Akatsuki's current mood was somewhat complicated. Archer and Rider were too heavily injured, and their Master had been captured by Caster, rendering them completely unusable for now.
Without the help of a Servant, it would undoubtedly be difficult for Akatsuki to face Assassin alone, especially since Assassin now possessed a poison specifically designed to deal with her.
With Caster and Souichirou Kuzuki added to the mix, Akatsuki expected that going there would likely lead to a grim fate.
Only now did she realize that she originally had very little to do with the Holy Grail War! If she had just left Fuyuki City at the start, none of these messes would be happening now!
She had no idea what that 'pleasure duo,' Gilgamesh and Kirei Kotomine, were plotting.
Caster, along with Assassin and Souichirou Kuzuki, had nearly wiped out the main protagonist group. Who would even believe that if she told them?
Having turned Ryūdō Temple upside down, Akatsuki immediately realized that Caster had already relocated, and the most suitable place to hold the Holy Grail descent ritual was within the Great Cavern beneath Mount Enzou.
Using Marble Phantasm, she created a pack of cigarettes. Just as she was about to light one, Akatsuki suddenly remembered she had quit smoking a long time ago.
Looking up at the setting sun, the lingering memory of the irresistible touch of the Tohsaka Rin and Matou Sakura sisters filled her mind. Akatsuki cast a conflicted glance toward Mount Enzou.
Then, she suddenly slapped herself hard.
"Dammit, I actually hesitated between women and my life!"
In this world, the power of a True Ancestor was ultimately suppressed. After all, this wasn't the world of tsukihime; the Second Magus had not been bitten and turned into a Dead Apostle by Crimson Moon during their decisive battle.
As a True Ancestor who eroded the human order, Akatsuki could clearly feel a powerful consciousness watching her. That scrutinizing gaze seemed to be warning her not to act recklessly.
Lighting a cigarette, Akatsuki took a sharp drag.
"It's time to move!"
Manifesting Black Keys, Akatsuki felt the flow of Fuyuki City's spiritual veins. Eventually, she found a massive rock. Without hesitation, she walked straight toward it, passing right through just as she was about to collide with it.
The next moment, a flash of sword light erupted.
A crisp sound echoed through the Great Cavern. Akatsuki held her Black Keys, not daring to relax for a second. Even if she controlled her breathing, she couldn't completely prevent herself from being poisoned; after all, Assassin's poison was no simple matter.
Invisible toxins permeated the air. Akatsuki's Black Keys whistled through the darkness, her attacks so incredibly fast that Assassin actually showed signs of being suppressed for a moment.
"A war of attrition is bad for me. I must end this quickly—worst case scenario, I'll just rip his head off!"
Slaughter invites more slaughter, which was why Akatsuki had always avoided killing. Otherwise, that piece of trash Shinji Matou would have died countless times by now.
"You came alone?"
Assassin spoke up, "I didn't expect you to refrain from carving out a territory and creating subordinates like other Dead Apostles!"
"A low-class hobby."
Akatsuki's hand speed didn't falter as her body darted back and forth in the narrow tunnel, slashing at Assassin's neck from different angles. However, Assassin's defense was airtight, leaving Akatsuki not a single opening.
Akatsuki secretly cursed her luck; at this rate, Assassin's poison would likely seep into her marrow soon. At the critical moment, she made a snap decision to abandon defense entirely, launching an all-out strike at Assassin's heart.
However, just as the Black Keys were about to strike Assassin, his figure vanished eerily.
Akatsuki instinctively turned around, but it was already too late.
Assassin appeared behind her like a ghost, his greatsword thrusting straight toward the back of her heart. Akatsuki didn't dodge; instead, she lunged forward, meeting Assassin's greatsword head-on.
Puchi!
The sound of two blades piercing flesh rang out. Akatsuki's Black Keys plunged straight into Assassin's heart, while Assassin's greatsword also impaled Akatsuki's chest.
"What a pity..."
Blood dripped down the Black Keys. Assassin realized he had lost to Akatsuki. He gave a self-deprecating laugh, "I spent my whole life killing Dead Apostles, only to die at the hands of one in the end. How ridiculous..."
Akatsuki's gaze was cold. With a slight exertion of her fingers, Assassin's body shattered into pieces. Blood stained the surrounding walls as Akatsuki walked deeper into the Great Cavern without changing her expression.
Once slaughter begins, it cannot be stopped. Would what awaited her be dying alone with blood-stained hands as before, or carving out a new path?
In just a few breaths, Akatsuki's temperament underwent a massive change. A hysterical madness surged from the depths of her heart; for a moment, she seemed to see her former self.
Assassin's poison was essentially one of his Noble Phantasms. Now that he was dead, the poison's effect had faded. Next were the physical wounds, but those were trivial matters to Akatsuki.
Caster's time for analyzing the greater grail was almost up. Not wanting to waste time, Akatsuki quickened her pace. Fuyuki City's mana began to converge here, and a strange white light appeared in the sky that had been about to darken.
The first person Akatsuki found was Tohsaka Rin. She was locked in an inconspicuous stone chamber by Caster. Perhaps because there were already two more suitable vessels, Tohsaka Rin hadn't been given much attention by Caster.
"Akatsuki! Are you okay?"
"You're actually this happy that I'm okay?" Akatsuki's lips curled into a smirk as she looked teasingly at Tohsaka Rin.
"I—I am not! Well, I can't say I'm not..."
"Sakura and Illya—do you know where they are?"
"I'm not sure." Tohsaka Rin shook her head. "But one thing I know for certain is that Caster wants to make the greater grail descend through another method. If we wait any longer, Sakura and Illya will likely be in danger!"
Akatsuki's eyes narrowed. Since Tohsaka Rin didn't know the locations of Matou Sakura and Illya, she could only find them by sensing the mana within the Great Cavern.
After dispelling Caster's binding magecraft, Akatsuki pointed out the exit for Tohsaka Rin and turned to leave, only to be called back by her.
"Wait, Akatsuki! Thank you for coming to save me, but I'm going too! Whether it's saving Sakura or getting revenge on that Caster woman, I have to do it myself!"
Akatsuki was slightly stunned. "Caster is a Magician from the Age of Gods, you know."
"I know! You said her true name is Medea, right?" she said. "I have my own ways!"
Looking at Tohsaka Rin like this, Akatsuki knew that 'Magic Muscle Rin' was about to make her debut.
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