Shinji Matou at Your Service

"How foolish."

The purple-haired girl sighed.

Satsuki also knew she was being foolish. She trembled with fear but still raised her head to meet the gaze of the killer before her.

"It's okay, Tohno-kun will come to save me. He definitely will, just like before."

Faced with such pure eyes, even the fierce, bloodthirsty killer hesitated slightly. He covered his forehead with his injured left arm, letting the blood soak his face, and screamed hysterically.

"Boring, boring, boring! Do you believe in Tohno Shiki? What's so reliable about that idiot? You're about to be killed, and he's probably still asleep at home."

"Even so, I believe in him. I believe he will come to save me."

Satsuki believed, believed in the boy who had saved her before and believed in the one she liked.

"It's enviable, and at the same time, extremely boring. You hold onto your boring hope—"

The blood-soaked killer raised his unharmed right hand, brandishing a glistening dagger.

"No, it's not boring at all. The Lord teaches us to hold onto hope."

Thud, thud, thud!

The sound of heavy footsteps echoed through the dark alley, accompanied by a powerful female voice.

"God rest ye merry. Let nothing you dismay!"

In the ancient hymn, the killer finally saw the owner of the voice.

It was a young woman, taller than most Japanese people. She wore a black jacket on top and a steel skirt armor below. Her long silver hair was tied into a simple ponytail, complementing her gallant face, and exuding a sense of dashing competence.

What caught the eye most was her weapon, a black shield that looked very much like a cello. Two faintly glowing crosses adorned the shield's surface.

"I am Riesbyfe Stridberg, captain of the Vestel Shield Knights. Cease your violence! If you refuse, I will consider you an enemy."

"Tch, a troublesome person has arrived."

Despite her words, the killer showed no intention of leaving.

"Negotiations have failed. Beginning target elimination."

With that, Riesbyfe stopped talking, stomping the ground with a heavy thud and charging forward with her shield. Unlike the killer and the purple-haired girl, her fighting style was direct and overpowering. In the face of this human tank, neither spider webs nor their creator could withstand a single blow.

The threads blocking the alley were snapped by brute force, and even the killer standing on the ground didn't dare to confront her head-on, leaping onto the wall with his bloodied body.

Seeing this, Riesbyfe slowed down and stopped in front of the purple-haired girl and Satsuki. She advised them:

"Stay here and don't move. Leave the rest to me."

She then looked up at the thin figure standing on the rooftop and said, "You can't escape!"

"I never planned to run. I only have one night to live, so of course, I'll enjoy the killing to the fullest."

With the cry of an owl and a maniacal laugh, the killer pushed his movement skills to the limit.

It was a special form of three-dimensional movement, resembling a bird, a snake, a spider, and even some other beast. It surpassed human limits, a feat that even most martial artists couldn't achieve.

The killer used such techniques to perform unpredictable actions, launching one surprise attack after another, defeating even the purple-haired girl who fought with a gun and thread.

Faced with such bizarre movements, Riesbyfe remained unflustered. She casually slung her shield over her shoulder, keeping her head tilted back as if this posture helped her locate the killer.

Shadows darted, and the wind howled. The killer's movements grew faster. Though his figure was still unclear, everyone knew he was approaching.

"Be careful," the purple-haired girl couldn't help but warn, lightly twitching her recovering left hand, seemingly ready to lay another web.

Riesbyfe shook her head at her. Just as the girl was puzzled, the killer's figure suddenly shifted from extreme motion to extreme stillness.

Right behind Riesbyfe, the dagger turned into a white line slashing at her throat, faster than the two girls could scream.

"Got her!"

The killer's eyes gleamed with bloodthirsty excitement.

However, in the next second, his expression froze on his face.

His dagger had indeed touched Riesbyfe's throat. With a slight movement, he could slice her windpipe and take her life. But no matter how hard the killer tried, the dagger wouldn't budge an inch—it, along with his entire right hand gripping it, was held firmly by Riesbyfe's right hand, the one not holding the shield.

This hand wore a black metal gauntlet, larger and stronger than the killer's hand, like an iron clamp, securely gripping his weapon, his sole means of attack.

"Got you."

Riesbyfe lifted her head and smiled faintly at the killer.

This smile sent chills down the killer's spine. This female knight was different from everyone he had encountered before. She was a true warrior, proficient in combat, knowing how to leverage her strengths and cover her weaknesses. More importantly, she would never show mercy to her enemies.

Her iron wrist finally exerted force, effortlessly slamming the killer onto the ground with one hand, then swung him against the opposite wall, and then back to the ground.

Over and over, the cycle repeated until the killer was a bloody mess, on the brink of death. Only then did she toss him away like a rag doll, muttering softly:

"That should be enough, right? Should I throw him a couple more times just to be sure?"

"No, you can't. According to my calculations, his bones and muscles are already over seventy percent damaged. Another throw would kill him."

"I see."

Riesbyfe glanced at the purple-haired girl with slight confusion.

"Since you say so, it must be right. What's your name again? Oh yes, Sion Eltnam Atlasia, right?"

"You know me?"

Sion seemed to realize something, her expression changing slightly.

"Ah, the Maiden of the Holy Shield."

"Three years ago, most of the people who went to hunt that dead apostle with you were my subordinates. I was supposed to go too, but Cardinal Gessebarne assigned me a task at the last minute, so I couldn't. Sion Eltnam Atlasia, you were the sole survivor of that hunt. I need to know everything that happened. If you refuse, I will execute the Church's orders and take you into custody. Additionally, Atlas Institute has extended the same cooperation request."

Seeing Riesbyfe's straightforwardness, Sion didn't hesitate and expressed her stance directly.

"I can tell you what happened, but I won't go quietly. That Dead Apostle TATARI is here, and I must defeat him!"

"!!!"