FATE: Target of Grand Master

"understood."

Lan Muyan and Diao Yunshang, connected by a communication technique, spoke in unison.

"You haven't had much rest since you arrived here, have you? Take this opportunity to catch up on some sleep. Once you're awake, we'll set off. The exploration period is limited to three days. Once the deadline is up, no matter what, you must return to Uruk as a priority."

Xia Yan set a timeframe for the operation, and no one else had any objections.

"Is the discussion over? Let's adjourn the meeting."

Gilgamesh decisively ended all communications.

Just as Xia Yan and Feng Yan were about to leave after exchanging greetings, Gilgamesh called out to Xia Yan.

"Xia Yan, can you stay here for a moment?"

Seeing this, Feng Yan left on his own.

"Your Majesty, is there anything else?"

"Uruk is currently experiencing a population shortage, and a group of people have just been resurrected in Kusa. I have already sent soldiers to welcome them, but just to be on the safe side, I need you to send a servant to protect them."

"Yes, ma'am."

After leaving the temple, Xia Yan immediately informed his Servants of his arrangements. In addition to lending out Cú Chulainn Alter and Musashi, Nero was assigned by Xia Yan to go to Kusa City for protection.

Subsequently, accompanied by Morgan, Xia Yan handed over the defense work of the North Wall to Diao Yunshang.

Last time it was just a fleeting glance, but this time, Xia Yan observed Zhang Liao carefully.

After all, unlike Xia Yan's Servants, Diao Yunshang's Rider-class Lu Bu and Zhang Liao, who had just told him they were also Rider-class Servants, were not Servants from the Type-Moon games. Their abilities naturally aroused Xia Yan's curiosity.

From Xia Yan's observation, both Lü Bu and Zhang Liao are traditional followers who fit the pan-human history very well. Apart from their iconic military attributes, they do not give the impression of being incorporating other strange gods, demons, or monsters.

Seeing that Xia Yan was looking him over, Zhang Liao bowed very generously and said, "Lord Xia Yan, the princess and the lord have told me to be at your command while they are away. You don't need to stand on ceremony; you can tell me if you have any requests."

Xia Yan smiled and shook his head.

"General Zhang, you're too kind. When it comes to leading troops and fighting battles, you are the expert. If war really breaks out, I will need your advice. At that time, please don't stand on ceremony and speak frankly."

The two smiled at each other, feeling that they got along quite well.

"If there's nothing else, I'll continue my patrol."

Xia Yan had no intention of digging deeper. After saying goodbye to Zhang Liao, Xia Yan looked at the sky and felt that it shouldn't be long before dawn.

"Haa—"

Xia Yan let out a big yawn.

"Xia Yan, go get some sleep. I'll stay here."

Since entering this trial, Xia Yan has not closed his eyes. Whether it is eliminating the monsters in Uruk, reclaiming the northern wall defense line, going down to the underworld to find Gilgamesh, or arranging subsequent actions, every task is extremely mentally taxing. Not to mention, he also suffered a serious injury in the underworld. Even after drinking Morgan's potion to refresh himself, the six-hour time limit has already passed.

Having accepted Morgan's offer, Xia Yan closed his eyes and took a short rest in the lounge of the North Wall Fortress.

Just as the four Masters were conserving their energy and preparing for the next move, Nero, who had been given the mission of escorting them, sped through the darkest darkness before dawn.

There were no modern lighting devices like electric lights in this era, and visibility would drop drastically at night. Fortunately, thanks to the Servant's extraordinary eyesight and the torches lit by the citizens of Kusa to evacuate to Uruk, Nero still managed to accurately locate Kusa.

"How are the evacuation preparations going?"

Nero asked the sergeant in the unit.

After examining the tokens Nero carried, the captain of the sergeant reported to Nero, "Everything has been arranged, and we can depart immediately."

Nero nodded.

"Hmm. Although it is indeed tiring for the citizens of Kusa City to relocate at this time, there are always unforeseen circumstances, so it is better to act as soon as possible."

And so, the citizens of Kusa, carrying large and small bags, marched in a long line, escorted by Uruk soldiers, towards Uruk.

At their speed, Nero estimated that they should be able to reach Uruk before nightfall again.

If all goes well.

Nero, trailing at the back of the procession, felt as if he were being watched by someone. He turned around and looked at Kusa, a dark and completely dead city, now devoid of torchlight.

Ignoring this intuition, Nero summoned the "Primordial Flame" and imbued it with flames to provide her with better visibility.

This action naturally attracted the attention of the Uruk soldiers at the end of the column.

"It's alright, you guys go first."

As ordinary humans of this era, although they did not have any outstanding abilities, they had seen too many gods and monsters. The Uruk soldiers had no reason to worry about Nero, a hero who transcended mortals.

Seeing the migrating procession gradually disappear into the distance, Nero slowly moved towards the city of Cusa.

The light from the "Primordial Flame" moved across the low houses, but compared to the darkness of the entire city of Kusa, the light around Nero was like the faint glow of a match lit by a little girl on a winter night—small, weak, and easily swallowed up by the surrounding darkness.

"Hehehe, you're really perceptive. I've only been watching you for less than ten seconds, and you've already noticed me."

Suddenly, a female voice rang out around Nero, making it impossible for her to pinpoint the exact location of the voice's owner.

Nero gripped his greatsword and unleashed a fiery slash at the roof of a low house not far away, but apart from the collapse of rocks, he felt as if he had hit nothing.

"Don't worry, you won't be able to find me in your current state."

The woman's voice continued to express her feelings.

"I originally just wanted to see why the goddess of the underworld abandoned the alliance, but I didn't expect to run into you before I even saw her."

clang!

Nero raised his greatsword to block the sneak attack launched from behind.

It was an unremarkable, jet-black dagger, and its owner was a man wearing a skull mask and a black cloak, his body shrouded in black mist.

Shadow Followers!

Nero recognized the other party's identity at a glance. It was a fake object made of the remnants of heroic spirits and magical power. Compared with the original Servant, it lacked Noble Phantasms and independent consciousness, and most of the time it appeared in the form of a puppet.

After slaying the shadow follower with a single sword strike, Nero shouted into the air, "Thinking that an attack of this level could harm me is a gross underestimation of me."

"That's true. No matter what, a Shadow Servant can never be a match for a Genuine Servant."

The woman's voice continued to speak slowly and deliberately, with a hint of mockery in her tone.

"However, what if your opponent is a large group of Shadow Servants?"

As soon as he finished speaking, with the help of the light from the "Primordial Flame," Nero discovered that at least a dozen Shadow Servants had emerged from various dark corners such as low houses and corridors. They were of different classes, but their killing intent was already firmly locked onto him.

"A human wave tactic?"

Nero raised his sword with both hands, increasing his magical output by one level.

"Let's go then!"