Everything happened too fast. Not only was Cu Chulainn in the show caught off guard, but even the viewers watching through the screen couldn't react in time.
They had anticipated that Lancer would eventually lose, after all, the newly introduced Hassan couldn't possibly be defeated right after his entrance.
But no one expected Cu Chulainn's defeat to come so quickly.
He was clearly in a dominant position, but after being affected by the shadow, he suddenly tried to finish off his opponent with his Noble Phantasm. In the end, he didn't get the kill; instead, his own heart was taken first.
"How exactly did this Hassan pull that off?"
"It seemed like that strange hand used magecraft to simulate a heart and then crushed it?"
Alice wasn't entirely sure. The time during which the Hassan used his Noble Phantasm was so brief that she only caught a fleeting glimpse.
"I think it's called...Delusional Heartbeat?"
Alice frowned as she recalled.
Even for her, this was the first time she had seen such an eerie form of magecraft.
"As far as I remember, all the True Hassan's Noble Phantasms are called Zabaniya, right? What's so special about this one?"
"It looks like it pretends to destroy the heart, and then the heart just... disappears. It's kind of twisted, actually."
"Do you want to rewind and watch that again?"
"No, let's save the magecraft research for tomorrow... it's pretty late to watch any more shows now."
Slap
Alice placed her hand firmly on the person's shoulder who had just said that.
"As a magi, don't you have a thirst for knowledge about mysteries? You can sleep all you want after you're dead. Right now, we're researching magecraft!"
"...Alright."
The other person wanted to say no, but Alice's assertiveness clearly didn't leave any room for objection.
"Ugh!"
Bound and unable to speak, Alice's captive, Aoko, wriggled furiously.
She seemed both eager to join the discussion and also ready to use the moment to escape her restraints.
Alice didn't even look at Aoko's anxious face. She simply stretched out her hand, which was glowing with green magical energy, and with a loud slap, she smacked Aoko.
The large wiggling caterpillar-like figure immediately went still.
"Is Aozaki-san okay?"
Shibamatsu felt that, as the conscience of their group, he should at least show some concern for their second-in-command (?).
Alice casually responded, "Don't worry, she's just out of energy. I made sure to control the force, so I didn't knock her out."
"Is that so..."
Shibamatsu felt like something was off, but wisely chose to remain silent.
Under Alice's overwhelming presence, the group of young magus wisely chose to ignore Aoko and began repeatedly watching the clip of Cu Chulainn's defeat.
Thus, the scene of Lancer getting his heart ripped out played over and over again in the club until every magus present had etched it into their minds.
Though the scene was only a few seconds long, the young prodigies of Japan's magical community, after repeated viewings, managed to extract some useful information.
Of course, Alice and the others were able to analyze this mainly because Shinji Matou had meticulously followed magical theories while filming.
It was a pity they didn't summon the actual Cursed Arm Hassan, but Shinji had done his best to faithfully recreate all of his abilities.
He had no choice but to do so. After all, this world did contain mystery, even though mystery had significantly weakened over time. But still, Shinji felt it was wise to show some respect for the divine.
Otherwise, what would he do if one night, an evil spirit in black armor, speaking in a Middle Eastern accent but with the voice of Kotomine, appeared in the Matou mansion?
"How dare you mess with Zabaniya? Hand over your head!"
Just imagining that scene made Shinji break out in a cold sweat.
He really didn't want to die!
Alice didn't know about Shinji's cautious reasoning; they only knew that Shinji Matou was incredibly dedicated to faithfully recreating these lost magecraft in his shows.
"This Noble Phantasm, which can only attack the heart, seems pretty weak once you understand how it works!"
After multiple viewings, Shibamatsu voiced his thoughts.
"To say nothing of other factors, it seems like this Noble Phantasm can only be activated within the range of that arm. Sure, the arm is long, but in the end, it's just an arm."
"You're right," a man named Fujita nodded. "But the problem is, aside from Archer, most Servants would have to engage this Hassan in close combat, right?"
"With a Servant's mobility, most of them should be able to escape the battlefield before he activates his Noble Phantasm. Cu Chulainn only died because he was restrained by the shadow," Shibamatsu countered instinctively.
"Actually, it's not just about attack range. This arm can only target the heart. If it were someone like Kirei Kotomine, who has no heart, the Noble Phantasm would be useless, right?"
Alice gave a simple example, not realizing she was unwittingly predicting something.
Fujita clapped his hands, "I see, so Cu Chulainn has less chance of winning against this guy than his own Master. That's a real disgrace for a Servant."
"These Servants with bugged Noble Phantasms are exceptions, aren't they?" Shibamatsu scoffed, "And it's not like Kotomine would win any easier. Maybe Hassan could kill that scumbag priest even without using his Noble Phantasm."
"Hard to say," Fujita said seriously. "Kirei Kotomine's combat ability is pretty decent. The gap between a Servant and a human isn't as big as you'd think. Otherwise, how did Shirou Emiya manage to cut down Gilgamesh?"
"Cut down? Gilgamesh-sama only lost an arm! Gilgamesh-sama was defeated by Archer's shameless sneak attack!" a young woman shouted in protest.
It was clear she was a fan of Gilgamesh.
'What's the difference?'
That was what Fujita thought, but he nodded in agreement, "You're absolutely right!"
"That being said, Lancer's luck is just terrible, isn't it?" Shibamatsu sighed. "The setting book says he should be able to win an ordinary Holy Grail War, but in all three versions of Fate, he dies more miserably each time."
"Well, what did you expect? His luck stat is E. This was all destined from the start."
"Is there really a theory like that?"
Shisamatsu's eyes widened in sudden realization as he nodded.
"As expected, Luck is extremely important."
Fujita smugly curled his lips. "Of course! Luck is the most crucial stat for a Servant! Just look at Saber. Even though she got dealt a bad hand with Shirou, a completely unqualified Master, her luck still allowed her to win in all three Holy Grail War routes, each one completely different."
"That's not right," Shisamatsu rebutted, "Isn't HF still unfinished?"
"What does that matter? As the main heroine, Saber won't lose!" Fujita waved it off dismissively.
"Isn't Sakura the main heroine, though?"
"Except for the stench of romance, she doesn't have much of a heroine presence," Fujita chuckled. "Even Rin stands out more. At least she has legs, thighs… and… well.. More thigs."
"It's probably for the best that Lancer died early," Shisamatsu said with some relief. "If not, all the trouble he'd have caused would've made his Master, Kirei Kotomine, blow a gasket."
Just imagining Kotomine having to deal with the "gas explosions" caused by Cu Chulainn's battles made Shisamatsu feel a bit sorry for the priest and his love for mapo tofu.
"Idiot, Kotomine doesn't even have a heartbeat. Where would the high blood pressure come from? At most, he'd just get stomach ulcers."
"Who knows? Either way, it's better if that rotten priest exits early."
Having watched two versions of FSN, the young magus already knew how thoroughly corrupt Kotomine was and were eager for his early exit.
After all, the sadistic priest's pursuit of pleasure felt deeply unsettling. For these magus, who longed for the Root as their life's purpose, Kotomine's selfish desires were the antithesis of their beliefs.
Though outsiders might find the priest charming, to magus, he was like their own antithesis.
Unfortunately, the priest wasn't ready to exit the stage just yet.
Quite the opposite, in fact—he appeared again at a Chinese restaurant, performing a culinary show of "Mapo Tofu on the Tip of the Tongue."
"Ugh... I can't take it anymore. Fast forward, please," Cu Chulainn said, covering his mouth. "I'm allergic to that stuff; just watching makes me feel sick."
"I agree."
Gilgamesh nodded repeatedly. "The mutt is right. We all know what Kirei's about to say anyway, so let's just fast-forward."
"Yeah, yeah! Fast-forward, my tongue's already going numb!"
Yan Qing and EMIYA exchanged glances and found mutual agreement in each other's eyes.
"Then... let's fast-forward?"
Enkidu hesitated, but his finger pressed the remote's fast-forward button without a moment's delay.
The male Servants were managing to stay calm, but in the Matou household, Arturia, seeing the sign for the "Hongzhou Banquet Hall – Mount Tai," immediately fast-forwarded.
"Master, you wouldn't want me vomiting all over you in the middle of the night, would you?"
With her eyes locked on a speechless Shinji, Arturia threatened him with such words.
Meanwhile, at the church in Fuyuki City—
"Mmm... delicious."
Kirei Kotomine was slowly and deliberately eating his mapo tofu—both on-screen and off!
"Watching myself eat mapo tofu while I eat more mapo tofu... The more I eat, the better it gets. Truly, mapo tofu is the most perfect food in the world... I'll bring some of it for everyone tomorrow."
With a half-smile, Kotomine suggested, "As for the flavor... how about Hellfire Super Spicy MAX?"
"""""Damn! It suddenly feels so cold!""""
All the magus and Servants in Fuyuki City shuddered at the same time.
<+>
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