"How did you get here?!"
Semiramis lashed out with her chains. The high-speed whips could shatter solid granite, but they bounced harmlessly off Jiang You. Realizing the extent of his defensive capabilities, she hesitated to make another move. Meanwhile, Amakusa drew his Black Keys and assumed a defensive stance.
Unseen by Jiang You, Semiramis had already sent a message to all Servants and Masters within the Hanging Gardens. Soon, he would be surrounded by other Servants. At that point, she reasoned, no one—not even him—would be able to escape unscathed.
"I asked for directions. This is the only church of sufficient scale within the radius."
Jiang You pointed upward. "Once I confirmed the location, searching from the sky was the most efficient method. So, I had Melusine fly me here from above the stratosphere." He added as an aside, "Turns out, pigeons can't fly above the stratosphere."
"You said you were going to stop my plan?" Amakusa was more focused on Jiang You's latter statement. "Logically, only Semiramis and I should know about it. Do you truly understand what my plan entails?"
"Using the principles of the Third Magic to crystallize all of humanity, eliminating all barriers and achieving the grand unification of mankind..." Jiang You recited. There might be some minor differences, but that should be the gist of it.
Amakusa nodded. He didn't know how Jiang You had learned this, but the description was accurate. A sudden realization seemed to dawn on him, and as if receiving validation, his voice grew ecstatic. "So, as a member of the Beast Faction, you've come to stop me, haven't you? You couldn't bear to see humanity achieve its final salvation, so you manifested a Beast to stand in my way!"
"Whoa, hold on. Don't get so wrapped up in your own heroic fantasy."
Jiang You couldn't believe Amakusa had spun such a wild tale in his head, linking Jiang You's actions to the appearance of a Beast and casting himself as a genuine world savior.
"Weren't you the ones who attacked the Beast first? And are you insane? If this method of yours was so brilliant, why didn't you announce it to the world instead of skulking around here, afraid to be seen?"
"You don't understand."
Amakusa shook his head. "Every Servant in the Holy Grail War has their own desires. Even if they secretly agreed with me, they wouldn't consent. They all have wishes they need the Holy Grail to fulfill. Only when everyone has achieved salvation and their hearts are united can they truly understand my wish. What does it matter if I bear infamy to achieve that salvation?"
Jiang You scratched his head. This guy was different from Mapo Man. Mapo Man was lost and confused; this one had already gone completely off the deep end. Not that Jiang You had any expectations for him. With fanatics like this, it was best to just beat them into submission.
So, Jiang You pulled Achilles and Chiron over, pointing at Amakusa. "See? I wasn't lying, was I?"
As for why he didn't bring Atalante over, she hadn't yet regained her senses and likely wouldn't for a few more days. Dragging her out now for others to see would just be awkward.
"Turning humans into stone? Are you Medusa or something?"
Achilles glared at Amakusa with contempt. In his eyes, someone who made decisions for others without their consent was no different from a villain—especially when that decision affected all of humanity.
"I can't even imagine what this world would become if you actually succeeded. Looks like we'll have to take you out right here."
After Chiron woke up, Jiang You had explained the situation. Having seen the state of the other world and Tiamat's attitude, Chiron understood there must have been a misunderstanding. Regardless, he couldn't condone Amakusa's wish. "My apologies, Lord Amakusa Shirou Tokisada, but I cannot approve of your wish. The outcome you seek is no different from world destruction. Please, stop."
But Jiang You wasn't finished. He then pulled out someone Amakusa hadn't expected at all.
"Look at this! This is what your Einzbern family has wrought! Aren't you going to do something about it?"
"Lady Irisviel..."
One was Irisviel von Einzbern, Amakusa's former Master. His goal of saving the world through Soul Crystallization was, to some extent, influenced by her.
The other was the Mage Killer, Kiritsugu Emiya.
"We're truly sorry."
This was the first time Jiang You had summoned the married couple from the Fourth Holy Grail War into another worldline, and they had arrived right in the middle of a crisis threatening humanity's very existence. After learning the situation, Mrs. Irisviel could only apologize to Jiang You. She had no idea what the version of herself who had never met Kiritsugu—or her Servant—might have said or done.
"We've caused you trouble."
Kiritsugu had seen the effects of Soul Crystallization firsthand. It was impossible for such a state to retain human consciousness. Therefore, he vehemently opposed Amakusa's plan.
"Since this is our family's business, I will resolve it."
"...And who might you be?"
Ah, right. In this timeline, Irisviel had participated in the war herself. The Einzbern family hadn't hired an outside contractor, so Amakusa had no idea who Kiritsugu was.
Kiritsugu wasted no words. He drew the firearm from his coat and opened fire on Amakusa. Against someone who threatened world peace and brought death, Kiritsugu's philosophy was simple: kill them.
Amakusa sliced the incoming bullets with his Black Keys. With a Servant's physical abilities, a feat even that priest could manage was trivially easy for him. At that moment, he also recalled the intelligence Caules had provided: the unknown Servant was connected to the Second Magic. That explained how the long-dead Irisviel could be here. "I see... an Einzbern from a parallel world? In that case, Irisviel, you who have betrayed the Einzbern family's pursuit of the Root—I will strike you down as well! Salvation will not stop here! Salvation will be achieved!"
A peaceful resolution was now impossible. Semiramis launched her own attack, while Achilles and Chiron also sprang into action.
Suddenly, black thorns erupted from the ground, blocking Achilles and Chiron's advance.
"It seems that boy Caules's intelligence was accurate after all. You possess some kind of mental control Skill."
Darnic, leading the Masters and Servants of the Black Faction, arrived alongside the Red Faction. Glaring at Jiang You, he eyed the two Servants who had once been their allies.
"Precisely why we cannot afford to be careless."
The Lord stepped forward. Within the borders of Romania, he was undoubtedly a top-tier Servant, capable of forcing even Karna to retreat. The fact that the Hanging Gardens had not been deployed actually helped the Lord maintain his full power.
"As long as we stand on this land, mental control cannot affect me. I will handle this one. The rest of you, eliminate those two traitors."
"Ganging up on the few isn't what heroes do, you know."
Jiang You couldn't be bothered to play cards in such a low-tier match. He directly had Melusine descend, and while he was at it, he also summoned Jeanne and Jalter.
"How many more do you have? Bring them all out at once!"
"If you're going to blame someone, blame yourselves for not having enough poison resistance!"
The Empress snorted coldly and unleashed her trump card, second only to the Hanging Gardens.
"This is a venom that surpasses even the Hydra's! It's too late for regrets now!"
For some reason, as Jiang You stared at the giant beast Semiramis had summoned, he found it strangely familiar.