After all, she could not defeat Ishtar, a goddess, with her own strength alone.
And Su Luo did not merely have to deal with Kaguya Houraisan and Melly.
He had also found time to help Irisviel remove the Lesser Grail.
The process had been somewhat simple and brutal. He had directly told Irisviel some heartfelt words, then used the Third Magic and a Resurrection Spell to preserve Irisviel's body and soul.
Afterward, he had used Clairvoyance to observe Kiritsugu Emiya, Kayneth, and the others.
He had been incredibly busy.
In the blink of an eye, the sky darkened.
Night fell, and stars shimmered.
Like countless brilliant gems scattered across a dark blue curtain.
The Holy Grail War began anew.
Although only one day had passed, both the Red Faction Masters and Black Faction Masters had already summoned their Servants.
Now, this "seven-versus-seven" battle would begin tonight!
Atop a high-rise building somewhere in Fuyuki City.
Su Luo left Melly and the King of Lions at the Einzbern castle to protect Mato Sakura.
He then came here with Wang Xiaomei and the others to discuss tonight's strategy.
"Su Luo, what should we do next?" Wang Xiaomei and the others all turned to look at Su Luo.
Su Luo had been in this world for some time and was quite familiar with the Holy Grail War, so naturally, they wanted to hear his opinion.
"I believe you have all read the group files. Aside from Ryunosuke Uryu being removed from the list of Masters, and Illya becoming a Master, the Masters and Servants on the Black Faction's side are basically the original lineup."
"Oh, right. Kayneth's Servant has 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 had spared Kiritsugu Emiya back then was precisely because he wanted him to occupy a Master's slot.
Compared to fighting an unfamiliar Master, a Magus like Kiritsugu Emiya, whose abilities he knew inside and out, was much easier to control.
"Cú Chulainn? Does that mean we should sacrifice Doggo to the heavens?" Wang Xiaomei's eyes lit up as she proposed with a grin.
"Who would have thought Diarmuid would escape persecution, only for Cú Chulainn to suffer this ordeal instead?" Scummy Lumine joked, but she still cast her vote in favor without hesitation.
The other women naturally had no objections.
Seeing this, Su Luo continued, "Because the Black Faction Masters had previously been enemies, they are still suspicious of one another and fighting separately."
"Although we could steamroll this Holy Grail War with our current strength, it is better to play it safe."
As Su Luo spoke, he turned to the side under everyone's puzzled gazes. "Aika, come out."
"Okay!" A cheerful young girl's voice suddenly rang out from the direction Su Luo was looking.
Immediately afterward, a girl as beautiful and pure as an Elf appeared before Wang Xiaomei and the others.
In an instant, Morgan and the other Servants could not help but show a hint of wariness, their expressions turning extremely grave.
This girl was very strong. She had somehow evaded their senses, and even the Magecraft Barriers they had set up around them had not been triggered.
Clearly, this girl was far from ordinary.
Sajyou Manaka Wants a Reward, Joan of Arc Comes Looking
"Nice to meet you, Lord Su Luo. My name is Sajyou Manaka."
"Meeting you is the luckiest thing that has ever happened to Aika in her life."
The pure girl revealed a breathtaking smile.
In an instant, she received death glares from all the women present.
They had not even gotten a taste of him yet, and now another girl had appeared wanting a share. Naturally, they were unhappy.
"Yes, as you can see, Illya is not the only mole within the Black Faction. Aika, as a Black Faction Master, has also joined our side." Su Luo smiled as he explained to Wang Xiaomei and the others. Then he turned to Sajyou Manaka and asked earnestly,
"Aika, once the fighting begins, I'll need you to persuade Kirei Kotomine to defect. You do not need to do much. Just take him to a Chinese restaurant for some mapo tofu. I trust you know what to do."
At those words, Wang Xiaomei and the others looked at Su Luo speechlessly.
Your strength was already so overwhelming, yet you were still being this cautious.
There were seven Masters in the Black Faction, and you had already turned three of them.
With only four Masters left, how were the other side supposed to play?
At that moment, they could not help but observe three seconds of silence for the four unlucky Masters.
"Alright. So long as it is something Lord Su Luo wants done, Aika will definitely help you with all her strength." Sajyou Manaka smiled sweetly, then changed the subject and asked in a coy manner,
"Then, seeing how hard I have worked, could Lord Su Luo give me a small reward?"
"After the Holy Grail War ends, you can follow us and satisfy your desire for the unknown."
"Ah, that is not what I meant. Lord Su Luo, come closer. I'll tell you in secret."
"...All right." Curious about what Sajyou Manaka wanted to do, Su Luo did not refuse. He bent down slightly and leaned his ear closer.
Who could have expected Sajyou Manaka to suddenly turn her head and launch a sneak attack?
She planted a kiss on Su Luo's cheek, then quickly pulled away.
Sajyou Manaka smiled mischievously. "Thank you for your reward, Lord Su Luo. Then Aika will take her leave first."
As she departed, she secretly cast a provocative glance toward Wang Xiaomei and the others.
Instantly, they were furious beyond measure.
It would have been one thing if that sneaky cat had merely made the first move, but she even dared to provoke them!?
Fortunately, Wang Xiaomei recognized the girl before her as Sajyou Manaka, the famed Princess of the Root from the Type-Moon world.
Ordinary Magi and even ordinary Servants could do nothing to her.
Otherwise, Wang Xiaomei would definitely have been the first to charge in and teach that ignorant sneaky cat a lesson!
"Ahem, all right. That is the situation."
"This Holy Grail War may be called seven-versus-seven, but in reality, it is nine-versus-four. Get ready and move out."
At this point, Su Luo suddenly remembered something. "Oh, right. Please capture Kayneth and Tokiomi Tohsaka and bring them back. I still have use for them."
"Alright." Although Wang Xiaomei and the others did not know why Su Luo wanted to keep Kayneth and Tokiomi Tohsaka alive, they could guess it was related to Su Luo's cheat ability.
Thus, they did not ask further questions.
Everyone scattered, taking their respective Servants to seek out their opponents.
Frieren and Semiramis went to fight Waver and Iskandar.
Lumine and Medusa decided to deal with Kiritsugu Emiya and Medea.
Wang Xiaomei took Morgan to persecute Kayneth and Cú Chulainn.
Kaguya Houraisan and Saeko Busujima led their Servants to face Gilgamesh.
As for Su Luo, he would serve as support. If anyone's battle went poorly, or they encountered danger or unexpected complications, he would go assist them.
This had been agreed upon with Wang Xiaomei and the others. With powerful Servants and Su Luo as their dependable backing, they could use this chance to gain experience in the Holy Grail War.
Su Luo could also use this opportunity to meet Kirei Kotomine and bind him to gain another chance at acquiring a Random Entry.
But before meeting Kirei Kotomine, he had to deal with a "roadblock" standing in his way.
"Are you the Master who illegally summoned additional Servants and escalated the Holy Grail War?"
A blond Servant holding a flag blocked Su Luo's path, questioning him with a stern expression.
"Yes, that is me." Su Luo did not deny it. A teasing smile appeared on his face as he asked in return,
"What can I do for you, Miss Joan of Arc?"
That was right. The person before him was the Heroic Spirit Joan of Arc.
This time, she had been summoned by the Greater Grail under the Ruler class, acting as the arbiter of this Holy Grail War. Her duty was to ensure that the Masters and Servants did not cause excessive damage to the city, while also monitoring whether the Masters committed any violations.
Since he had altered this Holy Grail War into a seven-versus-seven battle, it was only natural for a Ruler to appear.
"Su Luo, I..."
"Grrrrumble~~~"
Before Joan of Arc could finish speaking, her stomach growled first.
In an instant, a flush spread across Joan of Arc's cheeks.
Embarrassment surged through her heart, making her wish she could immediately find a crack in the ground to crawl into.
This time, she had descended by possessing a girl named Leticia.
She used her body to fight.
Therefore, she could feel hunger now.
After possessing Leticia, she had rushed nonstop by plane to Fuyuki City.
She had not eaten a single thing along the way.
The girl's body had long since been hungry, and Joan of Arc had endured it until now.
Though she would not starve to death because of it, she had actually revealed such an embarrassing state before someone else.
She truly could not face anyone anymore!
"Pfft... Hahaha—" Su Luo laughed mercilessly.
Although he tried his best to restrain himself, he could not suppress the upward curl of his lips.
"Miss Joan of Arc, if you do not mind, come with me. I'll treat you to a meal." Su Luo could not help but laugh as he invited Joan of Arc.
He happened to be heading to a restaurant to meet Kirei Kotomine, so he might as well bring Joan of Arc along.
"...All right, but let us make this clear first. Do not 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 did not refuse.
She had not sought Su Luo out to punish him, but to warn him not to continue violating the Holy Grail War's rules.
Only if he remained stubborn would she punish Su Luo.
Now that Su Luo had taken the initiative to invite her, seeing as he was so charming... No, it was to keep Leticia from continuing to go hungry that she accepted his invitation.
"Of course." Su Luo smiled indifferently.
Su Luo brought Joan of Arc to a restaurant run by a Chinese owner.
The moment they entered, an intense, pungent scent of chili peppers rushed at them.
Kirei Kotomine was sitting at a table, stuffing his mouth with insanely spicy noodles.
Three portions of insanely spicy mapo tofu were also placed before him.
Although Kirei Kotomine was already drenched in sweat from the heat and breathing heavily, he still happily devoured the insanely spicy food.
Su Luo chuckled at the sight, then led Joan of Arc over to sit beside Sajyou Manaka.
"Boss, one bowl of insanely spicy ramen for me, and a serving of curry rice as well. Thank you."
Joan of Arc Begins Overthinking
"Coming right up." The owner was momentarily stunned when he heard the familiar language of his homeland.
Then, a warm smile appeared on his face.
Very soon, the ramen and curry rice Su Luo had ordered were brought over.
Following local custom, Joan of Arc said, "Thank you for the meal," then hurriedly began filling her stomach.
Before you continue