Rider looks like a great hero based on appearance alone—someone who would be admired by anyone, man or woman, young or old.
While his face is pleasing to the eye, he is nothing like the knights of old whose courtesy softened the hearts of noble ladies.
His eyes are sharp like a raptor's, his build strong and solid, with no trace of coarseness about him.
His spiky green hair rises upward, except for a single lock that hangs over the left side of his face.
The silver breastplate of his armor bears the image of a bird, while an orange cloth wraps around his body.
The name of Rider of the Red is Achilles, a world-class hero.
A powerful and exceptional hero whose level stood extremely close to that of the gods, Achilles is known as one of the greatest heroes in history, with countless legends honoring his name.
Without a doubt, Achilles is a top-tier Servant. Not only does he possess the highest rank a Heroic Spirit can reach, but he also boasts worldwide fame.
There are probably fewer than ten heroes, himself included, whose names are known on that scale.
He is a hero with the most outstanding popularity in Greek mythology, rivaling that of the legendary Greek hero, Heracles.
And within the entire Red faction, only Lancer of Red could be considered his equal in terms of power...
That is how powerful Achilles is. Even so, he knew there were levels among Servants, and that the Servant who split the Moon in half was far beyond his category. Although he possesses a Noble Phantasm capable of resisting any Anti-Army, Anti-Fortress, and even Anti-Unit attack, against that Anti-Planet strike, his shield would shatter.
Because of that, he shared his Master's conclusion: if they wanted to win, they needed help. That was why he had come—to lend a hand to Chaldea...
As for offering his name, Achilles did not mention it. His legend carries a major weakness, and before fully trusting Chaldeas, he preferred to keep his identity secret, though it was only a matter of time before it was revealed.
"Relax, I didn't come with bad intentions. The Master of Caster of Green sent me..."
Stepping down from his chariot, Achilles smiled. Ritsuka and the group let out a sigh of relief—fortunately, he wasn't an enemy.
"Phew~ You scared us. I almost thought you were here to attack..."
"Eh? No, sorry about that. I didn't mean to frighten you."
"Really? I thought you were just showing off."
"What? No, of course not!"
Wiping nonexistent sweat from his forehead, Leonardo put on an exaggeratedly pitiful act while Achilles blushed in embarrassment. As expected of Da Vinci—her overwhelming beauty was a definite plus for Achilles, who already had a weakness for ladies...
[What incredible magical power... Without a doubt, this Servant is high-level...]
Identifying his magical signature, Romani spoke in amazement. Although he couldn't interfere directly in the World, Achilles standing before Mash—and her shield—gave him the chance to scan that magical signature...
"High-level? Doctor, just how strong is he?"
[Strong. Very strong...]
Without keeping Mash, Ritsuka, and Leonardo waiting, Romani sent over the stats.
Servant: Rider / Red
Strength: B+
Endurance: A
Agility: A+
Mana: C
Luck: D
NP: A+
Unfortunately, Romani had no access to his other information. Otherwise, with so many Noble Phantasms, Achilles would be one of the most well-rounded Servants in this World Holy Grail War...
This was a Servant who, in an ordinary World Holy Grail War, would have the power to change everything. Sadly, in this war, his strength wasn't enough—especially with the Grand Servants, the Beasts, and of course, that monster...
"He's really strong..."
[That's right. He's an important ally, Fujimaru-kun...]
With both of them assisting, Ritsuka and Mash stepped forward. Thanks to Leonardo, the previous tension had vanished, and after the necessary introductions, both sides agreed to move together.
"We'll be in your care, Rider."
"Don't worry, Master of Chaldea. Before arriving, I marked the magical signatures of several other Servants. If what you're looking for is help, they'd be good options..."
This was a war, but before it truly began, they needed to eliminate the greatest threat. From the skies, Achilles had already identified several Servants scattered around, belonging to Masters who had just been summoned...
"That would help a lot, Rider..."
"Haha, don't worry. Get on my chariot. I'll take you there..."
Although his chariot was meant for war, it didn't prevent others from riding along. Mash, Ritsuka, and Leonardo didn't mind at all.
"Rider, you—the Red and Black factions—were the first ones in this war. Do you know what went wrong?"
As an innate genius, Leonardo could decipher many things through simple conversation. Before coming to this Singularity, she knew it was a Great Holy Grail War, which meant only two groups were supposed to be fighting. But once they arrived, everything changed. According to the Director, the Reds and Blacks were the first to start the war. If they wanted to stop it, gathering information was essential—and who better to ask than Achilles?
Ritsuka and Mash were also curious, but unfortunately, Achilles shook his head.
"I don't know. It changed suddenly, as if some force manipulated everything. The Masters of Caster of Green and Archer of Blue were the first to be summoned..."
Achilles sighed. Both Karna and he had been sent to deal with those two Masters. Unfortunately, both were far too strong—a Crowned Servant and the King of Heroes...
They weren't Servants you could handle without losing something. Especially for Achilles—he was confident that if he could trap either of them within his Noble Phantasm, he would definitely win. As for Karna, that was more uncertain, but Achilles still believed he could prevail, as long as he could use his Noble Phantasm. In the end, however, everything concluded without casualties. Once they learned the true nature of the World Holy Grail and realized it wasn't a good idea to kill each other before the war truly began, the King of Heroes lost interest and left with his Master. Caster of Green stayed behind, and they formed an "alliance"—or rather, the Master of Caster of Green took command, which Shirou handed over without issue. Like a priest working behind the scenes, Shirou found it better to let the Master of Caster of Green face the danger and be killed for it. As a Priest, it was better to wait in the shadows and reap the harvest...
In the end, Achilles didn't care. The war hadn't even begun, and they were already desperate because of the monster that split the Moon...
"Everything was going fine. By this war's nature, it wasn't as bad as the destruction of humanity or the World... But everything changed when that thing lit up the World..."
For a Servant to illuminate the World upon being summoned was not something just anyone could do. In fact, until now, there had been no Servant capable of such a feat—because doing so meant that Servant's power surpassed the World itself...
"Wait... Are you saying it illuminated the World?!"
Even Ritsuka, who lacked deep knowledge of Servants, understood the gravity of a Servant surpassing the World.
"Yes. The entire Red faction was present..."
Just like before, Shirou Kotomine had also considered sending Servants to deal with the newly summoned Servant—and, if possible, win its favor to gain more soldiers to overthrow the Crowned Servant...
Unfortunately, he didn't dare send anyone. It would have been certain death.
Attila, who was summoned at the same time as that monster, died in the process...
That alone was proof of the monster's nature...
Achilles sighed. Morale was important—for soldiers and heroes alike. As great heroes of pan-human history, they couldn't afford to lose hope...
"I understand..."
Ritsuka lowered his head. He hadn't faced the monster yet, but an invisible pressure weighed down on him. The Moon, and Achilles's words, were a heavy burden.
"It's okay, Senpai! We can do this!"
"Fouu~ fouu~"
Noticing him, Mash encouraged him at his side. The white squirrel also raised its paw, and Leonardo winked flirtatiously.
"Mash is right. We've done it before, haven't we? Don't worry, Fujimaru-kun..."
"Da Vinci-chan... Mash."
Ritsuka felt deeply moved. Unfortunately for him, those words of encouragement were like a death flag...
After all, something blocked Achilles's chariot, forcing him to come to a sudden stop.
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