Suzuki and the two Servants currently engaged in battle all witnessed a powerful flash of light. They realized that the recorded Battle of Chalon from history had fully unfolded, and any deviations from the historical account during this period could likely lead to the formation of a Singularity.
The most crucial point among them was the outcome of the battle. What would happen if Attila, capable of using Noble Phantasm-level attacks, were to alter history and achieve victory? Suzuki didn't know, but his intuition told him that such an event must not be allowed to occur.
There were more things to be concerned about. As Gilles de Rais and Berserker fought on, their path forward was obstructed by a quagmire. Suzuki soon felt magical reactions emanating from the area, which seemed to be covered in illusions.
"Marshal Gilles de Rais, be cautious of the enemy's magecraft!" Suzuki warned.
The effect of Suzuki's reminder was not significant, but Gilles de Rais also noticed the obvious magical changes after perceiving the illusions. Their previous assessment was accurate—Brunhilda was now weakened, and her power was not as formidable as it was yesterday.
Dodging two consecutive black fireballs, Gilles de Rais couldn't avoid the subsequent ones as Berserker swung his massive sword, blocking his escape route. The third fireball struck Gilles de Rais directly in the back, interrupting his defensive action.
Berserker swung his sword back, knocking the off-balance Gilles de Rais into the quagmire. Instead of pursuing him further, Berserker took a step forward and swung his sword with force from a distance.
A gust of wind swept through, with little distance between them. Despite the enhancement from his Noble Phantasm, Gilles de Rais was still knocked down. Clear cracks appeared on his armor, and blood sprayed from his mouth.
On the other side, Brunhilda voluntarily dispelled the illusion of magecraft. She wielded a magic staff, and the gem at its tip emitted a dangerous glow of magical power.
The quagmire suddenly became filled with vitality as the black mud surged toward the fallen Gilles de Rais, attempting to drag him completely underground.
After the illusions disappeared, Suzuki not only saw Brunhilda, who had changed her class but also a giant crystal. The ground beneath the crystal depicted a complex magical array. From a distance, he couldn't discern the specific details of the magical ritual, but just seeing the crystal towering alongside Brunhilda confirmed that Jeanne d'Arc was inside that massive crystal.
Through the final Command Spell connection, as expected, Jeanne d'Arc was only about 100 meters away from him, and it was the direction his finger pointed towards.
"Marshal, Jeanne is behind you!"
There was nothing that could ignite Gilles de Rais's potential more than those words. Upon hearing Suzuki's shout, Gilles de Rais, who was struggling against the engulfing mire magic, let out another rousing roar. His eyes turned red, and he unleashed a series of Noble Phantasms, causing his body to lose rational control.
The objective was simple: fight, win, and rescue Jeanne. Gilles de Rais knew that he wouldn't survive until tomorrow once he started using his Noble Phantasms today. Before his sanity completely disappeared, before his body completely collapsed, he just needed to unleash his full potential.
From the beginning, this battle of two against one was destined to be heavily against him. To reverse the disadvantage, using the forbidden book yesterday and staking his life today was the most logical choice. Gilles de Rais was not a top-tier Servant; he could barely be considered a second-rate one, relying on his achievements in the Hundred Years' War to maintain his position. But for Jeanne's sake, he didn't care about discarding everything he had left. He couldn't reach Rouen on May 30, 1431, but this time he wouldn't allow himself to be late again.
"In the name of the Command Spell, I command Saber Gilles de Rais to be blessed with the ability to evade magic."
Suzuki decisively used his last remaining Command Spell. He knew that if he didn't use it now, he wouldn't have another chance to use it on Jeanne. Once Gilles de Rais was defeated, he would have nowhere to escape.
Empowered by the Command Spell, Gilles de Rais automatically broke free from the mire. The black flames unleashed by Brunhilda did not immediately ignite his body. He swung his blade directly at Berserker's face, and the violent gust of wind, also recognized as magic, automatically avoided Gilles de Rais.
The frenzied Berserker paid no attention to tactics and swung his sword in the same manner. This berserker was not a Servant who cared about his own body. He had self-recovery capabilities and a full-body armor far stronger than Gilles de Rais.
The two swords collided, producing a piercing friction sound accompanied by a clash of magical powers. Both swords showed signs of cracking, and Gilles de Rais surpassed Berserker in their power struggle, forcing the burly Berserker to retreat three steps in succession.
In a flash of swordlight, Gilles de Rais thrust his sword into Berserker's chest, but the latter avoided any vital areas, allowing the sword to pierce his right chest. Even so, it was enough for Gilles de Rais to seize the opportunity. He pushed the sword hilt with all his strength and then released it, taking two steps forward. Gilles de Rais reached out his hands, firmly grabbing Berserker's waist armor and swiftly aiming for his neck.
Berserker's full-body armor did not protect his head, and the protection for his neck was also imperfect. Gilles de Rais's actions, though mad, might indeed pose a threat to Berserker with his bare hands.
At this moment, unable to wait for the effect of the Command Spell to wear off, Brunhilda also raised her right hand, and two Command Spell traces lit up on the back of her hand. Brunhild understood the situation clearly. Gilles de Rais was fighting desperately, and the safest way was to drag it out until his magical energy was depleted. Alternatively, she could wait for another minute for the blessing of the Command Spell to expire, and she could easily defeat Gilles de Rais with the help of her magecraft and her Servant. But even waiting for a minute was not an option. Brunhilda didn't want to take any risks. In her opinion, as long as Berserker remained undefeated, she held the winning hand. There was no need to save the Command Spells just to maintain her arrogant stance.
"In the name of the Command Spell, Berserker La Hire, unleash your Noble Phantasm's true name!"
The berserker, devoid of reason, was desperately resisting the enemy who was trying to grab his head and neck. Influenced by the Command Spell, the true name of his Noble Phantasm flashed in his mad mind. "de la Patay," the sword of furious rage.
Following the command of the "Maiden," he used his Noble Phantasm to eliminate all enemies obstructing the "Maiden." Berserker lifted the massive sword with one hand, his incoherent mouth about to shout out the revealed true name of his Noble Phantasm.
Derived from the feat of breaking through the English army's frontline in the Battle of Patay, it was an attack capable of smashing through any formidable defense line in the world.
"...Maiden?" Berserker, forcibly recalling the true name of his Noble Phantasm, briefly flashed back to the face of the young girl who saved Orléans. Although his loss of sanity made it difficult for him to remember Jeanne's complete appearance, she was not like his current Master, who revealed the evil nature of a witch. She was a pure girl, radiant like a holy light.
La Hire's gaze shifted from Gilles de Rais to Brunhilda and the enormous crystal. "Jeanne d'Arc!!!"
Berserker forcefully pushed away the male Servant he had interacted with before in his life and swung his sword fiercely toward Brunhilda.
"'Furious Greatsword (de la Patay)!!'"
Sensing the danger, Brunhilda quickly used her third Command Spell to negate the activated Noble Phantasm.
However, the third Command Spell she urgently activated flashed and took effect on the Servant, but the Noble Phantasm was still unleashed.
A violent gust swept through, causing the marshes and trees along its path to scatter in the destructive wind. Brunhilda's magical defenses shattered instantly, and she was blown away more than ten meters by the fierce wind, losing her grip on her staff in the process.
A sword wound suddenly appeared on Brunhilda's body; her durability as a class-changed Lancer decreased, but maintaining the Lancer class might have prevented any severe injuries.
With a heavy thud, Brunhilda fell to the ground after the chaotic whirlwind. She was not an ordinary Servant who would be killed by a single blow; she could hold on for a while before her body completely collapsed. For example, she could immediately sever the magical supply connection with Berserker.
Using the Noble Phantasm had nearly depleted Berserker's magical energy. After Brunhilda severed the supply, he felt his mind becoming clearer.
"I... What is this..."
La Hire turned his head and saw Gilles de Rais, with the latter's sword still impaled in his own body. He quickly understood what had just happened.
"Marshal Gilles de Rais, I can't believe I would lose to you!" La Hire still attempted to let out a furious roar, but his body no longer allowed it. Faint magical radiance shone from him as the Mad Warrior was about to dissipate.
"No, if you had just used your Noble Phantasm on me, I would have undoubtedly been defeated." Gilles de Rais hadn't expected La Hire to turn the blade against his Master, especially under the circumstances where he forcibly resisted the cancellation of the third Command Spell.
"Don't be late again, Marshal." Exhausting his last bit of strength, La Hire raised his hand and punched Gilles de Rais. In an instant, Berserker scattered into particles of light and disappeared.
"Yeah. I won't."
Picking up the sword stained with the blood of his fallen comrade, Gilles de Rais turned to look at the unaffected Master, Suzuki Yuki. The blessing of magic evasion ceased to have an effect.
Without saying much, it wasn't yet the moment to declare victory. Gilles de Rais raised his sword and charged towards the enormous crystal standing within the magic circle, colliding with the sturdy magical formation along with his body and sword.
His sword snapped, and his armor shattered due to his reckless action.
With a loud shattering sound, the crystal completely broke apart. Within the crystal, Jeanne d'Arc, wielding the sword Sainte Catherine, fell into Gilles de Rais' arms.
"Jeanne. It's wonderful." Gilles de Rais was so moved that tears were almost streaming down his face. Although the events of the Holy Grail War were nothing more than fleeting illusions to the true essence of the Heroic Spirit occupying the Throne, he had imagined this dream countless times. Even after being tempted by others and holding the Forbidden Book, he continued to fantasize about leading his army to break through the English defenses and storm into Rouen.
"Gilles..." Jeanne slowly woke up, only remembering being knocked unconscious by Berserker, and during that time, the witch Brunhilda seemed to have used black magic to guide her into reliving the day of the stake. But this time, she held on until reinforcements arrived and saw her old friend before her despair consumed her.
"I'm sorry, Jeanne. It seems this time I arrived 980 years too early..." Tears fell onto Jeanne's cheeks as Gilles de Rais, filled with excitement, embraced her, wanting to express his faults and regrets with the most sincere words.
"No, Marshal Gilles de Rais. This time, it's just right."
