Anime: Fight Sukuna at the beginning?.

Chapter 401 The 'Advance' Reward and the Silent Blade
The Holy Grail War is on its third day, with six minutes and thirty-two seconds remaining until sunset.

A small alley in Fuyuki City.

They knew in advance of the enemy's plan to bombard the church.

At the same time, through the [Protagonist] card, he realized the value of the [Sea Demon] appearing at the mouth of the Weiyuan River for killing enemy reincarnators.

Fang Yi stood precisely in this alley, which was also the midpoint between the two locations.

This is to ensure that if any enemy Reincarnators appear on any battlefield, I can arrive in time to eliminate them.

He was now leaning against the wall with his eyes closed, using a negligible amount of magic to manipulate [Insect Magic].

Through several precious familiars called "Vision Bugs" released into the outside world.

Get more information and make a decision.

Complete the assessment task of eliminating two reincarnators.

At this moment, he was like an old man holding a teacup and watching a surveillance camera, simultaneously observing the situation in several locations.

This includes, but is not limited to, the magical battle that is nearing its end between Miss Orange and the somewhat erratic Kenneth, who is spying on her in order to obtain the [Mystic Code] completely from her.

Watching the Knight King quietly appear at the mouth of the Weiyuan River, where he was fighting against the [Sea Demon].

And observing the clashes within the churches.

She also maintains a telepathic connection with both Miss Merlin and the swordswoman, further directing them.
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Therefore, I heard two nonsensical, baseless prompts in my ears, as if they were monkeys that had sprung from a stone.

Your "Moon in the Mirror" skill has been fully optimized.

Your understanding of 'meaning' has deepened.

Fang Yi suddenly opened his tightly closed eyes, a rare look of confusion flashing across them.

He had a thought.

He then summoned his own panel and swiped it upwards.

They quickly found the notification that had sounded when the swordswoman killed the enemy.

[Influenced by the talent "Diligent Study" and the "Module: Limit Breaker" and the Master-Servant affinity.]

Your understanding of [Shrinking Earth - Shadow Steps] and [Master-level Swordsmanship] has deepened.

Your "Moon in the Mirror" (incomplete) has undergone some growth.

[Saber Okita Souji slew a powerful enemy who had completed the [Limit Break] quest, thus completing the [Limit Break] quest ahead of schedule.]

[The Noble Phantasms [Oath of the Feather] and [Banner of Sincerity] gain corresponding growth.]

Your rating has been significantly improved, and you will receive additional rewards after the mission is completed.

After comparing the two baseless suggestions with these targeted suggestions...

For once, Fang Yi felt a little confused and subconsciously scratched his head.

[Has the space gone mad? Why is it giving me an 'advance' reward?]

One's own talent, [Diligent Learning and Improvement], is activated from the very beginning.

In addition to the effects of [accelerating skill learning speed and absorbing usable knowledge], [acquiring more valuable skill branches], and [improving skill mastery after combat],

It even developed a 'win-win' function that allows users to guide others to improve and gain benefits from them.

Later, a 'borrowing' function was developed that allows users to lend their skills to certain characters, even though it's not explicitly mentioned on the panel.

Because of the causal link between Master and Servant.

The two also share very similar experiences and are involved in a "limit-breaking mission".

Compared to other people who had "borrowed" her, the swordswoman's "borrowing" was exceptionally smooth.
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Only under these special circumstances can one gain the swordswoman's understanding of skills during battle.

Furthermore, by 'borrowing' this scenario—which is like observing 'how others do things under the same predicament and conditions'—one can gain insights into improving skills.

Like building with blocks, you know how to place the next block on the foundation.

Continue to improve your 'skills'.

It is reasonable to say that I have a legitimate reason for profiting from this method.

But these two separate notification sounds were far too vague and elusive.

It even made Fang Yi want to complain, "This is a cheat code, isn't it?"

I swiped the panel again.

It looks different from the "This Fist is the Only Method" on the panel (to be further improved).

The skill has changed from [Moon in the Mirror] (to be improved) to [Moon in the Mirror], but the buffs and specific effects have not yet been revealed.

Chewing on the knowledge that flooded into my mind—knowledge that I could understand with just a glance and that I could use without any hesitation.

Through the knowledge gained from this skill, I have gained a deeper understanding of the use of the [Illusion] skills that constitute this skill.

After vaguely sensing that I had gained a stronger control over the skill of "not for personal glory".

Fang Yi waved his right hand and began to verify whether the 'answer' that had been given out of nowhere was correct or not.

With the construction of the [Mirror Moon] skill, the [Not for Personal Glory] skill, which is like a 'prerequisite skill', is activated.

After paying only a few dozen mana points.

A black flame, seemingly illusory and accompanied by a visual distortion effect, appeared on the back of Fang Yi's hand.

Previously, it could only be attached to weapons; attaching it to the body would consume a large amount of mana, measured in hundreds, of points [Not for Personal Glory].

Having already broken through these limitations, only a small amount of mana is needed to easily attach it to the fist.

Fang Yi waved his right hand again.

The illusory black flames were extinguished with ease, and some of the dissipated mana was recovered, reducing the consumption to just over ten points.

Fang Yi then verified a fact.

The knowledge gained out of thin air is correct and consistent with one's own style.

With just a little practice, one can quickly master the skill of "Moon in the Mirror."

Experiencing this extraordinary feeling is like a writer who has just finished writing half of a novel and is preparing to continue along the outline and train of thought.

Suddenly, someone sent me the complete document of this book.

Upon clicking in, I found that the chapters I hadn't written were still within my outline.

The writing style of the subsequent chapters is exactly the same as mine, with no superfluous words. It feels like my future self wrote it and sent it to me.

Fang Yi quickly switched the focus to the church where his primary suspect—the red archer from the future—was located.

Despite the extremely friendly attitude of this red archer from the very beginning, he never received any notification of an increase in his friendliness level.

They are basically not eligible for the "Lend" skill benefits under the "Diligent Learning and Improvement" program.

The idea that one could profit from it is utter nonsense.

I recalled that the opponent used a weapon that destroyed itself by projecting Berserker Hercules in certain routes.

The plot involves activating [Projection Loading] to unleash the opponent's [Shoot Hundred Heads] technique, killing them.

A guess had already formed in Fang Yi's mind.

[If he weren't a reincarnator, there would be no way to trigger the "Friendship" prompt.]

[The lack of a notification regarding friendship level might mean that friendship is inherited after becoming a Heroic Spirit.]

[And perhaps I 'lent' him my skills in the future, or he saw the next stage of my sword?]

He blocked out the other 'screens' and focused his attention on the 'screen' of the church.

We prepared to observe closely what had happened to the church, which was suddenly covered in smoke and dust in the general public eye.
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And when they saw the azure, moon-like blade flashing through the dust, narrowly missing Zhao Yun's gleaming armor, about to graz his opponent.

Fang Yi then stood up straight.

He was just about to carefully observe the follow-up power of this strike, which was very similar to the "Moon in the Mirror" and had a strong sense of déjà vu in his eyes.

The next moment, the image transmitted to Fang Yi's mind via the [Vision Bug] froze instantly.

Just as Fang Yi was about to activate the [Insect Magic] to find out what was going on.

The next moment, a bizarre and fantastical image flashed across the 'screen' that was transmitting the picture.

As Fang Yi heard the incomprehensible, wanton laughter of a woman, interspersed with incomprehensible murmurs, he realized what she was hearing.

The screen went black instantly. Merlin's intermittent telepathic communication with him was also abruptly cut off.

Only in the area of ​​the Miyuki River Estuary, where the reincarnator is theoretically the most likely to appear, is everything normal.

Despite losing a precious [Vision Bug] and suffering a signal interruption, Fang Yi did not get angry.

A subtle smile instead appeared on his lips.

"They've finally arrived."

"That's interesting. Why turn their attention to the Reincarnators when there's plenty of meat right in front of them?"

"Well then, it's time for me to enter as well."

After conveying the order to the swordswoman, "My swordswoman, go to the Tohsaka residence to assist,"...

He moved and disappeared into the increasingly dim sky.

At this moment, there are 6 minutes and 29 seconds left until sunset.
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Fuyuki City, ruined church.

As the azure blade light emerged from the dust and smoke into view, it was neither dazzling nor earth-shattering, but rather carried a sense of ethereal mystery.

Zhao Yun, now transformed into a streak of light, wielding a long spear, and as one with his horse, launched a decisive thrust at the enemy.

For the first time in his life, his usually calm heart trembled violently.

Although he was perfectly aware of one fact:
The enemy's swing was slightly slow, and the opening was extremely obvious in his eyes, and the energy contained in it was also negligible.

He only needed to dodge slightly and pay the price of being grazed by the blade to kill the enemy.

But at this moment, his body was still sending him warnings that he couldn't understand.

He sensed the spear piercing the enemy's flesh, a feeling that victory was imminent.

He looked at his opponent, shrouded in smoke and dust, and at the gleam of a blade about to make contact with his armor.

Zhao Yun was even more confused.

Could a mere glimpse of a blade brushing past my body pose a threat to me, even while I'm wearing armor?

How could such an absurd thing happen?
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The next moment, he got the answer.

The blade had not yet touched the gleaming armor and left shoulder.

Zhao Yun then felt a smooth, delicate, and extremely unsettling sensation coming from the edge of his armor.

Zhao Yun's heart skipped a beat, and he almost forgot to breathe.

[The attack has already arrived?]

[Was this a glint of light that could deceive the eye, and almost fooled my intuition as well?]

For the first time in his life, he was distracted during the battle.

He turned his head in disbelief to look at his left shoulder, which had been grazed by the blade.

Even though he knew perfectly well that the blade wouldn't hit him directly.

They also saw that the extremely deceptive blade light merely grazed the surface of his armor.

Like a lychee whose hard outer shell has been peeled away to reveal its delicious flesh, it exposed its perfectly intact left shoulder to the air.

But he still felt a strange sense of suffocation.

It was entering from the point of contact between the armor and the blade, spreading rapidly throughout the body like an endless wildfire.

In an instant, it flowed through his limbs and bones, permeating every corner of his body.

It was as if an invisible shockwave had been forcibly drawn into his body.

It was as if every inch of her skin was being controlled, subjected to an extremely domineering and irresistible invasion.

Zhao Yun's mind went blank, and an unprecedented look of astonishment flashed in his eyes.

What kind of skill is this?

[It has such power just from brushing against my body?]

Zhao Yun could hardly comprehend what was happening before his eyes.

He possesses confidence that rivals anyone else's, and he has never been afraid of any challenge or battle launched by any enemy.

But at that moment, the shock of the red archer's strike made him realize that he might have underestimated the true strength of the enemy before him.

This skill is so extraordinary, it seems straight out of a fairy tale.

Even those whose skills have reached the divine level would likely be unable to master it!

While sighing with relief, Zhao Yun also felt a sense of relief.

[If he hadn't been too slow in swinging his knife, creating an obvious opening and losing the initiative, I would have pierced his heart.]

I'm afraid I'll be the one who loses!

Realizing that no matter how powerful the enemy's strike was.

His own spear would still pierce through the enemy's flesh.

After essentially securing the 'fact' of victory.

Zhao Yun then forcibly suppressed the discomfort rising within him.

Calmness and reason regained control of my mind, driving away this strange feeling.

He took a deep breath, and swung the spear he was gripping tightly in his hand once more, cutting through the dust.

Sure enough, the red archers had vanished from the smoke-filled area.

Only golden particles, similar to those that dissipate into the air when a Servant dies and returns to the Throne of Heroes, remain.

Seeing the enemy's 'corpse'.

Although puzzled as to why his return had come so quickly, Zhao Yun quickly composed himself and pulled on the reins.

He controlled the white horse, which suddenly became somewhat agitated and tried to lift its leg high.

Regardless of the circumstances, I have fulfilled my contract to protect the church.

However, after he steadied his horse...

Yet I felt an extremely unusual, inexplicable sense of unease.

In just a moment, Zhao Yun, standing on horseback, found the source of this strange feeling.

The relentless bombardment by that follower (Napoleon) ceased.

The air was eerily still; he even had a strange feeling.

I could almost hear the echo of my own heart pounding.

[A barrier? Is it a backup plan to block our reinforcements?]

【still?】

With some doubt and unease, Zhao Yun turned his head to look at the place where Yigu Youtai had been standing.

He vaguely remembered that the other person had mentioned in their conversation that the other person seemed to be proficient in [barrier techniques].

The other party is clearly capable of handling this situation.

He also hoped to get answers from this boy with excellent senses.

But when Zhao Yun turned his head, he saw a scene that made his eyes widen in horror.

A black light, which he could not catch, suddenly appeared across the space.

After cruelly splitting Etobone Yuta, whose movements and reactions had suddenly become extremely slow, in two along his waist.

The teeth-grinding sound of ice forming and the bone-chilling cold only appeared belatedly and quietly in the space.

And then came the incredibly clear sound of flesh hitting the ground.

It was a very calm provocation uttered by Zhang Yong, who stood with his sword drawn.

"First."

Look at Zhang Yong, who is not silent and has launched a provocation, and the silent knife in his hand.

Zhao Yun gripped the gun tightly in his hand.

(End of this chapter)