Chapter 318: Contemplation

She lifted her empty right hand, her fingertips sliding rapidly through the void before her, as if operating an invisible touch screen.

A translucent violet interface instantly unfolded before her.

Her gaze lingered 0.1 seconds on a flashing signal source on the interface; a swipe of her finger packaged that coordinate and tracking command, sent via the Master contract link straight to A Xing, who was not far away, staring blankly at the aerial battle.

【Command】: Track this signal source (with coordinates). Priority: High. Mother Insect suspected to be the main body.

After completing all that, she shifted her attention back to the Archer in the sky, as if she had merely dealt with an insignificant triviality.

She grasped the massive violet‑black staff with both hands and slammed it heavily onto the ground!

Dong!

An invisible ripple of magical energy spread outward, scattering the surrounding dust and fallen leaves.

She lifted her head, her brown eyes piercing through the fluttering hair, locking onto the golden figure in the sky; her voice was clear and calm, yet carried the authority of a truth proclamation:

"You should feel fortunate, golden barbarian."

The violet core at the staff's tip began to spin wildly, terrifying mana converging into it like countless rivers into the sea; the air around the core overloaded, emitting a low hum!

"Because you will be in this world—"

She slowly raised the staff, its tip pointing straight at the heavens, aimed at the Archer.

"—the first to die by my hand."

She didn't utter the two characters "ant", yet her eyes and tone already rendered it vividly.

"Hahaha!!!"

Archer didn't get angry but laughed, his laughter filled with provoked excitement, "Arrogant! Too arrogant! Caster! Let The King crush your ridiculous pride with this supreme King's Treasure!!"

Behind him, the Noble Phantasm projection lights in all the ripples surged to the extreme!

Countless legendary heroes' weapons, divine armaments, even costume sets imbued with unique concepts resonated and roared at that moment!

He was about to unleash the unprecedented "King's Treasure·Full Barrage"!

Meanwhile, the staff tip of the Black Tower, its violet core, spun to its limit!

A dazzling violet light burst forth, and in front of the core, a massive violet spiral energy sphere over three meters in diameter, filled with countless tiny violet bolts, had already formed!

The surrounding gravity seemed to destabilize, the stones and vegetation on the ground being pulled upward by invisible force, levitating!

"GateofBabylon—!!"

"." (Black Tower: Don't expect me to say anything!)

The two voices, one a ferocious roar, the other... a silent proclamation!

They rang out almost simultaneously!

The next second—

Infinite golden radiance, and pure violet destruction, collided over the forest with a thunderous impact!

Boom!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

In a dim back alley of Dongmu City, various trash bins were piled up.

A tall figure clad in a Black Priest Robe bent at the waist, in a focus that clashed with his stature and demeanor, reaching his hand into a green plastic trash can nearly waist‑high, feeling around carefully.

Yan Feng Qili's movements were far from deft, even somewhat clumsy, yet his expression was unusually calm, bearing a hint of... contemplation.

It seemed he was not picking up trash, but performing some kind of sacred ritual.

(The Assassin's recent loss of control... the teacher's messy, rear‑ward "eruption"... very strange)

(The recent chase, according to the Assassin's suggestion, or rather, some vague inner guidance.)

(But why... I feel no pleasure? Only a hollow like obeying orders, and a hint of... bewilderment?)

He pulled out a crushed soda can, glanced at it, and tossed it aside.

He then felt a plush toy emitting an unknown odor and also discarded it.

His fingertip brushed a clump of damp, mushy material, probably kitchen waste; his brow didn't even furrow as he continued searching.

Since that strange gray‑haired, golden‑eyed girl bombarded him this morning with a bizarre "trash can" theory, Yan Feng Qili's heart lake, as dry as a well, seemed struck by a small stone.

He didn't adopt the theory, but developed an indescribable fascination with the act of rummaging through trash cans itself.

While sifting through the discarded filth, amid the mingled scents, he oddly attained a strange calm, using it to sort his increasingly chaotic thoughts and hollow emotions.

(Pleasure... what exactly is it? The teacher's shock and betrayal before death? The Assassin's loss of control and self‑destruction? Or, as now, searching the trash for... what?)

(Perhaps I need to find that teacher A Xing again, for a more vivid lesson...)

He was thinking, when his fingertip again touched a sticky, possibly smelly sock‑like fabric.

He expressionlessly lifted it, preparing to discard—

"Th‑that... is Father Yan Feng?"

A gentle yet hesitant and uncertain female voice came from the alley entrance.

Yan Feng Qili's movements halted.

He didn't turn around immediately, but swiftly analyzed the voice's characteristics in his mind:

A young woman, with an elegant timbre and a hint of a non‑native accent...

Ailisi Feier von Einzbelen, Saber's Master.

He slowly straightened, tossed the suspicious sock back into the trash can, then turned around.

The hem of his Black Priest Robe bore a few stains, but he paid no mind, calmly gazing toward the alley entrance with his hollow eyes.

More than just Ailisi Feier stood at the alley entrance.

A beautiful lady with silver hair and red eyes stood at the front, her face showing obvious awkwardness and a barely perceptible worry.

Half a step behind her stood a stern, vigilant Saber. Beside her was Rider. At the rear was Weber.

(... ah.)

(So many people.)

(This is really unlucky.)

Yan Feng Qili's mind instantly flashed a judgment.

If it were just Ailisi Feier alone, perhaps it could be dealt with as a small interlude to tonight's chaos, to see whether it could spark any feeling.

But adding Saber and Rider, the two Servants, and that Master boy who looks useless yet might cause trouble…

A head‑on fight is clearly unwise; even escaping might be difficult.

(Perhaps now is not the time to think about how to kill, but rather how to… plausibly and reasonably get out.)

Yan Feng Qili's expression on the face did not change at all, still that lifeless poker face, but silently brushed the hand that had just rummaged the trash can and become coated with an unknown slime against the relatively clean lower hem of the priest's robe.

That action made the corners of the mouths of several people at the alley entrance twitch in unison.

Ailisi Feier instinctively averted their gaze, feeling a bit embarrassed.

A priest, rummaging a trash can in the Back Alley late at night, handling the stain on the hand so "calmly"…

The scene was so surreal that Alice didn't know how to react.