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"For someone welcoming guests from far away, this is pretty rude of you,"
Minato said, holding Medusa's hand like they were just old friends dropping by. He smiled gently.
"But I guess it's fine. It's our first time meeting... and probably the last."
"You really know how to talk big for a fake."
Gilles sneered, his eyes filled with murderous rage.
"No matter. Saves me the trouble of hunting you down myself."
"You're not leaving here alive."
His voice was cold and cruel. All around them, strange rustling noises echoed through the forest, like snakes slithering across the ground.
Then, under the dim moonlight, deformed, grotesque creatures began to appear from the shadows.
"Master, they're all water demons,"
Medusa whispered, frowning slightly. "There are a lot of them, but if this is all they've got... leave them to me."
"Alright."
With Minato's permission, Medusa shot forward like a cannonball.
Her tall, perfect figure exploded with raw power that contrasted sharply with her beauty. She charged straight into the swarm of monsters.
BOOM!
A massive chain sword, over ten meters long, tore through the air and swept across the battlefield in a blinding arc.
Trees shattered as the blade carved through them, sending debris flying everywhere.
In the blink of an eye...
Dozens of water demons were torn to pieces.
Then!
Medusa launched herself into the air, magic power surging around her. She looked like a valkyrie descending upon the battlefield.
Bang! Bang! Bang!
The water demons didn't even have time to react before they were crushed, one by one.
It wasn't a fight—it was a slaughter.
Gilles and Ryuunosuke stood frozen, like their souls had left their bodies.
"N-No way..."
After a moment, Gilles's eyes widened. "That kind of magic... that kind of fighting... there's no way she's just a mage."
"Who said she was a mage?"
Minato raised an eyebrow, looking amused. "She's been my Servant since the beginning."
"What?!"
Gilles's expression twisted in shock. "You're not a Heroic Spirit? You tricked everyone?!"
"I never said I was a Heroic Spirit."
Minato shook his head calmly. "Anyway... have you thought about your last words?"
BOOM!
The moment he spoke, a terrifying surge of magical power erupted from him, rippling through the air like a tidal wave.
A glowing magic circle slowly formed behind him, shining with a soft blue light that lit up the entire forest like it was daylight.
"Whatever you are, don't underestimate me."
Gilles's face twisted in rage. He shoved Ryuunosuke away and summoned a mysterious magic tome in his hands, glowing faintly.
Prelati's Spellbook.
His Noble Phantasm.
Shffft...
As the book opened, strange incantations echoed through the air.
A blood-red magic circle formed at Gilles's feet, seething with malevolent energy. It started spreading outward like a curse.
Medusa, having just taken out the last water demon, frowned. The whole forest trembled violently.
She turned back, sensing an overwhelming magical pressure that darkened the sky, blotting out the moonlight.
"What's he trying to summon with all this magic...?"
She looked truly shaken. In a flash, she rushed back to Minato's side, taking a protective stance.
ROAR!
From the middle of the blood-red circle came a deafening roar, like thunder crashing from the heavens. It carried pure rage and destruction.
Dark red light shot up into the sky.
Magic power surged like a flood. And then—rising from the summoning circle—came a monstrous sea demon, massive as a mountain, covered in writhing tentacles.
"Master, that spellbook... that's at least a Noble Phantasm of Anti-Army level,"
Medusa said urgently, watching Gilles standing atop the monster. "Maybe we should fall back for now?"
"It's just a sea monster."
Minato smiled casually. Behind him, his magic circle expanded, glowing even brighter.
"Don't underestimate your Master, okay?"
BOOOOOM!
Before Medusa could say a word, a massive bolt of lightning erupted from Minato's magic circle, piercing through the sky.
The lightning stretched hundreds of meters high, connecting heaven and earth. Its power was overwhelming.
It tore through the dark magic like it was nothing, splitting the sky wide open.
"Who... the hell are you?!"
Gilles's eyes shrank to pinpricks, full of disbelief and rage.
That magic... it wasn't just powerful—it was godlike.
Did the Holy Grail malfunction?
Why the hell would it let someone like this become a Master?
ROAR!
The sea demon let out a bone-shaking scream, but this time—it sounded scared.
That thunderous lightning made it instinctively recoil in terror.
Its countless tentacles lashed toward the sky in defense.
BOOM! BOOM! BOOM!
Dark magic surged to meet the lightning, trying to blot out the moon.
Then—
The lightning struck.
There was no deafening explosion. Just overwhelming force.
Tentacles and magic vaporized on contact, disintegrating into ash like they were made of paper.
"Is this... my Master's true power...?"
Medusa stood frozen, lips slightly parted. Behind her blindfold, her eyes were wide with awe.
"This can't be happening..."
Gilles looked horrified, scrambling back and using the sea monster as a shield.
ROAR!!
The sea demon roared in pain, taking the brunt of the attack. It tried to dodge, but its massive body was too slow.
With no other choice, it snarled and hurled itself forward, dark magic swirling around it like a storm—ready to fight or die.
BOOM!
A blinding flash of lightning struck the Sea Demon.
A massive mushroom cloud blasted into the sky, and the entire Black Forest was swept up in a raging storm. The shockwave felt almost solid as it surged outwards in every direction.
Countless trees were uprooted in an instant, as if the whole forest was being wiped off the map.
Splurt! Splurt!
Amid the thick clouds of dust and smoke, the Sea Demon's huge body began to crack and rupture. Blood gushed out like a rainstorm of crimson.
In its blood-red eyes—there was only terror and unwillingness.
BOOM!
Another deafening blast.
The terrifying lightning swallowed the Sea Demon completely, piercing right through its massive body.
"Ugh—!"
Not far away, Gilles coughed up a mouthful of blood. Just the aftershock from the lightning had seriously injured him.
He turned to run, but the lightning didn't stop. It surged straight toward him.
"No—!"
With a blood-curdling scream, Gilles was swallowed by the storm of lightning and utterly obliterated.
It was as if he'd never even existed—completely erased from the world.
No one knew how long had passed.
The dust in the air slowly began to settle.
The magic circle behind Minato also faded and vanished.
The forest fell into an eerie silence.
But the air still carried a suffocating heaviness—something too deep for words.
"Th-This… how is this possible…?"
Ryunosuke Uryuu, covered in dirt and dust, looked pale as a ghost.
"Uncle Bluebeard is dead? No way…"
"You're not even a Servant. How can you be this strong?"
"You survived even the aftershock? Damn, you've got some serious luck."
Minato glanced at him, a bit surprised. "Huh, well... not that it matters. You're gonna die anyway."
As soon as he finished, he casually snapped his fingers—and a beam of magic shot straight through Ryunosuke's chest.
Splurt!
Blood sprayed out, along with chunks of organs.
"Th-this is…"
Ryunosuke's eyes lit up with sudden clarity. "Hahaha... So this... This is what I was searching for all along!"
Smiling, he took his final breath.
Minato: "..."
This guy… definitely not right in the head.
Letting a psycho like him die with a smile—was that too merciful?
Minato shook his head, then turned and wrapped his arm around Medusa's waist. "Why the stunned look? Falling for your master, huh?"
Medusa blinked, then leaned her head against his shoulder with a soft smile. "Yeah, guess I really do have one hell of a powerful master."
Even though she was a legendary monster, the instinct to worship the strong ran deep—in both gods and demons alike.
She was genuinely impressed.
"Heh, now you know I'm a real catch."
Minato grinned. "But hey, hold back a little. We are in public."
"Heh... hehe…"
Medusa twitched at the corners of her mouth.
Alright, fine.
No matter how powerful he was, his head was still full of dirty thoughts.
But yeah… probably not the best place for this.
Wait—what am I even thinking!?
Under the night sky, looking at Minato's ridiculously handsome face, Medusa's cheeks turned bright red.
"....."