Although Gilgamesh was the strongest among them, whether it was King Arthur, the King of Conquerors, the Queen of the Land of Shadows, or the Godslayers, all of them were exceptional Heroic Spirits. If Gilgamesh exposed his trump card out of rage while dealing with the Black Knight, it would inevitably draw their wariness and perhaps even provoke them into joining forces against him. After all, no hero would want to face an opponent as terrifying as Gilgamesh alone.
Two fists could not defeat four hands. Even Gilgamesh, wielding Ea, would inevitably be forced out if he faced a simultaneous siege from multiple sides. By then, with only Assassin remaining, he would have no hope of victory whatsoever. That was something he could never accept.
So, at this critical moment, Tokiomi Tohsaka decided to use his astonishing wisdom to offer counsel, then assist with a Command Seal to summon back this lawless oldest king, stabilize the situation, and make gradual plans afterward.
What he failed to realize, however, was...
His astonishing wisdom only made the already enraged Gilgamesh even angrier.
"Tokiomi Tohsaka! You insolent bastard who knows neither rank nor propriety, you actually dare to use a Command Seal to quell this king's anger..."
At this moment, he glared at the Black Knight before him and every Servant around him, his expression dark as he said:
"You false kings and mongrels may continue tearing each other apart like wild dogs here. Remember this well: only true heroes are qualified to stand before this king."
Then, under the Command Seal's forced effect, his golden body finally lost its support, instantly turning into a streak of golden light before vanishing in the blink of an eye.
Although Gilgamesh had still looked lofty and superior when he left, everyone present could tell that it had definitely been the Command Seal's effect.
"A Command Seal, huh..."
"To use a Command Seal to forcibly recall a hero in the middle of battle... Archer's Master seems rather foolish..."
Iskandar stroked his chin and looked toward the direction where Gilgamesh had disappeared, speaking thoughtfully.
In his eyes, Archer's Master's actions just now had been practically suicidal...
Not to mention Archer, with his extreme pride—if his own Master had dared summon him back at such a moment, he would have taught them exactly what the King of Conquerors' wrath meant.
Still, the other Heroic Spirits present could vaguely understand the other side's intentions. They were worried that exposing too much strength would lead to everyone joining forces against them, so they chose to leave first...
As a Master, that tactic was certainly not wrong, but had he really thought through what would happen next?
If a Magus treated heroes like familiars to be summoned and dismissed at will, believing they could control them, they would suffer dearly later on.
Scáthach narrowed her eyes slightly, as though she had already foreseen some unlucky fellow's ending.
Emiya Kiritsugu, Your Wife Is Missing!
Emiya Kiritsugu...
He was a man known as the Magus Killer, and a scum universally acknowledged by the Magecraft World. With the horrifying record of having killed nearly a hundred Magi, he was a dangerous figure with considerable renown even across the world's magecraft circles.
Yet the expression of such an incredibly dangerous man was particularly sorrowful at this moment.
Under the cold night sky, the ragged, pale-faced man had blood continuously trickling from the corner of his mouth. The intense pain radiating from every part of his body had left him paralyzed with agony.
Even his usually cold expression had twisted from the piercing pain in his body. If he could, he truly wanted to smoke a cigarette to calm himself down.
However, Artoria, who stood ahead of him and dragged him along on a flatbed cart, clearly did not understand his intentions.
Thus, beneath the cold night sky, this Master and Servant pair who were already somewhat at odds continued silently through the small forest—one responsible for pulling, the other responsible for lying down.
"..."
The utterly exhausted Emiya Kiritsugu blinked, wanting to speak, but the dryness in his throat made him abandon that difficult task.
In the end, he forced himself to gather his strength, stretched out his numb hand with great difficulty, reached into his pocket, and took out a cigarette to light between his lips.
Comfortable...
The pain had eased a little.
The taste of nicotine relaxed his furrowed brows slightly. Then, with a cigarette hanging from his lips, Emiya Kiritsugu gazed blankly up at the night sky and reviewed tonight's battle, which had clearly been rather abnormal.
No matter how one looked at it, tonight's plan and battle could only be described as a complete disaster.
His current situation was indescribably terrible as well.
First came the Masters. There was nothing to say about that—he had been utterly crushed by Kenneth in their direct confrontation, without the slightest ability to fight back.
The only gains he had made were the bits of information he had barely traded half his life for. First, his opponent had been confirmed: the trusted Lord of the Clock Tower, Lord of the Mineralogy Department, head of the El-Melloi Faction, a magecraft noble family passed down for nine generations, a Color-Rank Magus—Kayneth El-Mello Archibald.
Before coming here, he had learned through investigation that this Holy Grail War included two orthodox Magi from the Clock Tower. However, he had never imagined that one of them would be a Lord of the Clock Tower—and such an absurdly formidable Lord at that.
Logically speaking, a ninth-generation Magus like Kayneth, an old Clock Tower aristocrat and a Color-Rank Magus, should have been arrogant and contemptuous of everything. Even if he participated in the Holy Grail War, he would most likely not take second-rate Magi like them seriously, disdaining to use his full strength in battle and thereby giving Kiritsugu a chance to turn the tables.
After all, unlike orthodox Magi, he possessed the immensely deadly weapon known as the Origin Bullet. So long as the other side lacked information and he could seize an opportunity to land a single shot, no matter how powerful the Magus was, he could use the Origin Bullet's properties to make them die in regret, achieving a perfect first-meeting kill.
But Emiya Kiritsugu had no idea what kind of trauma Kenneth had suffered.
He had come to participate in a backwater magecraft ritual armed from head to toe with Mystic Codes, practically fortified from his toes to his teeth. Defense, invisibility, scouting, tracking, magecraft enhancement... there was almost nothing he could not do. He had completely equipped himself like an outrageous, shameless warrior among Magi, with his survival instincts maxed out.
If that had been all, Kiritsugu could still have accepted it. What was even more excessive was that this dishonorable bastard had never personally entered the battle at all, instead controlling a puppet to fight him and baiting out every last one of his trump cards.
After Kenneth relentlessly pursued and battered him until he had nowhere left to run, Kiritsugu decided to risk his life in one final gamble.
He continuously let himself be injured as bait, reducing himself to this miserable state. Only then did he lure Kenneth to a backup trap he had prepared in advance, pull out the Stinger RPG he had arranged beforehand, and, regardless of his own safety, gave Kenneth a point-blank explosion from less than a few meters away.
When he saw the terrifying blast send the area where Kenneth stood, along with the surrounding shipping containers, flying into the air, Emiya Kiritsugu smiled in satisfaction, roaring inwardly.
"The times have changed, old man!!"
Sure enough, all of these problems had ultimately stemmed from insufficient firepower.
Taking a Stinger RPG head-on, even if he had prepared countless Mystic Codes, he should have been seriously injured. All Kiritsugu needed to do next was seize another chance and end the battle with an Origin Bullet.
However, just as Emiya Kiritsugu held such beautiful thoughts and prepared to fire another shot...
The next moment, something happened that completely shattered his composure. Before he could finish things with an Origin Bullet, a piercing round of applause suddenly sounded from the corner, and another completely unharmed Kenneth walked out.
In that brief instant, Emiya Kiritsugu's mouth twitched madly. His heart collapsed completely, and even the hand gripping the Origin Bullet shook violently.
He recalled last night. To eliminate this great enemy, he had not hesitated to trade injury for injury, using his own body as bait and continuously showing weakness. Like a trapped beast in a cage, he launched disorderly attacks and deliberately revealed openings. Furthermore, his use of modern weaponry had naturally earned Kenneth's contempt.
That was precisely what he wanted. With such a vast gap in strength between them, only by catching a fleeting opening could he have a chance to break the deadlock.
Emiya Kiritsugu had seized that rare opportunity and gradually led Kenneth into his trap. He took out the firearms his assistant had prepared beforehand and, regardless of his own injuries, slammed Kenneth in the face with an RPG.
The plan had proceeded smoothly and brilliantly. Throughout the process, Emiya Kiritsugu had also demonstrated his outstanding execution, mobility, and that precious resolve to sacrifice his life without hesitation.
Thus, with so many advantages piled together, heaven did not disappoint the determined. He successfully killed Kenneth...'s double!
When he saw Kenneth swallowed by the explosion, he smiled, because he had eliminated one of his most troublesome enemies. Killing a Clock Tower Lord alone was an achievement that was exceedingly rare even throughout the entire world of mystery. Even though he had been beaten into this state, trading it for the withdrawal of such a formidable enemy had been absolutely worth it!!
Then Kenneth smiled as well. Although he had used up the substitute puppet he had only recently bought at great expense from that Grand Puppet Master, he had also figured out the magecraft and trump cards of a certain Magus Killer, eliminating a huge risk for himself. It had originally been meant to bait out techniques from his disciple, but using it to eliminate such a despicable opponent was not a loss either. In any case, he still had ample preparations.
So, while both sides believed they had made a killing, Kenneth had obviously made just a tiny bit more.
After all, he was about to carry Emiya Kiritsugu away in one wave. What meaning was there in discussing business with a dead man?
Still, Emiya Kiritsugu truly deserved his reputation as the battle-hardened Magus Killer. Even in that situation, he had not given up. When Kenneth appeared again, he actually suppressed his already crumbling mentality, seized another opportunity, and launched a counterattack. He even squeezed his life force dry just to unleash Time Alter at five times speed for a short burst, rapidly close the distance, smash a flash grenade into Kenneth's face, and make one final attempt with his secret weapon, the Origin Bullet.
And the result...
Actually, the plan had nearly succeeded.
Facing the bullet he fired, Kenneth wore a face full of disdain, ready to directly block it with his Mystic Codes and body before controlling Volumen Hydrargyrum to slice him apart.
That bastard had been careless. Clearly, Kenneth did not know the secret hidden within that bullet.
So he had won this final struggle! Next, he would trade an arm and a leg for Kenneth's life.
What Emiya Kiritsugu had not expected was that another Master would intrude at this critical moment.
Before he could even fire the Origin Bullet, an unfamiliar young man walked out from around the harbor corner and inserted himself into the war between him and Kenneth. What terrified Kiritsugu even more was that the other party clearly knew about the Origin Bullet in his possession.
Without giving him the chance to fire, the youth struck his hand with a pre-prepared Disarming Charm, knocking away the pistol loaded with the Origin Bullet and leaving Emiya Kiritsugu completely dumbfounded.
The other party even called out to Kenneth, "Long time no see, Teacher."
After that, the situation completely spiraled out of control.
Fortunately, that Lemon Head gave up on continuing to pursue him and instead turned his attention to the newly appeared young man. That was the only reason Kiritsugu had been able to slip away beneath his gaze amid the chaos.
Thinking of this, he took a deep drag from his cigarette, and Emiya Kiritsugu's heart became even more despondent.
He had never expected to suffer such a disastrous defeat on the very first night. He had no idea what madness had possessed that Lord of the Mineralogy Department, but the man had been cautious to such an extent that he practically gave no one any chance to survive.
And that young man had clearly been waiting for him as well. He had personally intervened to help Kenneth avoid the Origin Bullet's damage, and that was not even the most important part.
Because he had fled too hastily last night, the pistol carrying the Origin Bullet had fallen where he stood. It had surely fallen into their hands by now. If they discovered its secret...
At the thought of the Origin Bullet's secret being exposed, Emiya Kiritsugu could not help shuddering.
That was no laughing matter. If the magecraft world learned that he possessed such a weapon specifically designed against Magi, then without question, he would be attacked by the entire Magecraft World.
After all, no Magus would allow such a weapon to exist in the world!
At this moment, Emiya Kiritsugu knew.
If he failed, what awaited him would certainly not be a return to his old life. Formalin and a Sealing Designation from the Department of Law would undoubtedly become his final destination.
This Holy Grail War should be his last chance. He had to win, no matter the cost!!
Yet Artoria's situation on the other side was not much better. She had also suffered a brutal lesson from reality last night.
First, she had been tricked by Fionn mac Cumhaill and swaggered into someone else's home ground with Irisviel. Not only had she nearly been swallowed by endless waves, but every Servant who appeared afterward had been stronger than the last.
And the Black Knight who appeared at the end seemed to have gone mad as well. After Archer left, he targeted her again. His attacks were as savage and relentless as a rabid dog's, and the barrage left her utterly disheveled.
Though he was clearly a Berserker, he completely suppressed her in terms of martial skill. Unless she released her Noble Phantasm, she had no possibility of defeating him.
Fortunately, she had roughly figured out the traits of all the Heroic Spirits last night.
First, the strongest present was undoubtedly the golden Heroic Spirit, Archer. The sight of him simultaneously wielding thousands of Noble Phantasms had been far too shocking. Artoria knew very well that she was absolutely no match for him.
The golden Lancer, Fionn mac Cumhaill, and the purple Lancer, Scáthach, had also displayed their tremendous power and martial skill.
However, for various reasons, she had not had time to experience Scáthach's strength. But she had certainly learned Fionn's level. Not only was his martial skill exceptional, he was also extremely skilled at controlling water. His endurance and healing abilities were terrifying as well.
After fighting her for so long, Artoria had been left battered and disheveled. Yet Fionn casually pulled out a bottle of mineral water, used it on his hand with an extremely effective healing spell, and instantly restored all the losses he had accumulated over such a long battle.
That made Artoria realize just how versatile he was.
He could heal, control water, deal damage, and sustain himself. He was completely a hexagonal warrior. Without releasing her Noble Phantasm, she truly could not defeat Fionn.
There was not much to say about Iskandar, the Rider. Although he had not displayed much of his strength, merely from his presence and the magical energy erupting from his body, one could tell that the great King of Conquerors could not possibly be an ordinary opponent. He was bound to be a formidable enemy in this Holy Grail War.
Wonderful. They were all exceptional Servants. Even the Black Knight, who looked the weakest, had the skill to suppress her in martial arts. Artoria could not help but begin to wonder...
Was she too weak? Was this really the level of difficulty a Holy Grail War was supposed to have?
It felt as though the famed King Arthur was merely average in this Holy Grail War...
Coupled with the lack of Avalon and the problems with her mana supply, she was being thoroughly suppressed.
If there had not been so many people, all wary of one another, then if a true melee had broken out, she definitely would not have been among the Heroic Spirits who walked out of the harbor in the end.
In short, after this night, the already troubled Saber Master-Servant pair was completely exhausted in both body and mind. However, Emiya Kiritsugu knew full well that he could not rest now.
According to his assistant's report, Assassin had not been eliminated. She had observed Assassin's presence through night-vision goggles, and he had to investigate the reason for it.
Furthermore, according to Saber, he also had to figure out why two Lancers existed simultaneously. Had someone made an illegal summoning? Who had summoned the second Lancer? Was it the Caster who had yet to reveal himself?
He also needed to investigate last night's Kenneth and the young man who knew about his Origin Bullet. There were simply too many things to do. He had no time to rest at all.
This Holy Grail War had far exceeded expectations. He should let Saber take Irisviel back to the castle and remain still for now. He needed to formulate a new plan.
"Hm?"
At that thought, Emiya Kiritsugu's brows suddenly furrowed tightly. Then his eyes widened, as though he had remembered something incredibly important.
He hurriedly spat out the cigarette in his mouth, then looked at Artoria, who was still pulling the cart, and urgently asked, "Saber, where is Irisviel, whom I told you to protect?!"
Only after sorting through the information and his thoughts did the exhausted Emiya Kiritsugu realize...
It seemed that his wife was missing!!
At this, Artoria's eyes widened as well. She turned back toward Emiya Kiritsugu and asked in equal shock.
"Irisviel... she hasn't returned to the base yet?!"
"..."
In response, only Emiya Kiritsugu's silent silence remained.
What Counts as a Surprise?
What was an unexpected gain?
What could truly be called a surprise?
—This was what counted as a surprise!!
Looking at the white-haired woman whom Aozaki Touko had fixed onto the stone platform with magecraft, even Rovey had to admire Aozaki Touko's move of cutting off the fuel from beneath the cauldron, inwardly crying out in amazement.
Before you continue