Chihiro wasn't in the mood to expihing iail to the old bug. He simply said, "Alright, old bug, mark this day — it'll be your death anniversary year."
The old bug sneered, "You little brat, do you think you just waltz in here and finish me off because you've got a Heroic Spirit by your side?"
With a wave, the is in the suddenly swarmed, f a dark, seething tide that surged toward Chihiro and Zhang Jiao.
"So this is bug magic," Zhang Jiao observed calmly, summoning a few talismans. A golden barrier shimmered around them, blog the advang is. More talismans flew out from his hand, stig to the walls of the i and sealing the space with a brilliant glow.
"This should prevent any escape," he added, watg the swarm ily.
"Bug magic, huh? I've heard of the southern tribes using something simir," Zhang Jiao remarked, "They call it Gu or Jiang."
Chihiro nodded. "Yeah, Gu magic still has practitioners in some parts of Southeast Asia."
The old bug's rage mounted as he saw the two of them discussing his teiques so casually. He sneered, "You think you've won just because you sealed off my ? you really destroy all of my es?"
As he spoke, his decayed form twisted and fragmented into tless tiny is that scattered throughout the .
"Even if you seal me here, what good does it do? I always return!" the old bug mocked.
"Hmph, funting your tricks in front of me?" Zhang Jiao scoffed. He flicked aalisman forward. "Wind-Raising Spell!"
A fierce wind whipped through the entire i , filling every nook and y. The swarm of is was swept together into a single mass, trapped and uo escape.
Zhang Jiao's mastery was evident. Unlike Chihiro's basid summoning, Zhang Jiao could and the wind itself, a testament to the Taiping teiques he practiced. His e with nature's elements allowed him to manipute them with ease, summoning not only wind but also, when necessary, thunder from the heavens.
Without hesitation, Zhang Jiao threw aalisman. "Fire Curse!"
A bze erupted, ing the cluster of is in an instant. The old bug's shrill screams echoed through the , then abruptly fell silent as the fmes reduced every io ashes.
Chihiro stared in disbelief at the se. "That's it? It's over?"
He blinked, feeling almost unsatisfied. It was surreal how easily Zhang Jiao had ehe ahreat. For a moment, he thought, It's like using a on to swat a fly.
"If you're still unsure, let's do a thh check," Zhang Jiao suggested, reading Chihiro's expression.
Chihiro ogether, they scoured the eou residence, leaving no stourned. Every st i, even cockroaches, was ied ihh sweep. Only wherace of the Matou's vile iion was gone did Chihiro feel a sense of relief.
When they emerged from the basement, Rin hurried over. "How did it go?"
Chihiro gave her a reassuring smile. "It's all taken care of."
Rin sighed in relief. "Thank goodness. I'm gd we won't have to deal with that disgusting old bug ever again."
Zhang Jiao's expression turned alert as he looked around. "Careful — someone's approag."
Chihiro frowned. "Looks like our little operation caught the attention of some of the roups."
Moments ter, the maze of fog Zhang Jiao had set around the Matou estate was dispelled, and several figures came into view. It was her than the Rider and Lancer groups.
Chihiro immediately reized the presence of El-Melloi II. As expected, he would be the only one among the Masters capable of dismantling Zhang Jiao's maze.
As the figures came closer, Chihiro's "True Name Disment" skill activated, showing him El-Melloi II's status panel:
[Name: El-Melloi II (Zhuge Liang); Css: Caster; Gender: Male; Alig: ral Good]
[Strength: E; Endurance: E; Agility: D; Mana: A+; Luck: B+; Noble Phantasm: A]
[Css Skills: Territory Creation A; Item Creation B]
[Personal Skills: Dising Eye A; Tacti's Advice A+; Tacti's and A+]
[Noble Phantasms: Uurning Formation (Anti-Army, Rank C, Range: 50 meters, Maximum Targets: 500); Chu Shi Biao (Anti-Army, Rank EX, Maximum Targets: 1,000)]
Chihiro sighed inwardly. This was the one drawback of his True Name Disment ability — each time he entered a new servant, their status panel automatically appeared. Once a servant's stats had been dispyed, however, he wouldn't see them again unless he called it up deliberately.
Iskandar, with his usual broad grin, stepped forward. "Oh, it's just you guys. I half-expected to find the Saber team here."
[Name: Iskandar; Css: Rider; Gender: Male; Alig: ral, Good.]
[Strength: B; Endurance: A; Agility: D; Mana: C; Luck: A+; Noble Phantasm: A++. ]
[Css Skills: Magic resistance D; Riding A+. ]
[Personal Skills: Charisma A; Tactics B; Divinity C. ]
[Noble Phantasm: Via Expugnatio (Anti-Army, Rank A+, Maximum Range :2-50 meters, Maximum Target: 100 people); Ionioi Hetairoi (Anti-Army, Rank EX, Maximum Range: 1-99 meters, Maximum Target:5,000 people)]
Chihiro rolled his eyes. "You're not fooling anyone. Who in the Saber team could set up a maze like this?"
Iskandar let out a hearty ugh.
