Chapter 123 stirs up the situation and the goal becomes clearer!
The dense forest under the night was deathly silent, suddenly torn apart by a shriek!
Several streaking arrows shot through the air, finding gaps imperceptible to the naked eye, aiming directly for the Black Faction's Berserker, Frankenstein's, head!
The whimpering Artificial Mad Beast, holding a heavy metal hammer, ignored this fatal attack, continuing its charge without dodging or evading!
In an instant, a cyan arrow enveloped in starlight arrived first!
The sound of it cutting through the air became even more shrill as the cyan arrow precisely intercepted all the streaking lights mid-air!
Its remaining power undiminished, it even forced the Red Faction's Rider, Achilles, back, creating an excellent combat opportunity for its own Mad Beast!
Seeing this, the Red Faction's Archer, Atalante, hidden in the shadows, tightened her grip on her longbow, her face filled with unwillingness.
"To think that after aiming... he shot down my arrows..."
Hidden in the same night forest, she was confident she could achieve ultra-precise shots, like threading a needle, but the Black Faction's Archer's archery was clearly far superior to hers!
Not only did he intercept her attack, but he even had the spare capacity to provide assistance to his weaker Berserker.
Atalante gritted her teeth, swallowing this humiliation, and looked down at Achilles, who was still immersed in the thrill of battle, shouting sharply.
"Support mission failed, prepare to retreat!"
Achilles' meteor spear danced wildly, sweeping away the cyan arrows. He raised his eyebrows, giving a joyful, ferocious grin at the heavily scarred Frankenstein before him.
"It seems the warm-up is over, Black Faction's Berserker."
He raised his hand and blew a whistle, and a three-horse chariot, carrying the force of a thunderous storm, galloped from the horizon!
Achilles leaped nimbly onto the driver's seat, yanked the reins, and declared loudly.
"Black Faction's Archer! My battle with you is destiny! It is inevitable! Just wait, next time, I will definitely have a decisive battle with you!"
He applied a little force to his hands, and the three magnificent steeds neighed to the sky, breaking through the dense forest amidst rolling wind and thunder, disappearing into the distant horizon.
For a retreat, this posture was too brave and ostentatious, showing no sign of defeat.
And Chiron, who had been provoked, simply steadily lowered his fully drawn bow, a hint of bitterness flashing across his peaceful and honest face.
"I never thought... I would meet you again in this way, Achilles."
"Holy Grail War, must even we dead continue to be toyed with?"
Just as Chiron thought this skirmish would end with his side capturing an enemy Mad Beast, an unexpected change occurred!
Mordred, clad in heavy armor, burst out of the shadows like a cannonball, a crimson lightning sparking from her King's Sword, powerfully striking Frankenstein away with immense force!
Witnessing this, Chiron's face changed drastically, and he immediately moved to draw his bow for support.
"Don't move, or both you and Berserker will die."
A clear, cold male voice seemed to whisper against the back of his neck, and the proximity instantly sent a chill down the spine of this great hero of the Age of Gods. He twisted his head around in disbelief.
Arthur stood casually on a tree branch, his aura perfectly blended with the night and the dense forest, flawless and imperceptible.
"Human?"
Chiron's half-drawn longbow immediately froze; for a moment, he didn't know how to react.
Servant against Servant, Master against Master—this was the unspoken rule of the Holy Grail War.
Now, the opponent's Saber was attacking Frankenstein, but his Master had come to stop him, a Servant...
Arthur keenly sensed Chiron's intention, and with a virtual grip of his hand, a Holy Sword gleaming with a sharp, cold light quietly appeared.
Lightning flashed instantly, and the dark, dense forest was momentarily whitened by the thunderous light!
Arthur's figure dragged several afterimages through the air as he charged forward fiercely!
Caught off guard, Chiron instinctively raised his hands to block, but his arms were instantly severed by the thunderous fangs, a painful groan stifled in his throat!
Arthur held the Holy Sword, still crackling with electric arcs, against the opponent's neck, his eyes cold.
"I told you, don't move."
"Although I don't know your True Name yet, an Archer without arms should be a bit more obedient, shouldn't he?"
Chiron nodded bitterly, his eyes filled with irresistible shock and frustration.
"So, among the Red Faction... there's an existence like you. This sword is..."
Arthur's lips curved upwards: "It seems you're not an ordinary Servant either, but I hope you first understand the situation. Next, I ask, you answer."
"Trying to extract information from me?"
Chiron's eyes flickered, his grass-green leather already soaked with blood, and the intense pain made him frown deeply.
"You've come to the wrong person; I will never betray my Master."
Arthur shook his head dismissively, a hint of undisguised mockery in his gaze as he stared at Chiron.
"Don't speak too soon. The reason you haven't notified your Master to escape with a Command Seal isn't also because you want to extract information from me, is it?"
His inner calculations exposed in an instant, Chiron remained expressionless, explaining calmly.
"Compared to Rider or Saber, your existence is more dangerous. I believe this is a necessary sacrifice."
"You believe?" Arthur smiled knowingly, "Suit yourself. My question is simple: what are the channels providing magical energy to your Black Faction Servants?"
...
Chiron lowered his head in silence; clearly, his Master behind him was hesitating.
Arthur had no patience to wait. He slightly raised his arm, and the Holy Sword's blade pressed against the opponent's neck, a shallow red bloodline slowly oozing out.
At this moment, Chiron received a telepathic message from a Command Seal. He managed to force a bitter smile, mixed with pain, and spoke in a deep voice.
"All seven of us, except for the Assassin who has not yet returned, are supplied with magical energy by the large workshops built by the Yggdmillennia, with the Master retaining only the most basic right to command."
"Large workshops?"
Arthur's eyes darkened slightly, and he then recalled the artificial humans he had observed with long-distance magecraft not long ago.
"I see. To contend with the deeply entrenched Mage's Association, the Yggdmillennia's preparations are indeed thorough enough."
He looked at Chiron, who still showed no intention of leaving, a cold arc forming on his lips.
"Your Master is truly heartless, knowing the cost is a Servant's life, yet still wanting to exchange for more information?"
Before he finished speaking, Chiron's entire body glowed with dazzling magical energy, and the spatial transfer, activated by a Command Seal, was completed instantly.
Arthur casually dispelled the Holy Sword and turned to look at the distant forest, where the dust had long settled, transmitting a message in his mind.
'How's the battle?'
[...The opponent escaped with a Command Seal. I couldn't confirm if it was an unknown entity. I'm sorry, Master, I failed.]
Hearing the self-reproach in Mordred's tone, Arthur calmly jumped down from the tree branch.
'Don't worry about it. Unless the Master is a complete amateur, killing a Servant isn't that simple.'
'Hurry and meet up. Let's get out of here first.'
[Understood.]
...
At the same time, Chiron, recalled to the King's Chamber by a Command Seal, could no longer hold on and collapsed to the ground, his face contorted in pain.
"Be careful... that Holy Sword... it's the real deal."
Leaving this warning, the Forest Sage completely fell into a coma, his form dissipating into spirit particles.
Fiore, in her wheelchair, frowned deeply and respectfully bowed to Darnic and Vlad III, who were nearby.
"Your Majesty, Uncle, please allow me to take Archer for treatment first."
Vlad III nodded calmly, while Darnic waved his hand, signaling her to do as she pleased.
After the young girl left, Darnic spoke with a troubled expression.
"My sincerest apologies, Your Majesty. I let my guard down; I didn't expect the Red Faction to return."
"No need to worry, this was my miscalculation."
Vlad III paced back to his throne, a heavy, unshakeable solemnity in his brows.
"The Mage's Association is indeed not to be underestimated; both their Masters and Servants are top-tier existences. But—"
Vlad III's eyes narrowed slightly, a viscous, inky blackness hidden in his unfathomable pupils, his voice revealing a bone-chilling coldness.
"This is my country, my territory, and I will never allow invaders to act so wantonly here!"