The atmosphere... solidified.
But the wind still whistled loudly.
Haku was stunned, Waver was stunned, and Hephaestion, who had been idle nearby for a long time, was also stunned.
Looking at Tom, who was raising his head towards him, seemingly asking for praise, Haku was silent for a moment. After regaining his composure, he finally extended his right thumb, "Awesome."
At this moment, Haku had no other words to describe Tom besides these two.
He had originally thought Tom could at best fight to a draw, as the opponent was a Servant. Yet Alexander didn't even last a few rounds against Tom before being knocked out with a hammer. He had underestimated comedic characters.
Well... although the way he defeated Alexander was a bit underhanded, a win is a win, right?
This also made Haku clearly realize that he and Tom combined possessed the power to defeat a Servant!
Hearing his master's praise, Tom was already fantasizing about what kind of reward he would receive next. A cloud-like 'frame' appeared above his head; at least one apple pie... no, two!
"Munch munch~" Thinking of this, Tom's mouth began to water, and he opened and closed his mouth a few times as if he could taste it already.
"No... it can't be... Rider is dead?" Looking at Alexander, who lay peacefully on the ground, Waver instantly felt his heart stop for a moment. His Servant was given away so quickly?
"...Are you an idiot? If Rider were dead, why hasn't he disappeared?"
Hephaestion first shot Waver a disgusted look, then refocused her gaze on Tom. An unquenchable rage spread within Hephaestion's heart.
Her monarch had been brutally killed by a single blow; what loyalty was there if she didn't seek revenge?!
Indeed, this cat in front of her was incredibly powerful, powerful enough to toy with Alexander or herself in battle. If it had defeated Alexander, her monarch in life, through normal means, perhaps she wouldn't have been angry.
But... look at what this cat did! Is that even human behavior? For victory, it showed no martial virtue, completely shameless!
It could have defeated the enemy with sheer strength, but it insisted on using underhanded tricks!
"Hey! You stupid cat over there!" With a flash of crimson lightning, Hephaestion was now enveloped in crimson electricity. Waver nearby was so scared he almost fell off his horse.
He couldn't help but cower now. Although his Servant Alexander wasn't dead, his current unconscious state clearly couldn't protect him. And he was currently at a Servant battleground; he might just meet God with any stray ripple of power!
Accompanied by the sound of thunder and Hephaestion's shout, Tom, who was still fantasizing about delicious food, was suddenly startled awake. He looked back and saw that another person had also drawn a sword against him.
However, Tom didn't panic at all. Although this woman was much taller than Alexander, she was still shorter than the first person he defeated! This meant he could definitely handle this one!
Tom didn't think much, gave Haku an extremely confident look, then decided to repeat his old trick.
Now, in Tom's eyes, Hephaestion was not a frightening enemy, but a moving cake or chicken leg. As long as he defeated her, his reward would surely increase greatly!
"Aha!" Tom calmly arrived about ten meters in front of Hephaestion, once again spread-eagled, grinning wickedly with extreme confidence, and faced Hephaestion with the right side of his body, holding his rapier ready for tata kai again!
"Rumble!!!" However, just then, a dense, dark red thundercloud suddenly appeared in the sky, constantly flashing with eerie crimson lightning.
"Bang!!!!!!"
With a loud crash, a chariot pulled by two skeletal dragons, each with a wing extending outwards, plummeted to the ground. The impact and the crimson lightning attack cracked the earth.
Without much ado, Hephaestion flipped onto the chariot, her left hand tightly gripping the reins.
She knew very well that in close-quarters combat, she would definitely not be a match for Tom's monstrous swordsmanship. So, to defeat Tom, she needed absolute suppressive combat power, which meant she had to use her strongest means—her Noble Phantasm—right from the start!
"Aha." Tom tentatively poked his rapier forward, his body gradually shrinking, his legs uncontrollably starting to tremble, and his voice growing softer and softer, "Aha..."
Tom gulped, looked back at Haku, and couldn't help but point at himself, then at the chariot opposite, which was many times the size of Ryunosuke, as if saying, 'Are you sure my small body can handle that?'
Although Haku was also starting to feel a bit unsure, he... still gave a thumbs-up!
Turning back to face the chariot wreathed in crimson lightning, Tom pondered, 'Can I even fight this thing?'
With that thought, Tom immediately shook its head with an exaggerated motion, confirming with utmost certainty in its heart that this thing was not something its lazy Cat and Mouse self could handle!
"Let's settle this!" With that, Hephaestion flicked the reins, and the chariot instantly soared into the air.
After a very brief moment of suspension, it charged directly at Tom!
Without a second thought, Tom casually tossed aside its French swordsman attire and saber, turned its head, and decisively bolted!
Its judgment in matters of great importance was still exceptionally accurate; even if it was a glutton, it needed to be alive to eat the delicious food. If it got crushed now, it might never get to eat again!
However, for some unknown reason, when Tom first started running, its feet seemed to be greased, and it ran frantically in place for several seconds without moving even a centimeter. It wasn't until the chariot crashed into it that Tom finally made a propelled start and shot out from its spot.
But unfortunately, it still got out too slowly. In just two seconds, the chariot closed the distance with Tom, and the sharp horn of the skeletal dragon pulling the chariot successfully pierced Tom's backside.
The moment it was pierced, it instinctively clutched its buttocks and thrust its hips forward, sending the entire cat flying forward in a continuous, even motion. At the same time, Tom immediately cried out in a painful shriek that sounded truly agonizing.
"Ow! Ow! Ow! ~ ~ ~ Ow! Roar, roar!!!"