"I am Kotomine Shirou."

  Kotomine Shirou looked at Diarmuid with a faint smile. The weapon in his hand shifted from the Bck Key to a long sword.

  With the change to the long sword, Kotomine Shirou's strength increased dramatically. Even Diarmuid, with his exceptional skill, couldn't gain the upper hand against him for the time being.

  At that moment, lightning fshed across the sky, heralding the return of Iskandar and Artoria, accompanied by Karna.

  They emerged from the King's Army.

  Artoria appeared unharmed, but Iskandar looked slightly worse for wear, clearly having struggled against Karna.

  In truth, Artoria hadn't fared much better her attacks, including the powerful Excalibur, had been absorbed without damage by Karna's impenetrable golden armor. Its divine protection was as formidable as legend described.

  However, Karna hadn't gained any significant advantage over Artoria either.

  Relying on her intuition and the defensive capabilities of Avalon, Artoria had managed to hold her ground and fight Karna to a stalemate.

  Yes, Avalon—the legendary scabbard of Excalibur had been returned to Artoria by Kiritsugu a year prior, during the trip to Einzbern Castle to retrieve Illya.

  "Let's go!"

  Iskandar, driving the Gordius Wheel, rushed past at high speed, taking Artoria with him. They paused only briefly to pick up Diarmuid before evacuating the Hanging Garden of Babylon.

  The decapitation operation had failed. Staying any longer would only lead to being surrounded.

  Additionally, Chihiro had sent a message confirming that he had secured the Holy Grail. He instructed the group to regroup and prepare for retreat.

  ---

  "What?!"

  On the ground below, the Bck Faction watched as Chihiro cshed fiercely with the Red Faction, unable to intervene. The tense situation left them in a foul mood.

  Suddenly, Caules noticed his Command Spells beginning to fade.

  This could mean only one thing—his Servant, Frankenstein, had been defeated.

  ---

  A few minutes earlier, within Qin Shi Huang's Reality Marble—the Mausoleum of the First Qin Emperor...

  "The evil dragon shall fall, and the world will reach its sunset.."

  Siegfried raised his sword high, gathering immense magical energy into the bde.

  The group had been trapped in this Reality Marble, entirely suppressed by Qin Shi Huang. The First Emperor's overwhelming presence made it impossible to pinpoint his location.

  The only certainty was that Qin Shi Huang resided in the grand pace above them.

  However, any attempts to reach the pace had been thwarted by waves of Terracotta Warriors, the Golden Beast Legion, and a relentless tide of mercury-based weapons.

  To break this stalemate, Siegfried tasked Astolfo and Frankenstein with scouting the battlefield while he began preparing to unleash his Noble Phantasm, hoping to destroy the pace outright.

  "I will bring you down--"

  "Balmung!"

  Siegfried shouted as he swung his sword downward. The concentrated magical energy erupted from the bde, transforming into a powerful light cannon that bsted directly into the underground pace.

  The devastating attack shattered the front half of the pace, finally revealing Qin Shi Huang seated within.

  "Hmph, how amusing," the First Emperor said with a sneer. "But to dare destroy my pace… such insolence deserves death!"

  With a wave of his hand, the river of mercury around him surged, transforming into an even denser barrage of weapons. Siegfried, Astolfo, and Frankenstein struggled desperately against the unending assault.

  "Pfft!"

  Within moments, Astolfo and Frankenstein had sustained serious injuries. Only Siegfried's Armor of Fafnir allowed him to endure the onsught.

  "Ugh!!!"

  Despite her wounds, Frankenstein entered a berserk state, letting out a furious roar as she charged directly at the First Emperor.

  Wielding her massive hammer, Bridal Chest: A Maiden's Chastity, she unleashed a storm of blue lightning. The Terracotta Warriors and Golden Beasts that stood in her path were scattered violently by her attacks.

  In exchange for her relentless advance, Frankenstein's body was riddled with scars. Several mercury weapons pierced her back, but she pressed forward, seemingly unfazed by the pain.

  Through sheer determination, Frankenstein managed to break into the pace and confront Qin Shi Huang directly.

  "You're... coming... with me!"

  For the first time, Frankenstein spoke.

  In truth, Frankenstein had always been capable of speech. However, due to the structure of her vocal cords, speaking caused her immense pain, so she rarely did so.

  Leaping high into the air, she brought Bridal Chest crashing down into the ground. The hammer opened, releasing a surge of powerful lightning that rippled across the battlefield.

  Frankenstein was preparing to unleash her Noble Phantasm.

  Unlike in the FGO game, the release of Frankenstein's Noble Phantasm here signified her death.

  Though Caules had repeatedly warned her not to use her Noble Phantasm unless absolutely necessary, Frankenstein had no other choice now.

  "Bsted Tree!"

  As Frankenstein roared, dazzling lightning erupted and swept through the entire pace.

  "Bang!!!"

  Outside the pace, a deafening explosion resounded as Siegfried and Astolfo saw the structure colpse from within. Green lightning surged outward, forming a massive tree-like structure of electricity—beautiful yet terrifying.

  Every Terracotta Warrior and Golden Beast caught within the lightning's range was obliterated, reduced to pieces by the overwhelming power.

  When the lightning finally subsided, only a charred ruin remained where the pace had stood.

  "That was incredible, Berserker!" Astolfo excimed excitedly. "Did you beat him?"

  "No," Siegfried said grimly, his gaze fixed on the Mausoleum of the First Qin Emperor. Despite the devastation, there were no signs of defeat from their enemy.

  Frankenstein stood before a column of mercury, letting out an anguished roar before her body dissolved into particles of light, vanishing completely.

  Frankenstein, exit.

  ---

  As Frankenstein unleashed her Noble Phantasm, Qin Shi Huang had acted swiftly, forming a hollow column of mercury around himself.

  Using mercury's conductive properties, the First Emperor redirected the lightning into the ground, nullifying its effects. He remained completely unharmed.

  "You dare destroy my pace in such a manner. Your actions are unforgivable," Qin Shi Huang decred, his tone cold and dangerous.

  When the mercury dissipated, the First Emperor surveyed the ruins of his pace. A flicker of violence crossed his face.

  If Frankenstein hadn't perished from using her Noble Phantasm, Qin Shi Huang would have personally delivered a merciless retaliation.

  With Frankenstein gone, the First Emperor redirected his fury toward Siegfried and Astolfo.

  The river of mercury surged once more, wrapping around the Terracotta Warriors and forming armor and weapons for them. Now cd in mercury, the Terracotta Army assumed a battle formation, drawing bows and firing arrows at the two intruders.

  "Danger! Hide behind me!"

  Siegfried immediately stepped in front of Astolfo, using his indestructible body to shield his companion from the barrage of mercury arrows.

  While the arrows couldn't harm Siegfried, their unrelenting assault made it nearly impossible for the pair to counterattack or move toward the First Emperor.

  ---

  Outside the mausoleum, the Bck Faction felt the impact of Frankenstein's exit. Sadness and frustration filled the air.

  Darnic's expression turned grim. Losing another Servant was a heavy blow.

  "Darnic, are we just going to stand here and watch?"

  For Vd III, it was humiliating to watch the enemy wreak havoc on their territory while they remained powerless to act.

  After a moment of silence, Darnic issued an order.

  "Archer, approach the battlefield and see if you can identify any weaknesses in that mecha."

  "I understand."

  Chiron nodded and immediately began advancing toward the Light Messenger's location to observe the ongoing battle.

  As Chiron left, Darnic turned to Avicebron and gave him a meaningful look.

  Avicebron caught the unspoken message and stepped forward. "Darnic, the situation is critical. If you grant me the homunculus, I can activate my Noble Phantasm and complete my masterpiece."

  The "homunculus" he referred to was, of course, Sieg.

  Though Vd, Gordes, Fiore, and the others knew the truth, they chose to remain silent, understanding the necessity of the situation.

  Darnic looked at Avicebron seriously. "Can you guarantee that your Noble Phantasm will turn the tide of this battle?"

  "I promise it will," Avicebron replied confidently.

  "Very well. I'll leave the homunculus to you."

  Avicebron's eyes gleamed with excitement. "Understood. Let's go, Roche."

  Without wasting a moment, Avicebron turned and headed into the castle, with Roche following closely behind.

  "Wait for me, Teacher!" Roche called out, hurrying after him.

  However, neither of them noticed several figures lurking in the shadows, silently following them into the castle.

  ---

  When Avicebron and Roche arrived at Sieg's room and pushed open the door, they found it empty.

  "He's not here?"

  Avicebron frowned. Without dey, he and Roche began searching other rooms.

  They checked Chiron's quarters, Astolfo's, and even those of other Bck Faction members, but Sieg was nowhere to be found.

  "Damn it! That homunculus escaped!" Avicebron cursed under his breath, frustration evident in his voice.

  He turned to Roche. "We need to inform Darnic immediately."

  But just as they were about to leave, a sudden flurry of throwing knives emerged from the darkness, aimed directly at Roche's vital points.

  Avicebron reacted instantly, casting a spell to summon an earth wall that blocked the knives. Standing protectively in front of Roche, he surveyed the room with a sharp gaze.

  "Assassin," Avicebron muttered grimly.

  The attackers were none other than several clones of Hassan of the Hundred Faces.

  While Chihiro had joked earlier about treating Hassan's clones as "ammunition," his actual orders had been much more thoughtful: to act according to the situation and avoid unnecessary sacrifices.

  Hassan of the Hundred Faces, true to his cunning nature, had taken advantage of the chaos on the battlefield. Several of his clones infiltrated Yggdmillennia Castle to monitor the Bck Faction's movements.

  When they saw Avicebron and Roche enter the castle, they recognized an opportunity.

  With no other Servants or Masters present in the castle, Avicebron and Roche were completely vulnerable. This was the perfect moment to strike.

  While one clone remained behind to monitor the rest of the castle, the others moved in to assassinate Roche.

  For all his skills as a Caster, Avicebron's combat capabilities were limited. The golems he created were impressive, but they couldn't rival a direct combatant.