Chapter 628

Bella, the commander of the "Twenty-Eight Monster," suddenly sensed something and turned around abruptly.

Despite being watched by thirty young Magecraft, Shirou remained calm and spoke.

"Although you say there are 'no guarantees,' I feel I have shown enough sincerity."

"... What is the basis for this?"

Faced with El-Melloi Classroom, the red-haired boy slightly raised his chin.

"Because I'm still willing to communicate with you properly, instead of killing you all."

"...!"

Everyone in El-Melloi Classroom instinctively activated the switches of their internal Magic Circuits, but—

Before that, a surging magical wind swept through the entire valley.

In the instant the cool breeze brushed their cheeks, the Magecraft found themselves unable to ignite their Magic Circuits.

It wasn't because Shirou had done anything to her, but simply because she was too terrified to move.

The only person who reacted to Shirou was Rider.

Her expression remained normal, but her body weight shifted slightly to ensure she could react immediately should anyone make a sudden move.

Shirou completely ignored Rider, staring intently at the Magecraft's faces.

Regardless of how his battle with the Amazons Queen would unfold, he was confident he could kill all thirty Master present in an instant.

No matter how much these people are praised as geniuses at the Clock Tower, Shirou could kill them as easily as crushing an insect.

Did I have excessive expectations because he was Waver's proudest student?

Shirou couldn't help but think: These guys have absolutely no idea about the cruelty of the Holy Grail War; they're like elementary school students on a field trip.

Ah... So Tohsaka is the only one with Holy Grail War experience, maybe with Luvia, whose ancestors participated in the war.

Now, for the first time, the rising stars of El-Melloi Classroom are experiencing firsthand the feeling of death approaching.

"..."

The surrounding air seemed to freeze, and the temperature dropped sharply.

The intense impact, flashes, and storms from the battlefield between the goddess and the demon, and the eerie silence confined to a certain barrier, lasted for a few seconds that felt like an eternity.

The young Magecraft began to turn their pleading gazes to the two girls beside Shirou.

Rin Tohsaka remained silent, her face tense, while Luvia curled her lips into a smug, amused expression.

Then—the first person to break the deadlock was an unexpected figure.

"... Please calm down, Shirou."

Tiné approached the red-haired boy and lowered her head to speak.

She was the only local Indigenous person besides the police force, so she hoped more than anyone else that there wouldn't be any infighting.

Then Tiné turned to the Magecraft in El-Melloi Classroom and spoke solemnly.

"Tiné Cherke, I vouch for you, on my own behalf and in the name of my tribe, that goddess's problem will be left to us to handle."

Tiné plays the good cop, Shirou plays the bad cop.

Under this double offensive, after a long silence, the Magecraft in El-Melloi Classroom began to show weakness.

"Yes, we understand... We accept your guarantee."

Shirou then withdrew his murderous intent.

"Shirou, you still love to joke around as much as ever."

Luvia smiled as she watched Shirou's retreating figure.

She knew very well that the person she admired would never be the kind of person who would be ruthless and merciless.

However, Rin Tohsaka had a slightly different understanding of this.

"Do you think that was a joke? I don't think so. Shirou... he wasn't entirely joking."

Magecraft who cannot comprehend the cruelty of the Holy Grail War should perhaps retire early for better luck.

"We won't target that goddess; let's focus our collaboration on other areas."

The one who spoke was Magecraft who looked like a nobleman, Waver Schamud.

He is the successor to the Butterfly Magic and became the Brand of the Clock Tower at this age, the first person to do so since Kenshinnes.

It was also he who used butterflies to create a special barrier in this valley area, isolating this place from the outside world, so much so that no one even noticed the arrival of the 30 Magecraft.

If we disregard potential and only consider immediate combat strength, he is clearly superior to Rin Tohsaka and Luvia.

"Let me hear your plan first. What was your original plan? You really do think the goddess is a bigger threat, don't you?"

"That's right. Although the demon who calls himself Alcides is very dangerous, the one who truly poses a threat to Human History is that 'god.'"

Waver paused for a moment and then said, "We have located the Holy Grail and plan to infiltrate it and destroy it."

However, before that, there is still a lot of preparation work to be done, and one of the biggest problems right now is...

The Magecraft looked towards the battlefield. "If the Heroic Spirit claiming to be Alcides is defeated, and his corrupted soul flows into the Lesser Holy Grail... what will happen?"

Rin Tohsaka suddenly asked Bella, "Does your boss know about the 'Lesser Holy Grail'?"

Bella is part of the mastermind behind this Holy Grail War, which makes the situation somewhat complicated.

But the director had already given permission; she could play any card she knew, except for the Servant's true name, so she slowly nodded in reply:

"I know, it was provided by an assistant Francesca, Artificial Lifeform from Einzbern... Filia, her body is now possessed by the goddess."

"That's the problem."

Rin Tohsaka continued, "The souls of defeated Servant flow into that 'god's' body."

Although Shirou can still control her now, it's hard to say what will happen if he absorbs a corrupted soul.

And yet, he was that great Greece Great Hero, whose "status" as a hero was arguably the highest level; he alone was equivalent to the souls of hundreds of thousands of humans.

Shirou understood what Rin Tohsaka meant. "So, we absolutely cannot let Alcides be defeated before we dismantle the Greater Grail, right?"

Rin Tohsaka nodded to him, then looked at Rider: "I'm sorry, things turned out this way."

Hippolyta calmly shook her head and said, "It's regrettable that I can't personally punish that guy, but the bigger picture is what matters."

"While we can't kill Alcides outright, we can at least beat him to the point of resuscitation, right?"

"Is that even possible?" Rider asked, somewhat agitated.

Although he had long since succumbed to evil, he was once a hero whose fame resounded throughout Olympias.

Hippolyta displeased with Shirou's frivolous attitude, as if he could take care of him in no time.

Defeating the Golden King is indeed a remarkable achievement, but that doesn't mean you can underestimate him!

"You've misunderstood," Shirou said calmly.

Rider asked in confusion, "What...?"

Shirou said, "The one who will beat Alcides to a pulp isn't me, it's you, Rider."

"..."

Rider's expression wavered for a moment.

At that time, the Golden King once told the Queen, "You are not worthy to compete with Alcides."

Deep down, she actually agreed with this view.

As Heroic Spirit, my "character" is completely on a different dimension from Heracles.

However, Shirou clearly stated, "You can defeat Alcides."

Although she knew this conclusion was based on the unusual premise that "the cavalry had 30 Master," Hippolyta still felt a sense of disbelief.

"Is that so?"

"Yes, I think it's fine. Its basic abilities are already more than enough to contend with the highest-level Servant."

Shirou scrutinized Rider's body, and the latter suddenly had the illusion that he was naked in front of him.

"Your Noble Phantasm must be exceptionally powerful, especially with the Command Spell from everyone in El-Melloi Classroom— "

I think we can completely overpower Alcides in battle.

"Thank you... I feel a little embarrassed to hear you say that."

The Queen lowered her head.

That handsome face, renowned for its beauty, was now slightly flushed with embarrassment.

"I will live up to your expectations and give that guy a good beating so he can't bother my Master anymore."

Please help me.

"Ah, I'll take care of that guy. You just keep an eye on him from the sidelines."

At this moment, Luvia noticed the flush on Rider's face.

"Wait... wait a minute, Rider! Don't fall for Shirou so easily!"

Luvia shook Hippolyta's arm frantically, and the latter paused for a moment, then her cheeks turned even redder.

"That's not... that's not how it is! I'm just grateful that he said that!"

Seriously... why would anyone think that?!

Rider shouted helplessly, but Luvia was still worried.

"You really didn't fall for Shirou?"

No... no.

Hippolyta lowered her long eyelashes, Luvia's heart sank.

Why was your answer so hesitant?

Even Rin Tohsaka's expression became complicated.

Although she was the Queen of the Amazons and a warrior leader with unparalleled combat skills in her previous life, she was surprisingly the type who lacked self-confidence.

Did Shirou realize it after only spending a short time with her?

Now, Hippolyta's only weakness, her inferiority complex towards Alcides, has also been addressed.

While this is a good thing, it also left behind things that Rin Tohsaka and Luvia didn't expect...

As expected, nothing has changed, Shirou.

He still manages to subtly and unintentionally charm women, that idiot...!

Volume 8: Chapter 392 Ishtar (Rin): There's a cow!

In an underground tunnel just wide enough for one person to pass through, several figures were moving about.

Shirou, Haruri, Tiné, Rider, and her masters advance through the darkness by a hazy Magecraft light.

"I never imagined such a massive underground project would be unearthed..."

Hippolyta nodded. "Yes, I'm also very surprised. They've dug this far beneath the earth, from the valley to the southern desert, in just a few days..."

"It's alright. Our class has graduates ranging from excavators to experts in manipulating ley lines. Luckily, someone from our class came this time."

Rin Tohsaka's relaxed expression, Haruri couldn't help but ask a question.

"Wait... did you dig this cave yourselves? By hand?"

If using Magecraft can be considered "artificial," then that's correct.

However, even underground, the Greater Grail is surrounded by a barrier, making it impossible to reach it directly.

"So they've already located the Greater Grail."

"Yeah, they're much easier to find than Fuyuki City. Besides, they don't seem to be planning on hiding at all."

Rin Tohsaka answered with a displeased expression.

Observing her reaction, Shirou was now 1000% certain—she indeed had experience participating in the Fuyuki City Holy Grail War.