In the sky, reddened and blackened by flames and smoke, a huge void appeared in the originally dark clouds! And what emerged from the void was not the light behind the clouds, but an even deeper darkness that descended!
"!!!"
A jet-black meteor streaked across the sky! Rin could clearly see that it wasn't a meteor; it was a cluster of pulsating, burning black demonic flames! Amidst the flickering flames, countless twisted, suffering, wailing faces could still be seen!
"What is this!?…"
Boom!!!
The pitch-black demonic flames, descending from the sky, struck the charred stake where Joan of Arc was burned! Like a volcanic eruption, black flames surged ten zhang high! This time, the flames were no longer illusory; Rin could clearly feel the stinging pain caused by the heat radiating from the demonic flames, a burning pain that came from the depths of her soul.
"Ah ha ha ha... Ah! Ha ha ha ha..." Gilles de Rais, not far away, began to laugh wildly after this scene appeared, expressing his joy and satisfaction without reservation.
"My wish has come true! My wish has come true!..."
Amidst these repeated murmurs, Marshal C's frenzied figure gradually became illusory, and then, just as he had appeared, he vanished.
Subsequently, a heavy, sinister clanging of rusty iron chains emanated from the fiercely burning black flames. On the entire execution pyre, enveloped by the demonic flames, the black flames began to recede, revealing the existence within—
"What is that!?"
Rin couldn't help but run towards the execution pyre. The pyre, which should have been merely an illusory manifestation, bore Rin's weight. Rin walked onto the three-meter-high pyre, utterly astonished, staring at the existence before her.
A colossal black iron cross, five meters tall, had replaced the execution stake at the center of the pyre. The massive cross had no hint of divinity; its pitch-black surface, scorched by the flames, was covered in rust, barbs, and blood grooves. Rather than being for prayer, it looked more like an instrument of restraint, and indeed, a person was bound to it.
A girl with her head bowed, clad in a set of sensuously revealing, pitch-black armor that seemed more decorative than protective. Her arms were spread wide, pressed against the cross, and rusty iron chains with dense barbs tightly bound her to the black iron cross. Her pale hair extended from her back all the way to her heels.
As if awakening from a deep slumber, her bowed face lifted, and her opened eyes revealed dark golden pupils. From above, she saw Rin looking up at her from below. With an expressionless face, she muttered to herself in a voice only she could hear: "It seems I've been summoned by quite an extraordinary individual."
"Ping! Pingpingping."
From the first crisp snap of a breaking chain, the sounds of snapping chains became a continuous chorus. Almost instantly, all the rusted chains binding the girl broke. The black-armored girl with pale hair descended from above, her feet in metal combat boots landing steadily.
Magical energy shimmered, and a four-meter-long black battle standard appeared in the girl's right hand. A longsword materialized at her left hip. The inverted battle standard fluttered without wind, and a roaring evil dragon was depicted on its pale banner!
The girl took two steps towards Rin, smiling sinisterly, and looked directly at Rin, saying: "The call from hell has been answered. The Dragon Witch presents herself, Master, is that the correct address?"
Rin had regained her composure and calmness. She smiled serenely, raising her right hand to reveal the contract engraving on the back of her hand. "Correct, it is my summoning, bringing you from the realm of non-existence, Joan of Arc."
"Then, the contract is made. From now on, the Dragon Witch and your destiny are one, even if we go to hell, we can only go together!"
Following the declaration of the girl Rin called Joan of Arc, the world burning with fire gradually became illusory, eventually shattering and dissipating. Only Rin and the Dragon Witch, Joan of Arc, remained, returning to the Church of Saint Joan of Arc. Rin opened Joan of Arc's ability parameter sheet.
Servant: Dragon Witch
True Name: Joan of Arc (Alter)
Birthday: January 6, 1412
Age: 19
Gender: Female
Height: 159cm
Weight: 44kg
BWH: B85/W59/H86
Attribute: Chaotic Evil
Class, Triple Summon: Avenger/Ruler/Saber
Source: Historical Fact
Era: 1412 ~ 1431
Region: France
Ability Parameters:
Strength: A++
Endurance: B+
Agility: A+
Magic: EX
Luck: B
noble phantasm: A++
Class Skills:
Avenger A+: An unwavering vengeful belief transforms all usable existences into her own power. When Joan of Arc enters battle, all negative emotions such as fighting spirit, hatred, anger, and jealousy generated within the battlefield domain will be absorbed by Joan of Arc, replenishing her magic and enhancing her combat ability parameters.
Oblivion Correction EX: Joan of Arc, imbued with hatred and a desire for revenge, automatically adjusts all her attacks based on the opponent's origin characteristics, forgetting their original properties and correcting them to include attack characteristics targeting the opponent's weaknesses.
Magic Resistance EX: Due to her unshakeable firm belief, it has materialized and elevated into high-level magic resistance. Any mystery that does not reach the level of magic is ineffective against Joan of Arc. However, in the case of wide-range magical attacks, only Joan of Arc can be saved. It does not apply to the sacraments of the Church.
Self-Restoration B+: Possesses the ability to absorb and convert magical energy, allowing her to restore her own magic and gain a certain degree of independent action effect in response.
True Name Discernment A: When summoned as a Ruler, the true name, class, and performance information of all directly encountered Servants will be automatically revealed. If the opponent has inherent abilities or noble phantasms to conceal their true name and performance, a judgment based on Luck level is required.
Riding C: She herself has no legendary feats of riding mounts. Originally, it was just a corrective skill for having the Saber class, but due to magical energy during manifestation, it was forcibly enhanced. At C-rank, she is already proficient in driving modern vehicles.
Retained Skills:
Dragon Witch EX: Possesses the ability to tame dragons. Born from the wish of Gilles, she inherently possesses the power of dragonkind. This is a reversed phenomenon of saints like Saint Martha or Saint George, who have anecdotes of dispelling dragons. She possesses special leadership that makes dragons obey and enhances the combat abilities of allies with dragon origins.
Self-Modification EX: Utilized ultimate artificial magic technology to modify her body, increasing all her ability parameters by one rank.
Bubble Dream A: The dream of a maiden who harbored hopes of saving her country but was ultimately betrayed by her homeland, shattering like a bubble. This dream transformed into an irresistible sword, allowing Jeanne to directly attack target enemies from within her dreams.
Revelation A: A skill equivalent to 'Instinct'. While Instinct is a sixth sense in combat, 'Revelation' applies to all phenomena concerning the achievement of a goal. Because it is baseless, it cannot be properly explained to others.
noble phantasm: Roar, My Rage!
Rank: A/A++
Type: Anti-Unit/Anti-Army
Range: Unknown
Maximum Targets: Unknown
Description: Endless flames of hatred, the materialized pitch-black undying fire, burning with hatred, pain, resentment, and impurity as fuel. When used against a single person, it is Rank A. When Jeanne, who has manifested as the Dragon Witch, brandishes the cursed evil dragon's banner and proclaims her True Name as an Avenger, it can be upgraded to a Rank A++ noble phantasm, released against armies. At this time, all negative emotions within herself and her surroundings transform into magic power, cursing and incinerating all improperness, defilement, and self-righteousness of the opponent until their very bones are burnt to ashes, leaving nothing behind.
Saintess Fallen by Hatred:
Rank: EX
Type: Anti-World
Range: Unknown
Maximum Targets: Unknown
Description: A magic sword that manifests the flames of vengeance. It is a conceptual crystallization armament created by interpreting Jeanne's execution by burning as an attack. A subspecies of Reality Marble, it is a conceptual armament that crystallizes her inner world, materializing Jeanne's flames of vengeance against the world and God, using the Sword of Saint Catherine, which Jeanne never used in her lifetime, as a catalyst! It is the maximum release of "Roar, My Rage!", where the black flames of vengeance burn her own body. Even at the cost of her own life, she will annihilate all objects of her revenge!
My Faith Remains:
Rank: A
Type: Boundary noble phantasm
Distance: 1~10
Maximum Targets:???
Description: A noble phantasm retained as a sub-class: Ruler. It is the holy banner Jeanne wielded in her lifetime, now corrupted into an evil dragon's battle banner, transformed into a noble phantasm. Even without believing in God, Jeanne still possesses an unshakable, firm faith within her heart. This belief will still protect the area within 10 units centered around this banner. It can directly convert extraordinary Magic Resistance into physical defense to block enemy attacks.
Blood-Stained Spear of Vengeance:
Rank: B
Type: Anti-Unit noble phantasm
Distance: 1~100
Maximum Targets: 13 people
Description: Thirteen short spears crafted by Jeanne from the spinal bones of 13 key English church personnel who judged, framed, convicted, insulted, and tortured her during her lifetime. The blood-red appearance of the short spears is dyed with the blood of her enemies. Their souls are sealed within the short spears made from their respective spinal bones, forever imprisoned and subjected to Jeanne's vengeful black flames. These spears can automatically track enemies within 100 units, carrying Jeanne's vengeful black flames, and are Jeanne's only long-range attack method.
Rin couldn't help but sigh at the power of this pitch-black, evil and charming Saintess, while also marveling at the heights her future self had developed End Magic to (still boasting!).
This pitch-black Saintess Jeanne, summoned and materialized by the Third Magic left by future Rin, is called Alter. She is not an alternate aspect of Saintess Jeanne (the so-called 'blackened' version).
Rather, she is Jeanne born for revenge, formed by the wish of Gilles de Rais, who lamented the death of Saintess Jeanne.
As a Heroic Spirit in direct opposition to the original Jeanne, and because the original Jeanne was a saint rather than a hero, the possibility of being "summoned from an alternate aspect" was zero.
The fundamental part of this pitch-black Saintess is Gilles de Rais's rage, more like a prejudice or a wish that it should be so, causing a "side" that should never have existed to surface.
The Dragon Witch who seeks revenge on France. The Saintess who righteously proclaims justice and drives the anger of those who unquestioningly believe her is precisely the form Gilles de Rais wished for her to take.
This profound hope for Jeanne transformed into an obsession that lingered here. Even in the Throne of Heroes, she could not be found, as the non-existent pitch-black Saintess Jeanne was forcibly summoned from a non-existent realm by the Third Magic, propelled by Rin's End Magic 20 years in the future! Moreover, all of Jalter's talents as a Heroic Spirit were forcibly corrected and supplemented—a triple summon!
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