Chapter 268: Warm‑up Exercise Concluded

Her ever calm, untroubled golden eyes, at the instant the Assassin moved, suddenly flashed a sharp glint.

She did not summon the Flame Gun (restriction), but instead clenched the seemingly ordinary Metal Ball Club in her hand.

The first Assassin's dagger had already been thrust to her neck side, another's short sword aimed straight at her back heart, and the third's lock sickle coiled toward her ankle…

A Xing's body twisted sideways, the dagger scraping across her neck, lifting a few strands of hair.

At the same time, the club in her hand seemed to come alive, first snapping downward, precisely smashing the lock sickle's chain, swinging it open, then using the momentum to flick upward, and with a "clang" it deflected the short sword that was stabbing toward her back heart!

The movement was smooth and natural, as if honed by countless trials of instinct.

She did not linger; her steps were agile as a swimming fish, weaving through the flashes of blades.

Bang! An Assassin tried to ambush from behind, but A Xing, as if she had an eye on the back of her head, struck back with an elbow to the stomach, letting out a muffled grunt and stumbling backward.

Swoosh! Another Assassin flung a hail of hidden weapons; A Xing swung the club, becoming a blur of light and shadow, and with clanging sounds knocked all the projectiles away.

Snort! The third Assassin slipped into the shadow at her feet, the dagger lifting upward, but A Xing had already leapt; the club, descending with force, slammed onto its shoulder, the sound of bone shattering clearly audible!

Her movements had no excess at all—efficient, concise, lethal.

Even though she faced many foes with only a single club, she forcibly carved out a safe zone amid the Assassins' onslaught, repeatedly repelling Assassin clones, and even some were shattered by heavy blows into black mist and vanished!

Inside the room, Yuanban Shichen, spying through Magic, stared dumbfounded.

(That gray‑haired girl… is she the Master?)

(Such skill… such combat instinct… truly comparable to a Servant!)

(Is she really human?! Don't normal Masters provide magical support and tactical guidance from the rear?! How could she rush forward herself, wielding a club to brute‑force an Assassin?!)

In Yan Feng Qili's hollow eyes, A Xing's fighting silhouette seemed reflected; that emotionless yet supremely efficient combat style stirred a faint ripple in some part of his numb heart, a ripple even he could not comprehend.

Huan Long still sat elegantly on the sofa, fanning herself, watching the livestream with keen interest.

She naturally recognized Black Tower—the Genius Club #83, Intellect Commandant, master of the Black Tower Space Station.

Such a conspicuous trait is known to almost everyone in the Star Rail Universe.

Seeing Black Tower also appear here, and seemingly limited in power like herself, Huan Long's lingering doubts and unease born from the inexplicable translocation faded considerably.

(Even Black Tower was "invited"... looks like the scale of this affair is no small matter.)

(Fine. With this Intellect Commandant here drawing fire, I can observe more calmly.)

(But her Master... now that's interesting. That skill doesn't seem like an ordinary human.)

Huan Long had a clear cognition of Black Tower's strength.

Even if sealed, she would still be a figure that all local Heroic Spirits present must look up to.

For herself, although also a Commandant, Huan Long's main focus has never been direct combat but rather to beguile hearts, manipulate emotions, and toy with souls.

Survival and concealment skills, she is among the top in the Commandants.

In the courtyard, A Xing, like an inexhaustible battle machine, firmly restrained the remaining Assassin clones.

Gilgamesh hovered in the air, his face grim as he looked down, not immediately joining the fray, seemingly waiting for something or perhaps gauging Black Tower's depth.

Black Tower had already completed her analysis.

(One with an energy response similar to a Servant but mixed in nature (Huan Long), one with a pure Servant response (Gilgamesh), and seven weak Concealment reactions scattered throughout the residence (other Assassin clones).)

(That abnormal presence... indeed the woman with a Fox People appearance. Though disguised, that aura of Destruction destiny, and a stature similar to mine... no doubt, she is one of the Extinction Great Lords.)

(Which one exactly? 'Fenfeng'? No, the aura doesn't match. 'Xingxiao'? Not quite either. Something like... Huan Long?)

(Interesting. Even an Extinction Great Lord was pulled in. The scale is truly massive.)

(But it seems she too is constrained. That's just right.)

In Black Tower's violet‑black eyes, the probing light grew ever brighter.

A power‑restricted, solitary Extinction Great Lord—truly a once‑in‑a‑millennium "research specimen"!

Compared to playing house with these local Heroic Spirits, studying a peer‑level "other‑worldly counterpart" is clearly more valuable.

She glanced at A Xing, still locked in a one‑sided brawl with the Assassins, then glanced at Gilgamesh, prowling in the air.

Efficiency above all, she laid the cards flat.

Black Tower let out a light sigh, as if annoyed by the hassle.

She raised her arm and snapped her fingers crisply.

Snap.

In an instant, centered on her and A Xing, hundreds of rhombic light mirrors of varying sizes, their edges swirling with intricate purple runes, silently materialized above the courtyard, around it, and even beneath the ground!

These light mirrors instantly sealed off the entire outer area of the Tohsaka Residence.

Each mirror's core began to gather deep violet energy, firmly locking onto the airborne Gilgamesh, the remaining Assassin clones around, and... some presence within the main house.

"Alright, the warm‑up exercises for the idle onlookers are over."

Black Tower's voice sounded calmly, unusually clear in the silent courtyard, "Now, let's get down to business— that skulking fellow inside the house."

Gilgamesh's expression darkened completely.

The night sky behind him ignited again, shimmering with dense, more spectacular golden ripples than before!

Thousands of golden ripples formed an inverted sea of gold, countless Noble Phantasms' tips protruding, flashing with varied brilliance, confronting Black Tower's violet magical mirror array from afar!

The golden "King's Treasure" and the violet "Intellect magical mirror" under the night sky of Dongmu City created a visually striking tableau.

The air solidified.

Yuanban Shichen, watching inside the house, felt his heart nearly stop; he realized the situation had completely slipped beyond his control, perhaps even beyond the scope of the Holy Grail War itself.

Yan Feng Qili remained silent, yet a slight tremor at his fingertips was evident.

Huan Long halted the fanning motion, a flash of surprise flickering in her fox eyes, quickly turning into deeper interest.

She gently closed the folding fan, propping its ribs against her chin, her red lips parting slightly; her voice was soft yet clearly carried beyond the courtyard:

"Oh dear... never expected to meet the famed Black Tower Lady here, in this manner."

Her voice remained delicate, but lost a bit of the feigned graceful Japanese poise, gaining a layer of...

"But to stare at me with so many 'eyes' the moment we meet... Black Tower Lady, that's not a proper lady's way of entertaining guests, is it?"