Type-Moon: Upgrade Trait, Join Chat Group at the Start Chapter 22

After all, relying solely on her own strength, she couldn't take on Ishtar, a goddess.

And Su Luo wasn't just dealing with Kaguya Houraisan and Melly.

He also found time to help Irisviel extract the Lesser Grail.

Though the process was a bit crude—he simply said something heartfelt to Irisviel, then used the Third Magic and a Resurrection Spell to preserve her body and soul.

After that, he used Clairvoyance to check on Kiritsugu Emiya and Kayneth's situation.

He was busier than a one-armed paperhanger.

Time flew, and the sky dimmed.

Night fell, stars twinkling.

Like countless glittering gems scattered across an ink-blue canvas.

The Holy Grail War began anew.

Though only a day had passed, both the Red Faction's Masters and the Black Faction's Masters had already summoned their Servants.

Now, this "seven-on-seven" battle would kick off tonight!

On top of a tall building in Fuyuki City.

Su Luo left Melly and the King of Lions at Einzbern Castle to guard Mato Sakura.

Then he came here with Wang Xiaomei and the others to discuss tonight's strategy.

"Su Luo, what do we do next?" Wang Xiaomei and the rest all looked at him.

Su Luo had been in this world for a while now and was familiar with the Holy Grail War's situation, so naturally they sought his opinion.

"I'm sure you've all read the group files. Aside from Ryunosuke Uryu not being on the Master list, and Irisviel becoming a Master, the Black Faction's Masters and Servants are mostly the same as before."

"Oh, and Kayneth's Servant changed—he summoned Cú Chulainn, while Kiritsugu Emiya's Servant is Medea." Su Luo briefly explained the situation to Wang Xiaomei and the others.

The reason he'd let Kiritsugu Emiya go back then was to let him take up a Master slot.

Compared to fighting an unfamiliar Master, a Magus like Kiritsugu Emiya, whose cards were all on the table, was easier to handle.

"Cú Chulainn? So we're gonna sacrifice Doggo to the heavens?" Wang Xiaomei's eyes lit up as she grinned and suggested.

"Didn't think Diarmuid would escape the persecution, but Cú Chulainn couldn't dodge this bullet." Scummy Lumine quipped while casting her vote without hesitation.

Seeing this, the others had no objections.

At that, Su Luo continued, "The Black Faction's Masters were all enemies before, so they're still suspicious of each other and fighting separately."

"Even though we could steamroll this Holy Grail War with our current strength, let's play it safe."

As Su Luo spoke, under the group's puzzled gazes, he looked to the side. "Manaka, come on out."

"Okay!" A cheerful girl's voice suddenly rang out from the direction Su Luo was looking.

Then a girl as beautiful and pure as an elf appeared before Wang Xiaomei and the others.

Instantly, Morgan and the other Servants couldn't help but show a hint of wariness, their expressions turning grave.

This girl was strong—strong enough to evade their perception, and even the Magecraft Barrier they'd set up around them hadn't triggered.

Clearly, the girl before them was no ordinary person.

Chapter 31: Sajyou Manaka Wants a Reward, Joan of Arc Comes Calling

"Nice to meet you, Lord Su Luo. I'm Sajyou Manaka."

"Meeting you is the luckiest thing in Manaka's life."

The pure girl revealed a stunning smile.

In an instant, she earned death glares from all the women present.

They hadn't even gotten a taste yet, and now another one showed up wanting a piece of the pie—naturally, they were annoyed.

"Yeah, as you can see, the Black Faction doesn't just have Irisviel as a mole. Manaka, a Black Faction Master, is also on our side." Su Luo smiled as he explained to Wang Xiaomei and the others, then turned to Sajyou Manaka and asked earnestly, "Manaka, once the fighting starts, please convince Kirei Kotomine to defect. You don't need to do much—just take him to a Chinese restaurant for Mapo Tofu. I trust you know what to do."

Hearing this, Wang Xiaomei and the others stared at Su Luo speechlessly.

Here you are, strong as all get-out, and you're still playing it this safe.

The Black Faction has seven Masters total, and you've turned three of them.

How are the remaining four supposed to play this game?

They couldn't help but silently mourn for those four unlucky Masters for three seconds.

"Okay, as long as it's something Lord Su Luo wants done, Manaka will give it her all." Sajyou Manaka smiled sweetly, then shifted gears, putting on a coy look as she asked, "So, Lord Su Luo, seeing how hard I'm working, could you give me a little reward?"

"After the Holy Grail War ends, you can stay with us and satisfy your curiosity about the unknown."

"Ah, that's not what I meant. Lord Su Luo, lean in, and I'll whisper it to you."

"...Alright." Curious about what Sajyou Manaka wanted, Su Luo didn't refuse and bent down slightly, offering his ear.

Who would have thought—Sajyou Manaka suddenly turned and struck.

She stamped a seal on Su Luo's face, then quickly pulled away.

Sajyou Manaka gave a playful smile. "Thank you for the reward, Lord Su Luo. Then Manaka will take her leave now."

As she left, she even secretly shot a provocative glance toward Wang Xiaomei and the others.

In an instant, it made them so furious smoke practically poured from their seven orifices.

Not only did that sneaky cat get ahead of them, but she dared to provoke them!?

Fortunately, Wang Xiaomei recognized that the girl before them was none other than the famous Princess of the Root from the Type-Moon world, Sajyou Manaka.

An ordinary Magus, or even an ordinary Servant, would be helpless against her.

Otherwise, Wang Xiaomei would have absolutely led the charge to teach this arrogant sneaky cat a lesson!

"Ahem, well, that's how it is."

"This Holy Grail War is said to be seven versus seven, but in reality it's nine versus four. Get ready and move out."

Speaking of which, Su Luo suddenly thought of something and said, "Oh, and one more thing—please capture Kayneth and Tokiomi Tohsaka and bring them back. I still have use for them."

"Alright." Although Wang Xiaomei and the others didn't know why Su Luo wanted to keep Kayneth and Tokiomi Tohsaka alive, they could guess it had something to do with Su Luo's cheat ability.

Thus, they didn't ask further.

The group dispersed one by one, each taking their Servants to find their respective opponents.

Frieren and Semiramis went after Waver and Iskandar for battle.

Lumine and Medusa decided to deal with Kiritsugu Emiya and Medea.

Wang Xiaomei took Morgan to go harass Kayneth and Cú Chulainn.

Kaguya Houraisan and Busujima Saeko took their Servants to face Gilgamesh.

As for Su Luo, he acted as a support role—if any side's battle went poorly, encountered danger, or faced unexpected changes, he would go assist them.

This was agreed upon with Wang Xiaomei and the others. With powerful Servants and Su Luo as a strong backing, they could take this opportunity to gain experience in the Holy Grail War.

And Su Luo could also take this chance to meet with Kirei Kotomine and bind him to gain a Random Entry's acquisition count.

But before meeting Kirei Kotomine, he still had to face a "roadblock" standing in his way.

"Are you the Master who illegally summoned a Servant and expanded the scale of this Holy Grail War?"

A golden-haired Servant holding a flag blocked Su Luo's path, questioning him with a serious expression.

"That's right, it's me." Su Luo didn't deny it, a teasing smile spreading across his face as he asked back, "What business do you have, Miss Joan of Arc?"

Indeed, the person before him was the Heroic Spirit Joan of Arc.

Summoned this time as a Ruler-class Servant by the Greater Grail, she served as the referee of this Holy Grail War, overseeing that the Masters and Servants didn't cause too much damage to the city, and also monitoring whether the Masters engaged in any illegal acts.

Since he had modified this Holy Grail War into a seven-versus-seven battle, it was only natural for a Ruler to descend.

"Su Luo, I..."

"Grrrrrr~~~"

Before Joan of Arc could even finish her sentence, her stomach growled first.

In an instant, a layer of crimson flushed across Joan of Arc's cheeks.

Embarrassment surged within her, making her wish she could immediately find a crack to crawl into.

This time, she had descended by possessing a girl named Leticia.

Using her physical body to fight.

Therefore, at this moment, she felt hungry.

And after possessing Leticia's body, she had rushed nonstop to Fuyuki City by plane.

During that time, she hadn't eaten a single thing.

The girl herself had long been hungry, and Joan of Arc had endured it until now.

Though she wouldn't starve to death, showing such an awkward state in front of someone else—

She really had no face left to show!

"Pfft... hahaha—" Su Luo let out a merciless laugh.

Even though he tried to hold it back, he still couldn't suppress the upward curve of his lips.

"Miss Joan of Arc, if you don't mind, come with me. I'll treat you to a meal." Su Luo couldn't help but smile as he extended the invitation.

He was just about to go to a restaurant to meet Kirei Kotomine anyway, so he might as well bring Joan of Arc along.

"...Fine. But let me be clear—don't think you can bribe me with one meal. If you violate the rules of the Holy Grail War in the future, I will still punish you." Joan of Arc didn't refuse.

She hadn't sought out Su Luo to punish him, but to warn him not to continue breaking the rules of the Holy Grail War.

Only if the other party remained stubborn and unrepentant would she punish Su Luo.

Now, since Su Luo had taken the initiative to invite her, and considering his charm... no, to prevent Leticia from continuing to go hungry, she accepted his invitation.

"Of course." Su Luo smiled nonchalantly.

Su Luo brought Joan of Arc to a restaurant run by a Tianchao owner.

As soon as they entered, a thick, pungent aroma of chili peppers hit them.

At that moment, Kirei Kotomine sat at a table, wolfing down Extremely Spicy noodles.

In front of him were also three servings of Extremely Spicy Mapo Tofu.

Though Kirei Kotomine was already drenched in sweat from the spice, breathing heavily, he still enjoyed the Extremely Spicy food with relentless delight.

Su Luo chuckled softly at the sight and led Joan of Arc to sit beside Sajyou Manaka.

"Boss, give me one bowl of Extremely Spicy ramen, and one serving of Curry Rice, thanks."

Chapter 32: Joan of Arc Begins to Overthink

"Coming right up, it'll be ready soon." The boss was slightly taken aback upon hearing the familiar hometown dialect.

Then a warm smile spread across his face.

Soon, the ramen and Curry Rice Su Luo ordered were brought to the table.

Joan of Arc, following local customs, said "I'll start eating" and promptly began to fill her stomach.