"So, what are you going to do? If you keep fighting like this, the opponent you're trying to defeat will be in danger."
The danger Luvia referred to wasn't that Shinji's Kazikli Bey couldn't withstand Gilgamesh's Gate of Babylon. Although the Gate of Babylon was endless, in such a simple projection mode without any technique, it wasn't easy to overwhelm the twenty thousand stakes in total.
Luvia was referring to someone else: Altera. Just as Shinji had predicted, she was about to make her move. Her target was none other than the one who had repeatedly bested her—Matou Shinji.
"Ugh!"
Rin noticed as well, instinctively biting her lip and pressing her Command Seal with her left hand.
There was still time to summon Gilgamesh back using the Command Seal, but—
"I suggest you don't do that unless you want to risk damaging your relationship with the Hero King."
A strange male voice suddenly appeared out of nowhere, followed by the sound of short, rapid gasps.
Rin's body stiffened, and she quickly turned around, only to find that at some point, a man with pink hair—who looked rather ordinary—had appeared at the other end of the Vimana. He was bent over, one hand on his knee, panting heavily. He raised his other hand with difficulty and waved at Rin.
"Go-good evening."
Rin didn't respond, her expression tense. No matter how exhausted the man appeared, it didn't change the fact that they were thousands of meters above the ground, and somehow he—not just him, but they—had managed to reach her without her noticing.
Behind the man stood a girl who had just entered her teenage years, her arms crossed and her cheeks puffed out in annoyance.
"Sure, it's impressive that you managed to fly up here, but honestly, I'm not happy with how you look right now."
"S-sorry, Master... This is the best I can do... Even when I was alive, I never flew this far."
The girl, Olga Marie, appeared impatient with Roman's apology.
"That's enough. I've heard your apologies a million times. Besides, I don't understand why you insisted on coming up here. Wouldn't it have been better to just stay on the sidelines and watch?"
"Don't be mad, Olga Marie. I'm sure Mr. Roman had his reasons for coming up here."
Luvia smiled as she walked over. Unlike Rin, her Servant hadn't left, so she had noticed Roman and Olga Marie's presence long ago.
"Oh, oh, thank you for understanding, Miss Luvia."
Roman shot her a grateful look, while Luvia waved her hand dismissively.
"Why did you come up here? Surely you weren't worried about Karna and me?"
Seeing this, Rin frowned slightly and asked, "Do you know them?"
Luvia didn't hide it and casually introduced them: "Yes, they're my allies in this Holy Grail War. This is Olga Marie, from the Clock Tower. And this is her Servant, Caster. You can call him Roman, though I can't reveal his true name."
Although Rin felt puzzled, she nodded in greeting after realizing they didn't seem like enemies.
"Hello, I'm Rin Tohsaka, the local overseer. What brings you two here—?"
"Don't look at me. He dragged me up here," Olga Marie huffed, turning her head away.
"Mr. Roman?"
"Uh, I'm here to watch an action movie."
Rin: "…"
Luvia: "…"
Olga Marie: "…"
After a brief silence, all three girls said in unison: "What?"
"That man, Matou Shinji, told me that this kind of scene is the ultimate action movie. He said I had to watch it up close, and that I should bring Coke and popcorn. I brought both."
As Roman spoke, he lifted two plastic bags from beside his feet, each filled with several tubs of Coke and popcorn.
"Karna, could you do me a favor and heat the popcorn with your flames?"
"Sure."
Karna didn't hesitate. He flipped his wrist, and the flames of the sun began to flow naturally.
"Thanks."
Roman casually performed a small spell, causing the bags of popcorn to roll in the heat of Karna's flames. In no time, the scent of freshly popped popcorn filled the air.
"Smells great, smells great! Looks like it's a success."
Roman eagerly tore open a small hole in one of the bags, took a sniff, then pinched out a handful and offered it to Karna.
"This is a collaborative effort. Want to try some?"
"Sure."
Karna picked up a kernel and popped it into his mouth.
"Not bad."
"Then have more. Oh, and don't forget the Coke—this is the standard for watching an action movie. Here, have a cup. It's refreshing to drink it all in one go."
"Wait, I'm lost. What are you guys even doing?"
Rin was nearly losing her mind, and Luvia and Olga Marie weren't far behind.
What kind of joke was this?
It was the middle of the night, and they'd come up here to drink Coke, eat popcorn, and watch an action movie. Were they sure they hadn't wandered onto the wrong set?
Roman might've looked like a fool, but what about Karna? The Hero of Charity, one of the top-tier Servants, why was he going along with this nonsense?
Sensing the bewilderment in the girls, Roman quickly explained that there was no mistake. This was something he'd learned just that afternoon. He then recounted his entire encounter with Shinji earlier that day, in great detail. He described how they hiked up the mountain, found a spot to sit down, used Karna's divine bow to pop the popcorn, and ate while watching the battle unfold, right up until Gilgamesh and Karna unleashed their ultimate moves, and Luvia and Rin had to rush off to save people.
And so—
Rin: "…"
Luvia: "…"
Olga Marie: "…"
After another brief silence, the three girls once again echoed, "What?"
This time, though, it wasn't just confusion—they were also angry.
Olga Marie's anger was directed at Roman—what in the world was going on inside this idiot's head?
Meanwhile, the other two girls were directing their fury at the guy fighting below.
That guy, that guy—he was treating their battle like an action movie? Eating popcorn and drinking Coke for fun?
Any goodwill that had come from their efforts to heal and assist was instantly wiped away, replaced by boundless shame and rage.
Luvia began to seriously consider whether she should have Karna jump in and kill that bastard once and for all.
As for Rin, she completely abandoned the idea of using her Command Seal to call Gilgamesh back. Instead, she clenched her fists and cheered for the Hero King.
"Use more Noble Phantasms! Take him down! Grind that guy into dust!"
"Uh, you might be disappointed."
Roman, having just finished a drink with Karna, turned his head and spoke.
"The ending you're hoping for won't happen. At least, not today. Right, Karna?"
"What do you mean?" the three girls asked in unison.
"Hmm, another Servant is coming. A very powerful one."
As soon as Karna said this, the distinct engine roar of modern machinery echoed in the air, like the fierce howl of a wild beast, igniting a primal excitement deep in everyone's hearts—especially the men.