Jalter used her Ruler-class skill to detect Medea's location.
She and Gilles de Rais rushed over, but they were still too late. Ryou and Medea had already left.
Jalter quickly scanned the area again and soon locked onto the moving Medea.
"Let's go! This time, we'll catch that bastard!"
Unexpectedly, Gilles de Rais stopped her.
"Wait a moment, my lady. I can smell fresh blood here…"
He turned his gaze toward the house where the earlier tragedy had occurred.
At that moment, the sirens of approaching police cars grew louder, heading their way.
"Tch~ Those annoying people are coming. We should go!"
Jalter's face showed impatience as she lightly leaped onto the roof.
Gilles de Rais glanced meaningfully at the house, then melted into the shadows. The two quickly disappeared.
Not long after, several police cars and ambulances arrived at the house. As usual, the Japanese police were late, rushing into the building.
Soon, a police line was set up, and paramedics carried out a red-haired boy on a stretcher, followed by two black body bags. One of the bags appeared to be missing a segment, while the other was noticeably larger than usual.
Before long, the commotion woke the nearby residents, and many curious onlookers gathered to watch.
"The Tsukuyomi family had it bad."
"Yeah, I heard that aside from their 7-year-old son, both the husband and wife were killed horribly. The police couldn't even separate their bodies."
"I've heard a lot of cases like this have been happening lately. Fuyuki City isn't safe anymore. My family's thinking of going away for a while."
"And what are the police even doing? They haven't solved any of these cases. What a waste of our taxes!"
Several middle-aged women gathered outside the police line, gossiping as they watched the scene.
Suddenly, one of the sharp-eyed women spotted a strange figure and shouted.
"Hey, look at that! Isn't that a priest?"
"Really? That looks like Father Kotomine from Fuyuki Church. I've seen him there before."
"Since when does the police department handle funerals?"
The women pointed and commented as they noticed an old priest dressed in black, with silver hair.
Kotomine Risei felt a headache coming on.
Due to the Holy Grail War, several heinous crimes have occurred recently. The old priest had been constantly busy cleaning up after irresponsible Servants and magi, handling the aftermath.
What made things more complicated was the agreement between the Holy Church and the Tohsaka family. The Church had planned to intervene in the Holy Grail War as supervisors, assisting Tohsaka Tokiomi in obtaining the Grail.
However, something unexpected happened. The Greater Grail seemed to have detected their interference and summoned a Ruler-class Servant to act as the arbiter of the war.
The Ruler class, with its various privileges and neutral stance, was a much more legitimate overseer of the Holy Grail War than the Holy Church.
As a result, the Church's position had suddenly become awkward.
After discussing the matter with his ally Tohsaka Tokiomi without any outcome, Kotomine Risei decided to reduce their interactions to avoid suspicion, especially from the Ruler.
It should be noted that the Ruler-class Servant held an extraordinary privilege: the ability to command each Servant with two Command Spells, for a total of fourteen.
Going against a Ruler meant risking the depletion of Command Spells, followed by righteous retaliation from the other participants.
With so many variables in play, even the experienced Kotomine Risei couldn't help but feel a sense of unease.
Whether this Holy Grail War would unfold as he and his old friend had hoped was now uncertain.
For now, he could only place his hopes on the trump card his old friend had prepared.
As he conversed with the police officer in charge at the scene, Kotomine Risei was deep in thought.
...
Meanwhile, Jalter, using her ability to track Servants, finally caught up with Ryou and Medea at the observation deck beneath Fuyuki City's bridge.
"Heh heh~ Let's see where you'll run this time!"
Jalter grinned triumphantly.
Ryou's face darkened as he quickly realized something.
The Jeanne in front of him might possess both the Avenger and Ruler classes.
"You're chasing this hard. Are you a stalker?"
Ryou taunted her while telepathically communicating with Medea.
'Medea-chan, it's possible she has a skill granted by the Greater Grail that allows her to track Servants.'
'What?!'
Medea's face immediately showed shock, and she quickly apologized.
'I'm sorry, Master! I've dragged you down this time. I'm truly sorry!'
Seeing her near-tearful expression, Ryou instinctively reached out and patted her on the head.
'Don't worry about it. This isn't your fault. Let's just think of a way to deal with it.'
'Yes!'
Medea nodded firmly.
However, this scene before Jalter's eyes was nothing short of a blatant public display of affection!
How could she tolerate that? She'd rather write her name backward than let this slide!
Whoosh!
Without another word, she summoned her Wicked Dragon War Flag, which appeared in her hand with a flash of light. She swung it fiercely at the couple.
The flames of resentment surged forth, transforming into a sea of fire that rushed toward them.
Ryou and Medea quickly took to the air to dodge.
Jalter wasn't done. She hurled massive fireballs, each filled with resentment, aiming directly at him.
The observation tower, next to the Fyuki River, offered open terrain, making it easier for him and Medea to dodge in the air.
After throwing fireballs for a while without so much as singing a hair on his head, Jalter stomped her foot in frustration.
"You're flying around like a damn fly! It's so annoying! Nguyen Ryou, you coward, come down and let me burn you alive!"
Ryou shot her a look and said, "No thanks, I'm already hot."
Jalter was so furious she nearly lost it.
"Gilles! What the hell are you doing? Hurry up and help me take down these two damn flies!"
Jalter's shout caught Ryou's attention, and he quickly warned Medea to be careful as he heightened his guard.
Soon, a man in a bizarre robe, with frog-like eyes, emerged from the shadows.
"I, Gilles de Rais, humbly answer your summons, my beloved lady!"
He made a formal bow to Jalter.
Taking advantage of the brief pause while Gilles de Rais saluted Jalter, Ryou seized the moment and fired a solar ray directly at Gilles' head!
However, it seemed that Gilles de Rais had anticipated this. Several colorful, octopus-like monsters emerged from his shadow.
These creatures were utterly grotesque. They were covered in hideous spots, with mouths filled with rows of sharp teeth circling their centers, though they had no visible heads.
These beasts, known as Water Demons, were summoned by Gilles de Rais using the Prelati's Spellbook. They were interdimensional creatures with immense vitality, terrifying aggressiveness, and horrifying reproductive capabilities.
In short, they were excellent cannon fodder.
The scorching sunlight pierced through several Water Demons before coming to a halt.
Ryou was dissatisfied with this result.
The Brahmastra was ultimately a flawed version. As Ryou faced increasingly stronger enemies, this Noble Phantasm, which was once killed in a single shot, had now become an auxiliary harassment technique.
The Brahmastra was still quite practical.
Because the attack was unleashed from his eyes, it often caught enemies off guard. It was powerful and quick to release.
Still, Ryou silently made up his mind: it was time to upgrade it.
Of course, he would never admit that the real reason was that this move was the coolest among all his Noble Phantasms.
After effortlessly deflecting the attack, Gilles de Rais raised both arms and, as if giving a speech, loudly began chanting in a strange, ceremonious tone.
"Ah! What miraculous fate, to deliver this despicable traitor right into our hands!"
Gilles de Rais's bulging, frog-like eyes swiveled toward Ryou.
"You still love sneak attacks, don't you? A rat in the sewer will never change its filthy nature."
"Considering your desecration of the Holy Virgin's honor…"
"Stop calling me a virgin!"
Jalter screamed beside him, furiously kicking Gilles de Rais in the knee with her boot.
Gilles de Rais completely ignored Jalter's outburst and continued without pause.
"And your betrayal of our pact, this time I will ensure your body is subjected to the harshest torture, and your soul offered to the evil gods of the other realms!"
"Which mental asylum left its doors open and let two lunatics out?"
Ryou replied.
The battlefield fell silent for a moment, and in the next second, Jalter furiously waved her black dragon banner, launching fireball after fireball.
"I'm so mad! Die, you bastard!"
However, Ryou and Medea had already anticipated this. They dodged the fireballs with ease, leaving Jalter exhausted from her efforts.
Unable to do anything to Ryou for the moment, Jalter turned her frustration toward Gilles de Rais, who had been passively observing.
"And you, Gilles! If you keep slacking off, I'll roast you into a grilled octopus!"
"As you wish, my beloved Ho—Lady Jeanne."
The word Virgin was on the tip of his tongue but was immediately swallowed back down under Jalter's terrifying glare.
Even the notorious villain Bluebeard Gilles de Rais, who feared no gods, submitted to Jalter's overwhelming presence.
Raising the Prelati's Spellbook, Gilles de Rais unleashed a barrage of dark purple energy spheres, which combined with Jalter's fireballs to rain down on Ryou and Medea.
Ryou and Medea immediately felt the increased pressure.
Having gathered enough information, he mentally signaled Medea.
Suddenly, Ryou turned around and fired several Brahmastra solar beams, forcing Jalter and Gilles de Rais to either dodge or summon cannon fodder to block the attacks.
Their offensive slowed for a moment and Ryouseized the opportunity. Quickly, he drew several primordial runes in the air with his fingers.
Jalter, having dodged several scorching sun rays, immediately locked her gaze on him, fearing he might escape.
Little did she know, she had fallen right into his trap.
As Jalter focused entirely on him, a blinding flash of light erupted from him.
Caught off guard, Jalter took the full force of this enhanced flashbang.
"Ah! My eyes! Damn you, Nguyen Ryou, you bastard!!!"
Ryou chuckled.
Now, only Gilles de Rais remained in the fight, and it was clear he wasn't putting much effort into it.
Ryou didn't care what was going on in Gilles de Rais's head. After all, anyone tainted by the evil gods of the Cthulhu mythos would be insane. A normal person couldn't possibly understand the thoughts of a madman.
So, he decisively gave up. Without hesitation, he and Medea took advantage of Jalter's temporary blindness and Gilles de Rais's half-hearted attacks to swiftly withdraw from the battlefield.
Being a heroic spirit, Jalter's eyes quickly healed.
But when she tried to pursue them, she was shocked to discover that her skill feedback indicated Medea had fled to the sea. To the sea. To the sea...
"Damn it! Are they mocking me for not having a water-walking skill?!"
Jalter stomped the ground in frustration, her boots thudding with each step.
Before long, her skill for detecting heroic spirits completely lost track of Medea.
Clearly, as the disciple of Hecate, the goddess of magic, and someone who had analyzed the Greater Grail, Medea had used her advanced magecraft to block the Greater Grail's perception of her.
Naturally, the Ruler class's ability to detect heroic spirits was ineffective against her.
At this point, Jalter had completely lost track of Ryou and Medea.
"Ahhh!!! I'm so angry! Gilles, it's all your fault! If you had put in a little effort, those two wouldn't have escaped!"
"Please calm down, my lady. Everything is proceeding according to my plan."
Gilles de Rais, unhurried, made a chest salute with a confident expression on his face.
"Hmph! If your plan doesn't satisfy me, I'll gouge out your eyes!"
Jalter threateningly extended two fingers and waved them in front of him.
"Allow me, Gilles de Rais, to explain my plan in detail."
Gilles de Rais quickly began explaining his thoughts.
"My lady, you must recall the circumstances under which he allied with us in France."
"Hmph!"
Jalter snorted coldly, her face brimming with anger.
How could she ever forget what happened back then?
To take revenge on France for betraying her, on the king, and the church, she had gone so far as to summon the evil dragon Fafnir and a massive horde of wyverns to attack every city in France.
Like a swarm of locusts, the dragon horde left nothing in their wake. Countless cities were reduced to scorched wastelands.
At first, she was ecstatic, reveling in the pleasure of revenge, unable to stop herself.
But then, a group of self-proclaimed protectors of humanity suddenly appeared to oppose her.
That was when Nguyen RYou showed up.
Since he wasn't a Berserker-class heroic spirit summoned by her, she couldn't control him, so she was initially very wary of him.
Over time, however, Ryou's intelligence, combined with his repeated successes in thwarting the attacks of those opposing her, gradually earned her trust.
Eventually, she came to see him as her most trusted ally, even confiding her deepest, most private thoughts to him.