Chapter 51: Heroic Spirits Gather (Fifth Update, Debt Repayment)
The scene shifted from a "friendly" negotiation to a tense standoff.
"So, I say knights are stupid—got a problem with that? The knightly virtues seem noble and glorious on the surface, but they're actually self-contradictory. How can you show compassion while slaughtering enemies? How can you be humble while being honest? These traits are just tools used by those in power to restrain the strong. Some of them are decent enough, but where did the term 'knight' even come from? A closed beta test by some clever king?"
Su Xiao was smiling. If he could provoke Saber, the chances of them meeting on the battlefield would increase.
"Let me give you an example. A knight protects a princess. While protecting her, the princess might develop feelings for the knight. But don't forget, in the end, the princess marries some other prince, not the knight."
"What you say might be true, but that's no excuse for killing people for pleasure."
Saber wasn't stupid. She knew Su Xiao was trying to provoke her, so she stopped speaking.
Killing for pleasure? Had he said that? Su Xiao thought back. He might have mentioned it while rambling. Sure enough, Saber wouldn't be easily angered.
"If this is what you call cooperation, then we have no basis for it."
Emiya Kiritsugu picked up the phone. He had already sensed that Su Xiao had no intention of cooperating.
"There was a time for it. But now... you've taken too long to decide, Emiya Kiritsugu."
Su Xiao hung up the phone. According to his plan, this call should have come a day ago. He had given Emiya Kiritsugu time to think, but unfortunately, the man had deliberated too long. There was no longer any possibility of cooperation.
Inside the bedroom, Su Xiao crushed the phone in his hand.
"So then... let's continue the Holy Grail War. I wonder how many Servants are still alive."
Su Xiao was ready to re-enter the Holy Grail War. To complete the main quest—touching the Holy Grail—he first needed the Grail to manifest.
For the Holy Grail to descend at this point, two conditions had to be met.
First, the vessel. They already had one: Irisviel von Einzbern, Emiya Kiritsugu's wife. She was a homunculus, prepared by the Einzbern family for the Grail's descent.
The Einzbern family appeared noble and upright on the surface, but they were a family of old schemers. First, they used Irisviel to bring Emiya Kiritsugu into the family as a son-in-law. Then, they had him participate in the Holy Grail War on their behalf. In this way, Irisviel served both as the vessel and as the bait to secure a participant for the Einzbern family—a two-for-one deal.
Though it sounded harsh, the Einzbern family had done exactly that, calling it a sign of trust in Emiya Kiritsugu.
As for the second condition for the Grail's descent, it needed to be "filled" with the souls of Servants. In other words, the more Servants that died, the closer the Grail came to manifesting.
Su Xiao's plan was to find the remaining Servants and eliminate them. If time allowed, he could also wait for the Servants to kill each other.
The Devouring Core could absorb Servant energy, so Su Xiao wouldn't just sit back and watch. He would participate. The Azure Steel Shadow ability was about to reach level 30, which would boost his strength. Perhaps the Azure Shadow King would awaken? Of course, that was unlikely.
That night, Su Xiao didn't take any action. Instead, he slept soundly to conserve his energy. He had been through multiple intense battles and hadn't slept for two days and two nights. His endurance wasn't just due to his physical strength but also his strong willpower.
The next day, around noon.
Sunlight streamed through the gap in the curtains into the bedroom. Su Xiao was leaning against the headboard, holding a tablet. He wasn't playing games; he was checking the latest news from Fuyuki City.
"No riots, no large-scale destruction. Just a large number of missing children. Interesting."
From this information, it seemed that the other Servants hadn't clashed in the past two days. When Servants fought, the commotion was significant. Even with the Church's cover, traces would remain—news reports about accidental fires in certain places, for example.
As for the missing children, based on the original story, Su Xiao guessed it was the work of the Caster camp. The Master and Servant of the Caster camp were unusual. Their goal wasn't the Holy Grail but to kill people and find Joan of Arc. Joan of Arc had the potential to become a Servant, but she hadn't manifested in this Holy Grail War.
Though he had no leads, Su Xiao didn't believe the other Masters and Servants would stay idle forever. He just needed to wait.
He spent the entire day indoors, playing cards with Bubu Wang and Sakura Matou in the house. Servants were unlikely to fight during the day, as it would cause massive chaos. Battles usually took place at night.
Around 7 PM that evening, Su Xiao was performing routine maintenance on Dragon-Slaying Flash when a surge of magical energy appeared nearby, growing closer.
Whoosh~
A chariot sped through the sky. Su Xiao rushed to the window and looked at the distant vehicle. It was a horse-drawn chariot—more precisely, a Noble Phantasm belonging to a Servant.
"Rider, huh. The Conqueror King."
Sheathing Dragon-Slaying Flash, Su Xiao opened the window and leaped out of the room.
"Bubu, stop sleeping. Time to work."
Bubu Wang, lounging on the sofa, perked up his ears. He jumped down, grabbed the bewildered Sakura Matou by the collar, and dashed out the window. Kariya Matou, shrouded in black smoke, followed suit.
Su Xiao moved swiftly through the night, keeping pace with the chariot above. With his Agility attribute, keeping up on foot was no problem.
At the edge of Fuyuki City, in an abandoned factory.
Boom.
Mud and stones flew as a pitch-black figure was sent flying out of the factory, crashing through a wall and rolling several times before stopping on a nearby road.
This was Hassan-i Sabbah (Hundred Faces), the Assassin class among the seven Servants. Their gender was unknown, and their abilities were unique.
Hassan-i Sabbah (Hundred Faces) wasn't top-tier in combat, and they suffered from multiple personality disorder. This wasn't a weakness but rather their strength.
Because of their multiple personalities, Hassan-i Sabbah (Hundred Faces) could separate each personality and give it a physical form. This wasn't just a clone technique; it was a true split.
They could split into up to 80 personalities, each with its own consciousness and body, capable of acting independently. However, this ability had a drawback: the total magical energy remained the same. The more splits, the weaker each individual became.
Splitting wasn't a wise choice when facing other Servants, as was the case now.
The one fighting Hassan-i Sabbah (Hundred Faces) was Saber. The reason was simple: Hassan had tried to assassinate Saber's proxy Master, Irisviel—Emiya Kiritsugu's wife. Saber's Instinct had sensed something wrong, stopping Hassan just as they were about to succeed. Forced into a corner, Hassan had no choice but to fight Saber.
Clad in armor and wielding an invisible holy sword, Saber stepped out of the hole in the wall. She showed no mercy to a Servant who had tried to kill her Master.
"Despicable wretch, trying to assassinate my Master with such cowardly means..."
Before Saber could finish, the roar of a chariot echoed from the sky.
"Slow down~ I'm going to be sick."
The chariot landed, and a tearful voice came from it. It was Rider's Master, Waver Velvet. The young man had pale skin and a weak voice. Standing next to the towering Rider, he looked like a "princess consort." Though male, as the saying goes, "So cute, it must be a boy."
"Don't mind the small stuff. What a lively day."
Rider, Iskandar, wore a red cape and had fiery red hair, even his beard was wine-red. He exuded a rough and grand aura, though he also had a bit of a simpleton's potential.
Rider was incredibly strong. Among the seven Servants, he ranked near the top. His strength lay not in personal combat but in group battles—an overwhelming tide of soldiers.
"Saber, Assassin, that was a splendid fight you had."
Iskandar gave a thumbs up. Saber (Artoria) and Assassin (Hundred Faces) were stunned. They had no idea what this guy was up to. Joining the fight? It didn't seem like it.
"But... I'm not the only Servant drawn here by this battle. You cowards hiding in the shadows—when I fight you, you'll inevitably suffer the humiliation of being defeated by me, Iskandar the Conqueror."
The "simpleton" lived up to his reputation, provoking the other Servants present right from the start.
Su Xiao, observing from a distance, didn't care. He planned to wait and see how things developed. With so many Servants gathered, this wasn't so much a chaotic battle as a formal declaration of war among them.
Su Xiao didn't mind, but other Servants took offense at Iskandar's provocation. For example, one very arrogant Servant.
Golden particles of light appeared, and a Servant clad in golden armor materialized. He stood atop a streetlamp, looking down at the crowd below as if they were ants. Despite the presence of multiple Servants, he remained calm and composed.
It was Gilgamesh, the King of Heroes. He surveyed the Servants below and spoke arrogantly: "Rats who dare call themselves kings behind my back."
"Those words wound me. I, Iskandar, am the world-renowned, unparalleled King of Conquerors..."
"Ridiculous."
Gilgamesh interrupted Iskandar.
"The only one worthy of being called king, in heaven and on earth, is me. The rest are just impostors..."
"Tokiomi!!"
A roar came from Kariya Matou, who stood by the roadside, glaring up at the King of Heroes. Somehow, he had figured out that Gilgamesh was Tokiomi's Servant.
"Hm?"
Gilgamesh frowned, looking at Kariya.
"You mad dog. Who allowed you to look at me?"
Golden spatial ripples appeared behind Gilgamesh, and several Noble Phantasms emerged from them, their tips exposed. These weapons weren't of the highest rank. Gilgamesh wouldn't go all out from the start. He was arrogant but not brainless.
"Roar!"
In response, Kariya let out a roar.
"Amuse me with your death, mad dog."
Whoosh~
Several Noble Phantasms shot out at incredible speed, aimed directly at Kariya. Given his strength, such an attack would leave him dead or crippled.
Clang.
A pale blue blade aura cut through the night sky, severing the low-rank Noble Phantasms, which dissolved into particles of light.
"What's the matter? Do I have to pay to look at you, golden boy?"
Su Xiao stood on a nearby wall, the night wind rustling the hem of his black trench coat.
"And which mongrel are you?"
Gilgamesh raised his chin slightly. His Noble Phantasms had been destroyed. Though they were ordinary, it still annoyed him.
"Did you just... call me a mongrel?"
Su Xiao's smile vanished, replaced by a sharp and ferocious aura that spread outward.
"This is bad."
Iskandar stepped in front of his Master, Waver, who was trembling from the oppressive aura. Nearby, Saber quickly moved in front of Irisviel to protect her.
"I'm talking about you, mongrel."
Despite sensing Su Xiao's terrifying aura, Gilgamesh's expression remained unchanged.
"Me? Given the current situation, I'm a 'Servant,' and I was 'human' in life. But your aura... has a hint of a false god, mixed with human traits. A god-human hybrid—who's the real mongrel?"
Su Xiao usually didn't start trouble, but when directly provoked, he never backed down.
"Words are meaningless."
The golden spatial ripples behind Gilgamesh multiplied, forming a dense cluster of at least several dozen.
"Agreed. Your Noble Phantasms are impressive, especially the blade-type ones."
Su Xiao slowly drew Dragon-Slaying Flash from his waist. In a long-range fight, he wouldn't stand a chance against Gilgamesh. But if he could close the distance, with the King of Heroes' Strength B, Endurance B, and Agility B stats, Su Xiao would cut him down so badly he'd question his existence. If not, Su Xiao would find a piece of tofu and smash his head against it. As for Gilgamesh's Ea, given Su Xiao's blade speed and Gilgamesh's arrogant nature, the king might not even get a chance to draw it before being killed.
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