Chapter 1278: The First Battle, Eiji vs. Kishinami
Beside the lotus pond.
"Oh?"
Kishinami Kyouko let out a soft exclamation of surprise.
This newly arrived lost lamb knew her.
Moreover, his tone showed no regard for her at all, filled with an unyielding arrogance.
"You are... Magic Blue's companion?"
Kishinami remembered that young man.
He had visited the church once before, and they had met briefly. Such a handsome young man was impossible for her to forget.
However, Eiji had come with Aoko at that time.
Back then, Kishinami's attention was entirely focused on Magic Blue. She had originally attempted to charm the young Blue, devour her, and obtain the mystery of the Fifth Magic, but for some reason, she failed.
She hadn't fully recovered her strength at the time and was wary of the power of Magic, so she chose to retreat voluntarily.
"So you know Aoko?"
Eiji lifted his head, a meaningful smile appearing on his face.
"Does that mean when we were at the church back then, Aoko being charmed was your deliberate doing?"
Without actively using charm, Eiji was confident that his allure was on par with Kishinami's. Kishinami was called a saint, while Eiji had the nickname of a god.
But the fact that Aoko could resist Eiji's charm yet fell to Kishinami, who was the same gender, had raised suspicions in Eiji's mind at the time.
"You're no ordinary young man, little brother. What's your name?"
Kishinami's eyes were like water, gazing tenderly at the young man across from her.
"My name is Eiji."
"...Oh?"
Kishinami's expression shifted slightly.
"The Eiji who's a first-tier candidate? This is truly..."
She was almost at a loss for words.
The UO finals had just begun, and now was the perfect time to develop and grow.
With over three hundred thousand participants, no one could possibly know them all.
But the top three tiers of contestants, especially the mere twenty-plus first-tier participants, were monsters rarely found across the entire Earth. These twenty-plus individuals were the strongest contenders for Earth's UO, and everyone instinctively focused their attention on them.
Even Kishinami, a woman who looked down on everyone, could only view these people as competitors, regarding them with extreme caution.
But who would have thought that right at the start of the competition, she would be confronted by a first-tier participant?
Such terrible luck!
"The reason my charm on Magic Blue failed, could it be..."
"I neutralized your charm with my own."
Kishinami let out a long sigh.
If he hadn't interfered, she might have truly obtained the Fifth Magic back then.
"Who is your wife?"
A gentle smile spread across Kishinami's face.
"Oh?"
Eiji narrowed his eyes.
"Are you backing down?"
"Please call it diplomacy!"
Kishinami's expression remained unchanged, even as a bashful blush rose to her cheeks.
"Right now, I'm truly not prepared to face a first-tier candidate. If we were to fight recklessly, the situation would be unfavorable for me. However, if you fight me, you won't emerge unscathed either. Who knows, another participant might come and profit from our struggle?"
At this stage, it's still only the white-tier participants fighting amongst themselves.
None of the top three candidates made a move.
They all understood clearly that once they, the center of attention, took action, it could trigger a chain reaction. It was entirely possible that the first large-scale battle would break out immediately, ultimately benefiting others about eighty percent of the time.
Most importantly, they didn't believe the current white contestants possessed the power to threaten them!
Only when the more outstanding white contestants emerged and demonstrated strength rivaling the third-tier candidates would some likely become unable to sit still.
The evidence was that, even now, all that could be seen across the entire city of Shiki were just some Noble Phantasm bombardments from Heroic Spirits—not a single large-scale assault had been witnessed.
Similarly, Kishinami had no desire to personally become the catalyst that ignited the first major conflict.
In other words, everyone was a cunning schemer; no one wanted to be the first to stick their neck out.
"Artoria Lancer, adult version. Probably hasn't awakened yet."
Eiji nodded in agreement with Kishinami's assessment.
Since she had offered a way out, he might as well take it.
Honestly, he didn't want to become the target of everyone's hostility either. If he could peacefully take Mrs. Pendragon away, that would be for the best.
He could always come back later with Arcueid, Morgan, and Melusine to crush Kishinami.
"Hasn't awakened yet? I see."
Kishinami immediately understood upon hearing this.
She lightly formed a hand seal and opened an electronic passage leading inward, where a tall, beautiful figure could be seen.
Her golden hair was styled into an elegant updo, her flawless skin was pristine and unblemished, her curvaceous figure was strikingly alluring, and her emerald eyes were filled with confusion.
It was Mrs. Pendragon!
"Only awakened Heroic Spirits are worth savoring, so I stored her away after she ended up in my church. I was planning to enjoy her slowly, but since you want her, I'll return her to you!"
Kishinami waved her hand.
Mrs. Pendragon floated through the air and drifted straight into Eiji's arms.
Eiji reached out to catch her, but White Saber slumped in his embrace like a limp rag.
Her entire body was burning hot, her breathing was rapid, her cheeks were flushed, and her eyes were dazed and unfocused.
"Did you use charm on her?"
Eiji's expression darkened.
"Of course not. It's just that I'm not very good at restraining myself."
Kishinami extended her pink tongue and lightly licked her lips, her eyes brimming with restless desire.
She was utterly seductive, yet still gave off an impression of holiness.
These two contradictory auras blended seamlessly within her, without the slightest hint of incongruity.
A Beast is both the evil of humanity and the love of humanity.
But in Kishinami's case, she considered only herself human—everyone else was merely livestock existing for her pleasure.
In other words, she would use any means to please herself, indulging in enjoyment to the fullest.
Indulgence was her very nature.
Even if she hadn't directly acted upon White Saber, her indulgent instincts had still affected her somewhat.
"Never mind. Since you're being reasonable, I'll let it go."
Eiji shook his head and abandoned the thought of picking a fight.
It was just a charm effect—he could dispel it in no time!
Since his debut, aside from Freya, he had never encountered an opponent who could match him in a battle of charm!
Scooping up the bonelessly limp Mrs. Pendragon, Eiji turned and walked toward the church entrance.
Kishinami breathed a soft sigh of relief.
She watched the two depart, a gentle smile lingering on her face.
Then, her figure gradually faded like an illusion.
"Boom!"
A vibration rippled through the air out of nowhere.
"Oh?"
Kishinami showed a surprised expression, staring at Eiji in astonishment.
Their eyes met, fist against palm, so close they could hear each other's breathing.
"Why?"
Kishinami asked with what seemed like admiration.
"Did you think I would believe the feigned weakness of someone who's also a first-class candidate? From the very beginning, you planned to ambush me!"
Eiji sneered, releasing a burst of force from his fist.
The vibrating energy transmitted from their connected fist and palm toward Kishinami, the hidden force powerful enough to shatter every bone in a person's body.
Kishinami's eyebrows furrowed, and she retreated without hesitation.
Even so, the nun's habit on her arm twisted and shattered like hemp rope, revealing large stretches of dazzling milky-white skin.