Journey to Find Heroic Spirits

Everyone's attention was immediately drawn to him, unsure of his intentions for appearing at this moment.

Golden Flash was instantly enraged, aiming the [King's Treasure] at him. "Who allowed you to look at this King, mongrel? Let your death please this King."

BOOM!

Several Noble Phantasms behind Golden Flash shot towards Lancelot simultaneously. The immense explosion and thick smoke concealed Lancelot's form, leaving his fate unknown.

As the smoke cleared, Lancelot stood unharmed, holding a sword that had just been fired by Golden Flash.

Possessing the Noble Phantasm [Knight Does Not Die Empty-Handed], Lancelot could imbue weapons held in his hands with Noble Phantasm properties and wield them.

In that instant, he first caught the flying sword and then knocked away all the weapons behind it.

[Infinite Martial Arts Training]. Lancelot possessed peerless martial arts refinement. Even under Mad Enhancement, his skills remained exceptionally outstanding.

Mash asked, "Senpai, why is Lord Lancelot attacking Mr. Golden?"

"It's not Lancelot attacking Golden Flash, but Kariya Matou targeting Tokiomi Tohsaka," Yuxian explained. "What a pitiable person."

"Lord Lancelot is no match for Mr. Golden. He's in danger if this continues," Mash said anxiously. She had a natural fondness for Lancelot and didn't want to see him defeated like this.

"He can't hold on much longer. Tokiomi Tohsaka will recall Golden Flash soon," Yuxian said, expressing his disdain for Tokiomi Tohsaka's caution. He had a winning hand but played it poorly.

He changed the subject, saying to Mash, "Soon, Golden Flash will scatter Noble Phantasms all over the place. Should we pick some up? It would be our contribution to Fuyuki City's environmental protection."

"Please, absolutely not!" Mash refused sternly.

The battle continued. After Lancelot cut down a standing streetlamp, Golden Flash landed on the ground, enraged. He unleashed the [King's Treasure] to its maximum, preparing to kill his opponent in one fell swoop.

Seeing this, Tokiomi Tohsaka finally couldn't help but use a Command Spell to recall Golden Flash. Golden Flash felt intensely dissatisfied and insulted by his action.

After Golden Flash left, Lancelot turned his gaze to Artoria. This time, he was truly berserk, the black smoke emanating from him visibly thickening.

"Mash, stop him!"

"Yes, Senpai."

Mash quickly stepped forward with her shield, blocking Lancelot's path and shielding Artoria behind her.

At this moment, Lancelot had lost his reason. He didn't stop his actions; his eyes were fixed only on Artoria behind Mash.

Yuxian didn't want Mash to bear the brunt of Lancelot's attack. He knew Kariya was nearby, so he raised his voice and said, "Let's call it a night. Everyone go home and do your own thing. We'll fight again tomorrow."

Kariya's only target was Tokiomi. Hearing Yuxian's words, he used a Command Spell to recall Lancelot.

Kayneth, seeing no advantage to be gained, wisely and quietly departed.

"Let's go, Mash," Yuxian called out to Mash, and the two slowly walked away. He waved to the people behind them as a farewell.

"Oh, what an interesting young man," King of Conquerors laughed, watching Yuxian's retreating figure. Yuxian's actions had piqued his interest.

Artoria stared blankly at Mash. The scene of Mash blocking in front of her just now reminded her of Galahad.

Her resolve to obtain the Holy Grail and change history became even firmer.

Halfway there, Yuxian called Emiya, asking him to monitor Artoria's return route. Gilles de Rais might appear at any moment, and it would be best to find his lair.

"Senpai, will Gilles de Rais appear?" Mash asked worriedly after Yuxian hung up the phone.

Yuxian gestured for Mash to relax and explained, "Gilles de Rais has vision problems. He'll mistake Artoria for Jeanne d'Arc. If he finds Jeanne d'Arc, there's no reason for him not to appear, right?"

Mash was surprised. "Huh? I thought his eyes were quite large."

"Large eyes don't necessarily mean good eyesight. Your eyes are large too, yet you wear glasses all day."

Mash took off her glasses and handed them to Yuxian. "These aren't prescription glasses, Senpai. See for yourself."

Yuxian examined them closely and indeed found they were non-prescription. He asked, puzzled, "If they have no prescription, why do you wear them?"

"When I used to read a lot, I felt wearing glasses gave me a more scholarly look. I just got used to it without realizing."

So that's the kind of junior you are.

Section 8 Chapter 8: Rin Tohsaka is Mine, Draw Your Sword!

Returning to the Matou residence, Yuxian sat on the living room sofa, quietly waiting for news from Emiya.

Mash was dozing off beside him, her head nodding. Yuxian urged her to rest, but she insisted on staying awake with him.

RUMBLE!

A series of explosions echoed from afar. Even from within the Matou residence, they could be heard clearly.

They said the Holy Grail War was supposed to be conducted in secret, yet everyone is acting like it's a terrorist attack, Yuxian thought to himself.

Kiritsugu Emiya had some sense, having set a fire beforehand to disperse the civilians before demolishing the hotel building where Kayneth was staying.

"What happened!" Mash was startled awake, her groggy eyes darting around. Her adorable appearance made Yuxian both amused and concerned.

"It's nothing. Go back to sleep for a while."

Mash shook her head. She had dozed off without realizing it and felt a bit embarrassed. She was no longer sleepy.

She was only a Demi-Servant, with a human body. The lack of sleep for the past two days was taking its toll.

Although Yuxian was also tired, he was a seasoned night owl and much more capable of staying up late than Mash.

It took a long time for Emiya to return. His complexion was terrible as he slumped onto the sofa opposite Yuxian, head bowed in silence.

Mash asked with concern, "What's wrong? Mr. Emiya?"

"You didn't run into Gilles de Rais?" Yuxian frowned. If his appearance had somehow altered events, it would be troublesome.

Emiya shook his head and recounted the events in a dejected tone.

"I ran into Gilles de Rais blocking Artoria's path midway. I secretly used Imaginary Numbers Collapse for a surprise attack, but I couldn't finish him off. He fled injured. I tracked him to his hideout, and inside..."

Emiya paused, unable to bear describing the scene. "I've already sent those children to the hospital, but the psychological trauma left by their torment..."

Yuxian stood up and walked over to Emiya, patting his shoulder. "Don't blame yourself, Emiya. You're just an ally of justice, not justice itself. You should understand that some things cannot be changed by your own power alone.

How about this: you work a bit harder tonight and patrol the city of Fuyuki to prevent more victims. They wouldn't dare be so reckless in broad daylight.

Tomorrow night, Gilles de Rais will definitely go to Einzbern Castle to find Artoria. You take him out then.

Mash and I will go find his Master, Ryunosuke Uryu. Without a Master, even if he's a Caster class and can sustain himself with magic, he can't exist in the real world for long."

"Okay, I'll go right away." Emiya moved immediately after hearing this.

"Ah! If I see Miss Jeanne, I'm definitely telling her about this!" Mash was furious. It was rare for her to be so indignant, and Gilles de Rais's actions had clearly angered her.

Yuxian was also furious. For a Heroic Spirit like Emiya, who had experienced such cruelty, to feel unbearable pain, what kind of horrific scene must it have been? He dared not imagine.

"Go get some rest. We'll settle the score with him tomorrow night."

The next evening, after an early dinner, Yuxian and Mash set out to find Ryunosuke, while Emiya proceeded with the plan to ambush Gilles de Rais in the Demon Forest.

"Senpai, can we really find Caster's Master by just wandering around aimlessly?" Mash began to doubt Yuxian's casual method of searching.

"We should be able to," Yuxian scratched his head. In truth, he had no idea what to do either, and could only circle around.

"Look, here's a clue," Yuxian's eyes suddenly lit up as he pointed to a little girl not far away.

"Is that?"

"Rin Tohsaka, Tokiomi Tohsaka's daughter, Sakura's older sister. A certain goddess from Chaldea who always messes up at crucial moments is possessing her."

"Senpai, saying that makes Miss Ishtar seem so pitiful," Mash couldn't help but feel sorry for Ishtar.

Yuxian retorted, "Isn't that a very accurate assessment?"

"Uh... you're not wrong," Mash was speechless. What Yuxian said was indeed the truth.

Rin Tohsaka had come to find her good friend Kotone, and by following her, Yuxian easily found Ryunosuke.

Due to Emiya's patrol last night, Ryunosuke had become more cautious and was no longer as reckless as before.

Yuxian and Mash trailed them from a distance, arriving at a secluded room. Before Yuxian could say anything, Mash swung the shield in her hand and slammed it hard into Ryunosuke's face.

Mash's furious blow startled Rin Tohsaka, who quickly retreated to a corner of the room, cautiously on guard.

"Mash, take the children outside. I'll deal with this guy." Yuxian saw Ryunosuke Uryu convulsing on the ground. Mash's blow was indeed not light, and he wouldn't be getting up anytime soon.

"Senpai..." Mash glanced at Yuxian hesitantly.

Yuxian urged, "Hurry, take the children to the patrol cars outside. They'll safely escort them back."

The children in the room slowly woke up, and Mash led them out in an orderly fashion.

Yuxian found a blood-stained dagger in the room, his hand trembling slightly.

"Aren't you leaving?" he asked, surprised to see Rin Tohsaka still hiding in the corner and not following Mash.

Rin Tohsaka looked at Yuxian, then at Ryunosuke on the ground, and said nothing.

If Yuxian remembered correctly, Rin Tohsaka was only seven years old. For a seven-year-old girl to be so brave, daring to come out alone late at night to find her good friend, it had to be said that Tokiomi Tohsaka did have his merits.

"Close your eyes. As a reward for your bravery, I'll bring Sakura to play with you later."

When Rin Tohsaka closed her eyes, Yuxian squatted down and aimed the dagger at Ryunosuke's heart.

Yuxian's hand trembled so much he couldn't aim properly. He placed his other hand on the dagger as well, and it felt slightly better.

Taking a deep breath, Yuxian closed his eyes, gritted his teeth, and thrust the dagger down fiercely.

Thwack.

The expected scene of blood splattering did not occur. Crimson blood slowly seeped from the side of the dagger. Ryunosuke was completely silent.

"Let's go, Rin."

Yuxian led Rin Tohsaka out of the room. Mash had already sent the children away.

Seeing Rin beside Yuxian, she asked, "What about Rin?"

"Wait in the park. Her mother will come for her soon."

The three of them went to a park in Fuyuki City and sat down to wait.

At this moment, Rin Tohsaka recovered from what had just happened. She opened her eyes wide and looked at Yuxian. "You said you'd bring Sakura to play with me, is that true?"

"Of course."

Upon hearing the affirmative answer, Rin Tohsaka immediately became happy. She asked again, "How has Sakura been lately? I haven't seen her in a long time."

"You'll know in a few days if you ask her yourself," Yuxian didn't answer directly. He hadn't been in Fuyuki City for more than a few days, so he didn't know if Sakura was doing well, but with Emiya looking after her, he figured it couldn't be too bad.

"Rin!"

"Mom!"

Makiri Sakura finally found them and hugged Rin tightly as she ran over, her face filled with worry.

Seeing his daughter was safe, he breathed a sigh of relief and thanked the two of them.

Yuxian bid them farewell and prepared to leave.

Before he had gone far, Rin Tohsaka's voice called out from behind him, "Be sure to come find me, okay?"

Yuxian raised his right hand and gave a thumbs-up, disappearing from Rin Tohsaka's sight along with Mash.

Yuxian was silent on the way back, with Mash quietly following by his side.

"Senpai..."

"What is it?" Yuxian stopped and turned to look at Mash.

Mash looked directly at Yuxian and said with a firm tone, "Senpai doesn't need to do it himself, you can leave it to Mash."

Yuxian took a step forward and ruffled her hair, "I'm the Master, I'm Senpai, how can I let my cute kouhai do everything?"

"Senpai..." A faint blush of shyness appeared on Mash's face, which Yuxian didn't notice under the dim streetlight.

Section 9 Chapter 9 Cthulhu is coming, prepare the ship quickly!