I'm in Morioh, just joined a chat group for cute girls.

"Ahem!" Rin cleared her throat, forcibly steer the conversation back on track. She looked at Gu Ye and asked seriously, "Hey, Gu Ye! By doing this, you've essentially declared war on that golden swan! He definitely won't let this go! What are you planning to do next?"

"What should we do?" Gu Ye put down his teacup, stood up, walked to the window, and calmly met the angry gaze from the mountaintop.

"Of course, we'll go to greet him."

"Instead of passively waiting for him to come knocking on our door, we should take the initiative."

"Let him see if we 'bastards' are even qualified to stand in front of him."

The firelight on the mountaintop was like a hideous scar, branded onto the deep black night.

The deafening roar seemed to linger, still echoing deep within everyone's eardrums.

The air was filled with a pungent, acrid smell, a mixture of gunpowder and ozone.

The living room fell into a deathly silence; even breathing could be heard clearly.

Medea's hand, holding the bone china teacup, froze in mid-air, unable to maintain its composure and elegance any longer.

The mushroom cloud that was slowly dissipating was reflected deep in her pupils.

“This isn’t magic.” Her voice was a little hoarse.

"Hey, you guy..."

Archer leaned against the wall, his arms, which had been crossed over his chest, now lowered.

His face, which always bore a mocking smile, was now filled with solemnity.

As a battle-hardened guardian, he has witnessed countless brutal battlefields and even faced the embodiment of "all the evil in this world".

But nothing could compare to what just happened.

That wasn't a clash of Noble Phantasms, nor a contest of magical power, but a force that he couldn't analyze, replicate, or even defend against.

His projected "Seven-fold Heavenly Ring" could block Lancer's fatal shot, but he had no doubt that his strongest defense would be instantly evaporated like paper in front of that tiny "bomb".

"Who exactly are you?" Archer's gaze was fixed on Gu Ye, and for the first time, his tone carried a hint of inquiry.

"Just an ordinary high school student passing by." Gu Ye turned around, his face still showing the same calm expression.

“No ordinary high school student would do something like this!” Archer finally snapped out of his shock.

He took a deep breath and forced himself to calm down.

“Alright, you’re right.” His eyes sharpened again. “Now that we’ve torn off all pretense, we need to consider our next move. That Gilgamesh has suffered such a huge loss; he’ll definitely not let this go. His next attack will be ten times more ferocious than the last one.”

At the mountaintop, in the ruins of the Kotomine Church.

The pungent smell of burning and the thick dust made it almost impossible to breathe.

The once solemn and majestic chapel is now nothing but ruins. The huge cross is broken in the middle, half buried in the rubble and the other half pointing diagonally at the gloomy night sky.

Moonlight streamed through the hole in the blasted roof, stretching the shadows on the ground into ghostly shapes.

Kirei Kotomine stood up from the mess of rubble and dusted off his robes.

The specially made robe, protected by a talisman, saved his life, but the massive shockwave still left him in a sorry state.

A trickle of blood seeped from the corner of his mouth, dripping down his chin and leaving a dark red spot on his black collar.

He looked up at the clock tower, now only its base remained, and for the first time, a feeling called "joy" appeared in his usually deep and calm eyes.

"Cough...cough cough..." Cú Chulainn crawled out of the ruins on the other side, leaning on his magic spear and panting heavily.

His blue combat suit was covered in tears and burn marks, and his face was covered in dust.

"Are you kidding me..." He looked at the horrific scene before him and said with lingering fear, "This power... even a light cannon couldn't do this, right? Where did those monsters come from?"

He felt a wave of fear wash over him, thankful that he hadn't chosen to fight to the death with the other side during the day.

Otherwise, what lies here now might not just be the ruins of a church.

“Lancer.” Kirei Kotomine’s voice was a little hoarse as he slowly turned around and looked at his servant.

"What is it, Master?"

"Do you find this level of 'disaster' interesting?" The fear on Kirei Kotomine's face was slowly fading, replaced by a morbid, twisted excitement.

His lips curled up uncontrollably, revealing a maniacal smile.

"Huh?" Lancer looked at him with a puzzled expression, thinking that his Master might have had his brain damaged by the explosion.

“I finally understand.” Kirei Kotomine ignored him and instead stuck out his tongue to gently lick the blood from the corner of his mouth. His eyes regained their light, a light that was even more intense and frenzied than before.

"The Holy Grail or Angra Mainyu are nothing more than means to achieve 'pleasure'."

"And now, true 'pleasure' has come to us on its own."

He opened his arms as if embracing the ruins and the scent of death.

"I must possess them. I must understand them. I must... witness the extreme suffering and destruction they can bring to this world!"

Gilgamesh stands atop the broken cross.

He neither unleashed his Noble Phantasm nor roared again; he simply stood there quietly.

However, the air around him seemed to solidify into a tangible form.

It was a silence more terrifying than any roar, a cold, oppressive feeling stemming from absolute power.

He elevated Gu Ye from a "bastard" who could be crushed at will to an "enemy worthy of my serious destruction."

He began to think.

That power does not belong to magic, nor to the age of gods, nor to modern technology.

It's like a bug that appeared out of nowhere, something that shouldn't exist in this world.

“Interesting…” he muttered to himself, a thoughtful glint in his eyes. “It seems that this Holy Grail has caught a very big fish.”

He raised his hand, and a gold ring with intricate patterns appeared on his finger.

"Lancer, monitor their every move." The king's decree was transmitted directly to Lancer's mind through the Command Spell. "I need to know everything about them. Their purpose, their weaknesses, and... what they really are."

"Kirei," he spoke again, his voice resounding directly in Kirei Kotomine's mind, "use all your means to investigate that boy named 'Gu Ye.' I want to see a complete report on his past and his origins."

After giving the order, he turned his gaze back to the Tohsaka family, his eyes scrutinizing what seemed like a rare specimen about to be dissected.

"Let me see just how much fun you bastards, who are not recorded in history, can bring me."

I have thought about it and led three prayers.

At this tense moment of confrontation, the chat group interface was flashing wildly in Gu Ye's mind.

[American Scythe: See that? My work of art! I told you, there's no problem a bomb can't solve! If there is, then bring on something even more awesome!]

[American Scythe: @WeatherForecast, next time give me more materials, and I promise to send that glittering tortoise shell and him to heaven together!]

[Herrscher of Food: Hmph, it's just cleaning up a bunch of unsightly garbage, nothing to brag about.]

[Herrscher of the Rice: That level of explosion wouldn't even be enough to tickle me.]

[Marin: Woohoo!]

[Marin: [A row of emojis showing utter adoration]]

[Marin: @WeatherForecastGuYeJun is so cool!!! That last shot! It was like justice from the heavens! A divine punishment! I'm totally fired up!]

[Marin: [Short video recording: The moment of the church explosion, taken from the window of the Tohsaka family's house.mp4]]

Gu Ye glanced at the messages in the group without expression, and when he saw the message from Mei, a hint of surprise flashed in his eyes.

Is the Queen of Thunder's account being used by someone else?

“Alright, now is not the time to celebrate.” Rin Tohsaka interrupted the discussion. She walked to the table in the center of the living room, took out several gems of different colors from her skirt pocket, and set up a simple tactical sand table on the table.

“I know Gilgamesh’s personality. He suffered such a great loss, he will definitely not attack from a distance like before.” She used a ruby ​​to represent Gilgamesh. “The next time he appears, he will definitely come in his true form, with a determination to kill.”

"That's perfect, saves us the trouble of looking for him," W said nonchalantly, toying with his throwing knife.

“No, we can’t go head-to-head.” Archer walked over, pointing to the gem sand table on the table, and analyzed with a serious expression, “His ‘Gate of Babylon’ contains countless Noble Phantasms, which must include countermeasures for various situations. We don’t even know if he has any special Noble Phantasms against ‘weather,’ ‘lightning,’ or even ‘explosions.’ In a direct confrontation, our chances of winning are very low.”

"So what do you mean?" Rin asked.

“Ambush.” Archer’s eyes sharpened like a hunter’s. “He’s definitely furious right now, eager for revenge, and that’s when he’s most likely to make a mistake. We can use that to our advantage and set a trap.”

“Oh? That sounds interesting.” Medea also came over, looking at Archer’s layout with great interest. “Tell me more about it.”

“Gilgamesh’s favorite place is high up. The top of the Fuyuki Bridge, or the roof of the Civic Center in the new capital, are places he frequents.” Archer moved the gem representing his side. “We can split into two groups. One group will be responsible for setting traps and barriers, and the other group will be responsible for luring him away.”

"Lure him?" Rin frowned. "Who will go? This is a mission with a nine-out-of-ten chance of death."

"I'll go," Gu Ye said calmly, as if he were talking about something perfectly ordinary.

"You?" Everyone looked at him at the same time.

“That’s right.” Gu Ye nodded. “Only I can make him chase after me without any scruples.”

“Moreover,” he looked at Archer, a barely perceptible smile playing on his lips, “I don’t think there’s any Noble Phantasm that can counter ‘weather’.”

Silence fell in the living room again, but this time, it wasn't shock, but a suffocating tension and anticipation before a storm.

"Alright!" Rin Tohsaka slammed her hand on the table, her mind made up. "That's it! Tonight, let's have a real—god-hunting event!"

Chapter 44 Red A: I brought back a little gadget.

Rin Tohsaka removed the gem pendant that held great significance for her from her neck. Moonlight streamed through the French windows, shimmering on the deep red gem, as if it were imbued with blood and flames.

She walked up to Archer and solemnly placed the pendant in his black-gloved palm.

The cool touch of the gemstone penetrated the leather.

“Also, Archer,” her voice was clear in the quiet night, her eyes reflecting the light of the pendant, “you’ll be in charge of bringing back the scabbard, okay?”

Archer looked down at the gem in his hand and did not answer immediately.

The weight came not only from the gemstone itself, but also from a past he had long since abandoned.

He silently tightened his fingers, holding that heaviness in his palm.

"Ah, leave it to me." He looked up, his face returning to its usual nonchalant expression, as if the instruction he had just given was a trivial matter. "I'll be back soon."

jiu liu ling yi er liu er qi ling

After saying that, he turned around and transformed into a crimson spirit, disappearing into the night.

Time passed without anyone noticing, and just when everyone thought the night would pass in this oppressive calm, a deafening roar, so heavy it could stop a heart, came without warning from the direction of the courtyard.

Boom-! ! !

The sound didn't sound like an explosion; it sounded more like some ancient giant accidentally smashing a mountain to the ground.

The entire Tohsaka mansion shook violently, the crystal chandelier on the ceiling swayed wildly, making a crisp clanging sound, and dust fell down in a flurry.

"What's going on?!" Rin Tohsaka was the first to react. She grabbed the short sword beside her and rushed towards the courtyard gate.

Gu Ye and Medea followed closely behind.

When they pushed open the door and saw the scene in the courtyard, everyone stopped in their tracks, as if their breath had been choked by an invisible hand.

The Tohsaka family's proud English-style garden, meticulously maintained by specialists, now looked as if it had been struck by a meteorite.

On the smooth, lush lawn in the center, there stood a huge object that shouldn't have been there.

It was a complete, ancient Japanese temple gate.

The massive wooden beams and pillars are carved with patterns that have weathered the elements, and the dark brown wood still bears traces of mottled vermilion lacquer.

The huge gable roof is covered with thick blue tiles, and huge shimenawa ropes hang from the eaves.

The most outrageous thing is that the mountain gate was uprooted, with large chunks of soil, broken stone foundations and torn tree roots still attached to the bottom.

A crimson figure stood on the crossbeam of the mountain gate, dusting off his hands and looking down at the group of people rushing out, as if he had just casually tossed down a piece of luggage.

Yi Er Er pulls out the feathers of her uncle

"Archer—!!!"

Rin Tohsaka's scream tore through the night sky, filled with a sense of utter despair.

She stretched out her finger, pointing at the massive mountain gate, her fingertip trembling slightly from the force she exerted.