Chapter 206: The Knight of the Sun, Appears!
"As long as you set foot in the Labyrinth, sooner or later you'll run into that woman. The woman with monster-like arms!"
Matou Shinji leaned against the wall, speaking with a tone of self-mockery.
"My Rider was crushed by that bitch with her bare hands, like a toy squeezed into a cube and shoved into her body."
A woman with monster-like arms?
A name immediately flashed through Ethan's mind.
Then Matou Shinji turned to speak to Tohsaka Rin.
"Tohsaka, you lost to her too, didn't you? You've seen that monster too, haven't you?!"
"..."
Upon hearing Matou Shinji say that, Tohsaka Rin's face darkened instantly.
"It's just that I wasn't in good condition that day! If I meet that bitch again, I'll definitely throw her in jail!"
Elizabeth, on the other hand, seemed unwilling to accept it.
Now that she thought about it, she did remember hearing Tohsaka Rin say she had escaped from the Labyrinth once—so it was because she lost?
"Tohsaka, is what he said true?"
Faced with Ethan's question, Tohsaka Rin gave a slight nod.
"That's right. In the first two floors of the Labyrinth, the 'gatekeeper' is still manageable. But from the third floor onward, it's completely different. Not only does the cruelty of the 'malicious program' far surpass the first two floors, but the 'gatekeeper' isn't something that can just be beaten."
As Tohsaka Rin spoke, fear still lingered in her voice.
"Those abnormally large hands of hers, no matter how you look at them, aren't normal—able to crush anything. But if you don't defeat her, you can't go deeper into the Labyrinth."
After listening to Tohsaka Rin's description, Ethan almost immediately identified the third-floor gatekeeper.
Passionlip.
Sure enough, BB had included her in the Labyrinth this time too.
"Thanks for the information, everyone. No matter what, I still have to enter the Labyrinth."
Otherwise, he'd be stuck in this infirmary room forever.
"Senpai doesn't have to worry, I'll keep doing my best as Senpai's Servant!"
Mash immediately spoke up beside him.
"Thanks, Mash."
"We're going to the amusement area, right? This time, mama's coming with us too!"
Little Jack clung to Ethan's leg, her face full of anticipation.
"Since Jack the Ripper is going, then as an observer, of course I can't just stand by."
Berserker Jack, in the form of a British gentleman, smiled as he joined in.
"Hey, are you all just going to forget about me?"
Draco, clearly displeased, crossed her arms and stepped toward Ethan.
"I still need to settle things with that bitch, and besides, I owe that Rider a favor—I need to repay it."
Seeing the scene before her, even Tamamo no Mae's tail stood on end in shock!
"This boy has so many Servants?! As expected, my taste in men isn't too bad… Hmm, may I join in a little as well?"
When Tohsaka Rin and Matou Shinji saw Ethan had no intention of backing down, their expressions showed two contrasting reactions.
Tohsaka Rin looked like she had just breathed a sigh of relief, while Matou Shinji gritted his teeth in frustration.
"Although I don't want to pour cold water on everyone's enthusiasm… the situation in the Labyrinth may not be what you think."
Tohsaka Rin's words immediately drew everyone's attention.
"Unlike in the academy, that Labyrinth is something BB specially created, filled with all sorts of strange rules."
Seeing Ethan resolute about entering the Labyrinth, Tohsaka Rin began explaining.
Now that he thought about it, this woman really loved giving out knowledge to her enemies…
"Your power in the Labyrinth is determined by 'LV.' No matter how strong you are outside or what mark you've left on history, once you step into the Labyrinth, it's all restricted. Only level becomes the most important standard for judgment."
"LV???"
This word left Mash a little confused.
"It means 'Level.'"
Tohsaka Rin tried to explain.
"It can be increased through battles or other methods. For those who don't understand it well, it's a bit hard to explain…"
"Don't understand it well?"
Ethan smiled faintly.
It seemed like Tohsaka Rin had misunderstood something?
Not understanding level grinding???
Today, he would show them what real grinding looked like!!!
"Anyway, let's just get into the Labyrinth first, then we'll talk."
Ethan turned to look at Matou Shinji, who was sitting against the wall.
"Still, thanks for the warning."
Hearing Ethan say that, Matou Shinji was a little taken aback. After a moment, he slowly stood up, using the wall for support, and called out toward Matou Sakura:
"Is there a PC or some kind of terminal in this infirmary?"
"…A PC? I'm sorry… there's nothing like that."
Matou Sakura looked a bit flustered at Matou Shinji's sudden question.
"Then a notebook or something would work too, anything that can be used to record stuff!"
Matou Shinji said irritably.
"Anything that can be used to record? Then wait a moment, I'll go look for something."
Matou Sakura immediately began rummaging through the cabinets in the infirmary.
"What are you trying to do?"Ethan was a little puzzled by Matou Shinji's sudden actions.
"You want to go into the Labyrinth, don't you? Rather than running around like a headless chicken, wouldn't it be better to have a map?"
"You're going to draw a map?!"
Ethan was a bit surprised.
Even though he could be considered a semi-hardcore gamer himself, remembering every single map layout in a game was a bit too much.
"Are you underestimating me?"
Matou Shinji regained his earlier confidence.
"I was the top scorer in the Asia regional rankings. If it's something in a game, of course I have the entire thing memorized!"
Ethan couldn't help but be impressed.
So even the gamer world had different levels of hierarchy…
"Senpai, we're so lucky!"
Mash immediately cried out in delight.
"If we have a map, then finding our way will definitely be much easier."
"Don't forget about us either."
Da Vinci's image appeared from Ethan's wristband as she spoke up.
"Now that we've been discovered anyway, Chaldea will assist with providing information as well."
"In the Labyrinth created by BB, we can still communicate?"
Ethan was a bit doubtful.
"At first, no. But with the help of Miss Matou Sakura here, it seems we've managed to reroute Chaldea's signal to bypass the interference."
After hearing Da Vinci's explanation, Ethan remembered that Sakura was an Advanced AI from MoonCell—so this was definitely within her capabilities.
In short, once Matou Shinji finishes recreating the lower floor map of the Labyrinth, it's time to begin the conquest of the Labyrinth!
...
New London, above the Big Ben tower.
A giant electronic screen suddenly appeared in the night sky.
"Good evening, citizens of New London ~~~ Did anyone miss me~~~?"
BB, wearing a black cloak, stood with her hands on her hips at the center of the screen.
"No need to say it, I already know—all of you must love BB-chan, sometimes a little devil, sometimes a fiery ball of passion! But first, I have some bad news to share."
BB lowered her head, and her expression suddenly turned somber.
"Actually… just a moment ago, the Tsukumihara Academy campus was destroyed! It fell straight into the junkyard behind the Moon. Such a shame, isn't it..."
The background music also changed to a sorrowful tune, mixed with electronically synthesized sighing sounds.
"The reason is that someone used a BUG inside the academy grounds! BB-chan had no choice—after all, I must ensure the safety and peace of both New London and MoonCell. So I had to personally erase that campus..."
Suddenly, BB's expression changed again, and her bright smile returned.
"But! BB-chan had already predicted this would happen, so I prepared 7 campuses from the beginning! That means there are still 6 left!!!"
The background music turned cheerful and upbeat again.
"I know for sure that everyone in the remaining 6 campuses is full of good children, so please don't do things like exploiting BUGs and making BB-chan sad, okay~~~"
BB purposely put on a cute and mischievous expression.
"Next is the weekly Labyrinth news report. Let me see now… Oya oya?!"
BB's expression suddenly turned intrigued.
"Team 'Tesla' and team 'Jekyll' both failed to clear the fourth floor, but now they've decided to join forces! This is truly an unprecedented development! Humans… choosing to cooperate like this in order to reach their goals?! And then they actually defeated the fourth-floor gatekeeper!!!"
As she said this, BB flashed her familiar devilish grin.
"Even though the rules don't explicitly forbid teams from cooperating, humans aren't allowed to play on EasyMode! HardMode is the mission and duty of anyone who dares enter the Labyrinth! Because this is a battlefield—a battlefield!!!"
"To let everyone observe the Labyrinth up close, BB-chan has specially opened a live broadcast of what's going on inside. It's a rare opportunity, you know~~~"
Then BB gently swiped her left hand forward, and a pink LED screen appeared to replace the previous display, with the words "NEWS BB" on it.
To get a clearer view of the screen in the sky, all the people in New London looked upward.
The once-bustling streets came to a standstill, as everyone turned their attention to see what their city's ruler was going to show them.
On the screen, two figures gradually appeared before the public.
"So, it worked?"
A blond young man was half-kneeling on the ground, intently staring at the giant figure in front of him.
The giant's body was now completely charred, as if it had just been struck by powerful lightning.
"As expected, my Tesla Coil can do this much!"
Another man burst into loud laughter.
"After all, I am a genius!!!"
"Seems like teaming up with you was the right choice. I didn't expect you—a human—to be this powerful."
The blond young man glanced at the laughing man.
"Ever since I stepped into this land, my strength has grown by leaps and bounds. I didn't know electricity could be harnessed like this. This place must truly be a 'divine land'!"
The man wore an electrified glove, and his feet floated above the ground thanks to electric energy.
"In that case, I must press on—explore this 'land of the gods' and seek the infinite potential of electricity!"
"You're a true electricity maniac, Tesla."
The blond young man finally said his companion's name.
"And you're not so bad yourself, Jekyll. You look just like a literature professor, and yet you were able to wrestle with a giant like that… Compared to me, you almost don't even seem human."
Tesla began praising his former rival.
"I believe in the goodness and sincerity of mankind… but perhaps I myself am the opposite of those virtues."
Jekyll shook his head.
"Oh? Then what kind of knowledge do you seek from the 'gods'?"
Tesla asked curiously.
"I want to completely separate my other self. If we could become two different people, perhaps we could understand each other. With the computing power of Moon's Holy Grail, I'm sure it can be done."
Jekyll lowered his head and slowly spoke.
At that moment, the body of the giant gatekeeper began to dissolve, and behind it, a large door gradually appeared.
That door must lead to the fifth floor.
"No matter what your wish is, don't hesitate any longer. The path has appeared—go forward!!!"
Tesla was the first to step forward.
"Yeah… moving forward is the only way."
Jekyll nodded and prepared to walk toward the door.
"Whoosh—————!!"
Suddenly, something approached at incredible speed.
"Slash————————!!"
A sharp sword aura sliced through the air, hurtling directly at the two men!!!
"————————?!"
Sensing the danger, Tesla immediately raised his electrified glove. Countless rings of lightning gathered on his hand, then burst outward like blinding bolts!!!
When the sword aura collided with the electrical bursts, its power was significantly diminished.
"BOOM——————!!!"
Electricity exploded outward, scattering everywhere!!!
The sound of crackling—"bzzz— bzzz—"—filled the air.
"Truly a genius without pretense… one of the great scholars who brought electricity to mankind."
A blond young man stepped out from the shadows.
"But I'm sorry. I can't allow you to proceed any further."
His entire being radiated noble energy. Though he was only wearing a school uniform, he carried an air that was anything but ordinary.
More than a student, he resembled a commander.
What caught Tesla's eye wasn't just the young man himself—but the white knight standing in front of the door, completely blocking their path forward.
The knight, clad in full white armor, held a shining silver longsword.
Whether in appearance or in the aura he gave off—He was unmistakably a powerful knight worthy of his title.
"Why?! You're a participant too, so why stop us from moving forward and claiming knowledge?!"
Tesla shouted in confusion.
"Because doing so would plunge humanity's future into a bottomless abyss. The knowledge you seek… is nothing but false knowledge."
The blond young man looked directly at Tesla and Jekyll and gave a resolute command:
"Stop them, Saber!!!"