Today was another peaceful day in Fuyuki City.
Rin Tohsaka hurried along, the hem of her black school uniform skirt cutting a sharp arc with her steps.
Elysia followed beside her, curiously observing the quiet school buildings around them, her pink hair gently swaying in the evening breeze.
However, the moment Rin Tohsaka stepped through the school gate, her steps abruptly halted. An abnormal sense of stagnation permeated the air, as if an invisible spiderweb had enveloped the surroundings.
"What's wrong, Rin?" Elysia keenly noticed her Master's change. Although her world didn't have something like magic, it had the versatile Honkai Energy, which made her equally sensitive to abnormal environmental energy.
"It's a Boundary Field... a crude, third-rate one that can be detected instantly," Rin snorted, her brows furrowing unconsciously.
Despite her dismissive tone, the fact that someone dared to set up a Boundary Field on her territory, right under the nose of her, the land administrator, was in itself a provocation.
"Need help taking care of it? Pink Fairy Miss would be happy to oblige~ ♪" Elysia was eager to act.
"Anyone who dares to put something like this here certainly can't be let off easily," Rin Tohsaka crossed her arms, her expression displeased. "But destroying it rashly might alert them. Archer." she deliberately used this disguised identity, "after school, we'll investigate the type and purpose of the Boundary Field before we do anything."
...As night deepened, the campus fell into complete silence.
Rin Tohsaka knelt in a secluded corner, facing faint, eerie runes on the ground.
This was the seventh node she had found. She had never encountered these runes before, and she couldn't break them by herself.
She slowly stood up, her face grave, and whispered to Elysia beside her, "This is a 'Soul Devouring Boundary Field'... an extremely malicious spell. Once activated, it dissolves the flesh of everyone within the Boundary Field, forcibly extracting and collecting their souls, like a 'Blood Fort.' This must be the work of a Servant."
"Eh? It's something like that?" Elysia put away her usual smile, a rare hint of seriousness in her expression. "Leave it to Pink Fairy Miss to solve it. We can't let something so terrifying exist, can we? ♪"
However, just as Elysia was about to move to clear the node-
A cold, viscous, iron-scented magical energy fluctuation suddenly coiled around them like a venomous snake! The air instantly solidified, and the killing intent was bone-chilling.
Killing intent!
Rin Tohsaka's entire magical circuit activated instantly, her sharp gaze, like lightning, shot towards the top of the barbed wire fence not far away.
"Oh my, we've been discovered, haven't we?" A man's voice, with a frivolous laugh, broke the deadly silence.
From the shadows, a tall figure slowly appeared. He wore a tight blue outfit, and beneath his wild, unruly blue short hair, his face held a savage smile.
Most striking was the demonic spear in his hand, wrapped in ominous red patterns—its tip lowered, yet it exuded a sharp chill that seemed capable of piercing anything.
Lancer!
Rin's heart sank. The encounter came so quickly! And the opponent's undisguised killing intent and immense magical power clearly indicated a premeditated attack with a clear target!
"You have sharp instincts, little girl." the blue-haired spearman Cu Chulainn grinned, a battle-hungry arc on his lips, his crimson eyes locked on Rin. "I originally wanted to observe a bit longer, but since I've been discovered, let's skip the pleasantries!"
Before his words finished, his figure had transformed into a blue blur that tore through the night sky!
Fast! Faster than the limits of visual perception! The crimson demonic spear, like the fangs of a deadly serpent, screamed as it plunged straight towards Rin's heart!
Although summoning a Heroic Spirit had consumed a large amount of her magical energy, Rin Tohsaka still relied on her keen intuition and rapidly retreated to her side and back!
Swoosh-!
The front of her school uniform was torn by the fierce spear wind, and her skin felt a stinging sensation as it was grazed by the sharp edge. The cursed aura attached to the spear tip made her soul tremble.
"Not bad reflexes!" Cu Chulainn's eyes flashed with surprise as his attack missed, quickly replaced by even more intense excitement.
He gave his wrist an eerie flick, and the demonic spear carved a tricky arc, attacking Rin's throat again like a shadow!
Rin's pupils contracted. Her fingertips already held a gem, magical energy surging. But facing this top-tier Servant's sure-kill second strike, a human mage's reaction was ultimately a fraction too slow!
Just at this critical moment—
"Oh my, being rough with cute girls isn't allowed, is it? ♪"
A sweet voice, yet containing undeniable power, leisurely sounded.
Ding!
A crisp, crystal-like chime, pleasant to the ear.
The expected intense pain did not come. Rin only saw a soft pink light curtain instantly unfold before her, transforming into a crystal barrier, clear and transparent, shimmering with a dreamy glow.
Cu Chulainn's sure-kill spear struck this barrier that had appeared out of nowhere with full force!
There was no explosion, only elegant pink ripples undulating on the surface of the barrier. The crimson demonic spear, capable of piercing steel and tearing magic, was firmly blocked less than ten centimeters from Rin's throat.
Cu Chulainn's smile froze for the first time. A hint of disbelief flashed in his crimson eyes.
Although his spear had not unleashed its true name, its speed and power were by no means something ordinary defenses could withstand.
What shocked him even more was the solid recoil force from the crystal barrier, immensely heavy, far from an ordinary magical energy shield.
"What?!" He abruptly pulled back his spear and retreated, his wary gaze falling upon the pink figure in front of Rin.
Elysia had, at some point, stepped in front of Rin, still maintaining her sweet smile, but deep within her pink-blue eyes, a hint of sternness had appeared.
She lightly pressed her slender finger against the crystal barrier, her posture as graceful as if playing a musical piece.
"How rude, Mr. Blue Lancer," Elysia tilted her head, her tone carrying playful reproach. "Attacking a Master without a word is very impolite, you know~ ♪"
"...Heh, interesting!" Cu Chulainn raised an eyebrow, then grinned, revealing his stark white teeth. "To be able to block my spear... it seems you're not just some ordinary pretty face, Pink Fairy Miss!"
"Oh my, how can you eavesdrop on a girl's conversation!" Clearly, the blue Lancer had been eavesdropping on Elysia and their conversation earlier. Fortunately, Elysia's true class had not been exposed.
At this moment, Cu Chulainn's fighting spirit burned like a raging fire, and his crimson demonic spear hummed with excitement.
He could clearly feel that within the seemingly delicate girl before him, there was a terrifying power beyond imagination.
"Archer!" Rin gasped, still shaken. Looking at the Servant blocking in front of her, her feelings were complex... relief, lingering fear, and more than anything, shock at the absolute defense Elysia had displayed.
"Master, are you alright?" Elysia slightly tilted her head, giving a concerned glance, then her gaze locked back onto Cu Chulainn, her smile unchanged. "From now on, please leave it to Pink Fairy Miss~ ♪ Protecting my cute Master is my primary duty."
"Hmph! Big talk!" Cu Chulainn snorted, lowering his center of gravity and adopting a charging stance. "Then let me see how many of my spears that beautiful crystal wall of yours can block!"
Terrifying magical energy erupted from him like a storm, and the runes on the crimson demonic spear glowed brightly, emitting an extremely dangerous aura! He was ready to attack with full force!
Rin Tohsaka's heart was in her throat. Lancer's power was undeniable. Although Elysia had fended off the surprise attack, could she handle the upcoming onslaught? And... she quickly scanned her surroundings where was Lancer's Master? He could very well be lurking nearby in the shadows!
Just as Cu Chulainn was about to launch his thunderous strike—
Click.
A faint sound, like stepping on gravel, came from a distant corner, followed by hurried, panicked footsteps rapidly receding.
"Who's there?!" Cu Chulainn sharply turned his head, his gaze piercing towards the source of the sound.
"!!" Rin Tohsaka was also greatly alarmed. Was it a student who hadn't left school yet?! Had they been caught up in this?!
When she quickly regained her senses and looked back at where Cu Chulainn had been, the blue figure had vanished without a trace, leaving only the lingering cold killing intent that hadn't fully dissipated.
"Oh no! Did he go to silence them?!" Rin Tohsaka reacted instantly, her face changing dramatically, and she hastily ordered Elysia, "Archer! You go after him first, ensure that student's safety! I'll be right behind you!"