"So when you say 'bloodline,' you mean your own bloodline?"
Ishtar looked at Ophis with a strange expression. Ophis simply nodded.
"If you could freely take a god's bloodline to modify others, we wouldn't have fought so hard back in the Age of Gods."
Turning her gaze toward Sakura, Ophis explained.
"Humans are beings of infinite possibility. That's reflected in their blood compatibility as well. So far, I haven't found a single lifeform whose blood isn't compatible with human blood. In theory, that means demigods—and even half Dragon-Serpents—can exist. But the blood of dragons and gods is far too invasive. If you don't fuse the bloodlines during gestation, then after birth you must endure it through sheer willpower… My omnipotence can separate and combine bloodlines, but I cannot erase the corrosive nature inherent to the bloodline itself."
"Sure, with Sakura like this, there's no way she could endure it… but isn't that also true of your dragon blood?"
Half-lidded, Ishtar shot Ophis an irritated look.
"Different. If I condense the power of my bloodline into a serpent, I can grant my power to others at will, with no side effects."
"Ugh…"
Ishtar looked even more displeased.
"Then doesn't that make them your retainer? It makes it feel like I'm a whole generation beneath you…"
"Is that so."
Ophis nodded.
"Then we can use a compromise."
"…Next time, can you say everything in one go?"
"Next time."
Ishtar was suddenly reminded of the terror she'd felt when they first met—when their conversations never lined up, no matter what.
"So? What's the method?"
"Use Ishta's blood."
"…"
For a split second, Ishtar had the urge to blast her on the spot.
"Let it corrode her slowly, in small amounts."
Ophis continued immediately, forcing Ishtar to swallow that impulse down.
"So it's slower. Then the effect will drop too, right? How long are we talking?"
"Ishta and Sakura are linked by human bloodline. That will accelerate it. Ten years should be enough."
"Ten years? That's fast! Fine—then it's decided. We'll do that!"
Ishtar's eyes lit up as she made the call.
...
"How is it?"
"No good. We can't find him at all."
Hearing Ritsuka's answer through magecraft, Lord El-Melloi II's brow furrowed even deeper.
"So he's noticed our pursuit and decided to hide for good?"
Caster had been easy to track earlier because he didn't care how much chaos he caused—stirring up trouble everywhere, and conveniently staying by the river. But once he truly committed to hiding, taking only the lives he needed to sustain his prana… catching him became genuinely difficult.
The Master and Lancer split up and searched all night, yet found not even the faintest trace.
"Still no news?"
Beside Lord El-Melloi II, Saber's brows also knit slightly.
Lying low didn't mean that demon had stopped. As time dragged on, children would still keep falling victim.
They couldn't let this continue.
"No word from Kiritsugu's side either," Irisviel added.
Unlike the Servants, Kiritsugu Emiya was tasked with hunting down Caster's Master. Someone even more adept at murder than Caster—without Caster's eerie methods—should've been easier to find.
And yet there was still nothing.
"I understand."
Lord El-Melloi II nodded.
They now had Lancer's fighting strength, and an alliance with Saber's team. The Berserker team had agreed to ally before, but now the Matou residence had been destroyed without warning, Sakura's whereabouts were unknown—likely grim—and no one knew how Kariya Matou would react.
And Rider's side… they had to be convinced as well.
"…Lord El-Melloi II."
Just as Lord El-Melloi II was thinking, Ritsuka's voice suddenly came through again.
"What is it—did you find the target?"
"No, we didn't find the target… but we found the King of Heroes."
"What?!"
Ritsuka stared at the girl standing ahead—moon at her back, smiling faintly—and the corner of her mouth twitched.
"Actually… it'd be more accurate to say she found us."
"Damn it…"
Lord El-Melloi II realized what he'd missed.
Earlier, Ritsuka had mentioned she'd run into a wave of Assassin attacks, but he hadn't given it much thought. With Mash's defenses—and Lily there to help—even all of Assassin at once could keep Ritsuka safe until reinforcements arrived.
But with his attention locked on the Caster problem and how to deal with Rider afterward, Lord El-Melloi II had, without realizing it, failed to account for Assassin's alliance with Archer!
"Hold out as long as you can—we'll be there soon!"
He cut the communication and sprang to his feet.
"It's sudden, but I'm asking for your help. This crisis is the result of my oversight—but it may also be an opportunity. If we move now, we might be able to eliminate Archer, the greatest threat, in one stroke. I'm counting on you all!"
...
On Ritsuka's side, Ophis was still studying Ritsuka's group with a curious gaze.
Though—strictly speaking, Ophis couldn't see Ritsuka with her own eyes at this moment. Half a beat after Ophis's sudden appearance, Mash and Lily had already moved in front of Ritsuka, shielding their Master completely.
Ophis was here because Assassin had informed her.
Without Lord El-Melloi II's cover, it was easy for Assassin to find Ritsuka. And after realizing Mash's defense would be difficult to break, Tokiomi acted decisively for once—revealing the alliance with Assassin to Ophis and having Assassin bring her here to deal with Ritsuka.
Ophis wasn't so foolish that she couldn't see the connection between Kirei Kotomine and Assassin. She simply couldn't be bothered to care. Now that Tokiomi had, unusually, been frank with her, making the trip wasn't a problem.
"Long time no see."
With a light smile, Ophis nodded to Ritsuka.
"Uh… ah…"
Ritsuka clearly didn't yet have the poise she would one day possess. Faced with Ophis's greeting—who knew what intent lay behind it—she looked at a loss.
Whoosh—thunk—
In the next instant, the tearing sound of something cutting through air and the wet sound of a blade entering flesh rang out almost at the same time.
Ritsuka's group jerked around in shock. An Assassin who had clearly been about to ambush them had been run clean through by a long spear, collapsing to the side.
"Wha—!"
Bang—clang!
Before Ritsuka could even process why Ophis had saved her, Mash's startled cry burst out, followed by a heavy impact and the clash of weapons.
Ritsuka snapped her head back. Mash had been knocked flying somehow, and Lily was already locked in a blade-to-blade exchange with Ophis.
"You focus too much on the enemy in front of you and neglect the threat behind. Then you get distracted and careless. You're both very immature right now."
Casually batting aside Lily's rapid attacks, Ophis still had the leisure to critique Mash and Lily's mistakes.
"Ghh…"
Lily clenched her teeth. She knew Ophis was entirely right—what just happened was pure carelessness on their part.
But you couldn't undo a mistake. All you could do was throw everything you had into making up for it.
As Lily rallied, the slashes of Caliburn grew sharper and more relentless, drawing a sideways glance from Ophis.
Lily's rate of growth was undeniably astonishing. With memories of the future to draw on, every battle let her turn knowledge into experience.
Even so, the gap between her and Ophis was still immense. No matter how Lily fought, she couldn't break through Ophis's defense.
And then—a yellow short spear tore through the air, shooting straight at Ophis!
---
bonus chaps
100 stones -> 1 chapter
200 stones -> 2 chapters
300 stones -> 3 chapters
and so on
hehe every 100 followers on either instagram or twitter is 5 bonus chapters...? (for all tls ongoing)
discord.gg/wisetl
patreon.com/wisetl
instagram: hanbaowise
twitter: WiseKingOfUruk_