They've already fought their way through the Holy Grail War, and you still call them dragons?

Xia Mi sat next to Emiya, her eyes fixed on the heavy rain outside the house that was carrying the smell of the sea. Her hands covered half of her face. She remained expressionless and tried hard to suppress the smile that kept coming to her face.

"It turns out this matter is so serious!"

Xia Mi patiently listened to Emiya's introduction to the situation, then put down her hand, appropriately showing a solemn emotion.

In fact, this solemnity was not completely disguised. The fragment of the White King who escaped from the Holy Grail and caused trouble alone was indeed a headache for her.

It’s not because she is so worried about that thing disguising itself as the Yomizu-no-Kami Izanami and slaughtering humans - she is the Dragon King, and if she has to worry about anything, it should be the human organizations such as the Snake Eight Families and the Secret Party.

What Xia Mi was worried about was that the White King Fragments' massacre of humans was not without purpose, and they wanted to achieve some purpose through this incident.

The most obvious understanding is that the White King wants to recover his scattered bloodline by killing and cannibalizing people, devouring all the White King's descendants and gradually restoring them to their prime...

But the problem is, although it is logically correct, there will be no benefit in eating the large number of people whose bloodlines cannot even reach the level of awakening, and the power that can be recovered is even worse than nothing.

Could it be that the White King just wants to eat as much as he wants?

It would be better to change the targets to the Eight Snake Clans and the Fierce Ghosts.

Because in terms of efficiency, most of this group of mixed-race people who are descendants of the White King have exceeded the passing line of bloodline awakening, and there are enough people to achieve most of the White King's indicators.

But this thing chose to take the lower-class route, attacking some ordinary people on a large scale, and even used spiritual words to pretend to be doing the tricks of Japanese Shintoism.

Even if we continue like this, we can make the people of the entire country fear you, White King, and believe in and fear you, the "Goddess Izanami", but no matter how big the rumor and hype is, it is still false after all.

King Bai, can you possibly get me a real one?

Xia Mi didn't quite believe it.

"The seriousness of this matter cannot be underestimated. According to my speculation, it is quite possible that 'Izanami' will transform the world's environment into the Age of Gods and cover the entire world with his power."

At this time, Emiya said again.

This incident is also recorded in "Fate Strange Fake".

In this pseudo-Holy Grail War, the deity Ishtar, who appeared by possessing an Einzbern doll, expanded her divine power in all directions by constructing the "temple" of the Mesopotamian system.

The essence of building the temple is to complete the ritual of returning to the environment of the Age of Gods and controlling the planet. Therefore, Izanami's killing behavior may also be a ritual.

"In other words, Izanami will gradually become stronger through the act of killing. This is a nationwide ritual, a ritual of the Age of Gods on a larger scale than the Holy Grail War!"

As Xia Mi listened to Emiya's narration, her originally bored mood suddenly became a little subtle and heavy... Wait a minute, could what Emiya said be true?

This guy is amazing. He can inexplicably get almost anything he guesses right. The "Heroic Spirit System" that even Norton didn't have time to perfect last time was developed with Emiya's "guidance". Emiya even created the excellent treasure, the Dragon-Severing Platform, earlier than Norton.

However, this kind of operation was completely incomprehensible to an alchemy expert like Xia Mi. Logically, her level was enough to surpass those humans. However, the level of Norton and Emiya was already a bit abstract.

By the way, at present, we also have to add Odin, who "cooperates with humans to study alchemy + modern technology", and the White King who "specializes in alchemy in the spiritual realm".

Xia Mi subconsciously wiped the non-existent cold sweat from her forehead. She suddenly felt like she was looking up to a mountain. She should be more cautious in areas that she was not good at.

"Um...Brother Emiya, I have a question...Why is it that Izanami can strengthen herself by killing people? I want to study it—"

Emiya, who was usually easy to talk to, tightened his tone at this moment. "Junior Sister Xia Mi, I've already warned you about the dangers here, right? Why on earth are you still so obsessed with these things?"

Are you caring too much about these things?

"I'm just... curious. After all, this is rare research material. As your senior, it's only right for you to answer my junior's questions, right?"

Xia Mi patted Emiya's shoulder in a pretentious manner.

"Should I?" Emiya still didn't give a direct answer, but instead talked about another matter:

"I just told you, Xia Mi, that traveling back and forth to Tokyo every day is very tiring and dangerous. Yesterday, Nuonuo mentioned her concern for you, so she followed you when you left."

"Nono followed your tram for seven or eight stops, but ultimately she failed. You're aware of this, right?"

The rain got heavier, and the bamboo curtain in front of the warehouse door crackled in the strong wind.

"..." Xia Mi remained silent. She turned away while adjusting her hair. After a moment, she said, "Yes, Senior Brother, you know, as a girl like me, I'm very sensitive to that kind of gaze. It's not in vain that I've practiced anti-tracking skills over the years."

In fact, there is no need to practice. No human can track a dragon king so quietly.

"So, you recognized her, but you still chose to avoid her. Xia Mi, you didn't really confess your affairs to us, is that right?"

"...Brother, are you doubting my identity? Do you think I'll be the bad guy in this so-called Holy Grail War? Wow, if that's the case, will Emiya-sama want to eliminate me in the name of justice? Hiss, should I act a little more nervous?"

The sweet smile that Xia Mi always had on her face disappeared, and at the end of her seemingly relaxed tone, her nails had quietly pinched into her palms.

She tilted her head, her falling hair just covering the fleeting golden light in her pupils. From the corner of her eye, she caught sight of the weapons hanging on the knife racks in the warehouse behind them.

If a conflict were to arise here, Emiya's reserves of Noble Phantasms would be astonishingly large, and she would be facing an overwhelming disadvantage.

"Don't worry, don't worry. I haven't made up my mind yet."

Emiya looked at the heavy rain outside the eaves, not caring at all about Xia Mi's suddenly tense shoulders.

"Besides, it's human nature to hide something. Not everyone is willing to open up. I think that's understandable. Don't overthink it."

"But I hope you can trust us a little more. After all, we don't want our happy lives to be ruined. We all want to protect ourselves and our family and friends."

Hearing these words, Xia Mi thought of her stupid brother who was obviously very powerful but still stupidly called her sister. She couldn't help but sigh in her heart. Wasn't it because she had worked hard until now to protect the things she wanted to protect?

"Brother Emiya is amazing! He really doesn't get the nickname Great Hero for nothing. I thought he wouldn't be able to chat, but he just spouted profound truths one after another."

Xia Mi stretched out her slender legs and swayed along the corridor. With a complicated expression, she looked at the sky outside where the rain continued to fall, and sighed:

"But, Brother Emiya, many things in this world are not as simple as you think."

Emiya frowned, "What do you mean by that?"

"Let me give you an analogy. Brother, have you heard of the trolley problem?"

"You know, there are two separate tracks on a tram, one with one person and five with the other. The tram is destined to go down one of the tracks, and the person doing the test must choose whether to pull the lever and change the outcome of death."

Emiya is too familiar with this thing. In the "Fate Zero" back then, Kiritsugu faced this difficult problem posed by the Black Holy Grail.

Xia Mi clapped her hands, "Okay, then let's take this 'trolley problem' to an extreme—"

"Some entities are weak and have no intention of harming the world, yet they are regarded as great enemies by people. As long as they appear in public, they are destined to be enemies of the whole world..."

"Master Emiya, this person is your family or close friend. Please tell me, should you kill them for the sake of the whole world?"

Emiya shook his head. "The answer is no. Even if it means becoming an enemy of the world, I would not commit such a foolish act of murder. This is nothing more than 'false justice'—a utilitarian moral concept."

Xia Mi was obviously surprised this time. She raised her eyebrows and waved at him, "Master Emiya, you are a great hero! The greatest heroes serve their country and their people, don't you understand? Can you open your mind a little?"

If she thought about it carefully, the person before her was the strongest dragon slayer in the world, who could face off against many of the First Generation brothers and sisters. He was also a genius in the field of alchemy that even Norton felt ashamed of.

However, when this great hero faced the task of maintaining world safety, he waved his hands and said, "I won't do it. You are not allowed to touch my people, otherwise I will fight you!"

Wow, she seemed to suddenly feel incredibly secure being Emiya. What to do?

"This isn't a question of perspective. 'Hero' and 'Knight' are ultimately judgements made by others, and I absolutely won't let them burden me. Don't worry, even if I truly become a hero, it's for the people around me... But if I can't even protect my own people, then I'm not a hero for nothing!"

"Ahem, Senior Brother, what you said sounds very cool, but if you plan to take this opportunity to flirt with Junior Sister, you're still a million miles away from it!"

Even though she said that, Xia Mi's expression still became a little shy. "Well, now that it's come to this, I can barely say you are sincere...but a girl's secrets can't be revealed so easily."

Emiya suddenly felt like laughing, and touched the curtain of the warehouse, revealing rows of treasures inside. The smell of metal, colder and more awe-inspiring than the rain and wind, flowed into the corridor along the moist air.

"Assistant Xia Mi, is this right? Isn't this right? I'm sincere, but you're still hiding it and not revealing anything. Doesn't that make you seem insincere?"

"...Sincerity, I do have sincerity!"

Xia Mi looked at the cold light of the treasure and her heart began to panic. She racked her brains to find any excuses or reasons that she could use.

Suddenly, she thought of the "Ugly Gozen and Settsu-style Great Guzoku System" developed by Norton. It seemed like there was still a Master position left unsent, so she might as well give it to Emiya.

So Xia Mi changed the subject and hinted vaguely, "—Senior Brother, are you interested in mechas? Try making a wish someday. Maybe a beautiful mecha girl will throw herself into your arms and embrace you."

"Make a wish? Mecha?" Emiya was confused. Doesn't the mecha beauty have the same attributes as Melyucina?

And Melyuchina is a Heroic Spirit, and here comes another... wait, Xia Mi couldn't be talking about the Heroic Spirit Summoning, right?

Suddenly, there was a slight tingling sensation on the back of my hand.

Wow! Emiya stared at the brightly colored tattoo on his hand in astonishment, with a lot of question marks popping up in his head. No way, Xia Mi, could it be that you are...! ?

When he looked up, Emiya realized that Xia Mi had taken advantage of his surprise to run away. Her feet were running so fast that she reached the wall of the courtyard at an inhuman speed.

"Xia Mi! Who the hell are you?"

"Brother, I'm your junior sister," Xia Mi leaped up and onto the wall in the rain, "But don't worry, I will definitely stand with you and fight against that murderous and inhumane god!"

"Then why don't you be more honest? Let's catch the real culprit together!"

Emiya shouted as he ran to the end of the corridor.

Then he jumped up and followed Xia Mi into the rain.

In the heavy rain, Xia Mi jumped off the wall and ran wildly in front, with cold sweat on her back. She thought to herself, Emiya, you said you want to catch the mastermind, so who are you catching? Are you going to catch me and myself?

Besides, the fragments of the White King that are now running around outside and causing trouble are most likely the ones that slipped away because she didn't keep a close watch on them... If they are caught, will she be the only one to bear the responsibility?

Xia Mi said without turning around, "Brother! Let's make a bet. Let's bet on the current situation and catching the person behind it. I can handle it myself! You wait, I'll make sure everything is calm and the world is at peace again!"

This is a big gamble, my friend!

"Forget about world peace! There's been constant fighting in the Middle East these days!"

Emiya complained loudly, "Besides, what can you do if you lose the bet? You can't just sit there and wait for death. In the end, won't we have to fight together?"

The two men were chasing and fleeing in the rainstorm, with the front calling out to the back. The scene seemed like a replica of Xiao He chasing Han Xin under the moonlight thousands of years ago.

"Don't worry, I will win this bet! If I lose, I will capture the person behind the scenes and make him work like a slave for me, Senior Brother!"

Xia Mi thought to herself that if the time came, she could just pass the blame on to her brother Fenrir. "If you're willing to do it, even paying with your own flesh is fine!"

Throwing these words down, Xia Mi sprinted away, accelerating. After turning a few alleyways, she expertly dodged into the ground, leaving Emiya behind. Truly the king of digging and drilling.

Suddenly, a deep voice penetrated the heavy rain and mud and echoed in her mind. It was Norton talking to her through the blood pact:

"Idiot! What did you just do? Did you use the authority of the Holy Grail?"

"What's wrong? I just sent a Command Seal to Emiya, right?"

"That's all...?" You idiot! Why didn't you tell me beforehand when you needed it? Norton's rage was like a volcano about to explode. "The White King in the Holy Grail is out of control!"

"Huh? I'm on my way, I'll be there soon!"

Xia Mi replied hurriedly. She recalled the previous bet and her heart skipped a beat.

Will...will I lose?

Chapter 228 opens the prelude to the revival of the Age of Gods!

"boom!"

The huge underground cavity where the Holy Grail was originally placed was now shaking like an earthquake.

By the time Xia Mi arrived at the cave entrance, rocks were falling heavily with rumbling thunder. A huge amount of magic power had overflowed crazily and turned into visible elemental turbulence, sweeping in all directions from the center of the Holy Grail alchemy array, forming a suffocating storm.

"elder sister!"

Fenrir turned his head and saw Xia Mi coming out of the ground at first sight.

The latter took a look at the situation. The magical storm that seemed like a raging storm was enough to blow people away easily, but it could not pose a threat to Fenrir's huge dragon body.

So it seems that at the first moment when the Holy Grail lost control, Fenrir took the lead alone, stretched out his giant claws to suppress the Holy Grail, and blocked most of the violent wind, effectively preventing the collapse of the entire cave space.

"Idiot, stop moving and stay still! How much brain do you have in that huge head of yours? You just bumped into the rock wall and dropped rocks on my things! If you move again, the cave will collapse!"

Norton shouted loudly in the distance. His human figure was obviously thinner and shorter than Fenrir, but Fenrir did not dare to resist. The contrast between their size and aura created a shocking one.

The poor idiot Fenrir cast a helpless look at Xia Mi - Look, sister, Uncle Norton is bullying me so domineeringly, please help me and explain things to him!

However, Xia Mi, who was aware that she had gotten into trouble and was panicking, completely ignored Fenrir, who was being used as a dragon-shaped windshield.

How could she be reasonable? She herself was not even right!

Xia Mi went around and spoke to Norton, "What's the situation now?"

She didn't quite understand, and didn't dare to question why her use of her authority had led to this situation. She was now determined not to act as an outsider and meddle in areas she was not familiar with, exceeding her authority and giving orders.

I'm afraid. I'm really afraid now.

Fortunately, at this point, Norton had completely given up the idea of ​​pursuing responsibility and went straight to the point:

"It's not optimistic. Let me be frank. We might not be able to suppress the rampage of the White King's soul within the Greater Holy Grail."

"Huh? That's not the case, is it?"

Norton glared at Xia Mi with a subtle look of anger, as if to say, of course it wouldn't have happened originally, but isn't it because of you that accidents happened one after another!

Xia Mi shrank her head when she was glared at, and dared not speak.