It wasn't long before the night finally descended.
The bright moonlight fell upon the earth like a gentle silver veil, softly illuminating the few feather-like clouds drifting across the sky, making everything appear tranquil and graceful.
A few streaks of light flickered across the heavens, like meteors gracefully slicing through the darkened sky.
Beneath the moonlight, the Holy Church was eerily silent—not even a whisper of wind disturbed its stillness.
This oppressive silence hung heavily in the air around the church, so dense and unsettling that anyone stepping into its vicinity might instantly find themselves short of breath and drenched in cold sweat.
Within the church itself, Semiramis sat gracefully at the base of a towering crucifix, resembling a queen upon her throne, gazing impassively ahead as she had in her [Hanging Gardens].
At this moment, not a single soul remained within the entire Holy Church.
An oppressive emptiness lingered, accompanied only by profound silence.
Indeed, besides herself and Caster, no other Servants of the Red Faction remained in the material world.
Caster, meanwhile, was off somewhere, undoubtedly engrossed in the creation of his unparalleled masterpiece.
Semiramis couldn't exert control over Caster at this stage anyway; after all, Amakusa Shirou Tokisada had already assumed direct command as his Master.
Besides, Caster had an annoyingly invincible personal skill:
[Self-Preservation]
Rank: B
Having absolutely no combat ability himself, Caster could survive nearly any danger provided his Master remained unharmed. Essentially, he never participated directly in battle. Ironically, he had a penchant for tactics with extremely high risks and returns.
Unless Semiramis directly eliminated Amakusa Shirou Tokisada, dealing with Caster was simply impossible. No threat she posed could effectively intimidate him.
At the thought, Semiramis sighed irritably, pressing her fingertips against her forehead.
Swish!
Just as Semiramis pondered her predicament, a screen of light suddenly opened before her eyes, revealing a scene from somewhere within Sighișoara.
On the screen, a truck had pulled to a stop, and several figures disembarked.
"—!"
Semiramis immediately rose to her feet.
By now, practically every pigeon in Sighișoara had become her familiar. Just as the Black Faction had anticipated, the entire city was firmly under the Red Faction's surveillance.
This wasn't due to her magecraft, but rather one of her innate skills:
[Familiar (Dove)]
Rank: D
Allows the control of doves as familiars without a formal contract, merely through the transmission of thoughts.
All across Sighișoara, pigeons served as eyes and ears for Semiramis, blanketing the city like a network of surveillance devices. Though inferior to the [Hanging Gardens]' internal defenses, it was far better than nothing.
Only Assassin-class Servants could freely bypass these watchful eyes, slipping unnoticed as if strolling through their own backyard.
"So, they've finally come?"
Semiramis's exquisite features twisted slightly.
Yet just as swiftly, her expression smoothed back into its original state—a cold, alluring, dangerous smile forming on her lips.
She genuinely hadn't expected the Black Faction to act so quickly. They'd rushed here practically without pausing to make adjustments, coming straight at them in a frantic hurry.
Yet this was also understandable: After the previous great battle, the Black Faction now had only Astolfo, whose strength was notably lacking. Given he'd suffered minimal injury, he required no recovery time and could immediately advance.
But no matter how desperate Amakusa Shirou Tokisada was, activating the Greater Grail within such a short time was impossible.
Originally, after the Black Faction lost the [Hanging Gardens], even with their plane prepared, their attack had been delayed five days simply because Rider of Black couldn't recall the true name of his magical tome.
Yet now, barely a single day had passed before the Black Faction launched their offensive. Condensing a ritual meant to take five days into just one was utterly impossible, even for Amakusa Shirou Tokisada.
Of course, the cost of this hasty attack was that Astolfo had lost access to one of his Noble Phantasms.
However, considering Astolfo's personality, he probably didn't even remember he had such a Noble Phantasm, hence his immediate willingness to launch the attack anyway.
"If they're in such a hurry to die, I'll gladly fulfill their wish quickly!"
Space around Semiramis began to warp and distort violently.
A torrent of magical energy surged forth from her body.
If she could eliminate Astolfo now, she'd only need to contend with the hidden threat of Matou Zouken, significantly reducing her own burden.
"The enemy has appeared—prepare to intercept!"
As Semiramis's voice rang out, the residents of Sighișoara seemed to sense something simultaneously, and hurriedly retreated indoors.
In mere moments, the bustling streets of the city were left completely deserted, as every inhabitant took refuge inside their homes.
Creak! Clack! Creak! Clack!
Eerie sounds echoed throughout the city streets and alleyways—the unsettling noise of bones piecing themselves together.
One by one, skeletal figures emerged from the shadows, stepping out from the darkness.
Dragon Tooth Warriors, previously annihilated during the great battle, were now manifesting once more throughout Sighișoara.
Although Amakusa Shirou Tokisada couldn't recreate the [Hanging Gardens] in such a short period, he still retained some leftover materials, allowing him to summon these skeletal soldiers once again.
Despite Amakusa's urgency to fulfill his wish, he wasn't foolish enough to use the Grail immediately upon acquiring it.
Even if the Black Faction's remaining strength was negligible, he'd still ensured they were prepared against an attack. Throughout the entire day, Amakusa had personally arranged the defenses.
He anticipated needing several days within the Greater Grail, and despite his desperation, he'd prudently ensured all possible preparations had been made.
However, the Black Faction launching such a swift counterattack—without even properly stabilizing their own positions—had undoubtedly caught Amakusa completely off-guard.
In his original estimation, he'd believed the Black Faction wouldn't strike for at least another two days.
This wasn't because Amakusa had any knowledge of Astolfo's Noble Phantasm requiring a long preparation time.
Simply the extensive damage inflicted upon the Yggdmillennia family alone should have required substantial time to recover.
Even now, severely wounded homunculi remained bedridden—though no longer in critical condition, they still needed proper rest.
Just their own recovery and reorganization should've required far more than a single day—never mind Matou Zouken, who was still lurking in Trifas. Amakusa didn't believe Jeanne would ignore the threat of Jack the Ripper.
Ever since Matou Zouken had previously outsmarted him, Amakusa had kept vigilant watch on his own revelations. After all, his previous oversight was caused entirely by focusing too heavily on Jeanne and neglecting Assassin.
If Jeanne had indeed chosen to confront Jack the Ripper, it should've taken at least a full day.
It was absurd to imagine that Jeanne would defeat Jack the Ripper and then immediately rush to Sighișoara. If she truly attempted that, Amakusa would have praised her bravado—such recklessness would only grant him an enormous advantage.
Considering all these factors together, the earliest Amakusa had expected a Black assault was on the third day.
This was precisely why, after finishing his defensive preparations, he had immediately entered the Greater Grail. To waste any more time would have been unacceptable.
Had Amakusa known the Black Faction planned their attack tonight, he certainly wouldn't have jumped straight into his grand mission to save humanity—instead prioritizing the imminent battle.
However, what was done was done. Now fully immersed within the Greater Grail, Amakusa Shirou Tokisada remained blissfully unaware of events transpiring in the outside world.