I Don’t Want to Be a Heroic Spirit

From afar, Mordred closed her eyes and focused on the floating aerial garden. After a moment, she reopened them with certainty.

"There's no mistake. The Greater Grail is up there, which means…"

"The Grail is in Father Shirou's hands now?"

Kairi Shishigou's expression darkened.

Though both he and Amakusa Shirou Tokisada were part of the Red Faction, their relationship was barely functional—closer to outright hostility.

Fiore and Gordes had returned to the castle, likely to assess casualties and damage. After all, in this war, each Servant represented a critical asset, and the Black Faction would need every available force if they intended to reclaim the Greater Grail.

Artoria shifted her gaze between the slowly retreating aerial garden and the brightening sky. Her brow furrowed.

Her subtle change in demeanor did not escape Mordred or Jeanne, who stood closest to her.

"What's wrong, Artoria?" Jeanne asked.

Artoria replied coolly, "It's nothing… but dawn is approaching."

Tonight had been a whirlwind of activity. What had begun as a mission to eliminate Jack the Ripper had spiraled into chaos with the sudden appearance of the Black Faction, allowing Jack to escape. Then came the shocking news of the Greater Grail being stolen, prompting their rapid journey here.

Looking back, Artoria realized just how much had happened in one night.

"Dawn?"

The group followed her gaze to the east, where the sky was beginning to lighten. The first rays of sunlight were about to grace the ravaged land.

"The first rule of the Holy Grail War is secrecy," Artoria said, her expression sharpening. Her emerald eyes seemed to pierce through space, locking onto someone far away.

"I know you're watching, Red Assassin."

"If this were still night, I wouldn't care about the commotion you're causing. But with dawn approaching, your aerial garden is far too conspicuous. Ordinary people will see it soon."

"As a Ruler of this Holy Grail War, I cannot allow that to happen. So, I will give you two choices."

"First, use magecraft to conceal your garden so that it becomes invisible to the human eye. Second, bring it down."

Artoria's instincts were correct. Semiramis was indeed observing her from the aerial garden.

Her fixation on Artoria was due to the King of Knights' overwhelming reputation. Semiramis had witnessed the devastation caused by Artoria's battles against Achilles and Karna, two of the most powerful Servants in this war.

In Semiramis' eyes, the remnants of the Black Faction's forces—no matter how formidable they seemed—were no longer a threat. She considered the likes of Vlad III and Siegfried mere remnants of a defeated army.

Her confidence stemmed from the unparalleled strength of her Noble Phantasm, The Aerial Garden of Vanity.

Constructing this EX-rank Anti-World Noble Phantasm had required a staggering amount of resources, including soil and stone transported from the Middle East. Amakusa Shirou had spent nearly his entire fortune from sixty years of preparation to realize it.

But the result was worth the cost. Semiramis believed that the completion of her garden guaranteed victory.

How could anyone defeat her when she had such a fortress at her command?

Thus, Semiramis greeted Artoria's ultimatum with disdain.

Her irritation stemmed from more than just Artoria's reputation. Ever since Amakusa's return, he had been singing the praises of Artoria—how dangerous, how skilled, and how indomitable she was.

To Semiramis, this constant praise was infuriating. How could the man she admired speak so highly of another woman?

That resentment festered into loathing for Artoria.

And now, the person she detested most had the audacity to order her around, further fanning the flames of her prideful anger.

Do as you say? That would be humiliating!

I refuse.

If you think you can stop me, come and try.

Semiramis left the aerial garden visible, defiantly ignoring Artoria's ultimatum.

This wasn't a decision made out of blind anger, however. The aerial garden hovered at a significant distance, appearing as little more than a dark speck even to Servants.

At such a range, even an Archer-class Servant like Heracles wouldn't be able to land a strike on it.

Additionally, the garden was protected by the EX-rank defensive formation Eleven Black Coffins, capable of neutralizing any assault—even the overwhelming power of Karna's Golden Armor.

Let's see what you can do, Artoria.

Back on the ground, Artoria's expression darkened as the aerial garden remained unresponsive.

Jeanne hesitated before asking timidly, "Do you think… they didn't hear you?"

Mordred snorted. "More likely, that venomous woman deliberately ignored Father's words. I could tell from the moment I saw her—she's the arrogant type who bows to no one."

Jeanne had no rebuttal. Unlike Mordred and Kairi, she hadn't met Semiramis in person.

"So?" Kairi asked, looking at Artoria. "What's your plan if they keep ignoring your warning? Letting that thing float around is going to cause problems. It's so huge that anyone could spot it, especially now that it's almost daylight."

A faint light illuminated the eastern horizon, its pale hue stark against the scorched and ruined land.

This ground had already borne too much suffering, too many sacrifices, and yet more pain seemed inevitable. Such was the nature of humanity's pilgrimage through hardship.

The sunlight was bright, but it couldn't overshadow the soft, radiant aura that emanated from Artoria.

She cast a brief glance at the brightening sky, then over the devastated battlefield, before her gaze settled on the distant aerial garden slowly disappearing into the horizon.

Her voice was calm, almost nonchalant, as if stating an inevitability.

"I will… bring it down."