Chapter 452: No More Words

She no longer looks at the dark‑blue‑haired woman, but turns to the orange‑haired girl in the warehouse ruins; her emerald eyes slightly soften their sharpness, and she speaks in as steady a voice as possible:

"May I ask, are you my Master?"

Her voice rings clearly in the silent courtyard.

Fujimura Lixiang trembles all over, as if awakened from a nightmare.

She stares blankly at the golden‑haired, blue‑eyed girl before her, as if she stepped out of a historic painting, and the gears in her mind have completely jammed.

(... is... is she talking to me?)

(She... where did she come from? That golden flash just now?)

(Tonight's events are more absurd one after another! First a talking tentacle‑monster beauty chased me, then two magic‑wielding maidens blew up a wall, and now a knight appears?! And she asks if I'm some Master?!)

Lixiang's lips tremble, a trickle of nosebleed drips down, unnoticed by her.

She opens her mouth, wanting to say something, but only manages a few meaningless syllables: "I…you…that…"

Her brain is completely overloaded; the worldview of "science," "common sense," and "ordinary daily life" built over the first half of her life collapses explosively tonight, shattering to nothing.

All she wants now is to go home, crawl into her bed, and hope that when she wakes, she'll find it was all a dream.

But clearly, this is not a dream.

Saber sees the Master's incoherent state, and her brows knit tighter.

It seems this Master is obviously clueless, and their mental endurance appears to have reached its limit.

That's not a good start.

However, now is not the time for detailed explanations.

She redirects her gaze to Ailixiya in the courtyard's center; her emerald eyes instantly sharpen like a sword, the magic around her begins to rise slowly, and an austere, unapproachable aura spreads outward.

"I may not know who you truly are,"

Saber's voice cools, bearing undeniable resolve, "But your aura is so filthy, and you intend to harm the Master. Withdraw now, or the sword in my hand will show no mercy."

Her loosely clenched right hand gathers golden light, the outline of the Sword of Covenant Victory flickering into view.

Ailixiya watches the suddenly descended Saber, a hint of anticipated expression flashing in her crimson eyes, yet her smile becomes even sweeter, tinged with excitement.

"Oh my~ such a majestic Knight lady, huh?"

She claps lightly, "But to jump straight into fighting and killing, how boring~ We could have communicated more amicably~"

While she says that, the shadows throughout the courtyard begin to writhe unnaturally again, and new violet‑black magic silently coalesces.

Saber says no more.

The knight's intuition tells her that the seemingly beautiful woman before her is extremely dangerous, and her words are full of deceit.

The best response is to strike with thunderous force, cutting the conspiracy!

"Negotiation seems useless,"

Saber says gravely, stepping forward a pace, golden magical radiance blooming around her, "Then—"

Just as battle teeters on the brink, Lixiang in the warehouse ruins finally clutches a sliver of Reason String's tail from the overwhelming shock and chaos.

She looks at the golden silhouette blocking her, then at the terrifying woman opposite, and recalls everything she faced tonight…

(No! I can't stay here! Whatever they are, this place is too dangerous!)

The instinct to survive overwhelms everything.

She uses hands and feet, scrambling clumsily from the rain‑proof tarp pile, unable to wipe her nosebleed, and shouts at Saber's back with a sobbing voice:

"Th‑that… Knight lady! Can we leave here first?!"

Saber hears this and pauses slightly.

Ailixiya lets out a light laugh, "Want to leave? Probably not that easy, cute little Master~ Sister hasn't had enough fun yet?"

Yet, the moment her words fade, a distant siren wails faintly, as if residents, alarmed by the earlier explosion and golden flash, have called the police.

Ailixiya's smile remains unchanged, and she bows gracefully.

"Looks like tonight ends early~ What a pity."

Her figure begins to blur, as if melting into the night, "But that's fine, we'll meet again, Knight lady, and… my cute little Masters~ Next time, it will surely be more enjoyable?"

As the words end, her form completely dissipates into the air.

The night wind blows, bringing a hint of chill.

Lixiang's legs go weak, and seeing the wreckage before her and these unmistakably extraordinary "beautiful girls," she feels her brain has turned into mush.

(What on earth… have I gotten myself into…?)

The night wind whistles over the high‑rise rooftop, carrying the city's characteristic coolness.

San Yue Qi crouches on the edge of the concrete railing, her pink hair fluttering backward in the wind.

She has just set down her longbow, and her delicate nose tip wrinkles slightly from tension.

She squints, straining to discern the fading golden glow in the courtyard of He‑Feng Manor across the distance, and the familiar figure that appears after the light fades.

"That guy… is it Saber?"

San Yue Qi mutters softly, her tone full of helplessness, "Golden hair, that armor, and that aura I can really fight against… it's definitely Artoria, no doubt! Is this a coincidence or an accident?"

Her mood is a bit complicated.

Logically, after the chaotic adventure of the Fourth Holy Grail War, she shouldn't be particularly surprised to see the Knight King again—after all, the Holy Grail War only cycles a handful of famous, named Servants.

But the problem is, she was just summoned by Rin a moment ago, without even time to "adapt to the new environment," and now she runs into an old familiar again?

And what's even more irksome is her class designation.

"Assassin…"

San Yue Qi looks at the class information flashing clearly in her mind and can't help a mental rant, "I'm clearly an archer! Ranged! Sure, last time I liked hiding in the shadows and firing cold arrows… but it doesn't mean I should be labeled an Assassin, does it? The first battle I was a Berserker, this one an Assassin, and I have zero connection with Archer… Who's arranging these classes? It can't be that because I stabbed that golden flash guy's backside too many times last time, they decided to pigeonhole me as a professional sneak attacker now, right?!"

The more she thinks about it, the more plausible it seems.

The Holy Grail War's "matching mechanism" really holds grudges!

"San Yue Jie."

From beside them came Yuan Ban Lin's voice, cutting off San Yue Qi's inner rant.

Yuan Ban Lin set down the high‑magnification telescope in her hand, standing behind San Yue Qi's side, her brows slightly furrowed, her face unusually solemn.

She had already changed into dark, night‑compatible attire, her twin tails neatly tied at the back of her head.

"The situation is more complicated than expected."

Yuan Ban Lin's voice carried a hint of seriousness, "I didn't expect Fujimura Lixiang, the classmate, to get dragged in, and even summon Saber... This is getting a bit tricky."

She felt a sour tingle in her teeth.

Fujimura Lixiang is her classmate; although they haven't interacted closely, she is one of the few friends she truly acknowledges.

Having her take part in such a dangerous Holy Grail War is far from Yuan Ban Lin's wish.

"And that silver‑haired child..."

Yuan Ban Lin's thoughts shifted elsewhere, "It's Ilya, the little girl from the Weigong household. How could Weigong Qiesi allow his own daughter to join the Holy Grail War? That doesn't match his character."

Yuan Ban Lin knows well Weigong Qiesi — the man who, ten years ago, ended the Fourth War with ruthless methods — and his obsession with protection, especially of his family.

He would never voluntarily put Ilya in danger.

Something must have happened in between that she doesn't know about.