Kirei Kotomine Challenges the King of Heroes

Kirei Kotomine said solemnly, "That's right. A challenge from an insignificant commoner of this era. I wonder if the King of Heroes is willing to accept my challenge?"

Gilgamesh looked at Kirei Kotomine with great interest. "Very well. I permit you, lowly commoner, to challenge me. However, if what you produce fails to qualify as a challenge in my eyes, you will pay the price!"

"Ha, it seems I'll be in considerable danger." Sensing that danger, Kirei Kotomine spread his hands with a smile. "Then please look forward to it, King of Heroes. I'll need some time to prepare the challenge."

"Hmph. I happen to have some time. Lowly commoner, present the work you believe can challenge me, and entertain me with it!"

"Yes, Teacher. I need your help." Kirei Kotomine looked toward Tokiomi Tohsaka.

Tokiomi Tohsaka said, "All right."

All their hopes now rested on Kirei Kotomine. Even if he wanted to refuse, he could not.

The Tohsaka Estate did not possess a treasure capable of matching the Holy Grail system. If they did, why would they need to beg the King of Heroes Gilgamesh for help?

Then, Tokiomi Tohsaka followed Kirei Kotomine into the kitchen, utterly baffled by the ingredients Kirei had brought.

"Kirei, what are you planning to do..." Tokiomi Tohsaka looked at everything before him, genuinely unable to make sense of it.

Kirei Kotomine smiled. "Cook. Make my own Mapo Tofu, then challenge that King."

"What? Have you lost your mind?" Tokiomi Tohsaka stared at his student in shock. He had never expected that answer. To say nothing of the fact that he himself could barely cook, with all cooking usually handled by his wife, Tohsaka Aoi.

More importantly, how could Mapo Tofu possibly be used to challenge that King?

Yet Kirei Kotomine's eyes brimmed with confidence. "Trust me, Teacher. I'm truly certain of this!"

Although Kirei Kotomine did not yet know that in two other Worldlines, getting a Young Gilgamesh to eat Mapo Tofu had been difficult—while in another, Young Gilgamesh had simply eaten until he collapsed—it did not stop him from having confidence in his food.

Hearing Kirei Kotomine's words, Tokiomi Tohsaka immediately got a headache and felt some regret as well. "You've already said it. Even I can't very well plead for mercy on your behalf. I only hope you really are that confident..."

Half an hour later, Tokiomi Tohsaka was driven out of the kitchen by the spicy fumes. This time, he truly believed that Kirei Kotomine was qualified to challenge the King of Heroes.

One hour after entering the kitchen.

Kirei Kotomine returned to the living room carrying his creation.

The King of Heroes looked at the Mapo Tofu Ramen, which gave off a fragrant aroma and looked like molten lava from hell. "Commoner, what is the meaning of this?"

Kirei Kotomine replied politely, "King of Heroes Gilgamesh, this is the challenge of a commoner. It is the ultimate result of my studies over the past few days. Please, have a taste."

"Oh? If I finish it with ease, will you admit your defeat?"

Kirei Kotomine said, "How could that be? My true defeat will only come when I, the challenger, am no longer capable of challenging you. This is merely the beginning."

"Hmph. Fine, then. I would like to see what this dish of yours is capable of." The King of Heroes Gilgamesh picked up his chopsticks and disdainfully reached for the Mapo Tofu Ramen.

The instant the food entered his mouth, countless sensations—scarlet heat, searing spice, rich flavor, scorching temperature—assaulted Gilgamesh's taste buds, and blood vessels immediately spread through his eyes.

"This is..." The moment Gilgamesh opened his mouth, he felt that hellish stimulation spread further as he spoke. He promptly shut his mouth and glared at Kirei Kotomine with scarlet eyes.

"Just as you have tasted, this is precisely my challenge to the King of Heroes." Seeing the fleeting expression of pain on Gilgamesh's face, Kirei Kotomine felt immense delight in his heart.

Mo Li had been right! This kind of pain, this suffering that even such a heroic figure could do nothing about—what joy!

"To make something so stimulating while ensuring it remains genuine cuisine, you are impressive. Kirei Kotomine, was it? I acknowledge your challenge." Gilgamesh gritted his teeth and swiftly finished his sentence, then picked up another mouthful of ramen.

Defeat? Unable to overcome even a challenge from a commoner? Impossible!

He, Gilgamesh, wagered the name of the King of Heroes that he would not fail this challenge!

With a fierce expression, Gilgamesh wolfed down the Mapo Tofu Ramen. Admit defeat? Not a chance!

Tokiomi Tohsaka watched this unfold with his jaw hanging open. Was the King of Heroes Gilgamesh really this easy to deal with? Then why had he submitted to the King of Heroes in the first place?

Watching Gilgamesh devour the Mapo Tofu Ramen, Tokiomi Tohsaka suddenly felt deeply unsettled.

Seemingly out of kindness, Kirei Kotomine placed a glass of ice water beside him. "Perhaps the King of Heroes may need some relief."

Gilgamesh glanced at the ice water. "Hmph. I will drink after I have eliminated your bowl of Mapo Tofu Ramen."

Kirei Kotomine watched Gilgamesh with a smile. Though he had yet to figure out how to make Mapo water, even a glass of ice water would have much the same effect under these circumstances. After finishing the Mapo Tofu Ramen, even the King of Heroes Gilgamesh might not be able to endure if he drank the ice water.

Before long, the Mapo Tofu Ramen was finished, including every drop of red broth. After wiping the corners of his mouth with a tissue, Gilgamesh grabbed the glass of ice water and drank it down.

"Khwa..." Gilgamesh's eyes were bloodshot. He barely managed to suppress the stimulation, now amplified to its utmost limit. After taking several deep breaths, he was already drenched in sweat as he turned his gaze toward Kirei Kotomine.

Gilgamesh did his utmost to maintain an expression of disdain. "This is your challenge? It was interesting, but no more than that. If you cannot present a more advanced challenge afterward, do not embarrass yourself before me again."

"My culinary path has yet to reached its ultimate end. My apologies for disappointing the King of Heroes. Once I make further progress, I shall present my results again." Kirei Kotomine gathered the bowls, chopsticks, and glass before leaving the living room.

Only after Kirei Kotomine had left did Tokiomi Tohsaka ask, "King of Heroes, regarding that Holy Grail contamination..."

Gilgamesh gave a contemptuous smile. "Not enough. We shall speak of it when that fellow's challenges satisfy me. I am somewhat tired now. Has anything interesting happened in this era? Perhaps it would be good to go out for a walk."

"Something interesting?" Tokiomi Tohsaka paused, then took out his tablet. "Nothing particularly interesting has happened recently in this era, but a close friend of mine has created two games—one single-player and one semi-single-player—and they have already taken the world by storm."

"Oh?" Gilgamesh was intrigued. He played games too.

When no one was watching, he played games himself as well, to the point that Archer had been shocked during the Fifth Holy Grail War Carnival.

The two games Tokiomi Tohsaka mentioned were Dynasty Warriors 4, renamed Dynasty Warriors 1 as a single-player game. Its technology far surpassed its era, leaving Koei far behind; even if the Koei of this era saw it, they would have nothing to say. In 1994, they could not even produce the real Dynasty Warriors 1.

As far as Mo Li was concerned, Koei should just honestly go make Samurai Warriors, while the semi-single-player game was Blue Archive.

After the two games were demonstrated, Gilgamesh smiled. "I thought these games would be difficult. Still, since the Holy Grail War cannot begin at present, these two little games will do to pass the time."

"As you wish. This servant shall take his leave."

"Mm."

Tokiomi Tohsaka left the living room.

Gilgamesh skillfully took control of the laptop and opened Blue Archive first. Tohsaka Rin and Matou Sakura had downloaded the game, but they had logged out of their accounts before leaving.

After creating an account and getting through the opening story CG, Gilgamesh triggered the gacha screen.

"A beginner's ten-pull?" Gilgamesh signed his name and began flipping the cards. One blue, four gold, and five rainbow.

"Hibiki, Karin, Iori, Haruna, Aru?" Gilgamesh pondered over his first pull for a moment before saving the result and starting a new one. However, none of the subsequent pulls were better, so he ultimately chose the first result.

Gilgamesh casually collected the large pile of materials from his mailbox, then checked the current recruitment banner. Since the game had just launched, it was still in its early stage, with few students available to pull. And after Mo Li's adjustments, a ten-pull still cost 1,200, with one rainbow guaranteed within fifty pulls and pity at one hundred pulls.

After throwing 24,000 gems into it, Gilgamesh still had half the rainbow units left unpulled, and he immediately grew irritated.

"How could this king's luck possibly be this bad!"

"Hmm? Top-up?" Gilgamesh opened the payment page and discovered that it only had packages ranging from a one-yuan beginner bundle to an eighty-one-yuan top-up bundle. Aside from the ten-yuan monthly card and the twenty-yuan premium monthly card, each could only be purchased once per month.

Given the era, no one's money came from the wind. Mo Li had therefore thoughtfully lowered the top-up amounts and even intended to promote this as the industry standard. It was better than the 648 of later generations, and it supported refunds for minors.

"So cheap?" Gilgamesh wore a contemptuous smile. Taking advantage of the Tohsaka family's resources, he immediately opened an account for himself and began putting money in. He bought out every package and directly topped up both monthly cards to their fifty-year limit.

With the money he had just added, Gilgamesh finally pulled all the remaining rainbow units.

"Mm. At last, I have gathered the subordinates needed for this king to conquer this game. Not bad. Wait, they can be starred up too? Divine Name stones?"

Gilgamesh began raising stars. Without caring whether they were useful, he started with the characters who looked powerful. But he soon discovered that after only raising a few to five stars, he had run out of stones. Looking at the top-up page, which he had already bought clean, he simply called customer service to ask whether there was any additional payment channel.

The customer service representative was a young woman on the night shift. After hearing him out and realizing he was a major spender, she hurriedly submitted a request for someone higher up to handle it. However, most people were asleep.

Thus, after the matter was escalated all the way up, Mo Li received the call.

Gilgamesh opened with, "Does your game accept higher-value top-ups? I'm taking every character to five stars today!"