In the real world, countless people were drawn in, forming an incredibly deep impression of Tohsaka Tokiomi.
Mysterious, domineering, elegant.
And beneath it all, an intangible strength that gave people the impression of extraordinary wisdom. Anyone who saw him would understand: this was a perfect mastermind, and he definitely had some grand, unspeakable plan.
What that grand plan actually was—and whether it really was just about obtaining the Holy Grail—was anyone's guess.
At first glance, it did seem to be about the Holy Grail. After all, Tohsaka Tokiomi had said as much the first time he appeared.
But now his own Servant was about to fight an ally's Servant, and he didn't seem to care in the slightest. He was even fanning the flames from behind the scenes. It certainly made you wonder.
Wasn't he afraid things would get out of hand?
Or was he so confident that even if they did, he could forcibly bring the situation back under control?
Either way, it gave this man an immense allure that inspired admiration, even worship, and made people want to follow him.
Right then, many people began imitating Tohsaka Tokiomi, copying his elegant, domineering bearing and the things he had said. He was just too charismatic.
After all, this Tohsaka Tokiomi was the real deal—a voice actor in-joke taken to the extreme, nicknamed "Aizen Tokiomi."
They'd said it was a radical adaptation, hadn't they? Naturally, there had to be some outrageous twists. Following the original all the way would be no fun, wouldn't generate enough Fantasy Power, and wouldn't inspire enough faith.
Yao Guang—Chaldea Headquarters. Everyone's eyes turned toward Tohsaka Tokiomi, who sat stiffly, wearing a bitter smile. He was barely managing to keep up his elegant composure.
Compared to the real man, the Tohsaka Tokiomi in the Light Screen had a far more imposing presence. If not for their identical voices and the fact that they looked alike, aside from the beard and the younger appearance of his counterpart in the footage, it would have been hard to believe they were the same person.
In the circumstances, some people even wondered if Tohsaka Tokiomi's current "mediocrity" was just an act—that he was actually a domineering schemer with a mind full of plots and tricks. They had even begun looking at him with a little fear.
Tohsaka Tokiomi broke out in a cold sweat. He felt awful, as if the Light Screen were targeting him personally.
Of course, quite a few people were focused on Li Shuwen, too.
At the same time, many elderly people around the world couldn't help smiling. Seeing Li Shuwen calmly and politely trade barbs with the King of Heroes made them feel as if they had been transported back to the past.
That temperament and attitude, that fondness for "persuading people with courtesy" and, when they wouldn't listen, "persuading them with reason"—it was unmistakably Old Master Li himself.
In this world, Li Shuwen's life hadn't been filled with regrets the way it had in another world.
In that other world, from the day Li Shuwen was born, his country had been in turmoil. Its lands were shattered, the great powers bullied it, its people were numb, and the nation seemed to have no hope at all.
Even after the Qing Dynasty had been overthrown, unrest had continued.
Under those circumstances, Li Shuwen's later years had been far from peaceful. Though he was no longer as murderous as he had been in his youth, he had remained stern and solemn.
That was what Li Shuwen had been like in the Fate world.
But in this crossover world, history had been completely different, and so had Li Shuwen's life.
Li Shuwen had lived through an era of shattered lands and foreign oppression, too, but he had also taken part in rebuilding the country and witnessed it grow strong again. By the time he reached old age, it had once again stood at the peak of the world.
A life shaped by such circumstances had naturally made him a very different person. As a founding-era martial artist, he was filled with pride and love for his country. Naturally, he would not tolerate anyone insulting it.
And because he had lived without regrets, his mind had returned to simplicity in his later years. His martial arts had advanced further, reaching the realm of a Grandmaster, while he had completely reined in the sharpness and killing intent of his youth. He talked constantly about the bearing of a great power, treating others with courtesy and persuading them through courtesy. Anyone who didn't know him might have thought he was an old scholar who had read himself silly.
Of course, that was just the surface. The old master simply didn't strike without reason; it didn't mean he wouldn't fight. When dealing with unwelcome guests, he usually tried to "persuade them with courtesy" first. If they refused to listen, then he had no choice but to "persuade them with reason."
When Su Yun brought Li Shuwen into the Light Screen footage, he had combined this world's Li Shuwen with the Li Shuwen from Fate/Grand Order, creating a Heroic Spirit based on the man from this world.
So when Gilgamesh followed the "original" and made those arrogant, self-important remarks—disregarding the kings of other countries and praising himself by putting others down—Li Shuwen was provoked. That led to his response, which might not have fit his original character, but was entirely in keeping with how Li Shuwen would act in this world.
Of course, there were bound to be people who couldn't understand it.
Little Illya said, puzzled, "Why does that old Mr. Li seem so angry? That flashy golden guy even showed him some respect later, so why did he keep antagonizing him? Though that guy really is annoying..."
Hearing that, Emiya Kiritsugu patted Illya on the head, then looked at his adopted son, Emiya Shirou. Shirou also looked curious, so Kiritsugu explained in a low voice, "That's because although Gilgamesh showed his admiration for Old Mr. Li, he never took back what he said at the beginning."
"To this founding-era martial artist of the Flame Kingdom, his country's honor came above everything else. He had been covered in honors during his life, so he naturally didn't care about the praise of a king from another country, whether it came as an inducement or out of respect. What mattered to him was whether Gilgamesh apologized and took back what he'd said when he insulted his homeland."
"That proud king clearly understood this, but he had no intention of taking back his words, much less apologizing. After all, to the kings of ancient times, a king could do no wrong. If there was a mistake, it had to be someone else's."
"So the two of them had an irreconcilable conflict, which was why Old Mr. Li was so blunt with Gilgamesh. Still, because they were on the same side, Old Mr. Li didn't attack him outright. Otherwise, he would probably have made his move before Gilgamesh lost his temper."
His words made many of the people present—those who hadn't understood, or only half understood—realize what was going on. Illya still looked confused, though. She scratched her head adorably. "Mmm, I still don't really get it..."
Emiya Kiritsugu smiled. "Well, you just need to know that everyone in there has something they have to stand by and protect, just like I have to protect all of you."
Illya immediately brightened. "Oh, now I get it!"
Her adorable expression made many people smile. They thought how wonderful it would be to have such a cute daughter, then grew jealous and resentful of Emiya Kiritsugu.
He had a beautiful wife, a cute daughter, and possibly even a fantastic mistress. What a despicable winner at life. Maybe they really should burn the guy alive after all.
Emiya Kiritsugu's expression froze. Feeling the deep hostility around him, he broke out in a cold sweat.
Murata Himeko spoke up. "Investigator Emiya is right. That is exactly what's happening. The old man's principles have put him at odds with the King of Heroes, even though they're on the same side, so conflict is inevitable."
"However, we can see from what happened that the Masters in the Holy Grail War don't have absolute control over their Servants. They do have Command Spells, which can force their Servants to obey, but the Servants still have a great deal of autonomy. They don't simply follow their Masters' every order."
"That applies to Old Master Li Shuwen, the King of Heroes Gilgamesh, and the Conqueror King Iskandar alike. Lancer Diarmuid and Saber, King Arthur, getting along well with their Masters and following their orders are actually the exceptions."
In the Light Screen footage, the moment Gilgamesh revealed his weapons, Li Shuwen's gaze changed completely. His eagle-like eyes gleamed with a bloodthirsty killing intent, and the ruthless man who had once torn his enemies apart on the battlefield seemed to have returned.
"Since you made the first move, then I'm not the one breaking our agreement by attacking an ally, am I?"
He spoke these words—diplomatic doublespeak about "being forced" to retaliate, the sort the Flame Kingdom had often used on the international stage a century ago. They made many people in the real world feel strangely nostalgic. At the same time, the aura around Li Shuwen changed.
With the blessing of his homeland, Yingzhou, the old man's aged body seemed to return to its prime. Even the low parameters imposed by the Assassin class couldn't suppress his true strength. He had reached the perfected realm of a Grandmaster.
Just standing there, he seemed one with nature, pure and flawless. He had reached the pinnacle!
Gilgamesh narrowed his eyes. A trace of admiration flashed through his violent red pupils. "I see. You reached the realm of the gods through the 'martial' in your mortal body, then conceptualized that ability after ascending to become a Heroic Spirit? Impressive. Though you're an ungrateful fellow, you're a warrior worthy of praise from this king."
As he spoke, he lifted his chin slightly. Before the fight had even begun, he changed his strategy. He had assumed Li Shuwen was an arrogant nobody and treated him with contempt. Now that he knew he was a true and worthy hero, the king was willing to show him greater respect.
That meant...
The Light Screen spread open: four weapons, eight, sixteen, thirty-two.
In one go, a full thirty-two Noble Phantasms—swords, spears, blades, and halberds—emerged from the golden Light Screen behind him, like ripples blooming across a pool of water.
The scene stunned everyone in the Light Screen footage, and left countless people in the real world dumbfounded.
Waver cried out, "Th-th-those are Noble Phantasms, right? They have to be! N-no, that can't be possible! How could one Servant have so many Noble Phantasms? Th-that's completely unreasonable!"
But the Conqueror King, who had conquered the region of Sumer and learned about its history and culture during his lifetime, disagreed. "No, if it's that King of Heroes, then it makes perfect sense. According to legend, he once obtained every treasure in the world. When that concept manifests in the form of a Heroic Spirit, it's only natural that he possesses a great many Noble Phantasms."
"Even if the golden Light Screen doesn't truly contain every treasure in the world, it must still contain a great many. These thirty-two Noble Phantasms prove it."
Waver was astonished. "Y-you can do that? Th-that's so unfair!"
Right? That was so unfair! You could do that?
People in the real world were stunned. Could Heroic Spirits really cheat like this?
Even if Gilgamesh had truly defeated the divine beast Humbaba and obtained countless treasures, just as the epic said, those would only have been treasures from the land of Sumer! How could they encompass the entire world? If this were a novel, Gilgamesh would definitely be the author's own father!
Well, that guess was right. After all, in another world, countless people had joked that Gilgamesh must be Nasu's biological father.
Well, it was a radically changed world, so of course some things were different. If you didn't like it, there wasn't much I could do. But to call it ruined based on just this was far too hasty.
This was the Holy Grail War belonging to King Arthur. Artoria was the true protagonist, and everyone else was supporting cast.
A King of Knights with the Scabbard was a completely different story.
Before you continue