Chapter 125: Use yourself as bait! Moonlight locks the enemy!
At sunset, an old ford on the verge of scrap was slowly driving along a country road on the outskirts of Trifas.
"The Holy Grail is not important; the key is to find the unknown entity first."
Inside the car, Arthur, with his hands on the steering wheel, said to a bewildered Mordred in the passenger seat.
"The Black Faction Servants are clearly not themselves. Before we understand the cause of the anomaly, rashly seizing the Holy Grail will only bring disaster upon ourselves."
Mordred rested her hands behind her head, her eyes filled with thought.
"The cause of the anomaly… Is it related to the Black Faction's Assassin?"
Arthur raised an eyebrow: "No, I rather hope the anomaly is not related to it. Otherwise, it would mean my deduction is wrong."
"According to intelligence, apart from the Assassin summoned far away in Japan, the Magic Power of the other Black Faction Servants is supplied by the Yggdmillennia workshop."
Mordred suddenly understood: "In other words, as long as we confirm whether the Black Faction's Assassin is corrupted, we can reverse-engineer the source of the unknown entity!"
Arthur's lips curled into a slight smile. This was precisely why he hadn't rushed to Millennia Castle overnight to prepare for battle, but instead chose to first confirm the situation of the Black Faction's Assassin.
Analyzing the serial killer's routes and combining them with intelligence from the Clock Tower, the target was confirmed to be lurking around Trifas.
Although the opponent also targeted ordinary people, for an Assassin, a Magus's heart was undoubtedly a more tempting midnight snack.
With this thought, Arthur looked up at the sun, which was hidden beneath the horizon.
Night was falling.
"It's time, Mordred. The target is highly likely to be Assassin. Put on your armor and prepare to hunt."
"Understood!"
Mordred's eyes were full of eager excitement. Red lightning arcs burst forth, and silver-white heavy armor instantly covered her entire body. Then, she spiritualized, disappearing without a trace.
Arthur continued to drive the dilapidated car, leisurely cruising around Trifas city, like a lone lamb wandering at night.
…
The dark streets were sparsely populated. The serial murder case published in the newspapers had clearly spread, and everyone was on edge.
Even the occasional patrolling guards, under the expulsion spell Arthur had set up in advance, ignored the slowly moving old ford.
He had expected it to take all night, but unexpectedly, the prey seemed to be even less patient than the hunter.
Buzz, buzz buzz!
The dim streetlights flickered twice rapidly, then suddenly went out.
Immediately after, on the silent street, a thick white mist rose without warning.
The dense fog seemed to have a life of its own, seeping through the car window cracks, its cold, damp touch licking his skin.
"Master, there's Magic Power in this mist! It's poison!"
Mordred's warning echoed in his mind, but Arthur's expression remained unchanged, and he even took a deep breath.
Aside from feeling slightly cold, there was nothing unusual.
'Don't worry, this trick is useless against me. Stay alert and vigilant; the assassin hidden in the dark is the most troublesome.'
"You even prepared an anti-poison spell in advance? You're something else, Master!"
Arthur no longer responded. He immediately stopped the car, put on a perfectly timed expression of distress, and pushed open the car door.
"Strange, why did it suddenly stall? And the fog is so thick…"
"Cough! Cough cough!"
Before he finished speaking, Arthur covered his mouth and nose, his body went limp, and he collapsed weakly to the ground, his pupils unfocused, as if he was about to lose consciousness completely the next second.
The dense fog swirled, and a small figure skipped over with playful steps.
Gray hair, rainbow eyes, an innocent and pure smiling face, but she wore leather clothing like a straitjacket, with several daggers hanging from her waist.
"Good evening, Mr. Magus."
Arthur struggled to look up, pointing at the girl, who was only eleven or twelve years old, and stammered.
"You… are that…"
Jack tilted her head with innocent charm, her voice sweet.
"Are you talking about the Magus sirs from before? Yes, Jack did all of that, because—"
The tone suddenly shifted, revealing murderous intent!
"Everyone is the same, right!"
Jack casually swept her hand across her waist, and two daggers pierced through the mist, stabbing straight towards Arthur's chest!
Hiss!
At this moment, it wasn't the sound of a blade entering flesh, but the roar of thunder!
Red lightning exploded, and the atmosphere trembled!
Mordred tore off her disguise, raised her Royal Sword, and slashed down with absolute force, severing Jack's dagger-wielding arms!
Before the shattered bones could hit the ground, she backhanded Jack by the neck, pressing her firmly to the ground, and roared, turning her head.
"Master! Do it!"
Arthur casually dropped the slender dagger clamped between his fingers, and with Magic Power surging in his palm, he slammed it directly onto the ground!
Simulated Celestial Body: Moonlight!
An extremely precise Magic Circle instantly unfolded beneath Jack, and above the sky, moonlight was drawn in, converging into a giant mercury-colored ball of light that suddenly crashed down!
Mordred tapped her toe, pulled back, and watched as Jack was completely enveloped by the moonlight droplet, falling into absolute stillness!
"Is that… it?"
Mordred casually rested her Royal Sword on her shoulder, doubting the strength of this Black Faction Assassin.
Not only did she fail to evade her surprise attack, but she couldn't even break free from a single sealing spell?
Arthur slowly got up, shook off the residual Magic Power from his palm, and bluffed with an unchanged expression.
"It's probably due to insufficient Magic Power supply; I didn't feel any decent resistance."
Mordred's delicate brows, hidden beneath her helmet, furrowed slightly, and a subtle, unexplainable sense of unease flashed through her mind.
She shook her head, composed herself, and aimed her Royal Sword at Jack's head.
"Master, should we eliminate her now and confirm the unknown entity's situation?"
"Hmm, do it…"
"Stop right there!"
A sharp shriek pierced the silence.
Not far away, a pale-faced Reika Rikudou raised a pistol, its trembling muzzle aimed distantly at Arthur, her eyes filled with hysterical madness.
"Let Jack go! Or I'll shoot!"
"Huh?"
Mordred's brow furrowed, glaring at the woman who had suddenly appeared to disrupt things.
Arthur, however, was calm. He even sensed a faint Magic Power link between her and Assassin.
"So that's it, you are Assassin's Master."
Reika Rikudou sneered, "Probably, I don't understand anything about Servants or the Holy Grail, but that child calls me 'Mom'! Let her go quickly!"
Mordred gripped her Royal Sword, her expression slightly complex, and she transmitted a message telepathically.
"What should we do, Master? Should we eliminate the enemy Master as well?"
Arthur's gaze swept over Reika Rikudou, who had almost no Magic Power fluctuations, and a faint blue light appeared in his eyes.
"[Sleep]."
The suggestion spell quietly activated. How could an amateur with no Magic Power resistance withstand it? Reika Rikudou's eyelids drooped, and she softly fell to the ground.
Just as Mordred was about to speak, under the moonlight, three azure arrows, imbued with starlight, shot forth with the force to tear through the night sky!
Boom!
The Moonlight cage shattered in response, and a terrifying shockwave swept through the street, sending the recently settled dense fog high into the sky again!
At the top of the plaza church, Chiron skillfully nocked another arrow. He used his Clairvoyance to see through the mist and reported with a solemn tone.
"Master, the ambush failed. I request to unleash my Noble Phantasm!"
Fiore, upon hearing this, tightened her clasped hands on her knees, her face hesitant.
"This is the city. If we unleash a Noble Phantasm…"
"No time to hesitate, Master. Hmm? Saber's Master… he's gone after Assassin?"
Before he finished speaking, on the street below, a furious red lightning roared, dispersing layers of dense fog!
Mordred dragged her Royal Sword, its tip scraping against the ground, creating a dazzling trail of sparks. She suddenly looked up and let out a thunderous roar towards the church.
"I've got you, Black Faction's Archer!"