FATE: Target of Grand Master

The Servants on both sides charged forward almost simultaneously, their crimson spears and silver short swords clashing amidst a flurry of sparks and metallic clangs.

Although it was in the corridor of the teaching building, and the terrain was not friendly to Cú Chulainn who was using a spear, the two Servants still fought back and forth.

No, judging from Cú Chulainn's relaxed expression, he was completely enjoying the battle and wasn't using his full strength at all.

Xia Yan wasn't in a hurry; he had complete confidence in Cú Chulainn.

What was that saying again?

Each generation of spearmen is a god, but every generation of spearmen follows the wrong leader.

Today he's going to prove to Brother Gou that it's not that Brother Gou is incompetent, but that Ma Po is inhuman.

Meanwhile, Shinji, seeing that Rider had not yet defeated the enemy, became increasingly impatient.

"Rider, what's going on! This is your own barrier, and you still can't beat that spearman! If you don't try harder, I'm going to go back and collect the shortfall from Sakura!"

Shinji's threat was terrible, but it was very effective against Medusa, who was a huge Sakura fan.

Medusa launched an even fiercer attack, and the walls and windows of the corridor were also damaged in the battle. Some places even collapsed completely, making Xia Yan, who was standing in the corridor, feel as if he was facing a panoramic balcony.

Xia Yan silently sympathized with the principal in his heart.

Moreover, Medusa's movements became increasingly erratic, completely disregarding the potential injuries she might sustain, even at the cost of injury, in order to gain dominance in the battle.

What Xia Yan could perceive, Cú Chulainn naturally understood even more deeply.

He wiped the smile off his face, and swung the crimson spear in his hand with even greater speed.

"Master, it shouldn't be a problem if we hurt her, right?"

"It's alright, just don't damage her spirit core. Also, be careful not to let her use her Noble Phantasm."

"understood."

With Xia Yan's approval, Cú Chulainn became serious, and the battle immediately showed an overwhelming advantage.

Medusa's attacks not only failed to achieve their intended purpose, but she also sustained more and more injuries.

Xia Yan's words, when they reached Shinji's ears, were extremely arrogant.

I am the eldest son of the Matou family, the one who will inherit the Matou family's magic in the future. Only I am worthy to appear so calm and composed! What right do you, a trashy, wandering magician, have to be so arrogant!

Rider is useless and unreliable; I can only rely on myself.

Shinji took out the Book of False Ministers and summoned three blade-like objects that flew towards Xia Yan.

Upon seeing this, Xia Yan immediately dodged, but it was not quite what Xia Yan had expected. The three blades flew too slowly, so much so that they disappeared halfway through the flight due to the exhaustion of magic power.

Xia Yan couldn't help but sneer, which made Shinji's face twist even more.

Just as Shinji was pondering what other attack methods he could use, Medusa was kicked in the abdomen by Cú Chulainn, flying backward in front of him and crashing into the stairwell between the two floors.

"Why?"

Shinji turned to Medusa with a blank expression, staring at her incredulously before roaring in fury, "Rider, you piece of trash! Get up right now!"

As he spoke, Shinji was about to rush over and kick Medusa hard.

Xia Yan immediately released a wind-attribute magic spell, a vortex of air enveloping Shinji, then quickly rushed behind Shinji and held a knife to his neck.

Xia Yan leaned close to Shinji's ear and whispered, "Shinji Matou, I know everything about you. As the eldest son of the Matou family, you have absolutely no magical talent. Your father and grandfather are indifferent to your existence, their attention is entirely focused on your younger sister, Sakura. You're practically invisible at home, with no presence whatsoever."

Xia Yan's words were like the whisper of a demon, instantly breaking Shinji's defenses.

Shinji's face was contorted in extreme pain as he replied in an almost pleading voice, "Enough! Stop talking!"

Cú Chulainn, watching this scene, remarked, "Master, you look exactly like a villain right now."

Xia Yan rolled his eyes at Cú Chulainn, ignoring the guy who was watching the show with a wicked grin.

"He used the book of a false minister to order Medusa not to escape."

Without even considering why the other party would know that the book in his hand was called "The Book of a False Minister," Shinji readily gave the order.

"Very well, that's all you need to do from now on, Lancer!"

Xia Yan pushed Shinji next to Cú Chulainn, who promptly delivered a chop to his wrist.

After leaving Shinji, a burden, to Cú Chulainn to deal with, Xia Yan walked up to Medusa.

Although Medusa had temporarily lost her fighting ability, Xia Yan did not dare to get too close to her.

The two were about five meters apart, and Xia Yan gave a warm, harmless smile.

"Alright, now we can have a proper talk."

Medusa didn't understand Xia Yan and the other person's purpose, but buying time would allow her to recover from her injuries.

"What would you like to talk about?"

"Of course, it's Matou Sakura, whom you care about the most."

As soon as Xia Yan finished speaking, he felt the purple-haired beauty in front of him reveal an overwhelming killing intent.

"Don't get agitated. I have no intention of harming her. On the contrary, I'm here to help her. I know she was adopted from the Tohsaka family to the Matou family and has suffered torment from Matou Reiken and Matou Shinji for the past ten years."

Medusa's murderous aura lessened.

"Who are you? How do you know about Sakura's situation?"

"My name is Xia Yan. I'm just an ordinary intern teacher who recently arrived at this school, and I've also learned a little magic. As for how I know about Sakura's situation, that's a complicated story, and that's not the point. Now, I'll ask you, Rider, or just call you Medusa, do you want to help Sakura change her current situation?"

Medusa was startled. How did this man know her real name? Earlier, he had directly stated the name of the "Book of False Servants" held by Matou Shinji—things known only to the Matou family. Could this man read minds?

Even if he could read minds, Medusa was confident that her B-rank magic resistance was enough to defend against it.

"Rider, I initiated this conversation with you when I had the upper hand, which should show my sincerity. Stop thinking about questions like 'why do I know this information'. For Sakura, you're the only one who can save her right now."

"No, as long as the Matou family exists, Sakura cannot be saved. All I can do is try my best to protect Sakura from harm."

Xia Yan shouted angrily, "Medusa, stop saying such discouraging things! Even I, an outsider, am still trying to save Sakura, but you, as her servant, are the first to give up."

Medusa was taken aback. She hadn't expected Xia Yan to be so persistent in saving Ying. Could it be that this man liked Ying?

Once the idea took hold, it lingered in Medusa's mind, and she didn't even consider that the other party knew she was Sakura's Servant and not Shinji's Servant.

Sakura's charm is indeed great, I understand.

For some reason, Xia Yan suddenly saw a hint of affirmation from the fan club leader to an outstanding fan on Medusa's smiling face with her eye patch on.

Did she misunderstand something?

Oh well, let it be a misunderstanding. At least Medusa no longer harbors any hostility towards me.

After a brief silence, Medusa spoke first.

"You said that I'm the only one who can save Sakura right now, but I don't understand what that means."

"You just said that as long as the Matou family exists, Sakura cannot be saved. So, why not just destroy the Matou family? I know that Matou Reiken was behind Sakura's participation in the Holy Grail War, so as long as we can kill that damned old bug, Sakura can break free from the Matou family's control."

Medusa shook her head after hearing this.

"It's not that simple. Matou Reiken has lived for so long, he must have a backup plan. If we can't completely eliminate him, the Matou family will continue to exist."

"You're right. I also know what Matou Reiken's backup plan is. You just need to do as I say."

Xia Yan then told Medusa about his plan.