Rider Makes His Entrance (Part 2)

The Light Screen showed the two of them clash again.

Once the restriction on his Noble Phantasm was lifted, its true power became apparent.

The moment they crossed weapons, Artoria realized that the red lance had actually broken through her Wind King's Barrier.

The Wind King's Barrier's concealment effect had failed the instant the two weapons collided, revealing the Golden Sword hidden within it.

They were locked in a stalemate. Though their weapons clashed like chainsaws, sparks flying everywhere, people in the real world could still see part of the sword's true form.

At once, many people thought back to the scene at the beginning of the Light Screen, when Saber—that was, King Arthur—had reviewed her army on the Scottish Plains. Back then, the Golden Sword in Saber's hand had been this very one.

Then Saber suddenly exerted herself, using tremendous force to shove Lancer away. They put some distance between them, and the Golden Sword quickly vanished again into the wind, which warped the light around it.

Saber narrowed her beautiful eyes at the sight, then attacked Lancer without a word.

Clang! Bang! Clang! Shing—

Amid a series of metallic clashes, the two had already exchanged more than a dozen blows in the blink of an eye.

Every time Saber's Invisible Blade collided with Lancer's Invisible Blade, it appeared for an instant, gradually allowing people to see the Golden Sword in its entirety.

In fact, high-speed, high-definition cameras had already captured the Invisible Blade, and various well-equipped organizations had begun having professionals recreate it as a 3D model.

The Golden Sword's 3D model might even be ready before the battle ended.

After exchanging blows for a while, Saber had gathered enough information about her opponent. She immediately put some distance between herself and Lancer again.

At the same time, the narrator spoke.

[Saber has been testing Lancer. The Knight King, who possesses the highest rank of the skill Instinct—Rank A—has already learned the details of her enemy's Noble Phantasm through these exchanges.]

[Now, the girl who was once King Arthur, with more than a hundred legendary battles behind her, has simulated dozens of possible developments in the coming fight. She has the path to victory firmly in her grasp.]

At the same time, a subtitle appeared on the screen to explain what Instinct was.

Many people were surprised. Instinct's ability to foresee the future seemed far too unfair. It could even predict what was to come. Even if that only meant glimpsing the near future in battle, it was still an ability that defied the heavens.

What was more, being able to foresee the near future in battle could turn the tide of fate. Its ability to sense danger could also help her avoid fatal blows.

With this ability, Saber naturally held the advantage in battle.

Countless people immediately cried, "Our King is the strongest!" "Our King is invincible!" and "Our King, take down that pervert in the skintight outfit!" She had won herself even more fans.

Others, however, focused on something else. They noticed that Instinct was a "skill," and that the text also mentioned that every Servant had skills of their own, each with a rank.

The more they watched, the more it seemed like a game. If this were a film or TV show, the screenwriter must have played far too many games.

Just then, the scene on the Light Screen changed again.

This time, it showed a bridge: Fuyuki Bridge.

Two men stood at the top of its steel framework.

More precisely, one was a muscular hunk, and the other a young pretty boy.

The muscular hunk stood with his hands on his hips, grinning broadly.

He wore ancient Greek-style leather armor and a red fur cloak. A sheathed greatsword hung at his waist, but he stood over two meters tall, making the sword look like a short blade.

His face was bright with a hearty smile, and he had a red beard the same color as his winged, flame-red hair. He gave off the air of a bold, hearty hero.

The boy beside him, on the other hand, was his polar opposite.

He lacked the man's hearty confidence and seemed timid and meek. His face full of fear, he clung to the bridge's framework.

His long hair was parted down the middle and fell to about his neck. He looked around seventeen or eighteen, and he wasn't tall—probably under five foot three. His pretty face had a meek, helpless look that made him seem easy to bully.

The boy wore ordinary green clothes and trousers. They were cheap, but clean and neat, showing that he cared about his appearance.

Still, there was no way to keep one's clothes clean on the framework of a bridge like this. He would probably have to find a way to clean them afterward.

In a trembling voice that sounded close to tears, the boy asked, "R-Rider, what's going on over there? A-and when can we get down? I-it's so high up here, and it's a little cold."

The red-haired man grinned and laughed. "Amazing! What a fight! Saber and Lancer are locked in a spectacular duel, and neither has the upper hand. But Lancer's Master lost patience and interfered in the duel between two excellent warriors, forcing Lancer to use his Noble Phantasm."

"Lancer's Noble Phantasm seems to be able to break through Saber's method of concealing her weapon. Since then, every time Saber's weapon collides with Lancer's, her concealment disappears for a moment. Saber is deliberately seeking out those collisions. She must be testing her opponent."

The boy continued trembling. "I-is that so? Then, c-can we go down now? I-it's so high up here, and a little cold."

Rider laughed heartily. "Hahaha! Don't be such a coward, kid. A man should stand tall and face the world. Didn't you seek the Holy Grail because you wanted to grow taller? Then you should start standing tall right now. Otherwise, even if the Holy Grail makes you taller in the end, you'll still be hunched over. Hahaha!"

At his words, the boy pressed his lips together. His voice was no longer quite so shaky. "Y-you make it sound easy..."

He had clearly taken Rider's words to heart and was trying hard to make himself braver.

As the two spoke, subtitles identified them by their surnames.

The bearded hunk was Rider, one of the seven Servants in this Holy Grail War. The other was his Master, Waver Velvet.

In the real world, people were enlightened to see a new pair appear. They also thought the pair was a strange combination: the Master didn't seem like a Master, and the Servant didn't seem like a Servant.

Still, the bearded hunk's hearty, imposing manner won him plenty of goodwill. People couldn't help but look up to heroes like him.

As for the boy Waver, the Master, he made many people laugh in spite of themselves, or simply shake their heads in disbelief.

He had the Holy Grail, an all-purpose wish-granting machine, and he wanted to use it to grow taller?

Boy, were you really that obsessed with your height? Sure, you looked quite scrawny, but you were still young. You had plenty of time to grow!

Many people—especially those with ambition and desire—were deeply dissatisfied with Waver's wish. Some even wished they could take his place and compete for the Holy Grail.

After all, a wish-granting machine like the Holy Grail was practically made to bring out the worst in humanity. If this were anything but a scene on the Light Screen, plenty of people would probably have rushed in to claim the Holy Grail.

In fact, many people were already on their way to Fuyuki City, or had arrived there. Even knowing that the events on the Light Screen differed from the real world, they couldn't help indulging in unrealistic fantasies.

After all...

What if it was real?

If they could get the Holy Grail, then...