"Filthy Dead Apostle, die!"
"Boom!"
Legend has it that blood droplets often fall from the ripe fruit of Fuhairin. Some of these droplets turn into seeds, and after sleeping underground for a while, they evolve differently from the parent—the Child of Einnashe is their final form.
Rin held her forehead, watching Lorelei cast spells at the surroundings, and shook her head. She understood Lorelei—as a Barthomeloi, she had an innate hatred for all Dead Apostles, which was natural. However, this inefficient approach did nothing to help defeat the Child of Einnashe and only exhausted her.
After shattering a large patch of "withered wood" with a Storm Mana Bullet, Lorelei turned to Rin, who was watching from the sidelines.
"Rin! Why aren't you attacking?"
"Oh! Sorry, I was spacing out. Go, Innocentius!"
Rin tossed a gem and summoned the Innocentius.
Lorelei looked at the fire giant Rin created with satisfaction and praised her.
"Rin, choosing you to share this glory was indeed the right decision! You truly are someone I acknowledge. Come, Rin, I'll support you!"
Lorelei then deployed several Magic Circles and connected to the core of the Innocentius to provide reinforcement.
Under Lorelei's reinforcement, the Innocentius's size grew exponentially, swelling to dozens of meters, and its temperature rose to nearly 6,000 degrees Celsius, close to the surface of the sun!
Feeling the mana in her body being drained at an accelerated rate, Rin gave Lorelei a stiff smile. 'Ah! Damn it, I was just being perfunctory. What is this? Wouldn't it be better to just crush the core of the Child of Einnashe? Why waste mana on this pile of rotten wood?'
Lorelei had no awareness of being a "bad teammate" and continued to stack Reinforcement Magic on the Innocentius, while Rin cried out in her heart over and over again.
Looking at the fire giant appearing in the distance, Reines looked at Kayneth.
"Brother, aren't we going to help?"
Kayneth stood with his hands behind his back in the blizzard, looking at the fire giant. Hearing Reines's words, he just shook his head.
"No need. When a Barthomeloi deals with Dead Apostles, anyone other than her teammates will be treated as an enemy if they step forward. We just need to wait here for our prey. Dr. Heartless, aren't you going to show yourself yet?"
"Clap, clap, clap..."
Along with a round of applause,
"As expected of Kayneth, to think you actually discovered me?"
Meanwhile, in the forest, Kotomine Risei, covered in wounds, stumbled along the gap created by Lorelei and Rin's battle, arriving near Rin.
"Rin!"
Hearing the call, Rin quickly turned her head toward the source. Seeing the wound-covered Kotomine Risei, she ran to his side in surprise and supported him.
"Grandpa Liyuan? What happened to you!"
"Cough, cough... to make a long story short, Rin, get back to the train quickly. Someone attacked me on the first day, stole the catalyst I recently discovered in Ireland, and summoned a Servant! I've been imprisoned by him for two days, and I just managed to sneak out while he was away."
"What! No wonder I haven't seen you these past two days, Grandpa Liyuan."
At this moment, Lorelei also noticed the commotion on Rin's side. She turned and walked toward Rin, asking:
"Rin, what's going on?"
"Lorelei, I'm afraid I won't have time to help you eliminate the Child of Einnashe. Grandpa Liyuan brought news that someone on the train has summoned a Servant. I must head back now; Sakura and Fujino are in danger!"
Hearing this, Lorelei nodded. A Magic Circle flashed in her hand, and a small vial of potion appeared. She then handed the potion to Rin.
"I see. You go back first. As soon as I eliminate the Child of Einnashe, I'll return to help you. This is a secret medicine of the Barthomeloi; it can replenish magical energy. Take it."
Looking at the proud Lorelei handing her the potion like a gift, Rin didn't mind, knowing Lorelei was just being tsundere again. She pulled out a gem, handed it to Kotomine Risei, and rushed toward the train without looking back.
"Grandpa Liyuan, crush this gem. It can create a temple that lasts for half an hour..."
Kotomine Risei held the gem and stared blankly at the departing figures of Rin and Lorelei. Hearing the voice drifting in the wind, he smashed the gem against a nearby rock without hesitation.
Kayneth looked at Dr. Heartless before him, a mocking smile appearing on his face.
"Dr. Heartless, will you come with me, or shall I cut off your limbs and take you away?"
Hearing Kayneth's words, Dr. Heartless merely shrugged silently, then turned his head toward the direction where the fire giant had disappeared.
"It seems you've made your choice!"
Saying this, Kayneth pulled a test tube from his robes and tossed it onto the ground.
Moonlit Essence, Kayneth's supreme Mystic Code, flowed out of the test tube.
Simultaneously, Reines, who was nearby, also deployed a Magic Circle and took out a suitcase. As the suitcase opened, a variant of the Moonlit Essence, Trimmau, transformed into a humanoid maid and appeared beside Reines.
"Slash!"
With a shout from Kayneth, the Mercury beneath his feet extended, transforming into a sharp blade that slashed toward Dr. Heartless. At the same time, Trimmau, following Reines's will, moved behind Dr. Heartless to block his retreat.
Facing the Moonlit Essence slashing toward him, Dr. Heartless stood there completely unconcerned, as if he had entirely given up on resisting.
Suddenly, an exceptionally long spear appeared out of thin air. After a shower of sparks, it blocked the strike for Dr. Heartless.
Kayneth squinted at the figure that had suddenly appeared. He was tall, wearing pitch-black armor, with dark red Magic Crests covering his exposed skin. That frenzied expression paired with snow-white hair made the man before him look even more violent and demonic.
Kayneth had a vague idea of the answer but didn't know exactly who the man was. However, if Rin were here, she would surely recognize him by that spear.
This Servant was none other than Fionn mac Cumhaill, a descendant of the Celtic god of war Nuada and the leader of the glorious Fianna Knights. As a guardian of Ireland, he had defeated numerous invaders and monsters, a great hero who created many valiant legends. His status was comparable to that of the great Celtic hero, the Son of Light, Cú Chulainn.
"Oh, so this is a Servant?"
Suddenly, a voice entered the battlefield. The Astronomy Branch Lord, Marisbury, looked at the Servant before him and stepped off the train onto the battlefield without hesitation.
"Marisbury, are you also interested in Dr. Heartless?"
"No, Kayneth, I am interested in this Servant."
"Then Dr. Heartless is mine, and this Servant is yours."
In a few words, the two Lords decided the fate of the Master and Servant before them as if they were dividing a dish. Indeed, over the years, many Pseudo-Holy Grail Wars had been held, and the strength of the Servants in them had been established. Generally speaking, a Pride-rank Magus was usually enough to rival an average Servant appearing in a Pseudo-Holy Grail War.
What the two of them, who treated Fionn as a Pseudo-Holy Grail War Servant, didn't know was that the guy before them wasn't an average Servant by their standards. Moreover, after Manaka's enhancement, he was worlds apart from the Servants appearing in Pseudo-Holy Grail Wars.
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