Shirou gave her a meaningful look.
Just then, the scene inside the crystal ball changed--
Golden splendor filled the entire night sky.
Countless weapons materialized behind the golden Servant. This time, they truly dimmed the stars with their brilliance.
Shirou: "...(surprised)"
Lady Avalon: "...(sneaking a glance)"
In the next instant, the swords, spears, and blades behind the golden Servant fell toward the Assassin on the ground like a torrential rain!
"BOOM------!!!"
Even through the crystal ball, the light and force of the huge explosion could be felt.
In the blink of an eye, the black Servant on the ground vanished without a trace.
The first clash of the Holy Grail War was not a battle, but a one-sided massacre, an execution.
"Master! Master!"
Lady Avalon excitedly grabbed the boy's arm and shook it from side to side. "That golden Heroic Spirit is so strong! Without a doubt, he's the strongest participant in this Holy Grail War!"
"Ah, yes..." Shirou replied absentmindedly.
"Did you notice? The dozens of Noble Phantasms he fired in that instant were actually, actually... all genuine!!!
"It isn't strange for a Servant to possess multiple Noble Phantasms, but he actually has that many! This is an abnormal situation—far too abnormal!"
Lady Avalon spoke with an obviously deliberate, high-spirited tone.
"Considering your special magical nature, Master, the two of you might even become mortal enemies!"
"Is that so... I suppose you're right."
I don't think I've ever shown you Projection Magic, have I?
While placating the excited Female Magus, Shirou kept his eyes fixed on the crater left by the explosion inside the crystal ball.
To be honest, aside from being slightly surprised at the beginning, he had barely paid any attention to the golden Servant.
"That" was indeed powerful—powerful beyond imagination.
If "that" represented the standard abilities of a Servant, Shirou would have gone to the Fuyuki Church right then, abandoned his status as a Master, and accepted the protection of the overseer.
However--
"That" was only powerful.
It could neither become Shirou's strength nor stand in his way. In essence, they were incompatible.
Shirou Amamiya would not covet something blazing and brilliant that he could never touch, nor would he waste his gaze upon it for long.
Seeing the attitude displayed by the red-haired boy, Lady Avalon's eyes grew complicated.
Even throughout human history, you're probably the only one who could ignore the radiance of the "King of Heroes," Master, she thought pensively.
Then.
Amid this one-sided slaughter, the one who truly entered the field of vision of the Boundless Mage's Eye was--
"Assassin isn't dead yet."
The red-haired boy put on his coat, rose quickly, and headed outside.
"He might become our ally."
At the same time the intruder was eliminated by the golden Heroic Spirit, Tokiomi Tohsaka was reclining comfortably in a rocking chair in his room.
"Excellent... Everything is proceeding smoothly."
As soon as he finished speaking, the golden Heroic Spirit who had killed Assassin instantly appeared in the room with an displeased expression.
"You actually summoned me over such a trivial matter, Tokiomi."
Tokiomi Tohsaka immediately rose from his chair and bowed respectfully and elegantly.
"How would I dare, King of Kings Gilgamesh? Tonight's affair was meant to serve as a warning to the others and prevent further complications.
"After displaying your overwhelming power, surely no other brainless vermin will dare attack again."
Tokiomi Tohsaka explained in a tone that was as humble as possible without becoming excessively servile.
Gilgamesh disliked arrogant and conceited people, but he also hated sycophants.
Thus, he was still fairly satisfied with Tokiomi's attitude and reluctantly forgave him for tonight's affront.
"My King... Are you pleased with the world as it is now?"
The Golden King dismissed Tokiomi's question with contempt.
"Boring. No matter how unspeakably ugly the world becomes, all lands will eventually return to my garden, and all treasures will ultimately fall into my hands."
"So, the Holy Grail..."
"I have no interest in something like the Holy Grail."
Gilgamesh wore an imperious expression.
"Those mongrels started a dispute in my garden without permission. I could have ignored it... but if they set their sights on my treasures, that is another matter entirely.
"Besides, no matter how many of these vermin I punish, it does nothing to dispel my boredom.
"Tokiomi, I hope the strong warriors you spoke of can provide me with even the slightest bit of comfort. Otherwise...
"The sin of making me come here for nothing is quite grave, you know?"
With that, the golden Archer faded into the darkness.
"..."
Tokiomi Tohsaka, still bent forward in a bow, was already drenched in sweat.
Why did it have to be Archer...
Gilgamesh was already utterly self-centered by nature, and now he had also obtained the "Independent Action" class skill.
Every day, the oldest King of Heroes simply wandered around Fuyuki City in a leather jacket, leaving Tokiomi Tohsaka completely unable to contact him.
He did not know where his Servant was or what he was doing, much less have any hope of getting him to follow his advice.
If this continues, can the Tohsaka Family really achieve victory?
The gentleman who had previously been immersed in the dream of certain victory had now awakened considerably.
And then there was the Servant who could not be detected by the Spiritron Dresser.
So many days had passed, yet there was still no new information.
What abilities did that mysterious Servant possess?
Who exactly was his Master?
Why had they not gone to the Fuyuki Church to report their identities and receive an explanation? Had they noticed something?
Regardless of that Servant's strength, he and his Master had both become Tokiomi Tohsaka's greatest eyesores.
He had to make Kirei intensify Assassin's search and uncover their identities as soon as possible.
Volume One 036: There Are No Bad People Who Like Magical Girls
Several hours later.
The Fuyuki Church stood on a small hill in the outskirts of Shinto.
As the only neutral zone in the Holy Grail War, it welcomed a guest who had made an appointment in advance that night.
"--In accordance with the rules of the Holy Grail War, Kirei Kotomine requests that the Holy Church protect my person."
"I accept. In accordance with my duties as the overseer, Rin Tohsaka will guarantee your safety. Come in."
Even the church entrance might conceal the familiars of magi, so the father and son put on an act as they spoke.
To the outside world, Kirei Kotomine had recklessly sent Assassin to attack the Tohsaka Residence, suffered defeat, and hastily withdrawn from the Holy Grail War.
In reality, however, his battle had only just begun.
Kirei Kotomine would move from the surface into the shadows and continue carrying out reconnaissance and assassination work for the Tohsaka faction.
What enabled him to do so was precisely his Servant—Hassan-i-Sabbah.
At that moment, a figure emerged from the shadows in a corner of the church.
A black robe wrapped around a slender, curvaceous female body, while a distinctive skull mask covered her face.
--Assassin, who should already have been dead, had appeared once more.
Although both her body type and gender had changed, there was no doubt that she was Kirei Kotomine's Servant, Assassin.
She was the final leader of the Assassins' cult, the Old Man of the Mountain who possessed the alias "Hundred Faces."
An assassin with nearly a hundred faces, just as the name implied.
The truth behind her immortality was this: this Hassan had divided her own soul, splitting herself according to her personalities into eighty-eight physically existing individuals.
The one just killed by the King of Heroes had merely been one of the many Hassan-i-Sabbahs.
There were eighty-seven more black figures like that one.
Although they formed a group of nearly a hundred people, Hassan-i-Sabbah had only one spiritual foundation, and her total magical energy had not changed.
The more she divided herself, the weaker each individual became, but her innate skill, "Mystic Eyes of Death Perception," did not diminish.
By making the greatest possible use of this characteristic, Hundred-Faced Hassan had become a perfect intelligence network.
With comprehensive skills, extensive knowledge, and a strange mentality whose movements no one could predict, she could be called the most perfect assassin and infiltrator.
Relying on this Zabaniya, she had won the cult's leadership election, defeating a genius girl who had mastered all eighteen Zabaniya of the previous leaders.
While the Kotomine father and son conversed, the female assassin remained silent from beginning to end.
"Father, has the Spiritron Dresser still been unable to determine the class of that mysterious Servant?"
"Mm. Still not, but we have already confirmed the classes of the other six."
Rin Tohsaka explained, "All the Servants except Berserker have manifested. Therefore, the only possibility left is a Berserker."
"Is that so..."
Kirei Kotomine had his doubts, but he did not say anything more.
In his view, since the special situation of a "Servant unobservable by the Spiritron Dresser" had already appeared, why continue fixating on the conventional situation of the "seven classes"?
The seventh Servant... might not necessarily be Berserker, Father.
To be safe, Kirei Kotomine asked Assassin about the familiars around the Tohsaka Mansion.
"There were four different presences among the familiars present. I estimate that at least four Masters saw what happened."
The purple-haired female assassin added, "If they did not even think to send familiars to monitor the bases of the Three Founding Families, they could not possibly have the ability to guard against 'us.' Judging by the result, there should be no problem."
"Mm."
Kirei Kotomine nodded, then suddenly asked, "Do you regret letting that man die?"
The woman in the bone mask shook her head coldly.
"Even among 'us,' Zayd was merely an individual with average abilities in every respect.
"Even if we lost him, it would not have much effect on all of us. It's just that--"
"Just what?"
"Although it has no great effect, a loss is still a loss.
"It is like losing a finger. I hope his sacrifice will not have been meaningless."
Kirei Kotomine keenly sensed that, beneath the woman's respectful tone, intense displeasure was actually lodged in her heart.
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