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Book 6: Chapter 2:1: Noble Phantasm: Ancestor, Save Me! Part 1

Book 6: Chapter 2:1: Noble Phantasm: Ancestor, Save Me! Part 1

“Submit to the beckoning of the Holy Grail. If you submit to this will and this reason, then answer!” The incantation for summoning Heroic Spirits continued.

“Your younger sister is summoning you already. Go quickly; don’t make your younger sister wait.” For the first time, Alaya rejoiced to see a magic circle, truly.

“I shall attain all virtues of all of Heaven. I shall have dominion over all evils of all of Hell!” The magic circle brightened as Chen Heng’s figure slowly turned translucent.

“Alaya, I’d better see you again once the Holy Grail War ends. Otherwise…you might not live to see the next day. Even Root cannot save you—my word on it.”

“From the Seventh Heaven, attend to my three great words of power!”

“Right, right. Don’t worry. You should go quickly!” Alaya nodded hurriedly.

“Come forth from the restraints of reincarnation, protector of the holy balance!” After the summoning incantation was completed, the magic circle flared with light, engulfing Chen Heng. When the light vanished, he was gone.

After Chen Heng disappeared, Alaya plopped down on the floor without a care for her image—not that she had an image in the first place.

“Hey! Alaya, why are you sitting on the floor? Did your negotiation with Chen Heng fail?” Not a few seconds after Alaya had sat, another figure materialized within this empty space—the other Counter Force, Gaia.

“Mind your own business, Gaia.”

“Hey, don’t be like that. We once shared the world consciousness’s authority. Aren’t we inseparable now? This is quite rude of you.”

“Like I would believe you. If we were inseparable, you wouldn’t have backstabbed me.”

“The incident with Sigurd was merely a blunder; why won’t you believe me? That’s right. I just got back from crafting an identity for Chen Heng. I assume you’ve already had your talk with him since you are here so early?”

Gaia took the seat Chen Heng had occupied, looking at Alaya, who remained slumped on the floor.

“We did talk, yes. It was quite enjoyable.”

“Enjoyable, really? You’ve transformed into a blond loli; what’s the plan? To seduce him?”

“Gaia, let me tell you this: Chen Heng is a man who holds a grudge like no other. Given what I know about you and the favor he once did me, I’m sure you made some minor adjustments to his identity or something else.”

Caught out, Gaia hesitated before admitting it, or rather she had no intention of hiding it. “Well, you’re not wrong. I made a small adjustment, but it was all in good fun. I wouldn’t risk offending a transcender by setting Chen Heng up.”

Still in her golden-haired loli guise, Alaya cast a sidelong glance at Gaia and sneered, “Fun? Just a little?”

“What’s that supposed to mean?”

“Chen Heng still bears a grudge against me for turning a 50,000-point reward for a previous mission into a half-price discount card. He was going to extort something from me earlier, and I still don’t know what he’ll demand. You can check the time records in the Throne of Heroes if you want to understand how deeply he holds a grudge.”

From Alaya’s understanding of Gaia, Gaia was also a petty person. Since Chen Heng had helped her before, Gaia would definitely target Chen Heng. Alaya was looking forward to seeing two small-minded entities pitting against each other. She was more than delighted by Gaia’s coming misfortune.

Sitting on the chair Chen Heng had occupied, Gaia seemed to be lost in thought but quickly snapped back to reality. “…Is it too late if I apologize now?”

While it seemed like Gaia was lost in thought for a few moments to others, she had used her authority to see what had happened in the Throne of Heroes earlier.

“No, it’s too late.”

“But it was just a little joke; surely, it won’t have that much impact?”

“Oh, it will. Wait for Chen Heng to demand his due, just like he did with me. And don’t forget: the transcender ancestor and that necklace in Chen Heng’s hand are not to be trifled with.” Alaya got up from the floor and disappeared, leaving Gaia with these parting words.

Gaia smacked her face, ruing her prank. Why had she meddled with Chen Heng when watching Alaya flounder was so enjoyable? She now felt immense regret.

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“Are you…my Master?” A voice emerged from the giant summoning ritual in an open field. The once-blinding light dissipated.

“No, I’m not your Master; I’m your elder sister. Call me Elder Sister.” Sirin, confident in her successful summoning of Chen Heng, teased him after the light faded.

“…Sirin, are you dissatisfied with being my younger sister?” Chen Heng glanced at Sirin, then at Yakumo Yukari and Doctor Roman standing nearby. He slowly closed the distance between him and Sirin.

“Hey! Elder Brother, what are you doing? Stay back! Don’t come any closer. And, Elder Brother, stop looking at me like that; it’s scary…I was wrong! If you come any closer, I’m going to run away.”

As Chen Heng slowly approached, the panicky Sirin had intended to use her spatial jump ability to create some distance between them but found the surrounding space impossible to tear through, as if someone had fortified it.

“You’re too late.” Displaying a superior grasp of spatial ability, Chen Heng had sealed Sirin’s spatial jump ability. With that, he extended his mischievous hands toward Sirin’s soft face.

Yakumo Yukari and Doctor Roman let this pass without comment, considering this merely playful interaction between siblings—albeit not particularly friendly for Sirin.

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“You’re so unfair, Elder Brother! I’m supposed to be the Master and you the Servant. How could you treat me like this?” Sirin complained, rubbing her face, her gaze fixed on Chen Heng with dissatisfaction.

“Do you think I wanted to be a Servant? I only chose this role because you wanted to come. What else are you dissatisfied with?” Chen Heng’s hands, which had just stopped, resumed their mischief.

“Stop! I’m content, very content.” Sirin retreated a step. She knew she couldn’t beat Chen Heng and wouldn’t want to, either.

“Doctor, Yakumo Yukari, good evening. I believe this is our first meeting, isn’t it?”

“Hello, Chen Heng. While it’s your first time meeting us, it’s not ours.” Yakumo Yukari took a step forward and extended her hand to Chen Heng.

That was true. Chen Heng had hosted several livestreams but rarely watched others. Of the two, only Doctor Roman had ever streamed, touring Chaldea.