The Exorcism Tale of Hachiman

Even Zouken Matou, who controls them, doesn't actually know how many Crest Worms are hidden in the forest.

After all these years, apart from the Matou family, he has allowed the Crest Bugs in Fuyuki City to develop freely, except when he needs to use them.

However, Zouken Matou roughly estimates that there should be at least tens of thousands of Insects in this forest.

It's only been less than an hour since he was attacked, how could they all be gone?!

"It's so noisy!"

Sensing that Zouken Matou's soul was fluctuating violently, the chief priestess raised her right foot and stomped towards him.

"I'm not going to let you catch me like this!"

Seeing that the Crest Worm he was in was about to be caught by the golden fox in front of him, a fierce glint flashed in Zouken Matou's eyes. Then he destroyed the soul he left in the Crest Worm.

"what!"

Just as the Mark Beetle exploded, a scream suddenly rang out from another shadowy spot several kilometers away in the forest.

Then several Mark Bugs emerged from the shadows and continued their escape toward Fuyuki City.

However, just as the Crest Worms emerged from the shadows, a golden longsword pierced through the leading Crest Worm, followed immediately by a ghostly green katana that plunged into the body of the last Crest Worm...

"Just as I expected, you'll self-destruct when you can't escape?"

Hachiman Hikigaya looked with great interest at the most inconspicuous of the several Crest Bugs.

Just now, one of Zouken Matou's soul fragments exploded. This time, he wanted to see how this old guy planned to run away!

................

Fuyuki City, 7 PM, Ryudoji Temple.

"Will doing this really work?"

With Artoria's help, Irisviel curiously examined the rather rudimentary pattern on the ground, which could hardly even be called a magic circle.

Although she knew she couldn't judge a book by its cover, Irisviel still felt uneasy at the thought that the next pattern would determine whether she would become the Lesser Grail.

"no problem!"

After finishing the final stroke of the transfer array with mercury, Hachiman Hikigaya clapped his hands, stood up, looked at the 'scribbles' at his feet, and nodded in satisfaction.

The system has confirmed that the magic circle is usable. All that's left is to place Irisviel and the Crest Worm containing Zouken Matou's soul in the correct positions.

"So, the next step is for Rider to leave the stage..."

All preparations have been completed; the only way to determine whether the transfer array will work is through actual operation.

The prerequisite for the magic circle to operate is that the soul of another heroic spirit enters Irisviel's body.

"It's almost eight o'clock. Saber, let's go."

After leaving Karna to guard the gates of Ryudouji Temple, Hachiman Hikigaya summoned Artoria to the bridge for their rendezvous.

Aren't you taking Lancer with you?

Irisviel was a little curious as to why Hachiman Hikigaya would choose to bring Saber along.

It's important to know that Iskandar is also a powerful Heroic Spirit. If Karna had been the one to fight, he would have had a much better chance of winning than Hachiman Hikigaya.

"Just in case."

Although the chances of Archer attacking Ryudouji Temple while he is fighting Iskandar are very low, if he does come, it would be much safer for Irisviel to have Karna guarding the gate.

Moreover, this time he intends to leave Sakura at the temple.

After bidding farewell to the people who stayed behind at Ryudou Temple, Hachiman Hikigaya led Artoria down the mountain.

"Master, please get in the car."

Artoria hopped onto the motorcycle parked at the foot of the mountain, and then naturally beckoned Hachiman Hikigaya to sit behind her.

"No, this time we'll try a different way to travel..."

Recalling his afternoon train journey, Hachiman Hikigaya's lips twitched slightly, then he summoned the chief priestess who was clinging to his arm...

It was 7:50.

With the help of the giant fox that the chief priestess had transformed into, Hachiman Hikigaya and Artoria successfully reached the center of the bridge where they had made their promise to Iskandar.

"Oh, they've already arrived?"

The golden fox had just stopped when Iskandar's hearty laughter came from above.

Hachiman Hikigaya looked up and saw an oxcart slowly descending onto the bridge not far away.

"Although there's still a little time before eight o'clock, since you're already here, starting early is fine... But speaking of which, where did Lancer go?"

As Iskandar spoke, he looked around curiously, trying to find Karna.

"He has other tasks. Your opponent today is Saber, Rider..."

After briefly describing Karna's situation, Hachiman Hikigaya summoned back the chief priestess and retreated behind the bridge, leaving the battlefield to Artoria's Iskandar.

"It seems I've been underestimated... But Saber is a formidable opponent, so I have nothing to complain about."

Upon discovering that Hachiman Hikigaya was retreating, Iskandar also maneuvered the oxcart to place Weber at a safe distance.

"Rider, you have to win!"

Weber looked at the burly man in front of him, his face filled with worry.

"Haha, that was bound to happen, wasn't it?"

Seeing how concerned Webber was about him, Iskandar couldn't help but burst into laughter. He placed his hand on Webber's head, roughly ruffled his hair, and then said solemnly:

"Don't worry, I will never fall before I have completed the conquest!"

"In that case... Rider, I command you by Command Spell to seize victory in tonight's battle!"

Hearing Iskandar's lofty ambitions, Weber did not feel at ease; instead, he felt a sense of unease in his chest.

To relieve the pressure in his heart, he raised his right hand, consuming a Command Spell to add the blessing of certain victory to Iskandar.

"Thanks, kid!"

A surge of magical power instantly filled his body, and at the same time, Iskandar felt that both his strength and speed had increased significantly.

Iskandar patted Webber on the shoulder, about to say something, but then, remembering what he had just said to Webber, he changed his mind.

Even though the Saber on the other side is very strong, since it's not Lancer who's here, he's going to make the opposing Master taste defeat today!

..........

The oxcart moved slowly forward, and Iskandar, gripping his sword tightly in his right hand, stared at Artoria for a moment.

Once he realized that the distance between them was about the same, he suddenly yanked the reins, and the two bulls roared and charged toward Artoria with thunderous force.

"The King of Conquerors is indeed incredibly powerful..."

As the oxcart hurtled toward her with tremendous force, Artoria remained standing firm.

She only started moving when the oxcart was almost in front of her.

She quickly shifted her body to the right, dodging the impact of the oxcart and the attack from Iskandar on the cart. With her free left hand, she grabbed the railing on the moving oxcart frame and then swung her body, jumping into the oxcart.

"Oh?"

Iskandar hadn't expected Artoria to do this, but he was quite confident in fighting from inside a vehicle!

Controlling the oxcart to rise into the air, Iskandar turned and engaged in close combat with Artoria in the narrow terrain.

In a confined space, a short sword is obviously much more maneuverable than a long sword.

Although Artoria was no less powerful, agile, or skilled in combat than Iskandar, she was still overwhelmed by Iskandar after they started fighting.

Soon, taking advantage of a moment when Artoria's defense was breached, Iskandar successfully left a bloody gash on her face with his short sword.

"Choosing a car battle was a mistake, Saber!"

Having succeeded in his first strike, Iskandar pressed his advantage and launched another frenzied attack.

The short sword clashed repeatedly with the golden sword, and slowly, Artoria was completely suppressed in a corner of the oxcart, about to be knocked off by Iskandar.

Just then, Artoria suddenly noticed the two bulls in front of the carriage.

Without the slightest hesitation, the wind barrier wrapped around the golden sword instantly dissipated, and a powerful air cannon blasted towards Iskandar!

Faced with the attack at point-blank range, Iskandar did not choose to take it head-on, but instead dodged the air cannon by turning to the side.

However, after seeing the bull by following the trajectory of the air cannon, he instantly understood Artoria's intentions.

He hurriedly swung his sword to try and stop the air cannon, but it was too late...

Chapter 254 Head-on Confrontation

"Moo!"

The air cannon accurately hit the bull in the back. Although the bull's defenses prevented it from being seriously injured, the sudden attack still caused the bull to instinctively raise its front hooves in mid-air!

The carriage began to tilt backward, and Artoria took advantage of the momentum to rush out from the corner, dodging Iskandar's sword block. Then, she grabbed the carriage handle with her left hand, spun around, and used the momentum to kick Iskandar hard!

A tremendous force, disproportionate to his small stature, burst forth from his petite frame, and Iskandar staggered backward on the tilted oxcart.

Before he could regain his footing, Artoria charged at him again.

The golden sword and the short sword clashed together. Iskandar clenched his fist with his free left hand and punched towards Artoria, but Artoria didn't follow the expected pattern and jumped up on the spot, causing their foreheads to collide instantly.

"what......"

With a throbbing pain in his head, Iskandar looked at Artoria in front of him with a mixture of surprise and amusement.

He really didn't expect that Saber, whom he thought was quite old-fashioned, would actually use a move like a headbutt.

However, he was only slightly surprised before refocusing his attention on the attack that Artoria was launching.

Clearly, Artoria intended to knock him off the oxcart, and unfortunately for her, Iskandar had already been cornered by Artoria at the edge of the cart during their previous exchanges. Artoria only needed one more attack to send him tumbling off...

but....

"This is my territory, Saber! Don't be so arrogant!"

Iskandar would never condone the humiliation of being knocked off one's vehicle by the enemy.

Especially since he had previously vowed to Waver that he would make Hachiman Hikigaya pay the price.