On how PhDs become human evil

"Pfft—!"

Excalibur precisely tore through Lancelot's armor, then sliced ​​through muscle tissue, bones, and internal organs... The gleaming blade severed Lancelot's entire upper body, the whole process as smooth and effortless as slicing tofu, without the slightest pause or hesitation.

Berserker, Lancelot, is dead!

(I'm sorry, Lord Lancelot, I will definitely—)

Artoria's thoughts abruptly stopped, not because of her own fault, but because she was interrupted by an external force.

The sword, burning with heavenly fire, pierced her body from behind, and the scorching flames dragged her into the fire from the inside out.

"Thank you so much for helping me solve a problem, Saber."

As he said this, Bai Jie drew his Heavenly Fire Judgment and let Artoria fall to the ground.

Even a Heroic Spirit cannot survive with all their internal organs burned. If Artoria had the scabbard Avalon, it would be fine, but unfortunately, she didn't.

This sword strike was so sudden; it seized upon the brief moment when Artoria relaxed her guard after killing Lancelot, piercing her body with unparalleled decisiveness.

As Artoria was burned to death by the heavenly fire, she heard Bai Jie say, "Your role ends here, the best actor."

From beginning to end, this battle was under Bai Jie's control.

He revealed Artoria's identity as a Berserker, causing her to fall into a mental breakdown and lose her judgment.

He calculated the magical power of Matou Kariya, whom he had imprisoned, and reminded Artoria when his magical power was about to run out, thus inducing her to think that she had to obtain the Holy Grail.

At this moment, Kariya Matou had already died due to exhaustion of magic power, and Lancelot, without the support of magic power, had no way to dodge Artoria's attack.

After Artoria kills Lancelot, she will inevitably relax, which is something no warrior can avoid. Just in case, Bai Jie even inquired with various operators on Rhodes Island, especially after the great battle.

Finally, all you need to do is wait for the right moment and kill Artoria with one sword.

"Everything was exactly as I calculated, without the slightest deviation. A perfect battle."

P.S.: Update

P.S.: This chapter might make some fans of the Holy Grail War uncomfortable, but the Holy Grail War is inherently about Heroic Spirits fighting each other, and Artoria is destined to die. I can't change that, and I'm not a fan of the Holy Grail War either, so I can only apologize to those fans.

P.S.: Please recommend, vote with monthly tickets, give a reward, and subscribe!

Section 132.32. After dealing with the Servants, it's time to deal with the Master.

Inside the Fuyuki City Hall, a portal appeared, and Bai Jie's figure materialized there.

"Thump..."

Bai Jie stumbled and leaned against the wall, clutching his chest and giving a bitter laugh: "Damn it, the side effects of the Heavenly Fire Judgment are still so strong. I really don't know how that bastard Siegfried managed to use it so many times during the Second Honkai Impact."

The simulated Heavenly Fire Judgment created by Bai Jie using his abilities only has about 80% of the performance of the original in all aspects. The side effects of unleashing Heavenly Fire are also 80% of the original. However, these 80% side effects make Bai Jie feel as if he is in the Bagua Furnace every time, with varying degrees of minor burns all over his body, which is comparable to peeling off a layer of skin.

If 80% of the side effects are already like this, how terrifying must the side effects of the real Heavenly Fire Unleashed be?

Sliding down the wall and sitting on the ground, Bai Jie took out his personal terminal and began to check the upcoming itinerary.

"The battle between the Conqueror King and Diarmuid was definitely won by the Conqueror King. By now, Sirin should have already imprisoned the Conqueror King in the Imaginary Dimension."

Iskandar the Conqueror, whose threat level was always ranked first by Bai Jie, so in order to ensure that nothing went wrong, Bai Jie chose to transfer him to another battlefield, let Diarmuid deplete his magic power first, and then arrange for Benares to fight him.

Yes, the final opponent of the Conqueror King is Benares, Sirin's companion Honkai Beast. Moreover, Sirin also gave Benares several pseudo-Herrscher cores. It can be said that Benares's current state is no different from Yae Sakura's.

"The outcome of their battle is not important. It would be best if Benares won, but it doesn't matter if he loses. In any case, the Conqueror King, who has consumed a lot of magic power, will no longer be a threat by then."

"Lancelot was killed by Saber, and Saber was killed by me. Now it's time to deal with the Master."

In the Holy Grail War, battles are divided into two types: battles between Servants and battles between Masters. Except for Archers, other Servants will only return to the Throne of Heroes once they lose their Master.

Gilgamesh is an Archer, so theoretically even if he kills his Master, it won't matter. But now his opponent is Sirin, so he will definitely fight with all his might. Therefore, he will not retain any magical power that would allow him to continue to exist in the world.

In this situation, if Gilgamesh were to kill his Master, he would have to fight using only his own magical power, which would be a great advantage for Sirin.

Kirei Kotomine, that's the name of Gilgamesh's Master. According to the information, he is an extremely outstanding person in terms of ability.

Born into the Holy Church, he possesses exceptional combat abilities as an agent, is proficient in Bajiquan and fighting against spirits. In addition, he speaks multiple languages ​​and has dabbled in other areas, achieving success in almost every field.

It's hard to imagine that this person would be on the same side as Gilgamesh.

"But it's all good. I was worried that the person who joined forces with Gilgamesh might be some kind of terrible monster, but if it's just an agent of the Holy Church, it'll be too easy to deal with."

Bai Jie took out the emergency Originium potion that Kal'tsit had prepared for him from his inner pocket, drank it, wiped the remaining liquid from the corner of his mouth, and stood up.

"Alright, it's the final battle. Sirin is giving it her all, and as her Master, I also have to fulfill my responsibilities."

————————————————————

Inside the Fuyuki City Hall was a huge concert hall. Kirei Kotomine placed the kidnapped Irisviel in the very center of the stage and sat quietly in the audience, waiting for someone to arrive.

Emiya Kiritsugu.

Kirei Kotomine eagerly anticipated his duel with him, firmly believing that only by fighting Kiritsugu Emiya would he understand the true meaning of pleasure.

click!

A voice came from behind him, and Kirei Kotomine's lips curled up wildly. This was the first time he had ever been so happy, even though he was usually so composed!

"Has he arrived, Kiritsugu Emiya?"

Kirei Kotomine stood up from the audience and turned around to look behind him, but what came into view was not Kiritsugu Emiya as he had expected, but a white-haired man with a strange belt.

With a forced smile, Bai Jie said, "You must be Kirei Kotomine. I've been looking for you for a long time."

"You are... another Caster's Master?"

Kirei Kotomine had heard about Whitey from Gilgamesh. A Master who could be acknowledged by that arrogant King of Heroes was definitely not an ordinary magician.

However, what Kirei Kotomine couldn't understand was that Haku's specialty should be using a series of schemes to manipulate his opponents, rather than engaging in direct combat. Did Haku really think he could defeat him, the representative of the Holy Church, in close combat?

What's the difference between this and a frail civilian employee taking on a battle-hardened soldier?

"You must be wondering why I came here in person, right?" Bai Jie laughed. "Gilgamesh is strong, but he is ultimately a Servant. As long as you, as his Master, are eliminated, his threat will decrease dramatically."

"I see, that is indeed the right strategy, but do you think you can defeat me?" Kirei Kotomine laughed. In his eyes, Bai Jie was nothing to fear. In the end, he was just a close-combat idiot who liked to use magic from a distance.

But the next moment, Bai Jie's actions shocked him.

A deep blue light swirled and coiled around Bai Jie's waist, eventually forming a strangely shaped magenta belt.

"Let me tell you, civilian personnel also have their own fighting methods."

"Who exactly are you, you bastard?"

With a grin, Bai Jie pulled a card from the card case at his waist and uttered Tsukasa Kadoya's classic line: "Just a Kamen Rider passing by. Remember this! — Transform!"

【Kamen Ride! D—D—Decade! 】

Countless phantom knights appeared around Bai Jie, rapidly shifting before covering his body. Black plates flew out from the purple crystal on his forehead and were placed on his head, while the surface of his gray armor was also covered in magenta.

Kamen Rider Decade: Passionate Mode!

"Alright, let's list your sins!"

Kirei Kotomine frowned as he watched Hakuge transform into Kamen Rider.

(A protective device created by magic? Ridiculous. Did you think you could defeat me in close combat just because you're wearing armor?)

Kirei Kotomine, a master of Bajiquan, could knock down a large tree with two strikes. His clothes were also specially made so that he would not be injured even if he was hit directly. However, he thought he had the victory in his grasp just because he was wearing a suit of armor. He was sorely mistaken!

"Whoosh-!"

With a lightning-fast slide, Kirei Kotomine rushed to Bai Jie's side. A red light flashed on his right hand, and his right fist, enhanced by the Command Seal, slammed into Bai Jie's chest like a battering ram.

A single, decisive blow—that's how it should have been.

Boom-!

Without hesitation, Bai Jie punched him in the face, then slammed him to the ground with another punch.

"I may not know how to fight in close combat, but I can overwhelm you with my physical abilities."

Although he can't compare to those old rogue predecessors from the Showa era, Haku's current physical abilities far exceed the limits of the human body. Even if Kirei Kotomine uses Command Seals to enhance his abilities, he still can't surpass Haku.

Just like that flashy guy who only talks about swordsmanship, he shows off for a long time, but he's still gone with one slash.

"Cough cough...I see...It is indeed very strong...But, with Command Seals—"

Do you think I'll give you a chance?

Just as Kirei Kotomine was about to use a Command Spell to summon Gilgamesh, Whitebeard drew his sword and charged forward, unleashing a devastating blow that severed Gilgamesh's arm, which was covered in countless Command Spells.

Catching the arm, Bai Jie weighed it in his hand: "Alright, your last resort is gone. Logically speaking, if you continue like this, you'll die from massive bleeding, but I don't want to make a prediction—finishing off is the best policy."

Pfft!

The blade pierced Kirei Kotomine's right shoulder, then pulled downwards, instantly slicing his entire upper body in two.

Throughout history, countless people have suffered greatly because they failed to finish off their opponents; Bai Jie would never make such a basic mistake.

boom--!

At that moment, Irisviel's remains on the stage suddenly burst into flames and were instantly reduced to ashes. And born from Irisviel's ashes was a golden cup that shone with dazzling light!

Section 133. Doctor: I even eat Originium, why would I be afraid of black mud?

The omnipotent wish-granting machine, miracles... This is how the magicians who participated in the Holy Grail War understood and perceived the Holy Grail. Almost every magician participated in the Holy Grail War in order to obtain it.

Of course, Bai Jie wasn't like that. He only joined the Holy Grail War to see Kenneth get his comeuppance. To be honest, he didn't have any real interest in the Holy Grail. It would be great if he could get it, but it wouldn't matter if he couldn't.

However, that was Bai Jie's previous thought. Now, after seeing the Holy Grail, Bai Jie's thoughts have changed.

"What kind of all-powerful wish-granting machine is this... It's ridiculous. This thing isn't anything special."

Because he was also a magician, Bai Jie understood in an instant that the Holy Grail was not a machine that could grant all wishes; it was merely a hole, a hole connecting to the Root. In order to reach the Root, the magicians of the three starter families used the Holy Grail War ritual to open a hole on the outside of the world leading to the Root located on the inside of the world.

Of course, every magician's ultimate goal is to reach the Root, so it's not wrong to say that the Holy Grail is an omnipotent wish-granting machine.

"Gulp, gulp..."

Suddenly, a sound like water boiling rang out in the vast concert hall, and something flowed out from the golden, glittering Holy Grail on the stage.