With a single snap of Semiramis's fingers, the magical energy of the entire Hanging Gardens converged at the tip of the central tower.
The extraordinary purple radiance, which had once blasted Siegfried away and forced Vlad III into full defense, was reignited. In the next second, it transford into a torrent no less formidable than the iron pillar piercing the sky, roaring forth.
This torrent instantly engulfed Spartacus's body. The intense heat contained within began to lt the Berserker's form—skin, fat, muscle, blood vessels, blood, nerves, bones, and organs—as if it intended to completely vaporize the human bomb approaching the Hanging Gardens.
For the first ti, Spartacus made no sound upon being struck—not because he didn't want to, but because he couldn't. His throat and vocal cords had been destroyed by the heat.
Yet the magic cannon's effects were not limited to high temperatures. It also delivered a massive physical impact. Under this impact, in less than a breath's ti, the upward montum brought by Hippogriff was halted.
No matter how much Astolfo squeezed out his magical energy, or how hard Hippogriff flapped its wings, they could not overco the imnse pressure from the magic cannon. They could only watch helplessly as their ascent slowed, stopped, and then began to descend from the highest point.
This was why Semiramis was so composed. A full-speed Hippogriff was hard to catch, but one carrying Spartacus was a simple moving target, requiring no complex spells—just a maximum-output cannon blast to send it back.
As Astolfo began to fall, he was in a panic, muttering, "Oh no, oh no, what should I do, what should I do, Assassin..."
Despite the shock, Shinji remained calm. He bit his lip and made a decision: "Don't do anything. Just hold on as long as you can. Leave the rest to ."
"But what should I—?"
"You'll find out soon."
With that, Shinji cut off his connection with Astolfo and, with a powerful leap, launched himself into the air.
"Master, I have a request."
"A request? What request?"
Shinji's Master was, of course, Fiore, who was intently watching the magical projection, monitoring Shinji's every move. She was accompanied by the entire Yggdmillennia faction, led by Darnic.
"Wait for my signal. As soon as I give it, use a Command Spell to pull back to your side. Do it fast, as fast as you can. If you're late, I might be nothing but ashes."
"Huh? Why?"
"No ti to explain. Just be quick. Oh, and prepare for an impact."
"Impact?"
Fiore was about to ask more, but Shinji had already severed the telepathic link.
Nearby, Caules asked, "What's going on, sister?"
"Assassin said we should prepare for an impact."
"Impact? From where?"
"I think it has sothing to do with what they're doing."
Darnic, ever the seasoned strategist, had already figured out part of the plan. With a wave of his cane, he activated the castle's defensive spells. Though he wasn't sure how effective modern magical defenses would be against Servants, it was better than nothing.
Fiore, Caules, Celenike, and Roche all joined in to help.
At that mont, Gordes suddenly pointed to one of the magical projections.
"Hey, look at this."
The previously clear screen was suddenly overtaken by a shimring radiance.
At the center of the light was sothing white, sothing even purer than the radiance itself.
It was sothing that had long disappeared from this world, sothing older than Astolfo's Hippogriff, a fantastical being from the age of myths.
"Is that... a Pegasus?"
Fiore's eyes widened in disbelief as she stared at the pure white mythical creature ridden by Shinji.
"Yes," Darnic replied, slightly moved.
"And it doesn't seem to be an ordinary Pegasus."
"When it cos to entities related to Pegasus, only a few co to mind," Caules said thoughtfully, resting his chin on his hand.
The image of the pure white horse with wings appears in Greek mythology.
There are five figures associated with it in myths:
dusa: Pegasus was born from dusa's blood.
Perseus: Killed dusa and either rode Pegasus away or Pegasus flew away by itself.
The Muses: Pegasus later landed on Mount Helicon, creating the Hippocrene spring, a source of inspiration for poets. In so versions, Pegasus beca the Muses' mount.
Athena: Tad Pegasus.
Bellerophon: Athena gave Pegasus to Bellerophon, who used it to battle the Chira. Bellerophon later attempted to fly to Olympus and join the gods, but Zeus sent a gadfly to sting Pegasus, causing Bellerophon to fall to his death. Zeus then placed Pegasus in the sky as a constellation.
Two of these deities couldn't possibly be summoned due to the limitations of the Fuyuki Holy Grail system. dusa, being a Gorgon, was also unlikely. This left only Bellerophon and Perseus, and considering the relic Fiore used, the answer was clear.
"That liar! What 'forgot his na Assassin', what 'impossible to be Perseus', it's all lies."
Fiore was furious, gritting her teeth in anger.
"When you co back, I'll make sure you pay for this!"
Unaware of his Master's anger, Shinji, even if he knew, would have just laughed it off.
This plan couldn't afford to fail, and Shinji had to use every available resource. Pegasus was his final safety net, ant to counter unforeseen circumstances, such as Semiramis's magical interference, Astolfo possibly being knocked away by Spartacus, Hippogriff being unable to support Spartacus's weight alone, or Semiramis intercepting with magic.
Given the critical nature of this move, the misunderstandings of his Master and the entire Black Faction were insignificant.
The Pegasus, a creature comparable to dragonkind, beat its pure white wings, releasing imnse magical energy as it soared into the sky. The spectacle rivaled the full-force blast of Semiramis's magic cannon.
Amidst the diffusing radiance, Shinji pulled on the reins and loudly declared the true na of his most powerful Noble Phantasm:
"Bellerophon (Bridle of Chivalry)!"
And then, like a cot, he surged towards the moon!
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