Xyrin Empire
Chapter 491 Crystal Saint Mother

Chapter 491: Chapter 491 Crystal Saint Mother

"My master prefers to showcase her new power here—with you as the first whetstone."

Rider’s Heroic Spirit, Medusa, spoke calmly, her voice betraying naked scorn and hostility toward the trembling man before her, though her purple eye mask concealed a third of her face.

Makoto Shinji was stunned for a moment, but quickly realized who Rider was referring to. Despite the dire situation, a twisted smile squeezed out of his mouth, "Sakura? My dear little sister...who disappeared without a trace for so long, I thought she was already dead. After all, her body contained many precious things... Hahaha, come on! Where is that wretched woman you speak of? Let her come out and meet me!"

"As you wish," just as Makoto Shinji’s words fell, a crystalline voice suddenly echoed in the air, "my poor brother."

Accompanying this crystalline voice, a blue light instantly illuminated the entire mansion.

In the front yard of Emiya Ruins, less than half a meter above the ground, a bright yet gentle blue light burst forth. A mysterious halo wandered through the air, slowly forming a complex energy array with three rotating energy auras of different speeds, creating a three-meter radius "well." At the center of this energy well, waves of blue and white light, almost tangible like real liquid, emerged accompanied by the "cracking" sound of crystals rubbing against each other. Something gradually materialized from the center and became clearer.

A massive... crystal statue.

Standing over five meters tall, made entirely of translucent sky-blue crystal, the statue’s lower half was not human-like but an inverted conical base, reminiscent of a detached base from a floating island in a fairy tale. The larger crystal clusters extending from the base, tinged with purple, continuously emitted energy sparks, resembling a micro lightning storm. Atop this three-meter-diameter base, a completely smooth surface floated with specks of starlight and complex rune arrays. A female upper torso, approximately three meters tall, connected above it, made the entire crystal statue look as if it was half-carved, with only half-formed. The crystal-chiseled female torso wore extremely complex "clothes"—also made of crystal, resembling a twisted mesh of chains and metal plates, curiously fashioned into a form-fitting shape. While it did not hinder the display of the "wearer’s" perfect body, its bizarre style was filled with oddity.

And this five-meter-tall crystal statue bore the exact face of Makoto Sakura; in fact, "she" was now Makoto Sakura herself.

"Crystal... Holy Mother Form..." I said with three parts surprise and seven parts admiration, "I must admit, Taville’s brain is one of our most valuable treasures. Although she isn’t versed in mysticism, the ability to birth such a powerful life form using the components of Leaving World Garden surpasses my imagination by far."

Of course, I still had my reservations and pessimistic views about that glasses-wearing lady’s aesthetic sense.

Sandora smirked, "Still, Ah Jun, I think maybe you should worry about how to calm down that human lad next to you first."

Huh?

I turned my head in confusion, just catching Emiya Shirou’s shocked and disbelieving gaze moving away from Makoto Sakura’s crystal sculpture and focusing on me.

Oh, I understand now... I’ve forgotten the usual human world view again!

Unsurprisingly, Emiya Shirou almost rushed forward in a rage to brawl with me—if Saber hadn’t stopped him.

"Why! Why has Sakura turned into this!? Is this what you called treatment? What have you done to her!?"

As Emiya roared, Saber too gave a serious look, clearly expecting me to explain why Sakura had been taken off the Earth for treatment but ended up transformed into a crystal statue.

"Cough cough," I scratched my head, "Do you seriously think I need to waste my brain cells on someone like you? Two sentences are all it takes. ’I admit, the hover Armor commonly used by Xyrin Civilization might not align with human aesthetics, but that armor was modified as much as possible to suit Makoto Sakura’s preferences.’"

"Uh, armor?"

Emiya froze for a moment, then awkwardly repeated, "That is armor?"

I rolled my eyes, "No kidding, what else did you think it was?"

The foolish boy Emiya almost dug a hole right there to bury himself while Altoria still looked at me with eyes full of doubt. The antenna-like hair on her head, firm as guards, signaled, "Although I know you are a very honest person, for some unknown reason I instinctively doubt what you say."

How does Saber manage to communicate with her antenna hair, anyway?

"The energy density here is very low, much easier to move around than in the lab."

The sudden crisp voice echoed in the air, interrupting our little interlude. As Crystal Virgin Mary Sakura spoke, she moved her body slightly, immediately emitting the crisp sound of crystal collision. Intense sparks of energy burst from the giant statue’s base, propelling her towards Makoto Shinji. The deep energy roars sounded like a trapped beast howling at midnight, indirectly indicating how terrifyingly massive the energy source in the cone-shaped base actually was.

"Ah, my brother, from this angle, you look as small as a rat."

"Don’t come closer... ah... don’t come closer!"

With such a desperate, fearful scream, Makoto Shinji retreated on the sandy ground using hands and feet together, oblivious to the blood covering his limbs until his back hit a pile of steel bars, causing him to stop and scream even more frantically: "Please, go away. I’ll certainly perform rites for you, ah, haha, go away, Sakura, I’m your brother..."

Had he really become so delirious to mistake the statue in front of him for a vengeful ghost? Indeed, the Crystal Virgin Mary form of Sakura was a bit too terrifying. It was a mistake to let Bubbles contribute her ideas when they were finalizing the design for the Crystal Virgin Mary. Who knows which boss from a game she was playing she decided to model Sakura after.

Although there was no one commanding them, the remaining eight or nine Infantry Spirits spontaneously formed the last line of defense, blocking the path in front of the giant crystal statue. Discovering that the giant exactly did not notice them, they simultaneously threw their javelins and then quickly drew new ones for a second round of attack. Just before the bursts of energy from the base could reach them, these well-trained infantry spirits launched three powerful volleys of attacks. Unfortunately, the javelins that might have been deadly to a Heroic Spirit had no effect on Sakura now, as a translucent energy Shield blocked all attacks without even a ripple while the energy lightning from the "base" below instantly struck the two closest infantry spirits.

More fierce than Rider’s strike, merely three seconds later, the struggling infantry spirits transformed into equally translucent crystal sculptures, every furious hair detailed.

However, this attack seemed to be entirely unconscious on Sakura’s part, merely the natural discharge of the crystal clusters serving as a mobile base. When three infantry sculptures collapsed into a pile of fragments on the ground with a crisp snapping sound, she even looked around curiously.

Seeing such a powerful and eerie attack, the few surviving infantry spirits immediately retreated en masse until they could retreat no more, then threw their javelins again.

"These things are so annoying," Sakura muttered, waving her arms irritably. To her current self, these heavy javelins were as bothersome and insignificant as buzzing mosquitoes. "Hey, what was the activation phrase again? Oh, right, ’May the glory of the Empire guide you—begin transformation!’"

A wide range of blue light erupted from the base of the statue as she spoke. The hurricane swept up the remaining few infantry spirits, who struggled to even stand in this weird glow, and one by one, they knelt down, as if worshipping the floating crystal giant in the air. Sakura’s expression, however, showed no joy, as the transformation seemed somehow different from what she had felt in the laboratory simulations.

"Bang, bang, bang," several deep explosions resonated as the last few infantrymen, bathed in blue light, exploded into blue and white specks that gradually dissipated into the air.

"Ah, what?" Sakura immediately exclaimed in a low voice, "Transformation failed?"

Taville, do your creations also have bugs at times?

"Then, big brother, it’s just you left."

Sakura let out a light-hearted laughter, her voice accompanied by the crisp sound of crystals shattering. The platform beneath her gradually halted its energy release, and the five-meter-tall giant silently floated in front of Makoto Shinji, who could only open his mouth wide, uttering meaningless cackles from his throat.

This stand-off lasted for about a minute before Sakura suddenly sighed lightly, "Leave this place, my poor brother. I hope you survive the great purge after ’they’ arrive."

Indeed, she had made such a decision, showing compassion and pity even towards someone who had committed such unforgivable acts against her. Was this punishment enough?

Sakura, you are truly too kind.

But Makoto Shinji, you are destined to be a dead man.

The massive radiation from the Crystal Saint Mother was far more than humans could withstand. Although Sakura had contained this radiation within herself, perhaps subconsciously, on the side facing Makoto Shinji, a large dose of radiation energy never diminished.

Based on this dosage, the brain nerves would likely decay gradually over the next thirty days—a fitting death for a scum.

Being unexpectedly spared, Makoto Shinji wore an incredulous expression. After seeing the solemn expression on the face of the woman towering above him, he finally burst out laughing, relieved to have escaped death. But the next moment, he quickly covered his mouth as if fearing that such a sudden noise might make the "vengeful spirit" change its mind. He clumsily supported himself on a nearby pile of steel bars, got up, and staggered out of the Emiya Mansion. Far away, his twisted, unrestrained laughter could be heard.

What a disgraceful guy. Even killing him would feel like a waste of energy.

"Yo, looks like you have it under control."

My words seemed to stir Sakura out of her trance. The tall Crystal Saint Mother statue swayed slightly, then turned around from its elevated position, "Yeah! This feeling is really wonderful, ’boss!’"

"Huh? Who taught you to say that? You should call me Leader!" I corrected with a serious expression, then reminded, "It’s best not to show off your height advantage as the Crystal Saint Mother in front of Pandora and Visca—they’ll go berserk; and don’t glow in front of Little Baobao, she’ll rob you..."

"Um, I’ve heard about that," Sakura said with a strange expression, "Being with you guys is really full of crises."

I thought about it, then realized I had no rebuttal.

"The enemy had been dealt with, and Sakura began to disarm herself. She tapped twice into the air on the platform beneath her, whispering, ’Switch form.’"

"In the flicker of blue light, the surface of the giant Crystal Virgin Mary Statue swiftly covered with cracks, then the crystals fell like rain with a crisp and melodious ’whoosh’, turning into scattered glowing specks that vanished in the air. Finally standing before us was Sakura, back in her human form, wearing the school uniform she had on when she left."

"Senior, I am back."

With a gentle smile and a soft voice, Sakura addressed Emiya, her words infused with unmistakable emotions of a long-awaited reunion.

"Uh, let’s not be the third wheel here." I tugged at Sandora’s hand and forcibly took along the oblivious King of Dai Mao, along with Rider, and left the courtyard.

"Phew, they’ll probably talk for a long time," Sandora rubbed her eyes and yawned softly, "Ah Jun, what do you think about what happened tonight?"

"The Heroic Spirit Army?" I tapped my swelling temples, "Altoria, do you think it’s possible with human powers to summon hundreds of Heroic Spirit Legion?"

"Absolutely not," the King of Dai Mao shook his head without hesitation, "Even the weak Heroic Spirits we encountered today would be impossible; the Magic Power needed to sustain a Heroic Spirit in this world is astounding, in fact beyond any human magician’s limit. Without using a Command Spell to cheat the system, humans couldn’t even summon one Heroic Spirit, let alone contract such a large number of them..."

Sandora interjected: "Wouldn’t that many Command Spells need to be engraved on their eyeballs?"

Bubbles, your thinking is too shallow.

"Then, Rider, what do you think about the failed transformations of those ’Heroic Spirits’ from earlier?" I turned my head to the silent purple-haired woman beside us, who had once successfully become a Ghost Energy Heroic Spirit (or should it be called a ghost?) loyal to Avalon after trying Sakura’s conversion methods, and was the most authoritative on this matter.

"I think those weren’t real Heroic Spirits," Rider shook her head, "At least not complete ones. Their magic power was chaotic and they lacked any unique skills indicative of their class, and though they were warrior-like beings condensed from magic power like Heroic Spirits, they felt different to me."

"Alright, let’s leave the rest to the professionals," I pondered, nodding as I curiously observed Rider’s face, "Say, you shouldn’t need that eyepatch anymore, right?"

"I got used to it," Rider paused, her lips slowly curving into a smile as she casually removed the purple seal, "That’s true, maybe it’s time to move on from the past, then. From now on, I’ll follow your orders, boss."

I just wonder how the world’s two major Suppression Forces will react to our brazen poaching, especially since through the Crystal Virgin Mary transformation, more than just an avatar has pledged allegiance to Avalon’s World Tree faction; the Law Power of the Management God is involved, and its authority far surpasses any planet-level will. Now, Rider is completely removed from the Holy Grail World’s Heroic Spirit system, her Heroic Spirit Hall projected within a subsidiary space of the World Tree, and her projection in this world managed by Avalon’s Mother Nest—it’s poaching in the absolute sense. Soon enough, the two Suppression Forces will notice this workforce outflow. Well, we’ll leave the negotiations to Dingdang then...

I don’t know how Sakura described her recent experiences in the "Mysterious Paradise," but even if she did, Emiya wouldn’t mind. Anyway, when the two of them reappeared in front of us, I could sense that they were even closer than before—is this what they call honeymooning after a short separation?

"In any case, we should be thankful that everything worked out so well." Seeing the smiles on Emiya and Sakura’s faces, Saber solemnly bowed to us in gratitude, unaware that plans were already underway to include her in the list of Heroic Spirits to be coaxed.

As for Sakura’s appearance in the Crystal Saint Mother Form, I explained it as Magic Armor from Xyrin Technology, capable of merging with one’s own cells and typically stored in Other Space during normal states. This powerful equipment amazed Emiya and Saber, who could probably never comprehend what the ’Key of Avalon’ truly represents. However, for the former, Sakura’s safe return was enough, and indeed, Sakura seemed restored to her ’original self,’ making everything wonderfully celebratory.

Although the chances of Shen Er returning seemed minuscule, just to be safe, we set up several invisible alarm devices near Emiya’s Mansion, designated as a monitoring focus for the Leaving World Garden. After finishing all this and returning to the Tohsaka Family’s home, it was already close to half past midnight...(To be continued. For further details, please visit www.qidian.com. More Chapters available, support the author, support genuine reading!)"