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

She abruptly shifted the topic to more pressing strategic issues:

"Let's take a longer view and think more about how to deal with the various forces after the elimination rounds officially begin tomorrow. According to the current situation, Chaldea occupies three arenas, while Jason's men on the Agor also occupy three arenas, right?"

“Yes, Captain Drake,” Ritsuka nodded in confirmation. “What are your thoughts on the upcoming elimination rounds?”

Drake walked to the railing, looked down at the entire arena, and analyzed the situation clearly: "First of all, we and Jason's camp each have three spots to advance. If we can both advance smoothly, then in the next knockout stage, both sides will undoubtedly have the greatest initiative."

Drake paused, a sly glint in his eyes, and said, "But the key difference is that Jason voluntarily revealed that he and his men occupied rings 1, 2, and 3, without any concealment, exposing their advantage to everyone."

"As for our three players, apart from those within our own faction, other factions are currently unaware of their alliances. This information gap may become a crucial advantage for us in the upcoming elimination rounds."

Drake then pointed to the three arenas represented by the Argo and continued:

"Furthermore, those guys on the Agor are so high-profile, attracting the majority of the firepower and hatred. I bet those Servants who haven't even taken the stage yet, hiding in the audience, will likely target them first in the arena match in order to weaken the Agor's overwhelming advantage!"

"In this way, our side may actually face less pressure in both the title match and the knockout stage, and may even have a greater advantage."

Drake pointed to the remaining arenas one by one: "Now, let's look at the other three independent champions. First is arena number 7, the female samurai from Japan, Miyamoto Musashi."

"Uh... that's probably it." Ritsuka scratched the back of her head, her tone slightly uncertain, but she basically agreed.

“Okay.” Drake nodded, temporarily including Musashi in the scope of cooperation. “Then, after today’s title defense match is over, we can try to contact her and confirm the alliance.”

Chapter 624 Cheats Will Be Punished

Drake then removed his fingers, his gaze sweeping over the remaining two rings, and slowly said:

"Next up are two more formidable champions: the mysterious masked man in arena number 4, and the blond vampire in arena number 9."

After saying that, Drake's expression turned serious. She turned to Ritsuka and said earnestly:

"While you were focused on watching the match, I used my position as captain to conduct some investigations in the arena and finally found out the details of that masked man."

"That guy... is a member of the pirate crew that first successfully captured the goddess on the stage!"

"Huh?!" Ritsuka's eyes widened in surprise. "You mean, it was that masked Servant who personally grabbed the goddess on the stage?"

“That’s right.” Drake nodded in confirmation, his tone grave. “But his pirate crew suffered extremely heavy losses in the previous naval battle with other pirate crews for the goddess. Now, the entire crew… is down to just him.”

"He's the only one left in the entire pirate crew?!"

Ritsuka gasped, immediately realizing the seriousness of the situation:

"Doesn't that mean he has absolutely no other partners to rely on? If he's defeated in the elimination rounds, he'll completely lose the chance to reclaim the 'prey' that originally belonged to him?"

"That's exactly right. So, of all the arenas, arena number 4 may not be the most difficult to conquer, but it is definitely the most dangerous and the one where people fight the hardest..."

Drake nodded slowly, his gaze turning solemnly to ring number 4, and said frankly:

"Because that masked man has no other choice. To win back the goddess, he will stop at nothing, even risking his life!"

"Although we avoided a direct confrontation with him during the title defense stage, if we face him in the upcoming knockout stage, we must be prepared for a life-or-death, do-or-die battle!"

Ritsuka nodded in deep agreement, firmly remembering the masked man's danger, and then asked, "What about the other person? Doctor, Captain Drake, what do you think of that blond vampire?"

"Speaking of this vampire, there is one thing that is really strange."

Dr. Roman's voice rang out at the opportune moment, carrying a professional air of confusion:

"When we first conducted a large-scale Servant reaction detection, we couldn't detect his existence at all! It wasn't until he defeated several opponents in a row on the arena with extremely cruel methods, causing a sensation throughout the arena, that we discovered he was a Servant."

Dr. Roman paused for a moment, then offered the most reasonable conjecture:

"The only explanation for someone being able to perfectly evade our detection is that they are likely an Assassin. Only the 'Presence Concealment' skill unique to this class could allow them to successfully conceal their Servant presence, preventing us from detecting them immediately."

"An assassin... to fight in this kind of head-on arena battle?" Ritsuka couldn't help but complain, feeling that this combination was really a bit out of place. "And looking at his bloody and violent fighting style, how does he seem like an assassin who emphasizes stealth and assassination? It doesn't make any sense at all!"

"It just goes to show that the world is full of wonders... There are always exceptions to class and individual characteristics."

Dr. Roman sighed helplessly, then continued his analysis:

"The most obvious example of a vampire who can manipulate blood is the legendary Count Dracula. However, we have already seen Grand Duke Vlad III in human form at the French Singularity."

"Clearly, the blond man before us looks completely different from Vlad III. Therefore, his true identity remains a mystery."

"I plan to invite Lord El-Melloi II over later. With his vast knowledge of Heroic Spirits, he might be able to recognize the true form of this blond vampire."

Dr. Roman continued, "In the meantime, Ritsuka, you and Mashu keep a close eye on the situation on the field, especially ring number 9. Let me know immediately if you discover anything new... Hmm? Wait, what's going on?"

Just as Dr. Roman was speaking, his voice suddenly stopped, followed by a voice filled with surprise and doubt.

"What's wrong, Doctor?" Ritsuka's heart immediately jumped. "What's happened this time?"

"Something's not right!" Dr. Roman's voice was clearly alarmed. "What about Jason's group? The number of Servants at their gathering point has suddenly decreased by three! When did they leave?"

"What?!" Ritsuka's heart tightened upon hearing this, and she immediately glanced out of the corner of her eye toward the platform where Jason was.

Sure enough, the figures that had been gathered there were noticeably fewer; three people were indeed missing! She quickly averted her gaze to avoid being noticed by the perceptive Chiron, and asked urgently:

"Doctor, can you check what's happening outside the arena? See if they've left!"

"Wait a moment, I'll go scout the area around the arena right away." After Dr. Roman finished speaking, a rapid series of keystrokes and signal switching noises came through the communicator, clearly indicating that he was nervously operating Chaldea's observation equipment.

Time seemed to drag on in the waiting. Before long, the communication was reconnected, and Dr. Roman's voice carried a heavy weight after confirmation:

"Found them! Those three Servants have already left the arena! They should be aboard the Aegir, speeding away from the arena and heading towards the open sea!"

"What exactly are they trying to do? Why would they suddenly leave the arena in the middle of a match for no apparent reason?" Ritsuka frowned, alarm bells ringing in her mind.

She knew perfectly well that the other party would never do anything meaningless, and that this sudden move must be hiding a deeper conspiracy.

"Three people... why exactly three people left?" Captain Drake pondered this crucial number repeatedly, his brow furrowed, his eyes flashing rapidly as he deduced the reasoning based on the rules and Jason's character.

Suddenly, a glint flashed in her eyes, and she slammed her hand on the railing, exclaiming in sudden realization:

"Damn it! These cunning guys! They're planning to raid other pirate crews, steal their identity documents, and then return as a new pirate crew to register for the competition, thus securing extra spots for themselves! They're trying to completely monopolize the qualification!"

"What!?" Ritsuka and Dr. Roman on the other end of the communication exclaimed at the same time, and the two of them instantly understood the sinister intentions behind the plan.

"This is too much... Does this guy have absolutely no competitive spirit? He's actually exploiting loopholes in the rules and openly using this method to expand his advantage! Isn't he even a little bit afraid of being punished by the followers of the faction that's impersonating the Sea God?" Dr. Roman couldn't help but say.

"It's precisely because he had already tested the other party's bottom line that he dared to act so recklessly!"

Ritsuka said in a deep voice:

"Moreover, this is indeed a loophole in the rules. There is no explicit prohibition against plundering other pirate crews to gain more qualification for the competition under the identity of other pirate crews... This is really troublesome. Even if we wanted to follow suit now, it's too late."

She looked up at the sun, which was already beginning to set in the west, and said:

"It's already past noon. Even if we send people out immediately, the round trip, finding and successfully robbing a pirate crew, and then rushing back to register... it's almost impossible to finish before sunset. There simply isn't enough time!"

“There’s no doubt they’re taking a risk too…” Drake continued, “If they get delayed outside, or fail to find a suitable target in time, they might also miss the registration deadline for the competition…”

At this point, Drake gritted his teeth, looking extremely angry: "They'll stop at nothing! Isn't there anyone who can stop this arrogant brat?"

As if responding to Drake's resentment from the depths of her being, her words had barely left her lips when a sudden change occurred!

In an inconspicuous corner of the stands, a figure draped in a dark cloak, who had been silently watching the game, suddenly stood up slowly.

He calmly leaped over the railing, jumped down from the high stands, and landed steadily on the sandy ground of the arena.

Without hesitation, the cloaked man strode steadily and firmly toward a certain arena, his target being Arena No. 2, which was guarded by the forces of the Agor!

At this moment, Hector, who was standing on the No. 2 ring, seemed to sense something, and his originally relaxed posture instantly tensed up.

His sharp gaze pierced through the crowd, precisely locking onto the cloaked man walking towards him.

Suddenly, an indescribable sense of fear, a mixture of intense fighting spirit and a hint of instinct, rose up from the depths of Hector's heart without warning.

It was as if the approaching figure was his destined nemesis, with whom he was destined to fight to the death in this place!

Chapter 625 Fierce Battle (Part 1)

"Nemesis?"

The sudden thought that popped into Hector's mind made him feel a little absurd, but he couldn't help but twitch the corners of his mouth and let out a soft sneer.

Come to think of it, he had only ever experienced this kind of oppressive aura from one other person.

That was Achilles, the strongest general in the Greek coalition during the Trojan War, who was like a god of war.

"Tsk... I'd better not think about that kind of guy... I feel like I'll have nightmares about him every night."

Hector shook his head violently, as if trying to dispel the heavy shadow, a self-deprecating bitter smile appearing on his face. That was the most intractable opponent he had ever encountered in his life.

Unlike Hercules or Wang Chong, Hector could at least clearly recognize the huge gap between them. Once they became enemies, he would rationally choose to avoid or surrender, since it was a contest between completely different dimensions.

However, Achilles was completely different. Every time Hector painstakingly laid out ingenious traps, thinking he had finally cornered him, Achilles would always manage to carve out a bloody path with his near-unbeatable immortality and unparalleled martial arts skills.

Each setback was like a dull knife cutting into his flesh, causing despair to accumulate layer by layer, seeping into his very bones. Until finally, he managed to find a way to break the immortal body, but paid a heavy price for it.

But... even though he had finally managed to end the opponent's invincible body with his own weapon... in the end, it was still himself who fell.

Every time, it's just a hair's breadth away! Every time, it seems within reach, only to be cruelly snatched away at the last moment...

In Hector's view, absolute, unattainable power is not frightening. Nor is facing an enemy of vastly superior strength.

On the contrary, the most terrifying thing is the deep-seated helplessness and despair brought about by an existence that always firmly surpasses you no matter how much you struggle or improve, making it impossible for you to truly surpass it.

That feeling is like a leech, an inescapable inner demon... something I can't overcome, something I can't destroy...

"For me to recall such terrible memories... it seems this opponent is no ordinary foe..."

Hector muttered to himself, his usual nonchalant expression vanishing, his eyes sharpening like an eagle's.

The atmosphere around him suddenly changed. His relaxed posture instantly tensed up. He gripped his gun and sword tightly, adopting a true fighting stance, and focused intently on the cloaked figure in front of him.

At that moment, the mysterious cloaked man also leaped into the air and landed steadily in the center of the arena, his target Hector, his challenge obvious.

"Oh no! A Servant has challenged Hector first!" In the audience, Chiron, with his keen insight, narrowed his eyes and immediately confirmed the identity of the cloaked man from his aura and oppressive presence—he was a Servant like them!

"These arrogant fools dare to challenge the glory of the heroes of the Agor! Very well, very well..."

Jason was enraged to see someone dare to challenge one of his heroes. He gritted his teeth and roared toward the arena, "Hector! Crush him! We will not be allowed to lose face!"

"Look, Ritsuka! The Servant battle has started on Arena 2!" Dr. Roman, who was also closely monitoring the situation on each arena, immediately noticed the rapid approach of two powerful Servant Spirit Origin reactions on Arena 2 and promptly alerted Fujimaru Ritsuka via communications.

"The Servant War has indeed broken out... Just as Captain Drake predicted, the first place they went for was the arena occupied by Jason's forces." Upon hearing this, Fujimaru Ritsuka immediately focused her gaze on arena number 2, her expression solemn.

Meanwhile, the champions who had already defeated their challengers on other arenas also turned their attention to arena number 2.

They could all sense, to varying degrees, the intense pressure emanating from there that far surpassed that of ordinary humans; clearly, they all realized that a truly spectacular clash of Servants was about to unfold.

On the ring, the atmosphere was as still as lead. After a brief standoff, Hector broke the silence first, attempting to probe with words:

"Hmph, you still won't reveal your name, and you even cover your face completely? As a heroic spirit, why hide yourself like this... What, are you afraid that once you reveal your true face, everyone will not only immediately recognize your true form, but also easily see through your weaknesses?"

This is a common tactic of Hector's: before starting, he tries to provoke the opponent's emotions with words, looking for possible weaknesses in order to defeat the enemy in one blow.

However, he was met with a hearty and cheerful laugh: "Hahaha... Same as always, Hector! Your incessant, annoying mouth makes me want to teach you a lesson with my fists!"

Hector's eyes narrowed dangerously, his sharp gaze seeming to pierce through the cumbersome hood: "Oh? It sounds... like you know me quite well?"

"Who knows?" The cloaked man's voice carried a hint of amusement. "To be honest, choosing to face you wasn't exactly a wise move. After this battle, I reckon my true colors will be pretty much revealed. This disguise will become nothing more than a decoration."

After speaking, the cloaked man shrugged, his movement carrying a strange sense of casualness. Then, he clenched his fists and assumed a standard close-quarters combat stance.

"My original plan was to make my move this afternoon and grab a spot that no Servant had taken... Ha, but I made a strategic mistake, and all nine arenas were taken by other Servants first... Now, I can't just fight a Servant battle without really fighting."

The cloaked man paused, his tone carrying a hint of helplessness and resolve:

"Even if I challenge another champion, you sharp-eyed folks would probably know pretty much everything about me. In that case, it's better to just pick someone I'm most familiar with..."

"Besides..." the cloaked man's voice suddenly turned cold, carrying a hint of provocation, "who told you to be so arrogant? It's really getting out of hand!"

No sooner had he finished speaking than the cloaked man stomped his foot!

The hard ground seemed to tremble slightly, and the cloaked man's figure turned into a blurry afterimage, tearing through the air at a terrifying speed, and almost instantly rushed to the edge of Hector's polearm's attack range!

"So fast!" Hector's alarm bells rang, and his pupils contracted sharply. The speed his opponent was unleashing was even faster than that of the previous Japanese female samurai.

If he hadn't remained highly vigilant and reacted even slightly slower, his opponent could have instantly closed the distance to his advantage in throwing punches, at which point the gun and sword in his hand would have become a burden due to their length.

At the critical moment, Hector did not hesitate at all. His arm muscles bulged, and the spear and sword in his hand were like a venomous snake emerging from its hole. The sharp sword tip shrieked and accurately stabbed towards the face of the cloaked man who was rushing straight at him!

However, in the face of Hector's lightning-fast counterattack, the cloaked man, charging forward, twisted his body strangely at high speed, sliding past the side of the sword like a ghost. He not only avoided a fatal blow but also closed the distance with Hector at an even faster speed!

"boom!"

A dull thud rang out! Hector staggered back several steps before regaining his balance. He barely managed to shift the heavy barrel of his spear to the side, narrowly blocking a powerful, vicious punch aimed straight for his right temple.

But this block also meant that the battle situation was instantly reversed! The cloaked man seized the time when his opponent regained his balance and successfully closed the distance between the two to the most advantageous distance for close combat.

A barrage of punches rained down, each one carrying a force that tore through the air, aiming at Hector's vital organs such as his chest, abdomen, and ribs with cunning angles.

What's even more troublesome is that the cloaked man doesn't just launch a relentless attack. He maintains a high speed of movement, circling around Hector like a leech, constantly trying to get into his blind spots, especially his vest and the back of his head, intending to launch a fatal blow.

Faced with this persistent and clingy style of play, Hector was temporarily forced to adopt a defensive posture.