That protagonist is trash; I could do better!

"Announcement."

"Declaration!"

"Your body obeys my command, my life is with your sword, answer the call of the Holy Grail, if you are willing to follow this will and this righteousness, then respond."

Sakura Matou nervously recited the summoning incantation along with Hall, making several mistakes and trying again.

The incantation serves as a guide, representing the words spoken by the Master to the Servant on the Throne of Heroes, and also symbolizing the content of the Master-Servant contract.

If one possesses a powerful medium and excellent magical skills, incantations are unnecessary; some Servants who wish to participate in the Holy Grail War may even actively respond to the summons.

Sakura Matou is capable enough to be considered an excellent magician, but the problem is her mentality. She has always had a subtle aversion to magic because of her childhood experiences.

If it weren't for Hall's suggestion, Matou Sakura probably wouldn't have been interested in magic at all.

呲味味~

The mercury ritual array covering the ground gradually glowed as Matou Sakura infused it with her magic, connecting with the Greater Grail system and making contact with the Throne of Heroes.

Something in the darkness responded to Matou Sakura's call, and she took a step back in fear.

Hall steadied her from behind and gently comforted her: "Sakura, it's okay. Believe in your abilities and keep channeling your magic."

"Yes!"

Sakura Matou nodded vigorously, gritting her teeth. The warmth she felt on her back dispelled all her hesitation.

She recalled the days when Rin Tohsaka and Howl studied magic together, and how she could only watch from the sidelines, unable to do anything about it.

At that time, she felt incredibly distant from the two of them.

Sakura Matou would do anything to get closer to Howl, even if it meant learning magic she hated.

Her body's magic power surged out endlessly. When it reached its limit, Matou Sakura suddenly felt her body lighten and collapsed into Hall's arms, her pale face covered in sweat.

The séance emitted an unprecedented light, accompanied by the clear sound of chains dragging on the ground.

"Brother...did I succeed?" Matou Sakura asked weakly, not wanting to disappoint Hall.

Princess Hall lifted her up, kissed the girl's forehead, and smiled, "Witness it with your own eyes, for this is your servant."

Sakura Matou turned her head and saw a tall, slender figure kneeling in front of the ritual circle. His light purple hair was scattered on the ground, and his face and eyes were completely covered by a purple eyepatch. His cold voice was devoid of warmth: "Contractor, Servant Rider, summoned."

Sakura Matou breathed a sigh of relief and smiled sweetly at Hall: "That's great."

Chapter 280 Petrifying Demon Eye (and about yesterday's hiatus)

Medusa

Medusa, the Gorgon of Greek mythology, was the youngest of the three Gorgon sisters. She is recorded in many myths and legends, and many versions of her story have been passed down. Even in modern times, Medusa often appears as a Gorgon in various literary and film works, and she is almost always the villain.

The two most memorable features of Medusa for modern people are her snake hair and her petrification. The former needs no further explanation, while the latter is said to turn anything Medusa sees into stone.

What Hall was interested in was Medusa's magic eye—the petrifying magic eye.

The Mystic Eyes in the Type-Moon universe are divided into five levels, with some Mystic Eyes having certain deviations due to their special properties.

The basic Mystic Eye has many abilities and types, but it is basically a useless tool for magicians, capable of temporarily binding ordinary humans and moving objects.

The Nobel color, as the name suggests, is most notable for its different colors, and it also attracts attention in the field of magic.

The Golden Eye is an extremely rare magical eye even among magicians. If used properly, it can pose a great threat to magicians. The price of the Golden Eye Train is basically over fifty million US dollars.

The Mystic Eyes are practically legendary to most magicians. The Mystic Eyes of Death Perception and the Mystic Eyes of Petrification are also in this category. The Mystic Eyes Train costs over five hundred million US dollars.

It seems quite cheap, but don't underestimate the influence of money on magicians. Even Chaldea was built using money.

Five hundred million US dollars—such a massive amount of liquid funds would be difficult for even the noble magicians inside the Clock Tower to come up with.

Rainbow-level Mystic Eyes, the truly legendary Mystic Eyes, are possessed only by the Moon King Zhu Yue and the evil god Balor from Celtic mythology. The Mystic Eyes of the Moon King Zhu Yue are unknown, while Balor's Mystic Eyes are considered the prototype of the Mystic Eyes of Death Perception. Unlike the Mystic Eyes of Death Perception, it can only see dead beings, not death lines or death points. Any being seen by this Mystic Eye will die.

Excluding the two legendary ones, the Petrifying Eye is the highest-level Mystic Eye that Hall can access.

As for Hall's Flowing Magic Eye, it is very special. When the magic power is sufficient and Hall's body can withstand it, it can reach the level of Rainbow-level Magic Eye, which is usually the Gold level.

······

The dark and damp basement was once where Zouken Matou cultivated insects, and traces of magic are still preserved on the ancient stone walls.

Hall reached out and touched the marks on the wall, and memories of the past came flooding back. He was deeply moved by the changes he had experienced over the years.

"Excuse me, what can I do for you?" A tall, slender figure stood quietly in the corner, her long, flowing hair almost touching the ground. She spoke in a cold voice.

She actually quite liked the basement, which most people would find uncomfortable.

“It’s nothing, Rider. I’d like to ask you to help me with an academic research project.” Hall smiled, a little worried that Rider’s long hair would touch the ground. Although he didn’t have any quirks, his hair was indeed too smooth and beautiful.

Do I have the right to refuse?

That's really indifferent.

Hall was speechless, but he actually understood Rider's personality very well. She wasn't cold; on the contrary, she often overthought things and kept them bottled up inside because she couldn't express them.

Hall tried to guess her thoughts and shook his head, saying, "Probably not. Would you disobey your Master's orders? Just like your relationship with Sakura, Sakura wouldn't disobey my orders."

"Understood, I will cooperate."

Just as Hall had thought, while Hall was assessing Rider, Rider was also pondering Hall's identity. Judging from Sakura's attitude towards Hall, she did not doubt the truth of what Hall said. However, what concerned her more was the abnormality of the human in front of her.

Because of the Petrifying Eyes, Medusa covered her eyes, but this did not mean that she lost her sight.

Many snakes have poor eyesight and rely on other senses to detect the presence of prey.

After Rider sealed the Petrifying Eyes, his ability to sense enemy presence, the dynamics of magic, and his animalistic instincts were all amplified to varying degrees.

She felt very confused and couldn't confirm whether the beings in front of her were human.

She had seen many humans, many humans who were called warriors, but even in that era, she had never encountered anyone like Hall.

Danger?

It was indeed very dangerous, and even her intuition kept warning her not to be hostile towards him, not to attack him, and not to disobey his orders.

However, Medusa sensed something was more unusual.

She couldn't quite describe it, because it was a fact she had never seen before.

If these were older sisters, they would probably know who the magician in front of them is...

Rider Medusa silently reminisced about her sisters, then shrank back in fear. If she asked her sisters such a question, she would surely be mocked for being immature and bullied severely.

Hall reached out and calmly stood in front of a magical barrier, instructing, "Rider, release the seal on the Petrifying Eyes."

Rider did not act rashly: "If this is your judgment based on your understanding of the Petrifying Eye, I am willing to abide by it, but even I cannot suppress its power."

"I'm still young, I don't want to die."

Rider nodded calmly: "Understood."

Rider's eye patch is a "Mystic Eye Killer" that works on himself, but its true purpose is to seal the consciousness of others. Of course, due to his demotion, his true purpose cannot be fulfilled for the time being, and it has become a barrier that seals the Mystic Eye.

Rider carefully removed one side of his blindfold, revealing only his right eye as he looked at Hall. The pupil was a pale purple, and its shape resembled that of a snake, being vertical.

Ah!

When he sensed the gaze, Hall's eyes narrowed slightly. A powerful sense of pressure came from the outside, squeezing his body, affecting his muscles, bones, blood, and even the subtle magic power within his magic circuits.

Petrification? As a skilled magician, Hall sensed that it was far more complex than that.

The Petrifying Eyes are named so simply because of the ability to turn enemies to stone when they are seen by them. However, after experiencing it firsthand, Hall knew that petrification was not the result, but rather a side effect of the result.

The true power of the Petrifying Eye should be "Stop," an attribute completely opposite to Hall's origin, "Flow."

However, because they are completely opposite, they are also one.

"As expected of the highest-level Mystic Eyes that can petrify Servants with Magic Resistance below B rank, no wonder it can be compared to overpowered abilities like the Mystic Eyes of Death Perception."

Hall sighed inwardly.

"Please be careful," Rider warned, completely removing his blindfold.

Hall's face froze, and for a moment he wondered if a vampire had stopped time, then thrown a bulldozer at him and unleashed a thousand punches at it, yelling "Muda muda muda muda muda muda!"

Magic power poured out from Hall's magic circuits, frantically injecting into the unfolding magic barrier to resist the power of the Petrifying Eye. If he didn't do this, Hall might turn into a stone statue in the next second.

Since Hall is not a Servant and has no magic resistance, he can only rely on magic to resist petrification.

Even Servants with A-rank Magic Resistance will experience a severe pressure effect when facing the Mystic Eyes of Petrification, causing all their attributes to drop by one rank.

What is the concept of A-level magic power? In the eyes of a magician, it is a walking miracle. Even if they stand there without moving, modern magic is basically unable to cause them any harm.

"It is worth further research."

"Unfortunately, I don't have a spirit origin right now, so I can't activate my Noble Phantasm."

"However, the concepts of flow and stillness are mutually opposed and opposite, and similar to the dualistic theory of good and evil, they are also one and the same."

Hall continued to feel the sensation of being watched by the Petrifying Eye. He activated his own eye to perform reverse analysis and unexpectedly successfully simulated a petrifying ability, obtaining two magical effects: binding and pressure. However, these were not the true abilities of the Petrifying Eye.

"As expected, I didn't feel any rejection reaction, which means that I also have a compatibility with the Petrifying Eye that is close to that of Medusa."

"In that case, this is the only way."

Hall nodded to Rider, waiting for her to put on the eye patch and reseal the Petrifying Eyes, and solemnly asked, "Rider, I want to make a deal with you. It has nothing to do with your Master. Whether you agree or not is entirely up to you."

Equivalent exchange—this is Hall's principle.

"Please speak."

"I want your eyes, just one."

Hall was slightly excited and wanted to try to integrate the concept of the petrifying magic eye into his own magic eye. He was 100% certain that the fusion of two seemingly opposite concepts would produce amazing results.

Hall's alchemist instincts drove him to explore the unknown.

Rider fell silent. If Hall were her Master, she would have agreed without hesitation, but to her, Hall was just a magician who had forcibly inserted himself into the relationship between her and her Master, and there was no reason for her to agree.

But there's no need to rush to refuse.

Rider continued indifferently, as if it were none of his business, "That depends on what you give me."

Hall held up a finger and smiled, "I will only take one of your magic eyes. This will weaken your petrifying magic eyes, but they should still be powerful. I can make you a pair of glasses to seal your magic eyes, so you won't need to wear an eye patch to see the world."

“This is not the price.” Rider shook his head.

"I know, I can grant you one more wish. Of course, not something like destroying the world, but things like changing your height or appearance are still possible," Hall smiled, deliberately stating a wish that Rider couldn't refuse and that he could easily fulfill.