Chapter 1655: The Banshee and the Magicians’ Claws

There are only 22 hours and 41 minutes left until Su Xiao returns to Reincarnation Paradise, but he does not seem worried. The reason is simple: his main task is to survive until the end of the Holy Grail War.

Surviving until the end of the Holy Grail War can be understood in two ways. The first is simply surviving, which won’t result in a very high overall evaluation. However, considering the number of Heroic Spirits Su Xiao has killed, the overall evaluation won’t be low either.

As for the second way, it involves artificially accelerating the end of the Holy Grail by summoning it within the 11-day limit.

If Su Xiao did not engage in mutual damage with Blood Gate in this world, he could achieve this. But he first had a life-and-death battle with Blood Gate before seeking other Heroic Spirits. The 11 days were mostly consumed in the struggle with Blood Gate, and now the remaining time is clearly insufficient.

Having Rin Tohsaka use familial ties to find Sakura Matou was a last resort. If Su Xiao guessed correctly, there’s definitely a cunning old fox guiding Sakura Matou from behind. Otherwise, she would not have remained hidden from the beginning to the end. As of now, Su Xiao doesn’t even know who Sakura Matou’s Heroic Spirit is.

If Sakura Matou was indeed saved by Blood Gate when she was young, then at least she would retain a pure and kind heart as the best container for Blood Gate’s Artificial Holy Grail.

Like a sweet candy, it’s impossible for Sakura Matou to remain low-key throughout the Holy Grail War. If Su Xiao’s deduction is correct, not only does she have a cunning old fox with good intentions behind her, but she might also have the help of other Contractors.

60 kilometers south of Fuyuki City lies a peaceful small village.

Plop~

A startled deer leapt, spilling clean water from a bamboo tube, producing the crisp sound of bamboo hitting each other.

This was a natural gorge, surrounded by mountains on three sides. A few wooden huts were built in the gorge, with smoke spiraling up, appearing peaceful and harmonious.

“Sakura, don’t be shy, come join us.”

A plump woman was soaking in the pool. It was noon, and nothing was more refreshing than soaking in a cool mountain spring pool.

On the bank near the plump woman was a neatly arranged set of black soft armor. This armor looked like a black bodysuit, particularly conspicuous with the cat ears on the helmet.

“I…I won’t.”

Sakura Matou hugged her chest shyly. Just as Su Xiao guessed, Blood Gate did indeed send Sakura Matou to a relatively trustworthy magic tutor to shelter her growth for the sake of the Artificial Holy Grail.

This was one of the rare opportunities for Sakura Matou to leave the Clock Tower. Although her tutor was an old man, he was known at the Clock Tower as a protector fanatic. If it weren’t for the initial contract, he would never have let her participate in the Holy Grail War before reaching adulthood and gaining self-preservation abilities. Even due to the initial contract, the old man had provided her with a very powerful Holy Relic, a Stone Eye.

“How much longer are you going to deceive my Master, you cat?”

Another slightly lazy female voice came, sounding both lazy and seductive.

“If it weren’t for me, your lovely Master would have been sliced by that Mad Demon long ago. That guy was as strong as a monster long ago. Do you think… I’m weak?”

The plump woman in the pool spoke. She stood up, and her back was covered with crisscrossed scars. Each scar was bone-deep, once and all fatal injuries.

“This is what I received after our last meeting. That was several… years ago. At that time, dozens of fools with strength similar to mine besieged that guy. The result was obvious, we all failed.”

Water droplets rolled down the woman’s body as she stepped onto the bank to put on the black soft armor. If Su Xiao were present, he might not recognize the naked woman, but after she put on the soft armor, he would definitely remember who she was – the masked cat woman who had fought him at Shapodi Archipelago.

As for the other woman in the pool, she was Sakura Matou’s Heroic Spirit. Although she didn’t seem special, she had an ability that could nearly one-hit kill all Heroic Spirits.

“So, are you scared?”

The female Heroic Spirit raised her arm, not caring about the masked woman’s words.

“Trust me, in 22 hours, we’ll be the winners.”

The masked woman smiled wryly. The feeling of scheming against Su Xiao was no longer exhilarating but explosively satisfying for her. Back then, she was so crushed by Su Xiao that she became reclusive.

The masked woman was teleported to the Holy Grail World according to the normal schedule. Her task was simple: survive until the Holy Grail War ended. In other words, other than Blood Gate members, the other lone wolves had similar tasks.

As a Fourth Tier lone wolf, the masked woman sensed something was wrong as soon as she entered the Holy Grail World. The main task was too simple, so she used a long-preserved authority to gain access to the data of six Masters and seven Heroic Spirits.

When the masked woman saw ‘Saber Class: Bai Ye,’ she nearly spat out a mouthful of old blood. Her initial thought was: ‘Damn, am I dreaming? This Mad Demon turned into a Saber Class? Paradise, you’re making me laugh.’

After some exploration, she learned even more explosive news. One of the hegemons within the Fourth Tier, the Blood Gate Adventure Group, was also in this world. They had started clearing the area.

Upon feeling the wrath of WRNMMP in her heart, the masked woman escaped Fuyuki City. Just as she was preparing to flee far away to take the lowest evaluation, she witnessed a scene where Su Xiao and Stan greeted each other on the communication platform.

This sparked the masked woman’s interest, and as she checked Sakura Matou’s Heroic Spirit, her interest was piqued even more.

Sakura Matou (Master), affiliated Heroic Spirit, Rider Class: Medusa (Banshee).

Sakura Matou’s Heroic Spirit seemed no different from the original, but in reality, it wasn’t the case. The masked woman noticed the word ‘Banshee’—this was crucial.

Originally, when Sakura Matou summoned Medusa, she was in the form of a goddess, which sounded beautiful. But as a goddess, Medusa, despite being beautiful, wasn’t particularly strong.

However, after Medusa was cursed by Athena to become a banshee, her combat strength skyrocketed. This was completely two different Heroic Spirits. If Medusa’s combat strength in goddess form was 5, then at least 60 or above in banshee form. The Petrifying Eyes were a terrifying, god-killing ability.

In terms of singular power, she’s not weaker than the golden flash’s Deviation Sword. A glance into her eyes and even a god would fall, let alone the demigod golden flash.

Upon realizing this, the masked woman decisively tried to join forces with the advantage. After some probing, the masked woman found that Sakura Matou’s personality was quite good, and her experiences were very different from the original story, making it impossible for her to have any possibility of darkening.

Fuyuki City, inside an abandoned laboratory.

With a sizzle, a broken electric cable sparked, illuminating the laboratory dimly. In a corner, various creatures were soaking inside a tall glass pillar.

“So, Sakura Matou has left Fuyuki City? Even if the Holy Grail War is led by your Magician Association, your reach… is a bit too far.”

Su Xiao wiped the blood off his hands, and nearby, the bodies of several magicians lay.

“That was… the order of some big shot, and has nothing to do with us.”

A magician in his late thirties leaned against the experimental equipment, filled with fear, blood dripping down his chin.

“So, where is Sakura Matou now.”

With a click, the Endless Dark Collar in Su Xiao’s hand snapped open.