According to the records in the Book of Genesis, the first martyred apostle, Jacob (also known as Israel), once wrestled with a two-winged angel under an olive tree.
Although no one knows why Jacob, an apostle, would wrestle with an angel, a messenger of God, judging from the shocking result, this feat undoubtedly astounded the world.
Because in that struggle between man and the divine, Jacob was not only undefeated by the angel but repeatedly suppressed the angel with his punches, using terrifying strength to pin it to the ground.
Such strength even forced the angel to resort to a sneak attack to barely injure Jacob's leg.
And based on this mythological record, what manifested on Heroic Spirits in the Nasuverse was the skill: "Jacob's Limbs".
It is not a Noble Phantasm or a buff, but a martial art meant to fight angels—that is, gods.
Theoretically, this martial art could be learned and mastered by every Saint-class Servant, such as the Mage King Solomon and the Iron-Fisted Saintess Martha.
And Souya felt that perhaps he wouldn't even need to become a Servant; on the day he went to Heaven, he should be able to master this martial art too.
Wait, no. If I'm going to Heaven, does that still count as being alive?
Ahem, setting aside these other thoughts, given that Souya had currently obtained a portion of Saintess Martha's power and inherited her "Jacob's Limbs," he was undoubtedly extremely powerful right now and a hard counter to Siegfried.
Unlike Solomon's "Jacob's Limbs," which manifested as high-speed "Ora Ora" barrages, the Iron-Fisted Saintess Martha's application of this martial art took the form of a one-hit kill.
And this method was naturally incredibly suitable for the current Souya. Furthermore, don't forget what Saintess Martha's most famous feat was.
Subduing the giant dragon Tarasque bare-handed, from which she gained the inherent skill "Anti-Dragon Special Attack."
And coincidentally, as a dragon-slaying hero, Siegfried possessed an Anti-Dragon Special Attack, but because of the "Armor of Fafnir," he was also subject to Anti-Dragon Special Attack damage.
Even more coincidentally, through "Spiritual Evocation: Holy Spirit Projection," Souya, having obtained a portion of a Saint's power, inherited not only some of Saintess Martha's basic parameters but also "Jacob's Limbs" and the Anti-Dragon Special Attack.
So, leaving aside the tired jokes about Type-Moon's special attack mechanics... Great Hero of the Netherlands, Siegfried!
This punch of mine carries the power of a Saint and a super special attack against Dragon Kind. Can you block it!
"Ora!!!"
Brilliant golden Magic Circuits flashed. The golden light on Souya's right wrist erupted, and the pressure and inviolable aura belonging to a Saint exploded forth, dyeing the surrounding trees gold.
As Souya let out a battle cry and threw this punch at Siegfried, the figure of a young girl appeared behind him, throwing a punch alongside him.
A danger akin to death!
Sensing the threat carried on Souya's right fist—no less than the evil dragon he faced back when he was just an ordinary human warrior—Siegfried's resolute face became unprecedentedly grave.
But even so, even knowing that his "Armor of Fafnir" definitely could not block this strike, Siegfried's feet didn't shift an inch.
Although he didn't specialize in brute strength, since the opponent, a warrior, had issued a request for a decisive battle, he, Siegfried, had no reason to refuse.
Facing the golden light gradually enlarging before his eyes, Siegfried took a deep breath. Magical energy surged through his body like a long dragon, and the rune engraved on his chest representing the "Armor of Fafnir" flashed simultaneously.
Without the slightest hesitation, Siegfried met Souya's Saint's Punch with a punch of his own.
The next moment, fist met fist, golden light and indigo light violently colliding.
Bang!
Accompanied by the collision of fists, the air around the two of them let out a series of sonic booms as if subjected to terrifying pressure, blasting outward in all directions and snapping the surrounding trees and branches.
In contrast, the two people who caused this phenomenon maintained their collision posture, frozen in place.
"W-Who won? Why are neither of them moving?!"
Looking at this scene that seemed frozen in time, Gordes, who usually upheld his noble pride and paid great attention to his image, couldn't care less about his hair messed up by the wind from the punches. He stared nervously and anxiously at the two standing in the center of the forest battlefield.
"The winner must definitely be my Servant, Siegfried! He is the Servant of me, Gordes Musik! He is Saber, the Great Hero of the Nibelungenlied!"
As if to comfort his own heart—which was hard to calm after witnessing the paradigm-shifting event of a mortal fighting a Heroic Spirit—Gordes consoled himself and cast his gaze at the other two Servants present: Morgan and Jeanne. He hoped to see from their expressions that his guess was correct.
But unfortunately, the expressions on the two women's faces indicated that the victor of this match was not as he thought.
"That guy... he actually did it..."
Gazing at the figure locked in a stalemate with Siegfried, Jeanne's holy and beautiful face was full of complex emotions.
The indignation she originally felt from being toyed with and trapped had long since vanished into thin air, replaced by curiosity and inquiry toward this young man before her, who possessed the same aptitude as herself.
Why was he guided by the Lord to appear before me? Why can he use Lady Martha's power when she clearly wasn't summoned this time?
And what did he mean earlier when he said he wanted to witness me prove with my actions what a Saint is?
For the first time, Jeanne d'Arc—this Holy Maiden whose first half of life was spent as a village girl, whose second half was spent as a Saintess, and who ultimately reached an early end to her life due to power struggles and the ignorance of the masses—developed curiosity and a desire to investigate someone of the opposite sex who looked about her age.
Oh God, Almighty Lord, why have You brought him before me?
Involuntarily, this question surfaced in Jeanne's mind.
As for Morgan, she naturally believed in and affirmed Souya with absolute certainty. After all, he was Lamorak, the husband she loved.
He had long ago manifested a miracle in saving her, her sister, and Britain. In fact, Morgan believed he was a miracle itself.
For someone like him to defeat a Heroic Spirit with a human body didn't seem particularly surprising.
Furthermore, even if he hadn't won, wasn't she, the Queen of Britain, Morgan, right here?
Since the war began, the power she had displayed was merely the tip of the iceberg.
Thinking this, the smile hidden behind Morgan's black veil grew even brighter.
Crack.
Right at this moment, accompanied by a sound like glass shattering...
The two people in the forest finally broke free from their stalemate.
As if suffering some heavy blow, Siegfried let out a muffled groan and stumbled back several steps before steadying himself by leaning against a tree trunk that had been snapped in half by the aftershock.
And that sound of glass shattering came from him.
At this moment, leaning against the tree trunk, a trickle of blood spilled from the corner of his mouth. The right arm he used to clash with Souya hung limply as if dislocated, and even the rune on his chest symbolizing the "Armor of Fafnir" had dimmed.
This meant that Siegfried's defensive Noble Phantasm, empowered by mythology, had been completely shattered by Souya. While not entirely useless for the rest of the war, for at least the next day, Siegfried would be unable to use this Noble Phantasm again.
On the other side, Souya, although also pushed back several steps and sitting on the ground, didn't look as severe as Siegfried in either complexion or the blood at the corner of his mouth. Even his arm only suffered a slight fracture at the wrist.
For such a minor injury, he didn't even need Morgan to heal him; he could recover just by relying on his own miracle of healing.
"Saber!"
Seeing this scene, no matter how unbelievable it was or how much he didn't want to face reality, Gordes had to admit that his Servant had actually lost in a battle against the opposing Caster's Master.
Although he also knew this was because Siegfried was somewhat careless (meaning overly considerate) and hadn't used his Noble Phantasm, a loss was a loss. No matter how proud Gordes was, he wouldn't deny an established fact.
But saying this now was meaningless. The most urgent task was to secure Saber's injuries.
"Hey, Saber! You really did a terrible job this time! To think you lost to a greenhorn from the Holy Church. Just wait and see how I punish you when we get back!"
Just like that, while Gordes berated Siegfried verbally, he was simultaneously transferring magical energy to him and casting healing magecraft as much as possible.
"Yes, Master."
As for Siegfried, he accepted all this with a wry smile.
He knew his Master just had a sharp tongue, didn't know how to interact with people, and possessed a bit of the tsundere nature common to magi. In all fairness, he was a pretty good person.
However, he had to admit, that young man named Kotomine Souya truly gave him a massive surprise...
Thinking this, his gaze instinctively turned toward Souya.
At this time, Morgan and Jeanne had already gathered around him.
"Master Of Caster, your wrist seems to be a bit injured. Let me heal you."
Looking at Souya's dangling hand, Jeanne spoke while proactively reaching out to grab his wrist.
As a Saint-class Servant, the ability to heal was long engraved in their Spirit Origins; it wouldn't even manifest as a distinct skill.
"There's no need for you to worry about that, Ruler. I will take care of my own husband."
Although Jeanne truly meant well, Morgan seemingly didn't want to see this person—whose hair color and aura resembled her sister's—touch Souya's body.
Snatching Souya's hand away before Jeanne could, Morgan somewhat stiffly rejected the latter's goodwill.
"Husband?!"
Hearing Morgan's words, Jeanne was instantly startled, her gaze instinctively darting back and forth between Morgan and Souya.
"Hmph!"
Facing her gaze, which clearly carried an inquiring meaning, Morgan pulled Souya's body a bit closer into her embrace, as if declaring sovereignty.
But Jeanne clearly didn't buy it.
"I know. This must be due to your habits when you were alive, right? I remember some Servants will call their Masters by habitual titles out of closeness and various other reasons."
Harboring an inexplicable emotion she hadn't even noticed herself, the blonde village girl said this as if comforting herself.
To this, Morgan merely revealed a disdainful smile.
"Heh."
"Alright, Lady Morgan, Miss Jeanne. I'm fine."
Seeing the atmosphere between the two women turning strange, Souya, who was originally enjoying the softness of Morgan's embrace, hurriedly spoke up to interrupt the increasingly derailed topic.
Hearing Souya's words, Morgan and Jeanne instinctively checked his injury. Seeing that it was indeed gradually healing, both women couldn't help but breathe a sigh of relief.
Subsequently, Jeanne belatedly remembered her duty as the referee and said to the group:
"Everyone, since your battle has already been decided, and it is almost dawn, according to the rule that the Holy Grail War can only be conducted at night, could I ask you to stop here?"
Then, as if remembering something, she frowned and looked at Souya.
"Also, Mr. Souya, what is going on with your Red Faction? Who is this superior you mentioned? Why did you attack me, the Ruler? Since you know of the Ruler class, you should also be very clear that I will not interfere with your normal combat, right?"
"Ahahaha, what are you talking about, Miss Jeanne? I have no idea."
Hearing Jeanne's words, Souya, who was still enjoying Morgan's lap pillow, instantly realized trouble was coming. He immediately sat up and played dumb.
"Don't play dumb with me! I heard what you said before you controlled me with magecraft!"
Seeing Souya looking like he didn't want to answer, Jeanne instantly grew angry, her small face instinctively puffing up.
But Souya clearly didn't want to answer this question. Anyway, he had accomplished everything he needed to do tonight. It was time to go back, report the intel to Amakusa, and get some rest.
Thinking this, Souya subtly gave Morgan a look.
The latter, being completely in sync with Souya, naturally understood what this meant. With a raise of her jade-like hand, the luster of magecraft flashed around them.
"Mr. Souya! What are you trying to do!"
Seeing Souya trying to run away, Jeanne instantly became a bit anxious.
But Souya merely smiled and waved at her, saying:
"Well, since it's daytime, I should go back to sleep. Miss Jeanne, I put some things in your suitcase. They should be of some use to you. I hope you like them."
Then, he turned his gaze to Siegfried, who had already recovered his physical strength.
"Great Hero of the Netherlands, Siegfried. The battle with you was truly enjoyable. If I can recover my power later, we'll fight again then. Also..."
At this point, Souya smiled somewhat mysteriously at Siegfried, a teasing look in his eyes that the latter couldn't understand.
"Someone is constantly looking forward to meeting you. Make sure you don't do anything foolish, Siegfried."
Having said that, without waiting for their response, Souya and Morgan's figures vanished into the light, returning to Sighisoara, which had become the Red Faction's base.
"What?! That guy still has new power?!"
Hearing the words Souya left before departing, Gordes was instantly startled. He truly couldn't imagine that this kid, who could already arm-wrestle a Servant, was still holding back. Just who is he? Is he some old monster created by the Holy Church who looks young but is actually incredibly old?
No, I must bring this information back to Darnic!
Compared to his Master Gordes's panic and astonishment, Siegfried appeared very calm.
Compared to the power Souya mentioned he wanted to recover, he actually cared more about the latter sentences—that someone was looking forward to meeting him, and something about doing something foolish.
This naturally didn't mean he didn't care about Souya's invitation for a rematch. It was just that after experiencing the battle with him, Siegfried wouldn't be surprised by whatever unbelievable miracles appeared on him.
Rather, he was also very much looking forward to fighting an even stronger Souya again.
As for those last two sentences...
"It should... be her..."
Thinking of the woman who held the same Demonic Sword as him, and to whom he still owed a confession, Siegfried couldn't help but smile wryly and touch his heart.
This Holy Grail War is truly interesting.
"Time is short, Saber! Hurry and return to the Millennia Fortress with me!"
Seeing the sun about to rise, Gordes didn't hesitate anymore, waving his hand to call over the black sedan that had been waiting in the distance for a long time.
"As for Ruler..."
As if remembering his purpose for coming here, before getting in the car, Gordes cast his gaze at Jeanne again.
"Ruler. Since the Red Faction clearly wants to break the rules and holds hostility towards you, how about you come to our Yggdmillennia clan's city? That is the location of the battlefield; it will be very suitable for you to observe and judge!"
"There is no need."
Jeanne very straightforwardly rejected this proposal, snapping the olive branch Gordes extended.
"Ruler's perception has been enhanced. As long as I enter Trifas, my perception will cover the entire city. So there is no need to worry about my whereabouts. Regarding this war, I will definitely maintain an impartial attitude."
"Alright then. In that case, we will take our leave first."
Seeing Jeanne's resolute attitude, Gordes didn't say anything more. Taking the dematerialized Siegfried, he got into the sedan and drove away.
Watching the Black Saber team leave, Jeanne couldn't help but think of that guy named Kotomine Souya in her mind.
For some reason, she kept feeling that there was something special and unidentifiable about him that attracted her, making her unable to resist approaching him.
"What a strange guy."
Muttering softly, Jeanne remembered the words he left before departing, and immediately found her suitcase, which she had subconsciously tossed into the roadside grass.
When she opened it, she was astonished to find several Romanian banknotes and some things that looked like shopping vouchers lying on top.
"Are these... meal vouchers for a restaurant?"
Looking at those colorful little slips of paper, almost every one of which had the word "Free" on it, Jeanne was momentarily stunned, but then felt a trace of warmth in her heart.
That guy must have noticed my situation during our conversation and left these things, right?
After all, her current situation was unique. She needed to eat like a normal human. Plus, as a student at a church school, Laetitia wouldn't have much money. If it weren't for Souya's help, she probably would have had to go dig for potatoes in the forest later.
"This guy... isn't so bad after all..."
The blonde Saintess smiled softly.
And hovering above her head at this very moment was a bizarre bird looking down at her.
The bizarre bird was bizarre because its composition was extremely eerie: the body of an owl, the head of a rabbit, and its abdomen was terrifyingly covered in a row of small eyes.
If one followed this gaze through this alchemy-product-like familiar back to an underground workshop in an old castle, one could see a white-haired young girl standing in front of a magic mirror, looking with a sickly expression at Jeanne, who was packing her luggage.
Meaningless words like "Al," "Jeanne," "Holy Son," and "God" were being softly muttered from her mouth.
And behind her was the naked, unfocused Master of the Black Faction, Reika, her face flushed with an abnormal, twisted redness.