[Just as Bluebeard and Ryuunosuke Uryuu were together, mutually admiring what they called 'art,' the light screen projection continued to advance.
Elysia was slowly approaching their position.
At this time, Bluebeard and Ryuunosuke were completely unaware of Elysia's presence outside.
In Elysia's eyes, the familiars and magical traps the fake Caster had set up as alarms were practically nonexistent.
Although Elysia was not a magus and had no understanding of magecraft, she relied on her own powerful perception and vision to eliminate almost every obstacle.]
---o---
[Underground, the children's cries had gradually subsided. The dozen or so children that Ryuunosuke had abducted were now all transformed into monsters that were neither human nor ghost.
"COOL—!!! This is just too COOL—!!!"
Witnessing the birth of the tentacled monsters, Ryuunosuke let out a climactic cry, the flush on his face and the trembling of his body all attesting to his excitement.
Being able to summon Master Bluebeard is the best thing ever, was Ryuunosuke's greatest thought at this moment.
Caster, too, was stunned. His eyes, wide as copper bells, stared at Ryuunosuke. Like a great musician finding his one true soulmate, he was moved to tears.
Although they had known each other for less than two days, in his heart, Ryuunosuke's status was likely second only to his Holy Maiden.
"Ryuunosuke... you break my perception of reality time and time again. I never thought your appreciation for art and aesthetics had reached such a level! It's magnificent!!! This is a miracle!!! Being summoned by you must be the work of fate. Ahh—this must be the Saint's revenge... My rage against God must have moved the Saint—it must be—"
Madness. Complete and utter madness. The fake Caster team had gone completely insane. From Master to Servant, not a single one was sane.
Surprisingly, however, they seemed to get along quite well. The bond between Bluebeard and Ryuunosuke could no longer be described as "good"; it was a meeting of kindred spirits, love at first sight. The kind where if one of them had been of the opposite sex, they would have gotten married on the spot.
Indeed, only a madman can truly understand another madman. This was a case of a negative times a negative making a positive.
Just as the two were gazing into each other's eyes, kindred spirits united, a pink arrow shot between them. After piercing through the pillar behind them, it still did not stop, embedding itself deep into the wall.
An enemy invasion—
Caster was the first to react. He pulled Ryuunosuke behind him for protection, then had his monsters quickly assume a defensive posture, simultaneously activating all the defensive measures in his workshop.
As a former Grand Marshal who had led the people of France against invaders, even after falling so far, he could still execute a relatively complete strategic deployment within a limited space.
However, not many in the comment section cared about his tactical arrangements. They were dying of excitement, all of them staring intently at the screen.
She's here, she's here! Elysia is finally here! Justice will finally judge evil.
Although Elysia had arrived too late—those children had already been murdered by these two things that were worse than beasts—it did not stop the viewers from wanting Miss Pink Elf to flay them alive.
---o---
Elysia: "Where are the children?"
Elysia ignored Caster's defensive formation, instead asking the two heretics before her with a cold, expressionless face.
This place was filled with a thick stench of blood. The air itself seemed to have a reddish tinge, making one feel as uncomfortable as if in a slaughterhouse.
Marisbury hadn't lied to her. Elysia's body trembled slightly. While she had been unaware, had so many more people lost their precious lives? And they were all children who had not yet grown up.
Endless fury swirled in Elysia's heart. This was not the first time she had seen such a cruel scene.
With every Great Honkai Eruption, thousands upon thousands of people lost their lives. But compared to a natural disaster like the Honkai, what was more hateful were man-made calamities.
Man-made calamities created by beasts in human clothing, like the two before her now.
"What's this—are you also here to appreciate Master Bluebeard's 'art'?"
In response to Elysia's question, Ryuunosuke jumped out, spreading his hands nonchalantly as he spoke.
"Art?"
Clearly, the 'art' he spoke of was definitely not the art she understood.
Seeing the confused look on Elysia's face, Ryuunosuke, as if high on drugs, said with immense excitement:
"Yeah—look, it's super COOL~~~ Master Bluebeard just recites a few lines, and then their bodies go BOOM—and explode open. You can even see their organs and intestines~~~ Then the tentacles drill out of their stomachs and swallow them bit by bit..."
Ryuunosuke described the scene vividly, his words laced with a sense of pride, as if being able to explain such art to Elysia was something to be incredibly proud of.
However, he failed to notice that as his passionate description continued, Elysia's expression grew darker and darker. She gripped her crystal bow tightly with her left hand. Those who knew her well knew what this meant.
Elysia rarely got angry. In everyone's memory, she was always that radiant girl, as brilliant as a scattering of blossoms, filled with love for all people, her face always adorned with a smile.
But this time, she was truly infuriated by Ryuunosuke's words. At this moment, Elysia had completely snapped. Her pink pupils radiated an unprecedented killing intent and rage, giving her an overwhelmingly oppressive aura.
Perhaps because Ryuunosuke's description had stimulated Bluebeard, even he began to court death, 'provoking' Elysia. He exclaimed excitedly, "That's right! Do you see it? This great art is an offering for the Holy Maiden! An art as beautiful as the Mona Lisa~~ It is also the greatest irony aimed at that loveless God! Just as He once stood by and did nothing to save the Saint when she needed Him most, now, He is also just a cold spectator!"
"Maiden~~~ Join me in rebelling against that loveless God~~~ Under the protection of the Saint, we will surely be able to cast that high and mighty God into the depths of hell!"
During his insane speech, the tentacled monsters were already charging toward Elysia. It was clear that although Bluebeard was verbally inviting Elysia to join them, he had no intention of trying to talk his way out of this with the girl who had appeared from nowhere.]
---o---
There is a saying: "You won't die if you don't court death." Clearly, the fake Caster team did not understand this principle at all. Elysia's expression had reached a point where any sane person could see her fury. And yet, Ryuunosuke and Caster still had to taunt her to her face.
What was this if not courting death?
Faced with the duo's suicidal behavior, the comment section erupted in discussion...
Eriri Spencer Sawamura: "Wow. I have to admit, Ryuunosuke is the stronger one right now. Setting everything else aside, for an ordinary person to dare speak to Elysia like that... I dub him the strongest."
Conan Edogawa: "Elysia must be about to explode with anger. This is probably the first time she's been taunted so directly."
Raiden Mei: "Elysia's expression... is so scary. Can such a beautiful girl really have such an intimidating presence when she's angry?"
Su: "Elysia has never been this furious. The two of them must have touched upon her reverse scale."
Eden: "Indeed. I have never seen Ellie so angry. Even after a Great Honkai, with ruins everywhere, she never showed such an expression."
Aponia: "It's still manageable. Although Elysia is furious, she has not lost her reason. If it were Kalpas, that Caster's fate would be far more miserable right now."
Kalpas: "...Rest assured, I would not be as gentle as Elysia. I would tear their bodies apart piece by piece, then burn their every cell, ensuring they find no peace even in hell—"
Elysia: "Wow—Kalpas is actually saying so much to Aponia so seriously. How unexpected—"
Yukino Yukinoshita: "Unexpected? What's so unexpected about it? Didn't he just say a few more words?"
Elysia: "Ehehe~ It's not that simple~ The boys here are mostly a bit shy, so they're generally hard to communicate with. Try it if you don't believe me."
Yukino Yukinoshita: "..."
Kiana Kaslana: "I'll try, I'll try! Hey, Kalpas, can you hear me?"
Kalpas: "Get lost."
Kiana Kaslana: "Why are you cursing at me!"
Kalpas: "...Please get lost."
Kiana Kaslana: "lol"
Just as Kalpas began to act with grace and civility in the comments at Elysia's instigation, the light screen projection continued.
---o---
[The horde of monsters was now charging collectively at Elysia—
And at this moment, Elysia tightened her grip on the bow in her hand.
Despite looking like soft-bodied creatures, the monsters could leap ten feet into the air with swift and fierce movements. Their tentacles, vile like an octopus's and shaped like the petals of a rafflesia, whipped towards Elysia.
Faced with this situation, Elysia merely glanced at the tentacled horrors. So these are the creatures that devoured those children?
Then, one arrow, nocked and released—
In the next instant, Elysia vanished from her original spot.
The entire battlefield was filled with nothing but a tapestry of intersecting arrows, like a geometric scroll painting itself into existence.
The audience watching the light screen stared with wide eyes and open mouths, dumbfounded by this one-sided slaughter.
That's right, a slaughter. The moment Elysia made her move, the fake Caster had begun chanting his spells. Endless black smoke billowed up from the ground, and countless more monsters emerged from it.
But the speed at which Caster summoned them was far slower than the speed at which Elysia slaughtered them.
Pink crystal flowers bloomed on the ground, then shattered, turning into a massive shower of crystal shards!
A place like the sewer, even if reinforced by Caster's magic, had absolutely no chance of withstanding such power. As expected, under Elysia's fierce assault, the entire sewer completely collapsed.
The 'art' that the fake Caster and Ryuunosuke Uryuu were so proud of was thus buried in the ruins. With the collapse of the workshop, its defensive mechanisms also failed. Without a doubt, Caster had lost this battle.
However, against such a demon, there could be no mercy. He had to be completely and utterly killed right here.
Gazing at Caster and Ryuunosuke buried in the rubble, Elysia drew her bow to a full moon and shot an arrow toward the sky.
The arrow soared into the heavens, transforming into a dreamlike pink dome. Then, from that dome, a dense rain of arrows refracted downwards, carrying out an indiscriminate strike on the entire area.
A massive explosion roared, making one wonder if the crystal bow in Elysia's hand shot arrows or bombs.
Was this the legendary Nuclear Arrow Immortal?
After taking that hit, the Caster team was deader than dead. The huge commotion made people sigh with emotion. Another peaceful (nuclear) day in Fuyuki City~~
After dealing with them, Elysia's heart was heavy. The most annoying Heroic Spirit she had encountered so far was Gilgamesh, but even that detestable man wouldn't attack ordinary people.
But now, such an evil Heroic Spirit had appeared in the Holy Grail War. Besides him, would other ordinary people fall victim to this conflict?
Unfortunately, Elysia did not have the Clairvoyance to see the present and future. Otherwise, with her personality, she would absolutely not be able to stand by and do nothing.]
---o---
[In the comment section.
After witnessing Elysia's power, countless people cheered.
First, the vile fake Caster team was finally out of the picture. No matter what, that pair was a nightmare for ordinary people. With them gone, the safety of the public could at least be guaranteed for now.
Second, after witnessing Elysia's strength, everyone could practically ignore the punitive expedition order that Tokiomi Tohsaka and Risei Kotomine had set against her.
What a joke. Elysia had single-handedly crushed Caster. If she hadn't been concerned about the surrounding environment, she probably could have killed him in a single blow.
Against such a Miss Pink Elf, what would you use to fight her? Your head?
At least, based on the level of the Servants revealed on the first night of the Holy Grail War, no one in this war should be a match for the Miss Pink Elf before them.
What was worth looking forward to next was no longer a Servant battle royale.
Compared to a Servant battle royale, everyone was more eager to see Elysia versus Gilgamesh, or even Elysia versus the Three Kings. That would surely be spectacular.
Of course, there was also King Solomon. Although they didn't know what "Grand" meant, judging from Gilgamesh's attitude, his strength was definitely not to be underestimated. It was unknown who was stronger between him and Elysia.
With the fake Caster gone, the comment section began to actively discuss the future direction of the plot. After all, only a fake Caster had been eliminated. Not a single participant had officially withdrawn from this Holy Grail War yet.]