Buzz—!
Three golden rings burst forth from the blazing inferno, and the swirling flames instantly reduced Pardofelis' cat-shaped energy attack—fired from her spinning ring blade [Purana Phantasma: Nighteye]—to nothing.
A brilliant white light illuminated the intersection.
From top to bottom, Waver could see it clearly. Piercing the flames was a magnificent banner, with a sharp blade affixed at the tip—more of a lance than a flag.
Upon it fluttered the fleur-de-lis, symbol of the glory and honor of France's royal era.
"France..." Waver murmured, sitting on the ground, eyes wide with awe.
As golden light descended, the flames withdrew and coalesced into a figure, glowing brilliantly before solidifying completely.
There stood a young woman clad in a deep-blue combat dress and silver armor.
Her features were strikingly handsome and full of resolve, lips pursed in determination. Yet her soft facial contours gave her a gentle beauty that inspired the urge to kiss her.
Her long blonde hair was braided tightly into a single rope-like braid that fluttered in the wind.
Her chest strained against the fabric of her outfit, round and full—a curve unattainable for a certain petite swordswoman who had once been mistaken for her. It was a flawless display of feminine allure.
But most captivating were her eyes, a pair of crystalline blue orbs that sparkled like jewels, filled with warmth and vitality.
"Servant Ruler, Jeanne d'Arc, summoned in accordance with your call—"
Holding a battle flag in one hand and resting the other on the hilt of her side-sword, the gallant young woman turned with a gentle smile. "May I ask—are you my Master?"
Her presence was as refreshing as a blooming carnation.
"Ah, I'm Waver Velvet. Pleased to meet you, Ruler. During this time..."
Waver began his formal self-introduction, nodding absentmindedly—then suddenly snapped out of it. His expression contorted, and he clutched his luxurious hair, letting out a miserable, ground-pounding wail like a distressed prairie dog.
"Aaaahhh—! No! This isn't what I wanted!! Your Majesty—!!"
"Um, Master? Is there something wrong with me...?"
Her Master collapsing and screaming the moment they met left the saintly maiden flustered. She quickly stepped forward to help him up, a bit stunned and uncertain.
"No... no, I'm fine. Ruler, please first restrain the two Servants currently attacking a neutral arbitrator."
Eyes hollow, hands trembling, and heart cold, Waver clutched his face as Ruler helped him to his feet.
It's fine...
For now, staying alive takes priority. As for Iskandar—there'll be another chance someday....
"Two Servants? Understood. Master, please stay safe."
Nodding, Ruler Jeanne gently laid the devastated Waver down, then turned her attention to Li Sushang, who stood one-footed on the traffic light, and the amused Pardofelis nearby with her ring blade.
"Foreigner, Li Sushang. You attacked the Master of the arbitrator class. Shall I take that as hostile intent? Leave immediately!"
Jeanne pointed her flag-lance directly at Li Sushang, her voice stern.
Ruler Class Skill — Revelation of True Name: B
When summoned as Ruler, the Servant automatically perceives the true name, class, and basic parameters of all Servants directly encountered. If the opposing Servant has inherent skills or Noble Phantasms that conceal their identity, revelation is judged based on their Luck stat.
Though Li Sushang and the others weren't among the seven official Holy Grail participants tied to the Lesser Grail, they had still been summoned onto the leylines of Fuyuki City. As such, they were automatically connected to the leylines and fell under the scope of the Greater Grail system—thus making them visible to Ruler as part of her preventative authority.
Moreover, Li Sushang didn't have a Noble Phantasm that concealed her true name. In fact, she couldn't care less about hiding it.
"Master, only one Servant on the opposing side. Class: Foreigner. The one with animal traits is... a mount-type Noble Phantasm belonging to Li Sushang?"
Using the special mana link between Servant and Master, Ruler Jeanne transmitted the information directly to Waver.
"Foreigner class? What's that? That wasn't one of the seven standard classes listed in the intel. Could it be an irregular summoning like the Einzberns did in the Third War?"
Upon hearing the word "Foreigner," Waver immediately snapped into work mode.
It seemed that this was the anomaly the higher-ups at the Clock Tower had mysteriously picked up on. Even if not the root cause, this Foreigner—Li Sushang—was clearly related to it.
"Oh ho, so you know my name? Looks like Miss Ruler has some kind of judgment skill, huh? Well, enough chit-chat. Time to stretch my limbs."
"Pardo, return."
Pardofelis was weak to begin with, and after being converted into a Servant-form Noble Phantasm, her power was further nerfed. Li Sushang hadn't expected much from her.
"Provocation? No need for words. Let's just fight."
Leaning forward, a whirlpool-like blade of water formed in Li Sushang's hand. The red tassels on her back fluttered in the night wind. With a smile on her pretty face and her sharp eyes blazing with fighting spirit, she looked down at Jeanne.
"Master, stay alert."
Jeanne stepped forward at once, wrapping the banner around the metal shaft and spinning it into a defensive stance.
"Tai Xu · Rushing Water Sword."
With that, Li Sushang raised her blade of water and, like a cannonball, launched herself downward from atop the traffic light with roaring wind at her back.
"Get back!" Jeanne pushed Waver behind her and swung her banner, channeling a fierce blast of wind to meet the incoming watery strike.
Clang!
The moment their weapons clashed, waves burst out like ripples. The asphalt at the intersection cracked and sank, rocks flying everywhere in a cloud of dust.
Craack—
Nearby, the traffic lights let out a metallic groan and snapped cleanly in half.
Fzzzt!
The underground circuitry, fried from the impact, sparked and died. Rows of traffic signals went dark and tilted at odd angles.
But neither combatant was affected by the darkness. As Servants, they weren't bound by human limitations. One had trained in martial arts since childhood and was a master of technique; the other bore divine revelation, enabling her to read her opponent's moves as if blessed with foresight.
Jeanne's Unique Skill — Revelation: A
A skill equivalent to Instinct, Mind's Eye, or Sixth Sense.
Clang! Slam! Cling!
The sound of relentless collisions escalated, forming a hurricane of impact that rippled outward like raging waves.
Li Sushang fought like a true immortal, every movement like brushstrokes on a canvas. One after another, she conjured swords of water from magic, slicing, smashing, and hurling them through the air....
As the splashes of the Rushing Water Sword struck the pavement, they created ripples that blended with the dim surface of the road, forming a scene that looked like an ancient painting come to life.
"Foreigner, this is your final warning!"
The response: "Inch Power · Mountain Splitter!"
Li Sushang, increasingly pleased with this worthy opponent, let go of her swirling water blade. Using the force of Jeanne's block, she twisted mid-air, then channeled her strength from her core. Her hands surged with azure mana, and she brought one hand down in a crushing chop.
Seeing this, Jeanne gave a subtle glance behind her and clenched her silver teeth. Again? Why does everyone in the Holy Grail War seem to take pride in attacking the referee? Am I in your way or something?!
As a Servant summoned directly by the Greater Grail system, Jeanne had the duty of properly overseeing the Holy Grail War. She could manifest by inhabiting a human host or be summoned like any other Servant.
But unlike the others, she retained the memories of prior iterations of this endlessly repeating ritual.
One such memory—of being attacked by the Sun God's child before even arriving in Trifas, Romania—remained fresh and unpleasant.
This time, she was summoned through Waver's Command Seal and the relic he had prepared because the Greater Grail had detected more than fourteen Servants already summoned. A particular subroutine of the Grail was activated, drawing her into the war.
Waver had simply happened to enter Fuyuki at that time. As a magus from the Clock Tower, the Command Seals naturally found him. And, crucially, he possessed a suitable relic for Jeanne's summoning.
Technically, all Waver did was act as a mana conduit... though even most of the mana came from the Greater Grail and the leylines. Waver was little more than a relay station.
The black Command Seals on his hand held no binding force over Jeanne. Whether she called him Master, protected him, or listened to his orders was entirely up to her discretion. And clearly, she had no intention of abandoning him.
"Haaaah—!"
With no time to think further, Jeanne gripped her flag tightly and raised it in a defensive stance.
BOOM!
The heavy chop aimed at Jeanne's head crashed onto the flagstaff, producing a shower of sparks as flesh met metal.
RUMBLE—!
The already damaged roadway caved under the impact, forming a crater over twenty meters wide. Shattered earth exploded outward in jagged chunks.
Sewage sprayed up from below, and fragments of stone flew in all directions—each one with enough force to rival a high-caliber bullet. Nearby shops and barriers were blasted apart, and glass and bricks rained down like shrapnel.
"What a rush! Glorious!"
"Let's go again!" Knocked back by the flag, Li Sushang's eyes sparkled with excitement. Rather than conjuring another water sword, a golden gleam flashed in her hands.
CLANG!
Jeanne saw it clearly this time—Li Sushang's true Noble Phantasm: a golden sword about 70 centimeters long, double-edged, adorned with dark gray floral engravings.
Ding! Clang clang!
Amid crisp clashes and flying sparks, Jeanne burst from the swirling dust.
"Not good, not good, not good!"
Having retreated almost a hundred meters, Waver stumbled as a gale of mana whooshed past him. Watching the lights of surrounding buildings flicker out at a visible pace, the darkness spreading outward, he couldn't help cursing under his breath.
This level of force... I knew it.
This wasn't Romania, or the quaint medieval town of Trifas. Nor was it a port, the outskirts, or some empty park. This was the busiest district in Fuyuki—Shinto Station's public transport hub!
In a modern city, underground infrastructure such as drainage systems, gas pipelines, power lines, and internet cables are densely packed and intricately interconnected. A single disruption could cascade into a citywide crisis.
And now they were brawling like this in a major traffic hub? There was no doubt about it—those city functions running beneath their feet were the main lines.
Now, even with displacement enchantments in place, a loss of power, water, and internet would severely weaken their effectiveness.
Even if the area was marked with a "non-interference" enchantment, with this level of destruction under public scrutiny, there would be no covering it up.
No—at this rate, continuing the fight would make a cover-up impossible!
"Master of the Foreigner! You're watching from the shadows, aren't you?! Your actions have already severely violated the established rules of the Mage's Association!"
Li Sushang might not care—in her world, supernaturals walked openly among society—but Waver did. As a Lord of the Clock Tower, it was his duty to uphold the secrecy of magecraft.
"Ruler, we can't continue this battle. The local police have already been alerted."
"Understood!"
Jeanne gripped her flag tightly and disengaged with lightning speed, retreating through the gale as she reassessed the situation.
If she wanted to end the fight quickly, she'd have to use her Noble Phantasm. Without it, it wasn't happening.
After that fierce melee with Li Sushang, Jeanne could feel it clearly: while their raw stats were comparable, her technique fell far short.
True Name: Jeanne d'Arc Class: Ruler Strength: B+ Endurance: B Agility: A Mana: A Luck: C Noble Phantasm: A++
Each had their strengths. Li Sushang had the superior skill, and in close combat Jeanne was being thoroughly outclassed with few chances to counter.
However, Jeanne's EX-ranked Magic Resistance made it hard for Li Sushang's mana-based attacks to inflict real damage.
In short: despite all the explosions, sword strikes, and widespread destruction, neither side had sustained any significant injuries.
"Hey, calling it quits?"
Hearing sirens in the distance, Jeanne ignored Li Sushang. She knew they couldn't afford to drag this out. She exchanged a glance with Waver, and upon seeing his nod, Jeanne placed her fist solemnly to her armored chest.
"Foreigner, this is your final warning. If there is a next time, I will exercise the full authority granted to me as Ruler and force you to withdraw from the Holy Grail War."
"God's Resolution—"
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