He Tore Through The Holy Grail War, And You Still Call Him A Dragon?

"Then let me ask you, Shirou, what the hell are you doing here?"

Uesugi Yue wasn't carrying a blade at this moment. The Kazama Ruri he used to carry on his back had already been locked up by the Sheqi Bajia under Gen Shizuo's arrangements. Yet his gaze alone was sharp enough to pierce through Shirou's entire body, like a lion protecting its cub.

The look in Uesugi Yue's eyes now was completely different from before. In the past, he might have vaguely advised the two to behave more carefully, since he hadn't been able to confirm that Eri was really his daughter…

But things were different now. Having learned that Eri was indeed his daughter, Uesugi Yue was full of confidence! Even if Shirou wasn't related by blood, he was clearly trying to steal his daughter away!

Gen Shizuo also looked at Shirou and Eri with suspicion. Not long ago, he had suffered a massive betrayal in his life—

The man who raised him, Tachibana Masamune, turned out to have always been coveting the clan's power and the secret of the gods, possibly even colluding with the Ghost Faction to abduct his sister Eri.

That truth dealt a heavy blow to Gen Shizuo, forcing him to reassess and reevaluate just how many truly reliable people remained within his social circle.

Under the father and son's sharp stares, Shirou instantly broke into a cold sweat. One thing was clear: Gen Shizuo definitely thought Eri had been safely at home all this time, otherwise he wouldn't have come only now.

What should he do? Should he tell the truth?

Just as Shirou was struggling to figure out how to get through this, Sun Enxi, leaning casually against the windowsill, suddenly spoke up:

"Well, isn't this the eldest son of the Gen family? It's been a while since we last met. Now that I see you today, you're not even going to greet me?"

Beside her, Sakude Mai raised a brow. So the "potato chip girl" was deliberately helping Shirou change the subject.

The boss told you to ally with Shirou, but you're going this far? Don't tell me you've taken a liking to him…

Ling silently brushed past everyone, not revealing any thoughts. She simply walked to the corner, closed the door, then turned up the volume of the TV drama playing, preventing any important conversation from leaking out.

Gen Shizuo wasn't surprised to see Sun Enxi and the others by Shirou's side. After all, the last time he tried to have Ms. Sakurai Nanami recruit Shirou, Sun Enxi had interrupted and ruined his plan.

Still, he couldn't get angry with Sun Enxi. This financial powerhouse, the "Black Swan of Capital," was a creditor of the Sheqi Bajia. Unless Gen Shizuo was willing to bear the burden of bankrupting the clan, he could never afford to offend her.

"Miss Sun, I was anxious to find my sister just now and forgot to greet you. Are the two beside you also considered your own people?" Gen Shizuo discreetly pointed at Sakude Mai and Ling. If they weren't "their own," this conversation couldn't continue.

"Oh, of course. You could say they're my trusted subordinates." Sun Enxi said loftily, clearly flaunting her authority as "the boss," which earned her quiet disdain from the long-legged beauty and the emotionless girl beside her.

"So, Sun-san stayed in Tokyo. I suppose you're also paying attention to the Holy Grail War?"

"Of course. The Holy Grail War is still a war. And where there's war, there's business."

"During wartime, Tokyo isn't the best place to stay."

"If not during war, then after war."

"…"

While Sun Enxi and Gen Shizuo idly dragged on their conversation, Eri gently grasped Shirou's hand and gave a small shake of her head. Then she rose from the bed.

Shirou understood. Eri didn't want him to bear the "crime" of abducting her. It was better if she "surrendered herself."

"Don't worry, Eri. I'll explain."

This exchange, though subtle, was noticed by Uesugi Yue and his son. Their eyes grew even more terrifying—so, this brat had really gotten Eri already?!

Their eyelids twitched violently, fists clenching until their knuckles cracked.

But Shirou showed no fear. Clearing his throat, he waited until everyone's attention was on him before speaking calmly:

"The reason I'm here is because not long ago, I saved an unconscious Eri from the sewers. Worried about her health, I carried her to the hospital for examination."

"The sewers?" Gen Shizuo's expression hardened. He instantly thought of the Dead Servants that had poured out of the sewers and into the Gen Heavy Industries building. "Was it an attack by the Ghost Faction?"

"Something like that," Shirou recalled the masked man. "There was someone called 'Ōshō' (King General)."

From what Kazama Ruri had told him, this "Ōshō" was supposed to be sinister and dangerous, yet he had died right then and there.

"Really?"

Suddenly, Gen Shizuo's thoughts grew clear. Ōshō was the leader of the Ghost Faction. If he had appeared in the sewers, then the Dead Servants had been sent by him.

And Eri—likely in collusion with Herzog—had been abducted by Ōshō through the sewers, only to be rescued by Shirou along the way.

"But how did Ōshō manage to abduct Eri in the first place?"

Gen Shizuo knew full well the family didn't keep strict watch over Eri because she might be abducted, but because anyone who came near her would be in danger. Eri was the Sheqi Bajia's "Tsukuyomi no Mikoto," the sharpest weapon of the clan. Mishandled, she could easily harm innocents.

"It seemed to be the sound of a 'clapper,'" Shirou explained.

"Clapper?"

"On closer look, it resembled a primitive tribal instrument. But its tone was very peculiar. For some reason, Eri reacted to it—once she heard it, she became like a puppet under control."

Everyone present, except Shirou and Eri, turned solemn.

Controlling others with sound? That was clearly a vile sorcery, insidious and hard to guard against. Mental-type kotodama weren't unheard of, but most—like Kotodama: Shinra—worked through vision, creating illusions. Rarely could one manipulate others through hearing alone.

Knock knock knock!

A sudden knock at the door cut off their thoughts.

Ling opened it. Nono entered, red hair damp, wrapped in a dripping cashmere coat, her boots clacking against the floor. "Yo, this room can actually fit this many people? My bad, the rain outside got heavier, so I'm late."

Shirou noticed she wasn't wearing her miko robes but instead a brand-new set of casual clothes. He quietly sighed in relief. Nono was thoughtful and careful—otherwise, she might've aroused Gen Shizuo's suspicion.

He continued, "About what I said earlier—rescuing Eri from the sewers…the real problem wasn't Ōshō at all. The problem is—the god has broken free!"

Gen Shizuo's voice jumped an octave. "What did you say?"

"The god! The supreme mother goddess, Izanami, appeared! I think I've made myself clear enough."

Seeing both Gen Shizuo and Uesugi Yue nodding in understanding, Shirou pressed on. "She claimed to have made a 'God and Miko' contract with Eri. I suspect this contract is similar to a Master-Servant pact in the Holy Grail War—she extracts mana and life force from Eri."

Gen Shizuo instinctively glanced at Eri's hand. His breath caught. "But there's no Command Seal…"

"Right. Most likely it's still a contract, but not a fair one. It's a one-sided forced pact."

At that moment, Ling suddenly walked over. Under the astonished eyes of father and son, she summoned Anastasia. "Can you observe it? Caster."

The princess dissolved her spiritual form, glanced once at Eri, then closed her eyes for several seconds. Hugging her fairy familiar, "Viy," she reopened her eyes and spoke:

"Viy tells me this human girl has had part of her life force forcibly taken. The contract pathway is extremely stable and cannot be broken. I wouldn't rule out the possibility of further life being drained."

Uesugi Yue grew anxious. "Then what should we do? Eri won't be harmed, will she?"

The princess was never one for comforting words. Coldly, she declared: "It's almost impossible to guarantee her safety—unless you place your hopes in the enemy's mercy."

Knock knock knock.

Everyone frowned again. Who else could it be now?

Ling opened the door once more, but instead of letting anyone in, she took a stack of reports and handed them to Gen Shizuo.

"Father, this one is yours." He passed a sheet to Uesugi Yue—the paternity test with Eri. The result was undeniable: they were father and daughter. Eri's blood sample had come from the medical exam she'd undergone at this very hospital.

The other papers were from the clan's medical team, analyzing the stability of Eri's bloodline.

The results were shocking—

Eri's dragon blood concentration was nearly zero! She had essentially become an ordinary person! It was below the threshold of bloodline awakening, and she could no longer wield Kotodama: Judgment. She was no longer the clan's unstoppable weapon, Tsukuyomi no Mikoto.

Gen Shizuo quietly gathered the report.

At another time, he might have sighed in relief, grateful that fate had freed his sister from the clan's tragic destiny, allowing her to live as a normal girl.

But the truth—that her life force had been stolen—made it impossible to see this as a good thing.

A portion of life had been drained, reducing her to a normal human. At first glance, worth celebrating. But what if more was taken? Would Eri become a patient? A vegetable? Or…a corpse?

"…Listen," Shirou finally said, seeing the heavy mood. "If this contract is like a Master-Servant pact, then it stands to reason the god's activity depends on Eri. We can treat her as we would a Servant in the Holy Grail War—by killing the god directly, the contract would naturally dissolve."

"To speak so casually of slaying a god…" Gen Shizuo sighed faintly. "Such audacity—the nickname 'God-Slayer' isn't for nothing."

At that moment, Uesugi Yue slapped his calloused palm onto Gen Shizuo's shoulder.

"What's there to fear? It's just a god. Our clan sealed it for centuries. Why be scared of some ancient relic from a bygone era? Hah! For my daughter's sake, I'd smash down Yomi itself and not bat an eye!"

(End of Chapter)

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