Type-Moon: Root Seiko

The saint's azure eyes shone brightly, her pupils already reflecting the future that would occur in a few seconds.

Therefore, even with the increased pressure, she remained steadfast in her defense, refusing to back down an inch.

Then, he reversed his wrist, manipulated the battle flag to wave, and used the counterweight at the end of the spear to strike the horse's forelegs with a preemptive strike!

The warhorse, now one with the spearman's spirit core, let out a displeased neigh. With a slight shift, it deflected its master's thrust, which grazed the saintess's turned cheek.

The saintess's resolute face was reflected in the exchanged holy lances—she was still fighting back!

The golden iris banner fluttered in the air, and the spearhead retaliated by piercing the lancer on horseback, drawing a burst of intense sparks on her front armor.

""amazing!""

The spearman suddenly tightened the reins, causing his warhorse to stop abruptly and neigh, then raised its front hooves and pressed them down heavily on the saintess!

Joan of Arc immediately rolled away to dodge, and the two sides regained their distance.

But Joan of Arc did win this round by a small margin, so much so that the spearmen chuckled amusingly under their helmets:

“Your intuition… no, it’s more like a vague belief, perhaps even stronger than my ability to predict.”

"Your predictions surpass mine. Coupled with those unwavering, fearless eyes, like the burning flame of faith that victory awaits you... and most decisively, the golden iris depicted on that sacred banner."

"This truly surprises me, Saintess of France. You would actually accept the summoning of a Heroic Spirit? To fight for a specific Master? Is he perhaps a rare saint, destined to use the Holy Grail to save the world?"

Luo Zhen felt the gaze of the knight king on horseback and met her eyes in the emerald green eyes peeking out from the gap in her helmet.

"No, my Master is not the kind of saint who would wish to save the world."

Joan of Arc answered immediately without giving any face, leaving Ryougi looking at her with a slightly awkward expression for a moment.

But she immediately raised her chin proudly and continued:

"My Master is someone who uses his actions to help those within his reach and to cherish the small acts of kindness around him. He is by no means a saint, but he is the human being who possesses the most selfless and boundless universal love. Yes, my Master is the most ordinary human being, and it is no exaggeration to call him a model of humanity!"

"...Joan of Arc?"

Since her real name was immediately obvious, Luo Zhen didn't care and continued to use her rank-based address, looking at her with considerable surprise.

Joan of Arc's bright eyes fluttered repeatedly as she looked at Lancer and then at Rozen... a subtle blush rose on her face.

But it didn't matter; Joan of Arc could still convince herself that this was the effect of Karen within her—she had been doing this for the past month! She was very skilled at it!

"'Really? Really? A role model for humanity... That's such a wonderful compliment.'"

Lancer's smile deepened, and she turned to look at her Master.

Irisviel nodded in agreement, achieving a perfect understanding with her Heroic Spirit.

The next moment, Luo Zhen immediately realized: "Jeanne! Watch out!"

“€€€€!”

When the spearmen raised their spears again, the battle officially entered the realm of the inhuman.

The energy wrapped around the spiral spear transformed into a hurricane, stirring up all the air along the way into a vacuum with overwhelming force, and striking the saintess who was like a small boat!

This is "Magic Unleashed"!

With her powerful precognitive abilities, Joan of Arc immediately made the best response, holding the flagpole in both hands and planting it in the ground, managing to withstand the direct attack of the magic by relying on the swaying flag!

Following closely behind, Joan of Arc took the initiative to meet Lancer's renewed attack, compressing her space to maneuver and preventing Lancer from unleashing her explosive power, which was far superior to her own.

"Your Saintess is very strong, she's definitely a top-tier Heroic Spirit, right?"

Irisviel, who was watching the battle, took the initiative to speak to Luo Zhen, using magic to send her voice into Luo Zhen's ears.

Chapter 45 Infidelity and Tokens of Love

The open space on the coast was now filled with the roar of the battle between the two heroic spirits.

Although the containers had been cleared away by the orange dolls beforehand, the various steel frame facilities along the port shore had not been dismantled.

As the fierce battle between the two heroic spirits continued, a large amount of rolled-up steel scraps swept past Irisviel's ears, ruffling her flowing silver ponytail.

But the android young lady remained completely unmoved, her blood-red eyes instead gleaming with excitement as she looked at Luo Zhen.

The next moment, she straightened her long braid that had been blown about by the wind, and a few silver strands appeared between her slender fingers:

"Let's begin our clash between Masters. This is within the bounds of the Holy Grail War, right? Actually, I've always longed for this kind of magical battle where you fight alongside Heroic Spirits! I'd appreciate your guidance, Mr. Rōzen!"

"Great, I'd be honored."

Irisviel is so spirited and adorable; Rozen is having a great time observing her.

The moment she received Luo Zhen's affirmation, Irisviel tilted her head in delight—she swung her silver hair as if she were enjoying a battle!

Each strand of her hair is a magically concentrated ethereal thread, possessing the power to cleave through metal and stone.

Luo Zhen swiftly dodged to the side, leaving several extremely fine yet deep claw marks etched into the ground.

(If I were an ordinary magician, I would have been cleaved in two by that blow, right? ...Isn't this young lady a bit too fierce?)

Luo Zhen found it amusing, and at the same time, he pushed off with his feet and charged towards the android princess!

"Oh, you're a close-quarters combat type?"

Irisviel was slightly surprised; magicians skilled in close combat were indeed not so easy to encounter.

But she immediately put on a fearless smile and swung a hand full of sharp silver threads to hinder Luo Zhen.

As expected, Luo Zhen jumped and dodged, and Irisviel turned her other hand, gathering dozens of silver threads together to form a thin, hollowed-out sword that looked like glass threads!

"Wow!" Luo Zhen exclaimed in admiration.

He admired Irisviel's ability to construct such a beautiful, artistic weapon in the blink of an eye, and even more so her skillful command of it.

She herself clearly assumed a stance like a skilled swordsman, anticipating Luo Zhen's landing point and stepping forward to thrust!

Relying on his powerful physical abilities, Luo Zhen forcefully twisted his body before landing to avoid the direct hit, lowering his center of gravity and probing towards her abdomen.

"You underestimate me!"

The clever android princess, not to be outdone, instantly conjured a small knife from the silver threads in her other hand, meeting Luo Zhen's charge head-on.

(Reversal rule lifted)

Luo Zhen silently recited in his heart, constructing another system of laws within his internalized universe, and reversing the destruction of all mysteries that came into contact with him.

This law applies through physical contact, in other words, flesh to flesh.

Therefore, when Luo Zhen's palm met Irisviel's dagger directly, Irisviel's pupils widened in horror as she watched the silver thread in her hand turn into pure hair devoid of any magic.

"Well?!"

The next instant, Luo Zhen's hand grasped Irisviel's slender neck.

(...Will I die?)

Irisviel's instincts were a beat too slow to catch up with reality, and even her speed of death was surpassed by Ryoujin.

She could clearly feel that if the man exerted even the slightest force, he could break her neck immediately.

However, Luo Zhen did nothing.

On the contrary, he immediately took a few steps back to create some distance and spoke to Irisviel:

"I hope my sincerity conveys to you. I don't want to kill you, Irisviel."

"But if you want to fight, I'd be happy to settle things once and for all. I hope we can fight to the point where we're both convinced of the outcome, without taking each other's lives. That includes our Heroic Spirits as well. I still have a lot to say about this Holy Grail War, and I'd love to talk to you about it if you'd like."

"...Phew!"

Irisviel finally caught her breath, feeling a cold sweat break out all over her body.

The premonition of death felt so real. Even though Luo Zhen's hand hadn't exerted any force, Irisviel felt like she couldn't breathe and that goosebumps rose on her neck.

However, the girl (who was indeed a girl in terms of age) still smiled:

"You're amazing, Mr. Luo Zhen! This is the first time I've encountered a technique that can nullify my magic! What kind of magic is that? I didn't even feel the flow of magic!"

"You're right, I do have a lot to talk to you about now! But I really want to play a little longer, please~?"

"Yes, no problem."

Luo Zhen adjusted his breathing and assumed a fighting stance once more.

Although Irisviel could easily defeat a Heroic Spirit with her basic stats, there are too many secrets to explain, which might make her feel that I don't trust her.

Moreover, Luo Zhen was secretly surprised... King Arthur didn't come to his aid just now?

Although Joan of Arc was fighting her, Rozen did not believe that King Arthur would be so suppressed that he would be unable to care about the safety of his Master.

There's only one possibility why she didn't come: she thought Irisviel didn't need her protection.

That means this android princess has other trump cards, and Luo Zhen wants to continue testing her.

Therefore, it is enough for Luo Zhen to maintain the physical level that an ordinary magician can achieve through enhanced magic, plus the ability to eliminate mysterious reversal spells.

Irisviel's burning passion did not subside. The silver strands that spread from her hands and long hair expanded to hundreds in one go, transforming into countless flying swords and spears that attacked Luo Zhen!

She was testing the applicability of Luo Zhen's elimination magic, to see if she could overwhelm him with a wave attack that could break through his defenses.

Luo Zhen simply stood still and accepted the challenge, continuously deflecting the incoming attacks.

Every longsword, spear, and throwing knife made of silver threads that touches Luo Zhen's bare skin, such as his hands, face, and neck, immediately loses its vitality, and even the magic power infused within them disappears without a trace.