Chapter 170: The Rise of Kotomine Shirou

[In the thick fog, Mordred found herself under attack by Jack the Ripper's flying knives, but no matter how hard she tried, she couldn't pinpoint Jack's location.]

[Mordred: "Don't underestimate me, Assassin. You're not a hero—just a murderer!"]

["Oh, how perceptive of you."]

[Jack appeared directly behind Mordred, a grin spreading across her face as she spoke in a teasing tone.]

[Jack: "My name is Jack the Ripper."]

[Mordred was startled, but quickly spun around to force Jack to retreat.]

[Jack: "Hey, hey, tell me your name."]

[Jack dodged all of Mordred's attacks with a natural, almost animalistic agility, rolling around her strikes and sniffing the air as if she could track Mordred's scent.]

[Jack: "So it's true—you're a woman."]

[Upon confirming Mordred's gender, Jack's excitement visibly grew.]

[Jack: "In that case, let's make this even more fun."]

Sisigou: "As expected of an Assassin-class Servant. Her agility is incredible."

Tohsaka Rin: "But why does she seem so thrilled to find out her opponent is a woman?"

Tohsaka Tokiomi: "Jack the Ripper is infamous for committing five brutal murders, all targeting women. It's possible she has an inherent advantage against female opponents."

[Mordred: "Don't underestimate me, brat."]

[With a confident smirk, Mordred removed her helmet, letting her fiery red magic power engulf her sword. The surge of energy blasted away the surrounding fog, revealing the battlefield.]

[Mordred: "Cry all you want now, Assassin. Once your head is separated from your neck, you won't even have the chance to scream."]

[Mordred raised her massive sword, preparing to unleash her Noble Phantasm.]

[Jack: "Hahaha, no way!"]

[Jack showed no fear, pulling out two more knives from behind her back.]

[The screen froze suddenly.]

[Question: What will be the outcome of the battle between Mordred and Jack?]

Kotomine Shirou: "They will be interrupted by Archer of the Black faction."

[Ding! Congratulations to Kotomine Shirou for answering correctly and earning 3 Saint Quartz.]

Fiore: "Damn it, he's so fast."

Darnic: "I didn't expect to miss my chance by a second."

Semiramis: "Not bad at all, Master. You've done well."

Kotomine Shirou: "Haha, thank you for the praise."

Over the past few days, Kotomine Shirou had noticed a certain pattern to the questions and had started preparing answers in advance, confident in his deductions.

[The video resumed.]

[Just as the two were about to clash, a sudden attack came from afar.]

[The explosion engulfed both combatants in an instant.]

[Chiron: "Did it work?"]

[Perched atop a distant tower, Chiron and Fiore observed the scene carefully.]

[Chiron: "No, Saber managed to dodge."]

[Fiore: "What about Assassin?"]

[Chiron: "She's not dead, but she's injured. It seems she retreated for now."]

Mordred: "You bastard! Attacking me from a distance, how cowardly!"

Chiron: "This is war, not a fair duel. Victory is all that matters."

Fiore: "Exactly. If you can't accept that, you might as well withdraw now."

Mordred: "What did you just say?"

[Fiore: "As we agreed, I'll handle the enemy's Master."]

[Chiron: "Master, don't push yourself too hard."]

[Fiore smiled faintly before leaping off the tower. Four mechanical appendages, resembling spider legs, unfolded from her back, stabilizing her descent.]

Tohsaka Rin: "What… what is that?"

Illya: "That's so cool!"

Waver: "Is she trying to cosplay as Doctor Octopus?"

Chihiro: "It's more like the Ultimate Spider-Man version. The legs look far more spider-like."

Waver: "Fair point. The design is definitely more arachnid than octopus."

Tohsaka Rin: "What are you even talking about? What's Spider-Man?"

Chihiro: "A superhero comic. You should check it out sometime."

[With Jack retreating, Mordred turned her attention to Chiron, the one who had launched the surprise attack.]

[Mordred: "Be careful, the enemy Servant has changed."]

[Mordred, unfazed, charged forward through a rain of arrows. As she dashed past Sisigou, she offered him a quick warning.]

[Mordred: "I'm counting on you. Handle their Master."]

[Sisigou: "Got it."]

[Mordred muttered to herself as she sprinted toward Chiron.]

[Mordred: "I never thought I'd have to rely on a mage, of all people."]

Sisigou: "What's that supposed to mean? I didn't know you had a grudge against magus."

Mordred: "It's nothing. Just that the two mages I've met in life didn't leave the best impressions."

Sisigou knew this was undoubtedly referring to Morgan and Merlin.

There was no need to explain Morgan, but Merlin, the mage who had assisted King Arthur in ascending the throne had apparently left an equally bad impression on Mordred.

[Video paused.]

[Question: What will be the final outcome of the battle between the red Sisigou and the black Fiore?]

Kotomine Shirou: "Both sides will fight to a draw, then retreat without a decisive conclusion."

[Ding! Congratulations to Kotomine Shiro for answering this question correctly and earning 3 Saint Quartz.]

Darnic: "???"

Fiore: "Ugh, you guys are always so fast."

Achilles: "Father, that was a nice move. You're sharp today."

Kotomine Shirou: "It was nothing."

Though Fiore possessed her mechanical spider-like device, her chances of winning against the experienced Sisigou were slim. However, her brother Caules had accompanied her. Even without a Servant, the two-on-one odds could level the playing field.

At this point, neither side was ready to fight to the death. The most likely scenario was a temporary ceasefire and mutual retreat.

Chihiro thought to himself: "This Kotomine Shirou really knows how to play the game."

Chihiro realized that Kotomine Shirou was employing the same strategy he had once casually mentioned to Rin, anticipating the questions ahead of time and preparing answers in advance.

[Video continues.]

[Mordred charged up the tower like a furious lion, launching an aggressive assault on Chiron.]

[Faced with Mordred's ferocity, Chiron leapt backward off the tower, counterattacking as he fell.]

[Mordred, true to her reckless nature, pursued him through a storm of arrows.]

[As Mordred closed the gap, Chiron discarded his bow and adopted a hand-to-hand combat stance.]

[When Mordred swung her sword, Chiron blocked the attack, delivering a swift punch to her abdomen before flipping her over his shoulder.]

[Chiron: "Allow me to introduce you—this is Pankration."]

[Pankration was Chiron's original martial art, a fusion of boxing and wrestling techniques.]

[Though Chiron gained the upper hand this time, both combatants suffered significant injuries. Mordred was bloodied, while Chiron's left shoulder was severely wounded, rendering his arm useless.]

[With the enemy now in close quarters, Chiron had lost the advantage of his Archer class abilities.]

Achilles: "Hahaha, Chiron! I didn't think I'd see you in such a sorry state."

Chiron: "On one hand, it was a deliberate strategy to lure her in. On the other hand... I admit, I was careless."

Chiron: "You've done well, Saber of the Red faction. Pushing me to this point, an oversight on my part."

Mordred: "Damn right! Now you know just how strong I am!"

[While the two Servants reached a stalemate, Fiore had already located Sisigou.]

[With the mechanical appendages on her back, Fiore moved along the wall like a spider, suspended horizontally.]

[Sisigou: "Looks like we don't need any formal introductions."]

[Fiore: "No, we already know each other's names."]

[Fiore offered a faint smile, her tone calm but laced with a subtle threat.]

[Fiore: "But I'd like to offer you a word of warning."]

[Sisigou: "Go ahead."]

[Fiore: "Leave now, necromancer."]

[Her expression turned cold, her voice resolute.]

[Fiore: "This is the territory of Yggdmillennia. I can overlook your trespassing this time, but if you ignore my warning, you'll pay for your arrogance with your life."]

[Sisigou: "Really? And you think I'd just listen to you?"]

[Fiore: "No, I don't. But if I don't say it, I won't feel right about it."]

[Sisigou: "I see."]

[Without hesitation, Sisigou quietly began chanting a spell, conjuring a gust of wind that sent a nearby poster flying into Fiore's line of sight, momentarily obscuring her vision. Seizing the opportunity, he drew his gun and fired.]

Fiore: "Tch, how underhanded of you."

Sisigou: "Naive little girl. You were just lecturing me about others' arrogance."

[Fiore narrowly dodged the bullets, landing gracefully on the ground. Her mechanical appendages shifted into a machine gun, unleashing a volley of fire toward Sisigou.]

[Quick on his feet, Sisigou ducked behind a car, pulling a grenade from his coat. Using wind magic, he sent it rolling toward Fiore's feet.]

[Fiore's face turned pale as she recognized the danger. She quickly destroyed the grenade, but in doing so, failed to notice Sisigou getting into a nearby car. He started the engine and drove straight at her.]

***

Check my profile for my new work.

Bonus for last week 200 PS.

For every 200 PS = 1 extra chapter. Support me on patreon to read 100+ advanced chapters: patreon.com/Blownleaves.