According to the Book of Genesis in the Bible, the first apostle to be martyred, Jacob (also called Jacob and Israel), had once wrestled with a two-winged angel under an olive tree. Although no one knew why Jacob, as an apostle, would fight with an angel, who was a messenger of God, but from the shocking result, this feat undoubtedly shocked the world.
Because in that battle between god and man, not only was Jacob not defeated by the angel, but on the contrary, during the fight, he had repeatedly suppressed the angel with his punches, and had even pressed him to the ground with his terrifying strength. Such strength even led to the angel having to use a sneak attack to barely injure his leg.
And according to this mythical record, what was reflected on the Heroic Spirits in the Type-Moon world was the skill: 'Jacob's Limbs'. It was not a Noble Phantasm or a blessing, but a boxing style that meant it could fight with an angel, that is, a god.
In theory, this boxing style could actually be learned and mastered by every saint-class Servant, such as the King of Mages, Solomon, and the Iron Fist Saintess, Martha. And he himself felt that he probably didn't need to become a Servant. By the time he went to heaven, he should also be able to master this boxing style.
Mmm, that's not right. I'm going to heaven, so can I still be considered alive?
Ahem, setting aside these other assumptions, but from the fact that he had now obtained a part of the power of the Saintess Martha and had inherited her 'Jacob's Limbs', without a doubt, the him of now was extremely powerful, and also a counter to Siegfried.
Unlike Solomon's 'Jacob's Limbs', which was manifested in the form of a high-speed punch like the 'Ora Rush', the Iron Fist Saintess Martha's application of this boxing style was to go for a one-punch-kill format. And such a method was naturally incomparably suitable for the current him. What's more, don't forget what the most famous feat of the Saintess Martha was.
To subdue the giant dragon Tarasque with her bare hands, what she had obtained was the innate skill 'Anti-Dragon Special Attack'. And coincidentally, as a dragonslaying hero, Siegfried had both an anti-dragon special attack, but because of the Armor of Fafnir, he would also be blessed by an anti-dragon special attack.
And even more coincidentally, he, who had obtained a part of a saint's power through 'Spiritual Evocation: Holy Spirit Projection', what he had inherited, besides a part of the basic panel of the Saintess Martha, the rest was 'Jacob's Limbs' and the anti-dragon special attack.
Then, the joke about the Type-Moon special attack has long been told. The great hero of the Netherlands, Siegfried! This punch of mine has the power of a saint and a super special attack against dragon-kind. Can you... block it!
"Ora!!!"
A brilliant golden magic circuit shone. A great golden light shone on his right wrist. The majesty of a saint and an inviolable aura burst out, dyeing all the surrounding trees golden. As he let out a war cry and threw this punch at him, a girlish figure appeared behind him, following him and throwing a punch together.
Danger like death!
Sensing that the threat from his right fist was no less than that of the evil dragon he had faced when he was just an ordinary human warrior, Siegfried's resolute face was unprecedentedly solemn. But even so, even knowing that his Armor of Fafnir would definitely not be able to block this blow, his footsteps still did not move half a bit. Although he was not good at strength, since it was the other party, a warrior who had initiated a decisive battle request, he, Siegfried, had no reason to refuse.
Faced with the golden light that was gradually enlarging before his eyes, he took a deep breath. Magical energy surged in his body like a long dragon. The rune on his chest that represented the Armor of Fafnir also flashed at the same time. Without any hesitation, he returned a punch to his saint's fist.
The next moment, fist and fist, golden light and indigo light collided with a loud bang.
Bang!
With the collision of fist and fist, the air around the two seemed to have suffered some terrifying pressure and let out bursts of sonic booms, which shot out in all directions, blowing away all the trees and branches. And looking back at the two who had caused this phenomenon, they were still in the posture of collision, frozen in place.
"Th-who on earth won? Why are they both not moving?!"
Looking at this scene that was as if time had frozen, Gordes, who had always been proud of his noble image, at this time couldn't care about his hair being messed up by the wind. He looked at the two standing in the center of the forest battlefield with a nervous and apprehensive face. "The winner must be my Servant, Siegfried, right? He is my, Gordes Musik's, Servant! He is a Saber, the great hero of the Nibelungenlied!"
As if to comfort his own heart, which was a little difficult to calm down after witnessing the mind-subverting event of a mortal fighting a Heroic Spirit, Gordes comforted himself like this and cast his gaze on the other two Servants present, that is, Morgan and Jeanne, hoping to see from their expressions that his guess was correct.
But it was a pity that the expressions of the two women at this time indicated that the winner of this battle was not as he had thought.
"That guy... actually did it..."
Looking at the figure that was in a stalemate with Siegfried, Jeanne's holy and beautiful face was full of complexity. The indignation that she had felt from being tricked and trapped just now had long since dissipated, replaced by a curiosity and exploration of this youth before her who had the same aptitude as her.
Why... was he guided by the Lord to appear before me? Why can he use Lady Martha's power, when she was clearly not summoned this time? And, what did he mean by what he said to me before, about wanting to witness me proving what a saint is with my actions?
For the first time, Jeanne d'Arc, this holy girl who was a country girl in the first half of her life, a saintess in the second half, and had ended her life early because of power and the ignorance of the people, had a feeling of curiosity and exploration for this opposite sex who was of a similar age and appearance to her.
God, almighty you, why did you bring him before me?
Involuntarily, this question arose in her mind.
As for Morgan, she was very confident and certain of him. After all, he was Lamorak, her beloved husband. He had already shown a miracle in the matter of saving her and her little sister and Britain. In fact, Morgan believed that he was a miracle itself. Such a him, to be able to defeat a Heroic Spirit with a human body, seemed not to be a particularly surprising thing. What's more, even if he didn't win, wasn't there still her, the Queen of Britain, Morgan, here? Since the beginning of the war, the strength she had shown was far from just the tip of the iceberg.
Thinking of this, the smile behind her black veil became even more radiant.
"Crack."
And at this time, with a sound like glass shattering, the two in the forest finally broke free from their stalemate. As if they had suffered some kind of blow, Siegfried grunted, and his figure retreated a few steps. Then he leaned against a tree trunk that had been cut in half by the aftershock and stood firm. And the sound of glass shattering was what had come from his body.
At this time, he was leaning against the tree trunk, a trace of blood overflowing from the corner of his mouth. The right arm that he had used to punch him was also hanging limply as if it had been dislocated. Even the rune on his chest that represented the 'Armor of Fafnir' had also become dim. This meant that his defensive Noble Phantasm, which had been blessed by the myth, had been completely shattered by him. Not to say that it could not be used at all in the following wars, but at least in the next day, he would not be able to use this Noble Phantasm anymore.
And on the other side, him, although he had also retreated a few steps and had sat down on the ground, neither his face nor the blood at the corner of his mouth was as serious as Siegfried's. Even his arm was just slightly fractured at the wrist. Such a small injury, without Morgan to heal it, could be recovered with just his own miracle of healing.
"Saber!"
Seeing this scene, no matter how unbelievable and unwilling to face reality he was, Gordes had to admit that his Servant had actually lost in the battle with the other's Caster's Master. Although he also knew that this was because Siegfried had been a little careless (meaning too kind) and had not used his Noble Phantasm, but a loss was a loss. No matter how proud he was, he would not deny this established fact.
But now, it was meaningless to say these things. The top priority was to ensure Saber's injuries.
"Hey, Saber! You were really bad this time! To have actually lost to a little brat from the Holy Church. When we get back, you'll see how I punish you!"
Just like that, while Gordes was verbally scolding him, he was also doing his best to transmit magical energy and cast healing-type magic on him.
"Yes, Master."
As for Siegfried, he accepted all of this with a bitter smile. He knew that his Master was just sharp-tongued, didn't know how to interact with people, and had a bit of a common tsundere trait among magi. To be honest, he was still a very good person.
But, to be fair, that youth named Souya Kotomine had really given him a great surprise...
Thinking of this, his gaze subconsciously turned to him. At this time, Morgan and Jeanne were already gathered around him.
"Souya Kotomine, your wrist seems to be a little injured. Let me help you treat it."
Looking at his hanging palm, Jeanne, while speaking, took the initiative to grab his wrist. As a saint-class Servant, the ability to heal was already engraved in their spiritual foundation, and this would not even be manifested as a skill.
"You don't have to trouble yourself with this, Ruler. I will take care of my husband myself."
But Jeanne was indeed holding good intentions. But Morgan did not seem to want to see this guy, who was somewhat similar to her little sister in both hair color and temperament, touch his body. Snatching his hand in front of Jeanne, she rejected the former's kindness somewhat stiffly.
"Husband?!"
Hearing her words, Jeanne was suddenly startled, and her eyes subconsciously swept back and forth between her and him.
"Hmph!"
And in the face of her clearly probing gaze, Morgan pulled his body into her own arms, as if declaring her sovereignty. But she clearly did not buy this. "I see, this must be because of your habit in life. I remember some Servants, when facing their Masters, would also call them by habitual addresses for various reasons such as intimacy."
With an inexplicable emotion that she herself hadn't noticed, the golden-haired country girl comforted herself like this. To this, Morgan just showed a disdainful smile. "Hehe."
"Alright, Lady Morgan, Miss Jeanne, I'm fine."
Seeing that the atmosphere between the two women was about to become strange, he, who had been enjoying the softness of her embrace, quickly spoke up and interrupted the topic that was gradually going off track.
Hearing his words, she and her subconsciously went to check his injuries. Seeing that they were indeed gradually healing, both women couldn't help but breathe a sigh of relief. Then, Jeanne belatedly remembered her duty as a referee, so she said to the few of them, "Everyone, since your battle has already decided a winner, and the sky is about to brighten, then according to the rule that the Holy Grail War can only be held at night, can I ask you to stop now?"
Then, as if she had thought of something, she frowned and looked at him. "Also, Souya Kotomine, what's going on with your Red side? Who is the superior you mentioned? Why did you make a move on me, this Ruler? Since you know about the Ruler class, then you should also be very clear that I will not interfere with your normal fighting, right?"
"Ahahaha, Miss Jeanne, what are you talking about? I don't know."
Hearing her words, he, who had been enjoying her lap pillow, immediately realized that trouble was coming. He immediately sat up and started to play dumb. "Don't play dumb with me! I heard what you said before I was controlled by your magic!"
Seeing his unwilling-to-answer look, she was suddenly furious, and her small face subconsciously puffed up. But he clearly did not want to answer this question. Anyway, the mission that should have been done tonight had already been done. It was time to go back and tell Amakusa the information and rest. Thinking of this, he felt that he had given her a look.
And she and he were of one mind. Of course she understood what this meant. So she raised her jade hand, and the luster of magic flashed around them.
"Souya Kotomine! What are you trying to do!"
Seeing that he wanted to run away, she was suddenly a little anxious. But he just smiled and waved at her, saying, "Well, since it's daytime, I should go back to sleep. Miss Jeanne, I've put something in your suitcase. It's a little useful to you. I hope you'll like it."
Then, he turned his gaze to Siegfried, who had recovered his strength. "The great hero of the Netherlands, Siegfried, it was really a pleasure to fight with you. If I can find my own strength later, then we'll have another fight. Also," at this, he gave him a mysterious smile, his eyes holding a teasing look that the latter couldn't understand. "There's still someone who's looking forward to meeting you. You must not do anything stupid, Siegfried."
With that said, without waiting for their response, his and Morgan's figures disappeared in a flash of light and returned to Sighișoara, which had become the Red side's base.
"What?! That guy still has new strength?!"
Hearing his parting words, Gordes was suddenly shocked. He really couldn't imagine that that kid who could already wrestle with a Servant actually had something hidden. Who on earth was he? Was he an old monster created by the Holy Church, who looked young but was actually ancient in age?
No, I must bring this information back to Darnic!
Compared to his Master Gordes's panic and astonishment, Siegfried was very calm. Compared to the strength he had mentioned to find, he was actually more concerned about the latter's sentence about someone looking forward to meeting him and what stupid things. This of course did not mean that he was not interested in his invitation for a rematch. But after experiencing the battle with him, he would no longer be surprised by any incredible miracle that would appear on him. In fact, he was also looking forward to being able to fight with a stronger him again.
And as for the latter two sentences, "It should... be her..."
Thinking of the woman who held the same magic sword as him, and to whom he still owed a confession, he couldn't help but touch his heart with a bitter smile.
This Holy Grail War is really interesting.
"Time is short, Saber! Let's hurry back to the Millennia Castle!"
Seeing that the sun was about to rise, Gordes no longer hesitated and waved his hand to call over the black sedan that had been waiting in the distance for a long time. "As for the Ruler..."
As if he had remembered what he had come here for, before getting into the car, he cast his gaze towards Jeanne again. "Ruler, since the Red side clearly wants to violate the rules and is hostile to you, then why don't you go to our Yggdmillennia clan's city? That is the place where the battle will take place. Whether it's for observation or for judgment, it's very suitable for you!"
"No need."
She rejected this proposal very directly and broke the olive branch he had thrown. "Ruler's perception has been strengthened. As long as I enter Trifas, my perception will cover the entire city. So don't worry about my whereabouts. For this war, I will definitely maintain a fair attitude."
"Alright then. In that case, we'll go first."
Seeing that her attitude was very firm, he didn't say much more. He took the dematerialized Siegfried and got into the car and drove away.
Watching the figures of the Saber of Black group leave, her mind couldn't help but think of that guy named Souya Kotomine. For some reason, she always felt that there was something special and unknown about that guy that was attracting her, making her want to get close to him.
"What a strange guy."
Muttering in a small voice, she remembered his parting words and immediately found the briefcase she had subconsciously thrown into the grass on the side of the road. When she opened it, she was surprised to find that on top of it were a few Romanian banknotes and a few things like shopping vouchers.
"This is... a restaurant meal voucher?"
Looking at the colorful little notes, almost every one of which had the word 'free' on it, she was stunned for a moment, but then her heart felt a trace of warmth.
That guy... must have sensed my situation during the conversation, right? That's why he left these things. After all, her current situation was special. She needed to eat like a normal human. In addition, Laeticia, as a student of a church school, wouldn't have much money. If it weren't for his help, she would probably have to go to the forest to dig for potatoes later.
"This guy... isn't so bad..."
The golden-haired holy girl smiled lightly. And above her head, at this time, there was a strange bird circling and looking down at her. The reason why the bird was strange was because its organization was very strange. It had the body of an owl, the head of a rabbit, and its abdomen was terrifyingly covered with a row of small eyes.
If one were to follow its transmission through this alchemical-like familiar, and cast their gaze to a basement workshop of an ancient castle, one could see a white-haired girl standing before a magic mirror, looking at the Jeanne who was packing her luggage with a morbid look on her face. In her mouth, she was also softly muttering meaningless words such as "Al," "Jeanne," "Holy Youth," and "God."
And behind her was the Master of Black, Reines, naked, her eyes vacant, her face showing an abnormal flush and a twisted look.
....
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