Chapter 38: The Claws of the Witch and the Magicians
With only 22 hours and 41 minutes left before Su Xiao returned to the derivative world, he did not appear anxious. The reason was simple: his main mission was to survive until the end of the Holy Grail War.
The so-called survival until the end of the Holy Grail War could actually be interpreted in two ways. The first was mere survival, which would yield a lower overall evaluation. However, given the number of Heroic Spirits Su Xiao had slain, his evaluation would not be too low either.
As for the second method, it was to artificially accelerate the end of the Holy Grail War, summoning the Holy Grail within the 11-day time limit.
If Su Xiao had not been locked in mutual destruction with the Blood Gate in this world, he could have accomplished this. But he had first fought a life-or-death battle with the Blood Gate before seeking out other Heroic Spirits. Most of the 11 days had been consumed in the conflict with the Blood Gate, leaving insufficient time.
Having Tohsaka Rin use the emotional card to find Matou Sakura was a last resort. If Su Xiao was not mistaken, there was definitely an old yinbi guiding Matou Sakura behind the scenes. Otherwise, she would not have remained hidden from start to finish. Even now, Su Xiao did not know who Matou Sakura's Heroic Spirit was.
If Matou Sakura had truly been saved by the Blood Gate in her childhood, then given the Blood Gate's goal of creating an artificial Holy Grail, Matou Sakura would at least maintain a pure and kind heart. That would make her the best vessel for the Holy Grail.
A Matou Sakura as sweet as candy—would she know to stay low-key throughout the Holy Grail War? Completely impossible. If Su Xiao's deduction was correct, not only was there an old yinbi with good intentions guiding her behind the scenes, but there might even be other contractors helping her.
60 kilometers south of Fuyuki City, a peaceful small village.
Tap~
The deer scarer tipped over, and clear water flowed out of the bamboo tube, producing a crisp sound of bamboo collision.
This was a natural valley surrounded by mountains on three sides. Several wooden houses were built within the valley, with thin wisps of cooking smoke rising, giving an impression of tranquility and harmony.
"Sakura, don't be shy. Come join us."
A voluptuous woman soaked in the pool. It was noon, and nothing was more refreshing than soaking in the cool mountain spring.
Near the shore where the voluptuous woman was, a set of black soft armor was neatly arranged. The armor looked very much like a black bodysuit, and the two cat ears on the helmet were particularly eye-catching.
"I, I'd rather not."
Matou Sakura hugged her chest, looking a bit shy. As Su Xiao had guessed, the Blood Gate, for the sake of the artificial Holy Grail, had indeed sent Matou Sakura to a relatively reliable magic tutor, allowing the other party to protect Matou Sakura as she grew up.
This time, it was one of the rare opportunities for Matou Sakura to leave the Clock Tower. Although her tutor was an old man, he was famously protective of his disciples within the Clock Tower. If not for the original contract, he would never have allowed her to participate in the Holy Grail War before she reached adulthood and gained the ability to protect herself. Even because of that contract, the old man had obtained an extremely powerful holy relic for Matou Sakura—a stone eye.
"You cat, how long are you going to keep deceiving my Master?"
Another slightly lazy female voice came. The voice was both languid and seductive.
"If it weren't for me, your adorable Master would have been chopped down by some girl-slashing madman long ago. That guy was as strong as a monster a long time ago. Do you think... I'm weak?"
The voluptuous woman in the pool spoke. She stood up from the water, revealing four crisscrossing scars on her back. Each scar was deep enough to reach the bone, all of them once fatal wounds.
"This is what he gave me the last time we met. That was a few derivative... a few years ago. Back then, dozens of idiots with strength similar to mine surrounded and tried to kill that guy. The result was obvious—we all failed."
Water droplets slid down the woman's body as she walked ashore and began to put on the black soft armor. If Su Xiao were present, he might not recognize this naked woman, but once she put on the soft armor, he would definitely remember who she was—the Mask from their fight on the Sabaody Archipelago, that bodysuit-wearing catwoman.
As for the other woman in the pool, she was Matou Sakura's Heroic Spirit. She seemed unremarkable, but she possessed an ability that could almost instantly kill any Heroic Spirit.
"So you're scared?"
The female Heroic Spirit raised her arm, not paying much attention to the Mask's words.
"Trust me, in another 22 hours, we'll be the winners."
The Mask smiled charmingly. This feeling of outsmarting Su Xiao was no longer just a secret pleasure for her—it was ecstasy. She had been so traumatized by Su Xiao's blade that she had become socially withdrawn.
The Mask had been transported to the Holy Grail World according to the normal schedule. Her mission was simple: survive until the end of the Holy Grail War. Or rather, aside from the Blood Gate people, all other lone wolves had similar missions.
As a fourth-rank lone wolf, the Mask felt something was wrong as soon as she arrived in the Holy Grail World. The main mission was too easy. Therefore, she used a privilege she had saved for a long time, gaining the authority to view the data of six Masters and seven Heroic Spirits.
When the Mask saw 'Saber Class: Bai Ye,' she almost spat out a mouthful of old blood. Her initial thought was: 'Holy shit, am I dreaming? This girl-slashing madman became a Saber class? Paradise, are you kidding me?'
After exploration, the Mask learned an even more explosive piece of news: one of the fourth-rank overlords, the Blood Gate Adventure Group, was also in this world and had already begun clearing the field.
After silently cursing 'RNMMP' in her heart, the Mask fled Fuyuki City. Just as she was about to run far away and settle for the lowest evaluation, she witnessed Su Xiao and Stan exchanging greetings on the communication platform.
This got the Mask's mind working. And when she checked Matou Sakura's Heroic Spirit, her thoughts became even more active.
Matou Sakura (Master), affiliated Heroic Spirit, Rider Class: Medusa (Witch).
Matou Sakura's Heroic Spirit seemed no different from the original, but that was not the case. The Mask noticed the word 'Witch'—that was the key point.
Originally, the Medusa summoned by Matou Sakura was in the form of a goddess. That sounded nice, but as a goddess, aside from being beautiful, Medusa was not particularly strong.
However, after Medusa was cursed by Athena into a witch, her combat power skyrocketed. These were essentially two different Heroic Spirits. If the goddess form of Medusa had a combat power of 5, then the witch form was at least 60 or above. The Petrifying Eye was a terrifying ability that could kill gods.
In terms of single-target power, she was not inferior to Gilgamesh's Ea. A single glance, and even a god would fall, let alone a demigod like Gilgamesh.
Realizing this, the Mask decisively found a way to latch onto this powerful ally. After truly latching on, through some probing, she discovered that Matou Sakura had a very good personality and her experiences were vastly different from the original story. There was no possibility of her becoming dark.
Fuyuki City, inside an abandoned research institute.
Zzzt~
A severed cable sparked, casting flickering light and shadow across the laboratory. Tall glass columns against the wall held various living organisms in preservation fluid.
"So, Matou Sakura has already left Fuyuki City? Even if the Holy Grail War is led by your Mage Association, your claws... aren't they reaching a bit too far?"
Su Xiao wiped the blood from his hands. Nearby lay the corpses of several magicians.
"This is... an order from some big shot. It has nothing to do with us."
A magician in his late twenties leaned against some experimental equipment, his eyes full of fear. Blood dripped from his chin.
"Then, where is Matou Sakura now?"
Click. The Endless Darkness Collar in Su Xiao's hand snapped open.
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