Chapter 519: Leap Down

She dodges while observing the pattern of those Golden Ripples.

Their points of appearance… seem random?

No, that's not right.

San Yue Qi squints.

Wherever those ripples appear, a faint Golden Light Beam connects them—and the source of every beam is on the Mu Sha Ma held by Sha Jin Shou!

(Those weights are under his control! As long as you watch the movement of that Mu Sha Ma…)

Another weight shoots out from a ripple on the side!

San Yue Qi doesn't watch that weight; she fixes her gaze on the Mu Sha Ma in Sha Jin Shou—

It gave a slight turn in that instant!

(Just as expected!)

A curve lifts at San Yue Qi's mouth corner.

She no longer dodges passively but moves proactively toward the direction indicated by those beams!

The Mu Sha Ma in Sha Jin Shou rotates—

San Yue Qi flashes left, evading the weight fired from the right!

The Mu Sha Ma turns again—

San Yue Qi drops down, a weight flies over her head!

The Mu Sha Ma spins continuously—

San Yue Qi's body darts like a loosed arrow through the dense rain of weights!

Her steps tread the roof's edge, the rims of the holes hammered out, the cracks that could collapse at any moment!

Sha Jin's brows knit slightly.

(That little girl… is starting to grasp the pattern?)

His mouth corner deepens further.

Not unintelligent.

He lifts his hand, and that Mu Sha Ma suddenly stops turning.

San Yue Qi freezes for a moment.

All the Golden Ripples vanish at the same instant.

But the next second—

In front of Sha Jin, a massive Golden Ripple slowly unfolds!

That ripple is more than ten times larger than before, and instead of a single weight, it contains a dense sheet!

San Yue Qi's pupils contract sharply!

"Run!"

She doesn't hesitate, turning and sprinting toward the other side of the roof!

Behind her, that mass of golden weights pours down like a torrential rain!

"Boom Boom Boom Boom Boom—!"

The entire roof is blown to ruin! Cement shards spray everywhere, rebar is exposed, and the whole building trembles!

San Yue Qi dashes along the edge of the explosion as the ground beneath her collapses!

She reaches the roof's edge—

There's no path ahead.

Below is a fifteen‑story abyss.

San Yue Qi glances back.

That mass of golden weights is still pursuing, the nearest just under ten meters away!

She draws a deep breath—

She leaps down!

The wind whistles in her ears, the building rockets upward before her eyes—no, she's plummeting downward at high speed!

Fifteen stories high is enough to turn her into minced meat!

San Yue Qi's heartbeat races as if about to explode, yet her mind remains unusually clear.

(Zawa Rudo!)

Time Stop!

The world freezes.

The pursuing weights hover mid‑air, the Golden Light Beam frozen at that instant.

The roof's collapsing debris also halts, like an abstract sculpture.

San Yue Qi flips her body in mid‑descent, her gaze scanning the building's outer wall—

There is a crack there, a mark of the old building's neglect. Beside the crack hangs a rusted downspout, its pipe bearing a few protrusions that can barely be leveraged.

She extends both hands and grabs the downspout!

The paused time gives her a chance to adjust her posture. She plants her foot against the crack on the wall, uses her arms to cushion the falling impact, and her body clings to the wall like a gecko!

Time Resume!

"Bang!"

The downspout bends from her falling force, emitting a harsh metallic screech!

But she has already used this buffer to reduce her speed!

She releases her grip and falls again—

This time it's only two stories high.

She lands steadily on the ground, knees slightly bent to absorb the final impact, then stands up and darts into the side alley without looking back!

Behind her, the weights smash the spot where she just landed, blasting a big crater in the ground!

San Yue Qi sprints through the alley, her heart still pounding wildly.

(I survived, I survived, I survived!)

She bursts out of the alley, and in front of her is a wide street—

Then she stops in her tracks.

The street is empty of people.

The shop doors and windows on both sides are shut tight, and the lettering on the signs is all mirrored.

San Yue Qi is stunned.

(Again?)

She looks back—Sha Jin is walking out of that alley, standing at its mouth, surveying this bizarre world.

The weight in his hand continues to spin, but the playful glint in his eyes turns to puzzlement.

"What is this..." Sha Jin looks around, his eyebrows slightly raised.

He sees San Yue Qi's tense face, then glances at the reversed lettering around, and suddenly laughs.

"Seems you know what this place is?"

San Yue Qi gives no reply, only slowly steps back.

Perspective shift.

Lin strides down the corridor, the heels of her leather shoes striking the floor with a rapid "tap tap".

Behind her, a bewildered Fujimura Lixiang follows, a few strands of her orange short hair sticking up from the frantic run.

"W-wait, wait a minute, Tohsaka‑san!"

Lixiang jogs to keep up, panting, "What on earth is happening? Didn't you take a leave?"

Lin gives no answer, only quickens her pace.

The uneasy feeling in her heart grows stronger.

Through the Connection of the Command Spell, she can sense San Yue Qi's presence—but the sensation is odd, as if separated by a thick frosted glass,

blurred, distant, with something in between blocking it.

(What's happening over at San Yue Jie...?)

She grits her teeth, finally halts, and turns to face Lixiang.

"Fujimura‑san, what I'm about to say may sound absurd, but please listen carefully, banana."

Lixiang freezes for a moment, then instinctively nods.

Lin takes a deep breath, speaking at a rapid pace:

"First, I am the Master, currently taking part in the Holy Grail War. Second, someone is hunting me; that person's name is Yan Feng Qili, a lunatic. Third—" she fixes her gaze on Lixiang, "I need your help, banana."

Lixiang's mouth opens slowly, widening more and more.

"W-wait, wait, wait!"

She raises her hand, "You're the Master? Holy Grail War? Tohsaka‑san, you too?!"

Lin nods.

"But, but—"

Lixiang scratches her head, a bewildered look on her face, "How did you know I'm the Master? I've never told anyone! And I haven't told anyone about Saber..."

Lin is taken aback for a moment.

Now that's a problem.

"Um..."

Lin, unusually at a loss for words, says, "This is a long story, banana, and there's no time to explain, banana. In short, I know you're Saber's Master, and I need your help, banana!"

Lixiang blinks her eyes.

She hasn't recovered from the information "Tohsaka‑san is also a Master," her mind a mush.

At that moment—

"Swoosh!"

A whooshing sound bursts from the far end of the corridor!

Lin's pupils contract instantly, her body's reaction faster than her mind.

She lunges, grabbing Lixiang's arm and pulling her aside with all her strength!

"Careful!"

A black, sharp object whizzes past Lixiang's shoulder and, with a "bang," embeds itself in the wall!

The thing is entirely black, about twenty centimeters long; the whole blade is sunk into the wall, leaving only a tip protruding and trembling slightly.

Black Key.

Lin looks in the direction it was thrown—