[FMMIKA] Chapter 243: Dragon Emperor vs Dragon Witch

"Do you want to continue?" Artorius calmly asked without expression. "I don't mind at all if you still want to continue."

"!!!"

His question was met with a vicious swing of a flagpole.

"Well, I don't dislike bad children."

Artorius said calmly as he exchanged a fierce blow with Jalter's flagpole using his fist.

In an instant, the balcony they stood on crumbled as if it were nothing but sand. The force of gravity pulled them downward.

But, just before that happened, both Artorius and Jalter leaped into the air. Only Gilles was startled by Artorius's sudden action.

He had once been a fearsome Marshal of France, a knight wielding a sword on horseback. However, in recent years, he delved into dark magecraft and engaged in other unconventional activities that severely damaged his body. As a result, his reaction was rigid and slow as he was the only one who fell with embarrassment.

Fortunately, at the last moment, a wyvern emerged to catch him, sparing him from facing defeat before he even started.

The next moment, the entire Orleans Palace was reduced to ashes. Amidst the thunderous explosions, Artorius stood with his sword, untouched by the dust and smoke, radiating an eternal, almost godlike presence.

In stark contrast, Jalter burned with vengeful black flames and appeared like a demon from hell, while the messy heretic mage Gilles looked more like a clown.

"Who the hell are you... really?" Jalter regarded the Dragon Emperor with a deep sense of wariness.

Despite having returned from the depths of hell, despite possessing the Holy Grail, and becoming so powerful, rallying armies, summoning Servants, and being ready for sweet revenge upon France, everything seemed to have taken a sudden and unforeseen turn.

Why?

Her previously high regard for Artorius had all but vanished at that moment. The current Jalter regarded him as a rival, an enemy that had to be defeated.

Meanwhile, more enemies were converging.

Even though the Holy Grail that Gilles had obtained didn't grant infinite energy like the genuine one, it was still relatively easy to assemble an invincible army during medieval times.

On the ground, an endless legion of skeleton warriors marched tirelessly. These tireless, fearless undead creatures were the perfect army in the eyes of the ambitious. They were a vast horde of cannon fodder, rivaling even robots.

In the skies, controlled and constrained by the Dragon Witch's power, a legion of bloodthirsty wyverns, driven mad, thirsting for the blood of their enemies, loomed. These creatures, which were supposed to have faded into obscurity after the Age of Gods, hidden or banished to the reverse side of the world, had now become a crucial part of Jalter's army.

With their increased power and mobility, the wyvern army, in an instant, tore the once-proud heavily armored knights of France into shreds.

Of course, in comparison to what was to come, the former two armies seemed less significant.

Servants.

Several Servants were summoned in a single breath.

The first one was a beauty dressed like a French Musketeer, it wasn't clear whether they were a 'he' or 'she'. The legendary French spy, Chevalier d'Eon.

The second one was a matchless general wielding a long black sword. He seemed to be mindless and attacked his enemy like a berserker. The executioner, Charles-Henri Sanson.

Then, the last one was a lady who wore an eyepatch and looked like she was dressed for a secret society gathering. The very famous vampire known as the Blood Countess, Elizabeth Bathory. Of course, here, she preferred to be called Carmilla.

Artorius instinctively saluted her, and she responded with a smile.

If the situation had been different, perhaps there would have been more conversation.

If you add Vlad III, the former king who had been defeated by Artorius with a single move and thereafter retreated in disgrace, there would be four Servants at the moment.

And this didn't even count Jalter herself.

Perhaps there were other Servants outside, or it was simply a matter of haste, and Jalter had only summoned these few. But for Artorius, it didn't really matter.

In response to Jalter's previous question, Artorius only smiled.

"I am someone you can never defeat, little girl." He said to Jalter nonchalantly. "Just surrender obediently."

"Ahhhh! Ahhh!"

Before Jalter could say anything, it was Gilles who erupted first.

"It's you again! You dare to appear in front of me again, obstructing me and my revenge! You're unforgivable!"

"Gilles...?"

Though Jalter knew her 'friend' or even 'mentor' had a terrible mental state, watching Gilles engage in self-torture, tearing at his hair so wildly that he even ripped off his scalp, causing blood to flow, she was still surprised.

'Does Gilles know this guy?'

'Have they had conflicts before?'

'But Gilles never said anything...'

This confusion left Jalter baffled.

'Does he remember me?'

At the same time, Artorius speculated and looked at Gilles with an intrigued gaze, then denied his speculation.

'Well, no... not at all.' Artorius shook his head. 'He is not Gilles von Rais. It's Gilles de Rais from a different timeline... is it because of a mental influence? Clearly, he is not a Servant... or...'

Artorius had already thought of several answers and words that could overturn people's beliefs.

But for Jalter, whose mind wasn't working that well, dealing with this chaotic information was too troublesome. So, she decided to keep it simple.

"Are you here to stop my revenge? Then you're an enemy! Let's fight, unknown Servant!"

The next second, their weapons clashed once again, but this time, it wasn't a powerful blow that sent her flying. It was a soft, skillful strike, almost like hitting cotton, making Jalter feel extremely awkward.

"That's fine..." Artorius responded. "Although I'm not an enemy, but—"

*BANG!*

In the next second, Jalter was knocked to the ground.

"For a foolish girl like you, it's not a bad idea to give you a good beating first."

The intense pain nearly made Jalter scream, but she held it in.

Even though it was clear she was on the verge of tears, she forced herself to say, "It doesn't hurt at all! Hah! You bastard just all talk!"

All of these made Artorius feel like he was bullying her.

*BOOM!*

Another round and Jalter still failed. Besides the pain, her wrist was dislocated by Artorius. It seemed like the Dragon Emperor wanted to resolve the fight without taking her life.

As Gilles watched his holy maiden get beaten black and blue, a growing sense of frantic despair overcame him. He gazed at the three Servants who were only watching in silence.

"Why are you all just standing there like fools?! Hurry, go help Jeanne!"