Xingyue, is Xiaokai also considered Kai?

That's right, they can neither call out to them nor find the location of their Master.

So Amakusa had no choice but to make this decision, but fortunately Jeanne d'Arc didn't arrive here immediately, which was quite lucky.

However, while this is the case for the Red Faction, the Black Faction, in order to ensure their advantage, has sent Siegfried, a dragon-slaying hero with no 'flaws' and a friend of the world-renowned Hunnic King, to deal with the Arbiter. After all, in their view, the Hunnic King once destroyed a church, so it is perfectly normal for his friend Siegfried to eliminate the Arbiter.

And so, under the pitch-black night, on one side, there was a fierce battle between the five Servants of the Black faction and the four Servants of the Red faction, and on the other side, there was a meeting between the dragon-slaying hero and the saintly savior in Bucharest, the city with the fifth sun.

265: The time has come to prove you are a believer. You know what to do. (4k)

Rouen, France, in the distant past.

The flames gradually scorched the skin, charred the flesh, and burned the bones. If cursing was a song from a distant land, then sorrow was like a mother's lullaby.

While many cursed the saintess who was being executed, some wept for her sake.

Therefore, being cursed is not an unbearable pain.

"You should have known this would be the outcome, right?"

A voice echoed in my ears, or perhaps in my heart.

She knew, of course she knew. She knew that as long as she kept fighting, that day would eventually come. So even if someone called her stupid, there was nothing she could do, but she absolutely wouldn't allow herself to laugh at her own choice as foolish.

Whether witch or saint, they have lives saved through this, so this path is definitely not wrong, as long as everyone in France can muster the courage from now on, even if it means doing so for themselves.

And so, amidst the raging flames, the young girl of Domremi, who had heard the voice of God and chosen the path of battle for her village, her country, and the Lord, met the end of her physical suffering.

Despite living in such a cruel and tragic situation, until the very end, she felt no remorse, only a pure and virtuous prayer—

Lord, I will dedicate myself to You.

The final sentence states that human consciousness is completely severed, and the body is freed from all kinds of pain.

The girl's dream ended there, but it wasn't over yet, for the saint's dream was only just beginning.

Back to the present, on the highway outside Bucharest, the capital of Romania, the faint moonlight is far from illuminating the road and road signs. One can only rely on the feel of the asphalt surface to confirm whether one is on the right road.

As the arbiter, Jeanne sensed the presence of a servant approaching her, so she got out of the taxi to avoid causing unnecessary casualties.

"The one who comes here must be the arbitrator."

The sound came from directly in front of her, and through Joan of Arc's eyes, she saw a white-haired man holding a demon sword slowly approaching her.

The demonic sword was magnificent and heavy, making one feel that it could not have been crafted by human hands. The most eye-catching part was the blue gemstone inlaid on the hilt.

"You are the swordsman of the Black Faction, aren't you, Siegfried?"

"Ah."

The nod of the dragon-slaying hero was undoubtedly enough to make many Servants of the Church feel uneasy. The reason is simple: Siegfried was among the Church of the Western Roman Empire when it was destroyed. Therefore, based on this, the 'Seat' might grant him special attacks.

"Then, Siegfried, what are you doing here?"

"Just like before, Holy Maiden, you are a member of the Church, aren't you? In that case, the reason why Siegfried and I came here is quite obvious, isn't it?"

The fat man who walked out from behind Siegfried was Siegfried's Master, Gordes of the Yggdrasil family, and also the father of the fat director of Chaldea in another world. The father and son's personalities were almost identical, but one focused on the glory of a magus, while the other focused on human nature. Perhaps it was because Gordes was raised by magus elders, while his son Gordesluff was taught by a homunculus with human nature.

Although Joan of Arc had already made up her mind, hearing the announcement still disappointed her greatly. However, it also made her more cautious, since the person in front of her was a former hero who had once destroyed the church with the Hun king. This alone showed that his strength was absolutely formidable.

“In that case, I also have an obligation to abide by the rules of this war. I can only eliminate you before I see that god first, Siegfried.”

Joan of Arc declared to the equally indifferent Siegfried with a cold expression.

For Joan of Arc, the sudden announcement of the existence of the 'fifth sun' was truly a very...warm feeling?

Or rather, she felt that the person was easy to get along with, so she came to Bucharest in a daze to meet them. Strangely enough, although she hadn't heard the voice of God in her ears for a long time, Joan of Arc felt that when the figure appeared, the voice of God seemed to say something, but she couldn't hear it clearly.

However, since it is an existence acknowledged by God, it must be the kind of good God that everyone strives to be, even if it is a heretical one.

Joan of Arc thought so.

As for Siegfried, he didn't care too much about the 'fifth sun' in the Americas. After all, although he saw a 'campfire' similar to the one in the past in the sun, he just thought it was because of the sun. In Siegfried's memory, Avia always had silver hair like him, not blond hair.

"I once met someone whose eyes looked just like yours."

Siegfried said something inconclusively for some reason, and Joan of Arc tilted her head, as if she didn't know why they were talking about this when war had already been declared.

“Augustine, as a saintess, you should know this person.”

"what......."

Augustine? What Augustine? Which Augustine?

While the Holy Grail contains essential knowledge applicable to modern life, one cannot expect too much from the saint's level of education.

Ah... it's Augustine, one of the saints who wrote "The City of God"... "The City of God" has so many words, and I can't understand it at all.

Although she quickly tried to read the book from the knowledge bestowed by the Holy Grail, the girl felt overwhelmed after just one glance. However, she nodded nonchalantly when Siegfried asked her.

“That man is undoubtedly a hero, in some ways more so than I am…” Siegfried said indifferently. “If you looked at me like that, you shouldn’t have fought me.”

"...I see. Well, how should I put it, it's that...I should be familiar with it, right..."

"However, it is merely a resemblance, so there is no need to say more, Arbitrator."

The magical power that surged instantly after Siegfried uttered those words left Jeanne speechless. He had no intention of fighting and planned to directly unleash the true name of his Noble Phantasm.

"That's right, Siegfried, just use your Noble Phantasm!"

Gold shouted, and that was exactly what he had in mind.

Therefore, Siegfried's Noble Phantasm will be activated before Jeanne d'Arc exercises her 'class privilege'.

Just as Joan of Arc hastily summoned her weapon, the 'Banner,' to prepare to fight back, Siegfried's magic sword, guided by a blue light resembling a 'leaf' on its back, shone like the rising sun, illuminating the night.

When Joan of Arc summoned the weapon 'Banner', the world froze for a moment, not because of Joan of Arc, but because of Siegfried.

For the sword of fantasy that once roared and slew enemies, piercing through demonic energy, has appeared.

In Joan of Arc's eyes, the scene of Siegfried's magic sword revealing his dragon form, and the fierce battle between various fantasy species and a magic army, was like a dream. It was the last mysterious war in the fifth century. But how many people would believe such a legend?

However, in any case, on that day, the myth of the church was completely ended.

Joan of Arc, who was considered part of the Church, certainly felt this way.

That demonic sword, and most importantly, that leaf, seemed capable of overturning the laws of the universe. It appeared not only to be able to accomplish many things that magic could achieve, but also to be able to reproduce phenomena that were close to the realm of magic.

Therefore, it substantially conveys a chilling fear to those who use the foundation of the Bible, a fear powerful enough to kill. When a person observes something terrifying that does not exist in this world, even if the body is not destroyed, the spirit will collapse.

Especially when there are no means to counter it, the crisis will be more certain.

But for the saintess, such pain was entirely bearable, and not something insurmountable.

"Lord, bring forth your divine work—"

"I see, I'll be right there."

Just then, a 'revelation' was born in Joan of Arc's heart. It was a voice that was different from the voice of God in the past, yet felt extremely similar, as if there was a decisive difference in some aspect.

Holding the flag, Joan of Arc stared in astonishment into the distance. Even though she couldn't perceive it visually, she could still sense the overwhelming, pure heat comparable to the sun.

Without a doubt, it is the sun god who appeared in the Americas here.

But why?

He actually received God's 'revelation'?!

"Fantasy Greatsword────"

However, Siegfried roared loudly at this moment.

Even today, the hero who slays the dragon has a wish: even if he has a happy life and many people admire him, he receives not only blessings and praise, but also insults for participating in the war of his close friend, which led to the destruction of the church.

"Ugh, I can't stand it! Why do you keep talking about that guy? Why don't you just go live with him?!"

After the destruction of the church, he experienced various events, found love, and eventually settled in the land of his former friend Beowulf. His lover always said this.

"After all, they are good friends."

“Friend, friend, why don’t you tell Beowulf that although you did kill Fafner with him, you did a lot too, didn’t you?”

"You can't say that. Without Avia, I might not have been able to defeat Fafner so easily. Avia was the one who put in the most effort."

"Speechless, how could I have fallen for... oh well—"

"But then again, I do love you, that's no lie, Klinshead."

"Aaaaaah, what nonsense are you spouting?! Don't talk nonsense, okay! Keep those kinds of thoughts to yourself, okay?!"

“‘Don’t always remain silent about important things and then act as if nothing’s wrong, or you’ll be very lonely,’ Avia once told me. And it’s true, important things must be said no matter what….”

What was once a vast, cold, white wasteland has now become a warm and beautiful world.

The dragon-slaying hero and the king of the kingdom competed in drinking contests and continued their naked battles in the snow every year. The amount of alcohol they drank increased, and their fighting skills improved. Unfortunately, they never got to see the person they were supposed to come see.

The hero who slays the dragon, even at the very end, still hopes to meet again.

That is why the heroes who fight today are fighting again to reunite with the one who once made him understand the benevolence, righteousness, loyalty, and love he believed in.

This was Siegfried's dream, his wish.

I want to see Avia again.

"The Heavenly Demon has fallen!"

The twilight light, comparable to that capable of destroying an entire legion on an ancient battlefield, mingled with the raging blue lightning, and the raging flashes of light, aimed at pure destruction, intended to devour the tiny saintess, for the light came from the heavens and ravaged everything.

This space, filled with red and blue light, seemed to announce the end of the world. Perhaps it was a sublimation, or perhaps it was because of that leaf, that it created a scene that could only have been born in the age of gods in human history.

Without intervention, this area could have been wiped out, but everything eventually comes to an end.

The ever-expanding light suddenly subsided, disappearing like dust, and the dazzling sun shone down, while surging waves of magic rolled on.

Sometimes near, sometimes far; sometimes near, sometimes far.

Then--

Novia looked down at the man who was staring at her in a daze and said.

“It has been a long time, Siegfried.”

"how....."

Gold was speechless, partly because he was surprised by the disappearance of Siegfried's Noble Phantasm, and partly because he was astonished by the person who had appeared.

He rubbed his eyes in disbelief and looked down to find that it was the Fifth Sun, wearing a half-leopard mask and clothing that matched the characteristics of the Americas, who was holding Siegfried's magic sword. Gorde could hardly believe that the Noble Phantasm he had just unleashed could be directly suppressed by someone.

And that's just using his hands! That's incredibly impressive!

Even if a Servant of God-level status is downgraded, it's still too overpowered!

"...Indeed, I didn't expect it to really be you. I didn't expect you to have dyed your hair blonde. It really looks good."

At the very moment Siegfried muttered those words, he also naturally smiled, though the smile was only for a moment, so small that no one would even notice it. But at that moment, he truly smiled again after many years.

"This is something that can't be helped."

"Indeed, Avia."

Only now did the dragon-slaying hero belatedly realize that the man's eyes evoked a sense of nostalgia. Although the identity he had revealed was not the same as before, his essence remained unchanged; in fact, he had always been the same.

"You can still call me Favia for now."

"Is that so? But according to the information the Holy Grail gave me, isn't the fifth sun god of the Americas Tonatiu? In that case, perhaps I should call you Favia Tonatiu? Isn't that right?"

“That’s true, but it’s too long and can be cumbersome. But really, it’s all the same; you can call it whatever you want.” Novia sighed and continued, “By the way, now that you’ve joined the Holy Grail War, is there something you wish for?”

“No, no.” Siegfried shook his head. “I just came to check. You know, I come when someone calls for me.”

In fact, his wish had already been fulfilled, so there was no need to say it aloud.

"The same old story—"

"Um... could you do me a favor? Ah, Fa, no, I should call you Lord Tonatius, right?"

Just as the two were talking, Joan of Arc, who was standing to the side, clenched her fists and shouted, perhaps feeling that it was not appropriate to make a request while still wearing armor. So she hurriedly removed the armor woven with magic and changed back into her original casual clothes.

In truth, the saint, who had just heard the voice of God again, had some doubts about whether the 'revelation' was orchestrated by the blond man before her. After all, this was the first time she had heard the voice fluctuate even slightly—

"Heh... The heretical god is not allowed to appear. You should know what to do."