Disclaimer: I don't own Fate/Grand Order or anything; just the oc. Support the official release.

After a long walk, we are greeted by the sight of tall walls on the horizon. A little further and we reach a small fortress.

"We made it!" Ritsuka cheers.

However, as we got closer to the stone fortress itself, her enthusiasm was immediately replaced by dread.

The fortress that was in front of us was closer to ruins than a mighty stronghold. The walls of the fort were crumbling by the seams and vegetation slowly rose along the stone itself.

"What happened here…? Some kind of battle?" Mashu asked.

"No." My voice rings out. "Take a closer look. There are no scorch marks on the walls, no staircases broken. This was clearly not a siege… at least not one made by the English army."

Ritsuka just stares at the stone fortress as sadness swells in her heart. "But what happened here?" Her gaze turns to the slightly leaning gates.

At that moment, Semiramis appeared next to me. "The fortress is full of wounded and tired soldiers. The ones with less injuries are tending the ones that are severely injured. The ones that we encountered on the way were likely sent to patrol the perimeter."

"... we'll need to investigate." I turn to Artoria. "Can you shift to Spirit Form so that they don't see you? We can't have a repeat of last time."

"Very well." Artoria's body in a wisp of light. Though she is technically there, she doesn't have a physical body to interact with the world.

"Hey! What are you doing here!?" A soldier yells as he unsheathes his sword.

"Bonjour. We are travelers. We are not here to harm you. Please put down your weapons, monsieur." Mashu said.

'She has the accent down, but it's still very rough around the edges.' I thought.

"You are… not an enemy?" The soldier lowers his weapon before promptly collapsing on the ground, exhausted. "Thank goodness."

Cú Chulainn's voice enters my ears. "Whoa, either these guys are too lazy for their own good or-"

"They don't have the strength to continue." Artoria finished.

"I don't understand. Why is the war still going? King Charles VII should have signed a peace treaty with King Philip III. There's no reason to keep fighting." Mashu said.

The soldier looks perplexed. "Wait, are you saying you don't know?"

"Know what?" Ritsuka asks.

"King Charles VII is dead. He was burned by the witch's flames." The soldier clarifies, shocking everyone.

[If he is dead, then the French will have no reason to call for a ceasefire. They'll simply keep fighting the war until their spirit is all but broken]

"Do you know who did it?" Mashu asked.

"Everyone knows who did it." The soldier states. "It was Jeanne d'Arc. Resurrected as the 'Dragon Witch'."

"What did he just say!?" Olga Marie gawked.

"That can't be right." Romani began. "Jeanne d'Arc was a pivotal figure during the Hundred Year War and supported Charles VII throughout the war, even helping him become king of France. There is no way she would do something like that."

"You seem to have omitted an important detail Romani; she was burned at the stake." da Vinci reminded him. "She may have been summoned as a Servant and is seeking retribution."

Romani's looks at the Universe "Man" skeptically. "Are you saying that the Maiden of the Orleans is out for revenge? That seems a little out of character for her don't you think?"

"Remember, time itself is being turned inside out. Anything is possible at this point, all we can hope to do is adapt to the situation and hope for the best." da Vinci said.

"Her armies have laid waste to everything in sight. Villages, towns, even kingdoms; nobody is spared." The soldier grimaces. "The English ran with their tail between their legs the second the witch descended onto the battlefield, black flames destroying everything they touched."

"Oh my, that seems quite serious." Semiramis comments.

"Umm… who's Jeanne d'Arc?" Ritsuka asks innocently.

The moment she said that time seemingly stops, everyone looks at her weirdly like she has grown a second head.

It was so quiet that you could hear crickets in the background, and it was morning.

"Dumbass." Olga Marie groans.

"Saint Jeanne d'Arc, the savior. She's a world-renowned hero." Mashu said. "A woman who stood up to save France from being conquered in the late stages of the Hundred Years' War. She saved France at age 17, and managed to reclaim Orleans in just one year… but she was caught by the English army, and after an inquisition, she was burned at the stake." Her eyes furrowed. "They say that from the time of her imprisonment till her burning, she endured gruesome torture and humiliation daily. England wanted to prove that she was not a saint, but a heretic. So they tried to torture her into saying 'I did not hear the Lord's voice' but she refused and even while burning, she held onto her prayers."

Rituska was disheartened by the news. She saved her country and in return was put to death for it? That's not fair.

"How… Why would anyone do that?" Ritsuka was on the verge of tears.

"Power mostly. Jeanne d'Arc was a factor that the English army did not expect. Her mere presence could invigorate the morale of thousands of French soldiers and give them hope. She was a natural-born leader and someone who would have become something greater if left alone." I said. "Those who felt threatened by Jeanne's power orchestrated events so that they not only killed her but also destroyed her image. It's a horrible tragedy but this is how most heroes end up, killed by the vile ambitions of the very humans they protected in life."

Ritsuka and Mashu stayed quiet at this, letting his words sink in. A hero's story seemed to always end with tragedy, each one somewhat more brutal than the other. It didn't matter how they began or the support they garner, there would always be some factor that causes them to fall from grace whether from betrayal, weakness, timing, or power.

The Servants agreed with the Magician in a sense. Their tales spoke of humble beginnings only to end in tragedy and despair. It wouldn't be farfetched to say that their stories resonate somewhat but their motives and eras were completely different.

"Later, her honor was recognized and after 400 years, she was officially made a saint." Mashu said. "A powerless girl's wishes. In that regard, Jeanne d'Arc is definitely a top-rank Heroic Spirit."

Suddenly the sound of a bell catches our attention. "Enemies are coming! They are here!"

We all turn to see an army of skeletal monsters marching towards us with bloodied weapons in hand.

"Oh no… Oh God!" The soldier trembles in fright. "We're all going to die!"

"Magical Energy signals confirmed!" Romani calls out. "They are Familiars created from human corpses; undead!"

"Unlike last time, you are ready to face them." Olga Marie said. "Use everything you have to take them down!"

"Yes! Let's take them down, Master!" Mashu exclaims.

"Hahahaha! Now you're speaking my language, young lady!" Cú Chulainn materializes along with the other Servants.

"Eek!" The soldier screams as he sees a group of people coming out of nowhere.

I look at the young soldier. "You guys should focus on reinforcing your defenses." I raise my hand as wisps of energy appear on my fingers. "Let's go."

The Skeletal Soldiers let out something equivalent to a battle cry charge towards us with their weapons raised high.

Lu Bu roars and jumps high into the clouds themselves before falling from that very sky like an asteroid. The Skeletal Soldiers can do nothing as the General of Repetition crashes down on them followed by a mushroom cloud of grabble and dust. You can hear metal grinding against metal, monsters shrieking, and bones breaking.

The roar of Berserker is heard throughout the area, loud and thunderous.

A God of War has made his presence known, and his path of bloodshed will lead to your end.

"Hahahaha! That was awesome! Look at him go!" Cú Chulainn cackles. "He is a warrior through and through!"

"Indeed. His might and brutality are noteworthy. He certainly lives up to his reputation." Semiramis comments as she sees Lu Bu easily crush dozens of skeletons under his foot.

"But look," Medusa points to the large horde charging towards them. "It seems that he has missed a spot."

Semiramis looks at her skeptically. "Did you just make a joke?"

Medusa stays silent.

"Mashu?" Ritsuka looks at her Demi-Servant with worry.

"Don't worry, Master. My shield will bring you victory." Mashu said with a smile.

I arch an eyebrow. For a brief second, her Spirit Core shifted. Did the Servant merged with Mashu react to Ritsuka somehow? It seemed unlikely, but I should make a note of it for now.

The undead riders charge towards us with spears and swords in hand, ready to try and strike us down.

Keyword being "try".

"Trace on." EMIYA mutters his trademark aria, activating the Magic Circuits in his body. From the collective armory that is his Reality Marble, he materializes his signature Black Bow from his Magical Energy and accumulated years of use during his lifetime. He summons a single arrow in his hand and raises it up to his bow. His back straight, his mind clear, his focus absolute as he pulls the bow's string. He fires the arrow into the sky leaving a trail of azure light only to multiply into dozens and dozens of arrows flying straight towards the enemy. The undead cavalry stood no chance at the onslaught of arrows, arrows strong enough to pierce through solid steel, as it obliterated the vanguard leaving nothing broken fragments of bones and metal.

The soldier watches in awe and in fear as these strangers take down an undead legion with ease. To them, it is a practice match. The other soldiers standing above them must be thinking the same. These Titans appear out of nowhere and easily decimate an army that took them more effort to fight.

A shadow looms over the soldier and turns to see an undead ready to strike him down only to be pushed away by a monolithic shield. The girl continues her assault and wings the massive shield, crushing the undead with the force to break solid walls.

"Are you alright?" Mashu asked.

The soldier slowly nods.

Mashu smiles before changing back into a more serious look as undead close in on them. Cú Chulainn attacks the undead with his blood-red spear. They try to fight back, but their feeble weapons and sluggish movements are no match for the ferocity and speed of the Hound of Culann.

Medusa grabs her hair and snaps a strand off changing into long chains with nails at the end. She charges at the enemies in front of her, her movements are so swift and elegant that she seems to be floating in the air. The impossibly long chains wrap around the skeletal soldiers like a constrictor snake and with a tug, she easily crushes their bones.

"Amazing…!" Ritsuka says with stars in her eyes. "They are so cool!"

"Hmph, they are merely playing with their food. This would end quickly if they weren't playing around." Semiramis huffs.

"You are also not partaking in the battle, Assassin?" Salter asked.

"Please, these creatures are simply mere cannon fodder. Expendable soldiers who merely exist to deal with the weak humans. Why would I waste my energy on a battle that serves no purpose in the end?" Semiramis responds.

Salter stares at the Queen of Babylon but makes no comment about it. She turns her attention back to the "battle" in front of her. While the army of undead is fairly large, she can admit Semiramis is right that these creatures were nothing but cannon fodder to them.

Mashu swipes the sweat from her forehead as the last undead is dealt with. "Phew. Good work."

"Already? Wow, Servants are really strong." Ritsuka said.

"Nah, it's just guys being very weak." Cú Chulainn said as he kicks a skull away.

"_" Lu Bu lets out a soft groan.

"I-I can't believe you took that army by yourselves. Just who are you people?" The soldier asked.

I step forward. "Like my colleague said, we are travelers. We are used to this sort of thing."

The French soldier wants to ask what he meant by that but decides not to press further.

"Good. Do you think you can explain this to us from the start? Did Jeanne d'Arc really come back to life?" I asked.

"Yes. I took part in the siege of Orleans and the ceremony, so I remember it well. Her hair and skin color were different, but there's no question that she's the saint from the past." The soldier said. "Hearing that she was captured and burned at the stake, we trembled in fury. But… she was resurrected. And through a pact with the Devil, no less!"

"Devil? Are you referring to the undead?" Mashu asked.

"No, not those. Though a hassle, we can actually manage to handle them." The soldier said. "It is the monsters she has conjured to assist in her conquest. They are the reason why France is in such chaos-!"

"!" We turn towards the sky, something is flying straight towards us.

"Dammit, it's the witch's dragons! Everyone to battle stations!" The soldier screams and runs inside the stone fortress.

"Large Magical Energy signals are shown to be near you! They're moving fast!" Romani yells.

"Visual confirmed! But that's… it can't be…!" Mashu gawks.

"Dragons!?" Ritsuka exclaims.

In the sky, five large figures are flying towards the fortress. Their bodies are covered in scales from head to toe of varying colors. The most eye-catching detail are the massive pair of wings located where its arms should be and having the tails of a viper.

"Technically, those are wyverns; a subspecies of dragons. But that doesn't make them any less dangerous." I explained. Before letting out a sigh and walk forward. "These creatures shouldn't even exist in the 15th century. Someone really doesn't give two shits about the consequences."

Medusa observes him as he keeps walking. What is he planning?

"Where are you going?" Semiramis asked.

"I'm going to deal with these interlopers before they cause any more damage." With every step I take, gravity's hold seizes and I fly off straight towards the mindless lizards.

"He can fly!?" Ritsuka and Mashu exclaim at the same time.

"Hacks! I call hacks!" Olga Marie yells from the communicator.

"Fou!" Fou agrees.

"I was not expecting that." EMIYA remarks, though clearly in disbelief.

The others are just as surprised. Semiramis in particular as she now desires to "get closer" to find out his secrets.

Artoria is having similar thoughts. Just who is this "Frank?"

"Man, the more I see him do things, the more I want to fight him." Cú Chulainn said.

"He is crazy to take on dragons by himself!" Romani yells out.

"This is no time to be standing around, we must refortify our defenses! Soldiers, douse yourselves with water! You can momentarily defend yourselves from the flames!" A woman's voice grabs everyone's attention.

They turn to see a woman with long blond hair that she keeps braided on her back and blue eyes. She is wearing silver armor under a purple dress with a silver tiara adoring her head. The most notable feature is the large flag she carries with her.

"No way… you're-" The soldier cannot come up with the words to describe his stupor.

"You there! Please pick up your weapon and stand up! We will face this foe together!" The woman proclaims, her voice alone seemingly having an effect on the poor soldier.

"Is she…" Mashu mutters.

I fly up to the air to the monsters though I wasn't worried. Unlike dragons, wyverns were not as intelligent nor as powerful. They are akin to the wild animals humans would search for to hunt for food. They are still strong enough to give humans trouble, even a small army will have a hard time killing just one.

The wyverns take notice and glare at me.

"Return to your master... or die." I warned them.

The wyverns' only response are five beams of energy straight at me, resulting in an explosion. The wyverns roar in triumph at their victory, but as the smoke clears they are all shocked to see the man-thing still alive and unharmed.

Magical energy begins crackle around my body. "You asked for it." I raise my hand as the excess energy builds up in palm growing bigger by the second until it finally bursts, unleashing a chaotic stream of energy so bright it eclipses the sun's light. The wyverns don't have time to put up any resistance and are instantly incinerated by the attack, not even ashes remain.

"..." I turn around and flying down to the stone fortress. I land in front of everyone who are all sporting shocked faces but my attention is only on the new person.

"That was amazing, I never seen anything like it." She praises and shakes my hand. "If it was not for you these soldiers would have perished. Thank you so much!"

[Analysis Complete]

Servant Ruler

True Name: Jeanne d'Arc

Strength: D

Endurance: C

Agility: C

Mana: D

Luck: C

NP: B++

[Note: Also known as Joan of Arc, the Saint of Orleans. A commoner by birth, she has claimed to have heard the voice of God to fight. Both Jeanne and Gilles de Rias were decorated as saviors and national heroes by King Charles during the Hundred-Year War, however, she would meet her end at Place du Vieux-Marché in Rouen by burning at the stake resulting in Gilles going insane, turn his back on God to practice black magic, and commit atrocities before he was captured and hanged to death. For unknown reasons, her Spiritron signature is severely weakened]

"Think nothing of it. I was merely doing some pest control. I'm just glad I could talk to you under less dramatic circumstances, lady Saint." I said.

"...? You know who I am?" Jeanne asked.

I nod. "You Spiritron signature matches my records, Jeanne d'Arc."

"!?" Everyone said.

"Impossible! You're… RUN!" The soldiers all run away like their lives depend on it.

"..." Jeanne stares at the soldiers running away with a blank expression.

"So you are Jeanne d'Arc, the fabled 'Dragon Witch'?" Semiramis asks the Servant with a hint of amusement in her tone.

"You may just call me 'Ruler' for now. It is not a topic we should speak about in public." Jeanne said. "Please follow me. There is a forest nearby, we can talk there."

Mashu turns to her Master. "What should we do, Senpai?"

Ritsuka thinks for a moment. "I say we follow her. She may know what's going on around here."

The other Servants nod at this, seeing no other alternative but to trust the wayward Heroic Spirit.

[You can see it can't you? She's lost a lot of power]

'I know. Her Spirit Origin is severely depleted. It's a miracle she can even manifest a physical body considering that she's literally running on fumes.' I said. 'There's also something else, a connection. Likely from the other Ruler who has the same Saint Graph as her."

"Kyu Kyu Kyu~" Fou barks.

"She may be our only clue to understanding what is causing this Singularity." Olga Marie said. "Plus she's weakened, so if she tries to retaliate you can easily kill her."

"C-Chief, how can you say that!? That's Jeanne d'Arc, the Saint of France!" Romani exclaimed.

"Shut up and just do your job already Romani or else I'll cut off your supply of coffee beans again for a month!" Olga Marie screams out followed by the muffled sounds of Romani's sniffles.

"Ah, look at what you did Princess." da Vinci said.

"Stop calling me that!" Olga Marie shrieks like a banshee before the connection is cut.

"Well, I guess there's no other option." Mashu said.

The group follows the Maiden, hoping that she may shed some light as to what in the world is going on.

Frank is able to fire excess Magical Energy in the form of an energy beam capable of decimating enemies with ease. It is not a Noble Phantasm, but merely releasing then Magical Energy that has been building up inside his body. It is chaotic and volatile in nature. Once expunged it must be released or else the build up will risk destroying the continent.

Author Notes

EDIT: 8/16/2022

Here it is. I had some trouble when writing Semiramis lines because I wasn't sure on how to project her personality. It has been a while since I wrote this so I'm a little out of touch which is why this is a bit short.

As always, leave your comments. They are greatly appreciated.

Peace~