The Battle Begins

[Sakura?]

"This is my elder. Did the strange aura you mentioned earlier come from him?"

"That's right, I can sense a faint sense of familiarity from him, but I don't remember his face from my previous life... Master, can you tell me what's going on?"

Unlike other Berserkers, the rational Cassandra simply glanced at the whole situation in her mind and keenly noticed some clues.

It seems that his Master is hiding a lot from him.

"--I'm so sorry, Berserker."

Sensing the dissatisfaction in her Servant, Sakura sincerely apologized to Cassandra.

"For some reason, my uncle has some connection with [Troy]. It's not that I'm deliberately hiding it, I just feel it's better for my uncle to tell me about it himself."

In fact, Wang Xiaoming did not hide his abilities from the two children. Therefore, after learning Cassandra's real name, Sakura knew that the two would eventually have another conversation.

"... I see."

Perhaps it was because she felt a strange sense of familiarity from the man before her, after a brief silence, a thin golden light flashed in the room, and Cassandra appeared in the living room.

After matching the girl who appeared before him with the "Cassandra" from Hector's memories, Wang Xiaoming couldn't help but sigh.

"Really..."

"May I ask who you are...?"

After a while, Cassandra spoke first, somewhat awkwardly. She couldn't help it; the concerned yet sighing gaze in her eyes was simply too heavy for her to bear.

"Excuse me for being rude. Let me introduce myself first. My name is Wang Xiaoming."

As Wang Xiaoming withdrew his gaze, he dispelled the Magecraft he had been using to conceal his presence. The instant the Magecraft dissipated, Cassandra's eyes widened in disbelief—

"... Brother?!"

Are you kidding me?! I can actually sense the aura of my own elder brother, that towering hero, emanating from this man?!

After confirming repeatedly, Cassandra finally had to admit that what she was seeing was not an illusion. And then, recalling what Sakura had said earlier—

Clearly, what their Master was "hiding" was this matter.

"Excuse me, do you know my brother Hector?"

Putting aside her unconscious arrogance and adopting a humble attitude, Cassandra asked Wang Xiaoming.

"That depends on how you define it..."

Upon hearing Cassandra's question, Wang Xiaoming subconsciously scratched his head. "Although we only met once, if he hadn't entrusted his Spirit Origin to me, I probably would have suffered a lot in the past ten years. From that perspective, it's not an exaggeration to call Hector a benefactor."

"So that's how it is..."

After Wang Xiaoming briefly recounted his encounter with Hector, Cassandra nodded.

"Since he approves of you, I naturally have no objections. Berserker, Cassandra, I hope to be of assistance to you in this Holy Grail War."

However, Wang Xiaoming did not show any joy at the addition of Berserker. With a serious expression, he asked a question that had been on his mind from the beginning—

"More than that, Cassandra, there's something I'm more concerned about. Can you tell me what your wish is for participating in this Holy Grail War?"

"I hope the Holy Grail can erase the existence of Paris."

"Berserker?"

Without any attempt to conceal her feelings, Cassandra directly stated her wish, the content of which surprised Sakura.

"If he hadn't brought Helen to Troy, how could Troy have been breached by that bunch of Greece scum? So, as long as we erase 'Paris' from history, the history of the fall of Troy will naturally be..."

"Hmm, I see..."

Sensing that Cassandra's aura was starting to get out of control, Wang Xiaoming sighed quietly and then stopped provoking her.

However, because of Cassandra's words just now, Wang Xiaoming's doubts had been answered.

In the memories Hector entrusted to her, Cassandra, while not exactly cheerful, would never willingly succumb to depravity and accept [Mad Enhancement] transformation.

--Unless it's driven by a desire so profound that one is willing to plunge into the "abyss" to achieve it.

Furthermore, Wang Xiaoming had no intention of stopping Cassandra from having that so-called wish.

Even with a deep understanding of the history of Troy, Wang Xiaoming, viewed through the lens of "Hector's memory," still felt helpless about the actions of Paris, who "brothers betrayed their fathers, brothers, and country."

However, there's no rush to consider these things; everything can wait until the Holy Grail War is over before we discuss them... With that thought in mind, Wang Xiaoming turned his gaze to Sakura.

"Sakura, can you tell me about what happened to you last night?"

"Oh well--"

Sakura nodded, and then recounted her experiences from the previous night, including her encounter with Berserker and Rider, and how she was saved by a certain goddess.

Wang Xiaoming, who had initially been listening attentively, kept nodding until he heard Sakura mention a certain goddess...

"--Wait a moment."

Seeing Sakura casting a questioning glance at him, Xiaoming asked his question.

"Sakura, you're saying the god responded to the summons by possessing Rin's body?"

"That's right."

"And what is the name of that deity?"

"It is Ishtar, a deity in Sumerian mythology."

"..."

"Uncle, are you alright?"

Seeing Wang Xiaoming's stomach ache, Sakura wondered if she had said something wrong.

"It's nothing, I just remembered something not so good..."

Feeling a chill run down his spine, Wang Xiaoming forced a smile and replied, but before he could finish speaking, he was interrupted by a deafening explosion from outside.

Along with the explosion, two terrifying bursts of magical energy appeared. Judging from the direction from which the magical energy originated, the explosion occurred in the forest where Enkidu had previously been!

P. S.: Happy Mid-Autumn Festival (because it's not midnight yet, so it's still the Mid-Autumn Festival)

Goodnight everyone, let's keep working overtime happily tomorrow!

Chapter 401. The War Begins

A few minutes ago, in the forest outside Fuyuki

"--Huh?"

The sobbing sound beside him pulled Enkidu back from his somewhat lost thoughts.

"I'm sorry, Master."

Coming to his senses, Enkidu gently stroked the fur of his Master, the silver beast beside him, and said this.

"I was a little lost in thought because I was thinking about the puppeteer I encountered earlier."

In response to Enkidu's apology, the silver wolf howled once more.

The difference might not be noticeable to others, but as someone who can "hear all things," Enkidu naturally understood what Silver Wolf was trying to convey.

"Gentle? Perhaps."

Enkidu paused for a moment, then gave a gentle smile.

"However, as a human being, even in my time, she would be considered a [powerful] existence."

Recalling the aura emanating from the red-haired woman from last night, Enkidu seemed lost in thought...

"?!"

"--Huh?"

Sensing that its companion's aura had suddenly become tense, the silver wolf tilted its head in confusion, and then it saw—

Shock, anxiety, and even a hint of disgust...

A host of negative emotions emanated from his long-haired companion, and...

"Master... I hope you can stay here."

The long-haired companion's hesitant tone made Silver Wolf feel uneasy.

"I'm sorry, but I have to go. Although I could choose this place as the battlefield, given that guy's terrible personality, this whole forest would probably be razed to the ground, and more importantly, I wouldn't be able to protect you."

Enkidu, noticing Silver Wolf's emotional state, gently patted his head to comfort him.

"But don't worry too much, it's just a minor problem."

"Waaah--"

The silver wolf let out a soft howl, and Enkidu gently hugged it.

"Thank you, Master. I promise you, as long as this body hasn't decayed, I will definitely return to your side."

As Enkidu spoke, the surrounding trees suddenly began to shake violently.

The next second, the rapidly growing, lush foliage concealed their figures from the air, while the earth began to surge with a powerful torrent of magic.

"The forest will protect you while I'm gone."

The moment the sound faded, a powerful barrier entirely composed of forest material was formed. Enkidu, having accomplished all this, then strode towards the edge of the forest.

Before Enkidu could completely escape the forest, terrifying magic descended from the sky—

Boom!!!

"Whoa..."

Looking at the ground before her, now resembling a crater and filled with billowing dust, transformed by her magical attack, the girl seated on a cloud uttered a sound that seemed to remark on her experience—

"So spectacular..."

But the next second, a weapon flying from the ground interrupted the girl's musings.

Along with the weapons came this emotionless statement—

"Oh dear, it seems I've been underestimated~~"

Then, using that sentence as a starting point, the weapon pierced through the smoke.

Weapons are tools used to attack and cause harm.

If it were just an ordinary weapon, it probably wouldn't even qualify as a sight to the girl in the clouds at this moment.

Can--

What if it were tens of thousands?

Swords, spears, halberds, axes, hooks, forks, tridents, clubs, whips, maces, hammers, claws, crutches, meteor hammers, and all sorts of other weapons...

Anyway, all sorts of bizarre and unusual weapons pierced through the smoke in mid-air and rushed straight toward the girl.

If Magecraft were to be watching from the sidelines at this moment, they would probably be shocked to discover that each of these weapons possesses power no less than that of a [Rank B Noble Phantasm]!

"Whispering sound!"

However, for the young girl, the sheer number of weapons—almost filling her entire field of vision, perhaps hundreds or even thousands—was met with nothing more than a simple, cold snort.

Multiple arrows made of magic emerged from behind the girl and then met the weapon in mid-air.

The next second, the explosions caused by the clash of arrows and weapons ignited the entire battlefield.

On the other hand, Shirou had just left the ice cream shop and was about to head in the direction from which the explosion came, suddenly received a phone call from his father—

"Hey, Dad?"

"Did you hear the explosion just now?"

The voice coming from the other end of the microphone made Shirou nod subconsciously. Like Wang Xiaoming, Shirou had also heard the explosion, also felt the two powerful and oppressive magical forces.

"Yes, I'm heading in that direction right now."

Are Ruler and Saber next to you?