I, Kenneth, am going to get to the root of the problem today.

Page 51

"Then, let's sweep away those magicians who are obsessed with fake objects."

"In the name of my Lord."

Without any hesitation, Kyoko accepted Kenneth's decree the instant he spoke. As soon as she finished speaking, she felt the magic power within her body constantly increasing. As a fanatical believer, Kyoko regarded all of this as the Lord's affirmation of her for making the right choice.

Seeing the fanatical gaze fixed on him, Kenneth had a strange feeling that they should split up. He wondered if King Hassan, who had been using his influence to his advantage, would actually turn on him. Moreover, the Holy Grail War might involve the arrival of the Beasts, and as the Grand Servant with the most appearances, Kenneth was genuinely afraid that King Hassan would descend.

"Grandpa, if possible, let's never see each other again in this lifetime..."

Feeling inexplicably uneasy, Kenneth, who had already sensed the commotion in the suburbs, also planned to take the three of them there to observe secretly.

A few minutes earlier, in Romania, Joan of Arc, crouching in the back of a freight truck and staring at the haystacks at the other end, struggled to suppress the urge to lie down. A scorching heat blew through the air as she sensed something. Joan of Arc leaned toward the driver's seat and used magic to get the driver to leave. The impoverished saint, dragging her suitcase, turned her gaze to the blue flames burning in the darkness.

"What brings Archer from the Red Team here?"

Joan of Arc's question did not arouse Arjuna's interest in the slightest. At this moment, Arjuna's heart was filled only with the ever-approaching heat. He drew his bow, pulled the string, and magic transformed into an arrow. Lightning flashed, and Arjuna's arrow was already aimed at Joan of Arc, who was changing her appearance at the speed of light.

"I am the arbiter of this Holy Grail War, Jeanne d'Arc Darke, Archer of the Red Team..."

whoosh-

Arjuna, ruthless and taciturn, who showed no regard for Joan of Arc, interrupted her rambling with action. A casually fired arrow split into four beams, engulfing Joan as she held the holy banner. In the instant Joan dodged, the ground bulged, and the asphalt road was sliced ​​into countless clods of earth by a web of blue light and fire. Watching the flowing asphalt, Joan's expression turned utterly solemn.

"Arjuna, the great hero and follower of the Mahabharata, right? You should know what it means to attack me!"

“What an empty battle. It’s not going to do you any good, Ruler. I can’t guarantee what will happen until he gets here.”

Magic overflowed from his body, and the divine bow, bestowed by the gods, was covered in flowing blue flames in Arjuna's hands. Adhering to the fine tradition that archers don't engage in ranged combat, streaks of electricity grazed the ground, carving furrows. The lightning emanating from both ends of the bow slammed into Joan of Arc's flagpole. Despite the holy flag bearing down the divine bow, under Arjuna's power far exceeding that of ordinary Servants, Joan of Arc, an ordinary village girl, only felt her hands become intensely numb.

With a snap, her feet sank uncontrollably into the ground. Under Joan of Arc's absurd magical power, the divine lightning and flames seemed to be blinded as they slid across her body. The ground on both sides was torn apart by the lightning that swept past at lightning speed. Before the flying debris could fall, the ensuing flames turned everything in mid-air into ashes.

A wave of heat swept over them. In the brief exchange, Arjuna, a veteran of many battles, had already seen through Joan of Arc's abilities. The light that filled his body disappeared, and his right fist suddenly clenched and fell. The holy banner in front of him suddenly veered off course, and his left hand reversed the divine bow and slid it down. In the blink of an eye, with a series of fluid moves, the bowstring as thin as a hair was aimed directly at Joan of Arc's throat amidst a dazzling burst of sparks.

"Fate has been decided! Goodbye, Ruler."

Without a shred of emotion, and without giving Joan of Arc a single chance to use her Command Spell, the scales of victory tipped in that instant. However, unhelpful allies are everywhere; just as the apologetic greatsword was about to fall, Gordes's shout immediately drew Arjuna's attention.

"Ganbatte, Saber!"

Compressed magic enveloped his back, and a side kick sent Joan of Arc flying. As Arjuna bent down, he used his bowstring to block Siegfried's blade. The divine bow bent and the bowstring pressed down. Before the greatsword that slew the evil dragon fell, Arjuna, having gained a moment to catch his breath, slightly tilted his wrist to avoid the slash. With a series of light taps of his feet, he escaped Siegfried's attack range.

"Black Saber? Then please! My gaze will pierce through!"

The flames that had dissipated during the duel with Joan of Arc reignited, and divine lightning from Indra filled the divine bow and shot out suddenly. The lightning, like a swallow, tore through the ground and shattered the sword light that Siegfried had unleashed. As if by teleportation, Arjuna, who had the attributes of a melee archer, raised the divine bow in his hand and clashed with the blood bull.

A towering blue light spread with the impact of the two, and lightning, blue flames, and true ether from the Age of Gods tore the ground beneath their feet as they clashed. The wind pressure generated by the collision of their weapons sent nearby rocks flying. In the way true men should clash head-on, the two Servants destroyed everything on the plain with the most traditional form of brute force...

With her gaze fixed on the two Servants locked in fierce combat, Jeanne, as the overseer, had already glimpsed a corner of this Holy Grail War. Gordes's attempts to win her over continued, and a sense of unease arose. Guided by Apocalypse, Jeanne looked at the hills beside her. And even with just that one glance, though there was nothing there, Jeanne's revelation still issued a warning called "natural enemy."

Chapter 136 A Fateful Encounter

To be honest, Kenneth really didn't expect that the aura of the group, which he had been trying his best to conceal, would be detected by Joan of Arc, whose privileges were almost exhausted. Even though they were thousands of meters apart, Kenneth's superhuman body still managed to detect the changes in Joan of Arc's expression.

As Kenneth expected, the next second, Joan of Arc waved her holy banner, and a wind pressure containing magic rushed to Kenneth's eyes. At this point, there was no need to hide anymore. The barrier collapsed, the divine spear ignited with divine fire, and Karna, who took a step forward, raised his hand and tore Joan of Arc's attack apart. However, Joan of Arc was anxious, but someone was even more anxious than Joan of Arc!

"Karna!!!"

Karna's appearance immediately caught the attention of Arjuna, who was locked in a fierce battle with Siegfried. His blood boiled, his magic surged, and his divine bow was raised. Siegfried, who had leaped into the air, was sent flying by Arjuna's sudden outburst. Arjuna showed no intention of pressing his advantage. With nothing else in his sight, Arjuna's magic surged and collided with Karna in the blink of an eye.

"Karna, I have finally met you. This must be the arrangement of the gods! Come, let us fight without holding back!"

Faced with Arjuna, who was showing signs of losing control, even the usually composed Karna was overcome by a sense of destiny and felt a surge of excitement. A dazzling light gathered from the tip of his spear, and the gilded spear unleashed a scorching breath. The orange-red impact tore through the lightning, instantly melting away the mountain behind Arjuna. Watching the blue and red clashing in mid-air, Siegfried, who had just landed and also couldn't fly, was momentarily unsure whether he should unleash a greatsword that pierced the stratosphere.

Unlike Siegfried, who was caught in a dilemma, the two brightest stars in the Mahabharata met again after a thousand years. As sworn enemies, the two understood each other better than the other himself. Decades of fighting had enabled them to judge the moves they were about to face the moment the other made the slightest move.

Arjuna held his bow horizontally before him, and Karna, in a sidestep, tore apart the dense stream of light that had just been released from the bowstring; Karna swept his spear diagonally with both hands, and Arjuna dodged the crescent-shaped flames by sidestepping and blocked the spear's path with his divine bow... Rather than saying that these two were fighting, it would be more accurate to say that they were dueling with another version of themselves, each wielding a different weapon.

Clang——

hum! !

The divine spear rang out and the divine bow trembled. The two had mastered power to a level that was beyond the comprehension of ordinary people. In mid-air, the blue and red flames continued to explode, but the scorched earth below them did not stir up the slightest ripple. Under Arjuna's storm-like offensive, the increasingly bright fireballs expanded at a visible speed with the collision of the two.

The towering shockwave tore through the clouds above, and the spreading impact, dragging with it the flames, heated the air to a scorching temperature. The darkness was illuminated by the clash of divine weapons, and the two blurry figures continued to clash. The divine bows in their hands were raised straight up to the sky, and the blue stream of light, trailing long tails, disintegrated in mid-air. A dense rain of thunder and lightning covered the sky, enveloping Karna, whose shoulders were ablaze with flames.

"Is it finally starting...? That sounds great..."

With divine light igniting in his eyes, Karna, who was covering his right eye, turned his head and dissolved the suppressed lightning. Faced with this all-too-familiar attack, Arjuna, who had also finished warming up, immediately responded to Karna's attack. His palm brushed across the bowstring, and Indra's raging lightning dyed the bowstring translucent. With a chilling aura, a thin, hair-like blue lightning bolt shot out from under the divine bow, and the crimson impact was torn apart by this strike.

He drew his bow, fired swiftly, and faced the path cleared by the blue lightning. A second before the lightning dissipated, the long-accumulated arrow of light, propelling the remaining lightning, appeared before Karna with unstoppable force. Without the slightest panic, Karna raised his hand, and the illusory arrow of light was firmly grasped in his palm. The lightning that covered his body did not cause him the slightest harm. He raised his right hand, which was holding the spear, and like a surface-to-air missile, the divine spear in Karna's hand tore through the dense rain of arrows and pierced straight for Arjuna's head.

"Ha! Rise up, my Gandibal!"

The blue lightning gathered and emitted a white light. The electric light floating on his body spread and tore apart the oncoming fire curtain. Arjuna looked excitedly at Karna, who had already grasped the spear handle. Enveloped in lightning, Arjuna thrust forward and pressed the bowstring against the tip of Karna's spear, perfectly accurate.

The firelight grazed his cheek, and relying on the force of the bowstring's rebound, Arjuna's body rose high. The white lightning that covered his entire body gathered in his right hand, and the long-accumulated divine lightning roared and engulfed Karna who was coming towards him.

Without a moment's thought of letting his guard down, Arjuna, Karna's nemesis, knew that such an attack could not possibly harm his opponent. As Arjuna expected, the lightning serpent was still moving. Behind the thick dust, a cracking sound rang out, and as expected, the arm armor on Karna's wrist blocked Indra's raging lightning.

With a slight smile, Arjuna, now completely exhilarated, pressed down on Karna, who had also regrouped, once again, propelled by the force of freefall. His arm, encased in gauntlets, opened, and the divine spear, which had been knocked away by the explosion, transformed into a golden ray that cleaved through the darkness and cut through the curtain of fire. With barely concealed excitement, Arjuna's divine bow, with the force of splitting mountains, slammed down on Karna's divine hilt.

Clang——

As Karna sank, the ground rapidly rose, and the compressed earth and rocks shot into the sky amidst the bursts of fire. Arjuna, who was blinded by the joy of their reunion, completely ignored Amakusa's warning in his mind as he watched the resolute man below.

"Karna—!!"

“Arjuna—”

In the atmosphere, even the usually composed Karna uttered the name destined for him at the call of his nemesis. Divine fire surged across his arms, and he suddenly raised his spear. Karna's body was forced back rapidly by Karna's force.

Karna!!

Arjuna!

On the hilltop a kilometer away, watching the two who were getting increasingly carried away, and hearing their roars, Kenneth inexplicably had a strange feeling of 'what is this?' He shook his head to clear his mind of the distraction, and out of the corner of his eye, he glanced at the phantom standing beside him.

"Sajō Aika, could it be you?"

Kenneth was confident that his barrier wouldn't be seen through by Jeanne, who had almost no Ruler privileges left. Moreover, the previous attacks were clearly not aimed at him. Kenneth couldn't think of a suitable reason other than Ayaka Sajou to make Jeanne show that kind of expression.

Seemingly noticing Kenneth's gaze, Ayaka Sajou, who was circling on the rock, stopped, put her hands behind her back, and looked at the immovable Kenneth with an extremely girlish posture.

"Hey, are you looking at me?"

Her neck twisted into a terrifyingly lonely position, and a ghost that should not exist grinned and pressed its face against Kenneth's. Madness and malice washed over him. Imitating the way the old ghost-seeing master Yotsuya Miko handled things, Kenneth once again ignored the princess in front of him.

He took a step forward, stepping over the phantom stained with brownish-red blood. The chill that seeped into his body instinctively reminded Kenneth of the nausea of ​​being enveloped by the evil of this world. But Kenneth had no time to adjust, because the village girl had already reached the hilltop where Kenneth was by Gold's stomping foot.

"The Master of Black Assassin, and... Faker's Master."

Protecting Gordes, who was being targeted by the madwoman, Jeanne, who was correcting the abnormality, slowly turned her gaze to Kenneth. Noticing that Jeanne's gaze, following the path of Ayaka Sajou, finally landed on him, and passing through Ayaka Sajou hanging in front of him with empty eyes staring back at him, Kenneth stood opposite Jeanne without changing his steps.

"Hello, Saintess of France, what brings you here?"

Noticing the slight shift in Joan of Arc's gaze, Kenneth was now certain of his earlier guess. Taking a deep breath, Kenneth decided to test whether Joan of Arc could detect the wandering ghost.

Chapter 137 The First Night, The Curtain Falls

Karna and Arjuna's battle continued, the aftershocks of their clashes creating countless deep craters on the plain below. In contrast to their fierce fight, the atmosphere between Kenneth and Joan of Arc was somewhat delicate.

"Master of the Black faction, your existence has interfered with the operation of the Holy Grail War. In order to ensure the legitimacy of the Holy Grail War, please terminate your contract with Faker."

Clearly, Joan of Arc, like Karna, couldn't see Ayaka Sajou's presence. Ayaka Sajou's gaze was fixed on Joan, who was currently observing her, scrutinizing what she didn't possess. The chill she felt earlier returned. Meeting Kenneth's gaze, Joan instinctively attributed everything to him. Faced with Kenneth's continued reluctance to respond, Joan's tone became noticeably harsher.

"Master of Black Assassin, for the sake of the Holy Grail War, please break your oath with Faker!!"

Sensing the obvious change in Jeanne's tone, Kenneth understood that first impressions could determine a lot. With the influence of Ayaka Sajou and Kenneth's identity as a fake Master combined, Kenneth's initial impression in Jeanne's heart was probably negative.

"Cancel the contract? What if I refuse!"

There's no need to explain to Joan of Arc. Even if Joan of Arc is a saint, the preconceived notion has already been planted. Explaining to someone who already has doubts about you will only lead to more doubts. Anyway, Kenneth is prepared to deal with more than a dozen of them. There's no harm in having more debts, and with Joan of Arc added to the mix, Kenneth has a way to handle it.

"If you refuse, I will impose my punishment on you as the Ruler of this Holy Grail War. Please do not resist!"

The spearhead of the Holy Banner pressed down, pointing directly at Kenneth. Thick fog began to spread, a sign that Kyoko was about to make her move. The naginata ignited with flames, and Chris, her twin blades glowing red, raised her weapon and stood before Kenneth. The atmosphere instantly turned tense and deadly.

Returning our focus to Karna, as the battle intensifies, the two are truly locked in combat. Each clash between the divine bow and spear is accompanied by a rapidly expanding impact. The blue and red flames fiercely clash as they exchange blows. Bearing the weight of destiny, the two intertwine their beliefs into their weapons, constantly challenging each other's resolve.

Raising his divine spear, Karna incinerated the incoming arrows with a flick of his wrist. Facing a rain of arrows capable of covering the earth, Karna's body blurred into a blur as he rapidly approached Arjuna, who was drawing his bow and charging. A beam of azure light surged forth, and Karna swung his spear with a fierce swing. The cold light, enveloped in flames, swiftly severed the lightning-forged electric arc.

Flames surged from the gaps in the golden armor, and the rapidly spreading heat deflected arrows coming from all directions. The curtain of fire was torn apart, and the lightning blades extending from both ends of the divine bow slashed at Karna's neck at a tricky angle, the leaping lightning already landing on the golden armor.

Faced with such a crisis, Karna, with a calm expression, leaned back. The thunder blade swept past his eyes, wisps of white hair flying up and down. He closed his eyes, and before the thunder blade on the other side of the divine bow could fall, Karna twisted his body. Another strand of hair fell, and Karna's divine spear leaped up and slashed at Arjuna's arm.

"Karna! Cause and effect, erupt here!"

Without any intention of dodging, Arjuna's world at this moment consisted only of the man with whom he had been entangled for thousands of years. Karna's thunder blade, guided by Arjuna, suddenly exploded. Indra's divine thunder connected with the heavens, and the rolling lightning tore through the sky, engulfing the two intertwined figures. The blue lightning covered the orange-red sunrise, and in the distorted light curtain, the two blurry black figures carrying divine thunder collided violently.

clang--! !

Amidst the deafening tremors, a blaze of blue and red flames tore through the lightning net and soared into the sky. The sea of ​​lightning that had enveloped the plains exploded with a deafening roar, and the flying electric currents, crackling and popping, carved deep trenches into the scorched earth. Rocks were shredded into fragments, and withered wood turned reddish-brown to ashes. The impact of the collisions, accompanied by rising wind pressure, carried everything on the ground high into the air...

A thousand meters away on the mountaintop, dense pebbles fell, but Joan of Arc and Kenneth remained locked in a staring contest. The air grew increasingly thick, and as the phantom of Sajou Aika clung to Kenneth, Joan of Arc's apprehension towards Kenneth suddenly rose to another level.

"Master of Darkness, do you intend to stand by your choice? Your very existence is an anomaly, and as your Overseer, I..."

“Miss Saint, I think you should pay more attention to what’s going on over there before asking me these nonsense questions. I think the rules of the Holy Grail War are far more important than my little anomaly.”

With her eyes narrowed, the sun had already risen. As the supervisor, Jeanne d'Arc twirled her spear and then put the white iris banner back to her side. Glancing at the two Servants who were already poised to use their Noble Phantasms, Jeanne d'Arc jumped off the cliff, and her voice, devoid of any warmth, reached Kenneth's ears.

"Faker's Master, please order Faker to stop fighting."

"Heh, what a stubborn guy. Come back, Karna. This is only the first day. This battle is enough to greet him."

The next second, at Kenneth's call, Karna used his strength to throw Arjuna away with a single thrust of his spear, his wings bursting into flames, and he turned and flew towards the hill where Kenneth was.

"Karna—!!"

Karna could stop, but Arjuna, who had already had his fill of fighting, would not. Several hours ago, Amakusa had tried to persuade Arjuna with a Command Spell, but Arjuna was still fighting Karna. The lightning that had not yet dissipated in the sky struck down under Arjuna's control, and arrows filled with lightning suddenly pointed at Karna, who had already chosen to cease hostilities.

My banner, protect those who stand behind me! My god is here!

A dazzling white light erupted, and Joan of Arc's extraordinary magic resistance transformed into the highest level of physical defense under the waving banner. The blessing from the angels blocked Indra's divine lightning from reaching her.

“Red Archer, the Holy Grail War has entered a truce. If you continue to persist, I will deliver my judgment on behalf of the gods.”

Amakusa's admonition rang out once more. Arjuna glanced at Karna, who was already standing beside Kenneth, and ignored Joan of Arc. As his divine bow dissipated into spiritual particles, Arjuna turned and walked towards the other end of the broken road. The fighting ceased, and Joan of Arc breathed a sigh of relief, looking towards the distant mountains. Realizing Kenneth was about to leave, and still confused about his unusual behavior, Joan of Arc quickly tried to catch up.

"Saintess of France, I'm not the only one with unusual behavior in this Holy Grail War. Instead of keeping an eye on me, go find those who have been lying in wait!"

As the voice faded, Kenneth's figure disappeared over the hilltop. Joan of Arc paused, pondering the meaning of Kenneth's words.

"Someone who's been lying in wait? Or is there something else unusual?"

Talking to herself, Joan of Arc walked to the place where Arjuna had attacked her. There were still a few pieces of unburnt cloth on the broken ground, and her suitcase, which she was dragging, was now reduced to just a handle lying forlornly in the pit. At this moment, Joan of Arc's already impoverished family situation became even worse.

Chapter 138 Kenneth: I Need Cannon Fodder

Walking back down the street to Tulipas, the bloodstains had disappeared, and the bustling crowds went about their daily lives as usual. Jeanne's attention had alerted Kenneth, who glanced at Ayaka Sajou, who was following him in circles. Feeling irritated, Kenneth casually pushed open a shop door and sat down.

Although Kenneth was confident that he could use his intelligence advantage to fight four against fourteen, and his initial plan was to overthrow the Holy Grail War as quickly as possible, Kenneth always felt that there was some bastard in the dark working against him, preventing him from fighting the traditional Holy War.

With a dazed look at the figure sitting opposite him, Kenneth was now certain that he couldn't escape this ordeal with Ayaka Sajou. Compared to her, the Holy Grail War was a minor matter. Before he was certain when Ayaka Sajou would appear, Kenneth needed some cannon fodder, some cannon fodder to fight in raids. He had already taken the blame for Ayaka Sajou, and if Jeanne d'Arc had a change of heart and rallied others to besiege him, Kenneth would truly be grateful.

"So, now we need to expand our own strength while simultaneously escalating the conflict between the Red and Black factions, making them fight each other? Lion Catch Jie Li, when will you finally make up your mind..."

While pondering, Shishikage Kairi did not arrive, but the magician of Yggdrasil found Kenneth. It was none other than the Master he had wronged—Gold, a man known as the "King of Incompetence" and the "King of Useless Command Seals." His greatest value in life was to raise a new master, a typical example of a magician who embodies most of the characteristics of traditional magicians.

"You're Assassin's Master, right? We're both on the Black side. How about joining us and together we seize the Holy Grail!"

Well, Kenneth was quite surprised. The Yggdrasil Clan acted really quickly. But it has to be said that the Yggdrasil's invitation was very much in line with Kenneth's needs. The Yggdrasil wanted to use the power at its disposal, and Kenneth also needed a cannon fodder. He gestured to Kyoko not to get excited, picked up his teacup and pretended to be thinking. Fish need to be caught, and Kenneth needed someone to speak up first.

The guests around him came and went, and seeing that Kenneth still didn't intend to speak, Gold, who was already impatient, slammed his hand on the table and stood up amidst the loud scraping of chairs.

"Are you kidding me?! I, Gold Mujik, am..."

With a single glance, Kenneth froze Gold in place. In that brief moment, Gold, the self-proclaimed alchemist, saw hell in Kenneth's eyes. Trembling, Gold, who had been so defiant just a second ago, slumped heavily into his chair.

"Monster...who the hell are you...Drink! Drink!!"

Clang——!

The moment Siegfried's greatsword struck down, Karna firmly grasped it in his palm. With a snap of his fingers, the surrounding crowd, which had been in turmoil, immediately froze, their eyes glazed over, and their gazes fell on Gold, whom they had forcibly silenced. Kenneth calmly put down his teacup.

"Gold, is that it? Sending an idiot like you to see me, it seems that's all your Yggdrasil clan is like. I have no intention of playing house with you."

"Drink...drink drink..."

With unintelligible gasps, Kenneth stood up from his chair and turned to leave.

"Assassin's Master, we're both from the Black faction, we have a common enemy. The strength of a team is always greater than that of an individual. Shall we talk?"