Chapter Thirty-Five: I, Tamamo, Will Shoot You Down! / Chapter Thirty-Six: You Can't Escape the Palm of My Hand

Everyone in Chaldea knew that Yuxian doted on these children the most. How could he possibly bear to punish them? It was just another round of horseplay.

Gretel refused to cooperate, and Jabberwocky was still treating Aldebaran like a toy, having the time of its life. The situation had reached a stalemate, and no one knew how to break it.

Seeing the one who had started everything fighting with all her strength, Atalanta could not bear it any longer. Gritting her teeth, she asked Yuxian, "Master, could you use the remaining two Command Spells to strengthen me?"

"Hm?" Yuxian looked at her in confusion, not knowing why she was voluntarily asking to be strengthened.

Atalanta said, "I want to kill as many of these Gastrea as possible. On my own, the coverage of my Noble Phantasm is somewhat insufficient. I hope Master can help me."

"Your Noble Phantasm can cover such a huge area? Isn't its maximum target count one hundred people?" Yuxian asked doubtfully.

Atalanta looked at him in bafflement, wondering why Yuxian thought that. Was he underestimating her?

Seeing this, Chiron hurriedly explained, "Master may have misunderstood the range of Noble Phantasms. Although I do not know where Master heard that Atalanta's Noble Phantasm could capture a maximum of one hundred people, the power and range of a Heroic Spirit's Noble Phantasm are not fixed. With powerful magical energy support or bonuses from legends, both its power and range can be enhanced to varying degrees."

Mash added after hearing that, "That's right. Once, Sir Gawain bragged that his Noble Phantasm had a range of thirteen kilometers, so everyone compared the ranges of their Noble Phantasms."

Hearing from Mash that Chaldea's Servants had actually been bored enough to compare the ranges of their Noble Phantasms, Yuxian could not help rolling his eyes internally. It had to be because Emiya had fed them too well.

Still, he could not suppress his curiosity and asked Mash, "Who won in the end?"

Mash pondered for several seconds before saying, "Arash..."

Yuxian's expression stiffened as he screamed inwardly.

Please stop bullying the great hero already!!!

Since Atalanta's Noble Phantasm could wipe out the Gastrea army in one go, Yuxian naturally would not be stingy with his Command Spells.

Command Spells were not especially precious to him. He recovered one stroke every day, and leaving them unused would only be a waste.

Atalanta had made up her mind, so Yuxian decisively used his remaining two Command Spells.

"Atalanta, strengthen!"

"Atalanta, strengthen!"

Yuxian raised his right hand and used Command Spells twice in succession to strengthen Atalanta. The patterns on the back of his hand vanished after use, but their connection remained.

The Command Spell system truly was miraculous. Especially since his own Command Spell system had undergone a mutation, there were still many secrets yet to be uncovered.

After being strengthened twice in a row, Atalanta's magical energy surged. She raised the Sky-Piercing Bow high and drew its string toward the sky.

The Sky-Piercing Bow, Tauropolos, bestowed by Artemis, goddess of the moon, was drawn into a full moon. An arrow made of magical energy rested on the string, ready to be fired at any moment.

"I beseech the moon goddess and the sun god for their blessing!

Petition Arrow Letter, Phoibos Catastrophe!"

The arrow shot into the sky, tracing a brilliant path before finally turning into points of light and vanishing into the air.

Yuxian knew that Atalanta's Petition Arrow Letter was an indiscriminate rain-of-arrows attack, so he had already ordered everyone to retreat far away.

Those who did not know what was happening were stunned. This dramatic buildup with such an anticlimactic result left them puzzled. They had expected another explosive spectacle, yet it seemed as though nothing had happened.

Especially after hearing Atalanta invoke the two gods, Artemis, goddess of the moon, and Apollo, god of the sun. Everyone knew of their power. In mythologies everywhere, gods named after the sun and moon were extraordinarily powerful.

Had it failed? The thought surfaced in everyone's mind.

Failure was naturally impossible. Perhaps because of Yuxian's enhancement, the two gods took slightly longer to respond when Atalanta used Petition Arrow Letter this time, creating the somewhat awkward scene before them.

Since the petition had already been submitted, a response would come sooner or later. Atalanta's Noble Phantasm was a manifestation of the concept of drawing a bow and firing an arrow. There was no reason for it to fail. In fact, Yuxian had never seen a Noble Phantasm fail to activate.

At last, countless points of light appeared in the sky, like stars filling the heavens. They were especially conspicuous in this moment between day and night.

PS:

I'll just pretend the setting about Noble Phantasms' target counts does not exist.

After all, Gawain's thirteen-kilometer sweep has a listed range of twenty to forty and a maximum target count of three hundred. No matter how I look at it, it feels weird.

PS:

I specifically checked. The first Servant I got to Bond 10 was not the great hero! Not the great hero! Not the great hero!

I, Kitty Atalanta, Will Blow Them Away!

Countless points of light appeared in the sky, densely blanketing the entire battlefield overhead.

It was here!

Everyone trembled inwardly and began anticipating the scene to come, guessing what kind of shocking spectacle this attack would produce. Such an extraordinary phenomenon was bound to have an extraordinary display.

The points of light filling the sky turned into a rain of arrows. Arrows of light fell from the heavens, forming a torrential downpour made of luminous arrows. They fell faster and faster, and by the time they struck the ground, their impact was enough to leave visible holes in the hard earth.

Ordinary Gastrea had no way to resist an arrow rain of such power. Once struck, they could never rise again.

The dense arrow rain covered the entire battlefield, spanning an enormous area. Arrows of light poured down from the sky like a summer cloudburst—fast, fierce, and relentless.

The arrow rain blocked everyone's view, making the distant battlefield blurry and impossible to see clearly. All they could hear were waves of Gastrea shrieks.

Though they could not witness the scene within the arrow rain, everyone could imagine how brutal it was. Those miserable cries were exceptionally pleasing to hear.

Atalanta could adjust the area covered by her Noble Phantasm at will. After being strengthened twice by Yuxian's Command Spells, its coverage became immense, completely enveloping the entire Gastrea army.

The Gastrea army had nowhere to flee beneath such an arrow rain. Ordinary Gastrea found it difficult to survive, unless they possessed powerful regenerative abilities like Aldebaran.

The arrow rain formed by the light arrows was dazzling and blinding, but no one could bear to close their eyes. No one wanted to miss a scene like this. They were even reluctant to blink, afraid of missing a single detail.

The arrow rain continued to fall. Gretel stamped her feet nearby, no longer caring about being angry as she shouted, "Jabberwocky is still in there! How can you do this?!"

"Um... Jabberwocky should be fine, right?"

Gretel said unhappily, "How could it be fine? It must hurt!"

This arrow rain naturally could not injure Jabberwocky, but to Gretel, Jabberwocky was like a good friend. She did not want to see it harmed in any way, even if this attack could not truly threaten it.

Under everyone's watchful eyes, the arrow rain finally began to subside, and everything on the battlefield was once again revealed.

Corpses lay scattered across the ground. Broken Gastrea limbs carpeted the battlefield. Other than Aldebaran, not a single living Gastrea could be seen in the entire area.

Aldebaran itself looked especially miserable. Wounds covered its body, and even with its formidable regenerative ability, it could not fully recover in a short time.

By comparison, Jabberwocky looked completely unaffected. It continued teasing Aldebaran at an unhurried pace. Such an arrow rain caused it only slight pain, and nothing more. It could not even count as injury.

The sight before them stunned everyone. The corpses covering the ground showed exactly how powerful that arrow rain had been. Attacks of such vast scale were even more memorable visually.

The higher-ups watching this war were especially terrified. An attack like this was already comparable to an entire army.

A single person was an army!

Although they had already raised their assessment of Yuxian and the others to the highest level, they now realized their earlier evaluation had still been far too low. This was no longer merely personal strength. They now possessed the ability to contend against powerful organizations.

After using her Noble Phantasm, Atalanta looked extremely exhausted. Yet she wore a smile, happy that she had eliminated so many Gastrea at once and created a safer living environment for those children.

The war was over.

Aldebaran had become a commander without troops and could no longer pose a threat. It could be eliminated at any time.

After a brief silence brought on by the arrow rain's shock, cheers erupted one after another.

They had won! They had finally won!

The joy of victory had everyone cheering and jumping in celebration, while also feeling fortunate that they had survived the war.

Yuxian did not disturb their celebration. He silently turned and left. At that moment, his mission was complete. He was no longer the leader of the Civil Security Corps.

Gretel was angry! Very angry! Incomparably angry!

Master had actually scared her, messed up the hair she carefully arranged every day, and even let Jabberwocky get hit by the arrow rain.

She decided to ignore Master... for three days... one day!

She absolutely would not forgive him so easily. She had to make Master come apologize on his own. Then she could make demands and pretend to reluctantly forgive him...

What should she ask for? Gretel began agonizing over it.

She still had several fairy-tale books from her last purchase that she had not finished reading, so she did not need more for now. Going out for delicious food would definitely mean everyone went together, which would make it meaningless. She wanted something just for herself.

While Gretel was still racking her brains over what to demand from Yuxian, Little Jeanne tugged her, signaling that it was time to leave.

She was a little dazed. How had it ended so quickly?

When she turned around, she saw Yuxian waving at her from the distance. She huffed and turned her head away, thinking to herself, Don't think you can coax me so easily.

When she realized that she would soon be the only one left, she immediately jogged after them, afraid they would truly leave her behind.

After running a few steps, she stopped and turned back to shout at Jabberwocky, "Stop playing! We're going home!"

Hearing Gretel's call, Jabberwocky finally stopped teasing Aldebaran. It slapped Aldebaran to the ground and pinned it there. No matter how Aldebaran struggled, it could not rise again.

Jabberwocky stomped on it several times, then used both its mouth and claws to tear Aldebaran apart piece by piece.

In only a few moments, the massive Aldebaran had been ripped into fragments by Jabberwocky. No matter how powerful its regeneration was, it could no longer recover.

The mighty Aldebaran, the Aldebaran that had thrown the entire Tokyo Area into panic, was casually torn into pieces like a rag doll. It was dead beyond doubt.

The cameraman faithfully captured the scene and broadcast it to everyone. Only then did they realize that Jabberwocky had merely been playing with Aldebaran all along. Its true strength completely surpassed Aldebaran's.

Everyone who realized this could not help drawing a cold breath. Before the battle, Yuxian had said that he would deal with Aldebaran himself, and everyone had been worried. Only now did they understand that this war, which they had seen as a matter of life and death, was merely a game for Yuxian to pass the time.

After Jabberwocky dealt with Aldebaran, Gretel put it back into her fairy-tale book. She hurried after everyone, calling repeatedly, "Wait for me! Wait for me!"

She had already forgotten that she had just decided to ignore Yuxian.

PS:

I saw a report saying that Japan's Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology would permit, in late August, a research project by the University of Tokyo and Stanford University involving transplanting human organs into animals.

You Can't Escape the Palm of My Hand

The Third Kanto Gastrea War came to an end just like that.

The war had arrived with tremendous force, filling people with terror and despair, yet when it ended, it felt more like a performance—effortless and endlessly satisfying.

Not a single member of the Civil Security Corps died. Most had only suffered minor injuries and could recover after brief treatment. Meanwhile, the Gastrea army, including Aldebaran and the Pleiades, had been completely annihilated. Such results were not merely dazzling; they were outright slaughter.

Before the war began, even the most optimistic person could never have imagined it ending this way. It had surpassed all imagination and could only be called a miracle.

Construction on the new Monolith began at full speed and was expected to be completed within three to five days. The work faced no obstacles whatsoever. The Gastrea throughout the surrounding region had been eradicated, leaving behind a vast vacuum zone. With safety concerns resolved, the construction crews worked day and night at full capacity, and progress was exceptionally fast.

Yuxian declined the victory banquet Seitenshi invited him to. He was completely unused to those noisy gatherings of fame and profit. Rather than accept insincere flattery, he would much rather stay home and eat homemade food with the little ones. It was far more enjoyable.

Gretel ultimately failed to keep her decision to ignore Yuxian for even one day. In fact, she was easily won over that very evening by the meal Yuxian cooked himself.

While muttering things like, "Master is really good at coaxing children," and "Master is a big liar," she ate with great relish and even fought Jack for food.

It had to be said that Yuxian's cooking was quite good. Although it could not compare to Grand Order Chef Emiya's excellence, it was still above average.

Especially after spending so much time together, he knew the little ones' tastes well. Since he had deliberately prepared a table full of dishes suited to their preferences, of course they praised it enthusiastically.

Yuxian and the others moved back to the Outer District. After that live broadcast, they had become celebrities in the Tokyo Area. Every time they went out, people would surround them, giving everyone a headache, though it was hard to refuse them.

By comparison, the Outer District was much quieter. Although the children there had all sorts of questions as well, Yuxian was more patient with them and willing to answer their wild, imaginative questions.

This war had been broadcast live from start to finish, bringing ordinary people closer to the Cursed Children. Some parents had even come forward to reclaim their own children.

Yuxian was deeply disgusted by these parents for abandoning their children, but from the children's perspective, being with their parents was ultimately what they desired and looked forward to most.

For this reason, Yuxian personally suggested to Seitenshi that these parents be registered one by one and monitored afterward. On one hand, Cursed Children needed regular checks on their corrosion rates. On the other, this would keep watch over parents with prior misconduct and prevent further tragedies.

At this point, Yuxian's goal could be said to have been largely achieved. At least in the Tokyo Area, the Cursed Children's lives would continue improving from now on.

Of course, he could not yet truly and completely change their futures. What made Cursed Children special was the Gastrea Virus in their bodies. As long as the Gastrea Virus remained, they would always be Cursed Children, and their corrosion rates would remain shackles binding their futures.

Only when the Gastrea Virus was eradicated one day could they truly be considered free.

The culprit behind the Monolith's shoddy, adulterated materials was uncovered not long afterward. Kisaragi Tendo firmly obtained evidence of Tendo Kazumitsu's embezzlement. Tendo Kazumitsu was thrown into prison, where he eventually died, finally bringing this incident to a true end.

Yuxian became idle again, wandering about every day with nothing to do.

Little Jeanne managed Master very strictly. She was deeply dissatisfied with Yuxian's aimless, lazy days, so she sought out Chiron and arranged a training plan for Yuxian.