Multiverse: Why does the world show a health bar? !

Li Mo had never felt his body so full of energy before.

The sound of wind whistled in his ears. The numerous trees in the forest and the weeds growing on the ground couldn't hinder his movement. The figure of **Medusa** with her purple hair remained within his sight.

He was keeping up with the speed of a Servant.

Thanks to **Medea's** ritual, Li Mo had temporarily gained the attribute of a **「Fox」**. However, he was still one step away from transcending humanity. According to the two Servants, once he grew his first tail, he could be considered **「non-human」**.

But… Medea's reinforcement magecraft was enough to allow him to keep up with Medusa's speed.

As expected of Medea. Magi from the Age of Gods were truly powerful. If he had tried to enhance himself using magecraft or spells, he would never have reached this level. Let's see… his agility had already surpassed 20, right? To ordinary people, he probably looked like a blur.

"Clang————!"

Metal clashed against metal, sparks flying as their weapons collided.

Medusa was a tall woman with a well-proportioned figure, an eyepatch over her face, and flowing purple hair. Her weapon was a long metal chain, with a sharp, dagger-like spike at the end.

In combat, the longer the weapon, the greater the advantage.

Medusa, as **Rider**, had a much longer attack range than Li Mo.

But…

Why were her attacks so full of openings?

Wielding the **Tengu's Shadow Katana**, Li Mo continuously blocked Medusa's attacks. As he watched her strikes, he noticed countless openings. It was as if she were a novice rather than a battle-hardened hero.

Is this the level of a Servant? Impossible! Miss Medusa, how much do you hate **Matou Shinji** to be holding back like this?

Li Mo recalled how, in the **Unlimited Blade Works** route, Medusa had been killed by **Kuzuki Souichirou** after he was enhanced. He concluded that Medusa had been holding back.

This kind of evenly matched situation, where the opponent was clearly going easy on him, was truly frustrating.

But this was also his limit.

His internal clock told him that only four or five minutes had passed since the fight with Medusa began. Despite the evenly matched appearance, his body was already starting to tire. Where had all the stamina he had during his prolonged battle with **Akaza** gone?

Servants were stronger than Akaza.

At least, that was Li Mo's impression. Fists posed less of a threat to him than sharp weapons. Of course, that was just one of many factors.

The two sides were temporarily evenly matched.

Clang, clang, clang—

The brief sounds of metal clashing rang out repeatedly. Li Mo used his Tengu's Shadow Katana to deflect Medusa's chains, while the surrounding trees were also cut down in the process. Medusa's attacks had many openings, but their sheer density left him too busy defending to protect the trees.

"After being enhanced by Caster, you have this level of combat ability? You must be one of the top swordsmen of this era. But I advise you to let Caster handle the fighting."

"Medusa, are you advising me?"

"You haven't tried to kill me."

"Oh? Is it that obvious? What can I do? Miss Medusa is exactly my type."

"Is that so?"

Li Mo's flirtatious words had consequences.

Medusa's attacks suddenly became sharper. The chain, a long-range weapon, moved with precision and efficiency in her hands. Thick trees were severed, and tall grass was cleanly cut by the wind pressure.

The pressure increased more than twofold. Her attacks were like an impenetrable net, sealing off all avenues of escape. It brought a sense of despair and suffocation…

**Breathing Technique·Full Concentration**.

After achieving **Total Concentration**, the breathing technique replaced normal breathing, strengthening his heart and blood flow, granting him greater explosive power and speed.

Moreover, after combining **Onmyoudou** and magecraft, Li Mo had made slight modifications to the **Sun Breathing** technique. On top of Total Concentration, he could further enhance his body through the act of breathing.

This was different from the reinforcement magecraft Medea had cast on him. The effects of the two could stack.

"Miss Medusa, would you like to become my Servant?"

"Don't you already have Caster? What? Do you have enough magical energy to support two Servants? Isn't that a bit too greedy?"

"I've seen a Master who contracted with hundreds of Servants, so two or three is nothing. The only trouble is the magical energy consumption. But for a Caster, magical energy is a trivial matter."

The blade of the Tengu's Shadow Katana closed in on Medusa, who dodged by bending backward. The blade narrowly grazed her chest.

Medusa's whip-like kick struck Li Mo's waist, sending him spinning through the air like a gymnast. He used the momentum to dissipate the impact.

**「Redirection」**.

Against any non-sharp weapon attack, this technique was undoubtedly a divine skill.

"Oh? Is that so? Although you're much better than my Master, I have no intention of changing Masters right now."

"What if I told you I could help **Matou Sakura**? Miss Medusa, Rider-san. You care about Sakura, don't you? Do you think Sakura's situation is good? She spends every day with the person she loves but can't bring herself to confess. The name 'Matou' binds her. We can work together to help her," Li Mo said.

Rider, Medusa, didn't care much for Matou Shinji. If Li Mo were a Servant, he wouldn't care for Shinji either. Who would sincerely regard someone like that as a Master?

Sakura was different.

When Li Mo mentioned Sakura's name, he could clearly sense a change in Medusa's emotions. The Servant, who had been using the trees to move around and obscure her movements, became more serious.

Switching from slacking off to serious mode?

"What are you planning to do to Sakura?"

"No, I won't do anything to Sakura. What I want is the Matou family. Miss Medusa, you should know very well that Sakura and the Matou family aren't an inseparable whole."

"I don't trust you magi."

Medusa had seen with her own eyes what magi were like. To put it nicely, they were detached from the world. To put it bluntly, they were inhumane. The dark aura of the old magus in the Matou family made her extremely uncomfortable.

"Then how can I earn your trust, Miss Medusa?"

"Show me with your sword!"

Magical energy began to gather.

Li Mo could clearly feel Medusa gathering magical energy from a distance. Such a massive amount… was she preparing to use her **Noble Phantasm**?

Lowering his stance, Li Mo charged forward. He had a teleportation spell prepared by Medea, and Medusa's Noble Phantasm wasn't the type that reversed causality. He had enough room to escape.

So…

Li Mo gradually closed the distance between himself and Medusa, his eyes becoming empty.

**Secret Sword…**

The Tengu's Shadow Katana was gripped tightly in both hands. In an instant, the flow of time in his vision slowed to a near standstill.

As long as he could defeat her before she activated her Noble Phantasm, it would be fine.

That was what Li Mo thought.

However…

"Rider, by the power of my Command Seal, cease combat."

A gentle woman's voice interrupted the battle.