Super God: If I punch you, you will die

"Ah."

He felt as if something was tightly constricting his chest, and a sharp pain shot through him. But he tried to ignore the pain and struggled forward.

In conclusion, "Black" Rider Estolf's hands and feet are pinned to stakes, and his mobility is restricted by fluid-like puppets, putting him in a de facto state of confinement, just like "Red" Berserker.

He was far too frank, and even mixed in his own feelings ("Oh, that's so refreshing!"). Therefore, it was only natural that Vlad III, who was criticizing Lancer, was furious after hearing this.

Upon learning of "Black" Saber's true name, the Masters also turned their accusatory gazes towards "Black" Rider. After all, he was Siegfried, the "Dragon Slayer" of the Netherlands, and for the "Black" faction, he should have been a trump card.

0116 Disappearance and Spirit Transformation [Please Subscribe]

After ordering Rider's imprisonment, Lancer immediately became a spirit. Although his Master, Darnic, tried his best to calm him down, it would be difficult for him to calm down anytime soon. If he were alive, he would undoubtedly have needed to sacrifice someone's life to appease him.

As the Master, Serene expelled everyone from the dungeon and then slapped Rider across the face. What bothered her most was that the sound seemed very soft. Rider, despite her serious expression, did not show any signs of pain—more importantly, she did not reveal any despair.

Do you know the enormity of your mistake?

"I know, right? I saved a android...that's all."

"Stop joking! Saber has disappeared. The best Saber among Servants! And without even fighting. There wasn't even a fight! Disappearing because of internal strife? There's nothing more absurd than this! It's all your fault!"

Rider thought for a moment, and, anticipating a scolding, spoke up:

"No, this is not my responsibility. Because Saber is very heroic and perfectly fulfilled her principles."

Serenico slapped Rider again. Seeing that he remained nonchalant even in this situation, Serenico became even more annoyed, so she grabbed the stakes stuck in Rider's hands and feet and started shaking them.

"It hurts! It hurts so much! Please spare me!"

Seeing Rider finally show a distressed expression, Serene was quite satisfied. It was an expression she could never see when they were in bed together.

That would be enough.

Serene thought this from the bottom of her heart. It's such a pity that Servant doesn't have a real physical body.

“A servant should act like a servant. If you had stayed by my side, this wouldn’t have happened.”

"If I start doing this now, will you help me solve this?"

Even Serenico shook her head at the suggestion. At least "Black" Lancer wouldn't allow herself to do it; she didn't want to get involved in that mess.

"The only way to unravel this mystery is during the battle. You are destined to be used as a pawn in this Holy Grail War."

Serenico gave a cold smile and whispered in his ear.

"If you want to hate someone, then hate that android."

Rider looked bewildered as Serenico turned and left after speaking.

"why?"

Serene was far too naive in treating her Servants as ordinary humans. In fact, Rider simply couldn't comprehend her statement, "If you're going to hate someone, hate that homunculus." Despite being branded a traitor by the "black" Lancer and receiving a stern rebuke from her Master, she remained unconvinced.

No sooner had Serene left than the "Black" Archer—Chiron—came to visit Rider. Despite all the Masters and Servants being gathered together, he didn't utter a single word.

"At least if I were the one to speak up and dissuade them, I probably wouldn't have been treated so badly."

This is indeed true. Lancer held Archer in high regard for his strategic vision and trusted his integrity and incorruptibility. If Lancer were to speak up for Rider, he would likely only receive a minor reprimand.

However, Rider gave him a wink beforehand, stopping him from doing so.

"No, no, it's pointless to split the camp in two over something so trivial. I'll take the blame and punishment for this. If that solves the problem, that would be the best outcome."

Rider fully understands the cause and effect of his punishment. Whether his actions were right or wrong, the fact remains that Saber died. Therefore, as king, Lancer naturally needs to find someone to be punished. And since Saber, who should be punished, is no longer there, there is no one else but himself.

Despite the absurdity of the situation, and despite knowing he hadn't done anything wrong, Rider didn't refuse punishment. He had already planned for this on his way back.

That said, this wasn't the first time he'd been imprisoned. He'd even been turned into a tree by a witch before.

"But……"

Rider's only concern is that if Archer reveals his involvement in releasing the androids, Lancer might distance himself from Archer.

War is about to break out, and it would be troublesome if the king and the strategist had a falling out. If only one reckless knight is punished, it wouldn't cause the battle lines to collapse completely.

"That's good. Besides, losing Saber doesn't mean we've lost. Right?"

Rider wore a fearless smile.

"Well, that's true."

They did lose Saber. However, according to Archer's assessment, their advantage hadn't been completely reversed. Simply deploying the "Red" Berserker to the front lines would inflict immense damage on the enemy. Although entirely accidental, capturing her was indeed the most suitable tactic in that situation. If they had rashly ordered her annihilation, they might have suffered even greater losses.

Nevertheless, it must be used with extreme care.

"But then again, I really didn't expect Saber to do something like that."

"Ah, I thought so too. Hmm, maybe I should have talked to him more before. Now I feel a little regretful about it."

"But since Master Gerd forbade him to speak, it would be difficult to do so even if he wanted to."

"..."

The greatest tragedy for Saber was that among so many people in the Yggdrasilian race, she just happened to encounter a Master like him. That unparalleled hero was actually subjected to the service of such a cowardly... no, cautious Master. Such misfortune was truly lamentable—Rider sighed.

"In short, he's alright, isn't he?"

"Perhaps it's because he absorbed Saber's heart? Both his physique and appearance have transformed into that of a mighty warrior. That should be no problem; in my estimation, he should be able to live for a hundred years."

“Saber…Siegfried gained his steel body by bathing in dragon's blood, and it is said that he also drank dragon's blood to circulate it within his body. The heart is the organ that pumps blood to all parts of the body, so it is probably during this process that the blood of dragons was mixed in.”

"That's great, slaying dragons and all that. I really want the title of Dragon Slayer!"

"In any case, he should be able to coexist with the world and live a good life."

Archer and Rider felt no unease about this. He was the only one among the many androids in the fortress who had clearly expressed the will to "live."

No matter what difficulties he encounters, he should be able to survive.

0117 Fleeting Spirits of the Dead [Please Subscribe]

"But why did you help him so much, Archer?"

"In the end, we are just fleeting spirits without physical bodies. For us, it would be good if such an existence could be etched in the world."

Archer's voice sounds very gentle.

"I think you are the one who should be king."

Rider uttered a remark that would surely cause a huge commotion if Lancer heard it. Archer, however, simply shook his head and smiled wryly.

"I'm not good at standing in the wind."

Upon hearing this, Rider couldn't help but sigh, muttering to himself, "As expected, things in this world never go as planned."

Having spare energy is indeed a good thing—Lin Yan thought to himself as he walked. If he were still in his old body, which would become exhausted and even feel pain from walking, he would have found it difficult to even think while walking.

Because of the barrier's effect, the forest remained silent, completely devoid of any sign of life. However, they were now quite far from the castle. Even if the barrier gave them a rough idea of ​​their location, they probably wouldn't send anyone to chase them.

As he approached the heart of the mountain, the faint chirping of birds began to fill his ears. This meant that the protective barrier that had been driving away creatures was no longer effective in this area. Although it was quite dark due to the dense trees, it seemed that dawn was fast approaching. By that calculation, he must have been walking for several hours, yet he felt no fatigue whatsoever. His clothes were clearly too thin for hiking in late autumn, yet he felt no chill whatsoever.

Even if his body had become healthier, this situation was still somewhat abnormal. Perhaps it was all due to the power of "Black" Saber—Siegfried's heart, Lin Yan speculated.

He longed for more to think about, hoping to immerse himself in those complex and strange equations. Only by doing so could he escape, for a moment, the inexplicable fog that had been lingering in his mind since the beginning.

Although the pace is still a bit sluggish and clumsy, as long as we keep moving forward, the road will become wider and wider.

After crossing the mountains, Lin Yan spotted a small village in the distance. Unlike Tolifas, it was a place untouched by magicians.

Manipulating the villagers' consciousness through suggestion probably wouldn't take a day, meaning one could easily obtain the peaceful daily life they desire within that village. Or, one could use that place as a springboard to travel to other countries.

So all I have to do is take one step forward, and I can have that kind of life. I can survive, I can get something, and I can even find hope in it.

For this very step, one hero gave his life, another healed himself, and yet another walked alongside him.

Everything was for this step.

But why, why—are my own feet refusing to take this step?

Sigh. It seems I truly cannot shake off this fog that lingers in my mind. Does simply surviving mean living in this state forever?

Even so, he still tried to lift his foot—

"Wait a moment!"

Hearing the voice that stopped him and the subsequent sound, he hurriedly turned around to look behind him. The sound was definitely not natural; it was the sound of something falling heavily to the ground.

Could they be pursuers? But he couldn't sense any magic being used, nor could he feel the Servant's immense magical power. Despite some hesitation, Lin Yan decided he should investigate, so he turned and walked over.

He stepped into the forest, slightly off the mountain path. The sound must be coming from here—Huige looked around and finally found it.

At the same instant, his soul was taken away.

"..."

He couldn't even utter a sound of surprise. He saw a young girl crouching there, her back against a large tree, in great pain.

Her hair, swaying gently in the dawn light filtering through the trees, was as beautiful as golden silk. Her amethyst-like eyes, gazing at him, were incredibly clear, filling Lin Yan with an inexplicable sense of guilt.

It wasn't the meticulously crafted beauty of an android, nor the adorable feeling of someone standing next to a Rider who would make your heart race; rather, it was a fantastical beauty that felt utterly unreal.

The girl was clad in armor—undoubtedly a Servant. Although he didn't know if she was on the "black" or "red" side, she was definitely a girl he should never get involved with.

If asked whether he was friend or foe, he would undoubtedly be an enemy. Despite this, he felt it was a great pity to leave.

Or perhaps it could be described as being deeply captivated by the artwork. Without realizing it, Lin Yan walked towards the girl. Just as he was about to reach out and touch the girl's cheek, the sword hanging at his waist clanged as if in warning.

Silence fell between them. Their eyes met, and Lin Yan felt a little confused. He wondered what he had been planning to do.

How despicable it was for him to reach out and touch the girl squatting on the ground! He hurriedly tried to pull his hand back, but the girl immediately grabbed Lin Yan's hand.

"Great... I'm so glad to finally see you!"

The moment the girl smiled and said those words, Lin Yan thought to himself—even if she was his enemy, or even if he were killed on the spot, as long as he saw that smiling face, he would die without regrets.

Joan of Arc, who was summoned as Ruler in this Holy Grail War, carefully inspected the part of the forest that served as the stage for the battles between "Red" Berserker and "Black" Lancer and Rider in the Second Holy Grail War, as well as the stage for the battles between "Red" Rider and Archer, "Black" Saber, Berserker, and Archer, before finally breathing a sigh of relief.

The only damage was to the trees that were knocked down during the battle. And even this damage didn't affect a large area of ​​the forest. Of course, if "Red" Lancer—the great hero Karna, as radiant as the sun—had joined the battle, the forest might have been reduced to scorched earth long ago.

The "Black" faction, who had been holding out in the fortress of Milenia, were nowhere to be seen, nor were the "Red" faction Masters, who were supposed to launch the attack. However, considering that this war was only in its prelude, the current situation was by no means surprising. This was because most of the Masters in the Holy Grail War were mages, and they were not particularly familiar with warfare.

0118 A Battle [Please Subscribe]

"In short, it was just an ordinary battle."

That's right. Although there are many Servants, their fighting styles are quite typical. Archer snipes from a distance, Berserker launches attacks, Caster commands puppets with magic, Lancer summons stakes to impale enemies—Rider and Saber are by no means abnormal beings outside the scope of Heroic Spirits. This is true for both the "black" and "red" sides.

Of course, they are Servants after all, and their power is naturally astonishing. Among them, "Red" Rider is particularly outstanding. According to Ruler's estimation, he probably possesses power comparable to "Red" Lancer.

This is only natural. After all, he is a renowned hero. Just having her around would completely reverse the course of the battle. In terms of Servant "quality," the "red" side should have the advantage simply by having Rider and Lancer.

Of course, that's just a simple comparison of strength. There are also many other factors to consider, such as Servant pairings, Noble Phantasm abilities, tactics, and the environment. The true nature of the yet-to-be-revealed "Black" Assassin, "Red" Saber, Caster, and Assassin remains unknown, and the situation could very well change as a result…

In conclusion, the current situation remains within the scope of a typical Holy Grail War. Even in a full-scale war waged by fourteen Servants, the city of Trifas only has a population of 20,000 and is relatively isolated from the outside world. By utilizing the privileges of being a Ruler, the damage should be minimized.

There was absolutely nothing suspicious about it. However, despite this—

A lingering, inexplicable doubt remained in his heart. Despite meticulously investigating the traces of the battle at night, he had found no clues. The only clue was the fact that the "Red" Servant had pointed the finger at him. Ruler knew that "Red" Lancer was a man of high moral character, and it was precisely for this reason that he had so readily obeyed his Master's orders to take Ruler's life.

It seems we really need to find a way to contact the "Red" team's Master.

In short, tonight's battle is over... The moment she thought this, she felt a wave of exhaustion wash over her... It seemed she was now "very sleepy." To be precise, it wasn't Jeanne d'Arc as the Ruler who felt sleepy. It was only Leticia's body that truly needed sleep. That being said, Servants don't inherently possess the ability to sleep. Perhaps because of this difference, the Ruler found it rather novel.

"No...not now..."

The only thing she couldn't overcome by willpower was this drowsiness. Now she had to go back to the city, back to the church, back to her bed in that attic room. But her body was excessively craving sleep.

She reached out and pressed herself against the trunk of the large tree for support, but that wasn't enough. Frustrated, she pinched her cheek hard. The pain finally brought her consciousness back to a slightly clearer state… What an inconvenient body! Because the summoning was incomplete, although she could maintain it for a relatively long time, once she exceeded her limit, she would probably lose consciousness like a switch being flipped.

We'll deal with that later; for now, let's use holy water to check the Servant's location. If everything is fine, then let's wrap this up for today.

The five riders from the "Black" side and one rider from the "Red" side are inside the fortress, with the "Red" rider likely being the Berserker. He was supposed to be a prisoner, but it seems he has successfully replaced the Master. This isn't a violation of the rules; Master and Servant swaps are quite common—no, wait a minute.

"It seems we're still missing one rider?"

There should be six Servants stationed inside the fortress, so where did the remaining one go? Even after expanding the search area, it was still not found.

There's a nagging feeling that something's wrong. Is he dead? — Impossible. In the fourteen Servants, Ruler can immediately sense who's eliminated. So, there's no possibility of any Servant being eliminated right now.

However, something felt off. It wasn't the feeling of being a Ruler, but rather Joan of Arc's own intuition that was telling her—something was happening somewhere she didn't know about.

We must find the remaining rider as soon as possible. But how? Can we really find him by searching aimlessly everywhere?