Chapter 259: Black Arrow

The Divine Car Wheel veered at the last moment, narrowly scraping past Saber and Lancer before crashing to the ground, cracking the concrete floor into spiderweb-like fissures, and dust billowed.

Saber and Lancer were forced to separate temporarily, each stepping back a few paces, watching the unwelcome visitor warily.

Iskandar rose from the chariot, his towering over‑two‑meter frame exuding oppression.

He scanned the surroundings, his gaze passing over Saber, Lancer, and Ailisi Feier behind him, a bright smile spreading on his face.

"Both sides, sheath your swords! In front of The King!"

His voice boomed like a bell, shaking the mist into surging.

"The King is Conqueror King Iskandar! In this Holy Grail War, I descend in the Rider class!"

Saber, Lancer, and the Masters observing from the shadows were all taken aback by the words.

(This guy… just announces his lineage like that?)

(Is it okay to just say his real name?!)

Weber, in despair, covered his face, wishing he could crawl into a crack in the ground.

Not far away, in a concealed spot atop a large container,

Chang Ye Yue and San Yue Qi lay silently in the shadows, taking in everything happening on the dock's open ground below.

"Wow… is this the world's 'Heroic Spirit'?"

San Yue Qi widened her eyes, looking at the scene below, whispering in awe, "That blond big sister's sword style is so cool! And that uncle riding an ox cart…"

Chang Ye Yue's crimson eyes gazed calmly at the below, softly explaining to San Yue Qi:

"Saber, Artoria Pendragon, the legendary king of ancient Britannia, embodiment of chivalry. Possessing a powerful city‑destroying Noble Phantasm, superb swordsmanship, abundant mana, she is a top‑tier Servant."

"Lancer, Diermde Audina, the radiant figure of Celtic myth, a knight of loyalty and tragedy. His dual‑spear skill is extraordinary, and his Noble Phantasm bears the traits 'Demon‑Breaking' and 'Irreparable', making it very tricky."

"Rider, Iskandar, the historically famed Conqueror King, founder of the Macedonian Empire. Boisterous in nature, he wields an EX‑rank 'King's Army' Noble Phantasm, capable of summoning his former troops to fight alongside him. The youth beside him is his Master, Weber, a student of the Clock Tower, inexperienced yet with some potential."

San Yue Qi was stunned, her gaze at Chang Ye Yue filled with admiration: "Sister, you're amazing! How do you know everything!"

Chang Ye Yue shook her head slightly, a hint of helplessness and indulgence curling her mouth: "It's just basic training for a Master. Intelligence is the foremost element of battle."

She reached out, gently rubbing San Yue Qi's pink hair, "Did you remember?"

"Mm‑hh!"

San Yue Qi nodded vigorously, then grew eager, "Sister, shall we also… go down? It looks so lively!"

Chang Ye Yue pondered for a moment.

"To be precise,"

She looked at San Yue Qi, a barely perceptible slyness in her crimson eyes, "It should be 'you' who goes down."

"Eh?!" San Yue Qi was dumbfounded, "Me, me alone?"

"I cannot act recklessly."

Chang Ye Yue spread her hands, speaking matter‑of‑factly, "I am now a 'regular Master', bound by certain 'Rules'; revealing too much power would cause unnecessary trouble. And you are my 'Servant', in the Berserker class; joining the battle is only natural."

"But, but…"

San Yue Qi looked at the Heroic Spirits below, whose mere presence made her uneasy, her voice dropping, "Those people down there look so strong… I'm just an ordinary berserker…"

"Don't be afraid."

Chang Ye Yue's voice softened a bit, with a soothing tone, "You're not weak. Your Six‑Phase Ice, and… you yourself are a girl who can bring miracles."

She paused, adding, "Moreover, I will provide you with intelligence support and necessary small assistance here. You are not alone."

San Yue Qi looked at Chang Ye Yue's calm yet reliable gaze, and her anxiety eased a little.

She inhaled deeply, clenched her fists, encouraging herself, "Alright, fine! Consider it a special Exploration Task! I'm going!"

As she was about to stand, Chang Ye Yue gently grabbed her wrist.

"Don't rush."

Chang Ye Yue signaled her to stay calm, her gaze returning downward.

At this moment, Rider was spouting grandiose words, trying to recruit Saber and Lancer into his ranks, but the two proud knights simply rejected him.

"Now the situation is chaotic; it's an opportunity."

Chang Ye Yue whispered in San Yue Qi's ear, her warm breath making San Yue Qi's ear tingle, "Did you see that Lancer? His attention is mainly on Saber and Rider."

"Mm…"

"Your Ice Arrow's range and accuracy are fine."

Chang Ye Yue's tone remained steady, but the words made San Yue Qi's eyes widen, "Take this moment, fire a 'Black Arrow' at him."

"Black, Black Arrow?"

San Yue Qi stammered, "So… it's a sneak attack? Not very good… feels like a villain…"

Chang Ye Yue gently pinched San Yue Qi's cheek, a hint of helpless smile, "Xiaosanyue, this is a Holy Grail War, a battlefield. There is no absolute 'good' or 'bad', only victory and defeat. Moreover…"

She looked at the Rider below shaking his head in regret, and the still‑vigilant Saber and Lancer, "Lancer's strength is great; he's Saber's toughest rival and a potential threat. Weakening him will benefit your upcoming actions."

She softened her voice, coaxing, "Look, your Ice Arrow is swift; if it hits accurately, he may not even feel pain. That's far more 'gentle' than a head‑on clash, isn't it?"

San Yue Qi felt a bit dizzy from Chang Ye Yue's convoluted reasoning, but her sense of justice and embarrassment, amid the words 'battlefield', 'threat', 'advantage', and Chang Ye Yue's gentle yet firm gaze, gradually wavered.

(Seems… a bit reasonable?)

(And sister does it for my sake…)

She bit her lower lip, her fingertips silently gathering a faintly unstable cold ice energy, which formed in her hand a translucent ice bow, and a crystal‑clear ice arrow silently nocked onto the string.

"I… I'll try…"

Another concealed high point, atop a certain container,

Weigong Qiesi, like a lifeless statue, lay quietly at the sniping spot.

The sniper rifle in his hand, reinforced by Magic, steadied on the high‑magnification scope, calmly scanning the dock below.

His primary target was Lancer's Master, the Clock Tower sovereign hidden in the shadows, Kenneth.

As long as the Master is eliminated, the Lancer is nothing to fear.

However, just as he was about to Lock the area where Kenneth might be hidden, the edge of the scope's view caught several ghost‑like flickers of Black Shadow—signs of multiple Assassins.

(Sure enough… the Assassin's death was a disguise.)

Qiesi immediately abandoned the plan to snipe Kenneth.

Exposing himself while Assassins are lurking would be more loss than gain.

He, like the most patient hunter, continued to lie in wait, observe, and await a new opportunity.

At that moment, an abrupt anomaly surged!

A Magic Wave bearing a distinct chill arrived from somewhere above and to the side!

Qiesi's pupils suddenly contracted, the sniper's barrel instinctively fine‑tuned, and the scope instantly Lock onto the source of the Magic Wave—

At a higher point among the stacked containers, the silhouettes of two women came into view.

One, holding a Black Umbrella, dressed in a black‑red gown, exuded a mysterious aura; the other, a pink‑haired girl, wielded an Ice Bow, her arrow aimed at the Lancer below!

(A new Master and Servant?! When…?)

A warning bell rang loudly in Qiesi's mind.

He instinctively placed the scope's crosshair over the head of the umbrella‑holding woman.

However, in the scope, the umbrella‑holding woman seemed to sense his gaze and tilted her head slightly.

Hundreds of meters away, through the high‑magnification scope, Qiesi clearly saw the woman raise her index finger toward his direction and gently press it to her own lips.

It was a silent "shhh—" gesture.

At the same time, her blood‑red eyes seemed, through the lens, to meet his gaze for an instant.

Click!

With a faint sound, the scope's lens before Qiesi suddenly sprouted a spider‑web crack without warning!

(Discovered?! Magic? Or…?)

Qiesi hesitated not at all; like a startled raccoon, he instantly folded the sniper, curled his body, slid down from the top of the containers at top speed, and after a few hops vanished into the tangled shadows of the cargo boxes, decisively abandoning the sniping point.

(That woman… is dangerous.)