The [Hanging Gardens] hurtled forward at a terrifying speed, smashing directly into the chest of the colossal giant.
The tremendous impact carried enough force to violently shove the giant backward. Originally serving as a fortress of magecraft, the Hanging Gardens had been repurposed by Assassin into a massive projectile, forcing the giant to retreat.
But this was exactly her intention.
"[Broken Phantasm]!"
Destroying one's Noble Phantasm to unleash the tremendous power contained within wasn't a technique exclusive to Shirou Emiya. In fact, every Servant could employ a [Broken Phantasm].
However, restoring a broken Noble Phantasm was no easy task. To a Servant, intentionally destroying their own Noble Phantasm was practically suicidal.
Under normal circumstances, Servants would never willingly resort to [Broken Phantasm].
And now, the destructive power of a self-destructing EX-ranked Noble Phantasm was about to be revealed.
The "EX" rank didn't necessarily mean overwhelming power or surpassing imagination. It merely signified that, for various reasons, the Noble Phantasm's capabilities defied precise measurement.
More accurately, an EX Noble Phantasm represented uncertainty. Perhaps its destructive force equaled an A+++ rank, or maybe it was merely C-rank.
However, power alone didn't define a Noble Phantasm's rank.
But if judged solely by destructive capability, Assassin of Red's Noble Phantasm certainly exceeded A-rank.
Even the simplest artillery strikes of the [Hanging Gardens] matched or surpassed most A-rank Noble Phantasms in sheer destructive output.
If Atalanta's Noble Phantasm were directly confronted by the Gardens' bombardment, her arrows would easily be obliterated by its beams, reduced instantly to ashes.
Yet, Assassin of Red had already achieved her true aim—bringing the [Hanging Gardens] into close proximity with the giant.
An earth-shattering explosion erupted from the core of the Gardens. A terrifying heat radiated out, the entire fortress transforming momentarily into a blazing sun bursting from the giant's chest.
Intense white rays exploded outward, instantly vaporizing everything within several kilometers, reducing nearly all the surrounding Dragon Tooth Warriors into drifting clouds of dust.
And this was merely the initial burst, already glowing as fiercely as the sun itself.
Shirou Emiya couldn't even begin to imagine the hellish landscape that would unfold once the explosion fully erupted.
BOOOOOOOOM———!
With a deafening roar, scorching waves of white-hot flame swallowed the giant whole. Rolling clouds of smoke billowed upward, akin to a monstrous sandstorm interwoven with dazzling crimson flames blooming like sinister yet breathtaking firework.
A faint, disturbing sound reached Shirou's ears amidst the inferno—a fragile cracking, as though reality itself had fractured.
The space occupied by the giant shattered instantly, unleashing a powerful blast wave that struck Shirou Emiya and Jeanne head-on.
"[Luminosité Eternelle]!"
Accompanying Jeanne's shout, golden light surged forth in front of Shirou, forming an impenetrable shield. Wave after wave of devastating force crashed harmlessly against this protective barrier, its warmth filling Shirou with a reassuring comfort.
Gradually, the destructive aftermath began to subside.
This should have marked the end of tonight's Holy Grail War.
Battles had been decided on all three fronts, signaling a conclusive finale to the night.
Everyone felt a profound exhaustion from the endless combat—Heroic Spirits clashing, Noble Phantasms colliding, a relentless storm of conflict that left everyone drained.
Yet hold on, weren't they overlooking two crucial matters?
Aside from the three primary battlefields, wasn't there a fourth one, along with a certain elusive Rider—Astolfo—whose whereabouts remained a mystery?
The first battlefield featured Vlad III, Siegfried, and Frankenstein facing off against Karna of the Red Faction.
The second involved [Adam]—the Primordial Human—against the [Hanging Gardens].
The third was a duel between master and pupil, Achilles versus Chiron.
All these battles had now reached their conclusions.
Amidst the aftermath of the explosion, a pink-haired young man clad in knightly armor suddenly dove from the sky atop a fantastical griffin-like creature, swiftly landing in front of Shirou Emiya and Jeanne.
From behind him emerged a frail-looking boy, awkwardly greeting Shirou and Jeanne.
Shirou eyed the homunculus suspiciously, noticing the three [Command Spells] clearly visible on his hand.
"Did you kill your own Master?"
Shirou stared incredulously at Astolfo, struggling to believe that the carefree Rider could have resorted to attacking his original Master just to change contracts.
The moment Shirou's gaze landed on the homunculus beside Astolfo, the [Command Spells] on his own hand flared sharply with pain.
The message was clear: This homunculus was now a Master.
Yet Shirou had seen him before, and back then, the homunculus certainly hadn't been a Master.
Astolfo had previously left the battlefield, tasked with finding a safe place for this very homunculus.
Upon discovering Astolfo's absence, an infuriated Darnic ordered Astolfo's Master, Celenike Icecolle Yggdmillennia, to track down her disobedient Servant.
Yet now, only Astolfo and the homunculus had returned—suspiciously alone.
Given Celenike's twisted obsession with Astolfo, if she were alive, she never would have allowed Astolfo's Master to be replaced, much less permitted their casual return.
Shirou saw no alternative fate for Celenike besides death.
The thought left him speechless.
"It wasn't him who killed my former Master! And it wasn't me, either! It was Assassin of Black!"
Astolfo hurriedly explained, sensing Shirou's misunderstanding.
"Assassin of Black…?"
Shirou felt as if he'd remembered something, yet the details eluded him completely. He had encountered Assassin of Black before, hadn't he? Yet no clear memories surfaced.
"Yeah! While the two of us were confronting my Master, Assassin of Black suddenly appeared on the street, holding a bag. She killed Celenike faster than I could react, ripping out her heart. I had no choice but to contract with him if I didn't want to disappear so easily."
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