69novels Page 70
Page 70
However, it did not pierce the heart as precisely as expected.
"...Tch, did I mess up?"
Lanc looked at his masterpiece and clicked his tongue in annoyance. He keenly sensed something was wrong, but couldn't quite put his finger on it, ultimately attributing it to his "bad luck" that day.
Rin, on the other hand, seized this once-in-a-lifetime opportunity!
Without hesitation, she threw out all the gems in her hand!
boom--!
A violent explosion sent up clouds of smoke and blinding light! Taking advantage of Lanc's moment of evasion, she rushed forward, pulled up the still-stunned Shirou Emiya and the equally shocked Joan of Arc, and swiftly retreated from the battlefield.
"Consider yourselves lucky, you little devil."
Lanc watched the three figures disappear without giving chase. To him, pursuing a few opponents who escaped by "luck" was hardly a glorious feat.
He shouldered the demonic spear, whistling, and disappeared into the night.
128 Convenient Alliances and Unexpected Battlegrounds
The night breeze was slightly cool. Rin dragged an injured soldier (Emiya Shirou) and a "problem servant" (Jeanne d'Arc) as they sped through the streets and alleys of Fuyuki City.
She did not choose to return to the Tohsaka family mansion, which served as a magician's workshop. Although it was safe there, it was also easy to be exposed. She knew that in this Holy Grail War that had long since gone astray, the man who sat leisurely behind the scenes, "live-streaming" everything in real time, was the real key to breaking the deadlock.
Going to him is the wisest choice.
"Hey, Tohsaka...where are we going?" Shirou Emiya, half-dragged and half-pulled by her, asked in confusion while enduring the excruciating pain from his wounds.
"Shut up, just follow along," Rin replied irritably.
On the way, she patiently explained the cruel rules of the Holy Grail War to the two "newbies".
"...Seven Masters and seven Servants fought each other to seize the Holy Grail, which can grant any wish, until only one group remained. This is the Holy Grail War."
"Mutual...killing?" Shirou Emiya's face turned even paler. He found it hard to accept this cruel rule that required sacrificing others to achieve one's desires.
“Yes,” Joan of Arc spoke up, her voice filled with confusion and a sense of sacred mission, “and I, who was supposed to be the arbiter of this war, responsible for overseeing the fairness of the ceremony. But for some reason, I was unexpectedly summoned as a participant. All of this is strange.”
The sheer volume of information overwhelmed Shirou's still-developing "everyday" worldview, leaving him struggling to process it all.
Just then, Rin quietly opened the chat group in her mind.
[Jewel Magician]: Observer, I've rescued Emiya and his Rul. I'm bringing them to you now. What's next?
[Observer]: Well done.
[Observer]: Following the current, let's form an alliance with them first. Coincidentally, I'm also very interested in that boy's projection magic. Take this opportunity to test his potential for me.
Having received Gu Chuan's instructions, Lin immediately felt reassured.
Soon, the three arrived at the Matou family's old residence, which was filled with an ominous aura but had now become Gu Chuan's headquarters.
After confirming that there were no surveillance cameras around, Rin pushed open the heavy door.
Inside the command center, that familiar figure, whom she both loved and hated, was leisurely sitting on the sofa, sipping red tea.
"Gu Chuan!"
The moment Rin saw him, her tense heart finally relaxed completely. All her guard, unease, and exhaustion transformed into the purest, most heartfelt joy and dependence!
Like a fledgling returning to its nest, she cheered, opened her arms, and rushed towards the embrace of the Yiqi Yiba Baqun she had been longing for day and night!
However, just as she was about to hug Gu Chuan, her movements suddenly froze.
Because she saw a figure sitting obediently on the sofa behind Gu Chuan, a figure that was both incredibly familiar and incredibly unfamiliar to her.
—That was her younger sister, Sakura, who had grown into a beautiful young woman.
Beside Sakura stood a cute girl dressed as a maid with short pink hair and a black devil tail trailing behind her!
Boom—?{〃One Forest 1 Fin?5 Guilt Four Long Conquest! !! !! !
An emotion mixed with shock, astonishment, grievance, and intense jealousy erupted in Rin's heart like a volcano!
One second she was like a kitten returning home, the next she transformed into a furious tigress!
"—Gu! Chuan!"
She gritted her teeth and spat out the name, one word at a time, "Explain yourself! What's going on?! Why is Sakura here?! And what the hell is this maid with a tail?!"
"Dad, Sister Rin... seems really angry." Sakura shrank back behind Gu Chuan, a little scared.
"Dad, Dad?!"
This address was like adding fuel to the fire, causing Rin to completely lose control!
"Ah, this is a long story..." Gu Chuan looked at the sudden, chaotic scene before him, and even he couldn't help but feel a headache coming on.
Just as he was about to explain the "twisted cause and effect" of the past ten years, two curious and confused voices, who had been left waiting at the door, broke the awkward atmosphere.
"Um... excuse me..."
Emiya Shirou and Jeanne d'Arc, looking at the scene before them that was filled with the atmosphere of a "family drama," were somewhat at a loss.
In the end, it was Shirou, filled with a sense of justice, who broke the silence first. He walked up to Gu Chuan and, though somewhat nervous, earnestly introduced himself.
"Nice to meet you. My name is Emiya Shirou. I am... one of the Masts chosen by the Holy Grail."
“I am his servant, Joan of Arc.” The saintess also gave Gu Chuan a standard knightly salute. “Although I do not know who you are, I thank you for your help just now.”
Their eyes were filled with curiosity.
I'm curious about this man, the one who can make the proud Rin Tohsaka so dependent on him and "lose her composure." Just what kind of person is he?
129 Moonlit Reconnaissance and the Knight's Resolve
Faced with the chaotic scene before him, which resembled a "family drama," and the curious and confused gazes of Shirou Emiya and Jeanne d'Arc, Gu Chuan simply picked up his black tea and took a sip.
"Everyone, take a seat."
He broke the awkward atmosphere with an unquestionable tone, as if he were a host entertaining a guest.
Soon, in this dark workshop that once belonged to the Matou family, a Holy Grail War strategy meeting that could be described as the most bizarre in history officially began.
"Now that everyone's here, let's discuss our next move." Gu Chuan put down his teacup and got straight to the point. "My idea is simple: a quick resolution. But before that, we must first ascertain the details of who's involved."
"Excuse my bluntness, Your Excellency," Jeanne d'Arc, as the "arbitrator," spoke softly with a hint of the saint's concern, "Every participant in the Holy Grail War is a hero whose name will be etched in history. Even if we have the advantage, is it... too risky to underestimate the war itself?"
However, as soon as she finished speaking, Rin Tohsaka, who was standing to the side, seemed to have her sore spot touched and immediately defended her:
"Adventure? No, you don't understand at all."
Lin looked at Gu Chuan's calm profile, his ruby-like eyes sparkling with an almost religious, undisguised worship and trust.
“To him, this is not even a war.” She said in a tone that was both explanatory and boastful. “The so-called Holy Grail and the so-called Heroic Spirits are, in his eyes, perhaps just… phenomena that need to be observed and studied.”
Rin's almost divine statement plunged Jeanne d'Arc and Shirou Emiya into even deeper confusion and shock.
Just then, a deep, wary voice rang out in Rin's mind.
Rin is her Servant, Arch, a private communicator established through a contract. You're being too emotional. Given your personality, you're definitely not the type to trust a complete stranger so unconditionally. What exactly did he do to you?
"You don't understand." Rin thought calmly to himself, responding to his wary guardian, yet a proud smile involuntarily curved his lips. "You don't understand his power."
Instead of using words, she directly transmitted those dreamlike experiences—from Gu Chuan forcibly distorting cause and effect to send her back to the past to save her sister, to altering the laws of the world and anchoring Sab's physical body, to judging the evil god and purifying the entire Greater Grail—to Arch through her Master's authority.
……
This time, Arch fell completely silent. Rin could clearly feel the extreme shock and disbelief emanating from the other end of the contract, originating from the depths of his soul.
Rin couldn't help but chuckle to herself as she watched him "lost his voice".
Hmph, let you doubt it for now. If you ever see that guy's true power with your own eyes, your jaw will probably drop!
After the discussion, Gu Chuan turned his gaze to Artoria, who had stood quietly beside him like a loyal knight from beginning to end.
"Sab, the night reconnaissance mission is now in your hands."
He took out a well-tailored black women's suit that had been prepared beforehand from the system space.
"It will be easier to move around if you put this on."
"Yes, Master."
Although Artoria found the unfamiliar modern attire somewhat novel, she accepted the order without hesitation. When she changed into the sharp suit, her regal majesty was perfectly concealed, replaced by a unique charm reminiscent of a dashing, modern female knight.
She walked through the familiar nightscape of Fuyuki City, feeling the warm glow of the streetlights and the peaceful smiles on the faces of the pedestrians. This was a stark contrast to the war-torn, impoverished Britain of her memory.
—I must protect this peace.
This determination made her steps even more firm.
Just as she was patrolling a secluded alley, an ominous magical fluctuation alerted her.
A tall, blindfolded female servant with long purple hair was seen, just like a vampire, draining the life force from an unconscious ordinary person!
It's Rd! Medusa!
"stop!"
Without the slightest hesitation, Artoria transformed into a golden streak of light, her holy sword aimed directly at her opponent's vitals!
Rd reacted extremely quickly, instantly stopping her magic absorption. The chain with sharp spikes in her hand, like a venomous snake emerging from its hole, met Sab's slash!
Ding--! ! !
The crisp sound of metal clashing echoed through the silent alleyway, like the prelude to a battle!
Rd's figure, like a purple phantom in the night, moved at a speed too fast for the naked eye to follow between the walls and the floor of the narrow alley. The chains in her hands, wielded with astonishing agility and skill, transformed into two venomous snakes, viciously attacking Artoria's vital points from all sorts of cunning and unpredictable angles!
The sharp spikes attached to the front of the chain shrieked with a tearing sound with each swing, their trajectory unpredictable and impossible to defend against!
However, faced with this dense attack that seemed like an inescapable net, Artoria simply stood still, her emerald green eyes calm and undisturbed.
Her movements, though not as unpredictable and agile as Rd's, carried a kind of effortless mastery, a composure and majesty befitting a king.
when--!
The first spike struck her side of the neck at a tricky angle. She didn't even turn her head; she just slightly moved her wrist, and the invisible holy sword, with even greater speed, arrived first and accurately blocked the spike's path!
An unimaginable, mountain-like, terrifying force instantly traveled back to Rd's hands along the chains!
"Well!"
Rd groaned, feeling a sudden numbness in his arm, almost causing him to lose his grip on the chain!
How is this possible?! Her Agility is A+, ranking among the top of all Servants, yet her opponent's seemingly casual parry contained such terrifying power?!
Before she could think, the second spike was already aimed at Artoria's ankle! But, as if Artoria had eyes in the back of her head, her long legs, encased in suit trousers, simply took a step back and perfectly avoided the fatal blow by the slightest margin!
What followed was a fierce and rapid exchange of offense and defense!
Rd pushed her speed and skill to the limit, leaving her purple afterimages and chains dancing like venomous snakes throughout the alley!
However, no matter how swift or unpredictable her attacks were, Artoria was able to neutralize them one by one with an even more unreasonable and absolute speed and power!
Her A-level "Intuition" skill allows her to predict all of Rd's attack trajectories in advance; and her physical attributes, enhanced by Gu Chuan's mythical formula and comparable to those of a divine beast, give her the strength and speed to crush her opponent!
Ding! Ding! Clang! Clang! Clang!
The crisp, resounding clashing sounds, like the most intense drumbeats, echoed wildly through the alleyway!
The more Rd attacked the Master of the Spirit 7 Ersi, the more horrified he became!
She discovered that her speed, which she was so proud of, was completely ineffective against her opponent! And with each clash of weapons, the brute force emanating from her opponent's sword made her hands go numb and her blood surge! After just over ten rounds, the tide of battle had turned!
Artoria stopped passively defending and her golden figure transformed into a streak of light tearing through the darkness, actively charging towards Rd!
"Too slow!"
Her clear yet majestic voice rang in Rd's ears! Accompanying her voice was the earth-shattering straight strike of the invisible holy sword, which finally revealed a hint of its sharpness!
This sword strike had no fancy techniques, no strange angles; it only possessed pure, absolute power and speed, enough to cut through anything!
For the first time, fear was seen in Rd's eyes! She strained with all her might, crossing her chains to block in front of her!
boom--!!!!!!
Artoria, enhanced by Gu Chuan's mythical magic, possesses physical attributes far exceeding those of ordinary Servants! Every slash she strikes contains terrifying power capable of splitting mountains and shattering rocks! Every movement she makes is so fast that even Rd, known for his agility, can barely track her trajectory!
Faced with absolute dominance, all of Rd's skills seemed pale and powerless.
"hateful……"