"Archer, you..."
Deimlet was about to approach her for assistance when he noticed Caules's Berserker exhibiting clear hostility. Atalante, driven by her primal instincts, made no attempt to conceal her murderous intent as she lunged directly at Frankenstein.
Fran, likewise, raised her copper mace, Bridal Chest, in defense. High-voltage electricity crackled around the weapon, emitting green lightning in all directions, making it impossible for the unarmed Atalante to approach easily.
"Archer has turned traitor?"
Deimlet quickly realized the gravity of the situation. "So that's it. She's been granted a significant degree of Mad Enhancement. She's more Berserker than Archer now. With Rottweil not here, there's probably no one who can stop her. And she's clearly targeting us. The enemy likely possesses considerable mental control abilities... This just got a whole lot more complicated."
Caules's expression changed drastically as he anxiously watched his servants. Jeanne d'Arc, Atalante—all of them had turned black and defected to the enemy. Isn't this a corruption arc? he thought frantically. Could my servants also end up like this?!
Fran was, as a servant, only about third-rate in terms of power. With the boost from Mad Enhancement, she barely managed to scrape the bottom of the second-rate tier. Even with Atalante's loss of rationality causing a slight decline in skill, her combat instincts allowed her to easily overwhelm Fran. The battle didn't last long; Fran quickly found herself on the defensive. Atalante expertly dodged the electrical currents from the Mace of Bridal Chest, seizing every opening to carve wounds into Fran's body.
Realizing she had no chance of winning under these circumstances, and with her Master failing to order the activation of her Noble Phantasm, Fran activated her unique skill: Overload. Born from electricity and sustained by it, Fran could amplify both her physical stats and her Noble Phantasm by exceeding her safe energy capacity. Theoretically, if her body could withstand it, this enhancement could be sustained indefinitely.
Fran began converting the magical power stored in her heart into electricity. A fine, green current coursed through her body, causing her physical parameters to surge rapidly.
However, given Fran's endurance, limitless enhancement was impossible. Increasing her stats by thirty percent while maintaining mobility was already pushing her to her limits. Even with this moderate boost, she felt searing pain.
"Ugh—AHHH!!"
Fran's sudden acceleration caught Atalante off guard, sending her flying.
Atalante quickly regained her balance mid-air, landing nimbly on the ground. The lethal current that would have killed an ordinary person merely caused Atalante's fur to bristle into a chaotic mass. The pain arched her back like a Spinosaurus, and she hissed menacingly from the air.
Caules raised his Command Spell, hesitating whether to order Fran to unleash her Noble Phantasm. (In truth, her Noble Phantasm was the Mace of Bridal Chest, and the Blasted Tree was merely a derivative Skill.) As Fran's Master, Caules knew the Blasted Tree's power was unremarkable under normal circumstances. While it would be formidable against most Magi, it paled in comparison to the abilities of Heroic Spirits. Against Archer, whose Magic Resistance was only D, it would likely prove ineffective.
However, if Fran were to unlock her full power and unleash a B-Rank or higher anti-army level attack, she would completely cease functioning—in other words, die. This prospect was difficult for Caules to accept. For one, they had already lost too many servants, suffering a significant loss in combat strength, leaving them even more vulnerable to the Beast's attacks. Secondly, as a non-traditional Magus, Caules couldn't treat Fran as a mere tool to be discarded.
"What are you hesitating for?" Deimlet asked, seeing Caules display his Command Spell and understanding his intention. He didn't know the exact effects of Fran's Noble Phantasm, but even if he did, it likely wouldn't change anything.
"If we don't unleash her Noble Phantasm now, we'll all be trapped here together!" Caules gritted his teeth. There was no room for hesitation; any further delay would likely bring reinforcements for their enemies.
"Berserker, I'm sorry, I..."
Just as Caules was about to make the same choice he had in the original story, someone else made the decision for him.
Atalante's Noble Phantasm was unleashed once more.
Within their allied forces, everyone except Berserker had, under Amakusa's guidance, gained the ability to activate their Noble Phantasms autonomously. Though most possessed only enough magical power for a single activation, Atalante's magical power had been fully restored—even overflowing—after consuming the Divine Blood. She could now unleash her Noble Phantasm more than three times in quick succession.
Purple arrows erupted from Atalante's body, showering the surrounding targets like missiles.
"We're done for," Deimlet and Caules concluded simultaneously. As Magi, they possessed defensive artifacts, but against an A-Rank Servant's Noble Phantasm, these were like pebbles against a mountain—utterly inadequate.
Black arrows blanketed a vast area, their rampaging magical power detonating in a series of violent explosions that once again ravaged the forest, obliterating its trees!
Caules felt as if all his senses had vanished in an instant. A ringing sound filled his ears, completely blocking out his awareness of his surroundings.
Is this... what death feels like?
Caules never imagined his life would end so abruptly. The Holy Grail War truly was a perilous ritual—he hadn't even wanted to participate in the first place. Yet, he felt little regret.
I'm sorry, Sister. I won't be able to walk alongside you any further... I hope you win... No, regardless of the outcome, you must survive.
"What's with the deathbed speech? You're so pathetic, trying to join the Holy Grail War? Get up! Losing so badly and still trying to run? You're embarrassing!"
A voice he'd heard just moments ago suddenly pierced through the ringing in his ears. Caules opened his eyes and saw, as expected, the black-clad Jeanne d'Arc.
"This thing's actually pretty useful. It's almost as good as that idiot's Noble Phantasm."
Jalter examined the envelope in her hand, turning it over. This item granted temporary invincibility, similar to the effects of Jeanne's Noble Phantasm, though it didn't last as long. Moreover, this was supposedly true invincibility, unlike the white Jeanne's Noble Phantasm, which had a small chance of being pierced.
"A Duel... what's that?"
Caules suddenly realized something new had appeared in his mind.