Chapter 65: The Brain-Hole Girl
[You have killed Kirei Kotomine]
[Kirei Kotomine is a key plot character. Obtained 2.9% World Source. Total World Source obtained: 83.5%.]
[Your talent 'Soul Devourer' has activated. Permanently increased Mana by 16 points. Current Mana: 2290 points.]
[Tip: Hidden Quest: Glory of the Heroic Spirits (Completed). Yes/No to complete this quest. Quest remaining time: 26 hours 11 minutes.]
Su Xiao chose not to complete the quest for now. Once he completed it, he would immediately return to Reincarnation Paradise. There was still one thing he hadn't done, or more precisely, one easy opportunity he hadn't seized.
A murder had occurred in the restaurant. The diners froze for a moment before snapping back to reality and screaming as they fled.
Su Xiao grabbed Kirei Kotomine's arm, which was covered in Command Seals, and swung his blade.
The blade fell, blood splattered. With a thud, a female waitress knelt nearby, her face filled with terror. She hadn't tried to escape—she was too scared, her legs too weak to move.
Su Xiao glanced at the waitress. She was straightforward about it: her eyes rolled back, and she fainted.
Walking over to her, Su Xiao noticed her body twitch noticeably.
"Where are your takeout bags?"
Holding Kirei Kotomine's arm, Su Xiao crouched in front of the waitress. She was a girl with a pure-looking face.
The waitress dared not pretend to be unconscious any longer. She struggled to sit up.
"Don't... don't kill me. I still have 12,800 yen. I'll give it all to you. If that's not enough, if it's not enough..."
The waitress fumbled around her body.
"Where are the takeout bags? Why would I kill you? I'm not some murderous maniac."
As he spoke, Su Xiao shook the blood off Kirei Kotomine's severed arm. The waitress was on the verge of tears.
"The takeout bags are over there..."
She pointed a trembling, slender finger toward the counter.
Su Xiao used a takeout bag to wrap up the severed arm. Just as he was about to leave the restaurant, he suddenly remembered something.
"Is there a place nearby that's spacious but has limited height? Like a large basement or underground warehouse?"
"Huh?"
The waitress looked confused. She didn't know who Su Xiao was talking to. When she met his gaze, she let out a trembling moan.
"I... I think so."
"Take me there."
"What?!"
The waitress was terrified. She had thought Su Xiao was about to leave, but now it seemed otherwise. Was he going to kidnap her as a hostage? Then, coveting her beauty, take her somewhere to do unspeakable things, and she would end up as a... well, you get the idea.
The waitress struggled internally, debating whether to resist. But he had a blade. If she didn't resist and just went along, would that make her seem too... loose?
To be fair, this girl had quite the imagination.
Su Xiao had no idea what she was thinking. He patted her cheek to snap her out of her daze. If he had known she was already imagining the names of the children she and the "murderer" would have, he might have spat out a mouthful of old blood.
"Calm down. First of all, this is just a movie shoot. The thing in my hand is a prop."
"Huh?"
The waitress gave him a look that said, "Please don't treat me like an idiot."
"And that?" She pointed at Kirei Kotomine's corpse.
"Is that a prop too? It doesn't look like it..."
As she spoke, Kirei Kotomine's leg twitched, as if he couldn't rest in peace. This was actually a normal reaction to death caused by external force.
"Just think of it as a prop."
Su Xiao smiled gently. The waitress's mind was racing. She bitterly regretted why her legs had given out at such a critical moment.
"Enough chatter. Take me to the place I described, or I'll turn you into a prop too."
"Okay, okay."
The waitress tried to stand, but her legs were even weaker. Seeing this, Su Xiao simply picked her up. Strangely, the waitress blushed.
...
A small truck drove through the city center. Su Xiao was in the driver's seat, and the waitress was in the passenger seat.
After the initial fear passed, the waitress stole glances at Su Xiao. She was both terrified and nervous, but also... a little excited?
Just a few minutes ago, she had witnessed a murder scene. Now, the murderer was less than half a meter away from her.
"Um..."
The waitress timidly spoke up.
"What?"
Su Xiao lit a cigarette. In the back seat, Bubu Wang rolled down the window and stuck his dog head out.
"You should turn yourself in. The public security in Fuyuki City..."
"Turn myself in?"
Su Xiao exhaled a puff of smoke. He found this waitress's thought process oddly unique. Earlier, she had been scared to death, and now she was advising him to surrender.
"Yes. If you turn yourself in now, you might get a reduced sentence. You still have a good half of your life ahead of you. I read an article once—fugitives live miserable lives. And you didn't kill for money, right? It was for revenge, wasn't it? Did that person hurt your family, and you became an avenger?"
The waitress swallowed. She wasn't as scared anymore. Instead, she found it thrilling. Compared to her exhausting, low-paying daily life, she was enjoying this adrenaline rush.
Su Xiao was amused by the waitress. He had just picked a random guide, but she turned out to be this interesting—a true brain-hole girl.
The brain-hole girl looked at Su Xiao with anticipation, ready with her next line of persuasion, waiting for him to respond.
"Are we there yet?"
"Huh?"
The brain-hole girl's train of thought was interrupted, which was frustrating—especially since she couldn't complain.
"That underground parking lot you mentioned."
"Oh? Oh, it's nearby. Keep driving straight."
Soon, Su Xiao drove the truck into a large, abandoned underground parking lot. The vast space was sparsely filled with a few dusty, broken-down cars.
Su Xiao jumped out of the driver's seat and surveyed the structure. Overall, it wasn't bad and met his requirements.
"You can drive back the way you came. If the police question you, tell them the truth."
"Um..." The brain-hole girl hesitated for a moment. "I won't betray your whereabouts for now, but I still advise you to turn yourself in."
Su Xiao's face darkened.
"Enough chatter."
The brain-hole girl drove the truck out of the parking lot. Whether she would call the police or not, Su Xiao didn't care. During the Holy Grail War, someone would handle the police.
Taking out Kirei Kotomine's severed arm, Su Xiao's fingertips crackled with electricity. One of the Command Seals on the arm gradually dissipated, devoured by the Cyan Steel Shadow Energy.
Su Xiao was luring a Heroic Spirit. Whether they would come was unknown.
Now that Kirei Kotomine was dead, if he had formed a Master-Servant contract with the King of Heroes, the King of Heroes would surely sense Kirei Kotomine's death.
With Kirei Kotomine dead, the King of Heroes' mana supply would be cut off. Even though the King of Heroes was an Archer-class Servant with Independent Action, he was now like water without a source, his combat power greatly diminished.
Not to mention that incredibly overpowered Noble Phantasm of his—whether he could even use Ea was uncertain. Even if he could, that EX-rank Noble Phantasm had an enormous cost. Without a Master's mana supply, using it recklessly would only accelerate his decline.
That was why Su Xiao was luring the King of Heroes here to fight. He was about to leave the Holy Grail World. How could he pass up such an easy opportunity?
The underground parking lot was dead silent. Su Xiao sat on the hood of a junk car, holding a tablet.
About half an hour later, Su Xiao put away the tablet. The King of Heroes hadn't come. Given the King of Heroes' arrogant nature, this was unusual.
Based on the King of Heroes' behavior, he should have appeared by now. Was he wary of the unfavorable terrain of the underground parking lot?
Su Xiao stood up. Since the King of Heroes wouldn't come, he would go find him instead.
Just then, slow, unhurried footsteps echoed from the entrance of the parking lot. Su Xiao narrowed his eyes and saw the golden-armored King of Heroes.
"Scum, daring to put this king in such a disadvantageous position. You deserve a thousand deaths."
Though his mana supply had been cut off, the King of Heroes remained as arrogant as ever.