Archer of Red?

'What is this power exactly?'

'Is it a Noble Phantasm or some kind of unknown powerful magecraft?'

'Where does it come from?'

Arkhan furrowed his brow, looking at the vibrant and multicolored feather, pondering. Before this, he had never thought that the Red Faction would have such a powerful trump card.

'If that's the case, why haven't they unleashed this power on the battlefield? What is their purpose in hiding this power?'

Arkhan shifted his gaze to Frankenstein lying in a deep pit not far away. Perhaps now, only she could provide some insight.

Arkhan walked to Frankenstein's side, squatting down and gazing at the barely conscious girl with a complex expression.

Just now, Nidhogg, in a fit of rage, had completely slammed Frankenstein down with her dragon claw, leaving no room for mercy and shattering Frankenstein's Saint Graph.

In this situation, not only Arkhan but even if Jeanne were willing to use her command spells, she would be powerless to change the outcome.

It was more accurate to say that Frankenstein's ability to persist until now without dissipating was already quite extraordinary.

"Ahh... Ughhh..." Frankenstein weakly raised her hand, muttering incoherent words.

"I understand..."

Arkhan calmed her down and gently held her hand. It was soft and warm, devoid of the coldness of an artificial body.

"It's not your fault... You were just manipulated by someone."

Hearing that, Frankenstein finally breathed a sigh of relief, managing a faint smile, then murmured something incomprehensible to him.

Arkhan listened attentively and nodded afterward.

"Don't worry, I'll convey it to him."

"Th-Thank... you..."

Uttering those last words with difficulty, Frankenstein finally closed her eyes with a satisfied smile on her lips as her body turned into a faint glimmer, gradually dissipating into light particles.

Berserker of Black, Frankenstein, exited the stage.

Watching the light particles slowly fade away like fireflies, Jeanne couldn't help but show a hint of complexity in her eyes. She turned her head to Arkhan, hesitated for a moment, and finally couldn't resist asking.

"What did she say in the end?"

"I don't know..." Arkhan shook his head.

Hearing that unexpected answer, Jeanne was slightly surprised.

"But... aren't you..."

"Even though I don't know, I can guess, roughly..." Arkhan's tone sounded somewhat melancholic as he looked at the fading light particles. "After all, she is someone known as Frankenstein."

"Is... that so..." Jeanne lowered her head slightly.

"No need to show that expression." Arkhan said calmly. "She doesn't hold any resentment toward you. Rather, you prevented her from committing another tragedy."

Jeanne was momentarily stunned and a slightly relieved expression finally appeared on her face.

"Alright, we should head back. The war isn't over yet, and I still need to—hmm?"

Arkhan was about to get up when he suddenly noticed something near the spot where Frankenstein had been. If it weren't for the night vision granted by his Black Dragon Body, he might have overlooked it.

Upon closer inspection, he found a string of English letters written in the soil.

—Archer of Red.

'Archer of Red... Wait a sec, Archer of Red?!'

In that instant, the uneasy feeling lingering in Arkhan's mind finally dissipated, giving him a profound realization!

Indeed, since this all-out war started, Archer of Red had not appeared at all, and strangely, he never thought or realized the absence of Archer of Red.

Moreover, he had planned to investigate Archer of Red's identity after returning from Sighisoara before, but at some point, he completely forgot about it, as if invisible hands had wiped all information regarding Archer of Red from his mind.

Something fishy was going on.

"Huh? Archer of Red?"

Jeanne also noticed the English letters and read them, her face expressing surprise and confusion.

She scratched her head, confused.

"Strange... Archer of Red shouldn't have been eliminated yet. Why couldn't I remember Archer of Red just now?"

Hearing her words, Arkhan furrowed his brows slightly. To confirm his suspicions, he turned to Nidhogg.

"Nid, do you remember Archer from the Red Faction?"

"Of course, I do." Nidhogg replied naturally.

She was present when Mordred came into conflict with Archer of Red. She couldn't forget someone who dared to attack her 'daughter'.

"Have you noticed Archer of Red not showing up at all since the battle started?" Arkhan asked, squinting his eyes.

"Well, now that you mention it..."

Nidhogg mumbled, her eyes mirroring Jeanne's confusion. Indeed, she intended to avenge her 'daughter', but why couldn't she remember this matter at all?

Watching the two's confused reactions, Arkhan's expression gradually turned grave.

Until this moment, he finally confirmed his previous speculation—the problem wasn't just his; almost everyone had forgotten the existence of Archer of Red!

Common sense told him that this wasn't a normal phenomenon. The only explanation for such a widespread impact was that Archer of Red had somehow used Noble Phantasm, causing this phenomenon!

Arkhan remembered Heracles mentioning before that Archer of Red was a goddess who seemed to possess some special disguising ability, making it impossible even for him to discern her true identity.

Back then, Arkhan thought it was just some personal skill. Now, it seemed that this disguising ability might be a Noble Phantasm!

What was the pinnacle of disguise? It was not changing appearance to divert attention; it was directly erasing one's existence!

Clearly, this was an extraordinary Noble Phantasm, affecting even Ruler Jeanne with her EX-rank Magic Resistance, who fell victim to it unknowingly, proving its terror.

That being said, what was the purpose of Archer of Red using this kind of Noble Phantasm? What was she planning to do by hiding her existence?

"Huh? Is that thing starting to move?" Jeanne suddenly looked up at the sky in surprise.

Arkhan, instinctively following her gaze, noticed that the once-destroyed Hanging Gardens of Babylon was slowly moving. From the trajectory, it didn't seem like a retreat but a shift toward a specific location.

'That place is...'

Arkhan followed the Hanging Gardens of Babylon's path and locked his gaze onto—

Fortress of Millennia!

Was the target of the Hanging Gardens of Babylon the Fortress of Millennia?

"Is Assassin of Red planning to do a suicide attack?" Jeanne covered her mouth in astonishment.

Arkhan frowned slightly, connecting the dots between the unusual refusal of the Red Faction to retreat despite being at a disadvantage and the sudden disappearance of Archer of Red.

A thought struck him like lightning, causing his eyes to widen at once.

"No, it's not a suicide attack... Her goal is—"

"The Greater Grail!"