Fate/ Grand Crypter

Chapter 23 (Orleans)

Orleans Castle towered over the landscape, like the hand of a giant reaching to tear down the heavens. Its walls were black with soot and burn marks, and its rooves and windows shattered and broken from prior assaults. The symbol of a dragon hung from balustrades and flag poles, and where no flag swung, the corpse of a wyvern was put in its place, its still corpse locked in a roar towards any who would dare assault the home of the Dragon Witch. The castle wore its bloody history like a badge, announcing to the world that it stood for one reason and one reason only. To destroy France and with it human history.

Leo's eyes, however, were not locked on Orleans Castle. His focus was on the ground at its foot. A sea of flame raged, with pillars of dark fire crashing forth only to be silenced by an equally powerful attack. A battle of incredible proportions was already occurring, a sight that stunned the group to silence. Eventually, Atalante broke the silence.

"This... this is not natural. Even with all we have seen, this simply cannot be."

Leo found it hard not to agree with her. Two sides battled out below them, both of which he recognised. The first was the most concerning. Hundreds of women, all dressed in black armour and wielding spears and dragon flags, all launching fireballs towards their foes. Below them, hundreds of Dragon Witches fought, their strength turning all around them to ash. Their opponents, however, were not going down without a fight.

"Lord Kirschtaria!" Ophelia said, somewhat in shock.

"Who?" Kiyohime asked.

"That's our allies," Leo said, pointing down. "The other mages from Chaldea, that's who these... Dragon Witches are trying to destroy."

The 6 other members of Team A were all fighting below, their Servants alongside them. Leo could see Kirshtaria, a few steps behind Caenis and Mash, weaving various pieces of magecraft at once.

"Your allies are... quite impressive," Atalante said. "To be able to deal with so many ... Witches all at once..."
"They are not the same as the one we fought," Sigurd said. "They may be many, but compared to the two Dragon Witches we killed, their magical ability is low and their durability is probably similarly affected. They feel much closer to the wyverns than the Witch."

"What a sight," Oberon observed. "This is truly the pinnacle of foolishness."

Leo recalled Gilles's description of how the second Dragon Witch had been born and gritted his teeth. That the Dragon Witch could revive using the bodies of wyverns had been hard enough to accept, but this was an altogether different matter. The scale of this work was terrifying. At least the Witches were weaker when they were mass-produced like this.

"Jeanne..." Gilles looked down at the brawl with a mixture of horror and disgust on his face. "What... have they done to you?"

"We need to help them," Atalante said. "Even with the power your comrades hold, they cannot hold out forever. We need to lend our assistance."

"Alternatively," Leo said. "This could be the perfect opportunity." He glanced over at Ophelia, who met his gaze warily. She bit her lip and nodded slowly.

"Leo... is right. Kirschtaria and the others can hold out. While the enemy is distracted, this is our chance to get into the castle and deal with whoever is behind this. The Holy Grail must be in play to create this many copies, even imperfect ones. If we can get it, we can end this whole thing."

"But Ophelia," Kiyohime said. "Isn't he-"

"He is giving us this chance," Ophelia interrupted, firmly. "I will not waste it."

Atalante and Kiyohime exchanged glances and nodded slowly. Behind her, Sigurd nodded appreciatively. Gilles appeared far too consumed by watching the battle below, his face a mixture of emotions. Finally, he spoke.