Thanks for the invitation. I'm in Type-Moon, inheriting the legacy of Zi-O.

“Yes…” Taking a deep breath, Nian Zhuo pulled an orange-yellow watch face from his pocket. “This watch face is better for dealing with you…”

"Gaim---"

"Armor Time! Soiya! Gaim~!" An orange-yellow ring enveloped him, and the knight of the Untamed descended upon this place once more.

"From now on, this is my stage." Holding the two large orange pills in his hands, Nian Zhuo regained his fighting spirit.

Moving slowly, El-Melloi II's sharp eyes carefully observed Nian Zhuo, who was now fully equipped with armor.

"Hmph..." Then, he walked over to Alexander and leaned down to say something.

"Eh... I see." Nodding, the boy turned his attention to Nian Zhuo with surprise. "So he can unlock the power of another world."

"How could I know?" Nian Zhuo's hand clenched unconsciously, and he met El-Melloi II's gaze again, instantly feeling a sense of being seen through. "Could it be... an ability he possesses?"

[Strategist's Words of Wisdom]: Skill of an A+ Strategist Servant.

It can analyze the battle situation and provide useful suggestions for our side.

The higher the level, the higher the accuracy. At level A+, it can predict 100% of unexpected events.

To counter this skill, one needs extremely high luck.

Unfortunately, none of the three, including Ritsuka, are lucky enough to resist this ability, so it was inevitable that Nencho and his group would be in a passive position from the very beginning.

"I must strike first." Gripping the large orange pill tightly, Nian Zhuo sprinted towards the smiling Alexander, aiming for a decisive victory.

However, the boy seemed to have anticipated his move, not just dodging to the side. Nian Zhuo even felt the sound of air being cut overhead, presumably the 'strategist' beside Alexander had already summoned the boulder the instant Alexander dodged.

"Thump-----" The boulder crashed to the ground, causing a tremor. Nian Zhuo, who had just dodged it, saw the strategist lighting a cigar not far away and gritted his teeth in anger.

That's a Mystic Code, and even Nencho, who has transformed into armor, can sense the magical fluctuations on it.

One of the few magical costumes that El-Melloi II carried with him.

The tobacco inside was added by Generation II according to his own circumstances. There are various types, including those for defense, creating barriers, stabilizing the mind, and catalyzing magic circuits.

"Well then, big brother with mysterious powers, it's our turn now, okay?" The boy smiled and drew his short sword, the immense power contained within his small body beginning to show its edge.

The short sword was nothing to fear, but the strategist's assistance made Nian Zhuo pay close attention to the sensation coming from the soles of his feet and the emerald green wind blades rushing towards him.

Normally, casting such a spell would require at least a period of chanting, but the magician in front of me didn't utter a single syllable and cast an attack of multiple elements out of thin air.

Several stone pillars rising from the earth trapped Nianzhuo, and Alexander's attack was imminent.

A purple figure, accompanied by a sudden burst of flames, stood in front of Nian Zhuo.

"Are you alright, Mr. Nianzhuo?" Mash blocked Alexander's thrust and held her shield in front of Nianzhuo. At the same time, Nero's primordial fire sliced ​​through the wind blades the man was swinging.

"Yes, thank you. Mash and Nero." With a powerful effort, Nian Zhuo broke free from the shattered stone pillars that bound him, no longer daring to relax even for a moment. "I'll have to leave the rest of the battle to you."

“Hmm, my guest general, it is also necessary to show the emperor’s glory in front of his subjects.” Nero, holding his sword with both hands, stared intently at the magician in the distance.

"Such a simple formation." Unexpectedly, El-Melloi II spoke up. "Unfortunately, your current position is quite unfavorable."

"Although you may not know the term 'Feng Shui,' you can now witness the mystery of the East..."

“Feng Shui…?” Nian Zhuo himself understood the meaning of the term, but how could his understanding compare to that of Wolong’s strategist?

"First formation... Gen position, Earth flow!" The man pointed lightly to the feet of Nian Zhuo and the others.

Suddenly, the soil seemed to come alive, rolling and churning, forming layers of earthy waves that surrounded Nian Zhuo and the others like a massive mudslide.

With destructive force, the mud knocked down trees, mixed with rubble, and slowly but irresistibly surged towards Nianzhuo and the others from all sides.

"Damn it!" There was no way to escape. Only then did Nianzhuo realize that his surroundings were inexplicably filled with a massive earth torrent, and all he could see was a yellowish-brown earth.

"Unbelievable. Is this the power that a strategist who could even briefly change the fate of the world possessed back then?" There was nowhere to escape, and the surrounding area was submerged by soil. The only remaining exit was now blocked by a slowly moving mudslide, like the scythe of death slowly descending.

"Everyone!" Ritsuka, who was hiding in a safe area, could only see the people who were trapped and shouted anxiously.

Then, a blue light? No, it should be a figure. It darted out from the bushes nearby.

The twisted military knife in its hand and its scarlet eyes clearly indicated that it was no benevolent creature; it leaped back and forth on the surrounding earthen slopes like a wild beast.

"Huh? What's that?" Everyone's attention was instantly drawn to the unfamiliar enemy that had suddenly appeared: a humanoid werewolf with a completely blue body.

Its messy fur and protruding sharp teeth both attest to this.

The crimson gaze instantly shifted to Nian Zhuo, who was located within the earthen formation, and the werewolf howled as it pounced on him.

“This is--?” ​​Nian Zhuo recognized the monster at first glance.

Garurumon is a familiar of Another Rider Kiva. It wields the "Garuru Saber" as its weapon and is at its strongest during a full moon, capable of splitting a mountain in one blow.

"There's nowhere to hide, but we should be able to make use of it." His eyes darted to the oncoming mudslide, and then to the approaching military knife. With nowhere to run, Nian Zhuo had an idea.

"Mash! Nero! Hold on to me!" Nianzhuo suddenly shouted, pulling Mash and Nero, who were about to defend themselves, to his side. "Hold on tight to me from now on, remember that!"

Then, straightening his chest, Nianzhuo met Garuru's dark blue military knife head-on without flinching.

With a "whoosh," a long string of sparks exploded as the blade struck Nian Zhuo's breastplate, but a "planned" smile appeared on Nian Zhuo's face hidden under his mask.

Although that cut still hurt a lot.

"Could it be..." In the next moment, El-Melloi saw through Nian Zhuo's thoughts, waved his hand and suddenly accelerated the rolling of the mudslide, not caring at all about reducing the distance along the way, and rushed towards the few people who had nowhere to hide.

Unfortunately, he was too late.

Garuru's saber struck Nianzhuo, sending him flying.

Although there was no full moon at the moment, the werewolf monster easily shattered the soil barrier with a single blow.

Just before he was about to crash into the earth, Nianzhuo pulled Mash and Nero in front of him, preventing them from being affected by the impact.

"Tsk." El-Melloi, not far away, clicked his tongue in displeasure, looking at Another Garurumon with a hint of anger in his eyes. "Although I don't know what kind of monster you are, you don't seem to have any sense of reason at all."

"Phew..." Although he had escaped the earthen formation set up by the magician, Nian Zhuo touched the wound he had just been slashed at, and looked at the three people on the battlefield who had all turned their hostility towards him. "This is a bit troublesome..."

Alexander the Conqueror in his youth, and Garuru, a follower of the alien Kiva.

And El-Melloi II, one of the twelve monarchs.

No, it should be called that now.

Zhuge Liang, the strategist who knew the world from the bottom of the sky.

Stone Soldier Eight Formations: Initial Devastation and Domination

"This is troublesome." Only one thought remained in Nianzhuo's mind.

The increase in the number of enemies made the already disadvantageous battle even more difficult.

"Hmph." The magician puffed on his cigar, looking completely at ease. "Even a beast without reason can be manipulated with a little effort..." He lightly stomped on the ground.

The ground beneath Nianzhuo and the others surged once more, and several stone pillars emerged from the ground, trapping Nianzhuo in a cage.

"...that can achieve twice the result with half the effort."

The werewolf, exhaling scorching breath, brandished its saber and charged forward once more.

"—!" he roared, shattering the stone pillar in front of Nian Zhuo, then flipped his military knife and slashed at Nian Zhuo's chest.

"Tsk." Nian Zhuo clicked his tongue in annoyance and flipped the driver at his waist. "No, don't get too cocky!"

“Finish Time----” Nian Zhuo flipped the large orange pill over with both hands, and scorching sword energy surrounded the twin swords in his hands.

"Secret Meaning -" Another Garurumon is about to swing his saber down.

"·Miangan Slash!" Even faster, Nianzhuo crossed his twin swords and slashed at Garurumon's body.

"Clang----" The military knife collided with the two large orange pills in mid-air, exploding into a series of sparks.

Then, Nianzhuo's figure seemed to vanish suddenly, passing through Garuru's body and appearing behind it.

"-----Second Stage·Secret Technique·Mitsukan Spinning Slash." The large orange ball in his hand re-condensed the scorching sword energy, and Nencho turned his back and slashed at AnotherGarurumon's unsuspecting back again.

Even if a werewolf has superior physical abilities, its reaction time is not fast enough to block this attack in time.

The image of orange passed through Garuru's body and then scattered.

"Swoosh—" The sound of flesh being pierced through, Garurumon's scarlet eyes revealed an expression of disbelief.

The dim blue werewolf body charged forward uncontrollably, shattering the stone pillars that had been surrounding Nian Zhuo before disappearing into the earth without slowing down.

------Silence. This time, the sound of the breeze breathing was so loud.

The exchange just now lasted only a brief moment, and then ended with Nian Zhuo Wushang escaping the magician's cage once again.

"Beautiful skill, impressive reflexes." The cigar in his mouth was almost finished burning, but the magician had no intention of getting a new one. "This Heroic Spirit is very interesting. None of the descriptions of Heroic Spirits in the past match him..." His curiosity made the man carefully observe the armored Heroic Spirit standing not far away.

"Unfortunately, we're in the middle of a battle right now, and besides, the [Observation Eye] has too little information to process..."

“The battle is not over yet.” Nencho took the initiative to pull out the Gaim watch from the driver on his waist. “Kouta, you’ve done enough. Leave the rest to me.”

He took out a white and red watch face from his pocket and turned it over again.

“Wizard----” Haruto’s figure appeared ethereally beside Nencho. “Do we need [Hope] to appear now?”

“Of course.” Shaking his head and smiling, Nian Zhuo flipped the dial back onto the driver.

"Armor Time! Please! Wizard!"

The long red time ring once again enveloped Nian Zhuo's figure.

Then the flames dispersed, and the magician who had brought hope replaced the samurai who had brought peace to the world, making a new appearance.

“Well, it’s show time.” Nian Zhuo flexed his wrists and turned his gaze back to El-Melloi II.

The werewolf's body, which had disappeared into the soil behind him, turned into specks of blue light and vanished.

"Hmm, is this armor primarily designed to enhance magic power?" The magician easily sensed the immense, undisguised magic power emanating from Nian Zhuo, took the cigar from his mouth, replaced it, and relit it.

"Then let me test you again." With a snap of his fingers, El-Melloi's eyes suddenly widened.

"Second Formation - Kan Position - Water Surge." Appearing out of thin air, the clear water condensed into a surging torrent, rushing towards Nian Zhuo and the others with tremendous force once again.

This time, Mash took the lead and stood in front of everyone with her shield. The water flow was all-pervasive and seemed endless.

The primordial fire in Nero's hand, the flames burning on the blade, could not withstand the massive surge, yet the emperor continued to hold on and never retreated.

"Ugh!" The rushing water swept over their weapons and their bodies, but failed to break through their defenses.

"Then—" The magician snapped his fingers again, and the temperature plummeted, so cold it felt as if the air itself could freeze.

The surging torrent quickly froze into transparent ice. The water that had been dripping onto the two girls' bodies and sword blades now froze into ice, effectively reducing their strength.