The Second Order- France 1431 A.D.

The first target after Singularity F was France, in the time of the Hundred-Years War. The time would be 1431 A.D. in the time of Jeanne D'Arc's demise and a truce between France and England. Reports of a figure claiming to be Jeanne D'Arc arose from Orleans, and the castle was swiftly taken by her forces. This is important to note, since the woman is noted to have summoned [Wyverns] and [Dragons], Phantasmal Beasts of extremely high magecraft skill. It is highly likely a Holy Grail was involved in their summoning.

This is not the only problem, however. The politicians who should have sent soldiers to counter these forces have neglected to do so. Instead, they opted to make a deal with Jeanne D'Arc and join forces, aiming to reignite the flames of war with England and possibly all of Europe. Should this continue, the Hundred-Years War would spiral into a truly endless conflict on par with the world wars of recent history. France's unrivaled draconic forces would overwhelm the world, and humanity would spiral down into a road of ruin. This aligns with the threat to the Human Order and must be dealt with immediately.

Now that Chaldea's Sheba Lens and Laplace are functioning normally, Rayshifting to the Singularity proved to have no problems. The Master's health was noted to be fine, and the Servant's Spiritron integrity was also operational.

The mission is as follows: acquire the Holy Grail and eliminate the source of the Phantasmal Beast summoning. If possible, this must be accomplished before the entirety of France is destroyed and the war of extinction fully develops.

Upon arrival, Rikka Fujiwara and her partner Saber were both accosted by wyverns, driving them off with difficulty. However, both of them encountered their first ally: a woman clad in armor and wielding a standard who called herself Jeanne D'Arc. Chaldea detected a Servant signal, and it had been confirmed to be that of the Extra class, Ruler.

Together, the three journeyed throughout France and encountered foes and allies alike. There was the Caster Amadeus Mozart and the Rider Marie Antoinette, encountered in La Charitie. The Saber-class hero Siegfried was recruited in Lyon, and proved to be a valuable asset in destroying the dragons. Saint George was also found there, and aided us in removing the curse on Siegfried. Finally, the last two allies were the Berserker Kiyohime and the Lancer Elizabeth Bathory.

But one by one, they fell in battle against the forces of Dark Jeanne.

Jeanne D'Arc and Dark Jeanne

The Jeanne D'Arc that accompanied the Master is the one that matched the historical profiles. Ruler proved to be

The other Jeanne, labeled [Dark Jeanne] for her warped behavior, seemed to be an impostor.

This Dark Jeanne had an entourage of Servants, their reasoning muddled by Madness Enhancement. She had acquired Rider Saint Martha, though the Rider proved to be able to resist the influence to some degree to help us. Dark Jeanne also had Chevalier D'eon, the vampires Carmilla and Dracula, Atalanta the Archer, and Sir Lancelot. In a spiteful effort to remove Marie Antoinette, she summoned her executioner, the Assassin Charles Henri Sanson. When that did not completely work in the way Dark Jeanne wanted, she forcibly repaired his Spirit Origin by dubious means. This resulted in Chaldea fighting a monstrous dragon-Servant hybrid at the gates of Orleans Castle.

She pitted her own Servants against our own Servant allies, never caring for how the battles turned out. Or if she did, it never showed. There was only anger, sadistic pleasure, or disgust in that woman's face.

But in the final encounter between this fake Jeanne and the real Jeanne, it was revealed that Dark Jeanne was in fact a construct of the Holy Grail, born from the wishes of Gilles De Rais. She is a manifestation of what her subordinate thought of her, or rather the ideal that Jeanne expressed her anger in the final moments.

Though such an existence is impossible to occur in regular history, Chaldea has recorded this anomaly.

Aftermath

After the defeat of Gilles De Rais, Dark Jeanne, and the [Demon God Pillar], a Holy Grail was found amidst the debris of the decaying foe. The Last Master obtained the chalice and she was promptly Rayshifted back along with her partner.

France's truce resumed as it had been in the natural flow of history, and the distortion was corrected. Now the next mission lies in Rome, where reports of multiple resurrected Roman emperors are competing against each other for the entire empire…and each of them have their own agenda for Rome.

Memo: Demon God Pillar "Naberius"

I never expected one of our allies to become the final enemy in this Singularity. But at the same time, I suppose it had to be considered.

He was kind to the Master as we all made our way through France. In battle, he had her back every step of the way. His music was truly the work of a genius, and his banter with Marie Antoinette put many smiles on my face.

I've never met them, but I felt right at home when the little queen shot insults at the musician and he took them all in stride.

But that doesn't take away the fact that he betrayed us.

"Well done, Miss Fujiwara. A splendid performance, however this is not the final act."

The Caster stepped forward without hesitation towards the remains of the one known as Gilles De Rais and picked up the Grail. At once, an air of tension caused Saber Lily to be on high alert. Her green eyes gave a concerning look at her Master.

"Now then, Lancer! You are the kind who enjoys putting on a show, right? Let's give the Chaldean Master a fanfare of a farewell!"

"I-" The reptilian pink-haired idol staggered towards the musician Caster, unable to resist the pull of the Grail. "Deerlet," she mumbled as her blue eyes dulled, "Help…save me…"

"Oh Golden Cup, you who spills the filth of humanity, awaken your true form! Remember! Resurrect what once stood as the idol of greed! Naberius, engorge yourself!"

The castle began to shake with Mozart's words and the one-note cry from Elizabeth that grew into a horrendous crescendo. His form began to glow, expanding into a tentacle-like shape that pierced right through the castle ceiling. But that wasn't the worst part. No, the worst was when Elizabeth Bathory began to actually sing instead of vocalize.

It was supposed to sound awful and loud, powered by her draconic breath. But she wasn't singing for herself. She was singing for the Demon God Pillar.

The melody was powerful, strident and twisted in that it sounded like anguished wails of a language no one could understand. Her words were incomprehensible, but her voice easily conveyed a sense of chaos.

"Saber," Rikka said to her partner. She looks scared, but determined. "We have to take this thing down. Are you ready to fight like our lives depend on it?"

She nods bravely. "I am!"

"Let's cut this thing down!"