Super God: If I punch you, you will die

Of course, forcibly breaking through wouldn't be difficult. In this sky garden, the "Red" Assassin is practically the absolute ruler. If he could overpower the "Red" Lancer and then kill those five, it would be a simple matter. However, that wouldn't be a covert assassination, but a straightforward act of combat.

In other words, this carries the risk of being discovered by the Master and other Servants. While it's not a major incident, it's still not a scene suitable for others to see. Therefore, even when Lancer stood in his way, the "Red" Assassin retreated without a word.

Even so, after repeating it so many times, she began to get annoyed. "Red," Assassin said.

"You might as well give up, Lancer. They won't wake up during this battle, and you have no obligation to obey their orders."

Her voice held an unmistakable sharpness. Rider and Archer are relatively easy to understand, as they are both typical heroes. Unbearable displays of power and skill, foolish warriors who gallop across the battlefield waving grand banners of honor and dignity.

However, there is a certain distance between "Red" Karna and them. Despite his flawless background and experiences, he is strikingly different from the many heroes Semiramis knows.

"The relationship between Master and Servant isn't an obligation, but a contract, a bond. Assassin, you probably didn't assist Shirou Kotomine out of obligation, did you?"

“Of course, my relationship with him is based on a Master-Servant contract. But Lancer, your Master should be Shirou, not these guys.”

After Assassin finished speaking, he pointed to the man that "Red" Lancer still regards as his Master.

It was a mocking, provocative smile that an ordinary hero would never tolerate. But Lancer showed no disgust in the face of her smile; instead, he nodded seriously and replied:

“What you said is indeed true, Assassin. The Master-Servant relationship that was formed in the most legitimate way is only between you two in this faction. The Master is using you, and you are using the Master. However, there is mutual dedication and trust between you. You can't betray him; at most, you can only think about it in your heart.”

After hearing Lancer's words, Assassin was speechless. Hadn't this Heroic Spirit just pointed out "something" hidden deep within him in an incredibly direct way?

After a period of silence, "Red" Assassin slowly spoke:

"What did you just say?"

"I didn't say anything. You can't betray your Master, and the other party has complete trust in you, so I was just praising you as the ideal Master and Servant relationship."

"Red" Assassin stared intently at Lancer. Lancer, on the other hand, looked puzzled, as if he were completely bewildered. He was indeed praising him, at least that's how he saw it. But this kind of statement...

"What stupid things are you talking about."

“I’m not saying anything stupid. You two are in the ideal state as Master and Servant. Your Master shouldn’t betray you either. It’s not because you would retaliate against a traitor with the greatest punishment, but because he understands that not betraying is the most important and appropriate approach.”

He would never betray us.

This statement sounds incredibly noble.

Ignoring Assassin's wavering, Lancer continued:

"I won't ask you to understand me for this, but you can at least accept what I've done, Assassin. The law of the jungle is the rule of the world. That being said, we are not beasts. Beyond our instincts, we should also be covered by a shell of humanity, and that is an ethic that is different for each person. Now, it is this ethic that prevents me from betraying my Master. Because that is how I am constituted."

Having understood both the seemingly meaningless vigilance of the "Red" Assassin and the overly cold ethics of the "Red" Archer, Lancer declared:

"I will stay here to protect them. That's all I can say."

Assassin's phantom seemed to sway slightly, as if to express the shock felt by the real Assassin sitting on the throne.

"Is that so? Okay, whatever you like."

"I am extremely grateful to Assassin."

Just before the phantom disappeared, it turned back to Lancer and asked:

"I said, do you really think I wouldn't betray you?"

"Of course. Assassin, are you the kind of paranoid person who wants to kill the person you like?"

Upon hearing this, the phantom appeared extremely flustered and disappeared.

Lancer, the "Red" Lancer, sighed deeply, then patted his chest, relieved. This way, the Assassins would probably never kill them again.

"It seems I have fulfilled my duty. Master, although I haven't been able to say a single word to you, I wish you good luck."

"You know what? The key to brewing delicious coffee is..."

After giving a silent tribute to the Master who was speaking to an imaginary figure in a strange direction, Lancer vanished into spirit form.

Then, "Red" Assassin sat alone on the throne, looking bewildered.

You could never betray him; at most, you'd only think about it in your heart.

What a ridiculous and absurd statement that was. Only now, a feeling akin to anger has begun to surge intensely within me.

My blood felt like it was about to boil, incredibly hot.

"You actually think I'm incapable of betraying you? I'm the famous Nikon photographer!"

It's utterly absurd. The only reason I haven't betrayed them is because we share the same goal. He wants to save humanity, while I want to become the ruler of those who are being saved.

She alone would sit on the throne; the rest were all her "livestock." It wasn't about exploiting them, but simply about controlling and managing them. Once she regained her physical body, it would be easy to do so, and as long as the Greater Grail existed in this courtyard, there was no need to worry about running out of magical energy.

Next, all that's needed is to cleanly and decisively cut ties with those "black" guys. After everything is over, betraying Master is entirely a possibility.

Lancer is a ridiculous guy. Of course I could betray him, but there's no need to for the time being.

Or I could betray him right now and show you. Erasing that man's will, seizing his Master privileges, and turning him into a puppet would be a very simple matter.

That's right, I have absolutely no need to cater to that boy's willful ideas.

0314 Operation Plan [Please Subscribe]

As has been done more than once in the past, everything is made one's own through words, fingertips, and sweet poison.

Imagine his expression upon being betrayed. A stunned, bewildered look, followed by a twisted expression of rage as he gradually grasps the truth. Then, he will surely break into a heart-wrenching cry.

"No, that's not right. That guy wouldn't show his sadness like that."

At most, he'd just stare in astonishment. Then, he'd definitely laugh. Things hadn't gone as he hoped, and he'd wasted sixty years of his life.

Despite this, he felt no remorse. For Shirou Kotomine had cast aside all regret four hundred years ago. From the moment he swore to forgive and save all, he abandoned all remorse.

He won't feel anger at betrayal. Faced with betrayal, he'll only try to cope and deal with it.

That's a pathetic way of living. Betrayal is always accompanied by ridicule. Every time he's betrayed, he's mocked, his hard-earned career easily destroyed. But no matter how many times this process repeats itself, the young man will only silently start over again.

Even if betrayal does occur, the betrayed party won't harbor any resentment. The young man, who has long since cast despair aside, will simply leave the betrayer behind and continue on his way.

An assassin with a bayonet in his hand from behind would never be able to catch him.

She could only silently watch his retreating figure forever.

No intense emotions such as sadness or regret arose. The Assassin of today simply harbors a vague, melancholic loneliness, like a thin wisp of cloud.

The "Black" faction. The Masters and Servants of the Yggdrasilia clan gathered again in the conference room for a meeting.

Despite the various setbacks, they successfully defeated the "Black" Assassin, thus eliminating their worries. As for the damage caused by the mist, that should be handled by the vampires. The children manipulated by the Assassin were all safe and sound, a stroke of good fortune amidst misfortune.

"Tomorrow at noon, we will travel from Tolifas to the capital, Bucharest. From there, we will transfer to another plane to launch an air raid on the 'Garden of Vanity'."

Therefore, Fiore's declaration was not surprising at all.

"Sister, the so-called air raid refers to an attack launched from the air to the ground. So strictly speaking, I think that term is not appropriate for this situation."

"It doesn't matter what happens! Koles, you should also be prepared for everything."

"No, of course I can do that. But, is it just a simple attack from the air?"

Fiore frowned and nodded, saying:

"Because no matter what you think, there's no way to avoid being countered by the other side, right? In that case, the best course of action is to take the simplest and most direct approach and do the best possible disguise."

"Okay, okay! Airplane! I know how to fly an airplane!"

"Black," Rider eagerly raised his hand to speak. However, Fiore gently shook her head.

"The puppet will handle the controls of the aircraft. We certainly wouldn't use up a Servant's action points for something so trivial."

"But my riding skill is A+ level!? I can control anything except eagles, so I should definitely show off that ability, right?"

"Hehehe, if it's based on such a superficial motive, then it's even less likely that I'd let you do that. Besides, if you can't control the Falcon in an emergency, you won't be able to protect Master, will you?"

"Waaah, that's true."

"The members heading to the Sky Garden include 'Black' Archer, 'Black' Rider, Ruler, and him as 'Black' Saber. And then there's me."

"But Master."

Despite Archer's attempts to refute her, Fiore rejected her with a particularly cold attitude:

"Stop talking, Archer. Even I have the dignity of being the head of the Yggdrasilia. In any case, we must not allow the magic supply to be cut off during the battle."

Archer silently gave up trying to refute her. Seeing Fiore's stubborn expression, he seemed to understand that his words were utterly futile in persuading her. She declared in a voice loud enough for everyone to hear:

“At the very least, I must also travel by plane. I bear the mission of being the head of the Yggdmillennia clan, and this Holy Grail War is different from ordinary ones, with as many as fourteen Servants being summoned. There is also the possibility that the circuit connection between the Master and the Servant is weak, so separating the two is not a wise choice to ensure that nothing goes wrong.”

In the Holy Grail War, the relationship between Master and Servant is essentially the same as that between Magician and Familiar. Familiars and Magicians are connected by a causal thread, essentially regardless of physical distance. However, the magical pathways between Master and Servant are simulated entities formed during summoning. While the causal thread is interconnected within a certain distance, it can break if the distance is too great. Fiore made this conjecture, especially when they had to leave Romania, the magical base of Yggdrasilia.

In other words, that would be equivalent to the Master not existing. Without the "act alone" skill, it probably wouldn't even last a day in that situation.

"Sister, me too."

Before he could finish speaking, Fiore quickly interrupted him:

“Koles, you stay here. You are the heir to the Fulvig family, and we cannot allow you to be exposed to danger.”

"That won't work."

Upon hearing Corles's reply, Fiore immediately stared at him with an icy gaze. It wasn't the gaze of a sister, but simply that of a magician.

However, Corles, who would usually give up his opinion immediately on such a matter, now stared back at her without backing down.

"Koles, let's talk about this later."

As if to dispel the tense atmosphere, Ruler asked:

"Airplanes. While speed shouldn't be an issue, they'll become easy targets for the enemy once they get close. Have you come up with a countermeasure for that?"

Fiore frowned, clutching her head as if troubled, and said:

"For now, I've come up with three methods. Are you all ready?"

Fiore explained the entire battle plan that she and Archer had come up with together.

0315 Fortress [Please Subscribe]

Of the three methods she came up with, two were extremely appropriate and effective measures that anyone could have come up with.

The problem lies in the last remaining method.

Although it felt a bit like forcing things, it was still quite good. "Black" Rider made this judgment. Lin Yan also thought that this would slightly increase the probability of successfully reaching the courtyard and accepted the approach. When "Black" Archer first heard the idea, he also had a satisfied thought: "I see, this can indeed slightly alleviate the disadvantages of being in the air."

However, Ruler, who was the only one present who knew basic common sense, turned pale upon hearing this.

"Ruler, what's wrong?"

Fiore asked, puzzled.

Ruler sighed, shook his head, and said:

"No, it's nothing. I just felt once again the insurmountable gap between magicians and humans."

That being said, doing so would only allow one to get close to the "Red" Assassin's Noble Phantasm, "Vague Sky Garden".

"But that's far from enough; it would be best to add another layer of insurance."

Lin Yan seemed to find Fiore's words difficult and uttered a thoughtful sound.

First and foremost, the most fundamental prerequisite is extremely difficult to meet. An impregnable aerial fortress, and Atalanta, Karna, Achilles, and Semiramis. Each of them can be considered a Servant of the highest caliber.

But the discussion now isn't about who wins or loses, but about how to get close to that aerial fortress.

Ruler was the first to raise her hand to speak. She cleared her throat, drawing everyone's attention to her.

"In addition to the plane we're on, how about we prepare another plane loaded with explosives that has passed through Sainte-Baptiste and then let it crash into the courtyard from an even higher altitude?"

Ruler's suggestion, made after experiencing countless battlefields, was quite extreme.

"How...you're really bold."

Fiore immediately tensed up, while "Black" Rider seemed to clap his hands with an "Oh!" of admiration.

"However, the Sky Garden is a fortress that moves autonomously, and including the 'Red' Assassin who controls the Noble Phantasm, it must possess unparalleled mysterious power. Although it has undergone the Holy Consecration, we don't know how effective ordinary explosives would be."

"But if we don't try to create some chaos, even infiltration will be a pipe dream. The situation is completely different now than last time; this time they'll probably launch a full-scale attack on us."

Ruler's opinion is correct. When the Greater Grail was seized, the Servants near the ground were not in a defensive position, and that was largely the result of Shirou intentionally luring the "Black" Servants and Ruler to the courtyard.

But this time is different. The "Red" side will definitely do everything in its power to eliminate the "Black" attackers.

"Even if we adopt this plan, it still lacks a decisive factor."

After hearing Archer's words, the Servants and Masters, and even the homunculi waiting on the sidelines, offered various suggestions, but none of them came up with anything truly insightful.