Jeanne Fan Club Set" that Darnic had gotten earlier. What he initially deemed a useless trinket unexpectedly turned out to be effective in bribing Bluebeard.

"Really, nothing else," Darnic replied dismissively, waving his hand. He then gestured for Bluebeard to move all the sea monsters to the forest outside.

At the moment, Darnic's thoughts were entirely focused on the evening's plan. He had no interest in entertaining Bluebeard's whims or engaging in trivial matters.

Meanwhile, the other Masters of the Yggdmillennia clan were busy with their own preparations for the upcoming battle.

Vlad III sat quietly in his room, waiting. As the leader, there was little else for him to do directly.

Fiore was conducting a thorough inspection of her Mystic Codes alongside her subordinates, ensuring there would be no mishaps when using them that night. In another part of the castle, Chiron was mentoring Sieg in his room, offering critical guidance.

In the back garden, Caules was training under the watchful eye of Frankenstein, practicing his electrical magecraft with her assistance. It was the best use of his time for now.

At the factory, Roche and Avicebron were hard at work, rushing to complete another batch of golems to be deployed before nightfall.

In one of the chambers, Gordes was lecturing Siegfried with an almost obsessive fervor. Watching the videos of previous battles had left him feeling increasingly insecure about his abilities, and he wanted to ensure there would be no mistakes.

As for Astolfo, he found himself enduring the excessive affection of his Master, Celenike, in the dungeon. It was not an enviable position, to say the least.

The atmosphere throughout Castle Yggdmillennia was tense and charged with anticipation.

Meanwhile, on the Red faction's side...

"Even with the accelerated schedule, we managed to finish just in time," Semiramis remarked with a satisfied smile, admiring the towering fortress she had crafted.

Kotomine Shirou stood beside her, his lips curling into a sly grin. "Indeed, everything is proceeding as planned. Tonight will be a sleepless one for everyone."

When midnight struck, all the Black faction's combatants gathered in the castle hall, awaiting the enemy's inevitable assault.

"They're here," Avicebron stated in a low voice, having just received word of an attack.

However, to his surprise, the attackers were none other than his own golems.

Moments earlier, several golems patrolling the forest had suddenly slipped from his control and begun attacking other golems. There was no doubt that this was the enemy's doing. Yet, despite deploying surveillance magecraft in the forest, no trace of the intruder could be detected.

"Go and investigate."

Vlad III gave a direct order: "Since surveillance is not working, we'll investigate with our own eyes."

Upon reaching the city gates, Chiron swiftly climbed to the highest vantage point and activated his Clairvoyance, scanning the surroundings.

Although he still couldn't pinpoint the enemy, he quickly noticed why the golems were out of control.

The rogue golems were inscribed with strange golden spell patterns, which Chiron immediately recognized as Gilgamesh's rune markings.

"This confirms it," Chiron muttered grimly.

"Chihiro… It's really him, isn't it?" Darnic's voice was low and tense. "Have you found him yet?"

"Not yet," Chiron replied in a calm but serious tone. "The enemy may be using a Noble Phantasm with invisibility properties."

"That's not surprising," Darnic said, narrowing his eyes. "They have the King of Heroes, after all."

He turned to the gathered Servants. "We need to draw them out. Saber, Rider, Berserker—you're up. Don't stray too far from one another."

Astolfo grinned. "Got it!"

Siegfried nodded firmly. "Understood."

The three of them immediately advanced into the forest. Clearing the rogue golems as they went, they searched for any sign of Chihiro.

As they moved, an ominous voice echoed through the air:

"The ancient tombs become dark mountains, the secluded palaces resemble purple platforms.

The stars are separated by seven luminaries, and the Milky Way opens up nine springs.

The Mausoleum of the First Emperor – Underground Heavenly Palace!"

Before the three could react, they were abruptly pulled into the confines of Qin Shi Huang's Reality Marble.

The Underground Heavenly Palace surrounded them, its grand halls brimming with Terracotta Warriors and massive golden beasts guarding the periphery. The endless flow of mercury rivers twisted ominously, ready to strike.

The day before, Karna had managed to pierce through this Reality Marble, but that was not due to a lack of strength on Qin Shi Huang's part—Karna was simply that powerful.

Siegfried, Astolfo, and Frankenstein, however, were not Karna. The odds of an easy victory were slim.

Outside the Reality Marble, Darnic grimaced as he watched the three Servants vanish. He slammed his fist against the castle wall.

"Damn it!"

Even if the three hadn't been defeated, it would take significant time for them to break free from the reality marble. The situation for the Black faction was growing increasingly dire.

Suddenly, a sharp whistle pierced the air, followed by a powerful projectile rocketing out of the distant forest. The arrow was aimed directly at Yggdmillennia Castle's gate.

Chiron immediately turned toward the forest and saw Chihiro emerge from the shadows. The longbow in his hands was unmistakable. But something felt off.

As he focused on the projectile, Chiron's expression darkened.

"That's not an arrow," he muttered. "It's… a Servant."

It was Hassan of the Hundred Faces, launched like a living missile.

"They're trying to take us all out in one move!" Chiron gritted his teeth and loosed a volley of arrows to intercept the attack. It wasn't enough.

"Darnic!" Chiron shouted.

Darnic quickly ordered Bluebeard to act. However, even the flurry of magical spheres summoned by Bluebeard failed to stop the incoming Hassan.

Chiron gritted his teeth. "Antares Snipe!"

Activating his Noble Phantasm, he fired a stellar arrow imbued with celestial energy. The projectile tore through the air and struck Hassan just before impact, neutralizing the threat.

While the immediate danger had passed, Chiron realized too late what had just happened.

"Damn it… I fell for it," he muttered.

From his perch in the forest, Chihiro smirked. "So predictable," he said, watching Chiron expend a Noble Phantasm that could only be used once per day.

"Let's keep going. Fire another shot."

Hassan of the Hundred Faces, standing beside him, nodded. Another Hassan was created and loaded onto the bow.

The unique nature of Hassan's Noble Phantasm, Zabaniya: Delusional Illusion, allowed her to divide her soul into multiple entities. Each Hassan acted as an independent Servant, albeit weaker than the original. However, their strength was still on par with a D-rank Noble Phantasm.

Chihiro had discovered a deadly synergy between Hassan's ability and his long-range attacks.

The second "Hassan shell" was launched, prompting Chiron to tense.

"This again…?" Chiron muttered, recognizing the same trick.

The second projectile was another clone of Hassan. This time, the Black faction had no viable countermeasures.

"Everyone, fall back!" Darnic shouted as the castle gates shook from the explosion.

The powerful impact tore through Yggdmillennia Castle's defenses, leaving the magic barriers in ruins.

Darnic's face paled. "The castle is exposed…"

As if to mock their helplessness, Chihiro fired a third Hassan shell, aiming directly for the city gates.

Gordes stared in disbelief. "You've got to be kidding! Are we done for?"

"Caster!" Darnic barked.

Avicebron sprang into action, summoning earth and stone to form a massive barrier in front of the gate.

"Boom!"

The explosion from the third projectile shattered the earthen wall, leaving the outer castle walls cracked and the gates barely holding together.

"The gates won't survive another hit," Darnic muttered grimly.

Vlad III stepped forward, spear in hand. "Archer, let's put an end to this!"

Darnic stopped him. "No, Your Majesty. They still have Servants with Reality Marbles. If you charge in, you might end up like Saber and the others."

"And what? Let them destroy us here?"

Darnic clenched his fist. "Don't worry. We still have defenses in the forest."

---

"Die Chihiro"

Meanwhile, in the forest, Chihiro stood calmly as Bluebeard's sea monsters closed in.

"Master, watch out!" Hassan created several clones to intercept them.

Chihiro shook his head. "Save your clones. I can handle this."

He raised his hands, summoning flames that crackled with fierce intensity.

"Time for a barbecue," he said with a cold smile.

***

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