"Big sister, is there some misunderstanding between us?" Achilles swallowed hard, nervously putting away his stance. He also learned to imitate a common pose from the modern knowledge he had been instilled with, slightly raising his hands with fingers pointing to the sky.
"There is no misunderstanding, Rider. I'm sorry." Atalanta pointed at Achilles with sharp eyes. "But please, do not make any sudden moves now, or I will have no choice but to eliminate you here. I am truly sorry."
"Can you give me a reason?" Achilles carefully turned his head slightly, asking while looking at Atalanta out of the corner of his eye.
He had completely given up struggling now.
Although he was confident that if he were to fight Atalanta, he would definitely be the one to win in the end.
But he couldn't handle the fact that there was also a Lord God before him whose strength far exceeded his own in this state.
This was a situation where no matter who he attacked first, he would surely die!
"Ruler, can you guarantee the truth of what you just said?" Atalanta ignored Achilles and questioned Artoria instead.
"You should be able to feel it too, the magic power characteristics that Sanzang is currently emitting." Artoria did not answer directly.
"As expected, the one building the 'Temple' is the famous master Sanzang." Atalanta seemed to have received some kind of confirmation, a look of relief appearing on her face. "If it is that master, plus your guarantee as Ruler... Go! Ruler, stop the Lancer who intends to destroy all of this!"
The expression on Atalanta's face was as solemn as if she were heading to a battlefield from which there was no return.
"No matter what, children are treasures that should be protected! And as for cleansing the sins of Jack the Ripper, that collective entity of the resentment of tens of thousands of wronged infants, so they can be reborn as newborns, I have no reason to stop such a noble act!"
"Rider, leave him to me!"
Atalanta's magic power was gathering.
Achilles' face was ashen.
From Atalanta's tone, he understood exactly what kind of resolve this big sister had.
Not to mention, he himself knew some of the experiences of this big sister during her lifetime.
Naturally, he also understood that this big sister had developed empathy for that collective entity of resentment, Jack the Ripper.
The big sister who had chosen to defect in this state could not be persuaded to return with words.
So, he had no choice but to fight.
Just as Achilles set up his stance, Artoria's figure had already vanished from before his eyes.
"Big sister, can we really not talk about this anymore?"
Achilles tried to struggle one last time.
"No need for more words! Rider!" Atalanta's expression was somewhat ferocious. "Anyone who tries to hinder those children from being reborn is my enemy!"
"Do you trust the Ruler's words so easily? Perhaps she is trying to sow discord between us?" Achilles reminded her.
"Whether it's true or not, you should have already confirmed it, right?" Atalanta said, staring fixedly at Achilles. "That magic power signature."
"As for whether it's sowing discord... I can only say, if this is truly the Ruler's scheme, then she has won." Atalanta drew her bow to the max without mercy and fired an arrow toward Achilles' heel.
"Big sister!" Achilles dodged abruptly, a deep sadness on his face.
From the moment Atalanta deliberately aimed at his heel, which could be called his only weakness, she had already demonstrated her intention to show absolutely no mercy.
Therefore, despite his sadness and reluctance, Achilles steeled himself.
"Come to think of it, this is the first time I've had the chance to face you as an opponent, big sister." Achilles showed an attitude of facing a strong enemy. "Perhaps, this is also a wish from deep within my heart."
This was a chance to make up for the regret of not having competed with Big Sister Atalanta during her lifetime!
Achilles reminded himself of this.
"Let us compete to see who is the fastest in Greece!"
As for fighting... fighting was impossible.
He, Achilles, was a hero; he didn't hit women!
Penthesilea:...
Oh, except for women who were on the opposing side on the battlefield.
Two beams of light sped away toward the outskirts of Sighisoara.
Bang—
Karna slammed face-first into the ground.
And where he had just been, Artoria stood with a cold expression, holding her holy sword.
"...Rider and Archer couldn't have been defeated so quickly." Karna pulled his face from the ground and looked up at Artoria. "What did you do?"
"I did nothing," Artoria replied. "I just described what is currently happening inside. Then those two Servants started infighting."
"What is happening inside?" Karna frowned slightly. "Although I have almost figured out the truth of what is being done inside, why would they infight because of that?"
"...It seems that Archer deeply cherishes the existence of children," Artoria replied. "So, as soon as she heard that the purpose of what is being done inside is to cleanse the resentment and sins of those children and give them a chance to be reborn, she didn't hesitate to point her arrow at Rider."
"I see." Karna nodded thoughtfully. "Although I don't know if this is a trap you deliberately set for Archer, since things have reached this point, our plan has failed completely."
"What was your plan? Can you reveal a little bit?" Artoria asked, raising an eyebrow at Karna.
"I refuse," Karna replied. "This is not something I should tell you."
"Then, shall the second round begin here?" Artoria asked, pointing her sword tip at Karna.
"No, there are too many residential houses nearby. I do not wish to drag innocent people into our battle... Let's go a bit further away." Karna shifted his gaze slightly, looking at the houses that still had lights on, and shook his head to decline.
What he had to do now was to weaken the Ruler before him as much as possible, then wait for his teammate Achilles, who had a better chance of winning, to return and join forces to deal with the Ruler.
He, alone, simply could not handle it.
At this very moment, inside Sighisoara Town.
Mordred looked up at the direction where Artoria and Karna were, then turned her head to look at Daniel.
"How long will it take that master to finish the business here?"
"Not sure, but considering it's about chanting for tens of thousands of children, it certainly won't be over in a short while," Daniel replied, shaking his head. "Even with the Temple opened and high-speed chanting being used."
"Huh? Then I have to stay here guarding as long as she chants? That's too boring!" Mordred complained with dissatisfaction in her tone.
"Well, you can't go hack at your teammates with the King, can you? Think about your master's position." Daniel shrugged and reminded her.
"Then what if I go with my teammates to hack at Father? That would work, right!" Mordred looked eager to try.
"Do you believe that the next moment she could go from holding a holy sword to holding a holy spear, and then stab you again?" Daniel asked back.
"...I believe that." Mordred, perhaps recalling some terrible memory, unconsciously covered her chest with her gauntlet.
Daniel remembered that during the final battle at Calamity Hill, it seemed that was where Mordred was pierced through by Artoria with the holy spear.
"How about you go have a fight with the Servants of the Black Faction?" Daniel suggested offhandedly.
"Servants of the Black Faction?" Mordred's eyes drifted unconsciously toward Jack the Ripper, who was sitting in the 'Temple'.
Like an enraged leopard, Rikudou Reika stood between Mordred and Jack the Ripper, glaring at Mordred with a mix of softness and ferocity in her eyes.
"I don't mean Jack," Daniel rolled his eyes and replied. "I mean the other Servants of the Black Faction who came to eliminate Jack the Ripper."
"They should be waiting in some corner of the town or waiting to see how things develop because of our intervention."
"This world is truly full of rejection toward Jack-chan everywhere. What does Jack-chan have to do to satisfy them?" Rikudou Reika murmured, collapsing onto the ground in despair.
"Tsk." Mordred complained dissatisfiedly, then looked around. "Where are those guys from the Black Faction? Let me go hack at them."
"Don't know, you'll have to find them yourself." Daniel glanced at Jeanne, who was silent and pretending to be deaf and dumb, then shrugged and replied.
"By the way, don't wander too far, otherwise it could be dangerous if we are attacked over here," Daniel reminded Mordred as she turned to leave. "After all, both Jack's master and I are ordinary people without any combat capability."
"Her, maybe, but you?" Mordred stopped in her tracks and turned her head to size up Daniel. "If it were a Servant, that'd be one thing, but if it's based purely on a master's ability, I don't think anyone could actually beat you."
Daniel's face turned pale.
In this Holy Grail War, there were actually quite a few masters who could easily kill him.
From afar, Amakusa Shirou Tokisada, one of the only two masters of the Red Faction currently capable of moving, definitely had the ability to beat him to death within half a minute.
Up close, Darnic also had that ability.
"Mordred, don't think too highly of me," Daniel reminded her. "And don't underestimate the despicableness of a Magus."
"Oh, your master doesn't count; he's a Spellcaster. Compared to the despicable methods of a Magus, he's better at facing enemies head-on."
"Tsk, you're really a pain," Mordred waved her hand impatiently. "Fine, I'll try not to go too far."
After Mordred's figure disappeared, Rikudou Reika looked up at Daniel.
She really couldn't see anything remarkable about Daniel that would earn such an evaluation from that strong-looking armored Servant.
"Is it really okay to trust a Servant of the Red Faction?"
Rikudou Reika asked somewhat uneasily.
"No, it's only okay because it's Mordred and Shishigou Kairi," Daniel explained. "It's not about trusting the Red Faction's Servants."
"Besides, in the end, what Jack did before drew some hatred from both the Black and Red Factions," Daniel shrugged and explained. "So strictly speaking, you shouldn't trust anyone from either side."
"That... seems to be true." Rikudou Reika recalled what she had done and nodded in agreement.
After all, whether it was the people sent by that certain clan of the Black Faction or the people sent by whatever power of the Red Faction, they were probably all killed by Jack, and then their hearts were gouged out to provide the magical energy she couldn't give.
Now they had come to someone else's territory to cause a huge scene; the hatred was indeed quite high.
However, thinking about it this way, with both sides being enemies, the Ruler group that suddenly jumped out saying they wanted to help Jack was simply a great savior for her and little Jack.
Little Jack wouldn't need to compete fiercely with over a dozen other Servants for the greater grail to make a wish; her wish could be directly realized.
And she was fortunate enough to directly witness the entire process of this act.
Even if she were to be executed by both sides afterward, she would be satisfied.
"Speaking of which, once Jack's resentment and sins are washed away and she is reincarnated, do you have any plans?" Daniel asked, sizing up Rikudou Reika.
"...No," Rikudou Reika tapped her chin with her finger as she recalled, then revealed a delicate smile. "I'll probably be taken as a sacrifice by the masters of the Black or Red Faction, right? After all, they have to demand an accounting for what Jack-chan and I did before."
"Tsk, you really have no intention of resisting at all," Daniel raised an eyebrow in surprise as he looked at Rikudou Reika.
"After all, I'm just a weak and powerless ordinary person. What can I do against those terrifying Magi who have money, people, and abilities?" Rikudou Reika spread her hands and asked back. "Besides waiting for death, what else can I do?"
"I don't think I can hide from their miraculous magical means."
"I was still tracked down by those Magi even after Jack-chan brought me from Japan to Romania."
That made a lot of sense.
It was no wonder she had already thought out her own end.
"Hmm—" Daniel studied Rikudou Reika thoughtfully. "Is there anything in this world you can't leave behind? Or rather, is there anyone you value or something like that?"
"Besides Jack-chan, I have nothing," Rikudou Reika said with a somewhat indifferent smile. "Well, because I'm technically a missing person, I probably don't even have personal property anymore, except for the last bit of money on me."
"Then, can you cook?" Daniel's gaze gradually became burning.
It was a pity that among their large group, not a single one could cook.
Although Albedo claimed she had learned a few dishes, Daniel didn't think his stomach was strong enough to handle the hellish cuisine of a dark creature.
So, when Rikudou Reika nodded and said she knew some simple dishes, Daniel issued a party invitation.
-------------------------------
Hope you enjoy this fanfiction if you do and would like to read the next 50 chapters in advance, pls do check out my Patreon:
patreon.com/MariaLight
Also don't forget to give me a Power Stone if you do like this fiction. Your support really motivates me to continue doing my best in translating, Thanks!!