"Hey, my Queen. Did you and your Master spend all this time calling us here just to look at this castle you built?"
With his hands resting behind his head, the meteor-like hero Achilles chewed on a blade of wild grass he had picked up somewhere as he walked in behind Atalante.
Curious about the Noble Phantasm their leader Amakusa had spent a massive amount of money and energy to create, Achilles surveyed the vast throne room, clicking his tongue in amazement.
"Well, I don't know how it was done, but to think such a massive and gorgeous castle could manifest as a Noble Phantasm in a Holy Grail War... it truly is surprising."
"Heh."
Facing Achilles's careless and crude demeanor, Semiramis smirked mockingly.
Even though he addressed her as Queen, as a ruler herself, Semiramis easily detected the hostility and rejection underlying his tone.
This dynamic had been established the very first time they met. In Achilles's words, a vicious woman with a heart like a venomous snake was someone he—a man whose life goal was to seek and enjoy thrilling battles—needed to stay far away from.
As for Morgan, who shared a similar archetype with Semiramis, Achilles felt relatively fine about her. This was likely because Morgan's attention and gaze had been entirely fixed on Souya since she manifested, leaving little room for interaction with Achilles.
At most, he felt a trace of pity for Atalante.
He believed that facing a formidable romantic rival like Morgan, Atalante—a hunter born in the mountains who had kept company with wild beasts since childhood—simply could not compare.
Returning to the present, although Semiramis was equally annoyed with Achilles, she prioritized Amakusa's upcoming plan. She chose not to argue, leaving him with a dismissive, "I shall take your words as a compliment for now." She then turned her gaze to Atalante, who was walking ahead of Achilles, and Kriemhild, who trailed far behind them.
"Archer. Berserker. As fellow princesses, what are your thoughts on my garden?"
It was obvious the Empress desperately wanted to hear the Heroic Spirits praise her palace.
Watching from the sidelines, Souya thought this silently.
Prompted by the Empress's words, he instinctively looked at Atalante, accidentally meeting the gaze she had been directing at him from the very beginning.
Souya's heart tightened, feeling as though he were being targeted by something dangerous.
Fortunately, before he could react, the green-clad hunter voluntarily looked away, turning to the questioning Semiramis.
Hearing the question, Atalante frowned slightly. Relying on her hunter's instinct for environmental observation, she had already scanned the massive structure the moment she and Achilles were summoned inside.
Atalante had only one assessment.
Inferior to the forests of Arcadia.
Of course, she wasn't foolish enough to voice that thought in this situation. She offered no elaborate opinion, simply nodding.
"It looks decent."
"Hmph!"
The Empress was naturally dissatisfied with this. She didn't press the issue, turning instead to Kriemhild. She hoped this princess, who shared her preference for black attire, would offer the words she wanted to hear.
Unfortunately, as a Berserker, Kriemhild's mind was entirely consumed by thoughts of Siegfried. Ignoring the Empress's question entirely, she directed her demand at Amakusa, who was waiting for everyone to gather.
"I have no interest in such boring matters! I only want to know how much longer until the war begins!"
Amakusa was slightly taken aback, but he smiled reassuringly. "It is already planned. The time is tonight. The reason everyone has been gathered here is that we are preparing to officially commence hostilities with the Black Faction."
"Right now, we only need to wait for the arrival of our final Servant..."
"There is no need to wait. I am already here."
Before Amakusa could finish, a calm yet undeniably commanding voice echoed through the room. The Red Faction's final Servant, Lancer Karna, strode slowly into the throne room.
Amakusa showed no displeasure at being interrupted. Instead, he smiled broadly at Karna, who had stopped in the center of the hall.
"You have finally arrived, Lancer. We have been waiting for you."
"My apologies. I was delayed by certain matters." Karna nodded slightly before continuing. "So, Father Shirou, have you summoned me here because everything is ready?"
"Of course. It is completely foolproof."
Amakusa smiled. Seeing the lingering confusion on the faces of the other Servants, he stopped holding back and explained directly.
"Perhaps you have already guessed that we will launch a formal war against the Black Faction tonight. However, the format of this war will not be a series of probing attacks as is typical. We will strike with our full strength and lay siege to the Black Faction's stronghold, the Millennia Fortress."
"What?"
Achilles stepped forward to voice his doubts before anyone else could react.
"Launch a total assault on the Black Faction's stronghold? Are you out of your mind, priest? Even if you aren't a military commander, you should know that with just the few of us—even if we can easily defeat the enemy Servants—charging straight into their base in one breath is sheer stupidity."
As a renowned commander from the Trojan War, Achilles possessed a wealth of military acumen, even though he often served as a vanguard warrior.
The issue he raised resonated with the other Servants. If they directly attacked the Black Faction's territory, they would be plunged deep behind enemy lines. Isolated and without support, no matter how strong they were, they would likely be ground down by attrition.
Achilles posed another question.
"Also, since you and the Queen went through so much trouble to build a castle, shouldn't we be preparing to defend it?"
Before Amakusa could explain, Semiramis chuckled and spoke up first.
"Defend the castle? Rider, you seem to misunderstand my 'Garden.'"
Seeing Achilles still looking confused, Semiramis stood up from her throne.
"Very well. Since you are all gathered, it is time I show you the true form of my Noble Phantasm, the 'Hanging Gardens of Babylon'."
Without waiting for a reaction, Semiramis clapped her hands together lightly. Bathed in magical radiance, everyone was instantly teleported to an observation deck.
Then, accompanied by a massive tremor, the garden that had been buried deep beneath Sighisoara surged upward, as if its engines had been ignited.
Watching the ground gradually come into view and then fall away beneath them, Achilles's jaw dropped.
"Hey, hey... this has to be a joke..."
He wasn't the only one. Even Atalante and Kriemhild were astonished to see this massive, heavy garden hovering in midair like an aerial fortress.
"Heh. As you can see, Rider, the so-called Hanging Gardens are naturally gardens suspended in the air. In my hands, it exists as a literal aerial fortress!"
As if deliberately retaliating against Achilles's earlier dismissive attitude, Semiramis tilted her head back, her lips curving upward like a proud black swan.
As she spoke, she specifically cast a glance at Morgan.
Morgan merely responded with a mocking glare.
Amakusa's anticipation could no longer be hidden.
"Based on our current speed, it will not be long before the Black Faction visually confirms our presence. Considering their scouting familiars, they likely know already."
"Therefore, Servants of the Red Faction."
Amakusa gazed into the distance. Their destination was the Millennia Fortress, which was also the location of the Greater Grail.
Now, he, Amakusa Shirou Tokisada, would personally seize the Greater Grail capable of saving all of humanity.
"Please prepare yourselves for battle."
Meanwhile, on the other side of the fortress's path toward Trifas, Jeanne, who had rushed all the way back, stared dumbfounded at the Noble Phantasm traversing the sky like a floating city.
"How... how is anyone supposed to cover this up!"
The Saintess felt a massive headache coming on.