Jeanne raised the banner, which had now transformed into a Holy Flag, with an expression of deep piety. Her entire body began to radiate a golden light.
In an instant, that sacred light spread out from the flag, gradually enveloping the car. Along with Jeanne's fluttering banner adorned with the fleur-de-lis, it transformed into a shield that defended against all attacks. As long as the enemy's assault remained within the limits of what Jeanne and the Holy Flag could endure, no matter how terrifying the attack, it would not harm those inside the barrier.
This was the power of Jeanne's barrier Noble Phantasm—"Luminosité Eternelle!"
When Lemuen saw this holy light, she fell into a dazed state, staring blankly at Jeanne as she held the flag aloft. For a moment, she couldn't find the words to describe the scene. The flag in the hands of the light-shrouded girl seemed to possess a mysterious power, drawing her gaze so strongly that she couldn't look away.
Shirayuki, however, was more concerned about the impending collision with the enemy. She didn't know what this light was, and they were about to crash head-on into the motorcycles. Most importantly, those motorcycles were packed with suicide bombs! If they collided, just hoping for an intact corpse would be a challenge.
In the next moment, the oncoming motorcycles seemed to hit an invisible wall. Like flies being swatted against a surface, they stuck comically to the light barrier. This shield composed of radiance protected the vehicle perfectly. Shirayuki stopped worrying about the oncoming motorcycles and simply floored the accelerator, continuing to drive forward.
Whether it was impacts or explosions, they posed no threat to them now; instead, they only served to deplete the enemy's strength. Shirayuki saw the violent explosions happening right before her eyes. She watched as those crazed individuals were torn to shreds in the flames and motorcycles were ripped apart in front of her.
Yet, despite the explosions occurring practically against her face, Shirayuki didn't just escape injury—she didn't even feel the heat wave from the blasts. It was as if she and those people were in two completely different worlds.
Atop the car, Jeanne continued to hold the holy banner, eyes fixed forward. Her arm maintaining the barrier was entirely unaffected by the explosions, holding the Holy Flag as steady as a rock. This also meant that activating her Noble Phantasm didn't cost her much energy. Or rather, the violent explosions and the bolts being fired at her were useless; this level of defense was simply too easy.
The enemies continued to slam into the barrier Jeanne had created. Accompanied by continuous, violent explosions, motorcycle parts and flesh flew from the sides of the car to the rear. The road behind them looked like a scene left over from a horrific war—the pitted streets and the scattered parts and charred flesh silently told a tale of tragedy.
"What... is this? I've never heard of this kind of power. Is this an Originium Art recently developed by Laterano?"
Shirayuki's eyes widened as she watched people stick to the barrier because of their excessive speed. She couldn't understand what Jeanne had done to create such a powerful shield. She had heard that a few powerful shrine maidens in Higashi could construct barriers to defend against attacks, but that required a setup measured in years, and they couldn't achieve such perfect defense.
Yet here was Jeanne, able to construct such a powerful barrier in an instant and take these terrifying attacks head-on?
One shouldn't think that these suicide attacks were weak; the explosive power they displayed was comparable to small or even medium-sized Originium cannons. Combined with the momentum of the impact—motorcycles under the boost of such terrifying speed weren't much different from cannonballs—yet Jeanne had defended against it all by her own strength?
Looking at this scene that transcended imagination, Shirayuki felt that the things she had seen while acting with these two were more than she had seen in all her years combined. They were constantly shattering her worldview. Even the time she saw Wei Yenwu kneeling on durians at home didn't shock her as much as today's scene.
On the other side, the sniper hidden in the high-rise couldn't help but start cursing. He truly hadn't expected this target to be so "thorny" that they weren't even afraid of his crossbow bolts. His prideful sniping techniques were completely useless here. No matter what kind of bolt he fired, it seemed too infantile in the face of that blonde girl.
He took a few deep breaths to calm his unstable emotions. Then, he took out several special-made bolts from the side to check his weapon for one last shot. He fired a special bolt as a test; it triggered a massive explosion next to Jeanne but caused absolutely no effective damage.
"Better to retreat... There's no need to throw my life away for an impossible mission. It's more cost-effective to just give up."
Thinking this, the sniper fled the area with a sense of dejection. This was the most frustrating mission he had ever undertaken. He planned to go back, return the commission fee, and then find a remote area to live in seclusion for a while to avoid the fallout.
Back on the road, the enemies in front of Jeanne's high-speed car were starting to thin out. They noticed fewer and fewer enemies crashing into the barrier, losing the relentless momentum they had before. Perhaps the mastermind behind the scenes realized their death trap had failed, or perhaps their soldiers were nearly all spent—the motorcycle suicide squad stopped appearing.
After the last motorcycle exploded, Jeanne waited a while to finally confirm that the enemy wasn't sending any more subordinates, then she finally deactivated the Noble Phantasm she had been supporting for so long.
Once it was deactivated, Jeanne stood on the roof feeling only the brush of the wind, no longer subjected to any type of attack. It seemed the enemy's superiors had truly given up on this ambush and intended to retreat into the shadows to plan further.
Jeanne climbed back into the car. At this moment, she reverted to the "Black Mode" she wore in front of others, and the flag in her hand transformed into points of light and vanished into the air.
"Are you okay? I saw you hold that for quite a while. I imagine the drain on your body must be significant?"
Lemuen saw the slight expression of fatigue on Jeanne's face and temporarily swallowed her burning curiosity. She looked at Jeanne with great concern, worried that using such powerful strength would place a burden on her. If that were the case, she'd rather have just used the revolver cannon to fight them off herself.
"It's nothing, just a bit of a heavy drain in a short period. Once we get back and eat some good food, I'll be fully recovered."
Jeanne waved her hand dismissively. She had simply maintained the Noble Phantasm for a long time, and her magical energy consumption was a bit high. After all, this Noble Phantasm was usually used as a burst to block intense attacks; using it as a holy shield draped over a car to ram things for this long was a first. However, her magical energy recovery was very fast; this level of consumption didn't even require Originium to supplement it.
"Alright then. But the moment you held up that flag just now was truly beautiful. It's a pity I forgot to take a memento."
Lemuen recalled the way Jeanne looked surrounded by light while holding the banner; she felt that if she had taken a photo, it would have been fit for an heirloom.
"Holding a flag?"
Shirayuki looked back at Jeanne. From the moment she went out to the moment she came back, there was nothing in her hands! What was this "flag" Lemuen spoke of? However, she didn't dwell on it too much. The secrets hidden on these two were simply countless. If she picked at every single one, it would be meaningless.
"Since this incident has come to an end, where should we go next?"
Shirayuki asked politely, still staying alert for a potential second ambush. Seeing Jeanne's slightly tired state, Shirayuki wasn't sure if she could still use that miraculous Originium Art. If the pair planned to go somewhere dangerous, she would have to contact Ruler Wei to call for reinforcements.
"Well... how should I put it? Though the two of us planned to head back and rest, I think someone has already come looking for us."
Before Shirayuki could ask what she meant, the sound of motorcycles drifted from ahead of them. However, this time, the roar of motorcycles was accompanied by another sound: the sirens of the Guard Department.