Unsettling Feeling

Jeanne stood still on the hill, silently gazing at the distant battlefield shrouded in smoke.

Looking back now, she always felt there was always a sense of 'something's not right' from the very beginning.

The grand spectacle of seven Servants against seven Servants in a fierce battle was indeed an emergency situation that called for the presence of Ruler. But she was certain that the purpose bestowed upon her by the Holy Grail was definitely not for this Holy Grail War.

Something was urging her in her heart, more of a sense of crisis than a sense of duty.

An inevitable change was happening.

At the sight of the enormous floating fortress, her inner restlessness immediately reached its peak.

What could it be?

What was off?

Jeanne racked her brain to find clues but came up empty-handed.

The decisive battle between the Black Faction and the Red Faction was about to begin.

From a Ruler's perspective, it didn't matter which faction won, as long as a valid and proper wish was made for the Holy Grail, it didn't really matter.

At first, she wasn't concerned about this because Masters from both factions were mages.

Mages, though people who deviated from human ethics, wouldn't make wishes of extreme malice. Their wishes always revolved around reaching the 'Swirl of the Root' or other wishes related to magecraft—whatever it was, their wishes were almost always reasonable.

However, when the Red Faction attacked the Black Faction, it raised her suspicions.

It was easy to understand when Darnic from the Black Faction attempted to sway her to join his faction, as it was indeed a move that could increase the chances of winning the Holy Grail War if she sided with his faction.

However, the Red Faction was different.

Jeanne couldn't fathom why they wanted to kill her as soon as she arrived, considering the drawbacks far outweighed the benefits.

What was their true purpose?

*BOOM!* *BOOM!* *BOOM!* *BOOM!*

On the vast grassy plains, homunculi, golems, and dragon tooth warriors were locked in a grim struggle, performing a tragic spectacle. The earth was a mess, filled with craters as if struck by meteorites.

Jeanne surveyed the desolate battlefield, focusing on the fortress floating in the sky, the pitch-black dragon, and the giant pyramid towering on the ground.

Even though the Holy Grail War had been held several times, occurrences like these were exceptionally rare. Yet, in this Holy Grail War, three extremely strong Noble Phantasms appeared in one go, putting immense pressure on her as a Ruler.

Suddenly, an inexplicable feeling lingered in her heart.

She instinctively turned her gaze toward a small grove beside the battlefield.

What was there?

She didn't know.

However, since the 'Revelation' had conveyed guidance to her, all she needed to do was follow it.

"It's time..."

Jeanne gripped her holy flag and quickly charged toward the battlefield.

A massive number of dragon tooth warriors immediately changed direction, rushing toward her, ignoring their ongoing battles with the homunculi and golems, focusing solely on her as their target.

"As I thought..."

Seeing this development, Jeanne waved her flag, smashing the dragon tooth warriors blocking her path into pieces.

While the Ruler's role dictated avoiding actions that could significantly influence the Holy Grail War's outcome, facing a hostile faction left her with no choice but to stick to survival principles.

Accompanied by sharp roars tearing through the battlefield, Jeanne rushed toward her destination in haste. However, not only her, Arkhan also felt a sense of unease, sensing that something was amiss with this Holy Grail War.

From the current situation, it was evident that the Red Faction's actions had already suffered a setback and their defeat was just a matter of time.

The number of their dragon tooth warriors was rapidly decreasing, and the situations of their Servants weren't optimistic either. Continuing this war would lead them to nothing but devastating defeat.

In such circumstances, a timely retreat for damage control and further planning would be the wisest choice.

However, the Red Faction showed no intention of retreating.

Nidhogg had already overcome the eleven black panels of the Hanging Gardens of Babylon and the twelve EX-rank magic circles of Semiramis. Yet, the nearly torn-apart Hanging Gardens of Babylon still stubbornly resisted, displaying an almost undying determination.

Could it be that Amakusa Shirou Tokisada had foreseen this situation and decided to go all out?

Arkhan furrowed his brow slightly.

Logically, such a scenario was possible, but based on his understanding of a man named Amakusa Shirou Tokisada, he wouldn't act so recklessly.

Since a while ago, an unsettling feeling always lingered in his mind, as if he had overlooked something crucial. However, when he tried to recall it, he found nothing.

What had he overlooked?

As Arkhan pondered silently, an urgent voice suddenly interrupted his thoughts.

"Rider, can you spare a moment now?"

"Gordes?" Arkhan raised an eyebrow. "What's going on?"

Since Celenike had already been knocked out, he had formed a simple magical contract with Gordes to maintain communication.

"It's Berserker, she's in trouble!" Gordes urgently explained. "According to Caules, Berserker's current condition is not right, and there's a risk of going missing at any moment!"

'Frankenstein in trouble?' Arkhan paused for a moment.

With everyone from both factions fully engaged in the war, who could pose a threat to her?

Arkhan furrowed his brows slightly before asking.

"Why hasn't Caules used his command spell to summon her back?"

"He did, but it had no effect!" Gordes exclaimed and sighed. "Caules has used two command spells already, but for some reason, Berserker seems to be facing something unusual. The command spells just don't seem to work."

Hearing that, Arkhan's expression immediately turned serious.

Command spells should have an absolute effect on Servants. Except for Noble Phantasms with special effects like Ozymandias's Ramesseum Tentyris or the Hanging Gardens of Babylon, there was hardly anything that could hinder command spells.

What could Frankenstein be up against?

"Tell me Berserker's location!"

After learning where Frankenstein currently was, Arkhan entrusted the task to Nidhogg, instructing her to continue dealing with the Hanging Gardens of Babylon. He then leaped down from the sky and landed on the ground.

"Hmm? Is that... Jeanne?"

Watching the French saint wielding her holy flag on the battlefield, Arkhan hesitated for a moment. In the end, he abandoned the idea of approaching her for a talk and rushed toward a small grove without stopping.

A strange premonition lingered in his heart.

The crisis that had suddenly befallen Frankenstein was likely closely related to the unsettling feeling entwined in his heart.

Therefore, he had to find her as quickly as possible!