Medea unleashed her full power in an attack against Jason.
Covered in dust and soot, Jason barely survived thanks to his B-rank Magic Resistance. He coughed out a puff of black smoke, his face full of frustration."So why, when there's already another Caster, do I still have to run into you here?!"
"Since you can summon your crewmates, I can appear through other means as well. So tell me, why am I not among your crew? Are you afraid of something?"
Medea removed her hood, revealing a gentle smile."Besides, did we ever get divorced? I'm merely a widow!"
She channeled her magic again, an overwhelming surge of mana gathering around her.
"Who would dare summon you like this?!"
Jason took two steps back before breaking into a full sprint, grabbing Rin Tohsaka on his way and dashing off with his Master in tow.
Medea, seeing this, activated a levitation spell to chase after them, intent on wresting control of Jason from Rin. However, Atalanta stepped in, spreading her arms to block Medea's path.
"Atalanta, are you stopping me too?"
Medea understood Atalanta's intentions. If she were truly trying to help Jason, she would have already fired her arrows to hinder Medea's pursuit. Still, it annoyed her.
"If you dare to help him, I'll kill you too!"
Atalanta shook her head. She and Medea had been close during their time as shipmates, with Atalanta often brushing Medea's soft lavender hair when she was still a young girl. She knew well that both Jason and Medea had their issues, and she refused to take sides—just like most of the other Argonauts.
"Your dispute with Jason is none of our business. However, we promised his Master that we'd help her rescue her sister. So, can you put your grudge on hold for a few days? Once this is over, you can do whatever you want to him."
Atalanta genuinely wanted to help Rin save her sister. As for whether Rin and Jason could win the Holy Grail, that didn't concern her.
"...Fine, for your sake, I'll let him go today."
Medea pulled her hood back on. "But I have a condition..."
-
"Why are we running?!"
Rin struggled against Jason's grip, furious at his reckless actions. If something happened under her jurisdiction, it would reflect poorly on the Tohsaka family's reputation.
"We have the advantage in Servant numbers, don't we?"
"Did you forget about Assassin?"
Jason reminded Rin that aside from Serenity, there was still another Assassin lurking in the war. The more he thought about it, the more certain he became—he should never have participated in this Holy Grail War. None of the other Servants were even trying to fight properly.
"And besides, my ex-wife is here. Other than Heracles, no one else will help me. And honestly, I'd feel bad even asking him. What other option do I have but to run?"
"Running won't solve anything! You'll have to face her eventually!"
Rin elbowed Jason in the ribs, forcing him to release his grip. She broke free from his grasp.
-
However, she knew they couldn't return to deal with Jiang You's (the supposed Caster's) chaos right now. Jason's Noble Phantasm would soon expire, meaning Atalanta and the other three Servants would return to the Throne of Heroes. Facing a Servant who had complete control over their Master with fewer Command Spells was an unwise move.
"She wasn't summoned properly either, so there's a good chance she has some kind of summoning limitation."
Jason bit his thumb, trying to think. Unfortunately, emotional disputes didn't quite count as "life-threatening crises," so no flash of insight came to him.
"Besides, that Caster-like guy is making this an even bigger problem. The Church and the Clock Tower won't ignore this—we can rally the other Masters to take him down."
In truth, Jason just wanted the other Masters to fight Medea so that he wouldn't have to see her again.
"Is he really a Caster? That doesn't match what my father told me..."
Rin recalled her father's words. Jiang You's appearance matched Tokiomi Tohsaka's description perfectly. Based on today's events, it seemed he had the ability to summon Heroic Spirits from different times and regions. If that were the case, it wasn't surprising he had won the Fourth Holy Grail War.
"So much for being 'overly compassionate'—I don't see that at all! And my father's death… did that fake priest hide something from me?"
Jiang You's words nagged at Rin's mind. She decided to add a visit to the Church to her itinerary after going to the Emiya residence tomorrow.
"You're right. We should stop here for today."
Rin checked her remaining gems. After tracking down and dealing with Dragon Tooth Warriors and fighting Serenity, she had very few left. Exhaustion crept up on her.
"Saber, let's go home."
"Got it!"
Jason sighed in relief. He had been worried that Rin's stubbornness would drive her to keep fighting.
-
Not long after, Rin returned home, utterly exhausted. She collapsed into her bed, staring at the ceiling. Yet, no matter how tired she was, she couldn't sleep.
-
Meanwhile, at Fuyuki Church...
Kotomine Kirei finished his prayer and slowly stood up. His priestly robes draped over his tall frame, and the silver cross on his chest gleamed under the moonlight. Combined with his expressionless, solemn demeanor, he truly looked like a devout priest.
"Servant, according to the rules of the Holy Grail War, the Church is neutral ground. You shouldn't be here."
Kirei turned his head and closed the Bible in his hands. Before him, a black-haired young man in Victorian-style formalwear lounged casually on a church pew.
"Visiting at this hour is rather improper. Did your Master not teach you the rules?"
"Honestly, in a previous script, you had already become a chef. Seeing you like this now is kind of jarring."
Jiang You gazed at the familiar face and couldn't help but make a snide remark.
Kirei didn't respond, and Jiang You, finding the conversation dull, got straight to the point.
"Speaking of rules—tell me, does the Church's 'neutrality' involve hiding a bunch of little boys in the basement? Or should I say, drained little boys?"
"I don't understand what you mean."
Kirei repeated the same words he had used in another timeline, but this time, he was already preparing to strike.
He lacked ordinary human empathy, but he understood when something should not be spoken of. Jiang You bringing this up meant he had no intention of a peaceful discussion. Whether he wanted to coerce or had another goal, it didn't matter.
Kirei analyzed Jiang You's posture and physique. There were no traces of close-combat experience. Most Servants specialized in melee, even Archers had a degree of hand-to-hand combat ability. Only one class could exhibit this kind of behavior—
Caster.
Which meant—strike first!
"Leaving your territory as a Caster is unwise!"
With a strike powerful enough to shatter a thick tree trunk, Kirei launched his Bajiquan attack at Jiang You.
In the Fourth Holy Grail War, he had once fought King Hassan's disciple to a standstill. If this punch connected, Jiang You would be utterly broken.
However, Jiang You hadn't come alone.
A black-armored hand caught Kirei's fist. Under the raw strength of a first-rate Heroic Spirit, Kirei couldn't advance even an inch.
At the same time, several daggers pressed against his throat.