Chapter 361: Shattered to Pieces
"What on earth is happening..."
Jeanne, holding her holy flag, stared at the scene projected on the black velvet curtain, her violet eyes filled with evident astonishment.
Though she had prepared herself psychologically for the strength of 'Beast' beforehand, the scene before her still brought forth a strong sense of shock from within.
How could one possibly defeat an enemy like that? As long as that Beast existed in this 'universe', she was immortal and indestructible?
Jeanne tightened her grip on the flagpole, her gaze shifting slightly downward to her waist where her silver sword hung, her lips pressed tightly together.
Her hand rose inch by inch, clutching the hilt of the sword tightly, determination gradually shining in her eyes.
"I advise you not to do anything foolish."
A calm voice suddenly came from beside Jeanne.
She instinctively turned her head to see Shirou, dressed in ancient samurai attire, facing the Greater Grail with his hands enveloped in red and blue light as they pressed against its outer surface.
Blue lines, like veins, dazzled and dizzying, spread beneath his feet. His clothes fluttered in the fluctuating waves of magical energy, while the pale blue light from beneath his feet reflected in his calm eyes like tranquil waters.
For some reason, seeing Shirou at this moment, Jeanne couldn't help but recall her own time strapped to the stake, the power that once enveloped her heart now strangely resonating from him.
A power known as 'resolve'.
"Archer of Black and Rider of Black aren't your average Servants. Even for a Beast, it's not so easy to take them down." Shirou stated nonchalantly. "I know you want to help them, but do you really think you can help them?"
"I know I can't compare to them, but even if I can offer just a tiny bit of help, it's better than standing here doing nothing." Jeanne said earnestly as she looked at him.
She was never one to sit idly by. Even when faced with the direst of circumstances against the Burgundians, she fearlessly stepped forward, illuminating her homeland in those dark years.
Even without turning around and looking at her face, Shirou could feel Jeanne's determined gaze.
"I never denied your resolve and will... but instead of burning yourself out for a minuscule result, don't you think it's more appropriate to use your power elsewhere?" Shirou explained with a sigh.
"What do you mean?" Jeanne looked at him puzzled.
"What you should do now is to ensure the success of my summoning ritual." Shirou said calmly. "Only when we complete this ritual do we have any hope of victory. It's our greatest, and only, bargaining chip at the moment."
Upon hearing that, Jeanne hesitated for a moment, lowering her head to look at the faint blue lines flowing beneath Shirou's feet. As a Ruler with an A-rank in Mana, she could keenly sense the terrifying power contained within these lines.
This was the ultimate magecraft constructed from centuries of accumulated magical energy by the Greater Grail. When this power was fully unleashed, it could truly change the course of fate.
"But now, except for Archer of Black and Rider of Black, all the other Servants—"
"It's not just Servants..." Shirou interrupted her.
Jeanne paused for a moment, then seemed to remember something.
"They wouldn't do such a thing..."
"It's hard to say..." Shirou's gaze lowered slightly. "I know better than you. That man, Darnic... His thirst for the Holy Grail has reached a crazy level. He's almost become a monster confined within the cage called 'family'."
"You seem to know him well?" Jeanne tilted her head in confusion.
"Because that man, like me, participated in the Third Holy Grail War back then..." Shirou's eyes showed a nostalgic expression. "And it was also that man who stole the Greater Grail from Fuyuki."
Hearing that unexpected information, Jeanne was slightly taken aback.
Although she was the Ruler of this Holy Grail War, she wasn't very clear about the private information belonging to the Masters. Looking at Darnic's face, she originally thought he was young and promising, but it turned out he was close to being an old man.
"Now, the summoning ritual has reached a critical moment, and it cannot tolerate any disturbances." Shirou's tone returned to its previous calmness. "You should be able to distinguish which one is more important."
In fact, besides Darnic and his people, Kiara was equally feared by Shirou. In his view, the threat from the latter was much greater than the former. It was precisely to guard against these potential threats that he had to keep Jeanne here to protect him and the ritual.
Jeanne hesitated and looked at the black velvet curtain beside her, then glanced at the distant hill. After considering for a moment, she finally nodded.
"I understand."
With the holy flag in her hand, Jeanne stood behind Shirou like an incredibly strong fortress wall.
Seeing this, Shirou sighed softly, no longer distracted, and focused all his energy on constructing the magic circle for the summoning ritual.
Meanwhile, on a distant hill.
"What's that?"
Caules stretched his neck to look at the pale blue light emanating from the ruins of the Fortress of Millennia, curiosity was evident on his face.
"Are you really a mage? You don't even know that?" Gordes looked at Caules with a face as if he were seeing an alien. "Even if you're just an amateur, there should be limits... Can't you feel the obvious fluctuations of magical energy?"
"No... I mean, I can feel the magical energy, but what I'm curious about is what's happening over there and how it's generating such big magical energy fluctuations..."
To Gordes's scolding, Caules replied while nodding and scratching his head, not particularly annoyed.
Fiore, sitting in a wheelchair, squinted her eyes and looked at the pale blue light for a moment before murmuring.
"Such a massive degree of magical energy fluctuations could only be from two possibilities. Either the release of a Noble Phantasm or a strong magecraft. Personally, I lean toward the latter..."
"I think so too..." Gordes nodded in agreement. "This magical energy has clearly exceeded the intensity of the Noble Phantasm released by Ruler just now, and it's still increasing... This could very well be an unimaginably large-scale magecraft."
"Is it to deal with that 'Beast'?" Sieg hurriedly asked, and the homunculi behind him also focused their gaze on Gordes.
"I'm not too sure about that..."
A wry smile appeared on Gordes's chubby face.
"Beasts lie beyond the scope of modern magecraft. Their existence represents calamity and catastrophe. Honestly, I can't think of any magecraft that could challenge Beasts, unless it's wielded by the legendary gods themselves..."
At Gordes's explanation, everyone's expression couldn't help but darken slightly.
"No matter what, this still represents a glimmer of hope..." Fiore sighed deeply. "I believe that Ruler wouldn't risk herself in vain at a time like this."
Everyone nodded, reluctantly admitting that Jeanne's presence did indeed boost their confidence. After all, she was the legendary holy maiden who had once repelled invaders.
"Speaking of which, don't you find it strange?" Caules adjusted his glasses. "How did Ruler manage to wield such powerful magecraft?"
Everyone paused, realizing the peculiarity of the situation.
They were all familiar with the legendary exploits of Jeanne as La Pucelle and had not forgotten her lack of experience with magecraft. In contrast, Gilles de Rais, who had once followed her before falling into madness, was infamous in European history as a black mage.
With both Caster of Red and Caster of Black out of the picture, it begged the question.
How could Jeanne, theoretically unfamiliar with magecraft, use such powerful magecraft that even mages in the rank of 'Grand' might struggle to replicate?
Everyone exchanged puzzled glances, unable to come up with a plausible answer.
"It seems there are still some secrets hidden in this Holy Grail War, huh..." Kairi mused, involuntarily recalling the young priest who always wore a gentle smile on his face. 'Could he be involved somehow...'
"At any rate, this is a good thing for us." Fiore smiled gently.
Caules nodded at her sister's words but then noticed Darnic, who had remained silent throughout the discussion, staring intently at the distant blue light, his expression slightly agitated.
"Uncle?"
However, Darnic seemed not to hear Caules's call, his gaze fixed on the direction of the fortress, gripping his scepter tightly, veins bulging on the back of his hand.
Although Darnic's true power was still far from the rank of 'Grand', he was undoubtedly the highest-ranking mage present. He knew well that the magical energy reserves of an ordinary Servant couldn't sustain such massive and powerful magecraft, not even a Ruler.
In other words, the only source capable of providing such immense magical energy was none other than the Greater Grail at the fortress.
Darnic's expression fluctuated uncertainly, his breath rapid.
However, after a while, he finally released his grip on the scepter, his head drooping as if he had aged several decades in an instant.
He knew that from this very moment, his dream had been shattered to pieces.
CREATORS' THOUGHTS 
VALRRR
VALRRR Support and read advanced chapters at:
pat*reon.com/VALRRR
Weekly Power Status
-- Power
Ranking 
-- Power
stone