, Investigation!

Chapter 8. Exploration!

"Get out of the way!"

Overwhelmed with indescribable frustration, Sakura Kyoko could only shout at her Master, who was hiding.

Red chains of thorns are weaving through the air, blocking the enemy's path.

(At this moment, I was actually quite glad that my normal attack methods were blocked.)

Looking at the magic circle on her body, Sakura Kyoko felt incredibly lucky.

Otherwise, given her current state, her Master might not even have a chance to escape.

"Bang bang bang!!"

Sparks flew everywhere, and silver droplets protected the surroundings like slime, but the gradually uneven marks indicated a less than pleasant outcome.

Moon Spirit Essence Liquid

Kenneth's Mystic Code possesses excellent abilities on both offense and defense.

He wore this specifically to assist Sola.

(Even if Lancer didn't use guns to attack, we couldn't hold out for long.)

Kenneth frowned as he and Sora were protected, but the two were unable to escape successfully.

It was quite unexpected that Lancer would be manipulated by Caster.

Or perhaps they've never seen such a straightforward method of manipulation before.

"Sora, use a Command Spell!"

Having made this judgment, Kenneth had no choice but to try this method.

They definitely can't outrun Lancer, who is a Servant.

Without knowing the underlying principles of the other party's control, the best approach at present is to use Command Seals to take Lancer back.

"But how do I give the order?"

Upon hearing this, Sora hesitated for a moment before speaking.

Although Command Seals are said to be able to command Servants, the problem is that if the instructions given are too vague, their effectiveness will be insufficient.

"Just let her leave here."

"Given the current situation, the other Servants and Masters will probably be arriving soon, right?"

"We must first leave the center of attention; we cannot linger here."

It can only be said that Caster's peculiar methods forced them into such a sorry state.

These heroic spirits and warriors always possessed incomprehensible techniques.

"Command it with a command spell!"

"Get out of here, Lancer!"

A red light flashed on the back of his hand, and the crisscrossing chains of thorns stopped in mid-air, and the attack did not come again.

Taking advantage of the opportunity, Kenneth immediately took Sora away from the scene.

"Hey, that's pretty agile!"

Kyoko Sakura stopped in her tracks and breathed a sigh of relief.

She was afraid that her master wouldn't have thought things through before fighting, which would only make things worse.

Exposing yourself to the outside world isn't necessarily a bad thing.

"Tsk, I can feel the flow of magic power has decreased."

"It seems that Caster's magic is not all-powerful, and the magic he uses has an opposing effect on Command Seals."

The controlling force that bound him had begun to weaken, but the magic array on his body remained conspicuous.

Sakura Kyoko looked slightly troubled as she pondered how to counter Caster.

If just one opponent is this troublesome, she dares not imagine what the others will be like.

Although she regained her "inherent skills" as a magical girl due to "Heroic Spirit transformation," she could only use them as surprise attacks.

Once those skilled fighters see it, it might lose its effectiveness.

"This war is much harder than fighting witches!!"

…………

"Are Rider and Berserker the only ones who haven't shown up yet?"

Tokiomi Tohsaka sat in his magic workshop, deep in thought.

He witnessed the conflict between Caster and Lancer through his familiar.

Of all the Servants we've seen so far, only Rider and Berserker haven't appeared.

"Last night's shelling"

"Was it Caster who did it?"

Based on the methods Caster demonstrated today, it is difficult to determine who exactly launched yesterday's attack.

"Rider"

Berserker

It's more likely that these two riders are the most probable.

"The Matou family is also participating this time, but we haven't seen them make any moves yet."

"That's quite strange."

Thinking of a certain forgotten power, Tokiomi Tohsaka frowned in thought.

Logically speaking, the Matou family didn't seem to have any participants in this competition, but he later found out that someone from their family had also been selected.

However, they haven't revealed who it is.

Previously, Tokiomi Tohsaka simply assumed that the Matou family also harbored ambitions, so he didn't pay much attention to it. Now, however, things seem quite amiss.

Is the other person being too quiet?

Rider and Berserker didn't know which of the two riders was the other's Servant.

"teacher?"

How is Assassin doing?

"The injuries are very serious, and it's difficult for him to move around right now."

"Yeah?"

Upon seeing the disciple enter, Tokiomi Tohsaka immediately greeted him, but after receiving the other's reply, he felt somewhat troubled.

It would have been best to send Assassin to gather information, but the trouble caused by his injury was unexpected.

"Send a familiar to the Matou family."

"Surveillance?"

"They should also have competitors, so we need to be wary."

"Understood."

Having complied with Tokiomi's arrangement, Kirei Kotomine didn't say anything more.

Even as he left, his expression remained indifferent.

Compared to Tokiomi's pursuits, Kirei Kotomine is now more focused on finding "satisfaction" in himself.

Perhaps he was an obedient "good boy" before, but just dreaming about the part of his life that he experienced as an Assassin filled him with "emotions" he had never had before.

Was it sadness, surprise, or joy?

That urge to do something brought him some enlightenment, even though he had always been without desires.

Under that strange emotional awakening, Kirei Kotomine no longer clung to his former peace and desirelessness.

"Indeed, there are many unknown possibilities in human relationships."

"The answer I'm looking for is becoming clearer and clearer."

He initially wanted to meet Kiritsugu Emiya in person, but now it seems unnecessary.

"The fact that it aroused my curiosity shows that the Holy Grail War is indeed incredible."

Full of a sense of inquiry, the priest, who already had his own self, began to seek.

"Assassin".

"You should still pay some attention to what the teacher says. Sending out a familiar isn't a safe bet; you should go yourself."

Be careful.

Kirei Kotomine, with his hands behind his back, casually gave instructions to the figure in the shadows.

"Whoosh!"

The blurry figure vanished from the spot, forcing Kirei Kotomine to marvel at how effective the medicine Gilgamesh had given him was.

Such a severe injury healed in just one night.

Although he traded Dragon Balls for it, it doesn't matter.

Eligibility and such

As long as he and Assassin cooperate well, they won't have to worry about such opportunities.

As long as the Servants are in our hands, we can eventually snatch new Dragon Balls and bring them back to the board.

As for the Dragon Balls that Gilgamesh took back into his treasury, that's not a problem at all.

As Masters participating in the competition, the knowledge they received from the Dragon Balls far exceeded what the Heroic Spirits knew.

To get something for nothing, and to conceal the truth from the teacher.

The thought of his bold actions filled him with an unknown sense of satisfaction.

Gilgamesh was ultimately too naive.

(Did they think that putting the Dragon Balls back into the treasure vault would prevent anyone from getting them again?)

A faint smile played at the corners of his lips; Kirei Kotomine eagerly anticipated witnessing the "King" lose his composure.

(End of this chapter)