Xyrin Empire
Chapter 492: Success Comes When Conditions Are Right

Chapter 492: Chapter 492: Success Comes When Conditions Are Right

After the existence of the enemy Heroic Spirit Army was confirmed, Tohsaka Rin couldn’t snap out of it for a full three minutes.

This was too ridiculous, the kind of absurdity that made headlines! A Heroic Spirit Army? Hundreds, thousands of Heroic Spirits? How could that be possible?

Having seven Heroic Spirits appear in one Holy Grail War was already a miracle born after exploiting a loophole in the fabric of the world, representing the summit of mysteries accessible and controllable by humans. And just these seven Heroic Spirits alone were sufficient to trigger a conflict that could be called a "war," which highlights their might and indicates the extent of their impact on the real world.

So what about five thousand Heroic Spirits?

That is no longer a Holy Grail War that a mere Fuyuki City could handle; it is a catastrophe that could overturn an entire nation and a crisis that not even all the forces of the human Mysterious system could quell. Against such formidable Heroic Spirits, human weaponry would be futile, and even a heavy tank could not defeat a Saber wielding a Holy Sword. If such a force were to enter the Holy Grail War...

"It’s too unfair... how could this happen..."

Rin sat dumbfounded on the living room sofa, mumbling to herself unconsciously.

"Impossible, all my efforts to date, they can’t compare to... Uncle Alien, did you really not lie to me?"

I shrugged once more, pointing at Emiya beside me: "At least this silly boy doesn’t lie, and neither does Saber."

It was the truth. Although she had been trying to deny it all, Tohsaka Rin herself also knew that everything was an undeniable fact. The last survivor of the Einzbern now lodged in her own home, and even the powerful demigod hero Hercules could not stop the cataclysm that descended in an instant. The Einzbern, deeply rooted with numerous outstanding magicians, were annihilated within a day—what could she possibly do?

"Hey, don’t tell me you’ve lost your fighting spirit already?"

Seeing Tohsaka’s listless eyes, I knew this girl who had shouldered her family’s burdens all alone was truly overwhelmed. That she had hung on until today was already commendable, but as I began to speak, well, I still couldn’t resist teasing her a bit.

"No way!" Contrary to what I had expected, Tohsaka immediately raised her voice to object, "It’s just sudden nervousness upon learning how strong the other side is! If you’re talking about giving up, that’s still a long way off!"

"Ah?" This time, not only was I surprised, but even Sandora beside me showed a look of amazement and intrigue, while Red A, who had been standing behind Tohsaka serving as a backdrop and automatic teapot, wore no expression of surprise, as if he had expected Tohsaka’s response all along.

"No matter how you think about it, summoning thousands of Heroic Spirits with human strength is impossible," Tohsaka said, tapping her forehead with her index finger, a pensive look on her face. "It’s not just a limitation of magic power. More importantly, the world itself would never allow such a dangerous situation to arise. Invading reality with ’alien objects’ that shouldn’t exist in the world creates a tremendous burden. Even if the Makoto Family really summoned thousands of Heroic Spirits, it must be the result of cutting corners. They may seem powerful on the surface, but such cheating must have weaknesses far more dangerous than the formidable facade, many times over. As long as we can figure out which loophole they exploited in the Holy Grail System, there’s still hope for victory. Moreover, according to the intelligence you brought, the mass-produced Heroic Spirits aren’t very strong, likely only one-fifth the combat strength of normal Heroic Spirits. And now we have four powerful Heroic Spirits including Berserker and the newly arrived Rider. That means, if we can avoid confronting their numbers head-on and use our superior forces to attack Makoto’s main house, a total reversal is still possible!"

Listening to Tohsaka’s logical analysis and confident tone, a smile gradually appeared on my face. It seemed I had underestimated this girl who had supported her family from a young age. I really shouldn’t have treated her as a normal girl.

However, why doesn’t her analysis include us?

"Ah ha ha~~ because I feel you are all uncontrollable factors," Tohsaka laughed dryly, obviously for reasons she did not disclose to others. "More importantly, I feel that once you join in, it would be like heralding a disaster..."

"How could you say that about Brother Chen...cough cough," Sakura immediately retorted without giving an inch, almost letting the word "boss" slip out. "Besides, Rider and I are not under Tohsaka-senpai’s command, we’re currently working under Brother Chen!"

"Sakura..." Tohsaka looked at the earnest purple-haired girl in front of her, at a loss for words. In truth, when we suddenly brought her back, she nearly gasped in shock, and after listening to Emiya’s evasive account of how Sakura and Rider had "jointly" repelled Makoto Shinji, she was not only incredulous but also showed an even more complex expression. I could clearly see the unnatural look on Tohsaka’s face when making eye contact with Sakura. Two sisters who were once closest to each other had somehow evolved into this awkward situation where just sitting face to face made them uncomfortable, which was enough to make one lament the twists of fate.

If only the head of the Tohsaka Family hadn’t used his daughter as a bargaining chip and adopted her out to the Makoto Family, Sakura would have never endured all that darkness to follow, and they surely would have had happier times. Unfortunately, the past cannot be changed. However, if things could start to change from now, that wouldn’t be so bad.

Tohsaka awkwardly looked at Sakura for a long time, then sheepishly said, "Ah ha, working, huh."

"For medical expenses," Tohsaka seemed not to notice the genuine smile on Sakura’s face, one that she hadn’t seen for a long time, nor did she pay attention to the light-hearted and teasing tone in the other’s voice. But that didn’t affect a certain Crystal Saint Mother’s denouncement of her own boss, "Aliens are quite stingy."

Stingy my ass! As a part of the Leaving World Garden, don’t you think you should be doing your job properly?

Tohsaka looked at the girl before her with some surprise. The relaxed and slightly mischievous expression on Sakura’s face made her feel as if she was hallucinating. She didn’t know what Sakura had gone through to suddenly become so cheerful, but since those things were all related to us, she felt it was inappropriate to ask. However, no matter the reason, Sakura’s current demeanor gave her a sense of relief.

Well, in fact, I’m also quite curious about how Sakura’s personality has undergone such a drastic change. It’s probably not just because of Avalon’s magical power but also due to the contribution of a LEVEL6 priestess in psychology, right?

"...All you have to do from now on is live happily, leaving all the troubles to us. Moreover, if you don’t like living in this world, we have countless other worlds for you to choose from..." This wasn’t a joke, but a solid promise. Perhaps this assurance from Lilina was one of the reasons for Sakura to let go of the heavy burden in her heart.

"Having such immense power, it would be great if you could participate," Even with the presence of Miss Tohsaka, who caused headaches, there was still someone serious left at the scene who could think about the big picture. King of Dai Mao nodded and looked at us with an inquiring gaze, "After all, the number of enemies is huge, and with thousands of Heroic Spirits, it’s impossible to completely avoid falling into their numbers game. Therefore, we hope to use your formidable power to suppress those Heroic Spirit Soldiers on a large scale, allowing us to strike into the Makoto Headquarters as a surprise force."

"Actually, I have an even better plan."

Sandora put down her black tea and smiled slightly at everyone, "You guys go enjoy a leisurely holiday on a sunny beach, and we’ll take care of the whack-a-mole here."

"You’re underestimating the strength of the Heroic Spirits," Tohsaka immediately shook her head, "Although you are strong, five thousand Heroic Spirits are definitely a disaster, even for you."

Sandora just narrowed her eyes slightly but shook her head without speaking. On the other hand, Sakura’s mouth twitched immediately; remembering the huge starship that blotted out the sky she had "accidentally" seen in Avalon and the footage of the Kepulu battle she had watched in the lab, she knew these Alien VIPs were merely spectating and felt the need to silently mourn for the unfortunate Makoto Family.

While Tohsaka and Emiya were still seriously discussing how to break through the huge numerical advantage formed by the five thousand Heroic Spirits of the Makoto Family, Sandora and I were already somewhat bored. Suddenly, a spiritual connection rang in my mind, immediately alerting me: "Wood, wood! Emergency call for Wood!"

"Miss Xue, what’s wrong?" Although I was initially startled by Lin Xue’s call, I immediately realized that if she was calling me out of the blue, it must be some significant discovery.

"I’ve seen something, guess what?"

"You’ve lost your perfect attendance bonus for next month."

"...You’re ruthless!" Lin Xue replied huffily and then said proudly, "Tomorrow night at 9:30, there will be a second anomaly at Yododani Temple. I have already seen it. This kind of anomaly is not entirely within Caster’s control. Let the Leaving World Garden prepare one minute in advance; when the anomaly starts, cut the entire Yododani Temple area out from normal space. You will see some good things, and another thing—have a good sleep tonight, Harem Wood!!"

What did I do to this girl?

Lin Xue’s last sentence made me puzzled, but the news she brought was indeed urgently needed. Because we didn’t know the mutation patterns of this world, we had to passively let the Leaving World Garden’s targeting system continuously scan Yododani Temple, which was the dumbest defensive measure. Moreover, if the anomaly occurred too rapidly, such surveillance would be meaningless. In contrast, Lin Xue’s precisely timed prediction was very timely.

"Time to sleep!" Standing up, I loudly declared that rest time had arrived, "There’s action tomorrow morning, so we’ll call it a day for today. Uh... Tohsaka, what’s that look for?"

"You say that so casually!" The Miss erupted with a massive grudge, and it seemed this grudge had been accumulating ever since we returned, only to finally be released now, "Because of your lovely sisters, we are now running out of rooms!"

Hmm? Rooms?

I was taken aback for a moment and then pulled out a calculator and started hitting the addition button.

Tohsaka Rin, Red A, Emiya Shirou, Altoria, Sandora, Pandora, Visca, Zuotian Tsuruya, Little Baobao, Vega, Ilya, Berserker, Makoto Sakura, Rider, and counting myself, plus Dingdang who could be squeezed into any corner, total is...

Ok, Miss, it seems I did bring home a little too many guests... But this big house should not have a problem accommodating two more guests suddenly, right? And speaking of my lovely sisters, what does that have to do with not having enough rooms now?

As if catching the confusion on my face, Tohsaka’s lips twitched slightly before she suddenly pointed towards the staircase on the second floor.

"Why didn’t you warn me ahead of time that Pandora and Visca would fight when they’re together!?"

I immediately felt that things were going to get messy.

"Ever since you left, Little Visca has been making a fuss, restless as if the end of the world was nearing; then Little Pandora said a couple of words to her, and they ended up wrestling each other!"

"Well... how should I put it, it’s kind of normal, it’s their usual way of expressing affection as sisters."

Wiping the non-existent cold sweat, I had a vague guess about what had happened.

"But rolling on the ground is one thing, those two super-strong little girls went straight through three walls!"

It’s over, I forgot to remind those two girls that Tohsaka’s house isn’t ours, the walls here aren’t reinforced with interstellar alloy.

"Anyway, you will have to bear all the costs for the repairs!" Tohsaka finally revealed the nature of the little demon she was, "As a punishment, the whole house needs to be renovated!"

I knew it...

"Hey, looks like we don’t have a place to stay tonight," Sakura touched her cheek and said to Rider, tilting her head, "It’s not like we’re going back to ’that home,’ right?"

"Absolutely not!" Tohsaka almost subconsciously interrupted her own sister, but facing the other’s direct gaze, she immediately became tongue-tied, "I mean... maybe you can... squeeze in with me for tonight, it’s all the fault of that alien uncle, but anyway we..."

Sakura’s lips curled into a warm smile, suddenly stood up, leaned over and said, "After all, we’ve slept together before, big sister, this time I want to sleep on the inside!"

"Ah Jun," Sandora nudged my arm, "Suddenly, human emotions seem so complex, kind of demoralizing."

It’s okay, I feel demoralized too, let’s just happily watch other people’s exciting lives forever...

The night was deep, possibly close to two in the morning, the Heroic Spirits and masters, tired after a long night of turmoil, went back to their rooms to rest after the discussion was over. Despite the serious situation, this day was considered by some to be lucky enough to be called a lucky day. For Emiya, Sakura returned safely and seemed more cheerful than before, and there was nothing that could please him more, whereas for Tohsaka, today something happened that she had imagined countless times but never dared to hope would come true.

Sakura came back, and it seemed that she had completely broken with the Makoto family. To her, the greatest meaning of all this was that she no longer had to stand in opposition to her own sister, did not have to hurt this relative she had once valued the most, and the fact that Sakura, who had been like a stranger to her, showed such a close attitude to her today was a very pleasant surprise.

All else was insignificant at this moment.

In another room, two people were lightly embracing each other amidst a slightly tense and ambiguous atmosphere.

"It’s fine with just Ah Jun," was what Sandora said to the distressed Tohsaka who was troubled with room assignments. Honestly, at the beginning, I didn’t think too much about it—because sharing a room with Sandora wasn’t the first time, but this time, it seemed that the situation had changed.

Perhaps it was Tohsaka’s intention, but it was just Sandora and me in the room, no Little Bubbles making a mess, no otaku girl forcibly inserting herself under the guise of being a child’s mother, no Pandora or Visca sneaking around; this was the first time for such a situation, where only the two of us were in the room.

The atmosphere, originally not ambiguous, became languid with a sudden silence and a gaze between the two of us.

"Ah Jun..." The golden-haired girl, who was always calm and decisive in front of me, showed a rare twisted expression, but still firmly nestled in my arms, "Being together like this, it seems like it’s the first time, isn’t it."

Feeling the soft body in my arms trembling slightly, I listened amusedly to the Queen’s aimless and incoherent words and gently brushed her golden bangs aside, "Silly girl."

Everything was understood without words, and then...

"Wow, Ah Jun! The lamp here is one size smaller than the one at home! Dingdang doesn’t sleep comfortably inside! Dingdang wants Ah Jun to change this lampshade!"

The sudden call was like lightning from the sky; Sandora and I abruptly separated and exchanged awkward glances for two seconds before, in perfect tacit agreement, we simultaneously turned to stare at the little thing that had just jumped out of the lamp, barefoot and curiously looking up at us.

"I forgot to clear the scene in advance." At that moment, Sandora’s decisiveness returned, but her cheeks grew even a little redder. Little Baobao looked puzzled at the master, who was now approaching with a dark face, and let out a curious "huh?"

And then he was thrown out.

************

"Hey, Ah Jun, by human terms, from today on, I truly belong to you~~"

The girl’s face was still flushed as she teasingly spoke.

"Tsk, you belonged to me before, too!"

"Alright, alright, since the moment I met you, until now, and for every moment in the future, I belong to Ah Jun," Sandora suddenly spoke in a low voice as if chanting, then lifted her head, her eyes filled with a gentle but firm resolve, "So, from the moment you met me, until now, and for every moment in the future, you will also belong to me, our souls merging as one, eternal as the Void."

The touch of bare skin brought a cool sensation and remarkable softness; the smitten girl did her best to press her body close to her lover, her incredibly innocent large eyes thus being mere inches away.

Sandora’s eyes, they were what drew me in the most, just looking straight into them so closely, I would feel as if I might fall into them forever. Her profound eyes were hiding many things, perhaps – the wisdom accumulated over time, the resolve of a leader, the dignity of a king – but those things were never displayed for me. To me, it was simply a clear spring, filled with the girl’s purest emotions, and that was all.

"Of course, my silly girl."

How did things progress to this point? Looking back, everything seemed so logical as to be unbelievable. It might have felt abrupt, but on reflection, everything fell into place, like it was meant to happen, and wasn’t surprising at all. It was nothing like what I had expected, there were no specific opportunities—if being coincidentally assigned to the same room even counts—there were no prerequisites, we just returned to the room, and naturally embraced, kissed, as natural as what a married couple would do. It was only now that I realized just how profoundly my feelings for Sandora had developed. When affection becomes so intense that any distance between us goes unnoticed, anything that happens carries an incredible sense of naturalness.

When we came to our senses, everything had naturally taken place.

"Ah Jun, I really do love you," Sandora murmured softly, nuzzling her face close to my ear, leaving these warm words, then playfully biting my shoulder, "Stamping it, no one else is allowed to take it from now on."

This was indeed Sandora’s kind of "silly tsundere".

"Mm, this time I really did beat Qianqian for a change," Sandora giggled foolishly as we held each other quietly, the passion of the moment still lingering, and then said in a low voice, "Ah Jun, be good to us in the future, alright?"

I looked at her with surprise; that she would bring up another girl at this time felt a bit incredible to me. Of course, this also stirred up conflicting feelings in me. Yes, Qianqian had long accepted Sandora’s presence and naturally thought of everything that happened today, but I couldn’t really be at peace about it—if I could be at peace at a time like this, I would be no different from a scoundrel.

Perhaps the confusion in my eyes was too obvious, as Sandora just looked up at me and burst into giggles: "Ah Jun, you should feel lucky, I am a Xyrin... Haha, Ah Jun, do you believe it? I had even discussed with Qianqian before, which one of us you would eat up first."

"...Thank you," after a long silence, I hugged the girl in my arms tightly once more, "and... I’m sorry."

(Those who want to watch adult content, go face the wall!)(To be continued, if you wish to know what happens next, please visit www.qidian.com, more Chapters available there, support the author, support genuine reading!)