Chapter 99

Indeed, it is worthy of being a treasure valued and collected by someone who dared to question the gods. Even though its owner had long forgotten its name, the small round shield still protected the forgetful owner and upheld the dignity of the treasure. The Hero King stepped on the cracked earth, and despite using his vehicle as bait, Claude's unexpected ambush failed to inflict even the slightest injury on this proud king!

Claude showed no sign of discouragement. Although he was a bit surprised that his strike was blocked, it was still within his expectations. Various weapons, including many he couldn't name, had appeared more than once, making it easy to deduce that the Hero King's inexhaustible treasures must include defensive treasures. Seizing the opportunity during his opponent's moment of shock, he used the force of the shield's rebound to twist his body, spinning several times in the air. The giant sword Fenrir, infused with the combined strength of both, burst forth with even greater momentum, striking the round shield fiercely.

Crack!

A crisp sound echoed as the shield, long neglected and stripped of its true name, shattered like fragile glass. After all, a treasure without its true name could not unleash its full power. It had fulfilled its duty by enduring the second strike. Claude had no time to mourn a mere shield, especially one belonging to his enemy. Seizing the opportunity he had created, he channeled all his strength into his wrist, gripping the sword hilt, and pulled it sharply to the side, preparing to deliver a fatal blow to the careless enemy.

What!?

His sword hand was unable to move! Claude had underestimated the treasure that had caught the Hero King's eye. The shattered round shield transformed into the sharp teeth of a beast, tightly clamping down on his only weapon!

"Bastard!"

Gilgamesh, regaining his senses, unhesitatingly threw away the shield that had protected him, along with Claude's weapon that was clamped by the shield.

Boom!

The life of the colorful shield came to an end, biting into the enemy and, like its companions in the treasury, detonating the magic power stored within. The sudden explosion sent Fenrir flying from Claude's hand, and his right arm was severely injured, blood quickly pooling on the ground.

"Excellent! Excellent! The Holy Grail War... Yes, that's right! You did well, Rider! To be able to entertain this king, I will not fail to acknowledge your efforts. Feel honored! King's Treasury!"

To show respect for his opponent, Gilgamesh replaced the term "bastard" with "you" and "Rider." He then summoned his treasury again, a vast army of treasures.

Indeed, it was an "army." More treasures than had been consumed in the previous battle appeared, like a dazzling array of stars. A meteor shower, faster than lightning, rained down on the unarmed knight, the brilliant army of treasures sweeping across the land with疯狂的势头！

＝＝＝＝＝＝＝＝＝＝＝＝＝＝＝＝＝＝

"Professor Levi, I'm really sorry to disturb you so late."

A petite girl stood at the door, her long blue hair covering her face as she bowed. Despite her modest appearance, the respectful language she used painted a picture of a polite smile. It seemed like a typical scene of a well-bred young lady paying a visit, but Levi felt something was off, as if a faint sense of discord wafted from the girl. And who was she?

"Huh? Is it Izumi..."

"Izumi Kotonoha."

"Ah, right, Izumi Kotonoha. Please, come in."

A classmate of Rin? Levi stepped back to let the unfamiliar girl in. He seemed to recall seeing a transfer application in the student council, could this be the blue-haired, petite girl? He glanced at the student council president beside him, realizing she wasn't his guest.

"President Farb, hello."

As the student council president, Rin had a good understanding of each student's background, unlike Levi, who lacked a sense of responsibility. A transfer in the middle of the school year was rare, especially in her class, and she had a strong impression of Izumi Kotonoha, who looked like a grade school student.

"Hello, Izumi. What brings you here?"

Rin subtly tugged at the hem of Levi's shirt to keep him from leaving. Standing side by side in front of the new student, they barely blocked Izumi's view of the living room. No student knew that Levi was her legal guardian, and having a male teacher host a female student overnight was not a natural situation. If the living room, filled with what appeared to be underage girls, were discovered, Rin would be in a difficult position. So, while pulling Levi, she frantically waved her other hand behind her back, hoping EMIYA and the others would understand and go upstairs.

"Izumi is a new transfer student, and this is our first meeting, right?"

Following Rin's cue, Levi quickly joined in to buy time. Even if he didn't care about his reputation, it was best to avoid unnecessary attention. If someone started spreading rumors, and EMIYA's age was questioned, how could Levi explain that she was over six hundred years old? Testing a vampire's bone age would yield unpredictable results. Fortunately, EMIYA and the others, including Tsubasa, quietly left the living room, leaving Levi and Rin to entertain the new student.

"It's not our first meeting. I've seen Professor Levi a few times at school, but I was too presumptuous to introduce myself. I apologize."

If you knew it was presumptuous, why come now! Rin wanted to yell at the new student. Her classmates had always suspected her of having an inappropriate relationship with Levi, and while she was indifferent to the rumors, it was hard to expect others to think the same way. Even if she explained that Levi was her guardian, it would only make things worse. Who knew what new rumors would spread after tonight? If she could have foreseen this, she would have told Levi to ignore Izumi's knock and have Tsubasa tell her she had the wrong place.

"Hehe, Izumi, you're too polite."

Levi was always uncomfortable dealing with people who were overly polite but didn't get to the point.

"Oh, look, I forgot. I've kept you standing for so long. Please, come in and sit down."

Hearing the final door close upstairs, confirming the girls had returned to their rooms, Levi finally remembered to invite Izumi into the living room and found her a seat on the sofa.

"It's no problem. The environment around Professor Levi's residence is so beautiful that standing outside is a pleasure in itself. Ohohoh~"

So fake! The petite girl's hand covering her mouth as she laughed made Rin feel extremely uncomfortable. It was as if EMIYA had suddenly turned into a well-behaved child.

"Izumi, what brings you here so late? Is it something important?"

Rin couldn't wait and spoke first, emphasizing the words "late" and "important" to hint that the girl should get to the point and leave quickly, before anyone upstairs made a mistake that would confirm the rumors about her and Levi's chaotic private life.