How come the Ace of Cups isn't considered the Holy Grail?

"Souichiro-sama?!"

Chapter Twenty-Seven: Is your Servant status even legitimate?!

The one who had been lurking in the shadows for a long time and suddenly rushed out during the chaos was none other than Kuzuki Souichirou.

As a former member of an assassination organization, he has now severed ties with the organization and stopped killing. He has become a teacher at Homurahara Academy, where Rin Tohsaka attends. However, his assassination skills, honed over many years in the organization, have not become rusty.

Having observed the situation for some time, he naturally made the same judgment as Medea: prioritize killing the opponent's Master.

However, unlike Medea, he made this judgment because he saw a flaw in Rin Tohsaka and believed that he could kill her with one blow, which is why he attacked so recklessly.

Medea, who knew him well, was also aware of this, so the incantation she was chanting suddenly changed, and she used various enhancement magic spells to remotely buff Souichirou Kuzuki.

Strength, speed, physical strength, reaction speed, magical protection... almost all-around enhancements are enough to give Kuzuki Souichirou combat power comparable to an ordinary Servant in a short period of time.

With his assassination technique 'Snake,' which depicts a special trajectory to strike enemies, he believed that he could defeat Rin Tohsaka with a single blow, and if all went well, killing her would be no problem.

Without showing any mercy despite the fact that the other party was a student of his academy, Souichirou Kuzuki rushed in front of Rin Tohsaka and, to her astonishment, aimed a swift and powerful jab at her heart.

Based on his past experience, the force of this punch was enough to stop Rin Tohsaka's heart, cause her to lose consciousness briefly, and then all he needed to do was simply snap her neck.

As for the opponent's servants... Medea will help him hold them off.

Indeed, this was the case. Faced with Medea's use of high-speed divine words to once again deploy a large number of magic circles above Ryudouji Temple, normally Yuwatari would have to use his feather duster to destroy them all, just like before. Otherwise, he and Rin Tohsaka would have to face a large number of continuously launched magical beams.

However, just when Kuzuki Souichirou thought he was about to succeed, a cloud of black mist suddenly appeared, condensed into a human shape, and blocked his way. His fist landed in a hand covered by a black gauntlet.

"Stop him, Shadow Mist Lady."

Only then did You Du's voice sound, as if it had arrived belatedly.

Rin Tohsaka, who was once again struck by the sight of an enemy she knew, snapped out of her daze and didn't have time to ponder why, so far in this Holy Grail War, all the enemies she had encountered were people she knew.

She quickly used magic to strengthen her body, and azure magic circuits lit up on her limbs. She dodged away from Kuzuki Souichirou and at the same time, she didn't forget to recall the Amethyst Cat to protect her and prevent Kuzuki Souichirou from using her as a weak point to ambush her again.

Anyway, Huang Yuhu alone is enough to wipe out the Dragon Fang soldiers.

Medea, who was beside her, flew into the sky to dodge a barrage of magic bullets. She frowned as she looked at the person opposite her, who was wielding a magic book, firing magic bullets, casually summoning a familiar to block her Master, and using a Noble Phantasm to destroy her magic. This person looked even more like a Caster than her. Finally, she couldn't help but ask:

"Hey, what class are you, anyway?"

"Can't you tell?" Yuto waved the grimoire in his hand, then summoned Sky Knight to chase after Medea, and began to spout nonsense with a serious expression.

"I'm obviously a Caster!"

"Heh, you don't want to talk about it? Fine..."

The real Caster Medea kept firing magic bullets and beams to hinder Sky Warrior, and with the help of her flight magic, she maintained a certain distance from Sky Warrior. She thought to herself, "Why is this familiar so troublesome?"

"As long as I remain within Ryudou Temple, I am already invincible. You cannot defeat me!"

"Is that so? Since this place is the source of your confidence, why don't we change the location and fight somewhere else?"

Yuwatari raised the Duel Disk on his left arm, placed the card he had just drawn onto the newly popped-up arena, and looked up at the Sky Warrior chasing Medea above, he smiled:

"After all, heroes also need a battleground suitable for heroes!"

"Field spell! [Skyscraper] activated!"

As soon as he finished speaking, the first to sense that something was wrong was Rin Tohsaka, who was hiding behind Amethyst Cat and Shadow Mist Girl, secretly playing Gundr.

Almost half of the magic power in her body was consumed in an instant!

You know, when Yuuto summoned that [Elemental Hero Neos] before, he didn't consume this much magic power at once!

Those still standing on the ground suddenly felt a violent tremor, and towering, dark skyscrapers rose from the ground in their field of vision, instantly transforming the once quiet and peaceful Ryudong Temple into a bustling metropolis at night.

Skyscrapers stand tall, lights are everywhere, and searchlights shine in every corner of the city.

The moon, which was originally high in the sky, became unusually close. You could see the craters of different sizes on the moon just by standing on the ground. If you stood on the top of the tallest skyscraper in the city, you would even have the illusion that you could reach out and touch the moon.

As the last trace of Ryudouji Temple was swallowed up by this city of heroes, Medea felt incredulously the earth-shattering changes around her and murmured to herself.

"This is... a Reality Marble?! But how is this possible?!"

The Realized Boundary, or the magic that manifests one's own mental landscape, is the pinnacle of magic.

This magic belongs to a subspecies of 'illusory materialization'. Once activated, it replaces the surrounding space with a world created by the caster's mental imagery and erodes the real world.

Originally, this was an ability that only elves and demons could use; it was the closest thing to magic to a world-changing magic trick!

Of course, while Reality Marbles are indeed rare for Medea, they are not impossible. What surprised her even more was that Yuuto was able to release a Reality Marble.

Could he really be a Caster?!

For a moment, Medea actually believed the nonsense that Yuuto had just spouted.

After all, compared to other classes, Caster is more likely to be a Servant who uses a spellbook to release magic bullets, summons familiars to fight, has a Noble Phantasm that can destroy other magic, and can release a Reality Marble.

If Medea were any other class in this Holy Grail War, she probably would have believed it, but she is a Caster now. So unless the other party cheated like her, how could there be two Casters in one Holy Grail War?!

But if the other party is a different class... then is your Servant legal?

With many thoughts swirling in her mind, Medea in the sky was caught off guard and was directly spotted by the light of a searchlight.

She instinctively raised her hand to shield her eyes from the blinding light, but then she saw a figure appear on the top of the tallest skyscraper in the city.

"This is a city of heroes, Caster. Watch out for those searchlights in the city; they'll be working tirelessly through the night to help the heroes find the 'villains' within!"

Looking down at Medea, who was directly illuminated by the searchlight, Yudou spoke with a hint of amusement, as if explaining to her or speaking to himself.

"Then what happens next-"

Are you ready for this towering blow?

Chapter Twenty-Eight: Amethyst Cat: Family, does anyone understand?

Medea in the sky did not hear what Yudo said below; she only thought that the figure standing on the top of the skyscraper was another familiar summoned by Yudo.

But Medea had a bad feeling, because she noticed that the Sky Knight, who had been chasing her relentlessly, suddenly stopped.

What kind of situation would cause an enemy who has been chasing you to stop chasing you?

Obviously, if it's not that he lost the chase or you no longer need to be chased, then... it means he's already certain you can't escape, so there's no need to chase anymore!

Thinking of this, she quickly moved out of the range of the searchlight and stopped in mid-air, looking warily at the figure on the roof.

It was a two-colored monster with a single, pure white wing on its back.

His body was mostly green, except for the dragon tail behind him and the dragon head on his right hand, which were crimson.

【Elemental Hero: Flame Wingman】

This is a hero created by fusing the heroes [Elemental Heroes: Explosive Lady] and [Elemental Heroes: Winged Warrior].

For this reason, Flame Wingman also possesses the characteristics of both heroes. Not only can he soar through the sky like Wingman, but he can also use the red dragon head on his right hand to attack with flames like Hot Girl.

At this moment, the full moon within the innate barrier had somehow moved behind Flame Wingman.

As the dark clouds dispersed, under the glow of the enormous full moon, Flame Wingman, arms crossed, leaped from the top of the skyscraper, his legs propelling him straight into the sky.

Then, the dragon head on his right hand spewed out crimson flames, enveloping his entire body. He transformed into a giant ball of flame, spinning with immense power as he charged toward Medea in mid-air.

Medea quickly deployed several magic circles in the sky, continuously firing beams of light and magic bullets in an attempt to block the Flame Wingman's attacks.

But she was surprised to find that as she launched her magic attack, the power of the Flame Winged Knight's attack also increased.

The familiars he summons will continuously increase their power within this bounded field, depending on the power exerted by the enemy.

Although she successfully tested a portion of the Reality Marble's power and guessed that this power must have an upper limit, Medea was in a rather bad mood.

Not only did her attack fail to hinder her in the slightest, but the fireball was also extremely fast. In just a short delay, the Flame Wingman's attack had already reached a distance from which she had no way to avoid it.

Ugh, Reality Marbles are such a hassle. This was a real miscalculation...

As the attack drew near, Medea only had time to cast a few protective spells on herself before being struck head-on by a fireball mid-air.

Intense heat and crimson flames enveloped her, burning several holes in her indigo-purple hooded hood and purple robe, before she fell from the sky with a wisp of black smoke behind her.

……

"Cough cough..."

Medea, who had been hit by the Flame Wingman's towering attack and fell to the ground, lay on the ground with most of her hood burned off, revealing her long blue hair. Burn marks were visible all over her body.

Clearly, the few protective spells she temporarily cast did not have much effect; they only prevented her from dying on the spot.

Her Noble Phantasm was completely useless in this battle, and there was no need to even use it...

What's even more frustrating is that she was defeated before she could even determine the class of her opponent's Servant.

Medea coughed up several mouthfuls of blood in a disheveled state, looking at Youdu who slowly walked up to her, with Flame Winged Knight following behind him.

"It's a fatal wound..."

Yu Du shook his head, seeing right through Medea's current state.

If she cannot make a declaration like a certain king, such as "a mere fatal wound," then this is as far as she can go in this Holy Grail War.

However, just to be on the safe side, Yuwatari did not remove the Reality Barrier, in case Medea really did say "a mere fatal wound" to him and then jump up and stab him with her Noble Phantasm.

In fact, as a field spell exclusive to Elemental Heroes, [Skyscraper] can increase the power of Elemental Hero field monsters based on the power displayed by the opponent, except when it reaches its limit.

It will also randomly summon an elemental hero when the enemy is illuminated by the searchlights that fill the city. The hero summoned by this ability does not consume his mana, but he will also disappear when the [Skyscraper] disappears.

"Cough... We lost. How is Lord Souichirou...?"

Knowing she had undoubtedly lost, Medea struggled to her feet and, swaying unsteadily, dragged her tattered clothes against the wall beside her.

Sensing that her death was imminent, she was now only concerned about the safety of Souichirou Kuzuki.

"He's right there, being pinned down by Huang Yuhu."

Yuwatari turned to the side, allowing her to see Kuzuki Souichirou, who was being held back by a 'big cat' not far behind him. He was so badly injured that one of his glasses had fallen off, and he could only lie on the ground and look up at Medea.

It wasn't that he and Rin Tohsaka were soft-hearted and didn't go for the kill; after all, their opponents were clearly enemies participating in the Holy Grail War, so how could they possibly be soft-hearted towards them?

However, Kuzuki Souichirou fell too quickly. Under the combined attack of Amethyst Cat and Shadow Mist Lady, he didn't even last long before Yuuto used [Skyscraper], and was directly overwhelmed from behind by Huang Yuhu, who had just dealt with the Dragon Fang Soldier.

Before I could even draw my sword, the enemy had already fallen, leaving me momentarily wondering if there was any point in even drawing it...

Huang Yuhu was very strong and quite large. With this move, he directly suppressed all of Ge Mu Zongyilang's points of force.

Thanks to the protective magic, he wasn't seriously injured. After seeing that he was powerless to resist, Rin Tohsaka's attention was drawn to Medea's situation.

After seeing that Souichirou Kuzuki was alright, Medea breathed a sigh of relief and slumped to the ground against the wall.

They didn't say anything more about hoping that Yuto and the others would let Kuzuki Souichirou go, because as the defeated party, they had no right or bargaining power to negotiate with the other side.

Moreover, after seeing that Yuto and the others had subdued Kuzuki Souichirou but did not kill him immediately, she understood that the two were not bloodthirsty people. As long as Kuzuki Souichirou did not pose a threat to them in the future, there was no need to worry about his safety.

"Lord Soichiro... cough... you understand, right?"

With a smear of blood on her hand covering her mouth, Medea looked at her fading body and gave her final words of advice to Souichirou Kuzuki.

Although Medea only said this one sentence, she knew that Souichirou Kuzuki would understand what she meant.

Kuzuki Souichirou, who was being suppressed by Huang Yuhu and was constantly trying to find a breakthrough, stopped moving at this moment.

He raised his head, staring at Medea without any expression on his face, until she completely dissipated into particles of light and disappeared from the scene before he spoke in a calm tone.

"...If that's what you expect."

Seeing that Kuzuki Souichirou suddenly had a more decadent air about him, Yuuto said nothing. He simply picked up a silver chess piece that was left on the ground after Medea disappeared. It looked like a magician holding a magic wand. Then he put away the [Skyscraper] card.

The group returned to Ryudong Temple, but as soon as they stepped onto the stone floor, Yuto saw a dark figure appear in the center of the temple floor.

The bandaged shadow seemed to be attracted by the chess piece in his hand, and stretched out its bandaged tentacles to grab the chess piece.

No, they just grabbed it from my hands right in front of me?

How dare you?

Just as Yuuto was about to deliver a powerful blow to the shadowy figure, he suddenly heard Rin Tohsaka shout loudly behind him, seemingly overwhelmed by the frequency of encounters with enemies tonight.

"Another enemy?! Damn it! Take this!"

A large amethyst, almost half a person's height, was launched by her using gem magic. It flew past Yuuto, carrying a large amount of magic power as it flew towards the dark figure.

You Du even saw a hint of helplessness mixed in the bewildered look in the amethyst cat's eyes inside the crystal.

Chapter Twenty-Nine: Gawain: Your Majesty! Would you like some mashed potatoes?

The shadowy figure disappeared.

Yuwatari wasn't sure if it realized they outnumbered it after it made its move, making a poor judgment and giving up, or if it was scared away by Rin Tohsaka's gem... well... gem magic.

After all, if you put yourself in his shoes, if he saw the enemy charging at him with his own teammates in hand, he might also be scared away.