Chapter 77: Your Trump Card, My Trump Card.

"Famous people really do have their troubles… Hiding my identity is way too difficult for me."

Cu Chulainn scratched the back of his neck in frustration. "Well then, fair is fair, Caster. At least tell me your name so I know which Heroic Spirit is about to die by my spear."

"Jiang You."

Jiang You reported his name plainly. "Do you not know Kotomine Kirei, or is it that he doesn't allow you to speak about him?"

"Who?"

Of course, Cu Chulainn couldn't match Jiang You's name to any Heroic Spirit he knew.

"Never heard of that name. As for Kotomine Kirei—why should I know him?"

"He's the overseer of this Holy Grail War, sent by the Church."

A stylish woman in a suit, her short wine-red hair swaying slightly, stepped forward with steady strides.

"A no-nonsense, mature, and reliable Executor."

"You've overstepped your bounds, Caster. As an Executor, it is my duty to take you down right here!"

The woman, Bazett, shrugged off her cumbersome suit jacket, standing ready in a white dress shirt. The runes on her limbs lit up as they activated with an influx of mana. At this moment, she still held a fair amount of trust in Kotomine Kirei. Aside from her duties, she was also worried that Jiang You posed a threat to him.

"My Master, leave this to me."

As a descendant of the Red Branch Knights, Cu Chulainn had a natural affinity for Bazett. He acknowledged her strength but didn't want her to engage in a dangerous fight against a Servant.

"Just deal with his Master. A Caster away from his workshop won't be a match for me."

"No, that's not the case."

Bazett shook her head. Her years of experience made her extremely sensitive to the flow of mana. "His Master is right here!"

"That can't be. It's just Assassin and Caster here—where would the Master be?"

Cu Chulainn glanced around, confirming that there was no other living being in the room.

"In the box."

Bazett nodded toward the silver briefcase in Jiang You's hand. She could feel a crude yet distinct flow of mana from within. It wasn't even trying to be concealed—it was as if someone wanted others to see that this mana was feeding into Jiang You's Saint Graph.

"He stuffed his Master into that case, using them as a mobile battery."

"That tiny thing? How do you even fit a person in there?"

Cu Chulainn roughly estimated the size of the case—it wasn't even big enough to fit a four or five-year-old child. Since both Atrum and Bazett came from the Clock Tower, Cu Chulainn had some understanding of their methods. A chill ran down his spine as he considered the implications.

"What a sick bastard."

"You turned on your own Master the moment you showed up, didn't you?"

Cu Chulainn, often likened to a hound for his loyalty and reliability, found Jiang You's betrayal utterly detestable. He didn't bother hiding his disgust.

"A guy like you deserves to die by my hand! Master, just hold off that suspicious Caster and Assassin! This Caster has no combat experience—I'll finish him in under a minute!"

"Honestly, I don't feel like fighting you right now. If contestants start dropping before the war even begins, that'd be a real headache for me."

Jiang You examined Bazett. Because he had been summoned, Atrum never got the chance to meet with Kotomine Kirei at the church or send private letters to Bazett. As a result, Kotomine Kirei never had the opportunity to scheme for Lancer's control.

"Besides, Miss Bazett, you should be thanking me. Otherwise, Kotomine Kirei would've chopped off your little hand."

"Stop trying to drive a wedge between us!"

Since six years ago, Bazett had received Kotomine Kirei's help four times in total. The two had formed a close bond, secretly assisting each other behind the organization's back. She admired the strength he displayed and gradually developed feelings for him.

Bazett made up her mind—she had to eliminate Jiang You here and now to prevent him from causing further trouble for the Church and Kotomine Kirei. She launched a rapid punch at the retreating Medea, moving so fast that even she couldn't react in time. Even Hundred-Faces couldn't intervene quickly enough.

"So this is what a maiden's heart looks like?"

Seeing Bazett suddenly fired up with NP+10 levels of motivation, Jiang You immediately called upon his trump card.

"Berserker! Stop her!"

A heavy desk, transformed into a Noble Phantasm by Knight of Owner, was hurled with immense force by Lancelot. It smashed through the wall and hurtled toward Bazett.

The projectile was even faster than Bazett's own movements. Unable to halt her attack in time, she quickly switched to a defensive stance, using her Runes to mitigate the impact.

"You had an ambush set up?!"

Cu Chulainn's gaze locked onto the black-armored knight who had suddenly entered the fray. For the first time, he felt a twinge of pressure. In his eyes, Jiang You, Medea, and Hundred-Faces weren't even worthy of a single round against him. But Lancelot—he exuded the presence of a true warrior.

"This guy is weird… How does he have so many different Servants assisting him? And even overlapping classes?"

Cu Chulainn gauged Lancelot's strength and made a quick decision.

"Master, leave that Caster to me! Just don't die!"

Bazett nodded in agreement. With seamless coordination, the two swapped positions in a single stride.

A crimson spear clashed against a jet-black sword, their impact sending shockwaves through the room. The bound middle-aged man caught in the turbulence was sent rolling, completely disoriented.

Two of Hundred-Faces attempted to pin Bazett down, but she effortlessly took them out. Medea seized the opportunity to leap out of the window, her cloak billowing as she fired multiple magic blasts.

Bazett, wary of a divine-era magus' attacks, dodged with precise movements, rolling to avoid them in rapid succession.

"You fell for it!"

Medea grinned triumphantly. She had intentionally left an opening to bait Bazett into a specific position. A binding spell activated, locking Bazett in place with overwhelming magical energy.

"Now then, I'll be taking Lancer's Command Spells. Though, I originally prepared this for that bastard."

Medea raised her Rule Breaker, aiming to sever the bond between Cu Chulainn and Bazett to claim it for herself.

Just as she plunged Rule Breaker downward—

A sphere materialized behind Bazett, morphing into the shape of a sword.

"Fragarach! Reverse causality!"

It responded to the opponent's "trump card" activation, twisting fate itself and rewriting Bazett's attack as an absolute first strike.

Then—

The blade materialized next to Jiang You and stabbed toward his kidney.

Medea: "?"Jiang You: "?"Bazett: "?"