Chapter 57: The Glory of Heroic Spirits
A blue sports car sped through the streets of Fuyuki City. Though it was late at night, the car was severely over the speed limit.
Su Xiao sat in the driver's seat, with Sakura Matou in the passenger seat. As for Bubu Wang, it was responsible for tracking down Kariya Matou's whereabouts.
Su Xiao floored the accelerator, and the speedometer maxed out instantly, the car moving like the wind.
Squeal~
The sports car drifted around a corner. Su Xiao's expression remained calm, but in the passenger seat, Sakura Matou's body was pressed against the door, her face pale.
Tires scraped against the asphalt road, a burnt smell spreading through the street.
With a screech, the car came to a sudden stop in front of the church in the city center. Su Xiao grabbed Sakura Matou from the passenger seat and got out. At this point, Sakura Matou was already in a daze, her mind wandering.
With Sakura Matou in his left hand and the Dragon-Slaying Flash in his right, Su Xiao walked slowly toward the church.
The church's main door was half-open. A night breeze blew, sending a few newspapers flying. Fuyuki City at night seemed somewhat desolate.
Standing at the church entrance, Su Xiao looked inside through the half-open door.
Inside, the church looked as if a tornado had swept through it. The once neatly arranged pews were scattered haphazardly, and the floor was covered in wood shavings.
From the lingering magical energy in the air, it was clear that a battle had taken place here not long ago. Though the damage seemed intense, it was somewhat deliberate, as if someone was trying to cover up the scene.
Su Xiao stepped into the church. A strong smell of blood hit his nose. Following the direction of the scent, he saw half a body lying on the ground—two legs and part of an abdomen. Judging by the attire, this was the lower half of the old priest.
A trail of blood, about one person wide, stretched across the carpet, with intestines scattered along it. The old priest had likely been cut in half but hadn't died immediately, dragging his upper body a long distance.
Following the blood trail, Su Xiao found the old priest's upper body in a room at the back of the church.
The old priest lay on his back, eyes tightly shut, clutching a glass bottle in his hand. Inside were some white powder. There was also white powder at the corners of his mouth—he had apparently ingested it.
Just as Su Xiao thought the old priest was dead, the old priest's eyes slowly opened, almost like a corpse rising from the dead.
"You... came."
The old priest's voice was very weak, his pupils dim and lifeless. Su Xiao crouched down and placed his hand on the old priest's chest. There was no heartbeat.
"Who are you?"
Su Xiao's tone was harsh. Clearly, the old priest should have been dead. Being cut in half with that much blood loss made survival nearly impossible.
"It's me. Don't doubt it. I used this thing—it let me hold on until you arrived. I have something to tell you."
The old priest raised his hand and handed the glass bottle to Su Xiao.
[Dead Apostle Bone Powder]
Origin: Fate/Zero · Holy Church
Quality: Dark Purple
Type: Consumable (Used)
Effect 1: After ingestion, accelerates the necrosis of bodily functions. When bodily functions are completely necrotized, consciousness will remain in the dead body for 30 minutes without dissipating.
Rating: 213
Introduction: A powerful "life-extending" item, provided you can return to Reincarnation Paradise within half an hour; otherwise, death awaits you.
Exchange Price: 360 Holy Church Merit Points
...
Su Xiao had seen this item before when he was exchanging goods with the old priest.
For a lone wolf like him, this item wasn't very useful, but adventure groups liked to buy it. If a member of an adventure group was on the verge of death during a final mission, they could use this to keep their consciousness from dissipating temporarily. As long as they obtained the qualification to return within half an hour, it was like snatching back a life.
"The bone powder is about to wear off. You came just in time, Bai Ye."
The old priest had learned the name "Bai Ye" when Su Xiao signed the "Self-Enforcement Oath."
"Priest, who did this?"
Although Su Xiao had a few suspects in mind, he needed the old priest's confirmation.
"It's nothing. Just a 'monster.'"
The old priest turned his head. Aside from sorrow, no other emotion could be seen in his eyes. There was no greater grief than a dead heart.
"Bai Ye, you're a Heroic Spirit, aren't you? Even though you feel like a modern person to me."
"I am."
"I thought so. How could a magus kill Hughes and blow up Ryuudou Temple?"
White patterns appeared on the old priest's skin, and his body began to turn to dust.
"The other Heroic Spirits have all appeared. So that means you're Berserker? Unbelievable. I've been working with Berserker all this time."
The old priest raised his arm.
"Roll up my sleeve. I have a gift for you."
Su Xiao rolled up the old priest's sleeve, revealing his muscular arm. This arm had originally been covered in Command Seals—unused ones from previous Holy Grail Wars, collected by the Holy Church and stored with the old priest.
But now, the old priest's arm was bare. Those Command Seals had been taken.
"Kayneth did this? No, he's already lost his Servant. He should have withdrawn from the Holy Grail War."
Su Xiao couldn't figure it out. Who had killed the old priest and taken the Command Seals from his arm? Could it be the old priest's son, Kirei Kotomine? That didn't seem right either. The Holy Grail War had just started; Kirei shouldn't have awakened that personality that found joy in others' misfortune.
But Kirei Kotomine wasn't without suspicion. When Su Xiao fought Hundred-Faced Hassan earlier, Kirei could have used a Command Seal to forcibly summon Hundred-Faced away, escaping Su Xiao's pursuit.
What was Kirei doing at that time? Was he too busy to even use a Command Seal to summon his Servant? Or did he simply not care about Hundred-Faced's life? Maybe he even wanted Hundred-Faced to die, so others wouldn't pay attention to him, allowing him to hide in the shadows.
"All taken, huh..."
The old priest sighed.
"A pity. I wanted to give a few to your Master to give you an edge. Command Seals aren't just for controlling Servants. Used properly, they can be weapons too."
The old priest looked at Sakura Matou, mistaking her for Su Xiao's Master. He had seen this little girl before. She was originally the daughter of the Tohsaka family but was later adopted by the Matou family. With that old worm Zouken Matou's abilities, making this girl a Master wasn't difficult.
"It doesn't matter. Besides, this thing can't control my actions. Priest, do you want revenge?"
"No, it's no longer important. This Holy Grail War—it was all a mistake from the start. The greed of magicians, summoning heroes and making them slaughter each other—it's absurd. Using human nature to insult the departed Heroic Spirits, denying them peace. Retribution will come sooner or later."
What the old priest said made sense. Magicians summoned Heroic Spirits, using them as tools to fight each other, making those departed souls experience the bitterness of defeat and failure.
"Bai Ye, promise me. Don't let those greedy magicians succeed. Make them pay the price they deserve. You were right before. I shouldn't have pursued the Holy Grail."
The old priest smiled, a twisted and terrifying smile.
"Alright, Priest."
As soon as Su Xiao finished speaking, the old priest's body began to turn to dust. Thirty minutes were up.
"In the end, I never really understood you. My..."
The old priest's upper body scattered into the air. His last words were probably not directed at Su Xiao but at someone else.
As soon as the old priest's body dissipated, a notification from Reincarnation Paradise suddenly appeared.
[Notification: The Hunter has triggered a hidden mission: The Glory of Heroic Spirits. Accept/Decline?]
Su Xiao frowned. The old priest's death had triggered a hidden mission. After a moment of hesitation, he chose to accept it.
[Verifying...]
[The hidden mission conflicts with the main mission.]
[Rank settlement in progress. The hidden mission's rank is higher than the main mission's.]
[Verifying current main mission completion. The Hunter has killed three Heroic Spirits. Personal main mission contribution exceeds 90%. Main mission deemed complete.]
[Notification: Main mission: The Holy Grail has been completed.]
[You have received 6 Attribute Points.]
[You have received 5,000 Paradise Coins.]
[Remaining stay time in this derivative world: Five minutes.]
[Notification: Hidden mission not yet completed. Remaining stay time in the derivative world has been increased.]
[Hidden Mission: The Glory of Heroic Spirits]
Difficulty Level: Lv.20
Mission Briefing: Destroy all Command Seals held by Masters, or kill all Masters, until the number of Command Seals reaches zero. Current number of surviving Masters: 6. Remaining Command Seals: 41.
Mission Information: Dust to dust, ashes to ashes. From whence they came, there they shall return.
Mission Time Limit: 45 hours
Mission Reward: Designate any skill level +1 (ignores upper limit).
Mission Penalty: One hour of confinement in the Black Abyss Prison.
Temporary Mission Skill: Large-Scale Detection (Active). After use, can randomly detect the location of one Master. Effect lasts 10 minutes. This ability can be used twice.
...