Chapter 128

Come to think of it, I've been taken back to the Matou Family...?

Just as Lan Ze was thinking this, he suddenly felt as if a pair of eyes were watching him from the darkness, and he turned his head slightly to look over.

A white-haired mage in a mage's robe sat cross-legged to the side, a gentle and kind smile on his face. He said, "Good evening, Lan Ze."

Lan Ze blinked, pondered for a moment, then suddenly jumped up from the tatami mat, looking as if he'd seen a ghost. "How did you get here?!"

As he spoke, Lan Ze glanced around at his surroundings with suspicion and said, "Could it be that you saved me...?"

"No, no, no, I didn't even have time to save you before the Beast captured you," Merlin waved his hand, then sighed and said:

"Although I resisted fiercely and defied death, I was ultimately corrupted by the Black Mud and became Servant of that beast."

Lan Ze nodded slightly, his expression calm. "I see."

After he finished speaking, he gazed silently at Merlin.

Merlin looked at him too, and the two seemed to be looking at each other without ever getting tired of it.

Then, after an unknown period of silence, Lan Ze suddenly stood up and threw an uppercut at Merlin's chin.

Merlin soared into the air like a Thomas Flair, then landed on the ground with a "thud" like a diver.

Merlin, clutching his head, looked up angrily. "What are you doing all of a sudden?! We're in this together now!"

"Who wants to be your buddy? Merlin, I'm going to kill you!" Lan Ze charged at Merlin menacingly, a golden halo quietly illuminating behind him.

Merlin's eyes widened, and he pressed down on Lan Ze's head, which was about to lunge at him, and shouted innocently, "Calm down, calm down! I haven't done anything wrong, have I? Why are you so angry?!"

"I could tolerate you making me go find Mother of All in Uruk before, but this time you actually want me to confess to Shiki-nee? Are you trying to kill me?!" Lan Ze was furious, and his golden eyes gave people a sense of fear, as if they were facing a dragon.

It wouldn't be a problem if it were just a confession to Ryougi Shiki, but the problem is if Ryougi Shiki finds out about his relationships with other people... To be honest, Lan Ze is a little worried that Shiki-nee might treat him like a fish on a chopping board and chop him into sashimi.

And all of this can be attributed to Merlin.

This guy will stop at nothing to achieve his goal; in the end, Nightmare has no feelings at all.

"Calm down..." Merlin said with a smile, "Actually, this isn't doing you any harm, is it? I'm thinking about your future happiness. Don't you like a beautiful girl like Ryougi Shiki? Besides, it's for the sake of Humanity's Order— "

Lan Ze interrupted fiercely, "Why don't you let me win over Kama with love and then get her to cooperate with us to retrieve the Holy Grail hidden in this Singularity?"

Merlin paused for a moment, then his eyes slowly brightened. "Maybe you're a genius?"

In his darkened form, Lan Ze raised his fist and slammed it towards Merlin.

Then, instead of feeling like he'd been hit in the face, Merlin had been pinned to the floor by Lan Ze, vanished silently, turning into flower petals. The next moment, Merlin reappeared at the doorway of the Japanese-style room, smiling as he said, "Actually, this method isn't entirely unworkable... If you can do it, the problem will be much easier to solve."

"Since you already have so many beasts, one more won't make a difference."

Countless golden halos suddenly lit up behind Lan Ze.

Merlin immediately shut his mouth and laughed, "... Just kidding."

He felt that if he continued speaking, the other party might directly use their Noble Phantasm.

Using Noble Phantasm in a place like this would destroy the entire mansion.

"Where's Sakura?" Lan Ze asked irritably.

"They seem to be studying something in the tatami room next door... but you know, my Clairvoyance can't see into the goddess's world." Merlin shrugged. "She told me to watch you from here."

"So if I want to leave, you'll stop me?" Lan Ze asked.

Merlin remained noncommittal. "Even if I don't stop you, you can't leave here. Your Master is watching this place closely."

"Besides... this could be an opportunity, you know?" Merlin suddenly lowered his voice and whispered, "She doesn't know yet that you weren't affected by the Black Mud, so perhaps we can take her by surprise later..."

Merlin didn't continue, but Lan Ze already understood what he meant.

"A backstab?" Lan Ze whispered.

Merlin smiled and said, "You can choose to backstab... or if you're capable enough, you can choose to thrust."

"... What?" Lan Ze didn't understand Merlin's words. He was stunned for a while before he reacted. He suddenly raised his head and stared at Merlin.

"You might as well just die!"

The golden gate behind him opened silently. Just as the Noble Phantasm was about to be unleashed, there was a "whoosh" sound, and only a few petals fell in the Japanese-style room. Merlin had already disappeared from the room.

Lan Ze stared at the empty room, falling into a long silence.

Merlin may not be a strong fighter, but when it comes to escaping, probably no one can compare to him.

He slightly raised his hand, closed the Golden Gate, and just as he sat down cross-legged, the door to the Japanese-style room quietly opened.

Lan Ze turned his head slightly and saw a pretty girl with short hair standing in front of the door of the Japanese-style room, and behind her was Merlin, who had just slipped out of the room.

"Big brother, did you fight with this guy next to me?" Kama asked Lan Ze with a puzzled look in his eyes.

Lan Ze didn't speak, he just stared at Merlin.

"Why don't you speak?" Kama asked again.

"What are you talking about? I can beat Merlin but I can't beat him, it's so frustrating..." Lan Ze was silent for a moment, but finally said, "I'm sorry, Master."

"You are all my Servant, don't fight amongst yourselves." Kama said, glancing slightly at Merlin with a hint of curiosity, "Did you do something to anger him?"

Merlin looked up and thought for a moment, then smiled and said, "Nothing much, just a trivial matter."

Merlin's words piqued Kama's interest even more, but seeing that he seemed unwilling to elaborate, she didn't press him. Instead, she abruptly changed the subject, turning to the white-haired mage beside her and saying:

"Our battle tonight has likely attracted the attention of other Master and even Servant. Go out and investigate... If you find any other Servant, let me know immediately."

"Master, even if Servant Master defeated, you can summon a new Servant, right?" Merlin reminded him.

"Who told you I was going to take care of those Servant?"

Kama revealed a breathtaking smile and said softly, "What I need to do is not to eliminate those Servant, but rather..."

"Let me become the Master of those Servant."

This is a very unrealistic idea, because each Master can only provide enough mana to one Servant. Even if you have multiple Servant, if the Magic Supply is insufficient, the combat power of multiple Servant is not as high as that of a single Servant.

But she is a beast, a beast with immense magical power, capable of supplying even multiple Servant.

Kama's plan is to gather more Servant before dealing with that troublesome woman who seems to be connected to the Root...

"What are you waiting for? Hurry up and go!" Kama urged impatiently.

"Alright, alright..." Merlin sighed and scratched his head.

I was planning to relax and take a break these past couple of days, but it turns out my Master is also a 996 boss, making me work late into the night...

Merlin, thinking of this, glanced at Lan Ze again, gave him a gentle yet irritating smile, and said, "Caster, I'll be going now~"

Merlin silently transformed into flower petals and disappeared from sight. Kama then slightly turned his head and said calmly, "You go outside and wait, Berserker."

"I have something I'd like to ask you, big brother."

Beside Kama, a dark shadow shifted subtly before disappearing into the Japanese-style room.

Kama withdrew his gaze, turned his head, and scrutinized Lan Ze.

Her expression was full of doubt. She had felt something was strange when the Black Mud had been eroding Lan Ze, and now, seeing Lan Ze's bright eyes, she was even more confused.

Why does it seem like the Black Mud has no effect on him...?

Am I just imagining things?

Feeling somewhat uncomfortable under his gaze, Lan Ze asked, "Master, what are your orders?"

"I said, big brother."

Kama stared into Lan Ze's eyes, his voice soft yet tinged with danger, and said gently:

"You wouldn't... have escaped the influence of the Black Mud, would you?"

"Oh dear, what a troublesome Master! Suddenly sending me out to investigate, but where am I supposed to find anyone?"

Merlin walked along the deserted street, his gaze leisurely sweeping over his surroundings, but he sighed inwardly.

Back in Uruk, he often worked overtime, not only thinking about how to deal with the enemies on the Demonic Beast Front, but also searching for the Tablet of Destinies and even bringing the Chaldea people back to Uruk.

Unexpectedly, after arriving at the Holy Grail War, I was forced to work overtime again.

"I'll just wander around and see what happens..." Merlin muttered to himself as he slowly walked along the bridge in the darkness.

Kama sent him out to find the Servant, and if he found her, he could just go back and inform her... However, he knew perfectly well that he couldn't possibly reveal the Servant's location to her.

Currently, Beast is relatively easy to deal with because he and Lan Ze are two traitors by his side. However, if Kama uses his abilities to recruit other Servant... then it might not be so easy to deal with.

Speaking of which, is this the Fuyuki Bridge where the battle just took place?

Merlin's gaze quickly fell upon the magnificent and imposing bridge.

Some of the railings at the bridgehead were charred black by the intense fire, a result of Kama's recent battle with Ryougi Shiki.

Merlin walked to the bridgehead, gently stroking the charred railing, and sighed, "This is truly astonishing combat power. A Master was able to fight a Beast like this, and even drive it away... If that girl had a beast's body like Aika, the consequences would have been unimaginable."

Although he had been observing the battle here for some time, Merlin couldn't help but feel a sense of emotion when he actually saw it in person.

The Root is the lifelong pursuit of Magecraft, a Magecraft they can never reach even if they dedicate their entire lives to Root.

The two people who have appeared so far are either born with a connection to the Root or their physical bodies are the Root... These are simply monsters.

Maybe I should find some time to secretly contact Ryougi Shiki... Merlin, the traitor, thought to himself.

As he walked towards the bridge, a blond-haired "citizen" appeared in his field of vision.

The oldest King of Heroes!

Gilgamesh clearly sensed someone approaching and turned his head slightly to look over.

Then, an amused smile appeared on his face, "Merlin?"

Merlin paused, looked up, and when he saw Gilgamesh, he was first surprised, then raised his hand and waved. "Long time no see, Your Majesty—"

Suddenly, a golden light shone silently behind Gilgamesh, and his Noble Phantasm shot towards Merlin with a "whoosh".

The next moment, Merlin transformed into pink petals and disappeared from sight. Soon after, Merlin quietly appeared on the streetlights of the bridge.

"Your Majesty, it's not good to act rashly," Merlin said with a smile.

Gilgamesh abruptly raised his head, his face contorted with rage. "Did I grant you permission to stand up there and look down at the ground?!"

His meaning was roughly: Only I can stand on this streetlight, so what right do you have to stand on it and look down at me?

The Gate of Babylon unfolded rapidly, and the golden gate shone brightly in the darkness. Numerous Noble Phantasm were unleashed upon Merlin, who stood atop a lamppost.

Merlin had no choice but to jump down from the lamppost. As he watched the Noble Phantasm hurtling towards him, he raised his staff to cast a spell, but suddenly stuck out his tongue as if in pain.

"That's why I don't like chanting spells!"

As Merlin complained, he turned his staff around, drew a sword, Britain the British swordsman swung his sword, which seemed to slash out as if he had unleashed countless swords at once, cutting down all the incoming Noble Phantasm. A series of explosions rang out in mid-air, like countless fireworks blooming.

"You're clearly quite capable, so why do you always like to hide your abilities, Merlin?" Gilgamesh raised an eyebrow, quite satisfied with Merlin's performance.

"That's not about hiding your talents, it's about conserving your magic so you can use it in the right places," Merlin said with a sigh.

"Now is the perfect time for you to use your magic. Let me witness your power, Merlin!"

Gilgamesh stood with his arms clasped to his chest, clad in golden armor, with countless golden gates shining behind him, magnificent and spectacular, as if a myth had been recreated.

Merlin stared at Gilgamesh with a wary look, thinking to himself, "Why am I so unlucky? I was captured and forced to be a Servant after Servant, and now I'm just planning to go out and relax before heading back, but I've run into Gilgamesh."

Moreover, he appears to be a very belligerent and easily angered Gilgamesh.

There's no other way but to take it a little more seriously.

Thinking of this, Merlin sighed and looked up to confirm the direction of Gilgamesh's Noble Phantasm attack, but his eyes suddenly froze for a moment as he looked up.

He stared blankly at Gilgamesh, or more accurately, at what was behind Gilgamesh.

At some point, a woman with long blue hair appeared behind the King of Heroes. She was carrying a paper bag of butter in one hand and a still-warm meat bun in the other. She took a slow, deliberate bite, with a few crumbs of bread still clinging to the corner of her mouth.

Merlin: "..."

"What's wrong, Merlin? Do you think that if I don't resist, I'll give up the attack?" Gilgamesh raised his proud head, and the weapon in the Golden Gate revealed its sharpness.