You are very strong, but my painting style is better than yours!

Her silver hair, more lonely than moonlight, swayed slightly in the wind with her childlike steps. Her fair and smooth calves were covered in mud and sand, which were quickly carried away by the tide, leaving only a slight, ticklish sensation.

The girl seemed to be in a good mood, humming a song the boy had never heard before. The song drifted far, far away on the wind. What should have been a happy melody became soft and delicate, like a mournful mermaid singing on a reef...

Iori stood on the beach a little further away, showing no awareness whatsoever of being a mythical hero. He squatted on the ground without any regard for his image, completely oblivious to the cool feeling beneath him.

He waited for Sera with great boredom. Although he had initially enjoyed watching her, he was now beginning to miss his warm bed and the delicious French meal.

His handsome face, which had been expressionless, showed a slight change in expression only when an acquaintance arrived.

The green lights, like fireflies in summer, converged to reveal a petite and slender figure, yet full of wild beauty. The dress, which should have symbolized a lady, had a military feel on her.

"Why did it take you so long to come find me, Atalanta?"

"It's all because you guys are running around everywhere."

The female hunter walked up to Iori with dissatisfaction and looked down at him, asking, "Things have come to this point, and instead of stepping in to salvage the situation, you've come out sightseeing with a woman?"

"You're making it sound like it's all my fault."

Iori gazed silently at the sea: "As you can see, I am just an ordinary Servant, not even one of the noble Upper Three Riders, merely a weakest [Berserker]. How could I possibly concern myself with something this big?"

"...Are you serious?"

Atalanta's tone turned stern: "I was moved by your promises to become your inside man, believing that cooperating with you could keep all the children in the world away from suffering and calamity... Now, are you going to give up on yourself?"

A longbow appeared in her hand, and the hunter gave him no chance to explain.

“If that’s the case, then I have no choice but to obey the priest’s orders and become your enemy.”

"Did Amakusa Shiro send you to hunt me and Sera?" Iori asked with interest, not at all frightened by Atalanta.

The female hunter hesitated for a moment, then said somewhat reluctantly, "No, it's just tracking. He specifically told me not to use force, just keep an eye on your movements."

“Careful fellow, he probably guessed that Sera ‘possesses’ the Lesser Grail.” Iori smiled nonchalantly.

"But he can rest assured, I have no intention of causing trouble. In the current situation of confrontation between the two major forces, one or two followers can't change anything."

Hearing this, Atalanta frowned and looked at Iori with a puzzled expression: "Your aura... how come it has weakened so much?"

She then realized that Iori's spiritual foundation strength seemed to be slightly weaker than when they first met, let alone when he killed Yamata no Orochi.

This is so unreasonable!

After Iori slays the serpent, most Servants can guess his real name. Even top-tier Servants like Karna and King Arthur are quite wary of him. Therefore, even though his alliance with Mordred is weak and isolated, neither the Red nor the Black side has any intention of attacking them, lest they push them to the other side.

As a deity who "descended from heaven to become human," even if he appears in the world with an ordinary spirit origin, his strength is definitely superior to that of ordinary Servants. However, although he is not weak, he completely lacks the original aura.

Atalanta pondered for a moment, then said with a hint of regret, "I didn't expect the price of slaying Yamata no Orochi to be so high... It probably burned up most of my Spirit Origin, didn't it?"

"More or less," Iori nodded.

With two Command Seals and the magic power plundered from the enemy, and then burning a portion of his Spirit Origin, he successfully drew upon Susanoo's divinity and used the EX-rank Anti-World Noble Phantasm, [World Sword: Ama no Kusanagi], to slay Ibuki and Orochi.

To paraphrase a famous saying, he had already "burned to ashes" by then.

"I'm sorry, Archer," Iori said dejectedly. "Right now, all I want to do is protect my Master until this Holy Grail War ends. I'm powerless to do anything else."

"...If this is your choice, then I can only accept it. After all, no one could have imagined that Shuten would do something like that, indirectly ruining our plans. There's nothing we can do about it."

Atalanta seemed to be persuaded, and after giving Iori one last look, she turned and left.

"I do not believe!"

A swift figure flashed by, Atalanta wielding an arrow as a dagger, thrusting it at Iori, while the black-haired boy turned his head in astonishment—a helpless smile appearing in his eyes.

Wow!

Chains materialized from the void shot out like spears, binding Atalanta's limbs and torso, leaving her trapped like a fish caught in a net, unable to move forward or backward. The agile huntress was unable to dodge them.

"A spell targeting spirits?"

Atalanta remained calm. Just as the chains were about to completely bind her, her strong yet slender waist twisted and turned, her body even more flexible than a wildcat's, allowing her to "drill" through the gap at an incredible angle.

"You were hiding something after all!"

The hunter could clearly sense that the magic contained in these chains was not something a weak servant could release in an instant!

Just as she was excitedly preparing to press Iori further, the smile on the boy's face suddenly disappeared, and he stood up seriously, gazing intently at the calm and beautiful sea.

Atalanta belatedly slowed down her movements, and the next moment she felt a powerful magical force, no less than that of a Servant, surging from the deep sea!

"This is?"

boom!

Hundreds of tons of seawater surged into the sky and then fell back down, revealing white jade-like scales, a slender figure, and a pair of scarlet vertical pupils like berries.

"Yama no Orochi!"

Atalanta was shocked, but quickly regained her composure and keenly perceived the difference between the two.

First of all, although this white snake is very large, it is quite different from Yamata no Orochi, and it only has one head.

Secondly, in terms of magical power, Orochi has already surpassed the limit of a Servant's Spirit Origin and reached the level of a god, while this giant serpent... is probably only comparable to a divine beast.

It's very strong, but not to the point of causing despair.

But why would a divine beast with an aura similar to Yamata no Orochi appear in this sea area?

“Berserker…could it be you?” Atalanta looked at Iori and murmured, “You’ve been traveling around all this time, perhaps searching for this?”

Iori didn't answer her, but stared intently at the white jade serpent. Sera also stopped, the surging waves submerging her calves. The majestic aura of the divine beast almost made her breathless, but a faint smile appeared on her pale face.

"Roar!!!"

"...Do it, Berserker."

Zheng!

Atalanta's pupils contracted sharply. With her dynamic vision, she hadn't even noticed when Iori had left. In the blink of an eye, the black-haired boy leaped into the air, like a dragon or snake riding the mist, soaring across the sea. The divine sword in his hand left faint ripples of water vapor in the air, blurring the moonlight and adding a touch of beauty to the night sky.

"Eight--"

"hold head high!!!"

The crimson vertical pupils locked onto Iori, and the giant serpent roared wildly, releasing a tremendous suction force from its gaping maw to devour Iori.

Instead of dodging or fighting back, Iori flew towards the snake's head. Just as he was about to be pierced by the venomous fangs, a thick iron pillar appeared out of thin air and was kicked hard into the snake's mouth.

"—!"

A dull thud was accompanied by the giant serpent's painful roar. Iori vanished abruptly, reappearing directly above the serpent. The Kusanagi sword in her hand was simultaneously enveloped in lightning and mist, then coalesced into a burst of brilliant light—

[Baqi Furious Waves]!

In a daze, it seemed as if the phantom of an eight-headed serpent flashed across Iori's body. The divine sword in his hand was like the gaping maw of a giant beast ready to devour its prey, and it swung down almost simultaneously, sweeping across the white jade-like body of the divine beast!

"hold head high--"

The giant serpent froze, its crimson eyes slowly dimming. As the sword-wielding youth landed on the sea, the serpent's head fell to the ground like a ripe fruit, naturally shattering into pieces of varying sizes...

Pfft!Pfft!Pfft!

Iori stood on the sea, water splashing and wetting his ankles, until finally, with the giant serpent's body crashing down, a wave two meters high surged towards him and Sera—

Wow!

The wave crest parted naturally like a curtain of water, dodging the two people before crashing onto the beach.

The blood gradually spread in the water, but it congealed and did not disperse, inexplicably forming a winding snake shape, slowly surging towards Iori's feet and flowing into the sword Kusanagi.

Beneath the bright moon, between the sea and the sky, a young man wields a sword to slay a snake, his jet-black shihaka attire adorned with crimson resembling plum blossoms.

Sera watched this scene quietly, her beautiful face displaying a vivid expression quite different from that of ordinary artificial humans, as if she were mesmerized by the beautiful sight.

Atalanta, further away, took a deep breath, her expression serious and bewildered.

“Indeed, a monster like the Yamata no Orochi will not die so cleanly. Even if its physical body is severed, its evil thoughts will pollute the nearby water and soil... This is true for those demonic beasts, and it is also true for this giant serpent.”

The only difference is that Warcraft is corrupted by evil thoughts, while the Jade Serpent is almost equivalent to evil thoughts themselves.

If it weren't for its short lifespan and lack of intelligence, this giant serpent could almost rival a first-rate Servant... It's just a pity, or rather, fortunately, that it was nipped in the bud by Iori.

Wait, could it be that there's more than one of these giant snakes?

Atalanta suddenly thought of a question:

If Iori is constantly hunting down Orochi's evil intentions, then what exactly has become of his spirit origin?

Unfortunately, no one will answer her question.

Chapter 143: Give Me Some Face.jpg (4K, Bonus Chapter)

During this time, Iori and Sera were not only sightseeing, but also cleaning up the lingering poison of the Yamata no Orochi. Although they were not in Tulifas, Iori's contribution to the town's continued peace was not insignificant.

Atalanta seemed to have grasped something, but it wasn't clear, and she suspected that Iori had other trump cards up her sleeve.

Logically, Medea and Amakusa Shiro are actively expanding their strength and preparing for war fortresses, while Iori's mere improvement of his personal spirit foundation would seem insufficient.

Even with Mordred and Joan of Arc involved, it would be difficult to shake the morale of both the Red and Black sides...

As the huntress focused her gaze on the sea, the giant serpent's body gradually dissipated, and the black-haired boy's aura was extremely strong for a moment, but it quickly weakened again, as if he had turned back into an ordinary servant of only second-rate level.

But this time, Atalanta was convinced that this was just an illusion...

As expected, the only way to stop Medea and Amakusa Shiro and seize the Greater Grail to save the children is to cooperate with Iori!

"Ok?"

As Iori was absorbing the blood of the dragon and serpent with the Kusanagi Sword, a night breeze suddenly blew by, and a cherry blossom petal swept past Iori's eyes and stuck to a strand of hair near his ear.

At the same time, a light but relaxing voice came over:

"..."

The boy listened intently for a moment, and the petal disappeared like a phantom, revealing a joyful smile on his face.

"It's finally here...Chaldea!"

He turned to Sera and said, "Let's go, Master."

"Ok."

Sera brushed a stray strand of hair behind her ear and said calmly and softly, "Let's go, Berserker, wherever we're going."

She was very happy during this time. She was indeed hunting evil thoughts on her journey, but the scenery she saw along the way was not an illusion.

Since her birth, she has been almost always accompanied by magical knowledge and various costumes. In order to fulfill her family's tragic wish, she has become a bloodless and tearless tool. Let alone enjoying pleasure, she rarely has any pure leisure time. Even how to sleep to efficiently restore physical strength is strictly regulated.

Only after meeting Iori did she realize that there was such a completely different way of life, one that did not need to pursue any meaning, nor did it need to worry about gains and losses. It was a carefree and relaxed life, quite different from the way of thinking of a magician.

No rules, no goals, no plans, no pain... At first, Sera felt lost and even ashamed, but after she got used to it, she realized that perhaps simple "happiness" was the most meaningful thing.

It's just that everyone pursues happiness in different ways. Ordinary people enjoy love and family affection, ambitious people crave power, and saints practice their own sense of justice.

People like Iori can gain an unparalleled sense of accomplishment from adventures. Although he never boasts about how great he is, Sera thinks that this is what a "hero" should be like.

As for Sera's happiness... she's not quite sure yet.

But one thing is certain:

The time she spent with Iori touched her heart more than all her previous lives combined!

As an android, she even felt that she had experienced some of the feelings of being "human".

Therefore, she was extremely grateful to Iori and decided to give Iori the only thing she could leave behind in the world—ownership of the Lesser Grail.

If the end of life is already predetermined, then Sera hopes it can feel the warmth of that person's hand in her place.

...However, when she was considering these things, she never seemed to ask Iori for her opinion on the matter.

-

"It's getting dark, we'd better find a hotel to stay in."

As dusk fell, Jeanne d'Arc, dressed in her school uniform, led Ritsuka and Mash on a stroll through the streets of Tulipas. The duo's attire was quite unusual, but fortunately, Chaldea was experienced and had prepared a decorative outfit for Mash to reduce her presence and avoid being noticed by ordinary people.

With so many strange things happening lately, the few perceptive people who noticed the peculiar "cosplay group" here quickly left, thinking it was better to avoid trouble.

And so, on the deserted street with hardly anyone around, Joan of Arc explained to the two of them, “After nightfall, a thick fog will descend, and the wild beasts will roam into the city, but as long as you stay indoors, there will be no problem.”

"Don't monsters attack houses?" Mash asked curiously. "Why?"

"It's a kind of field magic similar to a barrier that avoids people. I don't know the specifics, but it should be the method of some witch."

When the anomaly first began, Joan of Arc, in order to protect the residents of Tulipas, drove away the wandering monsters in the thick fog. At that time, their numbers were not many, and they were not difficult to drive away.