C330

"Of course I paid attention!"

Rin Tohsaka said stiffly. Then she stretched out her hand to touch her arm, her expression unnaturally strained—immediately drawing Kain's attention.

"It would've been nice if you'd told me earlier when you spotted the enemy. Now that Tsunade's interest has been piqued, I have to wait a while. Move your hand."

As he spoke, Kain used medical ninjutsu to heal Rin Tohsaka's wound. The small injury vanished within ten seconds thanks to his Healing Jutsu.

"Thanks."

Rin murmured. Despite her proud and arrogant nature, she was still sincere when expressing gratitude to those who helped her.

She tried to get up to help, but Kain stopped her at once.

"Don't. Just focus on supplying magic power to Tsunade. Your magical aptitude isn't bad, but you're completely out of your league here."

Even someone like Kotomine Kirei would find it extremely difficult to interfere in a battle like this.

Gilgamesh's Chains of Heaven were especially effective against Servants with divinity—but Tsunade had none. The Sky Chains were torn apart by Tsunade's brute strength with ease.

Then, from the ground, a large number of trees sprouted and entangled the Sky Chains tightly.

Crash! Crash!

Though the magically created trees weren't individually as powerful as the chains, their sheer quantity overwhelmed the restraints. Each time a tree was broken, more sprouted in its place.

"You damn mongrel!"

Gilgamesh growled. Seeing his chains fail, the Gate of Babylon launched another barrage of treasures—ranging from C- to A-rank—raining down on Tsunade like thunderbolts.

But Tsunade wasn't someone who could be overwhelmed by a mere shower of Noble Phantasms.

"What a dull and repetitive attack pattern,"

Tsunade sneered. She slammed her foot down and leapt high into the air, charging straight at Gilgamesh.

"Don't get cocky, you mongrel!"

he shouted. At his words, the output from the Gate of Babylon doubled—now even B-rank treasures were the bare minimum, with A-rank weapons launched one after another.

Weapons like Fang Tian's Halberd and Indra's Thunder were hurled at Tsunade.

But even in mid-air, Tsunade had no blind spots. Her physical combat skills had been honed to perfection—she could exert four or five times her natural strength with just a single finger.

Kain, watching the battle from a distance, narrowed his eyes. He could clearly see the traits of a master martial artist in Tsunade—far beyond his own level.

In terms of taijutsu, techniques, and her uncanny ability to respond to attacks, she was even able to anticipate Gilgamesh's next move. If not for the uncertainty around Gilgamesh's close-combat ability and the threat of Cú Chulainn's Gáe Bolg, Tsunade would have already overwhelmed them.

With equal stats as a Servant, no one could match Tsunade—not even Kain.

In his own time, he wouldn't have feared Tsunade. But this was Tsunade from the future. She had practiced advanced genetic warrior techniques, and her power was on a completely different level.

"Three versus one... This isn't looking good. I'm going down to help her,"

Rin said anxiously.

But Kain shook his head.

"Look closer. Do any of the three down there look relaxed to you?"

Rin narrowed her eyes and observed more carefully. As Kain had said, the expressions on Cú Chulainn and Kotomine Kirei's faces were indeed strange. They didn't look like they were winning—they looked more like prey standing before a predator.

"Why is that...?"

"Why do you think?"

Kain said with a grin.

"Just believe in your Servant. And if you can supply her with enough magic power... heh."

Realization dawned on Rin. She immediately pulled out all the magical gems she had on her and began channeling the magic through the circuit in her left arm. Using her Command Seal, she transmitted all the energy directly to Tsunade.

Kain added his own supply—over a hundred magic gems—to support her further.

Then Rin gave her order as Master:

"Servant Berserker, by the authority of the Command Seal—I order you to win this battle!"

"Servant Berserker, by the authority of the Master—I order you to win this battle!"

She used two Command Seals back to back. Combined with the tidal wave of mana surging into Tsunade, her strength exploded in an instant.

"So much magical energy? Heh... fine then. I'll finish the three of them quickly.

Ninja Art: Mitotic Regeneration!"

At her cry, the purple diamond-shaped seal on her forehead expanded into a full-body curse mark. This technique had followed her for decades—and she had continued refining it for just as long.

Mitotic Regeneration didn't just heal injuries—it drastically increased speed and strength by releasing massive amounts of chakra.

The principle behind Eight Inner Gates was similar: unlocking restrictions to allow chakra to flow freely. But Mitotic Regeneration was far more refined and came with built-in healing.

At this moment, Tsunade used magic power to simulate the flow of chakra. As a Servant, she didn't need to worry about minor injuries. If converted into stats, her Strength and Agility had already reached A rank—possibly even higher.

"You mongrel… You dare claim you'll defeat this king?"

Gilgamesh didn't even remember how many times he'd been enraged today. Those who looked down on the king, defied the king, or dared to challenge the king—must be completely annihilated!

"Let this king show you... the difference between man and god! Come forth—the Sword of Heaven and Earth!"

From the Gate of Babylon, Gilgamesh drew forth a strange-looking Noble Phantasm.

Its blade resembled a segmented cylinder, inscribed with strange red patterns that flowed like molten fire. The sword was divided into three rotating sections, and when the patterns aligned perfectly—it was said to unleash its true, overwhelming power.

Seeing this, Tsunade couldn't help but be surprised.

"A powerful treasure… even though it hasn't shown its full strength, I can already feel its terrifying power. If you're allowed to use it at full capacity… this planet might not survive the aftermath."

"You mongrel… so you do understand,"

Gilgamesh sneered.

"However," Tsunade said coolly, "a treasure that can't be unleashed is no better than a scrap of metal."

The moment her words fell, Gilgamesh felt a surge of unease. Raising the Sword of Heaven and Earth, he left the ground, intending to obliterate Tsunade in a single, divine strike.

BOOM!

With a thunderous shockwave, Tsunade vanished.

The next instant, a massive crater—over ten meters deep—appeared where she'd been standing, as if the earth had been pounded by an immense force.

"Archer, back—!"

Before Cú Chulainn could finish his warning, Tsunade appeared behind Gilgamesh in a flash and slammed her fist into his back with a dull, heavy sound.

Gilgamesh's body shot down like a meteor, crashing violently into the ground and forming another crater.

Though he was a Servant, a being of magic and spirit, his physical form was still flesh and blood—and now it was shattered. Every bone in his body was broken, his limbs twisted and mangled. He was nothing more than a lump of flesh.

This was Tsunade holding back. If she had used twenty times her normal strength, Gilgamesh would have been reduced to dust on the spot.

"Go to hell!"

Taking advantage of Tsunade's momentary pause midair, Cú Chulainn activated his Noble Phantasm. Drawing on magical energy quietly transferred to him by Kotomine Kirei through a Command Seal, he hurled Gáe Bolg, the Spear of Piercing Death Thorn.

This cursed weapon reversed cause and effect—once thrown, the outcome was predetermined. The spear would pierce Tsunade's heart. She had no way to dodge or defend.

Swish!

Tsunade vanished once more. But a second later—

Puchi!

The spear reappeared behind Kotomine Kirei—along with Tsunade. Gáe Bolg had already pierced through her chest, impaling her heart.

"Tsunade!"

Seeing the fatal strike land, Rin Tohsaka was overwhelmed with panic and jumped down from the tree to help.

But once again, Kain stopped her. In her rush, she was caught and held back by his arm.

"What are you doing?! Piercing the heart means she's dead!" she yelled.

Kain calmly pushed her back and kept his gaze on the battlefield.

"Death and a pierced heart aren't the same. You're jumping to conclusions."

He sighed softly.

"Still, that's one hell of a weapon. Tsunade clearly dodged it the moment it was thrown—but the spear followed her. As if fate had already decided where it would land."

"You can survive Gáe Bolg," he continued, "but only with extraordinary luck. And Tsunade's luck…"

Tsunade could only raise her luck to A-rank by sacrificing a relative. But all of her remaining relatives were connected to Kain—so he wouldn't allow her to make that sacrifice.

Rin glared at him, furious.

"You're seriously still explaining?! YOUR WIFE just got impaled through the heart!"

"It's fine," Kain replied calmly. "It's just a heart wound. Tsunade's resilience is on another level. Even getting her head cut off wouldn't necessarily kill her. Relax."

He pointed toward the battlefield. Rin followed his gesture—and was stunned.

Tsunade wasn't dead.

Not only was she still standing—she was pulling Gáe Bolg out of her chest with her bare hands.

"What a terrifying weapon. You can't dodge it, and it even suppresses healing… Any other Servant would be done for. Truly impressive,"

Tsunade remarked, casually tossing the spear aside.

Cú Chulainn nearly spat blood in frustration.

Her heart still wasn't healed—he could see straight through the hole! And yet she was praising his spear? Was this supposed to be a compliment? It felt more like humiliation.

Was Gáe Bolg really only this effective?!

"You bitch—!"

BOOM!

Before he could finish his sentence, Tsunade punched him square in the face. This time, she didn't hold back.

Unlike Gilgamesh, who was a threat more in words than in power, Cú Chulainn had caused actual harm. Tsunade responded with full force—sending him flying straight back to the Holy Grail.

"Huh? The curse energy of the Evil in this World has increased... Looks like in half a month, zero will be able to achieve a perfect body."

After Cú Chulainn's death, Kain moved his finger slightly—and immediately sensed Zero Tail's power surging dramatically.

"Tohsaka, this one's yours!"

Tsunade shouted. Rin Tohsaka didn't hesitate—she leapt down immediately. This time, Kain didn't stop her, but instead glanced into the distance.

Several figures were rapidly approaching—both Servants and Masters. The fastest among them, unsurprisingly, was the ever-nosey Ruler, Jeanne d'Arc.

That so-called saint was constantly trying to maintain the order of the Holy Grail War, pleading with Masters and Servants alike not to let their conflict affect the common people.

But reality often betrayed her ideals. Thanks in part to Kotomine Kirei's meddling, even she, the Ruler, was now wanted by the police. And the battles between Servants grew more destructive with each clash.

This time, Tsunade's use of Wood Style had completely altered the terrain, and the shockwaves from her monstrous strength had caused Fuyuki City to launch an earthquake drill.

Kain ignored Jeanne's approach for now. Instead, he walked over to Tsunade and checked her injuries.

After defeating Cú Chulainn, the lingering effects of Gáe Bolg had weakened significantly. Even without his help, Tsunade would recover in time.

"Thanks, Tsunade."

Tsunade grinned and waved him off.

"No big deal. That fight was actually pretty fun. If I had my original body, it would've been even better. I still want to experience that golden-haired guy's treasure again… maybe next time."

She didn't finish the thought—but Kain nodded, choosing not to pry.

Instead, he pointed at the ground. Tsunade understood immediately, releasing her Wood Style technique and retracting the towering trees that had spread for tens of meters.

As for the damaged terrain and nearby buildings, Kain simply restored them with magic. He no longer needed magic gems; the Holy Grail was now part of him, and the constant deaths of Servants had filled him with immense magical power—almost on par with a complete Tailed Beast.

"Wait a minute!"

A voice shouted in the distance. Kain and Tsunade turned their heads—but Rin Tohsaka kept moving.

Puchi!

With a clean strike, Rin activated her Anti-Teacher Noble Phantasm and stabbed it through the heart of Kotomine Kirei, who had already lost most of his strength.

At last—she had avenged her parents.

Just then, Ruler Jeanne arrived. Though the battlefield had already been restored by Kain's magic, she could still sense the immense magical residue left behind. The scale of the fight here far exceeded any prior conflicts.

"Foreigner Kain. Berserker Tsunade. You two were responsible for the battle that just took place, weren't you?" Jeanne said sternly. "The Servants' conflict has gone too far. It's endangered civilians and disrupted the balance of the Holy Grail War."

Her reprimand extended to Rin as well, though technically fights between Masters were outside her authority. Still, Rin was clearly part of the chaos.

"The Holy Grail War is nearly over, Jeanne," Kain said with a calm chuckle. "The Ruler class is no longer necessary for this war."

He raised a finger and continued:

"You should return to the Grail. I'll be ending this Holy Grail War soon. Please—rest now, saintess."

Jeanne frowned deeply.

"What are you talking about, Foreigner? The Holy Grail War isn't over. As long as there are Servants still fighting, I—"

She didn't get to finish.

In an instant, a hand closed tightly around her neck.

It was Kain.

"Apologies. I've no interest in following the rules," he said coldly. "And for someone like you, who stubbornly enforces them... I dislike you. It's personal. But don't misunderstand—on every other front, I respect you deeply."

He paused, tightening his grip.

"But still, Jeanne d'Arc—you must return to the Grail."

With his other hand, Kain began forming a Tailed Beast Bomb. The hand around her neck was like forged steel—no matter how she struggled, Jeanne couldn't break free. As soon as his hand made contact with her fair skin, a glowing sealing rune lit up across her body.

"Then… goodbye."

SHING!

A flash of silver light cut through the night—silent as moonlight and timed to perfection. A blade, hidden until this moment, arced toward Kain's neck with deadly precision.

…

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