Upon hearing Su Xiao''s question, Umbreless Brother sat up straight on the hospital bed.
"Have you heard of the Blood Gate Adventurers?"
The first words from Umbreless Brother made Su Xiao understand what was going on: Stan, the leader of the Blood Gate Adventurers, was seeking revenge.
"There have been some grievances in the past."
"Some... grievances? Does that mean they''vee for revenge on you?!"
Umbreless Brother''s expression was somewhat grim. He was caught in this situation, and seeing Su Xiao''s rxed demeanor made him even more frustrated. The one who should have been pursued and in danger, Emiya Kiritsugu, was safe and sound, while he, who was not the main target, was on the run.
"What kind of grievances do you have with them?"
Umbreless Brother sighed. Comining wouldn''t change the current situation, and besides, Su Xiao had just saved his life.
"As for the grievances..."
Su Xiao and Umbreless Brother briefly exined the history of their conflicts with the Blood Gate Adventurers, leaving Umbreless Brother somewhat bewildered.
"Just for these grievances... Stan actually sent Arson to hunt you down? Has he lost his mind?"
"That''s what puzzles me too."
Su Xiao had not revealed one crucial detail to Umbreless Brother: his serial number was untraceable, making the tracking costs significantly higher.
"So, are we teaming up now?"
Umbreless Brother removed the bandages from his body. This guy had an extraordinarily strong vitality; otherwise, he wouldn''t have escaped Arson''s pursuit twice.
"Yes, why else do you think I saved you? By the way, do those three individuals have tracking methods?"
"They do. One of them, a woman named Chou, has a familiar..."
Umbreless Brother stopped midway in his exnation.
"Can you describe the familiar''s specific features?"
"..."
Su Xiao noticed that Umbreless Brother wasn''t responding, so he looked at him.
"It''s this kind of familiar, damn it!"
Umbreless Brother pointed to the window, where a colorful butterfly was perched on the ss outside.
"They''re following us. How do we get rid of this thing? It''s obstructing our battle."
Umbreless Brother pointed at the tube in his abdomen that was connected to an iron box. Su Xiao approached and, amidst Umbreless Brother''s shocked protests, pulled the tube out.
"Is this really okay? I feel a bit dizzy."
"It''s fine. It''s just your remaining Pir Cell trying to bacsh against you."
Su Xiao contacted Bubu Wang and had him hide with Matou Sakura.
The palm-sized colorful butterfly fluttered outside the window. Su Xiao held Zanpakuto in his hand, and the Apostle''s Eye floated in the air, constantly vignt of the surroundings.
"Pir Cell... bacsh?! Is there any risk?!"
"Turning into a tree."
Su Xiao remained calm, but Umbreless Brother was in a state of panic.
"What?!"
Umbreless Brother turned pale. He immediately recalled a scene: the moment before the death of Tsunade in the Naruto world, when she turned into a tree.
"Like Tsunade?"
"No."
Su Xiao''s answer relieved Umbreless Brother, but what Su Xiao said next drained all color from his face.
"Orochimaru transnted Tsunade''s Pir Cells after her death, while in your case, it''s Pir Cells from when you were alive. The two have different levels of vitality. If..."
"Wait, can you exin it more simply?"
Umbreless Brother swallowed hard. His gaze seemed to say, "I have a cute daughter waiting for me in the real world. I need to survive."
"Simply put, when Orochimaru transnted Tsunade''s Pir Cells, there was a chance for her Pir Cells to resist. As for the Pir Cells in your body, if they erupt, you''ll turn into a really tall tree, very tall."
Su Xiao approached the window, which showed that it was noon. The courtyard of the vi was empty.
"So, I could die at any moment now?"
Umbreless Brother''s lips twitched, and he looked at his abdomen.
"You can think of it that way. The tube imnted in your abdomen before was meant to suppress the Pir Cells. Since you wanted to remove it yourself..."
Su Xiao''s words left Umbreless Brother dumbfounded.
"Then, should we put it back? I regret it now. It''s not bad to carry that iron box with me, especially when it can protect my vitals in critical moments."
"We can."
Su Xiao noticed that there were no enemies near the vi for the time being. He picked up the iron box with the tube and approached Umbreless Brother. He inserted the sharp-ended tube back into Umbreless Brother''s abdomen.
"Hey, isn''t this too hasty? You''re doing it while I''m still alive!"
Splurt!
Umbreless Brother winced in pain.
"Here."
Su Xiao handed the iron box back to him. At this point, Umbreless Brother lookedpletely dejected. He tied the iron box to his abdomen as if it were his new home.
Umbreless Brother was a wild tank-type contractor who didn''t use shields but wore heavy metal gauntlets that extended to his forearms. Each gauntlet was as thick as a human torso.
He didn''t need a shield because his two gauntlets could serve as a shield, and they were more versatile, suitable for both offense and immobilizing enemies.
Steam emanated from the gauntlets, and Umbreless Brother moved his shoulders.
"Are you sure about our escape route?"
Umbreless Brother leaned toward the window, looking at the empty courtyard.
"Why escape?"
Su Xiao was puzzled.
"Shouldn''t we? The enemy consists of three third-order contractors, one rank higher than me!"
"So what?"
Su Xiao didn''t care about the enemy''s order. Without a direct confrontation, he would not flee. Moreover, fleeing at this point wouldn''t make much sense.
"Bro, can I call you ''bro''? We''re not escaping; it''s a strategic retreat."
Su Xiao remained unfazed, determined to find out if he could face the three high-order contractors head-on. Constantly evading wasn''t wise, as they would eventually catch up. Umbreless Brother''s earlier experience was the best proof.
"Roar!"
A furious roar echoed from the vi''s courtyard. Su Xiao fixed his gaze and saw none other than Berserker, Matou Kariya.
"Why hasn''t he retreated?"
Under normal circumstances, Matou Kariya and Matou Sakura should be hiding in the shadows.
"Roar!"
Matou Kariya roared again, his body shrouded in ck smoke. Oddly, there was something unusual about Matou Kariya, as his eyes emitted a pinkish glow.
"Is that a Heroic Spirit?"
Umbreless Brother had never seen Matou Kariya in this modified state.
"This is Matou Kariya. You can think of him as the Master version of Berserker."
"How strong is he?"
"Not very, but very resilient."
"That''s good."
Umbreless Brother breathed a sigh of relief.
"But now he''s our enemy, controlled by that woman named Chou. She''s the Charm Specialist I mentioned earlier. Although she specializes in charm, her meleebat abilities are exceptionally strong."
Su Xiao nodded. Without Matou Sakura, Matou Kariya being controlled was a troublesome situation.
Completely enveloped in ck smoke, Matou Kariya stood in the courtyard. Strangely, the three high-order contractors were nowhere to be seen.
The sound of footsteps came closer, and nk-faced civilians began approaching from all directions. There were about dozens of them, their eyes glowing with pinkish light, and they were all strapped with explosives.
These civilians surrounded the vi, and when Matou Kariya roared in front of them, all those people raised their heads and looked towards the vi.
"This kind of dirty trick... Is Arson not here?"
Umbreless Brother seemed to have figured something out, and a smile appeared on his face.
"Byakuya, I''ve thought of a possibility. If this possibility is true, today might be our chance to turn the tables."
"What possibility?"
After muttering a few words quietly, Su Xiao''s eyes lit up.
"Are you sure?"
"Not entirely, but I''m more than sixty percent certain. I know a bit about Arson. That guy wouldn''t set up such a formation. If he were here, this vi would have been burned to the ground long ago."