The Holy Grail War

"Honestly, I think it's more like a world from the Classic of Mountains and Seas or something. The way I see it, he's living a survival-in-the-wilderness kind of life."

Daily Life Li Ke spoke up, decisively removing himself from the discussion among those three political theory teachers.

Daily Life Li Ke thought political discussions were incredibly boring.

"No, survival in the wilderness still involves some modern conveniences. Even Bear Grylls and Ed Stafford have backup rations, camera operators, and a modern knife or two. But he doesn't even have clothes made of hemp, and they haven't even fully developed slash-and-burn farming."

Apocalypse Li Ke pointed out the reality of the situation.

"There's nothing I can do about it. There are too many bears where I live, and Yellow Emperor is the only one who can fight them. So a lot of things just can't be done. But because there are so many bears, the ordinary beasts don't dare come near, either."

Myth Li Ke scratched his head. His relationship with those bears was a little complicated, so for the time being, he didn't have any good solutions.

Bears were dangerous, of course, but other beasts were just as dangerous.

If they left the bears alone, they only had to avoid bears. But without the bears, they would have to avoid a lot more dangerous animals.

"But I'm more curious about what your talent is."

Type-Moon Li Ke spoke up. He was genuinely curious.

"I don't know."

Myth Li Ke knew what Type-Moon Li Ke meant, but the problem was, he really didn't know.

Apart from being a little stronger and healthier, he hadn't noticed anything unusual about himself. He seemed like an ordinary person, with no special abilities or anything like that.

He had even asked Guangchengzi whether cultivating immortality required aptitude or spiritual energy or anything. Guangchengzi's answer had been quite straightforward.

"As long as you have nine apertures, you're fine. And what is this spiritual energy you speak of? Do you mean Danxia Qi, Earth Qi, Five Elements Qi, or Sun Moon and Stars Qi?"

As he talked about all this, Guangchengzi had looked at him like he was an idiot.

"Right. Even the written language where you live was brought there by you, and Guangchengzi complained that it was much easier to remember than the characters his teacher had invented."

Type-Moon Li Ke nodded. He thought back over Myth Li Ke's life, but couldn't recall anything particularly unusual.

Clearly, this Li Ke's talent had been buried—or, rather, it hadn't shown itself yet.

"Stop talking. The more I hear, the less impressive the ancient immortals seem..."

Warhammer Li Ke raised his hand.

At first, he'd been counting on Myth Li Ke to save him, but now it seemed he would have to wait a while longer.

But just then, the Black Mist Space finally began to collapse.

This time, though, the collapse was getting slower and slower. Almost all the Li Kes realized that the Black Mist Space really was evolving as more of them entered it!

But their conversation had to end there for now.

After the black mist collapsed, Type-Moon Li Ke opened his eyes in bed and immediately complained to the other three versions of himself.

"I get the feeling those three have completely turned the Black Mist Space into a political forum... But Naruto Li Ke has already cleared his world, too."

Naruto Li Ke had basically cleared his world. Now all he had to do was wait another week or two before he could return to Konoha, see the Third Hokage, and enjoy the fame of being a Wood Release hero.

In the meantime, he could do little but hold the front line against Kirigakure, making sure all its ninja stayed withdrawn and preventing the Mizukage from leading the Seven Mist Swordsmen or other experts in a surprise attack to reclaim the Three-Tails.

But Li Ke, forced awake, glanced at the clock and felt helpless.

In half an hour, he would have to get up, go running as Scathach had taught him, then practice spear techniques, body coordination, and all sorts of strange moves.

Then he would go home to eat, head to school, and study the same things as ordinary people.

After that, he would go home for dinner, work out, and study Rune with Scathach.

So he couldn't sleep, but getting up would be pointless, either. He simply lay in bed, staring blankly at the ceiling.

"So, what's my goal?"

In this world, Li Ke could be considered lower middle class. At the very least, his family could afford to eat watermelon whenever they wanted. His parents were busy, so they mostly left him alone, and his family could even afford a little maid or something.

As long as he didn't do anything foolish, like picking a fight with a Mage, the things he was learning from Scathach would be enough to keep him safe in this world.

So what did he want to do?

Li Ke didn't know. But by instinct, he yearned desperately for power. Even in the Black Mist Space, he was more focused on power than the others.

He held out his hand, feeling a little lost.

Living forever and all that wouldn't be a problem once there were more and more versions of Li Ke. Even taking his parents along for the ride wouldn't be an issue.

All he had to do was lie low. But...

But what was this restlessness in his heart? Why did he want to take part in the Holy Grail War?

Li Ke didn't understand. Yet the moment he summoned Scathach, he had wondered whether he could win the Holy Grail War if he took her with him.

"Do I want to obtain the Third Magic?"

Staring at the smooth back of his hand, Li Ke was curious about that. But he immediately dismissed the idea. What he wanted definitely wasn't the Third Magic, which could materialize souls, let people live forever, and grant them "infinite" magical energy.

What he wanted was something more abstract.

The battles fought by Naruto Li Ke, his battle with Madara Uchiha, and the battles against the other ninja appeared in his mind. He couldn't help smiling.

"So what I want definitely isn't the Third Magic... It must be something else, right?"

He looked at the moonlit sky. Before he knew it, a burning sensation had suddenly appeared on his hand!

The next moment, he felt an immense flow of magical energy enter his body, instantly forming a pattern of three bright red markings!

As he stared in astonishment, Scathach's voice rang out.

"The Holy Grail War... You have a wish that depends on the Holy Grail, too, Li Ke?"

As she spoke, Scathach's body appeared beside Li Ke. The beautiful woman with purple hair looked at the bright red mark on his hand and immediately recognized it as the entry pass for the ritual known as the Holy Grail War.

"Maybe. Though I don't know what I'd want after winning, either..."

Li Ke looked at his Command Spell. When he realized he had obtained it by chance, he found that he wasn't frightened at all. He was delighted!

It was the joy of finally being able to go all out!

But Scathach spoke in a cool voice.

"Hmph... You haven't even entered the war or learned who your opponents are, yet you think victory is assured? What an arrogant fellow."

She was quite certain that Li Ke didn't have any wish he was entrusting to the Holy Grail. He could get almost anything he wanted already, so there was no need for something as troublesome as the Holy Grail.

"I guess I am a little arrogant. But I really don't have a wish I'm entrusting to the Holy Grail. Besides, I have you, Master."

Li Ke smiled at Scathach.

Scathach merely turned her head slightly. Neither denying nor agreeing with what he'd said, she asked him seriously, "Then which Heroic Spirit are you planning to summon?"

She was even more curious about whom Li Ke would summon. If he summoned someone through compatibility, there was a good chance it would be Cú Chulainn.

She was a little excited at the prospect.

"I'd like to see if a Lancer has been summoned. Also, Master, wouldn't it be incredibly interesting if we summoned Cú Chulainn? And even if it isn't him, summoning a hero who uses a spear would be a good thing for both of us!"

Li Ke thought of Cú Chulainn, and Scathach looked forward to meeting the other spear-wielders, too.

She looked at Li Ke, an inscrutable light flickering in her eyes. Just as Li Ke began to wonder whether she had something else in mind, Scathach spoke again.

"Then let's summon one now. There are enough materials in the Workshop."

For Scathach, if she thought of doing something, she did it at once. She briskly lifted Li Ke out of bed and took him to the Workshop where he studied.

That's right. The Scathach summoned by Li Ke from the Type-Moon World had a physical body!

With Scathach's help, Li Ke quickly used Quicksilver to set up a summoning circle. He was still in elementary school, so naturally he had no money to buy an antique Holy Relic or anything like that.

Fortunately, he had Scathach as a fallback, so he still chose to summon by compatibility.

Standing in the Heroic Spirit summoning circle, Li Ke looked at the formation before him and raised his hand.

Honestly, even he hadn't expected that less than half an hour after obtaining a Command Spell, he'd be excitedly choosing to join the Holy Grail War.

He wouldn't be able to avoid participating even if he didn't want to. But this feeling... What he wanted really was in the Holy Grail War!

"Let thy body be under my command, and my fate be thine sword..."

The moment Li Ke chanted the spell, it was almost as if fate itself had prompted the other Masters who had yet to summon their Servants to recite the summoning words as well, even though the Holy Grail War hadn't officially begun.

Magical energy poured out of Li Ke's body. He didn't have many Magic Circuits—only nine—but according to Scathach, they were of very high quality.

So Li Ke had plenty of magical energy. Still, controlling the summoning circle made him feel a little unaccustomed to it.

When he used his Magic Circuits, he could clearly feel how unnatural it was. It was as if his organs were being twisted, turning him into a machine part and his blood into engine oil and flames!

As his vital energy was consumed, the formation beneath him flashed brighter and brighter. The violent magical aura nearly blew the roof off the room above him.

All of it brought down an immense mass of magical energy. Its dreadful presence even made Li Ke feel as though he'd encountered a natural enemy!

But a fresh, natural scent came with it, along with a pleasant voice at his ear.

"Lancer, answering your summons. Are you my Master...?"

Beneath long, green hair was the face of a classic beauty. But the instant he saw Li Ke, his natural expression froze.

"Master, you're..."

He had seen Scathach beside Li Ke. Li Ke also noticed that, for some reason, Scathach had put on a full set of armor while he was summoning the Heroic Spirit.

Scathach was surprised to see the Heroic Spirit Li Ke had summoned, but when she remembered that Li Ke was the one who had summoned him, the surprise vanished from her eyes.

Scathach spun her spear in her hand, her eyes blazing with the desire to fight. But she didn't forget to speak.

"Don't worry. I'm not a Heroic Spirit summoned for this Holy Grail War... Our Master is an ordinary person, too."

Enkidu looked a little dazed, as if he were confused. But Li Ke grew excited, because this Heroic Spirit was exactly like the one he knew!

This Holy Grail War was going to be interesting!

"May I ask, are you Enkidu?"

He asked excitedly. The green-haired Heroic Spirit only gave him a gentle smile.

"Yes, Master. I am Enkidu. Please, make use of me as you see fit."

The beautiful person named Enkidu said something that was easy to misunderstand. But in that very moment, all the Heroic Spirits descended, and Enkidu sensed the Heroic Spirit who had just arrived at the same time.

"Gil... This is bad! Master, come with me!"

Enkidu's expression changed. He grabbed Li Ke and sprinted toward the distant outskirts. At the same time, inside the Tohsaka family mansion not far away, Gilgamesh—who had been looking at Tokiomi Tohsaka as he bowed to him—suddenly raised his head, his face alight with joy.

Then he leapt to his feet. The light of Noble Phantasms shimmered around him, and the battle lust and excitement on his face were impossible to suppress.

He casually took out a bottle of medicine and tossed it into the stunned Tokiomi Tohsaka's arms. Then he laughed and said, "Well done, mongrel of this age! As a reward for summoning this king at the right time, I grant you this! But now, I'm going to greet my best friend!"

The next moment, as Tokiomi Tohsaka watched in disbelief, the Gilgamesh he had gone to such lengths to summon burst through the roof and flew into the sky.

After Enkidu carried him to a deserted place in the outskirts and put him down, Li Ke finally caught his breath. Enkidu even gave him a smile.

But Li Ke could tell that this smile was filled with excitement and the desire to fight, too.

"Master, please wait here."

After saying that, Enkidu raced to an open field at a speed that could only be measured in Mach. The next moment—

Countless golden stars appeared in the sky, hurtling down at tremendous speed, while countless points of light rose from the earth. As Li Ke watched in anticipation, two shouts rang out across the battlefield that had suddenly appeared!

"Enuma Elish!"

"Enuma Elish!"

And so, a gas explosion with a blast radius of at least three hundred meters took place.

If I don't switch worlds soon, this won't even be a 99th-rate story anymore...

Or would you rather see Konoha show off a little?