Just as Jeanne was hesitating about how to deal with this piece of gold, she picked up the holy relic and found a note pressed underneath it, placed right on top of the girl's personal clothes.
By the moonlight, she could clearly see the handwriting on it. It was also written in German, French, and Japanese, but the content was much more complicated.
The general meaning was that after the "thief" opened the suitcase, he found that Jeanne was really too poor, and out of pity left a "small gift" in the box.
If that were all, it could only be said that someone had a sharp tongue. But when she saw the next sentence, her expression immediately changed.
[As a young girl in the best years of her life, having only such plain and cheap underwear is truly pitiful.]
[To show sincerity, I have specially included 100,000 yen. Please buy a few more s*xy panties. No need to thank me!]
In the corner of the suitcase there really was a stack of currency, but it was in pounds. As for how much that equaled in yen, she had no idea, Jeanne was not very good at math.
Pa!
Stone fragments flew as the ore base was crushed.
The girl's long and fair fingers held unimaginable strength. Even among many Servants, she would rank near the top. Hard rock could not survive under that kind of pressure.
'Is this a provocation against me?'
There was a fierce flame in Jeanne's eyes. On one hand, it came from Laeticia's wounded pride. On the other, it was the anger of being offended as a Ruler.
'What is going on with this Holy Grail War? These Servants and Masters really do not take the referee seriously at all!'
Before she even reached the battlefield, she was sniped by a red Servant. So many of her belongings were damaged and not even a single apology was given. And now she was being mocked to her face. No one could endure that.
Saints can get angry too.
And on the battlefield, Jeanne had always been known for being decisive and swift.
'Bastard, do not let me catch you!'
"But… huh?"
Jeanne suddenly froze. In her perception, several Servant presences had suddenly appeared and were rapidly approaching the manor from thousands of meters away.
"These are from the red and black sides… So someone really is secretly planning all of this!"
Also, this piece of gold seemed able to interfere with her perception, making her ignore the movements of other Servants. It was only when they came this close that she suddenly noticed them.
"The Holy Grail War… could it be that it begins tonight?"
———
"Haha, so the information was true! Looks like we can have a good fight tonight!"
Just as Jeanne expected, the Servants rushing here quickly sensed each other's presence. After all, they were all heroes with strong personalities. Except for Assassin, almost no one bothered to hide themselves.
Some were even natural heroes, carrying an outstanding presence that drew attention wherever they went.
For example, that emerald meteor crossing the sky. Its brilliant light was even more eye-catching than the bright moon in the night sky.
Without holding back at all, it released its pressure, practically provoking every enemy on the battlefield.
Bold and confident, this was a talented and restless champion.
Compared to him, the hero rushing from another direction was much more low-key. His mobility speed was far inferior to Achilles, who as Rider could control a chariot Noble Phantasm.
But even running on his own legs, he could easily surpass vehicles like racing cars. His extraordinary stamina allowed him to maintain top speed the entire time.
If this were a race, the winner would without doubt be Achilles. He would reach the finish line first, easily take the prize, and leave.
But he did not choose to do that. Instead, he drove his chariot, drawing a long arc across the sky, and crashed toward the great hero racing along the ground.
To hell with Rhein Gold.
The order was only to seize the treasure. It did not say in what way. Killing all enemies first and then taking Rhein Gold was the same thing.
After all, what Achilles pursued was never wealth, but glory that could only be obtained on the battlefield.
That was the cause of his death, and he would never regret it.
"Hahahaha! Rampage freely, 'Troias Tragoidia, the Immortal Chariot of Raging Storms'!"
Like the engine of a top sports car, the anti-army Noble Phantasm chariot crazily consumed magical energy.
In an instant it tore through the atmosphere, leaving the sonic boom far behind. Like a real meteor, it aimed to completely smash the enemy.
Buzz!
Without any hesitation, the white-haired swordsman released the demonic sword of dusk in his hand.
As blue-white magical energy transformed into mysterious twilight, the curved stream of light that could slay dragons shot forward, colliding head-on with the emerald meteor in the sky.
Their brilliance was almost equal, but soon the Immortal Chariot showed signs of weakening.
This was not strange. Even though the chariot was Achilles' beloved possession, it could not directly contend with the legendary dragon-slaying demonic sword.
Being able to hold out briefly was already thanks to the accumulated momentum from the charge.
But before Siegfried could destroy the chariot, a swift figure rushed out. Ignoring the violent clash of magical power, he split the layers of air waves with his body and approached Saber at unmatched speed, thrusting out a fatal spear...
Clang!
The two heroes gave no ground. Achilles showed a provocative smile, while Siegfried remained silent as always.
Suddenly, the white-haired swordsman exerted strength in both wrists, slightly shifting the demonic sword...
BOOM!
Twilight light flared again, reflecting on Achilles' shocked face. As the demonic sword swung, it released its power at almost zero distance, blasting the proud immortal hero far away.
"What is going on..."
Whoosh!
Even after taking an anti-army Noble Phantasm head-on, Achilles suffered little damage. But he could not resist the powerful impact and lost control midair.
At that moment, a sharp arrow tore through the air and precisely struck Achilles as he was flying backward.
Puchi!
The arrow pierced through his left shoulder, bringing out a string of blood droplets, which were quickly evaporated by the power of the demonic sword.
"Ugh!"
Achilles landed awkwardly, stabbing his spear into the ground and sliding some distance before stabilizing himself. Yet more arrows flew in, cutting across his cheek, side, and thigh one after another.
This guy is aiming for my foot.
The experienced hero quickly understood the opponent's intention and adjusted his stance, using his spear to block the trajectory...
In an instant, alarm bells rang in his mind, and Achilles hurriedly shifted his body.
Whoosh!
The arrow struck Achilles' knee. If he had not dodged a second time, that arrow would have hit his heel. It had predicted his movement in advance and carried out a targeted snipe.
This meant the enemy Archer knew his true name and was familiar with his fighting style.
'An old acquaintance from the Trojan battlefield?'
Achilles felt extreme anger in his heart, yet a savage and excited smile curled at his lips.
Taking advantage of him being restrained by Archer, Siegfried turned and continued running toward the manor. Unlike the arrogant Achilles, he was a dutiful Servant who put his Master's orders first.
But he could not continue either, because he soon encountered the same situation as Achilles...
Powerful arrows shot from afar, constantly harassing him. Among the dense attacks were deadly snipes aimed at his back.
'As expected, my true name has already been exposed.' Siegfried sighed inwardly. He was a Servant with very distinct traits.
He had fought the red side more than once and had even released his Noble Phantasm. It was not surprising that his true name was discovered.
Just like Achilles' true name was easy to guess.
He lifted his spirits and began searching for the enemy's position while enduring the arrows.
Though his weakness was obvious, Siegfried was confident that no one in this world could break through his defense while he was on guard.
———
In a certain forest, Iori drew a magic circle on the ground, tracing the aura of spiritual bodies and roughly displaying the positions of the Servants. Unfortunately, he could not find the Assassin he wanted…
In that case, he would push them a bit and see how many Servants the Masters on both sides could dispatch.
Anyway, his bait had already been cast. This Rhein Gold could directly enhance Siegfried's strength and also replenish the losses of the Hanging Gardens. Maybe it could even lure out a certain female monster.
Let them cause chaos and fight until both sides are hurt.
After that, the boy turned his gaze toward the distant Yggdmillennia castle.
As for his target... Shuten Douji.
Iori risked going to the Yggdmillennia castle. His main purpose was naturally to find Shuten Douji and see if he could further improve his Spirit Origin.
But honestly, if an Assassin deliberately hid, there was no way Iori could find her. He could not even judge whether Shuten was on the battlefield outside or staying at the base.
It was purely luck.
If he could get close enough, then relying on the special karmic connection between him and Shuten, he should be able to sense her presence.
If Shuten was inside the castle, then he would find a way to lure her out and kill her.
Concealing his presence and sneaking all the way forward, Iori sensed through ghost arts the powerful auras running freely across the battlefield.
They seemed to follow some unspoken understanding, mostly fighting in pairs.
Occasionally they would switch opponents or follow their Master's orders to support another battle group.
Besides the Servants who had already appeared earlier, the black side's Rider had also entered the battle.
Considering that Shuten Douji had been heavily injured by Iori before, it was very likely she would not enter combat.
That meant Yggdmillennia had already dispatched nearly half of its strength.
'Correspondingly, the red side had also sent out Lancer… huh?'
The latest movement transmitted by 'Seizing Toes and Chasing Sparrows' made Iori pause, stopping in his tracks as he looked toward one corner of the battlefield with a strange expression.
A very familiar aura had suddenly joined the battle. Although belonging to the red camp, this one had always stayed somewhat separate from the group.
This time as well, instead of fighting alongside her companions, she rushed straight toward the black Lancer without hesitation, eager and direct.
It was the red Saber, Mordred.
At first Iori was somewhat surprised. After all, Shishigou had a steady personality and should not have joined such chaotic melee.
But thinking again, even if he was unwilling, Mordred, who loved excitement, might not think the same.
Especially after learning that King Arthur had appeared in the enemy camp, there was no way she would miss the chance to face her "father" head-on.
"A battle between father and child? I really want to see it…"
He could not help taking a deep breath, but in the end Iori still shook his head.
A father-child duel was a famous scene, but he was here to participate in the Holy Grail War, not to go sightseeing. At a time like this, he could not let other matters distract him.
In fact, the more such events happened, the better. The more the defensive power of Yggdmillennia was weakened, the more beneficial it was to Iori's plan.
Originally, he only intended to circle around the castle to observe the situation. But now he could take the risk and try plan B.
Buzz!
Arriving at the open plain in front of the castle, Iori dispelled his spiritual body state and revealed himself.
Without holding back, he released his presence completely, announcing his arrival to the black side.
Such an open action could no longer be called a "challenge," but rather a "provocation" against the entire Yggdmillennia. Naturally, the magi could not tolerate it.
Clack~ Clack~ Clack~
As the castle gates slowly lowered, one after another thick and sturdy stone golems walked out. Behind them were numerous homunculi, all wearing identical uniforms and forming neat ranks.
These golems and homunculi were not ordinary labor units. They were clearly specially crafted by magi for combat.
Each was equipped with weapons and could be divided into different types, forming highly efficient battle groups.
The golems had no emotions. The homunculi did not fear death. Facing Iori, who could kill them instantly, they showed no sign of retreat. Their eyes were full of indifference and numbness.
Instead, Iori frowned and said loudly, "Is this the style of Yggdmillennia? When facing an enemy's challenge, instead of fighting head-on, you send out these disposable tools to test me?"
"Ridiculous!"
"This kind of third-rate army is not even qualified to make me take action!"
"Heroes of the black side, is there no one who dares to accept my challenge openly?"
"Roar!!!"
BOOM!
The earth trembled. The half-open gate was smashed apart from within by tremendous force.
A muscular and ferocious Minotaur charged out, his giant axe cutting down the golems in his path.
The sweeping force blew away the nearby homunculi as he turned into an unstoppable chariot charging toward Iori.
'Asterios?'
Iori narrowed his eyes. A trace of disappointment flashed in his heart, but at the same time he became serious.
He dared to block the gate directly because he had his reliance. Now the black Rider, King Arthur, had left the castle.
Siegfried, who possessed an anti-army Noble Phantasm, was also deeply entangled and could not free himself for the moment.
The versatile Chiron had gone to the battlefield as ranged support. The Servants remaining in the castle were only Lancer, Berserker, Caster, and Assassin.
Asterios and Shuten Douji were Servants whose true names Iori already knew. Lancer was most likely Vlad III.
Among the three, Shuten Douji did not need to be mentioned. Both Asterios and Vlad III were Servants skilled in physical attacks.
Iori had a clear compatibility advantage against them. Even if he could not defeat the Great Duke who had homeland advantage, protecting himself was not difficult.
The only one he needed to consider was Caster. Therefore, Iori did not rashly enter the castle's bounded field.
Instead, he stopped outside to avoid being trapped by Caster's methods, ensuring he could retreat at any time using a Command Seal.
Only with confidence in escaping unharmed did Iori dare to act so arrogantly.
As for why he was taking such a risk… in the end, it was still to fish.
Whether Master or Servant, no one could tolerate such blatant provocation. And if they were to send someone to fight, it could only be the remaining few Servants.
[🎉 Shoutout to TheGod and Reign for joining p@treon. Thank you very much.🤗]
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