A Villain's Journey Begins in the Type-Moon World

She patted Asterius's strong arm and explained to the crowd, "After all, my forte is commanding ships in naval battles. One-on-one gladiatorial combat, which tests individual fighting skills, is not my specialty. Asterius is much stronger than me."

"Is this really a good idea, Captain Drake?" Ritsuka asked with some concern. "After all, this is a battle representing your pirate crew, and you're not going to participate..."

"What's wrong with that?"

Drake burst into laughter, his laughter filled with the captain's magnanimity and confidence:

"In gladiatorial combat, it's only right that our warriors charge into battle! As the leader, my duty is to sit back and cheer on my soldiers, offering them the strongest liquor and the loudest applause when they return victorious! That's the true spirit of a leader!"

Drake waved his hand and made the decision: "It's settled then! Asterius, in my place, as one of the representatives of the Golden Deer, go and beat all those challengers to a pulp!"

Seeing that Drake was determined and resolute, Ritsuka and the others no longer hesitated. In the end, it was decided that Medusa, Mash, and Asterius would represent the Golden Deer in this mysterious gladiatorial battle.

After reaching an agreement, the group returned to the center of the deck. Drake handed the written list of three people to the waiting pirate messenger.

The pirate took the list, examined it carefully, and then solemnly took out three heavy wooden plaques engraved with the trident of Poseidon from his pocket, handing them to Medusa, Mashu, and Asterius respectively.

He smiled, but his tone carried a serious warning: "Keep your belongings safe, warriors. Sailing forward for about half an hour, you'll see that magnificent arena."

"All ships must anchor in the waters surrounding the arena. Only small boats with a limited number of people are permitted to enter the arena to participate in or watch the matches. Remember! This token is your pass to enter and exit the arena and to participate in the matches. Do not lose it! Although it can be replaced afterward, that would be a huge hassle..."

Having said that, he turned and walked towards the ship's side. As he prepared to climb down the rope ladder, he seemed to remember something, turned back, raised his voice, and emphasized:

"Ahem, I almost forgot, everyone must remember the ironclad rule set by the Sea God—no one is allowed to use force or fire outside the arena! Violators will anger the Sea God, and everyone present will suffer the consequences! Remember! Remember!"

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Leaving behind this stern warning, the messenger pirate said no more, nimbly climbed down the rope ladder from the Golden Deer, and under the watchful eyes of many pirates, hurriedly rowed his small boat to the next ship.

Drake watched the small boat sail away, then turned to face her crew, her eyes burning with the fire of exploration and battle, and loudly gave the order:

"Alright, men! Destination—the Poseidon Arena ahead! Set sail! Let's go and see what kind of tricks that place is up to!"

"Yes, Captain!" the pirates responded in unison and sprang into action. The sails of the Golden Deer billowed in the sea breeze, and the bow cleaved through the deep blue waters as it resolutely headed toward the center of the sea.

……

"I see... Poseidon's Arena? That sounds rather interesting..."

After the Golden Deer had sailed smoothly for some distance, Euryale found a suitable opportunity to relay the information she had just gathered about the arena and the phantom of the sea god to her Master, Wang Chong, who was far away.

After listening to Yuri Ellie's report, Wang Chong tapped his fingers lightly on the ship's side and fell into a brief moment of contemplation.

Constructing an illusion of Poseidon, the god of the sea? That's not difficult at all; even the children around him can perform similar illusion magic.

What truly caught his attention was the extraordinary power displayed by the person behind the phantom of the sea god, capable of stirring up towering waves in the vast ocean to engulf ships, and of instantly erecting a real, massive, and stable inherent barrier arena...

The master of such magic, or the wielding of a Noble Phantasm with such power, is no ordinary person; they must undoubtedly be a top-tier Servant.

As for which specific heroic spirit was responsible, Wang Chong couldn't say for sure at this moment.

Then, Wang Chong gently shook his head and said to Yuri Ellie, "It's no use guessing now. Only when we arrive at the scene and participate in the challenge in person can we find out the truth and uncover its true nature."

"Master..." Euryale's voice held a hint of inquiry, "Should I find a way to delay that foolish little sister over there for a while, to buy you more time to prepare?"

“No need.” Wang Chong decisively rejected the idea, his tone calm. “With the Swiftness Magic Array set up by Medea, we will be able to reach the core area of ​​the Sea of ​​Tides in two more days. During these two days, you must pay close attention to all movements inside and outside the arena, and do not overlook any abnormalities.”

Wang Chong paused for a moment, then added, "In addition, the forces on Noah's Ark are holding back for now to avoid premature exposure. Therefore, you can go all out to compete for entry qualifications without any worries."

"Understood." Euryale replied succinctly and then disconnected the communication.

Wang Chong then relayed the latest situation at the arena, as well as his own action plan, to the Noah's Ark team, who were lying in wait in the distance, through a special channel. He ordered them to continue to maintain covert surveillance from afar and wait for the situation to change.

After making the arrangements, Wang Chong's thoughts immediately turned to the upcoming battle.

He quickly sifted through his mind for potential fighters. He immediately ruled out Artemis. The reason was simple: her divine aura, a consequence of her divine status, was far too obvious; it would be utterly exposed if she appeared in the arena.

Moreover, Artemis's appearance and fighting style would be easily recognized by the people on the Agor.

By then, the people on the Agor will inevitably notice Medea and his arrival, and Wang Chong doesn't want to scare them away like that.

Therefore, Artemis should stay on the ship before the actual battle.

Medea and Circe were also unsuitable, not only because their features were too obvious to the crew of the Agor and they would be easily identified.

More importantly, the relatively small arena environment is extremely disadvantageous to them who rely on magic, making it easy for Servants skilled in close combat to seize their weaknesses and suppress them instantly.

Miyamoto Musashi was indeed a good choice. Wang Chong was secretly glad that he had brought her along this time. This one-on-one arena competition was practically tailor-made for her, allowing her to fully unleash her unparalleled sword skills.

However, after counting and counting, including himself, he could only muster two people to fight, which made the precious spots seem somewhat wasted.

"Tsk, I should have brought Tamamo Cat along. After all, she's never shown her face in front of those people from the Agor..." Wang Chong frowned slightly, then relaxed. "Oh well, two people it is. Anyway, we only need one winner, and I alone should be enough."

Wang Chong then stopped dwelling on the matter, slowly closed his eyes, calmed his mind, and focused on the rhythm of the ship breaking through the waves beneath his feet, quietly waiting for his ship to sail towards the core of the sea of ​​tides.

Chapter 612 The Imprisoned Goddess

About half an hour later, just as the intelligence had described, the magnificent and breathtaking arena finally came into clear view of Ritsuka and the others.

"Look... that arena... it's really floating on the sea!"

Ritsuka leaned against the ship's railing, gazing at the colossal, illogical structure, and couldn't help but gasp in amazement. Sunlight streamed onto the ancient stone walls of the arena, casting long shadows that added to its mystery and oppressive atmosphere.

"It's truly unbelievable... I have absolutely no idea how it maintains this state. By the way, where's Poseidon? Is he in that arena?"

Mashu was equally surprised and immediately asked a question, her gaze carefully searching the massive outline of the arena.

"If you want to know the answer, just go in and see for yourself! Guys, let's go and see this arena of the sea god!" Captain Drake waved his hand with a heroic air and gave the order.

The Golden Deer, as per the rules, anchored in the designated waters outside the arena. The group descended the rope ladder to the small boat, rowed, and slowly approached the colossal structure. The closer they got, the more oppressive the sight became.

"Huh? Miss Medusa, why didn't Miss Euryale come down with us?" The observant Mashu noticed that one person was missing when counting the number of people boarding the ship, and immediately asked little Medusa.

“My sister doesn’t want to go watch the match…” Little Medusa’s gaze seemed to drift into the distance briefly, her voice lowered a bit, “After all, my sister is a goddess, and she’s worried that if she enters the arena, she’ll be directly targeted by the mastermind behind it all, so she chose to stay on the ship to provide support.”

Medusa paused, a barely perceptible shadow crossing her face, and continued, "Moreover... the more important reason is probably that deep in my sister's heart, there is still an indelible shadow surrounding everything related to Poseidon. She is unwilling to step into it again."

"Ah... I'm sorry, I misspoke." Mashu immediately realized that she had touched on the other person's painful past. After all, in the ancient legends, the tragic fate of the three Gorgon sisters was inextricably linked to the sea god Poseidon.

Then, Mashu looked at Medusa with concern and asked, "Well... Miss Medusa, are you... alright?"

She worried that the environment would also upset the other person.

“It’s alright.” Little Medusa’s answer was crisp and firm, her purple eyes even sharper. “Meeting my enemy will only ignite my fighting spirit, not my fear.”

After saying that, she raised her head slightly and looked at the towering entrance to the arena, saying, "Moreover, inside is just a false god, not the real Poseidon."

"Alright, everyone, we've arrived... The entrance should be here, right?" Just then, Ritsuka's voice rang out, interrupting their conversation.

It turned out that during the conversation between Mashu and Medusa, the small boat had quietly docked at the small stone pier specially set up on the side of the arena.

The group stepped onto the sturdy stone walkway and walked deeper into the dimly lit passage. The sound of footsteps and the salty smell of the sea echoed through the passage.

"Please show your tokens and state the name of your pirate crew." At the end of the passage, a pirate dressed in simple leather armor with a serious expression stopped them, extended his palm, and demanded in a formulaic tone.

Captain Drake deftly produced three tokens engraved with special patterns and handed them over. Drake then introduced himself and his pirate crew.

The guard carefully checked the tokens and nodded after confirming they were correct: "Go in. Someone inside will lead you to an empty seat."

He handed the token back to Drake, emphasizing the rules: "Remember, if you want to challenge the ring again, you must register with this token. If you fail a challenge, the token will be destroyed immediately. If all three tokens become invalid, the entire team will be expelled from the ring and will lose their eligibility to continue watching the match."

Everyone silently memorized this crucial rule. The guard then pushed open the heavy wooden door, and with a creaking sound, the door swung open, and Drake and his group stepped into the arena.

“This feeling… I can’t be wrong!” The moment Ritsuka stepped into the arena, she immediately felt a strange sense of detachment from the world, as if she had passed through an invisible membrane, and even the texture of the air had changed.

Ritsuka looked around, gazing at the magical aura emanating from the ancient stone wall, and whispered:

"The aura here is very similar to that of Mr. Emiya when he activated his Reality Marble... This place is indeed an independent little world."

“In that case, we need to be even more vigilant.” Mash gripped her shield tightly, her expression grave. “Any Servant appearing in the arena must be placed on a high suspicion list. Doctor, can you detect the locations of those Servants?…”

Mash habitually called for help from Chaldea, but suddenly realized that Dr. Roman was still not answering her. So Mash couldn't help but ask again, "...Doctor? Dr. Roman?"

"No need to shout, Mash. We've probably lost communication with Chaldea."

Ritsuka immediately analyzed the situation and drew a conclusion, her brows furrowing slightly as she said:

"It seems that the inherent barrier formed by this arena completely blocks the transmission of external signals, and Chaldea's observation methods are also isolated from it."

"In other words, we've lost the reconnaissance support from Chaldea and can only rely on our own eyes and judgment." Mash understood the situation, her voice tinged with worry.

"exactly."

Ritsuka nodded, her gaze sharpening as she scanned the diverse audience in the stands, and said:

"However, since they have gone to such lengths to set up this stage, their own people are likely to participate personally. We just need to observe patiently and identify the most suspicious and powerful targets among them."

Ritsuka's composure inspired her companions. Everyone nodded in agreement, and led by a pirate guide, they went up the stairs and finally found a row of empty seats at a higher point.

"There aren't as many people as I expected," Ritsuka said after sitting down, habitually observing her surroundings. She noticed that the audience seats weren't full, especially the back rows, which seemed quite spacious. "I thought it would be packed with people, so crowded that it would be impossible to move."

"After all, the number of pirate crews in this world is limited, and they all participate and watch the games as team representatives, so it's naturally not as crowded as a regular arena."

Captain Drake, legs crossed, explained with an air of seasoned experience. Then, a knowing smile played on her lips as she said:

"This is actually our advantage; it gives us a wider field of vision and makes it easier for us to observe those... opponents lurking among the audience."

"Senior, look down there! The match seems to have already started!" Mashu pointed to the bottom of the arena, where figures were already fighting on the nine scattered arenas.

Everyone turned their attention downwards. However, the battle before them was truly astonishing. Almost all of the pirates were ordinary people with crude moves. They fought for a long time without a clear winner, and the fighting scene was rather clumsy and unsightly.

"I can't see any experts at all..." Drake commented with slight disappointment after watching for a while. "Are they all holding back their strength, waiting to make their grand entrance as the last one?"

"Speaking of which, that so-called 'Sea God' is nowhere to be seen..." Little Medusa's attention was not entirely focused on the arena; her sharp eyes scanned the entire arena.

Soon, her gaze settled on a protruding platform on one side of the arena, which was not a seating area but more like a display stand. She then said, "Look, there seems to be a woman locked up over there."

Upon hearing this, everyone looked in the direction that Medusa had pointed.

On the platform sat a huge iron cage, inside which sat a mature-looking woman with long, waist-length green hair.

Her eyes were dull and lifeless, and she sat quietly in the cage with her arms wrapped around her knees, like a trophy waiting to be fought over, exuding a heartbreaking sense of resignation.

Chapter 613 The Battle on the Arena

"Could it be... that's the captured goddess? This is too much..." Ritsuka felt a surge of pity as she saw the woman in the cage.

"Senior!" Mashu's voice was firm and pleading. "We have to win this tournament. If we win, we can save the goddess who's been imprisoned!"

“Yes, Mashu, I understand how you feel.”

Ritsuka took a deep breath, forcing herself to calm down, her eyes regaining their composure, and said, "But we can't act impulsively now. Dr. Roman previously detected the Spirit Origin reactions of several Servants right here in this arena."

"We must not rush onto the stage and prematurely expose our strength and trump cards before those powerful opponents hiding in the shadows show themselves."

“I understand, senpai.” Mashu immediately grasped Ritsuka’s strategy.

Indeed, in such a competitive and ruthless environment, the first to step onto the field is most likely to become the target of everyone's attacks, and will be repeatedly observed and studied by opponents until they find a weakness.

Clearly, the vast majority of forces in the stands shared the same thought, which is why they allowed the "newbies" on the stage to engage in a harmless fight.

Time slipped by quietly in the dull initial matches. After an unknown amount of time, a sudden burst of exclamations and cheers, like pebbles thrown into calm water, spread rapidly across the stands, instantly attracting the attention of Ritsuka and the others.

On stage number 2, a new challenger had appeared.

He was a bearded man with a slightly languid demeanor, holding a strangely shaped weapon—a long handle, but the tip was not a spearhead, but rather shaped like a long sword.

At this moment, he casually slung the strange "sword and spear" over his shoulder. Not far from his feet lay a muscular giant several times his size, with a bloody hole in his chest. He was already dead, and his body was slowly turning into golden light and dissipating.

"What's going on? What happened over there? Is it because someone died that caused the commotion?" Ritsuka immediately asked her companions, who hadn't noticed the changes on the arena.

"I didn't see the specific process very clearly..."

Captain Drake narrowed his eyes, staring intently at the man on the stage, and commented, "But judging from how easily that guy looked, he probably took care of that big guy with the double hammers without much effort."

"Moreover, judging from the fact that the big guy only had one fatal wound on his chest, it should have been a fatal blow. In that case, the other party was quite clean and efficient."

"Look! Someone else has gone up to challenge him!" Mashu pointed at the arena. A burly man, also wielding two axes, with a face contorted with rage, roared and leaped onto the arena. He stared intently at the light spot on the ground, then glared fiercely at the man with the gun, clearly having a close relationship with the deceased.

“This person does look somewhat like the big guy who just fell down. Could they be brothers?” Mashu couldn’t help but say.

"Looks like he's here to avenge his brother...tsk tsk, he's burning with rage," Drake remarked.

On the arena, the lazy man with the gun seemed to say something to the angry challenger. Although it was unclear, the giant immediately roared and his double axes, accompanied by a piercing whistle that tore through the air, slashed at his opponent like a storm. Clearly, the giant was completely enraged by the opponent's words.

As the axe blade danced, a cold light flashed, and a strong wind swept through the air; its sheer presence was enough to terrify ordinary people.

However, despite this ferocious offensive, his opponent still seemed completely unmotivated.

He easily slung the spear behind his back, his steps seemingly casual but actually incredibly skillful, retreating and shifting sideways as if strolling leisurely.

Each time, he narrowly avoided the whistling axe blade, his distance control was so perfect that he was always just a hair's breadth away from the giant's attack, causing each strike to miss its mark and not even touch the hem of his clothes.

The entire audience could clearly see that this man was simply toying with his opponent! His ease and composure highlighted the enormous gap in their abilities.

"There's no mistake!" Ritsuka's eyes sharpened, and she said in a low voice with certainty, "This man is definitely a Servant-level being!"

Upon hearing Ritsuka's assessment, Mash, Drake, and Medusa's hearts leaped into their throats. They hadn't expected the Servants in the arena to show themselves so quickly and establish their authority so forcefully right from the start.