Chapter 65: Why Is There a Debuff When Pulling Gacha?!
"May this place be illuminated by light!"
The silver holy staff in Johanna's hand emitted a sacred glow as she struck it firmly against the ground near the shore.
Immediately, a magic circle lit up on the ground, and the Magic Crystals placed at its center began dispersing mana outward.
Whoosh——————————!!
A slick, slimy tentacle suddenly shot out to attack Johanna!
"Tarasque!!"
At Martha's call, Tarasque instantly spewed a powerful burst of fire!
BOOM——————————!!
The moment the flames touched it, the tentacle writhed in agony before quickly retracting and sinking back into the water.
"Are you alright?"
Martha stepped in front of Johanna, ready to defend.
"Thank you."
Johanna looked into the distance.
"This area is done, let's move to the next point."
She and Martha quickly rushed to the next location, with Tarasque letting out another burst of fire at the massive monster before following them.
Before long, they arrived at the next designated spot. Johanna immediately raised her silver holy staff.
"Repel the forces of evil!!"
A silver magic circle appeared on the ground, and Johanna prepared to use the Magic Crystal to stabilize it.
However, at that moment—
The ground beneath her feet began to tremble violently!
From beneath the water, an enormous tentacle suddenly emerged, creating a massive splash that drenched the shore!
A soaked, slime-covered tentacle, covered in countless green eyes, stared intently at Johanna and Martha below. Upon noticing the silver magic circle on the ground, it lunged straight at them!
"Shine brightly!!!"
Silver threads appeared in midair above Johanna, tightening around the massive tentacle.
"GROAAARR————————!!!"
Tarasque spewed another stream of fire, but this time, it had no effect on the tentacle.
Martha swung her sacred silver gauntlets, delivering a powerful punch at it!
Just as her fist was about to connect, countless smaller tendrils suddenly sprouted from the tentacle, attempting to ensnare Martha.
"HAA——————!!!"
Martha immediately halted her strike, shifting the force from her punch into speed.
BOOM!!
In an instant, the light surrounding Martha's right fist twisted so intensely that it seemed to distort. The smaller tendrils near her were suddenly torn apart by some invisible force!
Moments later, a massive hole appeared near the base of the tentacle.
The tentacle convulsed violently but was tightly restrained by the silver threads, eventually losing strength and sinking down.
Seeing the immediate threat neutralized, Johanna let out a relieved sigh and resumed placing the Magic Crystal at the center of the magic circle.
Only when the magic circle was fully activated could she feel at ease.
Using her powers, she erected a barrier around the colossal Sea Demon, preventing it from further expanding its territory.
However, to contain a Sea Demon of such massive size, a temporary barrier alone would not be enough for long-term suppression. Even with the use of Magic Crystals, it could only extend the duration slightly.
"Hey, you're worrying again, aren't you?"
Martha glanced at Johanna, who was bowing her head in deep thought.
"…Sorry…"
"Well, this plan is pretty reckless. To be honest, defeating this monster is nothing short of a miracle. If it were an Evil Dragon, I could just pray, and that would be enough."
Martha stated her thoughts plainly.
"Grrr…"
Beside her, Tarasque let out a displeased growl.
"But it seems like our Master is someone who can create miracles. After all, anyone who can persuade the Dragon Witch could hardly be an ordinary person."
"I still can't believe that the Dragon Witch agreed to help us. Not long ago, we were bitter enemies, weren't we? What exactly happened inside that castle?"
Johanna asked curiously.
"Hm… That's not something I can explain in just a few words. If we get the chance later, I'll tell you about it."
Martha pondered for a moment before deciding to put the matter aside for now.
"Alright, but when that time comes, I'll definitely bring Mordred-san along to listen too."
"Eh? Mordred-san? I figured she'd find this whole thing boring."
"Actually, from my interactions with her, she seems like the kind of person who enjoys some fun…"
As the two talked, they continued rushing to the next designated location.
Johanna glanced into the distance, where other Servants were still locked in battle with the massive Sea Demon.
At this point, all they could do was put their faith in their Master's plan.
…
"Haaah!!!"
With a sharp slash, a writhing tentacle ahead was severed in an instant.
"Oi, Master, how much longer?"
Mordred swung Clarent once more, swiftly cutting down another tentacle.
"Hang in there a little longer. Once Johanna is done, Tonbi will inform us."
Ethan stood on the shore, his gaze tense as he looked into the distance.
Even though they had come up with this temporary plan, he wasn't entirely sure if it would actually work.
Even if the Great Emperor was here, a Reality Marble would probably be shattered in an instant by this monster.
Not to mention, whether or not "Curry Stick" from Our King could one-shot this thing was still a complete mystery.
Empowered by the Holy Grail, the rate at which this Sea Demon was growing far outstripped the monster that had appeared in the Fourth Holy Grail War.
For now, the best course of action was to let Johanna restrict its movement before deciding the next step.
"System, how many points do I have right now?"
[Beep beep—Searching, search successful!]
[Current livestream points: 98,331 points.]
[Available pulls: 98.]
[56 more pulls required to guarantee a Servant.]
[Beep beep… Detected extreme turbulence in the leyline near the Host.]
[Warm reminder: Under these conditions, the Servant summoned will suffer a significant stat reduction in their Saint Graph. Host, please consider carefully.]
"..."
Ethan was stunned.
What the hell? Why is this kind of mechanic even a thing?!
[Would Host like to perform a gacha pull now?]
"HELL NO!!!"
Ethan furiously refused.
A severe stat reduction in the Saint Graph? So that means Odin could end up at the same level as Cu Chulainn?!
Wait, does that mean I'll have to spend points later to enhance the Saint Graph of any summoned Servant?!
Are you freaking kidding me?!
…
"TAKE THIS!!!"
Jeanne Alter swung her longsword, pointing it toward the Sea Demon!
A black spear materialized, then shot forward, piercing through several of the Sea Demon's tentacles.
The tentacles struck by the attack ignited with black flames. Even as they writhed and plunged into the water, they couldn't extinguish the fire and were eventually reduced to blackened ash.
"Hmph, you're just tentacle Gilles. Did you really think you could stand against me?"
Jeanne Alter sneered triumphantly, raising her hand once more. The black spear formed again.
BOOM————————!!!
Suddenly, the ground beneath her shattered!
Several enormous tentacles burst out from beneath the earth!!!