That protagonist is trash; I could do better!

With his arm around Saber's slender waist, Hall idly admired the scenery rushing past when a sudden sense of alarm struck him. Without thinking, he threw out a yellow gem.

呲~

The yellow gemstone emitted a dazzling light, unfolding a magical barrier composed of countless hexagons that enveloped both the people and the car.

Gems are a common material used by magicians, and gem magic is a major category of magic. Spellcasters can transfer their own magic power into gems to increase their magic power reserves. They can also inscribe magic marks inside gems using their properties, making them one-time magical artifacts. They can also activate the magical properties of gems to enhance the power of magic, and so on.

Hall obtained a batch of high-quality gems from Young Gil, using "Knights Never Die Barehanded" as a gun and gems as bullets, supplemented by the concept magic of "Philosopher's Stone". In case of crisis, he can activate the magic inscription engraved inside the gems in a very short time and use great magic.

This is also why Hall seems completely unprepared for the enemy; the barrier made of high-quality gems can withstand even attacks from Noble Phantasms of the level of Excalibur for a short time.

"Master!?"

Saber noticed Hall's unusual movement, and his azure pupils suddenly contracted, reflecting the flashing red light ahead of the road, which became even more dazzling and blinding.

Enemy attack!

The moment it realized this, the red light exploded, bursting forth with intense light that would engulf the motorcycle protected by the magic barrier.

Boom!

A dark red mushroom cloud slowly bloomed in the sky above the highway, dust rose from the ground, and countless grains of sand and gravel fell, forming a curtain, just like a rainstorm. Red flames with a magical quality ignited on the road.

Buzzing~!

The motorcycle emerged unscathed from the thick smoke, came to a stylish stop with a swivel, and Saber dismounted. Her clothes transformed from a black suit into a silver-blue skirt armor, and golden light manifested as a holy sword, guarding the surroundings.

“It’s still daytime, Master. It seems the other party isn’t as honest as you said.”

Hall shrugged: "Not entirely. After all, there aren't many people here, which fits the constraints of a magician's covert operations. Besides, when that trap was activated, it also deployed a barrier."

Saber asked solemnly, "Master, can we find the enemy's location?"

"The enemy's presence cannot be sensed within the barrier."

In the blink of an eye, Hall's right eye turned silver-gray, scanning the barrier to catch any movement. If he couldn't sense any presence from the other side, it meant either the other side possessed a Noble Phantasm that concealed their presence, or the other side was outside Hall's perception range.

Suddenly, Hall's magical eyes flickered, and he looked up at the sky, sensing the movement of magical energy. He whispered a warning: "Up in the sky!"

A ray of golden light shone down, instantly engulfing the earth like sunlight, becoming even more dazzling and blinding.

That was the light reflected from countless golden arrows, covering the sky and earth, with a momentum comparable to the volley of ten thousand arrows from the "King's Army".

"Master!"

Saber gave a tense shout, instantly leaping to Hall's side to face the golden rain of arrows. The holy sword shone brightly, its blade slashing upwards to unleash a torrent of light.

Boom! Boom! Boom!

The torrent of light shattered some of the rain of arrows, while the rest bombarded the earth, causing countless explosions.

"Wind, roar!"

The strong wind whipped up by the holy sword blew away the sand and dust.

Hall looked up at the sky and saw the golden glow again. This time, however, it was not an enemy attack, but the sunlight reflected off the giant golden-blue bow. A black-haired girl stood suspended in the air beside the bow.

After the gem magic, there was a rain of arrows; the attacker could only be Archer Ishtar.

Hall's expression was solemn. The golden-blue giant bow was not a real bow, although it was indeed used as one.

In Mesopotamian mythology, there is a divine ark called the Maana, a portal connecting Earth and Venus. It was held by the Venus goddess Ishtar and was itself a weapon created by the gods.

Ishtar can only appear in a regular Holy Grail War by using a degraded possession summon, so she naturally cannot use her full power.

Summoned as an Archer, Ishtar wields a giant bow that is actually the bow of the Skyship Maana.

Perched high in an absolutely superior position, as if a deity were affirming a mortal, the girl's majestic voice descended from the sky: "You're quite capable, even if it's just to the extent of a greeting."

Chapter 186 Unfair Deal

Saber gripped her holy sword and gazed up at the sky, a look of doubt on her face. The appearance, voice, and even tone of the Servant in the sky were very similar to Rin in her memory.

Ereshkigal only looks similar; once you spend more time with him, you'll find that his personality is completely different. The Servant in front of her gives Saber a sense of familiarity, which cannot be explained by mere coincidence.

How is this going?

Saber turned to Hall in confusion, seeking an explanation: "Master, is that Rin?"

Hall squinted at Ishtar in the sky and conveyed his words through magic: "Her real name is Ishtar, a high-ranking deity in Mesopotamian mythology with extremely high divinity. Generally speaking, she cannot be summoned in the modern world where mysticism has declined, but it is not impossible. She can be summoned by possessing a modern human. Her body is Rin from this world."

Saber nodded: "What do we do?"

"She is not the Rin we know, and she is from the opposing camp."

Hall's reply was indifferent and calm, but the meaning was clear: treat it as a strange and hostile entity, and kill it if necessary.

However, whether or not they can be killed is another matter entirely.

Ishtar can fly freely on the Heavenly Bow Maana, possessing speed comparable to Rider. Against a Servant like Saber who has no means of attacking flying targets and cannot fly herself, she will surely win by guerrilla warfare.

As for Excalibur, the activation time is enough for Ishtar to escape from sight.

"clear."

"Be careful, her strength is at least at the level of the Hero King, it's not a problem to regard her as the Hero King."

As Hall pondered his strategy, Ishtar descended from the sky, showing no immediate intention to attack. With her arms crossed, she looked down at Hall and Saber and snorted, "What have you two been whispering about since earlier?"

Saber said in a deep voice, "Archer of the Red Team, do you want to declare war on us during the day?"

Ishtar played with her black hair and said with a smile, "Isn't it obvious? You are the Servants of the Black Faction, and I am the Servants of the Red Faction. It is only natural for us to fight each other. Hmm... no, it should be said that it is a one-sided ravages. As long as you do not resist, I may consider letting you die a little easier. How about it? I think it is a very good suggestion."

"Isn't this just a matter of having no choice?" Hall curled his lip. "Archer of the Red Team, my relationship with the Black Team is just that of a collaborator. Anyway, there's another Holy Grail War after the Holy Grail War. There are seven spots in total, so why fight to the death here?"

Ishtar grinned shrewdly, "If I kill you, I can get two Command Seals. That way, I can take care of not only the Black Faction, but also that damned clay doll."

The "broken clay doll" probably refers to Enkidu. The worst thing you can do when facing Ishtar is to back down. She's the type who'll take advantage of any slight and push her luck.

Hall said bluntly, "Don't overestimate yourself, Ishtar."

Upon hearing Hall call her name, Ishtar's red eyes flashed with coldness, golden light swirling in them. She pointed her hand at Hall in a pistol gesture, saying with a playful tone, "Hmph~ You dare to offend me knowing my divine name? I am a rather cruel goddess with a terrible personality. When you utter such disrespectful words, your fate was sealed."

Beside the goddess, a giant golden-blue bow was drawn back, and a beam of golden light converged, aiming at Hall on the ground.

shuh~

Saber stood in front of Hall, solemnly raising his holy sword, the swordsman also radiating golden light.

"and many more."

Hall remained calm, pondering how to utilize Ishtar as a chess piece.

Bad personality?

If it is indeed the goddess of Venus, she plays a villainous role in mythology. Leaving aside her behavior, her most famous evil deed is probably that she was rejected when she proposed to the hero-king Gilgamesh, and in a fit of anger, she asked her father Anus for the strongest divine beast, the Bull of the Sky.

The Bull of the Sky possesses the ability to control the weather, or perhaps it is itself a supernatural disaster capable of destroying the world.

After the appearance of the Bull of Heaven, the earth suffered from hunger and calamity, and the hero king Gilgamesh and Enkidu had no choice but to join forces to kill the Bull of Heaven.

This further enraged Ishtar, who then pleaded with the gods to execute either Gilgamesh or Enkidu for the crime of killing a divine beast.

Enkidu, a weapon created by the gods, could not disobey the gods' commands and gradually weakened and died.

This is one of the reasons why Ishtar and Enkidu have such a bad relationship.

If it were Ishtar from mythology, it wouldn't be surprising if Hall's words just now were enough to enrage her, and she directly used her Noble Phantasm to infuse the concept of Venus into an arrow and hurled it at him.

But Ishtar did not do that; instead, she emphasized her own bad character and her threats were more threatening.

This shows that Ishtar has a mix of Rin Tohsaka's mischievous personality traits.

Fortunately, she possessed Rin Tohsaka's body. If she had possessed an Einzbern family homunculus, it would have been a disaster, with her humanity missing and her divinity amplified, making her incredibly close to the original myths and legends.

Hall thought to himself, "Although I don't know if the Ishtar in front of me is like the one in the game who has 30% of Rin Tohsaka's personality mixed in, I should try to avoid fighting her for now."

Hall raised his right hand and extended his index finger: "How about we make a deal?"

Ishtar lowered her right hand, and the golden light on the Heavenly Bow slowly faded. She said aggressively, "A deal? With me? A mere mortal? Are you kidding me?"

"The terms of the deal are to avoid fighting as much as possible unless it becomes absolutely necessary to decide a winner, and the reward is these gems." Hall reached into the alternate dimension and took out half of the gems he had obtained from Young Gil.

"Don't waste your breath... Gem!?" Ishtar's voice grew weaker as she watched the gem in Hall's hand, her expression blank, her eyes gleaming with greed.

Hall emphasized, "There are thirty in total, all of them are of extremely high quality."

"..."

Ishtar seemed not to hear, her gaze completely captivated by the jewel, murmuring in rapture, "What beautiful brilliance, what a magnificent gem..."

"Archer, what's your decision?"

Ishtar snapped out of her daze, coughing to cover her mouth as she finished speaking: "Ahem, it's only natural for mortals to offer sacrifices to the gods seeking their protection, but well, if there were more gems..."

"Alright, let's start the war." Hall sighed softly, making a move to take the gem back.

Ishtar hurriedly descended, revealing a pitiful expression like a puppy that had lost its owner, her clear voice now carrying a hint of coquetry: "Stop! Stop! Stop! Don't take the jewel away from my eyes, or I'll die of loneliness!"

Hall chuckled and asked, "So what exactly is it?"

“I am indeed very interested in the gems, but the Command Seals are also important… Hmm, it’s decided.” Ishtar clapped her hands: “Listen up, Caster of the Black Faction, the deal itself is fine, but you need to prove that you have the strength to cooperate with the goddess, at least prove to me that I alone cannot easily defeat you.”

Chapter 187 The Goddess's Trial

"It's still the same troublesome situation." Hall said speechlessly.

Ishtar crossed her arms and considered: "The trials the gods bestow upon warriors are bound to be both dangerous and rewarding. As the goddess of Venus, I assure you, if you succeed, I will grant you respect; if you fail, I will bestow upon you mercy. What do you say?"

"Trial content".

Ishtar gave a malicious smile: "Ten minutes. If you can hold out for ten minutes under my attack, you've passed."

"alright."

"I agree, so let's begin."

"Give the bravest the greatest trial. Be glorious, for I am your opponent. I gather the power of all the gods and adorn myself with it. Goddess of goddesses, Ishtar, who rules the sky!" The goddess of Venus proclaimed proudly, as if the earth itself trembled.

It doesn't seem like an illusion.

Hall glanced around and saw several magical nodes where the concept of the earth was solidified.

Rumble!