Walking down the street with Gilgamesh, Bai Ye noticed that there were still quite a few vehicles and pedestrians. The city of Fuyuki was more prosperous than he had imagined, or the streets wouldn't be so lively at this hour.
"When will we arrive?" Gilgamesh asked.
Bai Ye pointed to a towering hotel in the distance. "How about that one?"
Gilgamesh nodded. "Not bad. Let's pick up the pace."
"It might not be that fast," Bai Ye replied. "I have some business to attend to first."
Gilgamesh looked at Bai Ye with confusion.
"I need to do some robbing," Bai Ye explained. "Did you think staying in such a luxurious hotel was free? You also want fine wine and food. Do you think I can conjure them out of thin air?"
As Bai Ye spoke, he grabbed a man in a suit carrying a briefcase.
"Hey, hold up!" Bai Ye manifested his famous sword, Shisui, and held it to the man's neck. "iC, ip, iQ card, tell me all your passwords."
Seeing the glinting blade, the man frantically fumbled through his bag, pulling out cash, bank cards, and credit cards. He stammered, "B-big brother, what's an iQ card?"
"Intelligence quotient, you idiot," Bai Ye said, taking the items. "And the passwords?"
Before the man could speak, Gilgamesh snatched the items away and shoved them back into the man's hands.
Gilgamesh looked at the man and said, "Let's go. He was just joking."
The man, uncertain, glanced at the knife in Bai Ye's hand. After cautiously backing away a few steps and seeing that Bai Ye made no move to pursue, he quickly turned and fled.
Bai Ye looked at Gilgamesh. "What was that about?"
"My greatest joy is in discovering the world's treasures," Gilgamesh declared, hands behind his back. "However, a king should possess kingly bearing, and thus, I never plunder the wealth of commoners."
"He's not your subject," Bai Ye countered, shrugging. "And this isn't your kingdom."
"I was a king long before the king of this country became one," Gilgamesh stated. "Therefore, I must demonstrate even greater magnanimity."
"Fine, you're noble, you're amazing," Bai Ye said, rubbing his fingers together in a money-counting gesture. "Since you're so magnanimous, you wouldn't be embarrassed to get something for free at the hotel, or dine and dash, without having any money for it."
Gilgamesh looked at Bai Ye with disdain. Then, with a casual reach, his arm pierced through the void. In the next moment, Gilgamesh pulled out a gold bar weighing at least three pounds and tossed it to Bai Ye.
"Never have I seen such impoverished individuals," Gilgamesh remarked. "How could someone like you have summoned me?"
Bai Ye wanted to retort, but looking at the gold bar in his hand... Damn it, he couldn't argue.
With gold, everything becomes manageable. It's a universal currency; as long as you're willing to sell it at a discount, you can exchange it for money anywhere.
Soon, the gold in Bai Ye's hand was transformed into a whole box of cash.
Gilgamesh nodded in satisfaction. "This is why I love gold. At any time, as long as one possesses radiant gold, there is nothing that cannot be bought."
"Since you love gold so much, why don't you change your name to Golden Flash?" Bai Ye quipped.
"Insolence! My royal name..."
Before Gilgamesh could finish, he suddenly looked up at the sky. Bai Ye also felt something and quickly put some distance between them. "They're here!"
At that very moment... From the darkness behind Bai Ye, a figure suddenly appeared. The dim yellow streetlights illuminated their outline. Bai Ye's heart leaped. Not from above, but from behind him?
In the next instant, a short blade materialized in the figure's hand, sweeping towards Bai Ye's throat. Just as the blade was about to strike...
Suddenly, Bai Ye vanished. Teleportation!
When Bai Ye reappeared, he was directly behind the attacker and swung his leg towards them. However, the assailant was more agile than Bai Ye had anticipated. Sensing Bai Ye's appearance behind them, they lunged forward. Upon landing, they braced themselves with one hand and performed a series of somersaults, creating distance.
Bai Ye looked at the figure. "A ninja?"
The attacker wore what was clearly a ninja outfit from the Land of the Rising Sun, their body slightly bent, a short blade held in a reverse grip.
The figure slowly straightened up and looked at Bai Ye. "Servant, Assassin, Fūma Kotarō. Though I am but a humble individual, I request your guidance!"
As Fūma Kotarō spoke, they glanced in Gilgamesh's direction. Gilgamesh suddenly grinned, leaning against a streetlight with his arms crossed.
"Hey, what's going on?" Bai Ye asked. "Someone's trying to kill your Master!"
Gilgamesh shrugged, watching the scene unfold with amusement.
Disunity between Master and Servant?
Fūma Kotarō intended to retreat. As an Assassin-class Servant, direct combat was not their forte. Therefore, the best course of action after a failed assassination attempt was to withdraw and wait for another opportunity. But if there was discord... perhaps this was an opening!
Fūma Kotarō suddenly sprinted, circling Bai Ye rapidly. Strangely, as they ran, their figure seemed to melt into the surrounding shadows.
Thud, thud, thud, thud, thud... Only the crisp sound of footsteps echoed around Bai Ye.
Bai Ye cursed under his breath. With Gilgamesh on strike, Bai Ye was on his own. Suddenly, the sound of rushing wind was heard. Bai Ye looked to the side as three shuriken flew towards him.
Bai Ye quickly retreated, intending to conjure a sword, but found that his Steel Slime was unresponsive. "Damn it!" He had forgotten that Nanairo Niji had been completely destroyed while fighting the Ancient Mechanical Giant.
Fortunately, Bai Ye's reflexes were sharp. Remembering this, he immediately drew the famous sword Shisui and swung it forward forcefully, deflecting the three shuriken. Clang, clang, clang...
As the shuriken spun away after being deflected, a sound echoed from behind Bai Ye. Turning his head, he saw three more shuriken flying towards him. He violently jerked his head to the side, and the three shuriken grazed his cheek as they flew past. A faint scent of blood. Bai Ye reached up and touched his cheek, his fingertips coming away with a trace of blood.
Fūma Kotarō rapidly retreated, quickly disappearing back into the shadows, their sounds gone. Following this, the footsteps resumed their rhythmic pattern around Bai Ye. Swift, fast, with a peculiar change in rhythm, making it impossible to pinpoint their location by sound alone.
Suddenly... the rushing wind returned!