My transformation into a beautiful girl started with a hemorrhage.

"No need, Sister Hui isn't hungry right now," Hui stopped Xiaoying.

Sakura seemed a little disappointed, but the disappointment quickly vanished, and she asked instead, "Where's Uncle Kariya?"

Hui's face showed an unnatural expression. After thinking for a moment, she decided to keep the fact of Yan Ye's death a secret and changed the subject: "Uncle Yan Ye has something to do and won't be back tonight. Oh, by the way, I have a gift for Ying."

"A gift?!" Sakura became very excited.

Hui took out the [Tears of the Forest], which emitted a faint blue light, from the golden ripples in the air.

In the darkness, the teardrop-shaped pendant in the center of the necklace resembles a miniature version of a galaxy, radiating a soft glow.

This was the first time Sakura had ever seen such a beautiful necklace. Her eyes sparkled; girls are always powerless against such beautiful gemstones.

However, Sakura refused in the end: "Sister Hui, this is too precious, Sakura can't accept it."

"Good child, then Sister Hui will lend you the necklace for a while, and you can return it to me later." Hui put the necklace on Xiaoying.

After putting on the necklace, [Tears of the Forest] automatically infused a stream of life energy into Sakura's body.

Sakura suddenly felt a sense of relief, as if she had unloaded a burden, and every cell in her body seemed to be singing joyfully.

Zouken Matou was secretly observing Kei's behavior from Sakura's heart, wondering what Kei's purpose was in doing so.

It wasn't until Hui gently pressed down on Xiaoying's head, causing her to fall into a deep sleep, that he realized something was wrong.

"What are you trying to do? You wouldn't be thinking of... Sakura will die if you do that!" Zouken Matou's deep, hoarse voice came from Sakura's heart.

However, Hui seemed not to hear her and raised her hand towards Sakura's chest.

Zouken Matou immediately became anxious: "You are merely a Heroic Spirit seeking the Holy Grail, so why bother with worldly affairs?"

"I was just fulfilling someone's request," Hui said, without waiting for Zouken Matou's reaction.

puff!

It pierced through Sakura's chest cavity with a single claw, tearing out her heart.

A large, bloody hole appeared on Sakura's small body, and blood gushed out, quickly pooling into a large pool on the ground.

Sakura's body gradually grew cold, and her scattered soul began to be absorbed by the [Tears of the Forest].

"Your Excellency, what exactly did Yan Ye promise you that made you obey him?"

Sakura's heart felt like a worm struggling in Kei's hand, while Zouken Matou's voice came from within.

He just couldn't understand what kind of merit or ability Yan Ye had that allowed him to command gods to do things for him even after he was dead.

Zouken Matou did try to resist, but no matter how much he struggled, it was futile, and he could only beg for mercy.

"What did Yan Ye promise you? I'll pay double."

Hui ignored him, and a divine power of ethereal nature surged from his hand.

"Aaaaaah—!!" Zouken Matou let out a shrill scream, and in an instant, he was lifeless.

Zouken Matou, who had lived for five hundred years, was completely dead.

His soul was devoured by wisdom.

In an instant, Hui Cai fully understood what the entity emitting malice towards him truly was.

"The restraining force... the planetary consciousness Gaia... the collective consciousness of humanity Alaya... what kind of nonsense is this..."

Hui originally thought it was outrageous enough that a planet had consciousness, but now she realized that even humans have a collective consciousness. No wonder this is a world where magic exists!

At the same time, Hui also understood why such a powerful entity as the Counter Force did not kill her directly, but instead used this roundabout way to scheme against her.

So the Counter Force can't be used personally. The specific reason is unknown, but in Zouken Matou's memory, this is one of the basic common sense knowledge that a few magicians have.

"However, even knowing that the restraining force cannot be used personally, given my current state..."

Thinking of this, Hui's eyes dimmed again.

Squeak squeak~~

Hui's attention was drawn to the gruesome wound on Xiaoying's chest, where worm-like creatures were crawling out of the bloody wound.

Driven by instinct, these insects flee for their lives after their host dies.

Hui frowned as she watched this scene. Then she placed her hand on the wound and poured divine power into it, thoroughly cleaning Xiaoying's body. Wherever the divine power passed, the magic and life force of these insects were instantly drained and annihilated.

Naturally, Sakura's body was also damaged beyond recognition during this process.

But it doesn't matter, because the effect of [Tears of the Forest] will eventually fix everything.

Hui knew that time was running out.

He began by grasping Sakura's chest with the [Tears of the Forest] and slowly activated the [Annihilation Strike].

Instantly, the [Tears of the Forest] began to burst forth with a dazzling green light.

The flowers, plants, and trees in the courtyard outside the room, which had withered due to the cold, suddenly seemed to have entered spring, sprouting green buds, flowering, and bearing fruit.

The green light emitted by 【Tears of the Forest】 gradually solidified into countless green threads, slowly enveloping Sakura's cold body and forming a cocoon of light.

After a while, the green cocoon broke open, revealing Sakura inside, who was now completely unharmed.

The treasure [Tears of the Forest] has long since disappeared.

"Mmm..." Sakura murmured, slowly opening her eyes. "Sister Hui, what's wrong with Sakura? Why can't she remember?"

"You just fell asleep because you were too tired. Children shouldn't stay up late. Go back to sleep now."

Hui could already feel the space around her starting to encroach on her, and she knew her time was up.

"Sakura, everything will be alright tomorrow."

Hui gently patted Sakura's head one last time, sighing inwardly, "This world can only end here..."

"Sister Hui, you're leaving..." Xiaoying was sensitive and sensed that Hui was saying goodbye.

Unexpectedly, at that moment, she felt a burning pain on the back of her hand.

"Ouch!" Sakura was startled by the sudden pain.

"This is!"

Hui held Sakura's hand. Sakura's hand had the unique characteristics of a girl, slender and long, with a baby-white color, and it felt soft and boneless to the touch. On the back of her hand, a Command Seal pattern slowly appeared...

Hui stared at the scene in astonishment. She recognized the Command Seal as the one Kariya had left over, which was now in Sakura's hand.

At the same time, Hui also felt the magic power coming from Sakura, and the sense of repulsion in the surrounding space disappeared.

"Sister Hui, what is this?" Xiaoying raised her little hand.

Hui gently rubbed her little head and said meaningfully, "This is proof of your relationship with Sister Hui."

Sakura was about to say something when Kei suddenly stopped her, saying, "Sakura, wait a minute. A dangerous guy is coming. Remember, don't show anyone the pattern on the back of your hand."

Seeing Hui's stern expression, Xiaoying had no choice but to nod and go back inside.

Hui came to the courtyard, stood by the wall, and waited for the other person.

Moo moo—!

A deafening bellow echoed in the sky, accompanied by flashes of lightning. Iskandar appeared before Hui, driving his divine chariot and carrying a large wooden bucket on his shoulder.

Without wasting words, Hui casually pulled out a treasure from the golden ripples behind her and was about to blast it directly.

Wieber, inside the chariot, witnessed this and immediately clung to Iskandar's leg, sobbing, "I told you, don't come looking for that evil... evil... Berserker..."

Weber noticed Hui staring at him coldly, and swallowed the words "evil god" that were about to come out of his mouth. He shrank his head back behind Iskandar's thigh, not daring to meet Hui's gaze.

Iskandar quickly intervened, saying, "Wait, Berserker, I didn't come here to fight."

"If you're not going to fight, then what are you doing here?" Hui stopped activating [Annihilation Strike].

“There’s no point in fighting you. Your Master is dead, and even if you’re left alone, you’ll soon reappear. I’ve come to invite you to have a final drink with me.” Iskandar’s face was full of magnanimity.

"You want to have a drink with me? Why?"

"Of course there are other heroic spirits, but we all feel that we are heroes from different eras, and it is fate that we can gather together. It would be a bit of a pity not to have a drink. I just wonder if the great deity would be willing to taste the food of mortals?"

"I..." Hui wanted to say that she didn't drink, but suddenly, a plan popped into her head, "Okay!"

Chapter 396 Don't embarrass us!

midnight.

Suburbs of Fuyuki City.

The castle that Einzbern acquired in Fuyuki is located deep in the forest.

At this time, the snow had stopped, and the clouds in the sky had parted in several places, allowing the bright moonlight to shine through the gaps onto the castle and illuminate the entire flowerbed.

Countless flowers were covered with pure white frost, which condensed on the petals and leaves like tiny mirrors, reflecting the bright moonlight and turning the entire flower bed silvery-white.

In the center of the flowerbed, Iskandar and Saber sat on the ground.

The outdoor temperature was still cold, around minus ten degrees Celsius, but this cold was obviously nothing to the Heroic Spirits, and the two ignored it.

Saber sits with her knees together, back straight, and hands on her thighs in a standard kneeling posture.

Iskandar, on the other hand, had one leg crossed and the other knee on one knee, showing absolutely no manners.

He put down the wooden bucket on his shoulder and smashed the lid with a "bang!" Instantly, the surrounding air was filled with a rich aroma of wine.

Iskandar took a deep breath of the aroma of the wine from the barrel, and without hesitation, picked up the ladle, scooped up a full ladle of wine, and drank it down, making "hum hum" sounds from time to time.

He drank it all in one gourd.

"Hoo... Ah..."

Iskandar, having satisfied his craving, let out a sigh of relief before turning to Artoria and explaining his purpose: "It is said that the Holy Grail is destined to be obtained by the most suitable person, and the struggle that took place in Fuyuki City is a ritual to select such a person."

Iskandar paused, then changed the subject, "But if it's just a selection process, there's no need for bloodshed. As long as the Heroic Spirits understand each other's level of understanding, the answer will naturally be found."

After speaking, Iskandar narrowed his eyes slightly and handed the wine ladle to Saber.

Artoria took the gourd of wine. She had already understood from Iskandar's words that this was not just about drinking, but another kind of battle without weapons.

The best strategy is to subdue the enemy's heart; the middle strategy is to win over the enemy's heart; the worst strategy is to destroy the enemy's heart.

The best approach is to win hearts and minds, persuading the enemy; the middle approach is to win hearts and minds, deceiving the enemy; the worst approach is to kill hearts and minds, physically destroying the enemy.

With that thought, she took the gourd and drank it all in one gulp, then handed the empty gourd back to Iskandar with a swift and decisive action, showing no less imposing presence than Iskandar.