Chapter 329: Jack the Ripper

Appearing before Shinji was a girl—a loli—about the same height as his sister Sakura and likely around the same age.

She was an incredibly cute child, with short, snow-white hair cut to her ears and luminous eyes that shone like a cat's in the dim room. Her clear eyes, paired with a petite nose and delicate mouth, evoked a sense of pity from anyone who saw her.

Anyone would likely accept such a girl if she wanted to be their daughter.

However, as a male, the term "Mother" was not applicable; it would be more fitting to be called "Papa" or "Brother."

Therefore, Shinji's response, like most men's, was: "I'm not your Mother. If you want, you can call me—"

Before he could finish his sentence, the seemingly harmless and adorable girl suddenly charged at him. Her cloak billowed upwards, revealing a pair of small hands grasping two daggers in a reverse grip.

With Shinji's current level of vision and experience, he could immediately tell that these daggers were aimed at his vital points. The strikes were precise and decisive; someone slightly weaker might not even have time to react and would be killed instantly.

However, such an attack was insufficient against Shinji. Whether with his original body or his current Servant form, he could easily deflect such an ambush.

He kept his right hand steady, maintaining his grip on the Pharoah Scepter to continue healing Rika Rikudou. Fully aware of the unusual nature of this Holy Grail War, Shinji had reclaimed all his borrowed Noble Phantasms before his second traversal to participate in the war at his strongest.

His left hand dispelled the Harpe, and just before the daggers could reach him, he moved first, delivering a hand chop to the girl's right wrist and flicking the dagger in her left hand with his fingers.

Different forms of force but the same massive strength caused the girl's hands to go numb briefly, making her drop the daggers.

The girl didn't retreat or stop her attack. Her small hands disappeared under her cloak, and when they reappeared, they held two new knives, slightly different in style from the previous ones. One aimed for his throat, the other for his heart, giving Shinji a sense of déjà vu.

Shinji's response was the same as before: a hand chop and a finger flick, moving faster than the girl's attacks.

After disarming her again, Shinji placed his left hand on his chest, waiting for her third attack. He was curious to see how many knives were hidden under her cloak, reminiscent of the "Cloak of Hades."

Unfortunately, the girl didn't pull out more knives but instead rolled to retrieve the ones she had dropped. Disappointed, Shinji decided not to let her continue her antics. He threw an ancient sword, which temporarily served as a flying tool, to block her path.

As her movement was interrupted, Shinji's figure moved like a phantom, pinning her to the ground.

"Ugh. Let go of us, let go of us!"

The girl grunted and struggled desperately. However, the difference in strength was too great; no matter how hard she tried, Shinji's left hand remained immovable, like it was made of steel.

Ignoring the girl's cries, Shinji coldly said, "Do you realize your mistake?"

The girl's struggles paused for a moment, then became even more intense. "We did nothing wrong. You're not Mother; anyone who isn't Mother should be dismantled!"

"It seems you're a disobedient child. Disobedient children should be punished—"

Just as Shinji was about to administer the "Kusogaki Correction Palm" punishment, a few words from the girl's response caught his attention.

We.

Mother.

Dismantled.

Why did that sound so familiar?

There were still four more knives, white-haired loli.

Wait, could she be—?

Mana surged from the Servant's body, displacing the air and creating an updraft.

The wind lifted the girl's cloak, revealing a black, midriff-baring bodysuit and underwear composed of just a strip of fabric and a single strap—something even an adult woman might hesitate to wear.

Indeed, she was. Despite being an innocent loli, she wore provocative clothes and appeared on the set of Fate/Apocrypha.

I should have recognized her earlier.

"Hey, kusogaki, is your name Jack? Jack the Ripper. Oh, according to the British naming convention, a girl should be called Jill, right?"

Perhaps because her true name was called out, the girl finally stopped struggling and just looked at Shinji with her pure, untainted eyes.

"We are not bad children. We just want to return to Mother's belly."

Alright, it was confirmed. She was Jack the Ripper, the loli affectionately called "daughter" by many fans.

Jack the Ripper, is a world-famous serial killer. She murdered five women (all prostitutes), and despite Scotland Yard's best efforts, she was never caught and vanished as if into thin air.

Because the murdered women showed no signs of resistance, it was once thought the killer might be male. However, there was no concrete evidence, and she was initially referred to by the feminine name "Jill the Ripper."

This is a very special Heroic Spirit. Her true form is unknown, so she appears differently depending on the class summoned.

This form before Shinji was a collection of children who weren't even allowed to be born.

In 1888 London, there were tens of thousands of prostitutes. The abortion at the time was quite rudimentary and brutal. Babies that could have been born normally were treated like garbage. The bodies of these infants were discarded into the rivers near the East End, and their grudges accumulated in this chaotic river. The resentment of tens of thousands of babies who were denied birth gradually began to take the form of a young girl.

At this time, she encountered a woman. The girl couldn't help but call out "Mother" to the woman she met, but she was insulted instead. Being insulted was very unpleasant, painful, and sad—so she killed her.

The killing was surprisingly simple. The dissected internal organs were as warm as love.

The next day, the discovery of the body caused a great commotion.

Then she killed the second person, the third person. Unconsciously, people started calling her by a name.

"Jack the Ripper"—she was very pleased. She had never known her name.

From the dissection technique, it was speculated that Jack must be a doctor—when such rumors spread, she was also very pleased. In this world, the existence she hated the most was doctors—because those doctors were the ones who kept killing them.

After killing several prostitutes, she died. There was no special reason. It was simply because a magus realized that these bizarre murders were the work of a demonic entity and dealt with her early on.

Since then, no more murders occurred, and Jack the Ripper disappeared into the darkness... However, the crimes were so bizarre, incomprehensible, and filled with mysteries.

It was a very peculiar phenomenon. After the crimes ceased, the name Jack the Ripper persisted. The people of London were imprinted with an indelible sense of terror. Even after a hundred years, the name had not faded.

Thus, the serial killer's anti-heroic Spirit that continued to bring fear even after death—that was this girl.

After organizing the information in his mind, Shinji had a new question.

If he remembered correctly, this wraith-like form should only be summonable as an Assassin. But since he was occupying the Assassin class, how did she appear?

With this thought, Shinji began to sense the girl's class, and the result shocked him.

"No class? How is that possible?"

PS: Jill is a girl's name. Gil, Iskandar, what do you two think?

PS2: Stay calm, everyone. There's no way Jack could be a Lancer.