Chapter 23: The Unexpected Person
"Oh no!" She could naturally sense that unusual surge of magical energy. In her current state—weakened as she was by the Command Spells—it was impossible to contest it.
Realizing this, Medea did not hesitate to draw her Noble Phantasm, Rule Breaker.
Rule Breaker is a Noble Phantasm with an ability distinctly different from those held by other Servants. Its performance as a weapon is practically non-existent, yet it can "break" all magecraft on the target pierced by its blade.
The objects it can negate include things strengthened by magical energy, contracts based on magical energy, or life forms born from it. It can reset them to a state before the magical energy was used. In other words, contracts based on magical energy become blank slates, and life forms birthed from it vanish on the spot.
For this reason, while its uses are quite restricted, its effect is immense in a Holy Grail War governed by the Servant system. It is the ultimate anti-magecraft Noble Phantasm—though Noble Phantasms themselves are exceptions; it has no effect on them regardless of how low their rank may be. This magical weapon is the embodiment of the divinity of the Witch of Betrayal.
Medea gripped Rule Breaker and slashed the air before her. An invisible link was severed just like that.
That was the connection between Servant and Master.
Now detached from this control, Medea would no longer receive a supply of magical energy. Once the energy stored in her body was depleted, she would vanish. But no matter what, she did not want to be killed here.
"Kill her! El-Melloi II!"
Seeing Medea attempting to flee, Atram Galiast shouted in a panic.
In the next instant, an arrow of blue light tore through the air!
Swoosh—!
"Ugh!" Pierced in the back by that bolt of light, Medea let out a pained cry, using magecraft to teleport her body at the final second.
Arjuna stepped forward quickly, scanning the surroundings before withdrawing his gaze.
"Master, Caster has escaped. I shall pursue her immediately!"
"Wait... no need to chase," Waver said hurriedly.
Hearing Waver's words, Arjuna stopped instantly and walked to his Master's side. Then, upon seeing the bloody scene inside that magical workshop, even Arjuna's pupils constricted slightly.
"This is...!"
"Hey! El-Melloi II, what are you just standing there for? Why aren't you chasing her down!"
Seeing Waver remain unmoved, Atram Galiast screamed in exasperation.
"El-Melloi II! I want you to hunt that bitch down right now! Otherwise, the Galiast family will pressure the El-Melloi faction. Your faction is already so declined it's a joke; with just one more spark, I'm sure the other factions will divide you up like wild dogs scenting meat!"
At that moment, Waver, who had been silent for a while, finally spoke.
"Shut up. Archer, kill him."
"Yes, Master."
At the Archer's response, the bravado of the shouting Atram Galiast vanished instantly.
"Wait, wait a minute! El-Melloi II, have you lost your mind?! If I die, my family won't let you off, I absolutely—"
Before Atram Galiast could finish his sentence, a blue streak of light flashed through his eyes. Immediately after, blood sprayed uncontrollably from his neck, staining the basement floor red.
Waver ignored Atram Galiast's twitching corpse. He stepped into the blood-soaked corridor, leaving a trail of crimson footprints behind him.
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In the quiet forest under the moonlit night, a graceful figure stumbled forward.
But she didn't get far before she collapsed to the ground. Medea, who had used emergency teleportation magic to reach the forest outside at the last moment, had been struck in the back. As a Caster, her physical body was among the most fragile of all Servants. Had she not been restricted by Command Spells, she could have resisted with Age of Gods magecraft, but now she could barely even manifest defensive spells.
Fortunately, she had used Rule Breaker to sever the link with Atram Galiast; the enemy could no longer find her through the Servant-Master connection. However, this also meant Medea had no way of knowing Atram's location.
Consequently, Medea had no way of knowing the fact that Atram Galiast was already dead. Still believing the enemy was searching for her, she could only force herself to flee through the woods.
With her source of magical energy cut off and the restrictions from those three Command Spells leaving her with almost nothing, she would soon fade away due to the lack of mana.
"Damn it... is this how I'm going to end... dying like this again on the road of flight after betrayal..."
Her beautiful face was stained with dirt, and strands of blue hair clung to her cheeks, making her look pitiably sorrowful.
Rumble...
With a low roll of thunder, dark clouds drifted across the sky, veiling the moon as bolts of lightning flashed. Then, a drizzling rain began to fall continuously. From a distance, it looked hazy, as if the surrounding trees were shrouded in light smoke. Raindrops hit the muddy ground, splashing mud and water onto Medea's dress.
"To give me rain at the very end, does even this world loathe me so much...?"
Her mood hit an unprecedented low. Feeling stifled, Medea raised her hand to pull back her hood. That exquisite, elf-like face was revealed, appearing even more mournful in the soaking rain.
Medea kept her eyes open, looking at the gloomy sky as the persistent drizzle beat against her stunning face. The sky gradually blurred as her vision narrowed. She closed her eyes, quietly waiting for death.
Suddenly, the rain that should have been hitting her face stopped falling. Feeling strange, Medea opened her eyes.
Appearing in her vision was a red-haired youth. There was clearly nothing over his head, yet the rain was diverted before it could touch him.
A magus?
"Leave this place quickly. It's dangerous to stay near me; the enemy will be here soon," Medea warned the strange youth in a weak voice.
"You can barely save yourself, yet you still have the heart to worry about others?"
The youth looked down, gazing at her with those pale gold eyes.
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