[FDJ]Chapter 42: The Holy Maiden of the Dragons

The source of the bombs was unknown to Suzuki, but he could tell that Jeanne and Berserker were currently in a difficult situation. With Rider and the dragon in front and Male Saber behind them, the situation was not optimistic.

The bombs continued to appear out of thin air, resembling the situation Archer encountered yesterday. Based on the previous information exchange, they could tentatively attribute it to Caster's tactics. The bombs weren't powerful, but they were annoying.

Berserker unleashed chaotic winds to isolate the explosions as much as possible. With his injuries, his magical energy was rapidly depleting, and even Suzuki could sense that Berserker's Master was close by. Berserker's madness made him ignore the injuries caused by the dragon's bites, but Jeanne would protect him before he fell.

If only Suzuki could engage in combat like Atilla, he could assist his Servant. But currently, he couldn't even use basic magecraft.

The situation seemed unfavorable, but it didn't exceed Atilla's expectations before she set off today. The enemy had more Servants, and despite Assassin's inability to participate in the battle, they still had a significant advantage.

"Phoibos Catastrophe!"

Arrows flew from behind Rider, launched by Arche from the camp of the Western Roman Army. Despite the long distance, she used her Noble Phantasm with precise aim, directly targeting Rider.

Rider had no defenses against this attack. She and her dragon were instantly covered by a rain of arrows, theoretically providing an opportunity to defeat Rider with this surprise attack alone.

While a single arrow couldn't penetrate the armor on Rider's back, the sheer quantity, numbering in the hundreds, was enough to heavily damage even the most resilient Berserker. Rider had no chance to escape. As she tried to move towards her dragon, arrows struck her hands, feet, and the back of her neck. The pain of the arrowheads piercing her skin was too fast to distinguish. Rider was brought down by the onslaught of even more arrows.

After the rain of arrows ceased, all the arrows formed from magical energy lost their form. The Tarasque dragon, relying on its sturdy armor, only had its outer skin pierced on its limbs. It stood up and used its own body to shield the fallen Rider.

Jeanne ran away from Berserker's protection, disregarding the bombs falling overhead, and swung her sword to shatter them. She could tell that Gilles's desire for battle was low, so while Rider was heavily damaged by the rain of arrows, it would be advantageous to quickly deal with one of the enemy Servants. Jeanne had already witnessed Rider's Noble Phantasm: a clumsy subspecies dragon. If she could repel the troublesome dragon, Rider would have nowhere to escape.

"Berserker! Hold on a little longer!"

Jeanne's unintentional words of encouragement were more effective than the witch's reinforcement magic. Berserker, vigilant of Gilles at a distance, had almost fully recovered from his shoulder injury. The mere bombs were no longer capable of harming this furious Berserker. Jeanne didn't realize that when Berserker heard her words of encouragement, he confirmed her position once again.

Even though they were fighting together, losing his sanity shouldn't have affected his vision so severely.

Jeanne swiftly approached the Tarasque dragon, and her sword, the Holy Catherine, automatically aimed for the gaps in the dragon's back armor. The Tarasque dragon dared not come into close contact with the razor-sharp holy sword. It was forced to repeatedly step back and suddenly raised its back armor to collide with Jeanne. The semi-dragon creature clearly understood the enemy's objective. It couldn't simply retreat blindly if it wanted to protect its master. It possessed a considerable amount of intelligence and combat experience.

The sword blade pierced through the dragon's strongest back armor, and the reactionary force shook Jeanne, momentarily throwing her off balance. The Tarasque dragon's brute strength was not inferior to hers. It opened its sharp mouth, attempting to bite Jeanne, but she agilely evaded the attack. They continued to retreat and advance, and up until now, Jeanne hadn't been able to ascertain the extent of the injuries sustained by the fallen Rider.

"Damn dragon! So annoying!"

Jeanne used one hand to hold back the semi-dragon that was still trying to charge at her, avoiding its sharp mouth, and keeping the Tarasque dragon in place. With her other hand, she inserted her sword into the ground and grabbed onto the raised back armor of the Tarasque dragon, gradually exerting force. In her previous life, she had never performed such an audacious act, but now she was capable of it. Approximately 75 kilometers from the city of Orleans, her unique "Maiden" ability gave her the power to defeat a dragon barehanded.

The heavy Tarasque dragon gradually lifted its hind legs off the ground. By the time it realized the dire situation, it was already too late. Jeanne, with her potential for madness, suddenly lifted the semi-dragon, which was heavier than a tank from future eras. Ignoring the dragon's struggles, she forcefully swung it forward, sending the dragon flying.

Yesterday, she was somewhat restrained, only withstanding the impact of the Tarasque dragon. Today, she made up her mind to defeat Rider here, and in her almost full-powered state, she also carried a hint of madness. The true saint on the battlefield is far from the pure and magnificent vision imagined by people from the future. Rather, on the battlefield, there is often no concern for trivial matters like taking advantage of someone's vulnerability.

Rider was still lying on the ground, her blood staining the earth beneath her. With the Tarasque dragon no longer shielding her, she was exposed before Jeanne. At this moment, she seemed to regain consciousness, barely opening one eye and attempting to prop herself up with her right hand to stand once again.

"Hmph, the saint doesn't need two! Prepare yourself, Rider!" Jeanne picked up her sword from the ground, took a step forward, and thrust directly at Rider's back. She intended to claim the honor of killing the first enemy Servant.

Jeanne's sword rebounded once again due to hitting a hard object. Because of her excessive force, the unyielding holy sword caused her to fall from the momentum of her charge. To her surprise, it felt the same as when she pierced the Tarasque dragon earlier.

"Could it be..." Realizing the reason, she quickly rolled and dodged. It was then that she noticed the red liquid on the ground didn't have the smell of blood.

She fell into a trap.

Rider didn't pick up her staff. At the same moment Jeanne staggered backward, the feigned weakness she displayed disappeared. She swung her fist toward Jeanne's head. Although the first punch missed, the second punch luckily struck Jeanne's forehead, followed by a third punch hitting Jeanne's blocking arm. A simple fist proved to be more effective and direct than magic. When facing a Servant with high resistance to magic, one must also consider that the magic may be weakened to a fraction of its power. Rider's fists knocked Jeanne down to the ground.

Rider understood close-quarters combat techniques. Unlike the purely brute force of Jeanne, she possessed a set of exquisite boxing skills, which she wouldn't neglect to use against her opponents in Servant battles.

"Unfortunately, I have two Noble Phantasms." Rider tore off her tattered white robe and chainmail, exposing her entire body covered in dragon scales, the "Dragon Armor," in front of Jeanne.

The Tarasque: O' Dragon's Shield that Shall Not Let a Blade Pass

,' a heavy shell similar to the dragon Tarasque's, showed no traces of arrows penetrating it. If no one saw it with their own eyes, they wouldn't believe that the saint who vanquished the evil dragon could don a suit of armor that could be deemed immune to physical attacks.

"Your sword or Archer's arrow rain cannot pierce through my armor. Even if your Berserker comrade wields a giant sword, it won't cut through my defense. Saint of Orleans, are you going to use your Noble Phantasm or run for your life?" Rider smiled as she approached Jeanne, who was dazed by her attacks. She hadn't intended to reveal her second Noble Phantasm so soon, but she happened to be attacked by Archer's arrow rain. She used this opportunity to lure Jeanne or Berserker into attacking her while she pretended to be "gravely injured."

Her luck was good, as the one who fell for it was Jeanne, the one she most wanted to eliminate. Two saints of the same nature didn't need to coexist.

"Or perhaps we can fulfill our previous agreement and reduce the number of saints to one!" Kicking up the staff from the ground, Rider effortlessly knocked the sword out of Jeanne's hand with this seemingly ceremonial weapon. "Tarasque, block Berserker!"

Upon hearing her master's call, the dragon on the ground regained its combat ability and engaged in a struggle with the attempting-to-interfere Berserker.

Rider only needed a short amount of time. Her dragon could provide a brief delay, and with Caster's long-range summoning of bombs, she could defeat Jeanne.

At this moment, Suzuki also realized that Jeanne was in danger. Just as he was about to use his second Command Spell, a rainbow-colored flash passed by his raised hand, slowing down as it approached Rider before he could utter a word.

Attila, who had previously been engaged in a battle with Lancer, somehow evaded Lancer. She chose the most opportune moment to approach Rider, her hand gripping a stone sword, shining with a rainbow glow as her magical energy transformed into pure destructive power.

Such a situation made Suzuki unable to believe it, as Attila's current display of power was no less than a Noble Phantasm and even surpassed many Saber-class Servants with slightly lower fame throughout history.

"Jeanne, be careful!"

After Suzuki's reminder, Attila slowed down and came to a halt, swinging her Sword of the War God at Rider.

The rainbow-colored light instantly engulfed Rider, who couldn't dodge in time. Her dragon armor had previously withstood Archer's Noble Phantasm and Jeanne's sword. With just the naked eye, one could see that it was the most robust armor immune to physical attacks. Perhaps it could help her withstand Attila's attacks, perhaps...

Without relying on a Noble Phantasm, Attila unleashed destructive light comparable to a Noble Phantasm through her abundant magical energy. The power she displayed was completely on par with a Servant.

As the light dissipated, Rider looked at Attila in astonishment. They were about 20 meters apart, a distance where only a bow and arrow could reach the other party in the 5th century. Yet, she had indeed been struck by a sword technique of 5th-century "humans," which felt unbelievable.

"How... is this... possible..." Rider saw her sturdy dragon armor dissolve into charred fragments, falling off her body. It was then that she realized she had truly encountered a 5th-century champion capable of defeating Servants with her flesh and blood.

Lancer arrived late, using rune magic to summon several canine-shaped flames, forcing Attila to divert her attention to her.

Tarasque quietly disappeared, and this minor detail was no longer important. Rider looked at Attila and Lancer in confusion, as if she suddenly understood something.

Before she could utter her last words, Jeanne rose from the ground and successfully pierced Rider's back with her sword.

The sight of the sword abruptly entering Rider's view distorted her expression. Though she hadn't completely lost her breath, Rider desperately tried to say something but could only cough up blood. This time, it was the genuine taste of blood, not the magical props her Master had given her.

"..."

Rider attempted to turn around, but before she could raise her fist, her body began to disintegrate, radiating with light. In the final moments, Rider left Jeanne with a warning gaze, as if saying, "You will be next."

"Hostile Servant, Rider, eliminated."

As the particles of light completely dissipated, Jeanne calmly sheathed her sword. The first Servant to exit the Holy Grail War was witnessed by her holy blade, marking the end.