Twinblade

The old knight continued to sneer:

"You used to be pretty capable during training, didn't you? Why are you such a coward now?"

"I-I just..."

"Just what?"

The old knight suddenly turned around, Dragon Communion Flame flickering in his eyes.

Lu Mingfei took half a step back under that piercing gaze and said timidly:

"I don't think I'm good enough..."

"No."

The old man cut him off firmly:

"The obsession in your heart has disappeared."

Obsession?

Ah.

That was right.

Before defeating Margit, the Fell Omen, his mind had indeed been filled with thoughts of "going home." He had been willing to do almost anything for it, regardless of life or death.

The old knight stepped closer, his tall figure looming over him:

"With an obsession in your heart, you could endure Dragonfire burning your body and slay a dragon. Now, you hesitate even to swing your sword."

The dusk light stretched their shadows long, intertwining them.

"Mingfei."

The young knight abruptly raised his head.

The old man sighed. The hardness in his tone faded, replaced by gentleness:

"You must live for yourself."

"Do not lose yourself in glory bestowed upon you by outsiders. Do not be swayed by others' words. And above all, do not treat a mission given to you by someone else as your creed."

"If you become king, it should be because you yourself want to be king—because you want power, wealth, women. If you challenge Godrick, it should be because you yourself want to kill him. Honor and strength..."

He pressed a hand to his chest.

"They exist only here."

Taking Lu Mingfei as his final disciple had initially been a thoughtless decision. Yet now, he was racking his brains over this little apprentice.

The old man patted Lu Mingfei on the shoulder, nearly knocking the boy flat with the force of it:

"Why do you think I took you as my disciple? Because I saw potential in you.

"Now straighten your back and walk out there like a true Storm Knight!"

Lu Mingfei suddenly understood what the old knight truly hoped for.

It was not for him to become some great warrior.

It was for him to find a path of his own.

What a luxury.

In this chaotic age, where survival from one day to the next was uncertain, how many people even had the leisure to ponder why they fought?

This was the old man's gift.

He had given him strength. He had given him hope. And now, he wanted to give him himself.

Lu Mingfei rubbed his aching shoulder and lowered his head in silence for a long time.

A very, very long time.

Dusk was fading, and the night wind howled.

Lu Mingfei said in a muffled voice:

"I... I understand."

"You're right. I really am... sometimes like a madman, sometimes like a useless loser."

He laughed at himself.

"During training, I push myself so hard I practically want to die. But once no one's watching, I can't even be bothered to pick up my sword."

Lu Mingfei paused, then looked up at the old knight.

"But what you said just now... reminded me of something." His tone gradually turned serious. "I always used to think becoming stronger was for other people.

"So I wouldn't hold anyone back, so no one would look down on me, even for... certain people's expectations."

"But when you said 'live for yourself'... honestly, I'd never thought about it."

"But now that I think about it, if I don't even know why I swing my sword, what's the point of becoming stronger?"

Under the old man's blazing gaze, Lu Mingfei took a deep breath and straightened up.

His voice was quiet, but clear:

"So... this time, I'll give it a try."

"Not because of anyone's orders, and not for any glory..."

The young knight lifted his head.

"Just because I want to try."

The old knight's back stiffened slightly, his silver-white hair gleaming coldly beneath the moonlight.

He kicked Lu Mingfei in the ass.

"Get lost! Stop being an eyesore!"

Lu Mingfei squatted beside the Site of Grace at Rampart Tower, using Tarnished's Old Finger to scrawl crookedly across the stone tiles:

"Shirou: The side gate route you recommended really is easier than the main entrance... but that bastard Gostoc set me up! I almost got chopped into minced meat by an Exile Knight!

"I'm stuck at the Site of Grace in Rampart Tower now. Up ahead are nothing but powder kegs and Stormhawks. Those hawks with swords tied to their feet are like lunatics—they even blow themselves up!

"I can't find any chance to break through... I urgently need support! Get here fast!

"—Lu Mingfei"

After finishing, he took out the little golden effigy, located Emiya Shirou's world, and slapped it onto the ground. After white runes flashed, it turned into motes of light and vanished.

Three minutes later, a line of runes appeared on the ground:

[Sorry, I'm helping Rudeus explore the Magic Academy. I recommend another friend to help you—Ken Kaneki. He specializes in infiltration operations.]

"Ken Kaneki?"

Lu Mingfei frowned at the familiar name:

"Isn't this guy the one whose brain got messed up by Curseblood and almost turned him into a Bloody Finger lunatic? Is he reliable?"

Before he could finish speaking, a golden rune appeared on the ground.

[Ken Kaneki]

Clearly, Emiya Shirou had already given Kaneki his world coordinates.

Emiya was warmhearted and kind, but he was by no means a careless fool. To put it bluntly, he was far more reliable than Lu Mingfei.

Since Emiya had done this, Lu Mingfei could only choose to trust him.

As Lu Mingfei slapped the yellow talisman with his palm, golden light flared brightly.

A white-haired boy slowly appeared.

Ken Kaneki was very young, looking about the same age as Lu Mingfei, and they had similar builds. Judging by appearance alone, he seemed like an ordinary literary youth, completely unrelated to terms like "Blood Knight," "Bloody Finger," or "Curseblood," all of which sounded both bloody and mad.

His left eye differed from that of an ordinary person: its sclera was black, while its pupil was blood-red. His right eye was normal.

He wore a black cloth hood embroidered in gold, along with armor in the same style and a mantle adorned with extravagant golden patterns.

"Nice to meet you."

The boy's voice was calm and gentle.

"I'm Ken Kaneki."

"Shirou told me that because of me, you had no choice but to challenge Margit, the Fell Omen alone. I'm deeply sorry. This time, please allow me to do my part..."

"Oh, oh, oh..."

Lu Mingfei hurriedly returned the greeting.

"I'm Lu Mingfei. You don't need to apologize. You didn't mean to do it, and I didn't suffer that much anyway. By the way..."

Lu Mingfei pointed at his head and asked somewhat awkwardly:

"You... won't lose control or anything, right?"

Kaneki did not blame Lu Mingfei for his rudeness. He merely smiled:

"If you mean the power of Curseblood, I can control it now. There won't be any problem."

"That's good."

Lu Mingfei let out a breath of relief.

"Then let's go, Lu."

As Ken Kaneki raised a hand to grasp the weapon on his back, an oppressive presence suddenly filled the air.

He slowly drew the slender Twinblade. Its blade was long and narrow like a crescent moon, its single-edged edge glinting with a cold, bloody light. Dark-red patterns covered its spine, like congealed blood.

Even more terrifying was the moment he gripped the hilt tightly—four scarlet, twisted organs resembling tentacles violently burst from his back!

Their tips were as sharp as spears, stretching wantonly through the room. At that instant, the crimson pupil in his left eye lit up as though burning, forming a stark contrast with his right eye.

Lu Mingfei's mouth fell open.