The Heroic Spirits Gathered Here... And That Includes You!

"Who are you?"

Although momentarily dazed by Illya's appearance, Kiritsugu Emiya's precise, machine-like killer instincts quickly and rationally deduced that the person causing such a commotion couldn't possibly be his daughter. He also sensed that the other party had a certain degree of knowledge about him. With insufficient information on his side, he chose to communicate verbally.

"A participant in this Holy Grail War, a Servant of the Caster seat. I will not disclose my name."

That was the answer he received. However, there was no evidence to prove the other party was telling the truth, nor was there proof they were lying. For now, Kiritsugu decided to proceed with a "trusting" attitude and asked his second question:

"What is your objective?"

"Oh, oh, as expected of the infamous Magus Killer, you didn't ask anything about my revealed appearance at all. You're clearly bothered by it, aren't you? Such admirable composure." Caster spoke with a mischievous tone, saying something that made even Kiritsugu's expression falter. However, Jizi didn't continue to scare him. She merely paused deliberately before continuing with a fabricated explanation: "Don't worry, it's just a simple illusion trick. In your perception, I appear as someone you 'would least expect to be hostile.' Honestly, I don't even know what I look like in your eyes! As for the original owner of this form, I have no idea what their current situation is."

"Your objective." There was still no evidence to prove she was telling the truth, but Kiritsugu didn't dwell on it. Understanding the other party's objective was more important at this moment.

"Heh heh, of course, I'm helping you. Don't tell me you haven't connected the dots yet—after seeing that black monstrosity."

"Are the Church and the Tohsaka family colluding? But what is your objective?"

What a persistent man, Jizi thought to herself. However, she maintained an inscrutable tone and attitude as she replied, "Two pieces of information, free of charge. One, Assassin has the ability to create clones. I don't know the extent of it, but it's definitely around eighty to ninety. The downside is that each clone is quite weak; you might be able to defeat them individually. Two, that man over there with the two swords—where are you looking? It's that Lancer. Don't you think my description is fitting? His True Name is Diarmuid, the chief knight of the Fianna in Celtic mythology. His Noble Phantasms are those two swords. One is called the 'Sword of Curse Removal,' which can block Mana flow, and the other is the 'Sword of Certain Death,' which prevents wounds from healing. If I hadn't intervened just now, Saber would have been debuffed by that yellow sword! These two pieces of information, plus my action of exposing Assassin's presence for your convenience, are they enough to form a basis for initial trust between us?"

"You're just trying to show goodwill? But what exactly is your objective?"

"Heh heh, no need to rush that. Perhaps we'll have more opportunities to talk business slowly later. For now, let's continue to focus on the battlefield. That Assassin doesn't seem to be dead. Should I say he truly is a Heroic Spirit?"

The figure contorted in pain amidst the flames was clearly exposed to everyone, and with it, his identity.

"Assassin!"

The reason for the appearance of the Assassin, who should have been dead, didn't require complex thought to deduce, as there was no one foolish present. [Jizi: Though there are plenty of stubborn ones.]

"It seems we won't be able to finish this today, Saber. It is a great honor to have crossed swords with a knight like you, but..."

"If the outcome of this honorable duel is exploited by rats hiding in the shadows, both your knightly way and mine will be tarnished, Lancer. However, meeting a knight like you makes this journey worthwhile."

The temporary truce between the two Servants, who were devoted to the knightly way, did not mean the night would end peacefully. At the very least, the Assassin, who had narrowly escaped death, would not be let off the hook.

Locked onto by two powerful auras, Assassin immediately chose to flee. He dodged the magic spear that pierced the air with a tactical evasive maneuver (commonly known as a barrel roll) and curled his body to narrowly evade the invisible sword. Although it was a desperate situation, he felt a small sense of pride because, with one more effortless backward leap, he could completely disappear into the cover provided by the stacked shipping containers at the docks. If he could just break free from the enemy's lock—even for a moment—it would be enough for him. Escaping from Saber and Lancer was something worth...

"Ahlalalalalalala!"

A chariot imbued with the power of thunder descended from the sky and crushed the fleeing Assassin with immense force, tearing his body to shreds beneath its wheels with ease.

"All of you, cease your fighting! Before my royal carriage!"

"My name is Iskandar, the King of Conquerors! I have descended in this Holy Grail War as the Servant of the Rider seat!"

The intervening Heroic Spirit, after instantly killing the escaping Assassin, loudly declared with majestic presence, stunning everyone...

"Idiot, idiot, idiot! What on earth are you thinking!"

Well, not everyone. At least his queen wasn't affected by this outrageously bold move. But then again, as the perennial victim of the Fourth War, the queen didn't have much say, so ignoring him wasn't entirely out of the question.

"You are fighting to obtain the Holy Grail. Before you clash, there is something I wish to ask."

"I don't know what your individual expectations are for the Holy Grail. But now, think carefully: are your wishes truly as grand as the ambition that encompasses heaven and earth?"

"I have descended onto the battlefield. Do you have any intention of yielding the Holy Grail to me? If you yield the Holy Grail to me, I will consider you friends and share the joy of conquering the world with you."

"Has the world ever been conquered by such an idiot?" Kiritsugu Emiya exclaimed from behind the shipping container.

"Well, well, people in ancient times thought differently from people in this era, and the gap between ancient heroes is even wider," Jizi replied with a smile. Although she liked the King of Conquerors uncle when watching anime, thought he was manly, and admired his breadth of mind and spirit, witnessing this famous scene of him trying to poach participants in person was full of comedic moments—why wasn't I complaining about the energy conversion of the 'That Person's' Mystic Eyes?

"By the way, your Saber revealed her identity. Oh my, that man with the two swords also revealed his. Doesn't that make my previous revelations useless? What a shame." The scene was currently playing out with Rider's failed attempt to poach, but out of respect for his courage in revealing his name, Lancer and Saber also revealed their True Names.

Ignoring Caster, who had been chattering incessantly nearby, Kiritsugu Emiya was constantly calculating in his mind. Lancer's words had confirmed one piece of information from Caster, and the other piece was clearly true as well. Could Caster's specialty be discerning the identities and abilities of other Heroic Spirits so easily? If so, cooperating with her seemed like a good option. However, Caster herself and her objectives would become a major issue. Although her actions so far were all gestures of goodwill towards them, this could also be a disguise for a larger scheme. But even if he didn't accept, wouldn't Caster's issues still need to be faced?

"Oh dear, another Assassin!"

Jizi's voice interrupted Kiritsugu Emiya's thoughts. Following her pointed direction, he indeed saw a figure with a different build from the previous two, but the characteristic skull mask and dark color scheme confirmed it was an Assassin.

However, that location was precisely...

"Mariya!"

What should he do? Mariya shouldn't have been discovered yet, but who knew what the situation would be like in a moment. If he notified Mariya with a communication device, with the extraordinary perception of Servants, the possibility of discovering Mariya was also high. If he used a Command Seal to send Saber over, Illya would...

"Consider it compensation for that useless information just now. I'll help you deal with that one, as a further display of my sincerity. The condition is that we can sit down and have a good talk at some point after tonight. I'll send the time and place directly to the Einzbern castle. Of course, if you want to find me, you can just call the number on this note."

After leaving a note, Jizi disappeared in a swirl of black mist. As for Kiritsugu, who was still somewhat bewildered, all he could do was keep his eyes fixed on the newly appeared Assassin.

"Pitiable, truly pitiable! Heroes gathered in Fuyuki. Seeing the spirit displayed by Saber and Lancer here, do you have no feelings? With proud True Names, you hide here and peek, truly cowardly. The Heroic Spirits would be alarmed to hear this, wouldn't they?"

Rider, having failed in his poaching attempt and incurred significant animosity, seemed unsatisfied. He continued to mock the Masters who would later reveal themselves, and now he was directly launching a map-wide attack. If only they were forming a party to clear a dungeon, such a dedicated tank would be hard to find.

Interrupted from his stealth state by this taunt... I mean, after responding to Rider's provocation, Gilgamesh made a brilliant entrance, standing on a streetlight. This guy also started provoking others as soon as he appeared. Weren't you a physical DPS? Is it really okay to court death like this?

"The only hero worthy of the name of king, between heaven and earth, is me alone. The rest are just... trash..."

An arrow grazed Gilgamesh's scalp as he was spewing his catchphrase, cutting off his words. After shaving off a few golden strands of hair, this arrow, which stole all the spotlight from the attention-grabbing Gilgamesh, finally struck the face of a black figure that had appeared at some unknown time.

"I'll blast your face with it! Are you guys done yet, you assassins without any creed!"

Jizi, who appeared on another lamppost, still holding her bow, after enjoying the feeling of being the center of attention for a while, elegantly shook her black robe, secretly signaled towards the direction of the "qiegao" [a type of pastry, likely a nickname or code word], and then discarded the bow, which was gradually disintegrating into particles. She landed as lightly as if performing ballet. Beneath her hood and mask, Shirou's voice could be heard:

"Although I am neither a king nor a knight, I am still a Heroic Spirit. King of Conquerors' words should not be ignored. I am the Servant of the Caster seat. Oh, and Gilgamesh, I'm very curious about your relationship with that sneaky fellow who can't even be called a hero and whom I just blasted in the face."

(Huh, this chapter is called "Heroic Spirits Gather Here," but who did I forget? Is it the Yangtze River from that guy who had a tragic life? Whatever, anyone who cares about details can go freeze frogs at Mist Lake.)

If you think this book is good, remember to add it to your bookshelf so you don't lose it next time.