Chapter 67: Return
Pfft!
A pale blue energy spike burst from within the Heroic King's chest, its form very similar to a shadow spike, only more solid.
After the first energy spike erupted from the Heroic King's body, it seemed to trigger a chain reaction, as spike after spike burst from his chest, abdomen, and even his skull.
In less than two seconds, the Heroic King had become a 'porcupine,' his body uncontrollably collapsing to the ground.
Su Xiao, covered in blood, stood up, pulled out the Dragon-Slaying Flash beside him, and sheathed it. He walked toward the Heroic King, leaving a trail of bloody footprints.
If they were both at their peak and fought one-on-one, Su Xiao was no match for the Heroic King. He had realized this after their first encounter.
Because of this, he tried his best to avoid fighting the Heroic King at full strength. Knowing he couldn't win and still challenging the opponent to a duel wasn't bravery; it was stupidity.
Since he couldn't strengthen himself in a short time, he had to weaken his opponent. After successfully assassinating Kirei Kotomine, Su Xiao had effectively weakened the Heroic King.
What followed was a gamble, waiting to see if the Heroic King would appear. If he didn't, Su Xiao would take the initiative to strike. If he truly couldn't find him, Su Xiao wouldn't force it.
Even weakened, the Heroic King was no pushover. The power of Enuma Elish was evident to all. If not for the armor formed by the Counter Shield, Su Xiao would have been shredded by that red wind of blades. And this was the power displayed without the Heroic King having a subsequent supply of magical energy.
"I, the King, would actually..."
The Heroic King's vision began to blur. The last scene he saw was Su Xiao walking up to him and reaching out a hand wreathed in blue smoke.
The blue smoke from the Devouring Core enveloped the Heroic King. Before long, the Conqueror King became nourishment for the Azure Steel Shadow ability.
[You have killed the Heroic King: Gilgamesh.]
[Heroic King: Gilgamesh was one of the seven Servants participating in this Holy Grail War (Archer faction). Because the Master is dead, the Archer faction is an incomplete faction. Obtained World Source 5.4%. Total World Source obtained: 86%.]
[Your talent 'Soul Devourer' has activated. Permanently increases Mana Points by 30. Current Mana Points: 2320.]
[You have obtained: Servant Box: Gold.]
...
Because the Heroic King's Master was already dead, killing him only yielded 5.4% of the World Source. Under normal circumstances, killing the Heroic King would have yielded at least 10% or more of the World Source. After all, he was the strongest Servant in this Holy Grail War, without exception.
Although the amount of World Source wasn't much, the Gold quality Servant Box compensated for the loss. The higher the quality of the Servant Box, the more skills and items it contained.
As Su Xiao picked up the Servant Box from the ground, a pool of blood had already formed beneath his feet. Massive blood loss was pushing him toward a near-death state. Once he entered that state, he would be completely vulnerable. At that moment, a notification appeared in the Reincarnation Paradise mark.
[Due to absorbing the energy converted by the Devouring Core, the Azure Steel Shadow skill level has increased.]
[Azure Steel Shadow has been raised to LV.30.]
A slight smile touched Su Xiao's lips. The change from raising Azure Steel Shadow to Lv.30 was significant; he could already feel it. But he had no time to check the changes to the Azure Steel Shadow skill. Instead, he opened the skill list and chose to complete the hidden quest. He sensed a familiar aura approaching, and in his current state, he couldn't fight that opponent.
[Hidden Quest: Glory of the Servant has been completed.]
[You have obtained 'Designate Any Skill Level +1 (Ignores Upper Limit)'. This reward can be used at any time.]
[Verification complete: Hunter's Main Quest has been completed. Will return to Reincarnation Paradise in 2 minutes.]
Su Xiao leaned back against a concrete pillar and lit a blood-stained cigarette. His battle with the Heroic King had lasted less than five minutes, yet the process was exceptionally brutal. A moment's distraction would have meant instant death. Battle is cruel, but equally thrilling. No extreme sport or adventure could compare to this; it was the thrill of life and death.
Two minutes wasn't long. As long as he returned to Reincarnation Paradise, his injuries would heal.
Su Xiao exhaled a plume of blue smoke, his gaze fixed on a concrete pillar over ten meters away. Behind it stood a Servant, a Servant on the verge of disappearing.
"How long are you planning to watch from there? This is the best time to kill me."
Saber stepped out from behind the concrete pillar. Her body was nearly transparent, on the verge of dissipating at any moment.
"If I were you, I would have charged over with my sword without a second thought and aimed right here."
Su Xiao pointed at his own neck. At the same time, a short blade appeared in his sleeve. Although he had just consumed Potion No. 1, the injuries inflicted by Enuma Elish were too severe. These wounds carried the power of rules and were extremely difficult to heal.
"I am different from you. I wouldn't take advantage of two powerful beings after their battle to kill the wounded victor."
Saber didn't approach. She just watched Su Xiao from a distance.
"Different from me? So what? Your knightly code might give you a strong heart, but it also binds your code of conduct. When facing an enemy, all rules are bullshit. Charging forward and cleanly taking the enemy's head is the real way."
Despite saying this, if Saber dared to charge, Su Xiao would give her a 'surprise.' The Realm Severing Threads were already distributed around the area. Not only that, but alchemy bombs were scattered everywhere. He wouldn't bet his life on the character of his enemy, even though he knew Saber would definitely not charge.
"No, that's despicable!"
Saber shouted angrily, her pure, emerald-like eyes filled with determination.
"Thank you."
This sudden thanks from Su Xiao startled Saber.
"Thank you for wasting two minutes talking to me. I haven't been this weak in a long time."
Su Xiao's body began to turn transparent.
"Berserker, could it be that you..."
Watching Su Xiao fade away, Saber's gaze was complex. She wondered why he had done all this. In Saber's mind, Su Xiao was also a Servant about to dissipate.
"Who knows."
Su Xiao vanished beside the concrete pillar. He had returned to Reincarnation Paradise.
Saber sighed, looking down at her arm, which was beginning to turn into energy.
"Berserker, what was the point of all this? A promise to someone? Perhaps. But that doesn't change the fact that you kill for pleasure. If I ever get the chance, I will prove to you through my actions that no one's life should be desecrated, regardless of their good or evil."
Saber began to slowly dissipate into the air. Just as only her upper body remained, a chain formed entirely of rule power shot through the air and pierced into her body.
[Found plot character matching Rule No. 156249.]
[Evaluating current plot character's potential...]
[Current plot character's potential: S ~ SSS Rank.]
[Determining if there are rule conflicts with other Void factions.]
[Determination complete. No conflict.]
[Selecting... This plot character has been selected as Space Battlefield Arbiter (Probationary). From now on, within this derivative world, this plot character's world line will be replaced by another Servant of the same class. This plot character's traits are being modified. Modified to Unique.]
[Converting... 10%... 25%... 49%... 83%... 100%.]
[Conversion complete. Plot character 'Artoria Pendragon' has been converted to Arbiter (Probationary).]
[Due to the Arbiter (Probationary) identity rank being lower than that of Contractors, she has no authority to enter various derivative worlds or enjoy Reincarnation Paradise public facilities.]
[Preparing Space VII rules. Will teleport 'Artoria Pendragon' to the 'Void Black Abyss Battlefield' for training in 30 seconds. Training duration: 397 natural days. Death probability: 98.12%.]
[If the Arbiter (Probationary) completes the training, she will be promoted to Arbiter (Official). Arbiter (Official) is responsible for supervising Space Battlefields (Ranks 1-9).]
[Teleportation complete. 65 plot characters selected this time. Void Black Abyss Battlefield survival rate: 0.53%.]
When the disoriented Saber opened her eyes, she found herself in an abyss formed of black rock. Dried bloodstains were visible everywhere on the black rocks.
A completely black humanoid creature was watching Saber from not far away. The humanoid creature wore a crude gas mask made of muscle tissue on its face. This creature exuded a powerful sense of strength, and its overwhelming, ferocious aura made Saber's hair stand on end, even awakening a long-forgotten feeling of fear.
The humanoid creature stood beside the corpse of a black dragon. The dragon was enormous, its back covered in sharp bone spikes.
A dark green conduit grew from the palm of the humanoid creature, now plunged into the dragon's body. The dragon's corpse was visibly shriveling.
"Gamora gaga butni (Unknown Language)."
The humanoid creature spoke. Translated into human language, it meant: 'How can such a weak creature exist in the Black Abyss?'
Saber took a step back, holding her sword with both hands.
Boom!
The sonic boom stung Saber's eardrums. The wind pressure blew her golden hair back. When she came to her senses, the humanoid creature was already right in front of her, the biological conduit lying limp on the ground.
The humanoid creature tilted its head, examining Saber. Saber dared not move a muscle. Even if she blinked, this humanoid creature would crush her skull.
"Hey, that Larine clan one, this is... uh, a Servant, I guess. Anyway, she can't die yet."
A deep male voice rang out. A man was sitting cross-legged on a rock not far away, holding a bottle of wine in his hand.
Hearing this voice, the humanoid creature began to tremble violently. It fell to its knees with a thud, kowtowing frantically. Strangely, it could understand what the man said.
"I'm in a good mood today..."
Hearing this, the humanoid creature even wept tears of joy.
"So I'll let you die a quick death."
The man holding the wine bottle moved his finger slightly. The humanoid creature froze in place.
Pfft!
Blood splattered. The humanoid creature exploded into a cloud of minced flesh.
"What are you looking at? You have five seconds to disappear from my sight."
The man sitting cross-legged on the rock took a large gulp of wine. He had been sitting there the entire time. Saber wasn't even sure when he had appeared.
If the humanoid creature gave Saber a feeling of fear, this man gave her a feeling of despair, the despair of being unable to resist. She suddenly felt how insignificant she was here.
After Saber fled quickly, the man sitting on the rock tossed aside his empty bottle, a manic grin spreading across his face.
"That game should be starting soon, right? Another hundred years? Hurry up and start. The Void is just too boring, so boring that there isn't even an opponent. I should have saved a few more to kill. But come to think of it, I haven't killed anything in thirty seconds. That's progress, hehehehehe."
His laughter echoed far into the Black Abyss. Within a radius of a hundred kilometers, every living creature lay prostrate on the ground, trembling, not daring to breathe, terrified of attracting the attention of some existence and being casually killed. Of course, this didn't include Saber, who was running for her life.