Super God: If I punch you, you will die

Ruler stared at the ceiling, pressed his throat, and shook his body.

"The acting is really convincing."

Even if you don't demonstrate the actions, wouldn't it be enough to just explain it verbally?

Ruler blushed and coughed in response to Rider and Elzia's criticism.

"I... I just prefer simple and easy-to-understand methods. But then again, cleaning like this must be quite a lot of work... Is it some kind of magic trick for cleaning?"

"If it were, there should be traces of magic... but there aren't any here."

"It's clearly a magician's house."

"Precisely because it's home, he must have strict rules about where magic is used. This is the kitchen, where magic isn't needed. At most, it's only used for handling small animals for rituals."

"It looks like there's a basement here, could it be over there?"

Rider also noticed this, seemingly by the subtle sound of his footsteps on the floor.

"Not only her nose, but her ears are also very sensitive..."

Seeing Ruler say this with such admiration, Rider immediately puffed out his chest and proudly said:

"Because both are very important on the battlefield."

The entrance to the basement was located in a corner of the living room, hidden by a bookshelf. This wheeled bookshelf had likely been moved many times, as deep wear marks remained on the floor.

0256 Magic Lock [Please Subscribe]

"Please wait a moment, just to be on the safe side, let's unlock the magic lock first..."

Just as Rider was about to grab the doorknob, Elzia immediately tried to stop him. However, Rider, of course, wouldn't listen to anyone's advice and simply pulled the door open with a "whoosh."

"It's open!"

As Rider spoke, he skipped briskly into the basement.

"Didn't they just perform some kind of magic trick?"

"Although it was activated, Rider's magic resistance is on par with Saber's, so it had no effect."

Modern magicians are completely unable to harm Rider. The "someone" who infiltrated must have performed a very careful unlocking operation.

"Great, we've found a body!"

Upon hearing Rider's voice, Ruler and the others hurriedly followed him into the basement.

The basement was a completely different world compared to the simple living space above ground. It was filled with countless grimoires, and faint traces of magic circles were visible on the floor. Hanging on ropes were herbs and the remains of mummified small animals.

Then, in the very center of the room was a human corpse. The corpse was "fresh" and had a strong smell of blood.

"This magician seems to specialize in black magic."

"Elzia said as she inspected the props. Ruler and Rider turned the corpse over and both frowned at the same time."

"His heart was removed."

"Just as Ruler predicted, the neck was only cut by an artery~ But with such a strong smell of blood, why didn't anyone point it out?"

Elzia answered Rider's question:

"I'm afraid the smell of blood is being masked by magic. Because black magic rituals are often filled with a foul stench, it would be difficult to perform them in the city without such a concealment method. Hiding the corpse here prevents the stench from leaking out, no matter how strong it is."

"More than that, the problem lies in the heart... Fiore once said that too. According to the newspaper reports, the 'Black' Assassin... Jack the Ripper always rips out the heart of his target."

Rider also agreed.

“She said it! She said it! Because the heart, like the brain, has a spiritual core. As long as you eat the part near that, you can replenish a lot of magic power.”

"But... that distressed expression suggests the reason isn't so simple."

"Shouldn't this be the fate of someone who dies with their neck cut?"

“Although we Servants are Soul Eaters, our emotions can vary depending on our different preferences in life. And Jack seems to have a particular fondness for horror.”

"After all, he was a serial killer..."

Leaving the disposal of the body to Yggdrasilena, Ruler and his companions continued wandering the streets of New Town. The next magician they visited, Sylvester Kochev, also died in his own home. However, this case differed decisively from the previous ones. Except for the heart, the body was completely mutilated, utterly losing its human form.

"That's really going too far."

Rider said in surprise.

"There are obvious signs of torture."

Ruler said in a cold voice.

"Judging from the bio-reactions in his arms, almost all the injuries were inflicted before he died. It seems that he was not dismembered after death, but was still alive before being broken into pieces."

Although his face cannot be seen, just by looking at this mutilated body, one can clearly imagine the immense pain and fear he experienced at that time.

No one will come to the rescue; even if they do, it will only increase the number of casualties.

"But what is the point of this kind of interrogation?"

Hearing Ruler say this, the two of them began to ponder.

"It's because that guy felt good...isn't that right?"

"Indeed, there are murderers in the world who derive pleasure from torture. However, if it's just for the sake of pleasure, the number of times torture is excessively high. Furthermore, the corpse just now showed almost no signs of torture. It was simply a matter of cutting off the neck and removing the heart—a simple method of murder. Yet this person was subjected to utter humiliation. The difference between the two is simply too great. Is it due to differences in gender, age, race, occupation, skill level, etc., or is the fundamental reason something else entirely?"

"What exactly are you talking about?"

In response to Elzia's question, Ruler simply shook his head and said, "I don't know."

"The only thing that can be confirmed is that 'Black' Assassin has undoubtedly arrived in Torifas City. Unless there is some other eccentric killer and magician out there, then that's another story."

The question is, where exactly is he/she lurking now?

Although it's a small city, it has a population of nearly 20,000. Everyone has noticed the strange disturbances that have been happening recently and is hiding, afraid to go out. Even if they wanted to launch a thorough search, not only would mobilizing magicians be difficult, but if they accidentally exposed the tracking operation, the other party would definitely hide in another, deeper, more concealed place.

"Let's go look around elsewhere; we might find the same body there."

Ruler's prediction proved correct.

Although the hearts of all the corpses had been removed, the differences in the torture methods were very obvious. There were no cases of moderate injuries; some corpses were reduced to piles of flesh, while others suffered only minor injuries, except for their hearts.

Ruler and her team spent several hours investigating the magical traces throughout the city, but found nothing of value.

Elzia immediately contacted Fiore telepathically, but based on her description and the results of her investigation, the severity of the torture seemed to have no correlation with the victim's gender, age, or ethnicity. Of course, there might be differences between men and women, but these could not be linked to the severity of the torture.

"I remember there should be three more missing magicians..."

"Lord Koles should be on his way there. Why don't we meet up with them first and summarize the intelligence?"

"That's right, let's go to that room over there."

After handing the magician's body over to Yggdrasilia, the three immediately set off for the next location to meet up with Corres.

"Next up is the old town area."

Led by Elzia, the two walked along the cobblestone street. The street was quiet, and the occasional figure glancing their way kept a safe distance, as if wary of the three. Considering the current situation, this was actually a gesture of kindness they were grateful for.

"However, they all seem like rather ordinary buildings... If the Holy Grail War could be held in New York City, we could compete in much more modern skyscrapers."

0257 Ruler [Please Subscribe]

Hearing Rider's mutterings, Ruler couldn't help but force a smile:

"Um, just imagining a Holy Grail War in a metropolis like that gives me stomach cramps. Please, don't even mention it."

How exactly can we wage the Holy Grail War in that metropolis?

"However, the Holy Grail War has been held in many places these days, so I think it'll happen in New York sooner or later. Then the covert operations will be completely overwhelmed, and we'll probably have to summon Ruler again~"

Ruler's face turned pale as he shook his head and hands, saying:

"No, no, no, please don't make me imagine such a terrible situation, okay? I absolutely won't do it!"

"Hahaha, fate is always terrifying, Ruler. I can assure you that in the near future... you will be summoned to a Holy Grail War in a place like New York, London, or Tokyo, and as Ruler, you will be responsible for making decisions on incredibly complex situations."

Perhaps imagining something specific with those words, Ruler glared at Rider with resentment and said:

"Rider, you're really wicked."

"Really? I was just demonstrating an accurate deduction."

Rider covered his mouth and let out a mischievous "hehehehe." Looking at his smile, Ruler suddenly said:

"So, you really do intend to come with Lin Yanjun?"

Rider stopped abruptly. Turning around, a slight blush rose to his face.

"So what if it is!"

"No, it's nothing. I just suddenly realized and thought, 'So that's how it is.'"

"Ugh. Seeing you act like you know everything makes me feel a little annoyed, honestly!"

The situation had reversed; now Rider was angrily protesting to the composed Ruler. Elzia, who had been listening to their conversation behind her, immediately turned around and said:

"Gentlemen, we're almost at the next location. If you want to flirt, please find another time."

"This isn't flirting."

"If I had to put it that way, it would be about ownership."

Elzia couldn't help but give an expression that seemed to say, "Isn't that the same thing?"

Koles simply couldn't stand the corpse. The sight alone wouldn't cause too much pain, but the problem lay in… the smell and the sound. This time, the smell was of burning flesh, not a stench. However, it was precisely because it wasn't a stench that the problem arose.

The smell and stench that I experienced while eating were simply unbearable.

"It doesn't matter to you, right?"

"It's alright, although it's alright, but still... I'll go throw up first."

Koles ran to the kitchen sink and vomited up all the bacon he'd eaten for breakfast. His decision to eat more meat this morning to replenish his energy was a terrible mistake.

"Damn it, I've decided I'm not eating meat for now."

After rinsing his mouth with the water in the cup and emptying his stomach, Koles finally calmed down and turned back to the basement.

"Lord Koles, the magician here is..."

"Avi Dekel. His specialty is summoning magic, just like mine... but he's even more powerful than me, so he's probably a candidate for Master. He's quite talented, but his luck isn't so good."

Koles checked the list of magicians he'd found in Danic's study, sighing with pity. Nevertheless, Koles didn't feel he'd been caught up in any tragic fate. The path of magic was cruel, and the path he'd taken was the worst one. That was all.

"A burned corpse...?"

"There's no trace of magic; the object used was from over there..."

“Black,” Archer said, pointing to the small oil tank lying in the basement. Koles removed the handkerchief covering his nose, suppressing the urge to vomit, and sniffed the earthy smell, discovering a hint of gasoline.

"They poured gasoline on it and burned it to death?"

"Yes, if this is an Assassin's crime, then it is indeed a murder method very much in line with the Assassin's style."

"But I say, this makes no sense. Assassin could kill the magician with his bare hands, why would he deliberately burn him to death?"

“You’ve discovered a very crucial point, Lord Koles.”

"Black" Archer said, raising an index finger as if he were a teacher.

"...I'm certainly pleased to be praised, but my mind has reached its limit. Archer, what's your deduction?"

"It's not time to make any inferences yet. Because we can't even be sure if Assassin was behind it. First piece of information: the 'culprit' burned the magician to death."

As he said this, "Black" Archer turned the corpse over, which was curled up like a fetus, and slowly lowered its feet. Then, pointing to the hole that had been ripped through its chest, he said:

"Second intelligence: The 'culprit' has had his heart removed."

"So this is the crime of 'Jack the Ripper,' since the newspapers also reported that without exception, the hearts of the victims were ripped out."

"The possibility has suddenly increased dramatically. But this makes the contents of Intelligence One more concerning. I've also read that report, and I remember there was no description of the 'culprit' burning the body. Can you confirm that?"

"You wait."

Koles took out his phone, went out of the basement, and dialed a number. Five minutes later, he returned looking puzzled.

"I got the information from my informant in the Sighishwara police station. All the bodies had their hearts removed, and the cause of death was asphyxiation due to difficulty breathing... Anyway, that means even the bodies had their hearts removed. Then, he said that there were no signs of excessive torture, such as burning the bodies or cutting them into pieces."

"Well……"