"Why is it still not working! Why!"
In the office, Cocolia swept everything on the desk onto the floor.
After losing her original authority, it was now extremely difficult for her to obtain any resources.
But fortunately, she had previously managed some external connections outside of Anti-Entropy for a period, and she also had some savings, which allowed her to collect those so-called Holy Remains.
These Holy Remains were naturally not precious antiques, but rather fragments of armor, broken pieces of cloth, and similar items.
In this world, the only supernatural powers were Honkai and Imaginary, and there were no so-called Age of Gods or mysteries like in Type-Moon, so obtaining these items of no practical value did not require too much cost.
But…
Cocolia had already tried more than a dozen Holy Remains for summoning, but nothing was summoned.
"Is it a scam!?"
Cocolia slammed her fist heavily on the desk. More than half a month of failed experiences had almost made her lose confidence. If not for the magic circle consistently emitting light every time she summoned, she would probably have given up long ago.
Even so, she still researched the so-called Servant summoning circle for a long time, confirming that it was not a scam before continuing.
"Could it be that these guys have no wishes to fulfill? No… impossible. Even if they are Heroic Spirits, how could anyone have no wish?"
Although she didn't know why, Cocolia could only attribute it to the reason given by the organizer earlier: the Heroic Spirit did not respond…
Of course, there was also the possibility that those Holy Remains were fake, but Cocolia didn't think that the things she paid such a high price for were all fake.
"In that case… if the legendary heroes cannot be summoned."
She glanced at the so-called Holy Remains scattered on the floor. If they couldn't summon a Servant, these things were worthless.
She walked into her room, opened a secret compartment in the cabinet, and took out a small box.
Looking at the small box in her hand, Cocolia showed a hint of nostalgia: "You saved me fifteen years ago, please help me again fifteen years later."
Opening the wooden box, what was placed inside was not a precious treasure, but a blood-red petal.
Cocolia recalled what happened in Siberia fifteen years ago.
That is, the famous Second Eruption.
During that Honkai Eruption, she almost died, or rather, half of Asia was on the verge of death at that time.
But the Saint Cecilia sacrificed herself, exhausting all her blood to purify the Honkai Energy that had eroded half the continent.
Most of the blood-colored petals disappeared after purifying the encroaching Honkai Energy. Cocolia preserved one petal using a special method, keeping it until now.
It was originally an unintentional act, but she never expected it to be used now.
Holding the box and placing it on the magic circle, Cocolia dared not touch the blood-colored petal with her hand. These petals had both substance and seemed like illusions.
During that disaster, these petals would rapidly dissolve upon touching a human body, purifying the Honkai Energy within them.
"I am here to defeat Honkai, so that Saint will surely respond to me."
Standing before the magic circle, Cocolia once again recited the summoning incantation.
"Respond to me! Guardian of the Scales!"
As the last line of the summoning incantation fell, Cocolia watched the magic circle before her emit light.
She had seen this light more than ten times, but this time she had a feeling that it had succeeded.
"Hiss!"
Cocolia suddenly felt a tingling sensation in her right hand.
"This is… a Command Seal?"
Originally, this red pattern that appeared on her hand had no special features, like an inexplicable tattoo.
But the tingling sensation that appeared now made her certain that this thing indeed had a purpose, and… this different feeling also made her certain that her summoning had succeeded.
But as the summoning light dissipated, Cocolia widened her eyes, looking at the being that appeared before her.
The one who appeared before her was not the Saint she had imagined.
Although she also had long white hair, Cocolia could confirm that she did not recognize the person in front of her.
On her, Cocolia felt a power that made her heart palpitate.
And there was also a sense of familiarity.
"Holy Grail? Heh, humans are truly dedicated to meddling with powers that will destroy themselves, invading the domain of gods. But that's fine, let humans destroy themselves with their own power."
The white-haired girl floating in mid-air finished absorbing the new information in her mind, then opened her golden eyes and glanced at Cocolia, who was kneeling on the ground for some unknown reason, letting out a sneer.
…
"Oh dear… I'm sorry, Misteln, Natalia, I have to leave."
Elysia said to the two with a look of guilt.
"Just go, why are you telling us?"
Natalia said with a sullen face.
"Oh, don't say that, Natalia, we've been together for so long."
"It's not like you've been clinging to us."
Misteln smiled as she watched the two bickering: "Is Elysia going back to participate in the Holy Grail War?"
"Yes, if there's a chance in the future, let's travel again."
Watching Elysia leave, Natalia stayed for a long time, only turning around much later to look at Misteln, who had been standing behind her.
"Holy Grail War… people will die, won't they?"
The term Holy Grail War had completely become something of global concern. Not to mention the official website introduction left by the Seed of Fire, there were people discussing this upcoming world-class ritual on various networks.
"A Master should be fine, but a Servant…"
Misteln didn't continue, but Natalia already knew what she was going to say next.
There is only one winner in the Holy Grail War. If the other six Servants do not die, it cannot end.
"For some inexplicable wish-granting device, heh…"
Natalia returned to her room, leaving Misteln standing in place.
Glancing in the direction Elysia had left, Misteln recalled the lives of those people she had once transcribed.
"How can someone who hasn't fought against Honkai understand the weight of the hope of defeating Honkai in our hearts?"
…
"Otto, you found Judah!?"
Kallen, dressed in a nun's habit, looked at the golden cross in front of her with pleasant surprise.
"But Otto, I am a Servant now. If I use Judah, I won't be able to spiritualize."
"And my clothes too."
As Servants, they could change clothes, but ordinary clothes naturally couldn't compare to the outfits they appeared in when summoned.
"Don't worry, Kallen, I will prepare a new Valkyrie battlesuit for you."
During this time, Otto had thoroughly researched the composition of Servants.
Because of her history as a phantom thief, Kallen did not have powerful weapons after becoming a Servant.
So he could only find ways to prepare things for her to increase her combat power, and he used all of Schicksal's resources to create a dedicated Valkyrie battlesuit for her.
…
In a village in Shenzhou
"Yu Xin, take a break."
The red-haired figure said to the girl in front of her.
"Master, I'm not tired yet."
"The path of cultivation should not be rushed; balance is the right way."
Fu Hua refused Yang Yuxin's stubbornness. Although she had corrected her many times not to call her Master, the other party had been so persistent that she said nothing more.
Looking at Yang Yuxin, who went to rest, Fu Hua had some worries in her heart. To cultivate from an ordinary person to at least an A-rank Valkyrie level in less than a month, and without a Valkyrie battlesuit, was a tall order.
Fu Hua did not have too many expectations for her.
Should I ask Takatsuki for help?
This thought appeared and then disappeared. She hadn't contacted Takatsuki for so long. Although it was partly due to Yang Yuxin, who knew if the Berserker class had any influence in this?
"I wonder what Kiana and the others are doing now."
The Scarlet Phoenix Immortal looked up in the direction of St. Freya Academy, lost in thought.
...
"Ahhhhhh!! Why do I have to take a make-up exam when we're about to participate in the Holy Grail War!!!"
While others were preparing for the Holy Grail War, St. Freya Academy had just finished a monthly exam.
Although the Holy Grail War was about to begin, for those not participating, it seemed too distant. While there would be live broadcasts to look forward to, life still had to go on this month.
Originally, Kiana wanted to use participating in the Holy Grail War as an excuse to avoid this monthly exam, but neither Cecilia nor Durandal would allow her to escape mandatory cultural classes in such a way.
"Isn't that because you failed the exam? You've already seen your future experiences, so why are you still so immature?"
Durandal tapped Kiana's head with the book in her hand.
"Ugh… I'm already very mature, you know."
Looking at Kiana, who hadn't changed much from before, Durandal felt a slight sense of relief. Although a mature Kiana was reliable, Durandal still didn't want her sister to bear too many burdens.