164: Chapter 164 New Allies?

Gunpowder smoke filled the air in the VIP box on the second floor of the theater.

Emiya Alter looked down from his high vantage point at PD and the others behind their cover. He raised his two exaggeratedly designed modified pistols, their muzzles faintly gathering violent, dark-red magical energy.

That oppressive feeling, as if being stared down by a peerless, ferocious beast, caused PD's back to be instantly drenched in cold sweat.

Although everyone had joined forces to finish off the Phantom of the Opera just now, the main Servants had already consumed most of their magical energy. If they were to take a direct hit from this blackened Archer—who looked to be at full strength and possessed fierce firepower—they would definitely suffer a huge loss!

"Prepare for battle!" Jeanne dArc Alter gritted her teeth, her hands tightly gripping her tattered war banner as black flames of vengeance ignited on the spear tip once more.

Just at this critical moment...

"Swoosh! Swoosh! Swoosh—!"

Several shrill sounds of breaking air came from above the theater's shattered dome without warning!

They were three uniquely shaped black short swords, like a poisonous snake flicking its tongue, following tricky trajectories from blind spots as they shot straight toward Emiya Alter in the second-floor box!

"Hmm?" Emiya Alter's cold eyes narrowed slightly, and his body suddenly leaned backward with a level of flexibility that was difficult for an ordinary person to comprehend.

The three short swords grazed the tip of his nose and flew past, embedding themselves deeply into the wall behind him, causing even the hard masonry to crack with spiderweb-like fissures.

Immediately after, a tall, ghost-like black shadow landed silently and gracefully from the shadows of the skylight, blocking the path between PD and Emiya Alter on the second floor.

The person wore a tattered black robe and the iconic white bone skull mask on his face.

But the most eye-catching feature was his massive, slender right arm that emitted a strange aura.

The moment they saw who it was, the livestream chat—which had been tensely holding its breath—was instantly flooded with exclamations!

"Holy crap! That mask! That arm!"

"Cursed Arm! It's Hassan of the Cursed Arm!!"

"I'm tearing up, brothers! The Old Man of the Mountain from Camelot, our most loyal brother, has come to save the day!"

"This entrance is so timely! I almost thought President P was going to be finished here!"

PD was also so excited he almost jumped up. Back in the sixth chapter, he had been moved to tears by the loyalty and sacrifice of the Old Men of the Mountain. Now, seeing an old acquaintance in this lawless land, he felt an unparalleled sense of security.

"Brother Hassan! How did you end up in Shinjuku too?!"

PD shouted excitedly.

Just then, Saber Alter, who had been cleaning up the remaining Kabuki dolls, heard the commotion and rushed back to defend. She descended from the sky like a black meteor, crashing heavily in front of PD.

She held her pitch-black holy sword in one hand, her golden eyes coldly scanning Emiya Alter on the second floor.

"Tch." On the second floor, Emiya Alter looked at the group gathering below and the sudden appearance of Hassan of the Cursed Arm, clicking his tongue in annoyance.

He casually spun his twin guns and returned them to the holsters at his waist.

"It seems I won't be able to wipe you all out today."

His sharp eyes lingered on Saber Alter for a moment, a trace of indiscernible wariness and complex emotion flashing in them, as he coldly dropped a sentence: "...Especially that woman with the black sword. Consider yourselves lucky this time."

As soon as he finished speaking, his figure melted backward into the shadows of the box, like a drop of ink falling into the night, vanishing instantly without a trace.

Seeing that god of slaughter finally retreat, PD let out a long sigh of relief and slumped down onto a broken wall nearby.

"That was close... I almost got taken out in one go."

In the Chaldea control room, Mash, who had been responsible for rear communication support, also waved excitedly on the screen:

"That's wonderful! Senpai, are you alright? And to actually encounter Lord Cursed Arm here, this is truly great news!"

"Yeah, for sure."

PD leaned in happily, "Brother Hassan, thanks for saving the day with those throwing knives just now."

However, in this atmosphere of a surprise "old friend reunion," the other few people seemed out of place.

Saber Alter held her sword, expressionlessly sizing up the skull-masked assassin before her, her golden eyes filled with a hint of scrutiny.

Jeanne dArc Alter, who had just changed into her Shinjuku casual clothes, crossed her arms unceremoniously and snorted:

"Hey, where did a guy like you who hides his head and shows his tail come from? We've been wandering around this dump for so long, and we've never heard of any stray Assassin operating in this neighborhood."

Even the old man who had been standing in the back acting as the strategist narrowed his eyes. Although a gentle smile hung on his lips, his gaze flickered with an investigative light.

"Oh? Is this a Heroic Spirit that Chaldea has met before?"

The old man tapped his cane with a smile, "How interesting. This magical realm of Shinjuku has rejected all regular Heroic Spirits, yet you have managed to lurk here unscathed until now. You truly are a top-tier assassin."

Facing the somewhat confused and wary gazes of the group, Hassan of the Cursed Arm let out a low, raspy laugh from beneath his skull mask:

"There is no need for such wariness, everyone. I am merely a wandering soul accidentally drawn here by the resentment of this land. Now that I have confirmed the safety of Chaldea's Master, I will naturally lend you a hand."

"Alright, alright, everyone, don't be so tense."

Seeing this, PD quickly came out to mediate, "Brother Cursed Arm helped us out a lot in the Sixth Singularity; he's definitely one of our own! Let's head back to the safe house first. I don't want to stay in this place for another second."

...

Half an hour later, the group successfully returned to Saber Alter's underground base hidden in an abandoned subway station, avoiding the patrolling gangs along the way.

"Whew... this night has been more intense than filming a Hollywood blockbuster."

PD lay sprawled on the leather sofa, feeling as if his virtual body was about to fall apart.

"It was indeed a victory worth remembering."

The old man placed the heavy metal coffin in the corner and walked to the coffee table.

Like an elegant bartender, he pulled several clean glass cups from nowhere and arranged them on the table.

"Everyone, tonight we not only successfully destroyed the Phantom of the Opera's base but also dealt a heavy blow to that so-called Phantom Demon Alliance. Most importantly, we have welcomed a powerful ally."

The smile on the old man's face was incredibly bright, and his tone was full of seductive suggestion, "To celebrate this rare victory, how about we have a drink together?"

"Not interested. Alcohol only slows down the speed of my sword."

Saber Alter sat at the other end of the sofa and refused without hesitation, casually opening a bag of potato chips.

"Hmph, I won't drink such cheap stuff."

Jeanne dArc Alter turned her head away tsundere-style and started fussing with her newly bought clothes.

"Eh? Drinking? Sure, sure!"

Hearing there was alcohol, PD immediately perked up.

As an adult who usually enjoyed a drink or two, he immediately sat up from the sofa.

"No! Senpai!"

On the communication screen, Mash's face instantly became stern as she issued a serious warning, "You are not yet twenty years old; you absolutely cannot drink alcohol! If you feel thirsty, I can help simulate the taste of iced barley tea for you here!"

Being scolded by his junior like that, PD instantly deflated like a popped balloon, helplessly raising his hands in surrender: "Alright, alright, I won't drink. I'll just drink barley tea, okay?"

The viewers in the livestream were all amused by this absurd scene.

"Hahahaha! The Master who saved the world still can't escape the anti-addiction setting of not being allowed to drink while underage!"

"The junior is too strict! President P is suffering!"

"This game is too realistic; Old Thief Gu even put in details like this!"

Seeing this, the old man didn't push it. Instead, he turned to look at Hassan of the Cursed Arm, who was standing in the corner and had remained silent.