A Showdown Between Archrivals

"Did I indulge her nonsense...? Perhaps a little."

Upon hearing this, Rovey didn't deny it. After a light laugh, he gave his answer, "Since we had nothing better to do before the Holy Grail War started, I brought her out to find some fun and try to help Rin Tohsaka change her terrible attitude."

"A terrible attitude?"

Upon hearing this, Kirei Kotomine also became somewhat curious.

"Yes, her personality, character, and attitude are all terrible, at least for Rin Tohsaka."

Rovey sighed and explained, "At crucial moments, Rin Tohsaka is too prone to letting things down. Ultimately, it's because she's too confident and hasn't encountered anything truly upsetting. It's probably because Tokiomi Tohsaka has protected her too much, so I wanted to find a way to let her experience some hardship and learn a lesson."

"I originally brought her here to let her experience shame, but it turns out that not only does she not feel shame, she's actually thriving in it, and might even be developing it into a hobby. I was almost about to give up on her, but now there's an unexpected bonus, maybe she can really learn a lesson and suffer a bit."

"You mean... Luviacelinta Edelfelt?"

Kirei Kotomine naturally understood what Rovey was referring to.

Even if he hadn't come with Rin Tohsaka today, he would still have come here to meet the contestants.

Besides Rin Tohsaka, another contestant here is that renowned Magecraft from Finland.

"Yes."

Rovey nodded and said, "Although I don't know her skill level, judging from Rin Tohsaka's tone, she's definitely no worse than her, and might even be stronger. Only in this way can we put pressure on her. Once she experiences the hardship, she won't be so careless anymore."

"Your teaching methods..."

After listening to Rovey's words, Kirei Kotomine found his teaching methods somewhat difficult to understand, yet they also seemed to make a lot of sense.

However, he didn't come here today to discuss how to teach Rin Tohsaka, so he quickly got straight to the point.

"I'm here to tell you about the participants."

"Um?"

Upon hearing this, Rovey raised an eyebrow, glancing at Kirei Kotomine with a hint of amusement, and asked, "A biased referee?"

"No, that's not true."

Kirei Kotomine shook his head in denial, then explained, "This information was gathered using my personal connections. They haven't reported it to me yet, so it wasn't an abuse of power and doesn't constitute biased officiating. Besides, I'm only telling you this as a friend."

"Thank you very much."

Upon hearing this, a smile appeared on Rovey's lips.

"Fine."

"Firstly, there's no news from London about Aozaki Touko. They sent three contestants this time, one of whom is your adopted daughter, Sakura Tohsaka, or rather, Sakura Crowley, and the other is your fiancée, Reines - El-Melloi Crowley. Obviously, they made arrangements in advance."

Upon hearing those two names, Rovey's previously impassive expression finally changed, and these changes seemed somewhat... awkward to Kirei Kotomine.

Especially after hearing about the name they changed.

Seeing this, he couldn't help but ask, "Are you alright?"

"Sigh..." Rovey sighed, then covered his forehead and replied, "I'm fine, just a little sentimental. After all, some things are just unavoidable... Please continue."

"Oh, the third Magus is a woman named Bazett Fraga Macremis, who is the Sealing Designation top Executor of the seal."

"It turns out they're all familiar faces..."

Upon hearing the third name appear, Rovey couldn't help but sigh, then muttered to himself, "I thought it would be Marisbury Animusphere leading Solomon's group this time."

"What?"

Kirei Kotomine raised an eyebrow, seemingly not having heard what Rovey said.

"Nothing."

Rovey smiled and shook his head, then stood up.

Because the match is about to begin.

Chapter 362 Showdown Between Nemesis

Where did you go just now?

I haven't been able to see you anywhere over there!

Because Kirei Kotomine was delayed, when Rovey, who had been absent for a long time, returned, Rin Tohsaka had just finished adjusting her mindset in the lounge, couldn't help but ask him a question.

"I didn't go anywhere; I just went to get some necessary intelligence."

Upon hearing this, Rovey casually answered the question and then turned to Rin Tohsaka and asked in return:

"Didn't I just tell you I was going out to take care of some things? Have you forgotten already?"

"Oh... is that so?"

Rin Tohsaka paused for a second upon hearing Rovey's question.

She only realized later that she had been so caught up in pure jealousy towards Luvia that her thoughts weren't on Rovey, and therefore hadn't heard what he said.

But to avoid appearing foolish, she casually skipped over this fact.

Then she spoke up, "Intelligence? Is the intelligence you're talking about Luvia Edelfelt? Tell me quickly!"

Upon hearing the news that Rovey had gone to gather intelligence, Rin Tohsaka's eyes lit up slightly, and she immediately asked a question.

"No, that's not it."

Seeing Rin Tohsaka's expectant gaze, Rovey simply shook his head slightly, then poured cold water on her head and replied:

"It's intelligence about the other participants in the Holy Grail War, and don't forget it's your turn to go on stage soon. Even if you investigate the other side's intelligence now, it will be too late to use it. You'd better rely on yourself."

As he spoke, he reached out and patted Rin Tohsaka on the shoulder, saying earnestly:

"Speaking of which, it seems you've adjusted your mindset quite well, right? Your opponent is no ordinary contestant, just like you. Are you confident?"

"Hmph hmph hmph--!!"

Upon hearing Rin Tohsaka still crossed her arms and smiled confidently, "Of course, no problem. I'm not going to lose no matter what. You just need to bet your money on me and wait for my triumphant return."

As she spoke, Rin Tohsaka handed over her entire fortune, a full one million yen, to Rovey, instructing him to stake it on her. She was determined to utterly defeat Luvia and win this substantial sum.

"..."

Seeing this guy's decisiveness, it was actually Rovey's eyes that changed.

Is Rin Tohsaka going all in?

I don't know if she's gone mad or if she's genuinely confident in her abilities.

However, in Rovey's opinion, Rin Tohsaka, who hasn't received much training, is most likely to lose.

But seeing how motivated she was, Rovey didn't tell her the harsh reality, nor did he try to persuade her. He simply asked her quietly:

Will we win?

Rin Tohsaka nodded. "We'll win!"

To boost her confidence, she even patted her chest again and gave a guarantee.

"Don't worry, I have no chance of losing. Now you just need to wait outside. When the time comes, prepare a big sack, and then come with me to carry the money back!"

The flags are all set...

It's hard to give a proper evaluation of Rovey.

However, after much deliberation, he still--

"That's true."

A trusting smile appeared on Rovey's face. "I trust your judgment."

--

Not long after.

"One million all in, bet everything on the Lady Crane."

On the gambling table, Rovey, with a smile on his face, bet all of Rin Tohsaka's money on the platform near the Lady Crane, attracting the attention of many people.

This scene has a strong sense of déjà vu, like the saying, "I bet 30 million, Germany will win."

At that moment, it could be said that all eyes in the room were on him.

Especially some gamblers who bet on Devil Muscle Rin couldn't help but wonder if they had made the wrong bet when they saw someone like Rovey, wondering if he knew some inside information.

However, they didn't have time to ask questions, much less to back out. They only saw all the lights in the underground arena go out in the next moment, followed by a beam of light falling on the center of the arena.

This signaled the start of the match, and the atmosphere gradually became more heated.

"Ladies and gentlemen, our final match tonight is about to begin! Let's cheer together!"

The host began the routine introduction. "First, please welcome our strongest rising star, the Devil Muscle Rin with a 100% win rate!"

As soon as she finished speaking, Rin Tohsaka, enveloped in light and wearing a red fighting outfit and a mask, made a powerful entrance.

To further demonstrate her power, she even raised her arms high, revealing her status as a wrestling queen. The scene was just as reliable as her previous appearances with a 100% winning streak.

At this moment, under the lights, her eyes gleamed with a dazzling light, as if a lion was hiding in them. There was no fighting spirit in them, only the purest, inner desire for money.

Upon seeing her, the gamblers who had bet on Rin Tohsaka suddenly felt confident, and they rubbed their hands together excitedly.

"It seems like the Devil Muscle Rin is determined to win!"

It's clear that Rin Devil Muscle Rin, is in fantastic shape! With that kind of aura, if she fights with that kind of spirit, she's sure to win!

As if they had spotted a money tree, the atmosphere at the scene immediately became incredibly lively.

"It's starting! It's about to start!"

Some gamblers who had bet on Devil Muscle Rin were now beaming with excitement. They were extremely confident in Rin Tohsaka tonight, after all, she was a player with a 100% undefeated record.

Even a few gamblers who had been somewhat swayed by Rovey Wei's recent win of a million-dollar bet on the Lady Crane, began to look at Rin Tohsaka with provocative eyes when they saw her again, as if they wanted to see her make a fool of herself. It was a kind of schadenfreude; some of them had even imagined Rovey performing the trapeze act in their minds.

"Rest assured..."

Rovey didn't say much about this, but simply told them to keep watching and see who was actually doing the trapeze act.

Next--

"Once again, we welcome the fighter from the land of Finland, the land of the beautiful Lady Crane! She once declared that she would crush all enemies with the most magnificent moves!"

Accompanied by an even more dazzling light.

As expected, a blonde woman dressed in blue also made an appearance.

Perhaps because she paid the organizers more money, her presence seemed much larger than Rin Tohsaka's, and she displayed more than just superficial things. Her tight-fitting fighting outfit accentuated her perfectly proportioned figure, clearly beyond her years, which was now fully revealed to the public.

For a moment, the audience couldn't help but think of the Devil Muscle Rin.

They silently looked together at the areas being compared.

Then, the comparison was completed in my mind.

"Indeed, we lost."

"And it was a complete defeat, with absolutely no chance of victory."

"..."

"What exactly are you comparing?!"

Because she was on stage, despite hearing the strange comments from the guys below, Rin Tohsaka couldn't go down and give each of them a good beating; all she could do was shout angrily.

This could, of course, be interpreted as her being exasperated.

"It's really ugly..."

Rin Tohsaka looked rather pathetic in front of her current opponent.

"Rin Tohsaka, I only came to visit casually, but I didn't expect it to be you."

The Lady Crane —no, it should be said that the girl named Luvia— took off her mask with a bored expression, then looked at Rin Tohsaka in front of her with extreme disdain, and said coldly.

I never knew you had this kind of hobby.

"W-What are you doing? I'm not Rin Tohsaka."

Clearly startled by her sudden removal of her mask, Rin Tohsaka was internally turmoil; she truly hadn't expected the other woman to dare remove her mask in this place.

But upon closer reflection, she realized...

The other party is from Northern Europe, not Fuyuki City. Even if their real name is revealed, no one will recognize them, so they won't lose face for their family.

But I can't do that...