"Who are you?"
Though Illya's appearance had "bewildered" him into a brief lapse, Kiritsugu Emiya's assassin's mind, precise as a machine, quickly and rationally concluded that the one causing such a commotion could not possibly be his daughter. He could also tell that the other party knew something about him. With his own side lacking intelligence, he chose to communicate verbally.
"A participant in this Holy Grail War, a Servant of the Caster class. I will not disclose my name."
That was the answer he received. Yet there was no evidence proving that what she had revealed was true, nor was there any way to prove it was a lie. For now, Kiritsugu chose to continue the conversation with an attitude of "trust," and asked his second question:
"What is your objective?"
"Oh, oh, as expected of the infamous Magus Killer. You did not ask a single question about the appearance I manifested, even though it clearly bothers you, does it not? What praiseworthy self-control." Jizi spoke with such malicious amusement that even Kiritsugu's expression changed. However, she did not continue frightening him. After deliberately pausing, she casually made something up. "Do not worry. It is merely a simple illusion. In your perception, I will appear as the person you would be least hostile toward. I do not even know what I look like in your eyes! As for what has happened to the original owner of this appearance, I do not know either."
"Your objective." There was still no proof that she was telling the truth, but Kiritsugu did not dwell on that. At this moment, determining her purpose was more important.
"Hehe, I am helping you, of course. Do not tell me you did not make any connections after seeing that black figure."
"Is the Holy Church colluding with the Tohsaka Family? And what exactly is your objective?"
What a relentlessly tiresome man. Jizi grumbled inwardly, but outwardly replied in an inscrutable tone, "Two pieces of information, free of charge. First, Assassin possesses the ability to create duplicates. I do not know how far that ability goes, but there are certainly eighty or ninety of them. The drawback is that every duplicate is rather weak. Against one alone, you probably have a chance of winning. Second, that man over there who knows how to handle two brushes—where are you looking? That Lancer. Do you not think my description is fitting? His true name is Diarmuid, the foremost knight of the Knights of Fianna in Celtic mythology. His Noble Phantasms are those two brushes. One is the red brush that shatters magic, capable of disrupting the flow of Mana. The other is the yellow brush of certain death, capable of making wounds impossible to heal. Had I not intervened just now, Saber would have been afflicted with a debuff from that yellow brush! These two pieces of information, along with my exposing Assassin's existence for you when it was inconvenient for you to act—are they enough to form a foundation of preliminary trust between us?"
"You merely wish to show goodwill? What exactly is your objective?"
"Hehe, there is no need to rush that. Perhaps we will have more opportunities to slowly discuss business later. For now, why not continue watching the battlefield? That Assassin does not seem to be dead. Is that what one should expect from a Heroic Spirit?"
The figure twisted in pain amid the flames was plainly exposed before everyone, and so was his identity.
"Assassin!"
The reason Assassin, who should have died, had appeared required no complicated thought. After all, there was no fool present. [Jizi: There are quite a few stubborn blockheads, though.]
"It seems we will not be able to decide the victor today, Saber. It has been an immense honor to cross blades with a knight such as you, but..."
"If the result of this honorable duel is exploited by rats hiding in the shadows, then neither your chivalry nor mine will retain its honor, Lancer. Still, meeting a knight such as you has made this journey worthwhile."
The two Servants devoted to chivalry called a temporary truce, but that did not mean the night would end quietly. At the very least, the Assassin who had narrowly escaped death would not be spared.
Locked onto by two powerful presences, Assassin immediately chose to flee. With a tactical evasive maneuver—commonly known as a donkey roll—he dodged the demonic spear tearing through the air, then curled his body tightly to barely evade the invisible sword. Though he looked wretched, he still felt a little smug inside.
As long as he made one more easy backward leap, he could completely dart into the shelter formed by the stacks of shipping containers at the docks. As long as he broke free from the enemy's lock-on—even for an instant—it would be enough for him. Escaping from Saber and Lancer was something worth...
"Ahlalalalalalala!"
A chariot carrying the power of thunder descended from the sky and brutally crushed Assassin beneath its wheels. The tremendous force effortlessly tore the body under the wheels to pieces.
"Everyone, cease your fighting before this king's royal chariot!"
"My name is Alexander Iskandar, the King of Conquerors! I have descended in this Holy Grail War as a Servant of the Rider class!"
After instantly killing the fleeing Assassin, the intruding Heroic Spirit shouted a declaration so grand and resounding that everyone froze...
"Baka, baka, baka! What the hell were you thinking?!"
Well, not everyone. At least his Queen Consort had not been affected by that overflowing display of majesty. But as the perennial punching bag of the Fourth War, the Queen Consort did not really have any right to speak, so ignoring her was not impossible.
"You fight and kill one another for the Holy Grail. Before you clash, there is one thing I wish to ask."
"I do not know what each of you expects from the Holy Grail. But think carefully now—do your wishes carry more weight than a grand ambition encompassing heaven and earth?"
"I have descended upon this battlefield. Do you intend to yield the Holy Grail to me? If you do, I shall regard you as friends and share with you the joy of conquering the world."
----Typing on a phone makes copying the original inconvenient, and I am too lazy to pad the word count—the second reason, believe it or not, is one I believe myself—so here is a perspective-change divider----
"Was the world once conquered by such an idiot?" Kiritsugu Emiya sighed from behind a shipping container.
"Well, people in ancient times thought differently from people in this era. And ancient heroes differed even more." Jizi answered with a smile. It was true that she had liked the King of Conquerors when watching anime. It was true that she thought he was manly. It was even truer that she admired his broad-mindedness and grandeur. But seeing this famous foolish scene in person was still full of things to mock. Why do I not have the energy to make fun of Saber's ahoge?
"By the way, your Saber just revealed her identity. Oh my, that man with the two brushes did as well. Does that not make the information I revealed earlier useless? What a shame." The scene had reached the point where Rider's attempt to poach allies had hit a wall. Yet out of respect for his courage in announcing his identity, both Lancer and Saber revealed their true names as well.
Ignoring the Caster who had been chattering nonstop nearby, Kiritsugu continued calculating inwardly. Lancer's words had just confirmed one piece of Caster's intelligence, and the other was obviously true as well. Was this Caster's special ability—to so easily discern the identities and abilities of other Heroic Spirits? Working with her seemed like a good option, but Caster herself and her objective would be major problems. Although her actions thus far had shown goodwill toward his side, they could also be a disguise for a greater scheme. But even if he refused, could he truly avoid dealing with Caster's problem?
"Oh my, another Assassin!"
Jizi's voice interrupted Kiritsugu's thoughts. Looking in the direction she pointed, he indeed saw one whose build differed somewhat from the two who had appeared before. Yet the distinctive skull mask and dark coloring made it unmistakably Assassin.
However, that location was...
"Maiya!"
What should he do? Maiya probably had not been discovered yet, but who knew what would happen next? If he notified Maiya through the communicator, a Servant's superhuman perception might also detect her. If he used a Command Seal to send Saber there, then Airi would...
"Consider it compensation for that useless bit of information earlier. I will help you deal with that one, and show my sincerity once more. In exchange, sometime after tonight, we will sit down and properly discuss a business deal. I will send the time and place directly to Einzbern Castle. Of course, if you wish to find me, you may also call the number on this note."
After leaving behind a slip of paper, Jizi vanished in a cloud of black mist. As for Kiritsugu, who was still somewhat baffled, what else could he do but keep his eyes fixed on the newly appeared Assassin?
"Pitiful, truly pitiful! You heroes gathered in Fuyuki. Having witnessed the bearing Saber and Lancer displayed here, do you have no thoughts at all? You possess true names worthy of pride, yet you hide here and watch in secret. How cowardly. Even Heroic Spirits would be flustered to hear that, would they not?"
Having failed to poach allies and earned the hatred of two powerful foes, Rider apparently was not satisfied. He then thoroughly mocked Kayneth, who would reveal himself later, and now directly launched a taunt at the entire map. What a dedicated tank. If this were a dungeon raid, a tank this professional would be hard to find.
Interrupted in his stealth state by that taunt... no, responding to Rider's provocation, Gilgamesh made a dazzling entrance atop a streetlamp. The moment he appeared, he began drawing aggro too. Wait, are you not a physical DPS? Is it really okay to court death like this?
"The only hero truly worthy of being called a king is me. The rest are merely a bunch of rabble—"
An arrow grazed the scalp of the loudly boasting Gilgamesh, forcing his catchphrase back down his throat. After cutting off several strands of golden hair, the arrow that stole every bit of Gilgamesh's spotlight ultimately struck the face of a black figure that had appeared at some unknown moment.
"An arrow to the face! Do these Assassins with no principles ever end?!"
Jizi appeared atop another streetlamp, still holding her bow-drawing posture. After enjoying the feeling of being the center of attention for a while, she elegantly shook her black robe, secretly gestured toward Kiritsugu, then discarded the bow as it gradually dissolved into particles and lightly descended like a ballet dancer. From beneath her hood and mask came a distorted voice:
"Though I am neither a king nor a knight, I am still a Heroic Spirit. I cannot pretend I did not hear the words of His Majesty the King of Conquerors. I am a Servant of the Caster class. Oh, and Gilgamesh, I am very curious about your relationship with that sneaky fellow I just shot in the face—the one who can hardly be called a hero."
(Huh, this chapter is called The Heroic Spirits Gathered Here, but it seems I forgot someone? Yangtze from that poor fellow's household who suffered all his life? Forget it. Anyone who cares about details can go freeze frogs at the Lake of Mist.)
Before you continue