What's the point of even fighting?! The thought flashed through Chiron's mind. He wouldn't have felt this way if Melusine had blocked the attack with some extraordinary Noble Phantasm. But the truth was she had simply taken the full force of the blow with her body, without so much as a scratch.
Chiron possessed a vast array of skills, but Antares Snipe was already the most potent attack he could muster. He had no means left to harm his opponent. A bitter taste rose in Chiron's throat as he realized the utter futility of his efforts against such overwhelming power.
"Who... who are you?"
Melusine dragged Atalante forward until she stood before Chiron. There was no need to hide her name any longer. "Lancelot," she declared, "Fairy Knight Lancelot."
"A Knight of the Round Table?"
Chiron knew the legends of King Arthur well. In his understanding, the Knights of the Round Table were exclusively male. Moreover, Lancelot had famously cuckolded Arthur, which made the notion of a female Lancelot all the more absurd. The legends of Lancelot had nothing to do with dragons, nor did they describe any particularly formidable defenses. And as beings from the Age of Gods, their power should not vary so wildly. He pressed again, "Are you truly Lancelot?"
"Not the Lancelot of your Pan-Human History," Melusine clarified briefly before knocking Chiron unconscious with a single punch. Her current objective was to capture these two and bring them back; everything else was secondary.
-
"Why'd you have to go showing off your powers? You scared them off!" Jalter grumbled at Jiang You's earlier display of strength. She had been on the verge of a fight, but her opponents had fled in the blink of an eye. "I was just getting warmed up, and now I don't even get a chance to stretch my muscles!"
"How was I supposed to know they'd react so strongly?"
Jiang You had underestimated the inherent power of his Spirit Origin. He'd previously complained about it not being impressive enough, but now he'd swung too far in the opposite direction.
"Don't rush. You have plenty of time. You think you'll run out of chances to fight here? Look, they're already back."
"They're too weak. No fun at all."
Jalter sheathed her weapon, but her eyes remained fixed on Melusine, who was dragging two "corpses" behind her. She knew full well that she could never have defeated Chiron so easily, let alone two opponents simultaneously.
"Is this all Greek heroes amount to?"
"Could you at least consider that I'm on your side when you say things like that?"
Jason stared at his junior with a pale face. During the Duel, none of his crewmates had responded to his summons, leaving him utterly defenseless. The cards in his hand were useless to him now. He was about to lose this round, making him look utterly foolish. "Can someone save me? I'm about to get (?) killed!"
Seeing his Big Sister and Teacher fall at the enemy's hands, Achilles grew frantic. Ignoring Jason's intentions, he launched an immediate attack. Jason, with his low Attack Power and no support, couldn't defend and his Life Points plummeted to zero.
"Ugh... AAAAAAAAHHHH—"
Jason dramatically flew backward, crashing into a tree and slumping into unconsciousness.
"Enough with the theatrics," Jiang You scoffed, exposing Jason's act. "This isn't a Shadow Game. You wouldn't be knocked out so completely, especially without any injuries."
"Can't you just let me rest?!" Jason wailed. "I'm completely powerless now! Just kill me already!"
"Gladly!" Jiang You said smoothly, making a throat-slitting gesture to Jalter. "Jalter, send him back to the Throne of Heroes."
"I wouldn't want to dirty my hands on such flammable trash," Jalter sneered.
Despite their first meeting, Jalter harbored no affection for Jason—though she wouldn't resort to violence outright.
"Thank you, Ms. Jeanne, for sparing my life!"
Jason thanked them profusely before lying down on the ground and pretending to be dead.
"Well, that'll do..."
Jiang You hadn't really expected Jason to be of much use anyway. Harassing him a bit and letting them catch up was enough. He just wasn't sure whether to summon Medea. Having Jason and Medea appear together would make things awkward for everyone else, so he decided against it for now, figuring he could arrange another encounter later. As for Medusa, while she was also a Greek Servant, they were completely unfamiliar with her.
Achilles didn't give them a chance to chat this time. Impatient, he immediately launched an attack on Jiang You.
"Should I kill him?"
Melusine moved even faster, blocking Achilles' attack with her weapon. After several clashes, Achilles realized he couldn't gain an advantage and deliberately withdrew.
Jiang You found this development rather intriguing. Melusine hadn't exactly been on good terms with him before, usually only acting upon direct orders. This time, however, her decision to intercept the attack seemed entirely her own.
"No need. It's just a misunderstanding, and he can't harm me anyway. But you... your attitude toward me seems a little different now, doesn't it?"
"Just some thoughts," Melusine nodded, not denying it. "As long as living beings exist, they will always have needs... Don't worry, it has nothing to do with Aurora. It's purely personal..."
The mention of Aurora still brought a pang of sorrow to Melusine's heart, but discussing it would be fruitless. She adhered to the law of the jungle: the strong dominate the weak, a principle she herself would abide by. Her only hope was that Aurora would die soon, ending her painful life.
"Your personal desires?"
Jiang You had allowed Melusine to roam freely in Fuyuki for quite some time. Since he hadn't been paying close attention, he had no idea what had transpired during that period. It was only natural that Melusine had developed some ideas of her own.
"What are they? I can fulfill most requests. Even if you don't win the tournament, it won't matter as long as it's not too outrageous. But if it's difficult, you'll have to work hard for it."
Jiang You was pleased that Melusine was actively avoiding that trash fairy. He had previously promised her that she could make any request except for matters concerning Aurora.
Seeing the two begin to converse, Achilles knew logically that now was his best chance to escape. At least two of the servants here were beyond his capabilities. However, he had never been one to back down in life, and with his Big Sister and Teacher's fates unknown, flight was the furthest thing from his mind. With a thunderous roar, he charged into battle once more.
"It won't be difficult, just requires your assistance."
A green comet streaked forward, interrupting Melusine's words. She left a parting remark before meeting Achilles' assault head-on. "I'll find you myself when the time comes. I'm counting on you."
Completely consumed by rage, Achilles poured his very life into each reckless attack. His wide, sweeping strikes were riddled with openings, making things unexpectedly tricky for Melusine, who had promised Jiang You she wouldn't kill him. Still, it wasn't too difficult—just a bit more troublesome than she'd anticipated.
Meanwhile, Atalante, who had briefly lost consciousness, slowly stirred awake. Melusine's complete immunity to attacks wasn't due to her own strength, but rather Jiang You's invitation. Jiang You's Noble Phantasm, even when not used for a Duel, could function as a single-use invincibility buff with a long cooldown. To those unaware, it appeared as though Melusine herself had nullified their Noble Phantasm attacks. Atalante had fainted from forcibly activating her Noble Phantasm, draining her magical power to near zero.
Atalante had clearly lost most of her reason. Sensing only the extreme danger radiating from Jiang You, she arched her back like a startled cat, her fur bristling. Then, in a sudden attack, she bit down on his arm. As a participant in the Holy Grail War, Jiang You was protected by the Duel's inherent defense, even without actively activating his Noble Phantasm. He instinctively shook her off, only to find her bite surprisingly weak. She was flung away, landing with a series of bounces on the ground, whimpering softly.
Atalante struggled to rise on all fours, but her strength had reached its limit, leaving her unable to support her own weight.
"Why does she look like she's got feline distemper?" Jiang You wondered aloud. "Servants aren't supposed to be this weak."
"Her magical power is nearly depleted," Jeanne observed, her gaze piercing. "The remaining power isn't enough to maintain her Spirit Origin. She'll dissipate soon... we need to replenish her magic immediately!"
"Replenishing magic? That's my specialty," Jiang You declared.
Isn't it just injecting a large amount of magical power? he thought. I've done it more than once. With that, he began to strip off his clothes.
"Wait a minute! What are you doing?!"
Jalter's face flushed crimson as she grabbed Jiang You's clothes, preventing him from undressing further.
"You're planning to do it here? Right in front of us?!"
"...sigh..."
Jalter's understanding of replenishing magic seemed rather traditional. Jiang You realized he could finally give away the "gift" Bubble had mentioned earlier, a mischievous grin spreading across his face.
"So, Little Jalter, what exactly do you think replenishing magic involves?"
"Who are you calling 'Little Jalter'?!"
Jalter's sudden surge of strength tore through Jiang You's jacket. Throwing caution to the wind, she drew her sword and assumed an attack stance. "O-of course it's the exchange of bodily fluids—you know, the other* fluids! Anyway, it's not happening! Even this cat wouldn't agree to something like that. She'd never consent to such a thing, even if she were awake!"
"So, what exactly is going through your mind right now?"
Jiang You deliberately pressed his wrist against Jalter's sword, sliding it along the blade. "Blood is also a bodily fluid. It's not as effective as that, but with my magical power, it's more than enough."
"Then why didn't you just say so?!"
Furious and humiliated, Jalter wanted nothing more than to stab Jiang You through the heart with her sword. After all, it wasn't her fault—that jerk clearly just wanted to see her embarrassed.
"Come here, good girl."
Jiang You walked over to Atalante and crouched down, presenting her with the wound that was already showing signs of healing.
Completely consumed by the Agrius Metamorphosis, Atalante reacted instantly to the crimson blood. She twitched her nose like a cat, seeming puzzled by the lack of a metallic scent, but the magical power radiating from the blood made saliva pool at the corners of her mouth. Driven by her survival instinct, she lunged into Jiang You's arms and, without hesitation, began fiercely licking his wound.
This act resembled a Miko Contract with an Outer God, but since Atalante was a servant, Jiang You wasn't concerned about the implications.
Jiang You's wound healed rapidly as Atalante licked away every last drop of blood. Though the amount was small, it proved sufficient. Atalante's body was now fully saturated with Jiang You's magical power. Still somewhat unsatisfied, she continued to lick his wrist, her fluffy tail swishing incessantly against his leg.
A sliver of Atalante's rationality returned, but only a sliver. Noticing that all the blood was gone, she dropped to all fours, swaying her hips in a begging posture. She nuzzled Jiang You's hand ceaselessly, acting like a large, affectionate feline.
"Is this stuff really blood?"
Watching Atalante, now acting like a tamed beast, Jalter instinctively took a few steps back. This better not be some kind of catnip, she thought, Jiang You better not try this on me.
"Seriously, did you add anything else to it?"
"Why are you making it sound like maoxuewang? If anything, this is Divine Blood."
(Spy-maoxuewang-Firey Sichuanese dish. very red and can be called blood and intestine spicy soup.)
Jiang You knew Jalter was probably referring to something like poppy seed husks, but those topics were best avoided. "Massive amounts of magical power are indeed highly attractive to servants who live off it. In her current state, she's completely driven by her primal instincts, so she's acting without restraint. If you're curious, I can share some with you."
"Who wants that crap?!" Jalter retorted. "I'd rather drink chicken soup. Tiamat's creations using Phantasmal Beasts have just as much magical power."
"Fine, don't want it, then. Why are you yelling so loud?" Jiang You grumbled.
If I collected this blood and sold it to Magi, he thought, it would fetch a fortune. Changing the subject, he turned his attention back to Atalante.
"Before anything else, we need to turn her back into Archer. In this state, she's probably forgotten who she even is."
Having exhausted his magical power and unable to unleash his Noble Phantasm, Achilles was swiftly defeated by Melusine. Jiang You's summoned servants rarely struggled with magical power consumption; Melusine, in fact, was still alive, merely summoned back in a manner similar to a Servant. This meant every strike she landed carried her full strength, making it understandable why Achilles, weakened as he was, stood no chance against her.
Melusine hurled Achilles before Jiang You. By this point, barely fifteen minutes had elapsed since the battle began, yet three renowned Greek Heroic Spirits had already been vanquished.
Dust-covered and disheveled, Achilles looked up to see Jalter and Jiang You stripping his Big Sister of her clothes, while she was actually licking and biting the wrist of that Eastern Servant.
Completely bewildered, Atalante continued to gnaw at Jiang You's wrist, desperately trying to siphon more magical power.
Achilles felt a wave of despair. Summoned to display his prowess, he had instead suffered utter humiliation. Now, all he wanted was to return immediately to the Throne of Heroes. The myth of Heroic Spirits from the Age of Gods being the elite was a lie—the Holy Grail War was nothing but a den of demons and monsters.
"Don't give me that 'about to cry' look, okay!"
Jiang You was nearly speechless. How were the misunderstandings multiplying like this?