A ruthless hero

While the first group of people were being rescued, Ritsuka methodically handled the evacuation.

Ritsuka, who was at the entrance of the passage, was receiving the Yaga while keeping an eye on everything around her. Just as the princess entered the dilapidated theater, she received the news.

"It seems we've been discovered. Well then, let's make some noise and distract them."

Several Spirit Origin Shadow appeared, followed by continuous rumbling sounds emanating from the outer walls of the Kremlin. After completing this attack, the King of the Cavern appeared behind her like a ghost and led her away from there.

Her mission wasn't just to provide support; she also bore the responsibilities and duties of Chaldea. Therefore, this job suited her well, allowing her to gather intelligence about the area to the greatest extent possible.

While recording the abnormal hardness data of the city wall, Ritsuka also completely recorded the city streets and the flow of magic.

"This is troublesome. Not only is their Magecraft top-notch, but the walls have also been reinforced? They're not weakly protected, but their hardness is now strong enough to withstand Anti-City Noble Phantasm below Rank A."

"This must be the power enhancement Bai Mo was talking about. It completely disregards rules, creating pure hardness from pure power. It's a cheap yet dangerous power."

During the communication, Sherlock Holmes was speechless upon seeing this. The only way to deal with such blatant tyranny was to respond with equal tyranny, which was something the currently weak Chaldea could not afford.

Just then, an alarm sounded over the communication line.

"Fujimaru, someone is heading your way. Judging from the looks of it, it seems to be the Master in charge of this area?"

"So, should we evacuate?"

The Earl behind her asked a question, but Ritsuka shook her head in denial.

"He's a senior, after all. Go and meet him. I'm very interested to know why A-Team made this choice."

Originally, the main force for Chaldea's Spiritron Transfer should have been the seven people known as A-Team. However, in a massive explosion, all the members of A-Team perished, and only she survived, taking on the heavy responsibility of saving the world.

Logically speaking, even if the members of A-Team were resurrected, they shouldn't have become enemies of Chaldea. Ritsuka wanted to confirm this change in status in person.

With a series of synchronized footsteps, Kadoc led a group of Murderous Hunters to Ritsuka's location.

"This place is a bit too spacious, junior. If we get surrounded, we won't be able to escape. But it seems you have something to say to me."

"Yes, senior... no, I should call you the Crypter now."

Ritsuka felt a little unfamiliar with the silver-haired boy in the fur coat in front of her; she had never seen anyone from A-Team before. However, Mash, on the other end of the communication, was quite familiar with him.

"The Crypter, Kadoc Zemrups, possesses the highest adaptability to Spiritron Transfer, and is the highest among A-Team members."

Upon hearing this, Kadoc waved his hand and shook his head with a bitter expression.

"No need to say that. Right now, I'm just one of the seven members of the Wodime, the Master of the Russian Lostbelt." But before Kadoc could finish speaking, Mash the other end of the communication became somewhat anxious.

"Why did you run over there? This is no joke! Aren't A-Team members from Chaldea? What on earth are you doing?"

Faced with Mash's barrage of questions, Kadoc gave a unique wry smile, but it contained a hint of relief, perhaps from seeing the girl who used to keep her head down and speak in silence after two years, and how she had changed.

But that's all it is; perhaps they were colleagues before, but now their positions have changed.

Looking at Ritsuka Fujimaru's expression, she was also waiting for Kadoc to answer Mash's question, to answer why he had betrayed her. However, Kadoc did not seem to have any resentment about betraying the so-called "Pan-Human History".

"Kadoc, you should know what the situation is like outside the Storm Wall right now. There's absolutely no sign of humans. I want to know, what could possibly make you willing to commit such atrocities?"

Faced with Ritsuka's icy question, Kadoc's eyes darkened, but he quickly raised his wolf-like eyes and retorted:

"Why? In that case, I'd like to ask you, why weren't you the one who died in our place during that Lev explosion?"

Faced with this question, Ritsuka was immediately stunned.

"After we were resurrected by the Alien God, we obtained the relevant information and learned about the several Singularity you passed through. We came to only one conclusion: if the roles were reversed, Wodime should be able to achieve better results with minimal losses."

Next are Daybit, Beryl, Peperoncino, and four others, and finally, myself. But even I, based on the data, should be able to make fewer sacrifices.

Although these words sound somewhat condescending, Ritsuka Fujimaru, you just happened to be there, just happened to be chosen, and you made the biggest sacrifice.

Kadoc's words made Ritsuka lower her head; she was the only one who had survived the accident. But soon, Mash's stern rebuke came through the communication.

"You are not allowed to use such words to negate the efforts of your predecessors! Mr. Kadoc, there is no point in discussing what has already happened. If you say such things to your predecessors again, I will not forgive you, even if you are Kadoc friend!"

Everyone present seemed startled, but Kadoc sighed.

"Mash, you've definitely grown. I admit my words just now sounded like something an idiot would say. But that's really what I was thinking. I was just answering your question."

Alright, let's fight as enemies from now on. Your contracted Servant is the special class Avenger, right? It seems you have the edge as Master. But unfortunately, this isn't the Holy Grail War.

In the hunter's words, you're already within firing range!

The next moment, the sound of the Murderous Hunters's crossbow bolts whistling through the air filled the air Ritsuka raised her hand, and a faint golden membrane appeared on the body of the King of the Cavern. Black flames surged, and some of the arrows were burned away. Ritsuka took a talisman and dropped it, instantly stirring up a cloud of dust.

"A cover Magecraft? Unfortunately, that's not enough, and even if there is cover, you shouldn't jump. That leaves you with no leverage to continue dodging."

"I'm not doing this to dodge."

Ritsuka's voice came from above. Just then, several whooshing sounds came from the sky, like a warship firing its machine gun. A dark rain of swords came like Gale.

"Atalanta? I see. Although she's a junior, she's decisive. Is she planning to use herself as bait to let that Servant ambush me?"

At Kadoc's command, the surrounding Murderous Hunters almost simultaneously plunged their hands into their chests. With a crisp sound, a series of high walls of dark curses formed around Kadoc.

"The Servant's arrow was afflicted with an indelible curse, but when a curse encounters another curse of the same nature, it will inevitably become sluggish, like water flowing into the Dahai."

Next, all I need to do is deal with you, Berserker, come out!

A colossal beast appeared from the sky and crashed into Ritsuka like a cannonball. It looked familiar; it was someone she had seen before, but whose appearance was completely different. Berserker, Asterios, or rather, the Minotaur.

A distorted light appeared in the air. Ritsuka knew very well that it was his Noble Phantasm. Once dragged into the labyrinth, there would be no turning back. But she remained calm. Her long battle had made her very familiar with the situation.

"Closer..."

Only when she was certain that Asterios was far enough away did Ritsuka resolutely crush the talisman she had prepared beforehand. In the distance, Atalanta confirmed Ritsuka's signal, nocked an arrow, and a stream of water flowed from her neck onto the arrow.

"Die...[Antian Eclipse Shot]."

Five sharp arrows pierced the sky, not toward Asterios, but straight toward Kadoc.

Faced with this attack, the cursed walls should have provided considerable relief against Atalanta's arrows for a long time, so he shouldn't have been worried.

But as someone skilled in beast-taming Magecraft, he felt a chill run down his spine; he knew all too well how dangerous a trapped beast could be.

Soon, it became clear that his unease was justified; the walls, solidified by the curses, vanished instantly under the five arrows, like butter sliced by a hot knife.

"What is this?!"

Kadoc was horrified. He had never heard of Atalanta possessing Noble Phantasm capable of dispelling curses, and one of such a level was undoubtedly divine.

There was no time to ponder where Chaldea had obtained assistance from more than one powerful deity; their own countermeasures were completely rendered useless, and the situation instantly reversed!

If he were to be killed like this, both the princess and Asterios would disappear. Ritsuka has the King of the Cavern by her side, so even if he were imprisoned in the labyrinth, they could hold out for a while.

In just one brief exchange, this younger colleague truly broadened my horizons.

So, what should be done next? Fortunately, he had sensed it in advance, which was enough to summon the princess with a single Command Spell, but Kadoc never raised his hand, only sighing inwardly.

Meanwhile, underground, Bai Mo's icy blades were already pouncing towards the princess, and a huge shadow seemed to appear behind her, emanating a chilling aura.

"Finally revealing its true form? This power is..."

The contracted spirit "Wei" stared at Bai Mo with a strange gaze, emanating an eerie power. This power was not magic at all, but rather a manifestation of a power similar to that of Atalanta's boar hide.

The light in the eyes of the ice and snow elf "Wei" was like a spotlight, pointing directly at Bai Mo, but Anastasia behind him immediately came to his side.

"Caster?"

Anastasia didn't say much, but the next moment, Vina's eerie gaze shattered, and her elven eyes seemed to reveal an incomprehensible confusion.

Although he didn't know the reason, Bai Mo wouldn't let this opportunity pass. He simply said "thank you" and then proceeded to strike again.

The frost in the entire room instantly transformed into a flowing ice blade, spiraling towards the princess. At this moment, the princess was like a carrot in a juicer, about to be turned into juice.

At this moment, both Kadoc outside and the princess inside were in great danger. One was being ambushed by Atalanta, Asterios, who could protect him, was too late to take him into the labyrinth.

On one side, Via, the only one who could barely put up a fight, was thrown into a state of confusion and completely lost his power due to Anastasia's intervention.

"Excuse me, senior, but it seems I have the upper hand in terms of tactics."

Ritsuka spoke slowly, and Kadoc sighed softly before uttering a single sentence:

"Thank you for your help, Mr. Bai."

On the distant Kremlin tower, a figure flashed like lightning, and in an instant, Atalanta's arrow vanished, as did Kadoc below.

Ritsuka was startled when she saw Kadoc suddenly disappear. It seemed like something had suddenly rushed towards her, Ritsuka felt a wave of fear.

Ritsuka was puzzled. "He's a powerhouse, and not one of those guys with a mere two hundred thousand horses." At that speed, even Earl wouldn't have time to react; the other party could have easily run her over.

Now is not the time to think too much. Seeing Asterios, if they were trapped and died, it would still be the end. Ritsuka seized the critical moment and activated a Command Spell. The King of the Cavern's speed increased sharply, and he took her away from here.

From underground, an aged figure with lightning-fast white hair and bulging muscles appeared out of thin air at a speed beyond visual perception! He landed before the princess and unleashed a simple, unadorned punch:

"Eighty-eighth Heaven - Thunder Shock!"

This move is a derivative of the Thunder Fist, a power mastered by the Bai family, the Bai Family family that rules the Daichi five thousand years later. The immense power soars into the sky, turning the entire underground facility into an open-air space.

As the smoke cleared, an elderly man with white hair stood before them. The man possessed a lean, muscular physique and a calm gaze. Upon seeing the newcomer, Bai Mo raised an eyebrow, turned to Anastasia, and said:

"You should transform into your spirit form first. Don't get caught in the crossfire during the upcoming battle."

Anastasia nodded, glancing back at the princess who had been rescued by the old man, and at Kadoc was being held like a piece of cargo.

"Is this your Master? He looks like he's about to die. He looks just like Rasputin after that tea party with the ladies."

The princess's eyes seemed to spit fire. Just moments ago, she had regarded this person as someone she could easily manipulate, but now he was mocking her. Although she had mocked him first, people can never truly put themselves in another's shoes.

"What a vindictive woman, she only did..."

The princess wanted to refute her, arguing that she was clearly relying on external forces, but she, having just had someone else's life saved, had no right to say such a thing.

Anastasia seemed to understand the meaning in her eyes and chuckled softly, covering her face.

"Heh, is this your first time meeting Anastasia? But I'd rather not admit that you, this cold-blooded animal, are me. And it seems... my Master is far superior to yours."

Anastasia retreated from the left, her fingers inadvertently touching the back of Bai Mo's hand, which was engraved with Command Spell. Then she vanished into spirit form, leaving only a soft laugh and the princess who had already crushed the doll in her hand into a deformed shape.

Sure enough, when he was truly facing himself, he was really hard to look at. Bai Mo couldn't help but sigh inwardly, then turned his gaze to the old man who had appeared.

The old man seemed completely unconcerned about their previous exchange, and then slowly said:

"You two are really in sync; even your attacks happened at the same time."

"I'm sorry, thank you so much, you've been a great help this time."

Although he had just been thoroughly humiliated by Anastasia in terms of his Master status, Kadoc's already unpleasant expression only became even more unpleasant.

Seeing his respectful demeanor, the old man beside him did not change his gaze. He looked at Bai Mo and asked:

"I don't seem to know you... Are you a descendant of the Bai Family who has also come to this world? Or are you a magnetic field expert from another region?"

"I'd say the latter. However, I am quite familiar with you; you are the 268th generation Sea Tiger Martial God — Bai Wubian."