Upon hearing Su Xiao's question, Umbrellaless Brother sat up straight on the hospital bed.
"Have you heard of the Blood Gate Adventurers?"
The first words from Umbrellaless Brother made Su Xiao understand what was going on: Stan, the leader of the Blood Gate Adventurers, was seeking revenge.
"There have been some grievances in the past."
"Some... grievances? Does that mean they've come for revenge on you?!"
Umbrellaless Brother's expression was somewhat grim. He was caught in this situation, and seeing Su Xiao's relaxed demeanor made him even more frustrated. The one who should have been pursued and in danger, Emiya Kiritsugu, was safe and sound, while he, who was not the main target, was on the run.
"What kind of grievances do you have with them?"
Umbrellaless Brother sighed. Complaining wouldn't change the current situation, and besides, Su Xiao had just saved his life.
"As for the grievances..."
Su Xiao and Umbrellaless Brother briefly explained the history of their conflicts with the Blood Gate Adventurers, leaving Umbrellaless Brother somewhat bewildered.
"Just for these grievances... Stan actually sent Arson to hunt you down? Has he lost his mind?"
"That's what puzzles me too."
Su Xiao had not revealed one crucial detail to Umbrellaless Brother: his serial number was untraceable, making the tracking costs significantly higher.
"So, are we teaming up now?"
Umbrellaless Brother removed the bandages from his body. This guy had an extraordinarily strong vitality; otherwise, he wouldn't have escaped Arson's pursuit twice.
"Yes, why else do you think I saved you? By the way, do those three individuals have tracking methods?"
"They do. One of them, a woman named Chou, has a familiar..."
Umbrellaless Brother stopped midway in his explanation.
"Can you describe the familiar's specific features?"
"..."
Su Xiao noticed that Umbrellaless Brother wasn't responding, so he looked at him.
"It's this kind of familiar, damn it!"
Umbrellaless Brother pointed to the window, where a colorful butterfly was perched on the glass outside.
"They're following us. How do we get rid of this thing? It's obstructing our battle."
Umbrellaless Brother pointed at the tube in his abdomen that was connected to an iron box. Su Xiao approached and, amidst Umbrellaless Brother's shocked protests, pulled the tube out.
"Is this really okay? I feel a bit dizzy."
"It's fine. It's just your remaining Pillar Cell trying to backlash against you."
Su Xiao contacted Bubu Wang and had him hide with Matou Sakura.
The palm-sized colorful butterfly fluttered outside the window. Su Xiao held Zanpakuto in his hand, and the Apostle's Eye floated in the air, constantly vigilant of the surroundings.
"Pillar Cell... backlash?! Is there any risk?!"
"Turning into a tree."
Su Xiao remained calm, but Umbrellaless Brother was in a state of panic.
"What?!"
Umbrellaless Brother turned pale. He immediately recalled a scene: the moment before the death of Tsunade in the Naruto world, when she turned into a tree.
"Like Tsunade?"
"No."
Su Xiao's answer relieved Umbrellaless Brother, but what Su Xiao said next drained all color from his face.
"Orochimaru transplanted Tsunade's Pillar Cells after her death, while in your case, it's Pillar Cells from when you were alive. The two have different levels of vitality. If..."
"Wait, can you explain it more simply?"
Umbrellaless Brother swallowed hard. His gaze seemed to say, "I have a cute daughter waiting for me in the real world. I need to survive."
"Simply put, when Orochimaru transplanted Tsunade's Pillar Cells, there was a chance for her Pillar Cells to resist. As for the Pillar Cells in your body, if they erupt, you'll turn into a really tall tree, very tall."
Su Xiao approached the window, which showed that it was noon. The courtyard of the villa was empty.
"So, I could die at any moment now?"
Umbrellaless Brother's lips twitched, and he looked at his abdomen.
"You can think of it that way. The tube implanted in your abdomen before was meant to suppress the Pillar Cells. Since you wanted to remove it yourself..."
Su Xiao's words left Umbrellaless Brother dumbfounded.
"Then, should we put it back? I regret it now. It's not bad to carry that iron box with me, especially when it can protect my vitals in critical moments."
"We can."
Su Xiao noticed that there were no enemies near the villa for the time being. He picked up the iron box with the tube and approached Umbrellaless Brother. He inserted the sharp-ended tube back into Umbrellaless Brother's abdomen.
"Hey, isn't this too hasty? You're doing it while I'm still alive!"
Splurt!
Umbrellaless Brother winced in pain.
"Here."
Su Xiao handed the iron box back to him. At this point, Umbrellaless Brother looked completely dejected. He tied the iron box to his abdomen as if it were his new home.
Umbrellaless Brother was a wild tank-type contractor who didn't use shields but wore heavy metal gauntlets that extended to his forearms. Each gauntlet was as thick as a human torso.
He didn't need a shield because his two gauntlets could serve as a shield, and they were more versatile, suitable for both offense and immobilizing enemies.
Steam emanated from the gauntlets, and Umbrellaless Brother moved his shoulders.
"Are you sure about our escape route?"
Umbrellaless Brother leaned toward the window, looking at the empty courtyard.
"Why escape?"
Su Xiao was puzzled.
"Shouldn't we? The enemy consists of three third-order contractors, one rank higher than me!"
"So what?"
Su Xiao didn't care about the enemy's order. Without a direct confrontation, he would not flee. Moreover, fleeing at this point wouldn't make much sense.
"Bro, can I call you 'bro'? We're not escaping; it's a strategic retreat."
Su Xiao remained unfazed, determined to find out if he could face the three high-order contractors head-on. Constantly evading wasn't wise, as they would eventually catch up. Umbrellaless Brother's earlier experience was the best proof.
"Roar!"
A furious roar echoed from the villa's courtyard. Su Xiao fixed his gaze and saw none other than Berserker, Matou Kariya.
"Why hasn't he retreated?"
Under normal circumstances, Matou Kariya and Matou Sakura should be hiding in the shadows.
"Roar!"
Matou Kariya roared again, his body shrouded in black smoke. Oddly, there was something unusual about Matou Kariya, as his eyes emitted a pinkish glow.
"Is that a Heroic Spirit?"
Umbrellaless Brother had never seen Matou Kariya in this modified state.
"This is Matou Kariya. You can think of him as the Master version of Berserker."
"How strong is he?"
"Not very, but very resilient."
"That's good."
Umbrellaless Brother breathed a sigh of relief.
"But now he's our enemy, controlled by that woman named Chou. She's the Charm Specialist I mentioned earlier. Although she specializes in charm, her melee combat abilities are exceptionally strong."
Su Xiao nodded. Without Matou Sakura, Matou Kariya being controlled was a troublesome situation.
Completely enveloped in black smoke, Matou Kariya stood in the courtyard. Strangely, the three high-order contractors were nowhere to be seen.
The sound of footsteps came closer, and blank-faced civilians began approaching from all directions. There were about dozens of them, their eyes glowing with pinkish light, and they were all strapped with explosives.
These civilians surrounded the villa, and when Matou Kariya roared in front of them, all those people raised their heads and looked towards the villa.
"This kind of dirty trick... Is Arson not here?"
Umbrellaless Brother seemed to have figured something out, and a smile appeared on his face.
"Byakuya, I've thought of a possibility. If this possibility is true, today might be our chance to turn the tables."
"What possibility?"
After muttering a few words quietly, Su Xiao's eyes lit up.
"Are you sure?"
"Not entirely, but I'm more than sixty percent certain. I know a bit about Arson. That guy wouldn't set up such a formation. If he were here, this villa would have been burned to the ground long ago."
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