Walking on the bustling streets, Su Xiao scratched his cheek. He never thought he would be received with goodwill by anyone one day. If he could return alive, he would revisit the church.
At that moment, a sense of crisis suddenly emerged.
"Hmm?"
Su Xiao looked towards the distant rooftop, faintly able to see Bobowang there. He sensed the looming feeling of danger. Based on his experience, he judged that someone was observing him from a distance.
Su Xiao discreetly tucked his arm into his sleeve and turned to enter a nearby shop.
A few minutes later, Su Xiao left the shop, his attire changed, and he removed the disguise mask from his face. A blood-red 'command seal' appeared on the back of his right hand.
Su Xiao concealed all his equipment, dressed casually, and altered his appearance, making the feeling of being watched disappear.
Su Xiao didn't immediately join Bobowang and the others. After relaying a message to Bobowang, he walked alone towards the outskirts of Fuyuki City.
Bobowang quickly grasped the situation and, with Matou Sakura, headed towards the outskirts of Fuyuki City.
Along the way, Su Xiao acquired a car. The people who had been surveilling him were either other contractees or certain Heroic Spirits and Masters.
The combinations of the other six Heroic Spirits and Masters were concentrated in Fuyuki City, and since the city wasn't large, chance encounters weren't unlikely.
For now, Su Xiao didn't want to interact with other Heroic Spirits. He needed to reach Ryuudou Temple as soon as possible.
Unfortunately, according to the priest's words, the 'Ghost Sheepskin' wouldn't lead him to Ryuudou Temple during the daytime. He'd have to wait until after eight in the evening.
Half an hour later, Su Xiao arrived near Ryuudou Temple. As soon as he exited the car, the feeling of being watched emerged again.
Su Xiao's expression wasn't good. Could the other party really be pursuing him relentlessly? Moreover, it wasn't just one group of people.
He was being targeted, Su Xiao surmised, due to his entry into the 'Kotomine Church' and his contact with the old priest. As the overseer of the Holy Grail War, the old priest indeed had many people watching over him.
Indeed, that was the case. Tohsaka Tokiomi, Emiya Kiritsugu, Kirei Kotomine, and others placed agents around the Kotomine Church.
With a dark expression, Su Xiao entered a residential building. Before long, Bobowang arrived with Matou Sakura and Matou Zouken.
Once they were all inside, the surroundings grew eerily quiet.
About a kilometre from Su Xiao's location, Emiya Kiritsugu put down his binoculars. He was the Master of Saber (the Knight).
Emiya Kiritsugu was around thirty years old, with black hair and dressed in an all-black ensemble—black coat, pants, and shoes—a fitting attire for his nighttime assassinations of magi. This outfit minimised his visibility.
Emiya Kiritsugu was a Master of a Heroic Spirit and possessed considerable combat prowess. Known as the Magus Killer, he was ruthless. He had once removed several of his own ribs, ground them into bone powder, condensed the powder with soulcraft, and crafted bullets named 'Origin Rounds'. These bullets, upon hitting a magus, not only caused damage but also disrupted their magical circuits.
"Was the previous Master a Heroic Spirit? That black-clad one should be Berserker."
Emiya Kiritsugu picked up the sniper rifle by his side. At this range, he had an eighty per cent accuracy rate against enemy Masters.
It was pretty ordinary for Matou Zouken to be mistaken for Berserker. After all, he emitted black smoke and had paint all over him. His paint had already dried so the smell couldn't be detected from afar.
"Shall we strike first or observe?"
Emiya Kiritsugu's female assistant beside him spoke. Emiya Kiritsugu had rescued her from the battlefield and was fiercely loyal to him, almost like his weapon.
"Let's observe for now. I have a bad feeling about that Master."
The female assistant nodded, following Emiya Kiritsugu's lead in all actions.
"What about the other group?"
The female assistant picked up her binoculars, looking towards the eastern side where another group of Heroic Spirits and Masters was present.
"Ignore them. If my guess is correct, that's Kenneth. He's the Master of Lancer. The best outcome would be a clash between Lancer and Berserker."
Emiya Kiritsugu aimed his rifle at the window of Su Xiao's residence. By this time, the curtains were drawn tightly shut.
"Have they noticed? They're quite vigilant."
Emiya Kiritsugu's finger rested on the trigger of his sniper rifle. The female assistant began assembling a large sniper cannon firearm by his side.
The scene played out in the eyes of a blonde girl in a black suit, standing atop a dilapidated building. Her single strand of messy hair was especially eye-catching. Her gem-like green eyes were pure, and her appearance was impeccable.
The actions of Emiya Kiritsugu and his assistant clearly displeased her. She felt that such "sneaky" behaviour contradicted the spirit of a knight.
"Master, are we aiming for victory through ambush?"
The blonde girl spoke. Her name was Artoria Pendragon, the King Arthur from ancient British legends. In this Holy Grail War, she took on the Saber class. She was loyal, honourable, and humble, with a serious demeanour. Due to her inheritance of the Holy Sword Excalibur...
"Yes, achieving victory with minimal loss is common sense. Just as sacrificing a few to save many is common sense. You only need to delay the enemy's Servants."
It was evident that Emiya Kiritsugu and Saber's compatibility was poor.
Upon hearing Emiya Kiritsugu's words, Saber furrowed her brows. However, she refrained from saying anything. It wasn't good character to casually accuse others.
Unbeknownst to her, she had the potential to become a knight or even the legendary King of Knights. But she should not become a king, as kings cannot be without greed and selfish desires.
Meanwhile, inside an unfinished building:
A man dressed in a magician's robe leaned against a wall. His expression revealed his recent mood, which wasn't great.
The man's name was Kenneth Elmeroid Akihropoulos, a lecturer of the Mage's Association. He was a genius magician, highly esteemed within the mage community.
As one of the Masters participating in the current Holy Grail War, Kenneth was quite dissatisfied with his Servant. No, he was highly dissatisfied.
Initially, he could have summoned a stronger Servant, but due to the loss of his catalyst, he was forced to summon Lancer instead of Rider.
Summoning Lancer wasn't inherently wrong, as each class of Heroic Spirit had its strengths.
However, to his dismay, he summoned Diarmuid Ua Duibhne, known as the chief warrior of the Knights of Fianna or the Radiant Face of Diarmuid.
When he summoned Diarmuid, Kenneth noticed the love spot below his eye. This immediately unsettled him as he began to question the legend's authenticity.
If Kenneth were single, it wouldn't be much of an issue. However, he had a beautiful fiancée. Couple that with Diarmuid's handsome appearance and the charming love spot...
After summoning Diarmuid, Kenneth gradually felt that his blonde hair was turning green, a glistening shade of green.
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