Under the night sky, Red Archer carried Rin Tohsaka, dashing rapidly across the rooftops.
Suddenly, Red Archer halted and gazed ahead. On a distant rooftop, a petite blue figure had appeared at some point.
'As expected, the ahoge queen has appeared!'
Red Archer muttered to himself from afar.
'You plan to have the ahoge queen fight me while you go mess with Medusa, blocking Rin on my side and Saber on yours so she won't interfere with your flirting? I have to say, you really are me after all!'
At this thought, Red Archer's lips curled into a subtle smile.
'Come to think of it, if I manage to win over both Saber and Rin, would that mean I've cuckolded myself?'
For a brief moment, an odd thought surfaced in Red Archer's mind, but it was quickly suppressed by some inexplicable force, vanishing without a trace.
The only thought that remained was a firm resolve: to assist his past self.
'Don't worry, my past self. I'll keep an eye on your girls and make sure they don't cause you any trouble!'
"Rin, prepare for battle!"
Opposite them, Saber glanced at Red Archer and suddenly found his face incredibly annoying—just like her master earlier, who had forcibly replenished her mana without her consent.
In that instant, Saber subconsciously replaced Red Archer's image with that of Su Ye, who had just forcibly replenished her mana.
Immediately, her anger gauge maxed out.
"?"
Seeing Saber's reaction, Red Archer raised an eyebrow.
'Did I offend her? No, not me—him, that bastard! What on earth did he do to her? Could it be... he did something outrageous?'
'No, no, that's unlikely. At least Saber doesn't seem to have any trouble moving.'
Red Archer pondered, his gaze drifting toward Saber's legs, but they were obscured by her skirt, making it impossible to confirm anything.
"Haah!"
Saber charged forward, her invisible Excalibur slicing directly toward Red Archer's neck.
Red Archer had no time to dwell on these thoughts. He quickly used Projection Magic to conjure two short swords, Kanshou and Bakuya, and rushed to meet her attack.
Once again, he had to endure Saber's fury, help her vent her anger, and ensure Rin wouldn't notice that he was merely acting.
At that moment, Red Archer couldn't help but feel that his life was incredibly difficult!
Meanwhile, Medusa was also dashing across rooftops, her long purple hair fluttering in the moonlight, carrying a faint fragrance in its wake.
Suddenly, Medusa's brows furrowed. She stopped her sprint abruptly, then shifted her footing and unnaturally retreated backward.
Thud! Thud! Thud!
The moment Medusa pulled back, three black bat-shaped projectiles flew out from the shadows, embedding themselves where she had just been standing.
"Who's there? A servant? Assassin?"
Medusa retreated to a more concealed position, dropping to one knee. In her hands, she gripped two short, spiked daggers connected by chains, her eyes scanning her surroundings warily.
But the surroundings were silent, as if the person who had attacked her with the bat-shaped projectiles didn't exist at all.
This behavior reminded Medusa of the Assassin class—those terrifying entities capable of approaching their targets undetected in the darkness.
In fact, this was Medusa's preferred combat style. Her weapons and appearance aligned perfectly with the Assassin class.
But for some reason, she was summoned as a Rider, despite not having a mount. This had always puzzled and troubled Medusa.
As Medusa cautiously scanned her surroundings, a deep voice suddenly and unexpectedly spoke from behind her.
"Are you looking for me?"
Zing!
In that instant, Medusa felt a jolt of electricity course through her body, making every hair stand on end. A gasp caught in her throat, almost escaping her lips.
'He got this close without me noticing? Is this guy really that powerful?'
As alarm bells rang in Medusa's mind, she swung her daggers backward with great force, aiming to strike the source of the voice.
Without waiting to see if she hit her target, she turned into a blur, darting forward to put distance between herself and the enemy.
Unfortunately, after just one step, Medusa's foot caught on something, causing her to stumble.
In her panic, she glanced down and saw that she had tripped over a chain—her own weapon, Harpe.
'Tripping over my own weapon in battle? How could I make such a rookie mistake!'
Medusa raged internally, baffled. This kind of blunder should never happen to someone of her caliber as a servant.
Yet, it had.
Meanwhile, the Harpe dagger she had thrust backward was now firmly held by a tall, shadowy figure clad in black.
Seeing Su Ye in his Batman-like attire, Medusa felt a sudden, inexplicable surge of irritation.
Though his helmet obscured his face, Medusa was certain he was mocking her.
After regaining her footing, albeit awkwardly, Medusa, now both embarrassed and enraged, activated her innate skill, Monstrous Strength.
This skill, meant to complement her weapon Harpe, allowed her to unleash immense strength, pulling her opponent toward her or even flinging them away upon contact.
Medusa believed that once she activated Monstrous Strength, she could briefly contend even with a towering Berserker.
However, despite activating her skill and pulling with all her might, the chain held by the Batman-clad figure remained completely still.
Could an Assassin really possess such strength? Even with the boost from her Monstrous Strength, she couldn't budge him?
What's worse, Medusa felt the mocking air from her opponent grow even stronger.
Medusa was furious. Being overpowered by an Assassin and mocked on top of it was a grievous insult, akin to being pinned to the ground and humiliated further.
If she could tolerate this, she wouldn't be Medusa.
Though this began as a reconnaissance skirmish, it had now escalated into an all-out confrontation.
Without hesitation, Medusa tore off her blindfold.
Her blindfold wasn't just for show; it was a seal meant to contain her most powerful skill, Mystic Eyes of Petrification.
As Medusa, petrification was her true signature ability.
The Mystic Eyes of Petrification was an A+-rank skill that could instantly turn servants with magic levels below C into stone. Those at B-rank required a check, while A-rank would only have their attributes weakened.
Medusa didn't believe that this Assassin, despite his stealth and strength, would also possess high magic resistance.
Typically, Assassins had E-rank magic resistance, making it nearly impossible for them to resist her Mystic Eyes.
Unfortunately, Medusa was mistaken—Su Ye wasn't an Assassin.
According to the original settings, Red Archer's magic resistance was B-rank, high enough to require a check against her Mystic Eyes.
However, with Su Ye's enhancements from martial artist instincts and psychic abilities akin to Professor X, his magic resistance had surpassed A-rank, rendering Medusa's skill largely ineffective.
Still, being the considerate person he was—and determined to be Medusa's rider—Su Ye decided to play along with her performance.
So, when she activated her Mystic Eyes, even though he felt minimal impact, Su Ye immediately froze in place.
Even his cape, which had been fluttering in the wind, stopped moving under his magnetic control. Aside from not turning to stone, he appeared completely petrified.
Medusa finally smiled. Without her blindfold, her alluring eyes sparkled as if filled with countless tales, inviting you to drink, talk, and share an intimate night.
Then, their owner swayed gracefully, her mesmerizing figure moving with each step, as she slowly approached Su Ye.
"Come, let me see who you really are, you sneaky Assassin!"
In servant battles, unless a servant had a highly distinctive trait—like Lancer, whose iconic Gáe Bolg spear easily identified him as the "Child of Light," Cú Chulainn—their true identity often remained a mystery.
For most heroic spirits, unless they revealed their identity themselves, their opponents often couldn't even determine their class, let alone their true name.
This was a form of protection for servants.
Since servants hailed from legends or history, revealing their identity too early would allow opponents to develop specific countermeasures against them.
Thus, uncovering a servant's identity was akin to opening a treasure chest in the Holy Grail War—an essential and thrilling element of the conflict.
Reconnaissance before a servant's official battle was often geared toward this goal. Servants enjoyed uncovering their opponent's secrets to showcase not only their combat skills but also their wit and intellect.
Like Medusa now, after immobilizing Su Ye with her Mystic Eyes, she retrieved her Harpe weapon with a forceful tug.
Instead of rushing to strike him down, she approached, rising on tiptoe to reach for the bat-like helmet on his head.
At 172cm tall, Medusa wasn't short, but removing Su Ye's helmet was still no easy task.
The helmet was already snug, and with Su Ye reinforcing it using his magnetic field control, removing it became nearly impossible.
Medusa had to use all her strength, even leaning her entire body against Su Ye, employing every ounce of effort to try and pry the helmet off.
Despite her best efforts, she failed to succeed.
The helmet seemed as if it had fused with Su Ye's head. No matter how hard she tried, she couldn't remove it.
Medusa was furious once again.
While Su Ye was conscious, she couldn't even pull the chain from his grip, which had already infuriated her.
Now, even with him supposedly petrified, she still couldn't remove a mere helmet.
Anyone with a temper would find such a situation unbearable.
Medusa leapt up and coiled herself around Su Ye, raising her position. With her core tightened, she poured all her strength into her effort.
"Come off!"
The helmet remained firmly in place, but Su Ye ended up with a face full of Medusa's... assets, making it difficult for him to breathe, let alone speak.
After struggling for a while, Medusa still couldn't remove the helmet. Determined, she prepared to reposition herself on Su Ye's shoulders, fully intent on winning this battle against the stubborn headgear.
But just as she was about to climb higher, her legs were suddenly restrained.
Emerging from his slightly dazed state, Su Ye sighed in mild exasperation.
"Is removing my helmet really that important to you?"
Medusa froze, feeling as though she were the one affected by the Mystic Eyes of Petrification rather than Su Ye.
"How? Why can you still move?"
Su Ye shrugged. "Isn't it obvious? Your move didn't work."
"Then why didn't you move earlier?" Medusa's voice wavered with frustration.
Su Ye spread his hands. "You were trying so hard, I figured I'd play along. If you knew your skill didn't work, wouldn't that have upset you?"
"Then why aren't you cooperating now?" Medusa's voice trembled.
Su Ye sighed. "It's not that I don't want to keep cooperating. If it were just what you were doing now, I could tolerate the discomfort. But trying to ride me—that's crossing the line."
She had gotten the order all wrong.
Su Ye intended to be the rider of Rider Medusa, not her mount.
At that moment, Medusa instantly understood Su Ye's meaning.
"So, what you're saying is that I can't ride you, but you want to ride me. Is that it?"
As she spoke, the frustration on Medusa's face vanished, replaced by a mix of allure, coyness, and a touch of shyness. With her delicate, tear-streaked expression, she looked so enchanting that anyone would feel compelled to hold and comfort her.
However, Su Ye merely wore a helpless expression.
"I do admire you, but if you think I won't kill you, you're gravely mistaken!"
Su Ye released Medusa's legs, then deftly caught the two Harpe daggers she had been stealthily aiming at his neck. Beneath his mask, his eyes glinted coldly.
Seizing the moment, Medusa broke free, performing a backflip and landing on the peak of a taller rooftop nearby, watching Su Ye from a distance.
"Not killing me right away was your biggest mistake! You'll regret this decision, I guarantee it!"
Though her Harpe daggers remained in Su Ye's hands, Medusa could no longer afford to care. Unable to defeat him, she had no choice but to retreat for now.
With that, Medusa leapt into the air. In an instant, a pure white, winged Pegasus appeared beneath her, lifting her aloft.
Medusa wasn't without a mount. As a Rider, even if she didn't originally have one, a suitable steed would be forcefully assigned to her.
Medusa's mount was none other than the legendary Pegasus, a Phantasmal Beast from Greek mythology.
In mythology, after the gorgon Medusa was slain, two children, fathered by Poseidon, emerged from the blood that spurted from her neck.
One of them was Pegasus, the famed winged horse later associated with the constellation.
Thus, in mythology, Pegasus was actually the child of Medusa and the sea god Poseidon.
All that could be said was that Greek mythology was truly wild—and Poseidon's tastes rather peculiar, given he went for a woman with snakes for hair.
In any case, due to this connection, Medusa, as a Rider-class servant in the Holy Grail War, had Pegasus as her mount.
The Noble Phantasm used to summon Pegasus was Bellerophon: Bridle of Chivalry. It was both offensive and defensive but classified as an anti-army Noble Phantasm, making it less effective for one-on-one combat.
Let alone the fact that Su Ye, standing opposite her, was an absurdly powerful servant.
Indeed, even after their close encounter, Medusa still believed that the Batman-clad Su Ye was a servant summoned by some magus.
She hadn't considered the possibility that he was actually a master participating in the Holy Grail War.
Moreover, she underestimated Su Ye's determination to become her rider.
As Medusa prepared to retreat on her Pegasus, Su Ye's black cape suddenly unfurled, transforming into a pair of bat-like wings.
With a light flap of his wings, Su Ye took to the air, soaring straight toward Medusa.
And he wasn't slow, either.
Medusa's previously calm expression shifted once more, her composure shattered as a thousand Pegasi seemed to stampede through her mind.
What in the world was this guy? An Assassin? A Berserker? What even was he?
Among servant classes, aside from Riders using special mounts, were there any other classes capable of flight?
Or was that cape of his a Noble Phantasm, one that granted him the ability to fly?
'No, that's not just a cape—it's a cloak! Which means he's not an Assassin or a Berserker... he's a Caster!'
At that realization, Medusa felt like she'd finally uncovered the truth.
Since Su Ye was a Caster, his magic resistance must have been exceptionally high—high enough to negate the effects of her Mystic Eyes of Petrification.
'So, he's a Caster with an Assassin's stealth, a Berserker's strength, and the ability to fly using his cloak? Seriously?!'
Having pieced this together, Medusa felt even more troubled.
If that were true, this guy was terrifyingly powerful. No servant, regardless of class, could hope to defeat him in a one-on-one battle.
'I have to get this information back and spread it to the others!'
Medusa realized that defeating someone as formidable as Su Ye would require forming alliances with other servants.
However, transmitting that information wasn't her priority right now. Her main objective was to escape.
Getting away from the airborne Su Ye unscathed was her top concern.
Unfortunately, that seemed nearly impossible. Although Su Ye's bat wings flapped at a leisurely pace, his speed was astonishing.
The distance between them was rapidly closing.
Medusa finally admitted to herself that she had made a mistake—a huge mistake.
From the very beginning, she should never have come out to scout, especially not in this direction. If she hadn't, she wouldn't have encountered Su Ye, and wouldn't now be fleeing like a beaten dog, unable to shake him off.
"This is all because of that disgusting old man and his useless, seaweed-haired grandson!"
Finally, in the midst of her desperate escape, Medusa realized that the true culprits behind her current predicament were none other than the monstrous Zouken Matou and his pawn, Shinji.
"If that's the case, then you two can deal with this disaster yourselves. If you can't handle it, well, too bad."
Gritting her teeth, Medusa directed Pegasus toward the Matou residence.
Trailing behind her, a faint smile finally played across Su Ye's face.
To tame a wild horse, one must first defeat its original master.
Though Medusa didn't truly recognize the decrepit Zouken and the pathetic Shinji as her masters, they were technically her designated ones.
Therefore, if Su Ye wanted to officially become the rider of this Rider, taking down the two Matous was his first priority.
After all, they were unworthy, incapable, and yet still clung greedily to Medusa.
In the depths of the Matou residence, a dark room housed a short, ghastly old bald man. With a face as grotesque as it was terrifying, he knelt calmly on a tatami mat, his hands gripping a cane.
Beside him, the seaweed-haired Shinji Matou muttered irritably under his breath.
"Grandpa, Sakura's been staying at that bastard's place for two nights already! Aren't you going to do anything? Don't forget, you promised me!"
Shinji and Sakura Matou were step-siblings, unrelated by blood. With Sakura's cute looks and soft, submissive personality, she fit perfectly into the archetype of the "innocent little sister" trope.
Shinji had long imagined himself as the protagonist of this Holy Grail War. To him, it was clear—Sakura, his "little sister," was meant for him.
Sooner or later, he intended to fulfill his "big brotherly duties," and the sooner, the better.
And then there was Medusa. From the moment Shinji first saw her, he'd developed entirely predictable but depraved thoughts.
The kind of thoughts any man might have.
If a man could look at Medusa, "Auntie Snake," and feel nothing, he was either gay or as sexually defunct as Zouken Matou.
In Shinji's mind, there was no need to choose. Both Sakura and Medusa were his.
And then there was his beautiful classmate, Rin Tohsaka.
It was Shinji, after all, who famously said of Rin, "These legs, I could enjoy them for a whole year. Not bad at all!"
"Why isn't Medusa back yet? Who knows how her reconnaissance went!"
Thinking about Medusa made Shinji feel a bit antsy.
Shinji had stolen his master status from Sakura, along with the Command Seals.
With the Command Seals granting absolute authority over his servant, Shinji could compel Medusa to obey any command—be it vile or debauched, even involving others.
Unfortunately, each master only had three Command Seals, and once used, they were gone for good. Otherwise, Shinji would have used them to push Medusa to the brink of despair.
Let's not forget—Shinji was a little pervert, personally molded by the depraved Zouken Matou himself.
"Patience. The Holy Grail War has just begun, and not all the servants may have been summoned yet. This war will last for over ten days. If you lack the patience, I wouldn't mind finding a new master for Medusa."
"No, Grandpa!"
Shinji immediately fell to his knees, fear written all over his face, bowing down completely.
No one understood the terror of Zouken Matou better than Shinji. He wouldn't dare defy the old monster.
Zouken snorted, turning back to the flickering candle before him. His seemingly dim old eyes stared at the flame, unblinking.
Meanwhile, Shinji was so terrified that he was on the verge of wetting himself.
Just then, a strange noise echoed from the sky. Zouken lifted his head, as if he could see through the ceiling and roof.
"Medusa is back."
Excited, Shinji was about to get up to greet her when Zouken's ominous tone stopped him. "Medusa's condition isn't good. She's being pursued?"
Before Shinji could react, a loud crash resounded above them. The roof shattered, and a massive white Pegasus crashed through, landing in the room.
Zouken, sitting in a corner, was spared from the chaos. Shinji, kneeling before him, wasn't so lucky. He was thrown to the ground, a sharp wooden beam piercing through his thigh and pinning him in place.
"Ahhh!" Shinji's scream echoed throughout the house.
Zouken paid no attention to Shinji's cries, instead turning his gaze to the fallen Pegasus.
Since Medusa was a Rider, even though she hadn't summoned her mount earlier, Zouken easily deduced that this Pegasus was connected to her.
Sure enough, the Pegasus rolled over, revealing Medusa pinned beneath it.
"Rider, what happened?"
Zouken spoke to Medusa in his capacity as her master, but before she could answer, Shinji cried out from the side.
"Help me, Medusa! Save me!"
Zouken, irritated by Shinji's whining, couldn't kill the fool outright. After all, Shinji was Medusa's master. If he died, Medusa would become a rogue servant and no longer follow Zouken's orders.
Medusa tried to stand, but one of her legs was pinned under Pegasus, and she couldn't free it.
However, Medusa had the strange feeling that it wasn't Pegasus holding her down—but rather, her own boot.
No, it was her boot that had been immobilized.
"Is this some kind of magecraft? What is he trying to do?!'
Confused, Medusa looked up toward the shattered ceiling, but the sky was empty.
It was as if nothing had happened, except for the gaping hole in the roof and Shinji's incessant wailing.
Yet, the more silent the situation appeared, the darker Zouken Matou's expression grew.
The unknown dangers were always the most terrifying.
"Rider, what happened? Who's pursuing you? Do you not know their identity or class?"
Zouken asked in a low voice. Medusa glanced at the Command Seals on Shinji's hand before replying softly.
"I don't know their identity, but their class should be Caster. A powerful Caster, with an Assassin's stealth and a Berserker's strength!"
"Impossible!"
Zouken nearly cursed aloud upon hearing this.
A servant combining the abilities of three classes?
In all five iterations of the Holy Grail War, he had never encountered a servant with such an array of abilities.
In the words of a famous movie quote:
"I've lived this long and never seen anyone this audacious!"
And then, as if responding to his thoughts, a deep male voice emerged from behind him.
"Well, today's your lucky day."
Since he had chosen the Batman aesthetic, Su Ye naturally adhered to Batman's habits.
Like never using doors, always appearing where least expected, and moving so stealthily that unless someone never blinked or turned their head, his comings and goings seemed like teleportation.
Just like now—when Su Ye's voice echoed from behind, Zouken only then realized he was there.
For a centuries-old magus like Zouken, this was nearly unthinkable.
Yet, here it was, happening before his eyes.
"Why's it impossible? Just because you haven't seen it doesn't mean it doesn't exist."
As Su Ye spoke, a faint, echoing BGM seemed to play in Zouken's mind.
"Danger, danger, danger, danger…"
The old man frantically turned, only to find no one behind him.
At the same time, Shinji's cries abruptly turned into choking gasps, as if someone were strangling him.
Zouken spun around again to see Shinji lifted into the air like a ragdoll, his neck firmly grasped by a tall, black-clad figure.
"Ugh… ugh…"
The helpless Shinji stretched his hand toward Medusa, the Command Seals on his hand glowing faintly.
He was about to use the Command Seals to force Medusa to save him.
But before the command could be issued, Su Ye tightened his grip. With a sickening crack, the light in Shinji's eyes faded instantly.
On Su Ye's first day in the Holy Grail War, one of the seven masters, Shinji Matou, was dead.
Thud!
Shinji's corpse fell to the ground like a discarded ragdoll. Throughout the ordeal, Su Ye didn't spare him a glance, his eyes fixed on Medusa.
"Rider, your master is dead. What's your plan? Will you return to the Throne, or stay and keep playing this game?"
Before Medusa could respond, the old monster Zouken Matou interjected.
Killing his carefully groomed successor right before his eyes—and now trying to steal his servant?
With Shinji dead, his master status could transfer back to Sakura. As long as Medusa agreed, she could remain Sakura's servant.
The Matou family could still continue in the Holy Grail War, following Zouken's schemes to snatch victory in the end.
To achieve this, all Zouken needed was to eliminate this meddling Caster in front of him.
Zouken's eyes turned vicious as he silently activated his magecraft.
Though he appeared to be a frail old man, Zouken Matou was far from powerless.
This twisted old monster specialized in using insects. Years ago, he'd thrown young Sakura into the worm pit to transform her body with his vile creatures.
And now, to deal with Su Ye, he once again unleashed his army of insects.
However, these weren't the same crest worms he'd used on Sakura. This time, he summoned the dreaded parasitic worms.
These parasitic worms were monstrous creatures that fed on human blood, bone marrow, and reproductive fluids.
If they latched onto a man, they would crush his spine, drain his brain, and leave him a husk.
If they infested a woman, they'd infiltrate her nervous system, turning her into a puppet consumed by carnal desires, ultimately devouring her entirely.
The very nature of these creatures was a testament to how depraved Zouken truly was.
Moreover, the writer who came up with such a character and these horrifying creatures was arguably just as twisted.
To eliminate Su Ye, Zouken unleashed his trump card. Worms emerged silently from the floor, ceiling, and every corner of the room, creeping toward Su Ye.
These worms were tiny, almost impossible to notice without close observation.
If even one of these worms managed to reach Su Ye, it would be enough for Zouken to turn the tables.
However, Su Ye was well aware of Zouken's treachery and had long been informed about his grotesque insects.
Thus, his psychic senses and magnetic field control were always active. The moment the worms emerged, he detected them.
These worms were indeed deadly, stealthy, and hard to counter. Controlling and keeping them could potentially prove useful in certain situations.
But the problem was that these creatures were far too disgusting, and Su Ye had no intention of collecting or preserving them.
Even their name was infuriating.
"Hmph."
With a cold snort, all the parasitic worms that had emerged instantly exploded into a sticky mess. Not a single one remained.
The worms contained blood, and blood contained iron. As long as there was iron, it fell within Su Ye's control.
Not just the visible worms, but the entire worm pit beneath the Matou residence—a place that had been Sakura's nightmare—erupted as well. Every single worm within exploded simultaneously.
The countless worms Zouken had cultivated over centuries were reduced to puddles of sludge in an instant. All that malice, wiped out in a flash.
"You!"
Zouken nearly coughed up blood in rage.
He had spent centuries and untold effort cultivating these worms. They were both his ultimate weapon and his means to eternal life.
And now, everything was gone.
At this moment, he wanted nothing more than to leap up and tear Su Ye apart with his bare teeth.
But Su Ye casually shook his head, completely unfazed.
"Let go of your delusions, reclaim the sins you've inflicted on others, and repent in hell. This Holy Grail War—no, this world—has no place for you anymore!"
As Su Ye finished speaking, he gave Zouken no chance to respond, raising his hand and making a swift motion.
Boom!
Zouken exploded!
One of the heads of the Three Founding Families, a key manipulator behind the Holy Grail War, and one of the most despicable villains—gone, just like that.
Before Zouken exploded, Su Ye swiftly moved to Medusa's side, using his large cloak to shield her from the splattering flesh and blood.
"You!"
Medusa instinctively took a step back, realizing her immobilized boots were now free.
Su Ye paid no mind to Medusa's reaction and instead fixed his gaze on her, speaking in a steady tone.
"As I said earlier, your master is dead. What's your plan? Will you return to the Throne, or stay and keep playing this game? Maybe enjoy the fun along the way?"
Medusa hesitated. She didn't want to return to the Throne and withdraw from the Holy Grail War, but the idea of serving as a servant's servant left her conflicted.
Seeing her hesitation, Su Ye's lips curved into a smile.
"You're reluctant to be a servant's servant, right? Afraid it'll make you seem inferior?"
As he spoke, Su Ye raised a hand and removed the bat helmet—the one Medusa had struggled so hard to pull off—revealing a handsome face and a sincere smile.
Next, he pulled off his gloves, exposing the red Command Seals etched on the back of his hand.
"Well, what if I told you I'm also a Master?"
This time, Medusa was genuinely stunned.
The man before her, possessing the abilities of multiple classes and nearly overpowering her earlier, wasn't just a Caster as she had thought—he was a Magus, a Master?
Who was his servant, then? What class? How strong?
Wait—why would someone this powerful even need a servant to fight for him?
And now he wanted her as his servant? Was he, like those Matou fools, interested in her for... personal reasons?
But then again, Medusa was confident in her allure. It wouldn't be surprising if someone were attracted to her.
However, Su Ye continued speaking.
"Your first Master was Sakura, right? She's staying at my place. She's like a little sister to me, so for her sake, I'd rather not see you fail and exit the war so soon."
Medusa finally understood.
This man wasn't after her personally. His actions were driven by his connection to Sakura.
So she was just a sort of... dowry? A side guardian?
In any case, as long as he wasn't after her body, it was fine.
Finding a way to save face, Medusa regained her composure, rising gracefully and offering Su Ye a courteous smile and a bow.
"Very well, I'll leave myself in your care, Master!"
The process of forging their contract was straightforward. Soon, Su Ye could feel a faint bond forming between them—a connection created by the Master-Servant contract.
In simple terms, as long as Su Ye didn't act as despicably as Shinji, earning Medusa's trust and favor would be relatively easy.
In other words, becoming Medusa's rider without her rebelling against him had just become significantly easier.
"Master, what's our next move? Now that you have two servants, should we launch an attack on the other factions?"
After forming their contract and receiving a surge of mana from Su Ye, Medusa felt reinvigorated, as if energized by adrenaline, eager to head into battle.
But Su Ye turned his gaze toward where Zouken's grotesque form had exploded.
"No rush. Let's clean up this mess first."
Zouken had exploded, but he wasn't dead yet.
That body was merely a construct of his worms. As a centuries-old magus, his combat abilities were weak because most of his mana was spent maintaining that monstrous form.
In truth, his soul was hidden elsewhere. Only by destroying it could Zouken truly be killed.