My family runs an adventurer's guild.

On the other hand, before engaging in the final showdown with the Einzbern family's contestant, the infamous yet highly successful "Magician Killer" Kiritsugu Emiya, Kenneth also wanted to find a stepping stone to test his opponent's strength.

After all, no matter how despicable and infamous the "magician killer" Emiya Kiritsugu may be in the public eye, the fact that he easily eliminated Tohsaka Tokiomi, a local strongman, in no time today is undeniable—which at least proves that he is very capable.

However, Tokiomi Tohsaka, who was also involved, destroyed Kenneth's magic workshop on the top floor of the Hyatt Hotel with just one thunderous strike.

Clearly, when facing an ultimate opponent like Kiritsugu Emiya, who cannot be underestimated, it is never too much to act with utmost caution to increase the chances of victory.

Chapter 77, Webber's life is successfully extended! (Fourth update)

In short, Kenneth pondered for a long time, repeatedly weighing the pros and cons, and exchanging opinions with his fiancée Sora. In the end, his obsession with "winning the Holy Grail War and returning in triumph" prevailed, overpowering his urge to take revenge on Waver, that little thief.

Rather than simply killing this despicable thief, let's make the most of him one last time and throw him out as a stepping stone to see what happens!

However, although he decided to spare Webber's life for the time being, Kenneth was not prepared to completely follow the other party's wishes.

Who knows if that little thief Weber might have set some trap in the content of his self-compulsory testimony, so that he might suffer a hidden loss when he's not careful?

Even if we use self-mandatory testimony to ensure mutual trust, we cannot completely follow Weber's line of thinking when making a covenant!

Thus, after a heated debate and haggling, Kenneth and Weber entered into the following series of contracts:

1. Weber must immediately go to Mount Enzo to duel with Kiritsugu Emiya, the son-in-law of the Einzbern family, without delay.

2. On Webber's journey to Mount Enzo for the duel, Kenneth and his fiancée Sora shall not attack or obstruct Webber in any way.

3. Before dueling with the Einzbern family contestants, Weber must not act hostilely towards Kenneth or his fiancée Sora.

4. Until midnight tonight, Kenneth and his spirits shall not leave the abandoned factory that has been requisitioned as a temporary refugee camp.

Thus, both sides got what they wanted: Kenneth could use Waver as a stepping stone to test the mettle of Emiya Kiritsugu, the "magician killer." Meanwhile, the young Waver, who was already in dire straits, was able to escape Kenneth's clutches—though he would soon have to crawl into another den of wolves.

As one self-mandated certificate after another was signed and took effect under the supervision of the Church's agents, a relieved smile finally appeared on young Webber's face. Next, he politely bowed to Kenneth, Sora, and the Church's agents, then, carrying the orange cat, strode out of the abandoned factory that had been requisitioned as a temporary refugee camp, heading southwest towards Mount Enzang…

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Fuyuki City, New Capital

After experiencing a series of devastating events over the past few days that have baffled and shocked almost everyone, the eastern half of Fuyuki City's modern new urban area has rapidly transformed into a scorched and ugly inferno of war.

The once-standing buildings were reduced to shattered skeletons, their windows shattered by the explosion or their walls blackened by the fire. The streets were littered with abandoned, broken vehicles and miscellaneous debris, interspersed with a few mutilated corpses.

The forest fire that broke out on the outskirts of Fuyuki City has been initially extinguished, but the air in every street of the city is still filled with choking smoke, and a thick layer of ash has settled on the ground. As for the fire at the warehouse in Fuyuki Port, it is still burning fiercely, and the sea breeze occasionally carries a foul stench and acrid smell, as if some dangerous and toxic chemicals have been ignited.

Standing on the street littered with debris, Weber gazed through the ruins and the gray sky toward Mount Enzo in the southwest—according to his previous survey, there should have been a Ryudo-ji Temple on the summit there, and the real "Great Grail" was in a natural cavern beneath it.

At the same time, it is also the place where the spiritual veins flowing through the land of Fuyuki City converge.

At this very moment, this place has become the final arena of the Holy Grail War, and it may very well be... the place where Waver Velvet will perish!

"...Sigh, what should I do? I've already signed the [Self-Mandatory Certificate]. Even if I know it's suicide, I can only keep heading towards Mount Enzo."

He turned his head with a mournful expression, looking at the orange cat perched on his shoulder, "...Why did you give me such an idea?"

"...Meow! If you hadn't used this trick, do you think you would have made it out of that abandoned factory alive?"

Upon hearing this, Philia, perched on his shoulder, smacked Weber's temple with a cat paw, clearly exasperated. "...If it weren't for the presence of the Church of Christ watching, which made them somewhat hesitant to act, your mentor would have already killed you on the spot! Even then, it would only be a death sentence reduced to a suspended death sentence—I bet if you dared to sneak away, you'd be spotted by your good teacher the moment you stepped out the door. Once you're out of the Church of Christ's agents' sight, do you think you could withstand a few moves from your teacher and his wife's combined attack?"

"...Yeah, with Webber's weak skills, he'll definitely be killed in the first move!"

Waver's true Heroic Spirit, the little fairy Flor, also popped out of his pocket, flapping her wings and saying with a grin, "...And even if you stay in that abandoned factory, you'll still be smashed into a pancake when the battle starts automatically at night!"

"...Okay! I admit I'm really weak compared to Mentor Kenneth, so weak I can't even beat one of his hands! Alright!"

Under the barrage of verbal attacks from the little fairy Flor and the cat Phil, Waver almost gave up and wailed, "...But, just signing the [Self-Mandatory Certificate] and going to duel with the Einzbern family feels like I'm just throwing my life away!"

"...What can I do? My wisdom is limited; each suggestion can only help you resolve one life-threatening crisis, meow!"

Firi gave her a "I can't do anything with you" look, sighed, and jumped off Waver's shoulder. "...Who told you to be so weak, Master... Anyway, it's better to die a few hours later than a few hours earlier, isn't it?"

"...I'm so sorry that my strength is so weak?!" Faced with the undeniable and cruel reality, Waver shouted in grief and indignation.

"...So, you should just keep walking slowly and think of a solution as you go... Uh, you're really lucky, it seems like you can't go any further ahead."

Philia said this calmly, then seemed to have discovered something interesting and reported the good news to Weber in a cheerful tone.

Weber, his face filled with grief and helplessness, looked up upon hearing this and then noticed the strange sight at the end of the street ahead.

—Perhaps the fire ignited the ammunition transport vehicle of the US military or the Self-Defense Forces, or for some other reason, the steel bridge spanning the Weiyuan River ahead had now become a pile of twisted and charred steel debris, with several sections of the bridge deck blown off... In any case, it was impossible to cross.

Staring at the destroyed Mien River Bridge at the end of the street, Waver paused for a moment, then seemed to realize something. He quickly took out a map of Fuyuki City he had bought from a tourist shop and began to study it carefully—he saw that he was currently located on the east bank of the Mien River. Meanwhile, Mount Enzo and Ryudouji Temple, where Kiritsugu Emiya had set up the arena to challenge them, were located on the west bank. But the only bridge connecting the east and west banks had collapsed.

There's nothing like a small boat to ferry people across the river. If one were to cross another bridge upstream, take a long detour to the west bank of the Weiyuan River, and then head to Mount Enzo, the entire journey would be over forty kilometers, requiring them to walk the whole way…

Considering it's almost dark now, and amidst the chaos of war, there are probably no streetlights on the roads in the suburbs, and considering the many rugged mountain paths along the way... in other words, if I walk in the dark, it might take until tomorrow afternoon... maybe I can reach Yuanzang Mountain?

In that case, he could probably live another half a day to a day... Thinking of this, Weber couldn't help but smile with satisfaction at his "successful life extension".

Chapter 78, I could take on a hundred of these Heroic Spirits! (First Update)

Meanwhile, Kenneth, who was staring at the crystal ball reflecting the image and using his familiar to track Waver, saw the collapsed Mien River Bridge, the surging Mien River, and the empty river surface where not a single boat could be seen, and stomped his foot in frustration.

—Damn it, because the collapse of the Miwon River Bridge cut off the road between the two banks, that little thief Webber is going to live a little longer!

To make matters worse, I just signed a "self-mandatory declaration," so I can't just rush up and kill him to vent my anger... It's infuriating!

And so, along the devastated eastern bank of the Weiyuan River, young Webber, the fairy Flor, and the cat Phil continued their long journey to the dueling arena... Meanwhile, Kenneth, who was watching over them from in front of the crystal ball, paced restlessly like a caged beast.

Should we wait for that slow-moving weakling Webber to come and fight, or should we take advantage of this night to go to Yuanzang Mountain and launch a surprise attack?

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Fuyuki City, west bank of Miyon River, Mount Enzo

A small, graceful fantasy creature spreads her translucent, dragonfly-like wings and leisurely flies over the scorched earth.

She is the Servant summoned by Waver, the Rider of this Holy Grail War, the little fairy Flor who weighs less than a chicken.

Despite being unable to cross the river for a while due to the collapse of the Mien River Bridge, Waver Velvet, the Rider Master who had signed the "Self-Mandatory Certificate" to escape the abandoned factory refugee camp, had to take a detour upstream of the Mien River, thus allowing him to continue slacking off for half a day to a day.

But the problem is... without a boat, cats and humans can't cross the river, but the little fairy Flor can fly across...

Therefore, under the constraint of the [Self-Forced Testimony], Waver had no choice but to not only trek upstream along the riverbank but also send the little fairy Flor to Mount Enzou to duel with Saber, who was stationed there—even if it was a Heroic Spirit duel that he was destined to lose.

At this moment, the wildfire had been extinguished, but the scorching heat and acrid smell that still lingered in the air made the little fairy Flor feel quite uncomfortable.

"...This smell is truly awful... Let's find Her Highness the Princess quickly, finish this quickly, and go home!"

—I don’t know where she got this confidence from… There’s no way around it, most little vixens are just silly, bold, and naive optimists like this.

However, before the little fairy Flor could finish speaking, a gunshot rang out from not far away, knocking her down from mid-air.

On the other hand, seeing the little fairy Rider fall down with the sound of the gunshot, even Kiritsugu Emiya himself, who fired the shot, was stunned.

"...They actually...took it down? I defeated a Heroic Spirit with a musket?!"

Seemingly too shocked, Kiritsugu Emiya poked his head out of the camouflage-covered hole with an incredulous expression, then looked down at the flintlock pistol in his hand, "...Even though I used the [Origin Bullet], how could my bone powder be this powerful?"

Or perhaps this heroic spirit is simply too weak?

In that instant, Kiritsugu Emiya felt as if he had struck a fake Heroic Spirit.

"...Ouch! That hurts so much!! You bad person! Flor is so cute, how could you hit me?"

The next moment, Flor, the little fairy who had been shot down in mid-air by Kiritsugu Emiya's [Origin Bullet], screamed and jumped up from the ground again, covered in dust and grime, angrily waving her little hammer, "...Watch me punish you in the name of justice..."

However, the little fairy Flor had only managed to shout twice when her voice abruptly stopped, as if she had been choked.

Next, unable to move due to the dragon's might, she was firmly pinched between two slender, fair fingers and lifted up.

"...Kukuku, you cute little guy, who do you want to punish in the name of justice?"

Princess Catherine, the golden dragon who plays Saber in this Holy Grail War, grinned mischievously as she pinched the delicate body of the little fairy Flor, saying playfully, "...Hmm, this little hammer of yours is quite exquisite. Perhaps it can be used to punish Walnut and Almond..."

—Watching the little fairy Flor being held in her hand, her face flushed red and her whole body trembling with fear, Catherine was in a very good mood.

Ah, the feeling of bullying this cute little guy is just so wonderful!

It's absolutely irresistible!

No wonder the aunties who come to visit the palace like to pick me up and rub me, or even rub my face, touch my head, and lift me up high.

Unfortunately, due to her extremely small size, Princess Catherine was usually the one who was bullied in the past.

However, now it's finally her turn, the perpetually young loli dragon princess, to bully those cuties who are even smaller than herself!

Thinking of this, Princess Catherine, the loli golden dragon, couldn't help but feel extremely happy.

At the same time, seeing the little hammer she had placed so much hope in fall into the hands of the Golden Dragon Princess, the little fairy Flor, who had been furious and loud just a moment ago, suddenly showed a look of utter despair on her face and went into a state of trembling.

"...Waaah, don't bully me! Your Highness...Waaah, please have mercy on me! Don't play with my wings!"

"...Oh dear...that depends on your performance, my pretty little cutie~~~ Quickly tell me everything you know!"

Princess Catherine, the Golden Dragon, narrowed her eyes and teased the trembling little sprite in her palm, "...Don't tell me any lies that will upset me!"

"...Ah...um...my Master wanted to come to Mount Enzo to duel with you, but the bridge in the city collapsed, so he's heading upstream along the Mien River, looking for another bridge to cross. We don't know where he is now. Princess Hypnos and her Master are in an abandoned factory on the northeastern outskirts of the city, with a group of refugees and several black-clad members of the Holy Church..."

Faced with the Golden Dragon Princess's gentle (terrifying) smile, the trembling little fairy Flor quickly revealed all the information.

Upon seeing this, Kiritsugu Emiya and Maiya Hisau, who had just emerged from their disguised shelter, exchanged a helpless glance.

—These enemy Servants are so weak, I feel like I could take on a hundred of them on my own!

Since that's the case, let's not rush the princess to kill her. Let's see what we can get out of her first...

Author's message

PS: More updates today, hope you click to climb the rankings!

Chapter 79, The Massacre at the Abandoned Factory (Second Update)

On a country road beside the Weiyuan River, Weber was strolling slowly with a "relatively slender" orange cat.

The roadside was littered with abandoned and damaged vehicles, as well as piles of various kinds of garbage scattered about, making it look almost like the stands after a football match. However, the occasional human and animal corpses and the half-dead wounded who were barely breathing revealed the cruelty of the place.

—For these dying wounded, young Webber, who was barely able to save himself, could only harden his heart and turn a blind eye to them.

Suddenly, Firi, the orange cat riding Rider, seemed to sense something, abruptly stopped, and then stood up on its hind legs with an air of superiority, rudely scolding Waver, "...Now! Flor has been caught! Use your Command Spell to bring her back!"

"...Ah! Understood! Issue the command spell: Rider, move to my side immediately!"

Upon hearing this, Waver quickly raised his arm as planned and activated the Command Seal he had treasured until now.

The next moment, the still-shaken little fairy Flor suddenly appeared in front of Waver.

Unfortunately, she doesn't seem to have fully recovered from the stunned state caused by the dragon's might, to the point that she can't even perform the fairy instinct of flapping her wings to stay airborne for the time being.

As soon as she appeared in front of Weber, she suddenly tumbled headfirst and crashed hard onto the concrete road with a "thud".

Yeah, and in an unseemly face-down position...

Fortunately, this was just a temporary body made of magic; otherwise, the poor little fairy Flor might have really been at risk of being disfigured.

Nevertheless, a relieved smile appeared on the faces of young Webber and the orange cat Phil.

"...Phew, not bad luck, I finally managed to get through those few [Self-Forced Testimony] documents—Wave, now that you've sent a Heroic Spirit to Mount Enzo, fulfilled your promise to duel Kiritsugu Emiya, and even revealed Kenneth's location, all you have to do now is find a quiet place to hide and relax, and this Holy Grail War should be pretty much over, meow! As for anything more, I advise you not to even dream about it."

With a sigh, the orange cat Philie advised Webber, "...It's already a miracle that you managed to return to your hometown alive!"

"...I know...neither Kenneth-sensei nor Kiritsugu Emiya are people I can handle right now...but I stole my teacher's relic and ran to the Far East, only to end up with this mediocre result. It really feels a bit...unsatisfying!"

After confirming that his life was temporarily safe, Weber couldn't help but feel somewhat unwilling.

"...Actually, you don't need to be so discouraged, Webber. Just surviving is the greatest victory, meow!"

With the Holy Grail War nearing its end and the boy beside her soon to part ways, Firi couldn't help but let slip a hint, "...In fact, the outcome of this Holy Grail War was predetermined from the very beginning; there will be no victor, meow..."

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On the other side, Princess Catherine and her Master were both slightly startled as they watched the little fairy Flor suddenly disappear from their hands.

"...Is this...the teleportation effect of a Command Seal? Damn it! I was so careless just now, I completely forgot about this move!"

Kiritsugu Emiya grumbled slightly, but didn't dwell on it. "...Oh well, we've already extracted most of the crucial information! Rider and her Master are no threat. As long as we defeat Kenneth and his Hypnotic Lancer, we'll win this battle..."

"...So, what do you plan to do next? Stay on this barren mountain, scorched by the fire, and wait for the last enemy to come and fight?" Princess Catherine, the Golden Dragon, yawned listlessly. "...Just like before?"

"...No! The key to victory in modern warfare has always been surprise! Why wait until midnight to solve a problem that can be solved now?"

Kiritsugu Emiya waved his hand confidently, "...Right now, Kenneth has gotten himself into a mess, temporarily trapped in the abandoned factory by the [Self-Forced Certificate], and his actions are also being hampered by the refugees! Why don't we just go and attack him? Maiya! Quickly find a way to get a car over here!"

So, just as Kenneth was still indignant about his failed plot against Webber in the abandoned factory on the outskirts of Fuyuki City, which allowed the petty thief to escape, the roar of a car engine suddenly came from the street just outside the wall, followed by... a shriek and an explosion!

Amidst the astonished shouts of the church's agents, a plume of gray smoke was dragged by the infamous weapon and crashed into the courtyard wall.