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"Alex, it's this late already—who exactly are we going after?" Hestia asked curiously, tilting her head.
"Just some psychopathic killer." Alex's tone was casual as he briefly explained who Ryunosuke Uryu was.
By the time he finished, Hestia's face was twisted in disgust. "Ugh, how can there even be someone that gross in this world?"
"Yeah, pretty revolting," Alex agreed, his eyes flashing with anticipation. "That's why we're going to take care of him tonight."
After days of intense study and training, he could feel how much stronger he'd gotten. Now he was itching for a real opponent to test what he'd learned.
"Alex," Hestia said suddenly, her tone turning suspicious. "You've been with us nonstop these past few days, so how exactly did you find out about this psycho?"
"Uh…" Alex froze.
Gods from the Danmachi world could see through lies. Lying wasn't an option. But he definitely couldn't tell her that he knew the plot.
Hestia noticed his hesitation and chuckled softly. "Alright, alright, forget it. If you don't want to answer, that's fine. Everyone's got their own secrets—even my familia. I won't pry."
Alex exhaled in relief and bowed his head slightly. "Lady Hestia, I owe you so much already. As your follower, I shouldn't keep things from you… but what's hidden in me isn't something small. Once the time is right—once I'm strong enough to protect myself—I'll tell you everything."
Hestia looked at him quietly for a moment. His words were sincere—no divine sense needed to confirm that. She smiled. "Then I'll be waiting. Somehow, I don't think that day's too far off."
After that, Alex asked Hestia to help locate Ryunosuke's current position.
She asked about his appearance and clothes, and Alex described the red-haired freak as best as he could remember from the anime.
Hestia closed her eyes, divine power rippling out and blanketing the entire city of Fuyuki.
It took less than a second before she opened her eyes again.
"Found him. He's attacking someone right now!" she said sharply, grabbing Alex by the collar before he could react—and took off into the night sky.
Being carried like a puppy by the scruff of his neck was… not a pleasant experience. Alex's face darkened. Could he please learn to fly already?
Hestia's speed was terrifying. Circling the entire Earth probably wouldn't take her long, so crossing a small city like Fuyuki was nothing.
In just a few seconds, they arrived in a run-down residential area.
In a dark alley below, an orange-haired man was strangling a woman.
Her face was red, her legs kicking wildly as her hands clawed weakly at his arms—but her strength wasn't nearly enough.
The man's face was twisted with excitement, smiling like a deranged beast as he savored her struggle.
The weaker her resistance became, the more thrilled he looked.
Yes. This was it.The beauty of life fading away.
That man—was Ryunosuke Uryu.
Alex and Hestia watched, fury burning hot in their chests.
This wasn't a human being. This was trash.
Without hesitation, Alex began chanting. His words were quicker, sharper—almost twice his normal speed.
Three stone projectiles burst forth in rapid succession.
Boom! Boom! Boom!
All three slammed into Ryunosuke—one in the head, one in the back, one… in a rather unfortunate lower area.
The magic was strong, but Alex's control and mana reserves still weren't great. Without a proper staff, the power was cut by more than half.
So instead of dying, Ryunosuke ended up on the ground bleeding from everywhere—screaming and clutching between his legs.
Hestia blinked and gave Alex a strange look, clearly thinking, …was that on purpose?
Alex's face went pale. "It was an accident! Total accident!"
Meanwhile, the woman Ryunosuke had attacked finally caught her breath. Pale and shaking, she stood—and instead of fear, her expression hardened into rage. She kicked him where it hurt most, again and again.
"You bastard! Die! Die! DIE!" she screamed between kicks.
Alex stepped forward and gently pulled her away.
"Let me go! I'll kill this monster myself!" she shouted, struggling.
"No need to stain your hands for someone like him. Leave him to me." Alex sighed.
Something in his tone convinced her. She hesitated, then finally calmed down.
"Th… thank you," she said quietly, glancing between him and Hestia.
"Go," Hestia told her kindly. "We'll handle it from here."
The woman nodded, straightened her clothes, and hurried off into the night.
Once she was gone, Hestia turned back. "So, what now? What do you plan to do with him?"
Alex crouched beside Ryunosuke, whose cries were growing weaker. "He's taken too many innocent lives. Just killing him feels too easy."
As he spoke, his eyes caught something—a red glow on the back of Ryunosuke's hand.
A Command Seal.
Wait—what?
Why did he have a Command Seal? Did that mean the one he'd replaced wasn't Ryunosuke after all?
"What's wrong?" Hestia asked, noticing his expression.
"Look at his hand," Alex said.
She leaned closer, then frowned. "You're kidding. This freak's actually a Master?"
Alex went silent for a moment, then asked slowly, "Can you transfer a Command Seal through magic?"
He remembered in the Fifth Holy Grail War, Medea had summoned Sasaki Kojirō to replace the original Assassin.
If he could transfer this Command Seal to Esdeath or Roxy, wouldn't that mean an extra Servant on their side?
Sure, with Luo Hao and Hestia helping, he could probably steamroll through the Holy Grail War. But once it was over, they'd return to their worlds—and he'd be left alone again.
Unless he found a way to keep more Servants around.
If he used the Grail's black mud to create real bodies for them—like how Gilgamesh had done—then they could stay.
Hestia seemed to follow his train of thought immediately. She grinned. "Transferring it? That's nothing. But tell me, who do you want to give it to?"
"..."
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