[Vd III: "Gentlemen, Saber has already left the battlefield, Assassin has defected, and the opponent we face now has likely assembled all six of their Servants except for Berserker. The disparity in combat power is significant."]

  ["So, I must ask, gentlemen, are you willing to accept defeat?"]

  [Although the four did not respond verbally, their expressions said everything.]

  [Vd III: "Very well, we will cim victory!"]

  ["In the face of such overwhelming odds, despair, and insufficient strength, how can we, as defenders, falter? How can we call ourselves heroes?"]

  ["They are nothing more than barbarians, invaders tarnishing our nd and arrogantly mocking us. Fools with no escape but death. Strike them down with a smile!"]

  ["Advance!!!"]

  [The four Servants charged forward, leading the troops of Yggdmillennia to confront the enemy forces.]

  Waver: "As expected of Vd III, he's demonstrating his leadership skills perfectly."

  Tohsaka Rin: "It really does look like an actual war."

  Caules: "The battle has begun. Can we win this?"

  The Bck team remained silent.

  Indeed, they had all witnessed the terrifying power of Semiramis' Hanging Gardens the previous night, and none of them harbored much hope for the battle depicted in the video.

  The gap in strength between the Bck and Red factions was undeniable.

  Not to mention, one of the Bck faction's strongest forces, Siegfried, had fallen just two days prior.

  [The Bck army advanced and quickly intercepted the Dragon Tooth Soldiers at the border of the grassnd.]

  ["I offer thee this Camity —"]

  ["Phoebus Catastrophe!"]

  [From the Hanging Gardens, Atanta watched the Bck faction's forces mobilize. Without hesitation, she unleashed her Noble Phantasm, raining down a storm of arrows upon them.]

  ["Ahhh!!!"]

  [At the forefront, Frankenstein let out a furious roar, and a surge of blue lightning erupted, scattering the arrows.]

  [Despite this, the attack still inflicted significant casualties on the Bck faction's forces.]

  Sieg: "Ugh..."

  Iskandar: "So this is Atanta's Noble Phantasm? It's incredibly effective for clearing out troops on a battlefield."

  Achilles: "Well done, big sister!"

  Vd III: "Hmph, the power is mediocre. It's only effective against common soldiers."

  Atanta: "Underestimating me will cost you dearly."

  [Atanta: "Now that the path is clear, it's your turn, Rider."]

  ["Understood!"]

  [Achilles leaped directly from the Hanging Gardens, steering his chariot toward the Bck faction's forces.]

  ["Come on, the battle has begun! Let me, the Red Rider, be the vanguard!"]

  [On the other side, as the Dragon Tooth Soldiers charged aggressively, Vd III activated his Noble Phantasm.]

  ["Come, savages who trample over my territory! It's time to discipline you!"]

  ["I'll turn my compassion and rage into red-hot stakes and skewer you all!"]

  ["And these stakes are not limited, but truly infinite, so despair — and gorge on your own blood!"]

  ["Kazikli Bey!"]

  [In an instant, countless stakes erupted from the ground. As far as Vd III's eyes could see, all the Dragon Tooth Soldiers were impaled upon the spikes.]

  Tohsaka Rin: "Wait, aren't those just skeletons? How can they even be nailed to stakes?"

  Tohsaka Tokiomi: "That's the effect of his Noble Phantasm. It doesn't rely on physical constraints alone."

  Sisigou: "As expected of the Impaling Duke, he's certainly living up to his name."

  ["Oh, you've arrived?"]

  [An arrow flew toward Vd III, but he deflected it with a quick motion of his spear.]

  [The attack came from Atanta, who had descended from the Hanging Gardens. However, Vd III's true opponent was not her.]

  ["You must be the Bck Lancer, Vd III."]

  [Karna nded gracefully in front of the Duke, his expression calm and unwavering.]

  [Vd III: "You call me by my true name. You must be the Lancer of the Red faction."]

  [Karna: "Yes. For reasons beyond my control, I've come to face you. Do not hold it against me."]

  [Vd III: "No, there is no need for bme. You must kill me, just as I must kill you."]

  ["Come forth! Those who trespass upon my homend without permission, your time for execution has arrived!"]

  [Vd III once again activated his Noble Phantasm, Kazikli Bey, unleashing a wave of stakes toward the two Red Servants.]

  [Atanta evaded swiftly, retreating as the stakes erupted around her, while Karna stood calmly in pce.]

  [Karna: "Such destruction is meaningless."]

  [The stakes that struck Karna failed to pierce his defenses and instead shattered upon impact.]

  [Vd III: "A fine set of armor, but that won't help you in close combat!"]

  [Vd III lunged toward Karna, his spear aiming directly for the Lancer's throat.]

  ["Mana Burst!"]

  [Scorching fmes erupted from Karna's body, forcing Vd III to retreat immediately.]

  [For a moment, it seemed as if a second sun had appeared in the sky.]

  [Vd III: "It seems you are no ordinary Servant."]

  [Karna nded lightly, his voice steady: "Do you wish to surrender?"]

  [Vd III: "Don't insult me with such nonsense, Red Lancer. As long as I hold a wish for the Holy Grail, surrender is not an option."]

  [Vd III charged at Karna once more, shouting: "Your weapons, armor, and fmes, how long can your mana sustain them?"]

  [The two Servants cshed fiercely, their battle lighting up the battlefield.]

  Waver: "To fight Karna to this extent… Is Vd III really this strong?"

  Chihiro: "Not really. This is due to the bonus effects of his homend and reputation."

  Waver: "Bonus effects?"

  Chihiro: "Yes. When a Heroic Spirit fights in their homend, they gain a 'homend bonus,' which boosts their power. Additionally, if the Heroic Spirit is particurly renowned in the area where they are fighting, they receive a 'reputation bonus,' which further amplifies their strength."

  Kotomine Shirou: "I see. As the guardian of Romania in life, Vd III gains a tremendous advantage fighting on Romanian soil."

  Tohsaka Rin: "That bonus is absurd. It's letting Vd III match Karna, of all people."

  Vd III: "Young dy, while your observation is accurate, your phrasing is rather irritating."

  [Meanwhile, Achilles continued to wreak havoc among the Yggdmillennia troops, but his advance was blocked by Avicebron.]

  [Avicebron summoned a self-repairing golem to halt Achilles' charge successfully.]

  [Then, an arrow flew past Achilles, drawing his attention.]

  ["Bck Archer, where are you? Let's settle our unfinished match from before!"]

  ["I'm closer than you think."]

  [Chiron's voice rang out as a volley of arrows rained down on Achilles from behind. However, with his sharp reflexes, Achilles blocked them all.]

  [Achilles destroyed the golems in front of him and rushed toward the source of the arrows.]

  ["Found you!"]

  [Achilles charged at Chiron, but the moment he saw his opponent's face, his pupils contracted in shock.]

  [Seizing the opportunity, Chiron delivered a spinning kick that sent Achilles flying.]

  [Achilles scrambled to his feet, panic evident in his expression. "Teacher Chiron?! Why are you the Bck faction's Archer?"]

  ["What a foolish question. Naturally, I manifested as Archer for the Bck faction."]

  [Chiron nocked another arrow and said, "You are ruthless against your enemies but leave yourself wide open to those you trust. That is your weakness, Achilles."]

  ["However, this is the Holy Grail War. There is no room for mercy, even for you. Do you understand, Achilles?"]

  ["Tch!"]

  [Achilles, looking conflicted, raised his meteor spear, ready to face his mentor.]

  Achilles: "Haha! If I hadn't met Teacher Chiron in this group first, the same scene would've probably pyed out in reality."

  Chiron: "Achilles, this trait of yours is both your strength and your greatest weakness. Learn from the lesson in the video."

  Achilles: "Yeah, yeah, I get it."

  Illya: "But aren't you still enemies right now? Isn't this basically helping your opponent?"

  Chiron: "…"

  Achilles: "…"

  [Meanwhile, on another part of the battlefield...]

  [Sieg had quietly arrived and was tending to the wounds of the surviving homunculi.]

  ["Why are you here?"]

  [Sieg: "I can't just abandon you. Even if I can save just one, I want to help."]

  […For us homunculi, to be thrown into war and consumed is our fate. We were born for this purpose.]

  ["We were not born to die. We have life and the right to choose."]

  [Sieg said firmly: "Astolfo and Siegfried gave me freedom. I want you to experience that same freedom."]

  Gordes: "This brat again."

  Celenike: "See? I told you this one should've been executed earlier."

  Darnic: "…"

  He hadn't expected Sieg to return, let alone to attempt liberating the other homunculi.

  It seemed his earlier decisions had been far too naive, and now it had come back to bite him.

  Sieg: "…I don't think I've done anything wrong."

  Waver: "There's nothing wrong with wanting to save someone from suffering."

  Astolfo: "Exactly!"