The Faerie Realm (Pseudo) was constructed remarkably quickly. With the aid of modern equipment, Medea's spell enhancements, and the assistance of Quetzalcoatl's Flying Dragon, a small town was established in less than two weeks.
Despite its name, the Faerie Realm (Pseudo) bore little resemblance to its namesake. Aside from the Camelot-inspired exterior walls, the interior resembled a 20th-century town, complete with hard, flat concrete streets and a dazzling array of shops. It was hard to believe this was Mesopotamia in 2500 BCE. The equipment and supplies within were all procured from the timeline of the Fifth Holy Grail War, for which we once again owed a debt of gratitude to Atrum for his selfless financial contributions.
With the distribution of ample food and provisions for a better life, the residents quickly embraced their new identities as members of the Faerie Realm (Pseudo).
At the heart of the town stood a large arena. It's remarkable how quickly the common folk of the Age of Gods adapted to new things. The arena buzzed with excitement as the audience watched the wrestling matches with rapt attention.
Fairy Tristan nimbly dodged the burly man's lunge, sidestepping behind him to lock her slender arms around his waist. Her seemingly frail frame suddenly surged with power, executing a textbook German suplex that slammed the man into the arena floor with bone-jarring force. Amidst the deafening impact, a crisp cracking sound rang out—the man's spine had likely snapped.
"This child is improving rapidly," Quetzalcoatl observed approvingly, watching Fairy Tristan in her training gear. Her technique had significantly sharpened since their last encounter.
"I suspect she's learning so quickly because she enjoys the thrill of dominating others," Jiang You remarked.
After breaking her opponent's spine, Fairy Tristan wasn't finished. She hoisted the hapless man onto her shoulder, leaping high into the air. There, she locked him into a mid-air hold and executed a spinning Tombstone Piledriver, slamming his head into the arena floor. Instantly, a vibrant, crimson rose bloomed across the arena floor, formed by the man's blood. The gruesome sight made Jiang You's temples throb. With her heroic spirit panel stats, bullying an ordinary human is child's play, right?
"Let's congratulate this warrior for surviving 1 minute and 14 seconds against our queen, the Fairy Knight Tristan—a full 17 seconds longer than his previous challenge!"
Host Hundred Faces returned for a limited time, and she was now attempting to expand her work scope. In her words, it seemed she could increase the scale of her Spirit Origin. "So the corresponding supplies can be claimed after his revival. Now, let's welcome the next competitor to the stage."
Immediately, staff members rushed forward to carry away the corpse and clean the arena. At least several hundred bodies were generated here daily, but since they would all revive shortly, everyone had grown accustomed to it. Still, Jiang You couldn't fathom how someone could revive flawlessly even with their brains splattered across the ground.
Because Quetzalcoatl had directly placed her Sun Calendar Stone here, the Authority of resurrection remained constantly active in this arena. Thus, the outcome of battles in this arena had only one determinant: death. Only when one side completely lost all vital signs would the wrestling match end.
Initially, Quetzalcoatl had worried about whether her magical power would be sufficient to sustain such frequent use of the Authority. The rule she had set for herself—hunting only a hundred men per day—was not only meant for Gorgon's ears but also to ensure she had ample time to replenish her magical power. Even resurrecting a hundred souls daily required an astronomical amount of magical power.
Jiang You seized an opportunity to give Quetzalcoatl the Soul Crystal, relieving her concerns about insufficient magical power. In return, Quetzalcoatl pulled Jiang You aside to a secluded corner.
However, instead of offering a reward, she subjected him to a thorough interrogation, suspecting he had obtained the crystal through some sinister ritual. In truth, no ritual could be more malevolent than the Shadow Game itself. Only after Jiang You swore he had only collected the souls of evildoers (due to its limited capacity) did she revert to her usual gentle demeanor.
As a side note, Fairy Tristan's kill unexpectedly counted toward the mission objective, allowing Jiang You to let her run wild without restraint.
"She's nothing like you," Quetzalcoatl said, smiling as she clapped Jiang You on the shoulder with bone-crushing force. Her smile carried a hint of frustrated exasperation. "While you compensate for your lack of skill with sheer physical prowess, she now controls her output to a level only slightly above that of an ordinary person. After this intensive training, Baobhan Sith can defeat her former self in just twenty rounds using only martial prowess. Meanwhile, your skills... any random person here is more skilled than you."
"Spare me," Jiang You groaned, wincing in pain. If his pain receptors were fully active, he'd be in even worse shape. "After all, my true strength lies in my Noble Phantasms, relying on the Bond, you know?"
"That's precisely what makes you so unendearing," Quetzalcoatl said, shaking her head. After their lengthy conversation, where Jiang You had explained the specifics of his Noble Phantasms, she was now helping him address his weaknesses.
"In an informal Holy Grail War, you need to manually activate your Noble Phantasms against your targets. We still don't know if any servants can bypass them entirely. Hmm, even I, your dear Sister, can't evade them, so we can be optimistic."
"But—"
Quetzalcoatl gripped Jiang You's arms, suddenly rose, and began spinning around with him as the center. "—if someone attacks you before you can react, could you withstand it? In your current state, even a second-rate servant would suffice. So, let's have a proper wrestling match!"
"Hey~ hey~! Everyone, make way! Let's have our national strategist and the queen engage in a wrestling match!"
Calculating the perfect angle, Quetzalcoatl released her grip, sending Jiang You spinning onto the wrestling stage.
"Hmph, finally got you where I want you."
Fairy Tristan twisted her wrist, a dark expression on her face, as she approached Jiang You. During her training with Quetzalcoatl, Jiang You had often used the excuse that the city's construction required his assistance. "You've been through quite a beating from that muscle-bound sun goddess lately. It's your turn to enjoy yourself!"
"I have a feeling you're talking about Fairy Knight Gawain," Jiang You said, raising his hands in surrender as Fairy Tristan closed in.
"I'm no match for you. Can I just concede?"
"There's no such thing as conceding here!" Fairy Tristan roared, lunging at Jiang You. He tried to evade her with his speed, but she abandoned all restraint and tackled him, locking him in a crucifix choke on the ground. Her white legs clamped around his torso, her A-Rank strength nearly tearing his arms off.
"Servants can't be resurrected! Take it easy!" Jiang You yelled, the pain making him want to activate his Noble Phantasm.
Uruk Divine Tower, the King's Residence
"You say many citizens are heading toward Ur... But hasn't contact with that region been lost?" Gilgamesh asked, his face darkening as he examined the clay tablet Siduri presented.