Chapter 49: The Call

Chapter 49: The Call

"Hello, sleepyhead."

Haruki woke up to Arch's voice. It was different from their usual conversation inside his head. Her otherworldly appearance still gave him a shock, though not as much as their first meeting. He noticed something more importanther aura. It compelled him to obey as if she was his queen. Being a creature of pride himself, he resisted the feeling with every fiber of his being.

Arch smugly put the pipe between her lips as she crossed her legs. She clapped twice. "Welcome back to where it all started. Let's get you hooked up with your new Noble Phantasm."

She seemed completely different from the tsundere he had grown used to. She was more confident in talking face to face than talking through the system.

"How much will it hurt?" he asked.

"Enough to bring back all of your childhood memories."

"Weak." He extended his hand with a feeble smile. "Try me."

Arch flipped her palm and summoned a crimson tear-shaped crystal. The crystal hovering over her palm possessed an impressive amount of magic energy, more than even the boosted Medea.

"I extracted all of the Noble Phantasm's power," she said. "Lie over there."

"You won't **** me, right?" he asked with a poker face. Something about her made him wary. It was an instinct, a sixth sense, some might say.

Arch was a female dragon, and she could simply overpower him in this place. Be cautious or be dominated, his instincts warned him.

'No shit.'

He no longer judged people by their appearance. His seemingly innocent mother was an enchantress. Who knew what kind of hidden personality this woman had?

The pipe pressed in Arch's mouth vanished, and her lips curved into a mischievous grin. "I might have raped you when you were sleeping."

Haruki's lips formed a flat line. "You didn't."

Sex with Arch will give him more than simple authority. His core, his magical energy, even his muscles showed no change.

"Hahaha, you got me there. Fine, I have no plans of forcing myself on someone."

Haruki sighed and laid back on the bed. "Let's get this over with. I wanna sleep."

Arch got up from the red couch and sat down on the bed. Ever so slowly she reached out and touched his face. "I can give you pain immunity if you desire so. It will cost you ten of your low-rank coupons."

"No thanks." The source of this content nov(el)bi((n))

He loved his gacha coupons too much to use them for something so trivial.

"I'm starting then."

Arch pressed a finger on his wrist, and his arm split open. As scary as his exposed muscles appeared from his perspective, he felt no pain. The crystal drifted down and melted into his blood vessels.

"Brace yourself."

As Arch's words ended, his nerves exploded with agony. Haruki dug his teeth into his other wrist, coping with the pain with a different pain.

"Batsu-chan, sorry for being late."

Batsu practically melted from his deep voice. "Nothing to worry about, Kotomine-san. Your order is coming in a sec!"

She heated the stove and warmed the only dish Kirei Kotomine ate.

Awaiting his late-night snacks, Kirei connected with his servant.

"Lancer, what is the status of Rin and Hayashi?"

"That girl didn't leave the boy's house."

Kirei nodded his head at Cu Chulainn's report. It confirmed that Rin had joined hands with Haruki.

'Isn't it interesting?'

He and Gilgamesh never factored in Haruki's involvement in this war. Gilgamesh had Sha Naqba Imuru to see every possibility in the world. Yet, he could not foresee Haruki's participation. Then again, he had known Gilgamesh for ten years now. He didn't find anyone worthy of him to use his full strength. All but one servant Gilgamesh battled during the Fourth Holy Grail War.

Iskandar, the King of Conquerors.

'Where are the sixth and seventh?'

The war had officially started, but the two masters never made their appearance. He felt like he failed in his responsibility as the Supervisor of the war.

'Lancer, search for the last two masters.'

"Yes Master."

He could hear Cu Chulainn gritting teeth from hundreds of meters away. Lancer's futile resistance and his will to avenge thrilled him to no end.

"Here is your order, Kotomine-san."

Batsu placed his order and cheerfully skipped back to the kitchen.

"Thank you, Batsu-chan."

Kirei stuffed his face with a spoon full of mapo tofu. The fiery taste burned his tongue and provoked beads of sweat on his forehead. It wasn't an understatement to say only two things made Kirei Kotomine feel alive. One was ruining others' lives and the second was this dish.

He unzipped his vestments until his chest and continued to savor the exquisite taste of mapo tofu. By the time he finished the dish, his entire body was bathed in sweat. As he put down the spoon, his black heart boomed. His eyes stretched wide as a look of surprise flashed on his always calm face.

"This"

was a call.

The entity, who bestowed him with a new heart, was summoning him to do its bidding.

Kirei's lips cracked a smile.

The war just got more interesting.