The blatant words of provocation, carried by Iskandar's heroic voice, echoed under the night sky.
Normally, such an obvious taunt would receive no response. But at that very moment, a proud, cold voice suddenly rang out.
"To think that in one night, two rats who ignore this King's presence and audaciously call themselves 'king' have scurried out."
Atop another streetlamp, about ten meters off the ground, a ball of spiritual particles gradually converged. A man completely covered in golden armor appeared, his presence divine and majestic. His golden hair was slicked back, seeming to shine even brighter than the silver moon and stars in the sky. He stood proudly with his arms crossed.
The man's crimson eyes, blazing like fire, glanced disdainfully at the people below. Then, as if greatly displeased, his icy gaze fell upon the masked young man standing atop the other lamppost.
"...And who gave you permission to stand at the same vantage point as this King, mongrel."
With a cold snort, and without any warning, golden ripples suddenly appeared in the air beside the golden Servant.
From within the ripples, a spear-like Noble Phantasm was revealed, then shot out violently, tearing through the air as it hurtled towards the young man!
No one had expected the newly arrived Servant to act so suddenly.
But what surprised them even more was that, faced with the golden Servant's sudden attack, the young man did not choose to dodge.
The moment he felt the sharp aura and heard the sonic boom, Aozaki Rin instinctively raised his spear and thrust forward!
Spear tip met spear tip, creating a piercing hum.
But with a flick of the Spear of Longinus in Rin's hand, the projected spear was sliced in two from the tip by its blade!
The two halves of the shattered spear flew past the young man's sides and shot into the toppled shipping containers, kicking up a cloud of dust and debris.
Watching the spear-wielding young man, whose white cloak fluttered slightly in the evening wind, not retreat a single step, Iskandar couldn't help but exclaim in admiration.
"What exquisite skill. However, the one over there probably won't let it end here..."
Stroking his chin, Iskandar looked at the golden Servant on the other lamppost and muttered with some concern.
And just as he expected, upon seeing his projected Noble Phantasm shattered by the young man, who still stood at the same height as him, Archer Gilgamesh let out a cold laugh, as if seeing a long-lost insolent fool.
However, just as his anger was about to surface, it seemed that he had only just truly focused his attention on Aozaki Rin. He noticed something, and his eyebrow raised slightly.
"That spear is... Longinus? That thing shouldn't be in your hands, boy. Speaking of which, the feeling you give this King is also very strange. You're not like a Servant, nor are you a mere human. It's as if you're just wearing a skin made of a Saint Graph..."
His crimson eyes narrowed slightly, and a strange feeling arose in Gilgamesh's heart.
In fact, he had some guesses about the subtle Servant reaction from the other party. But what truly interested him was not the strange power of the Saint Graph, but the aura of divinity.
Normally, he would feel an instinctual aversion to all things related to the gods.
Just like the Heracles standing below, who was staring at him with an insolent gaze but not moving an inch, it made him subconsciously want to force the other party to recognize their place and lower their head.
But the feeling this young man gave him was completely different.
In Gilgamesh's impression, all gods were symbols of ego, willfulness, and wanton abandon. But the divine aura faintly emanating from the other party contained a sense of tolerance, a kind of compassion that made no distinctions.
Honestly, Gilgamesh began to doubt whether a god with such an aura could truly exist. And when he tried to probe deeper into the young man's essence, he found that his eyes could see nothing at all.
"Interesting. You couldn't be a 'Son of God' who has descended in this era, could you, boy? The Saint Graph reaction from your body isn't your own, but that of this spear's original owner, right?"
"But as far as this King knows, this spear should not have this form. In other words, it changed its appearance after falling into your hands? And to think the original owner of this spear would willingly offer his power to you... Who are you, boy?"
His initial anger at being offended instantly transformed into an inquisitive interest. Gilgamesh had no intention of lowering his voice, and everyone present heard his words.
"Lancer isn't a Servant? H-How is that possible?!"
Arthur looked at Aozaki Rin on the lamppost in surprise, his heart wavering.
Beside him, Iskandar also blinked in astonishment, a smile playing on his lips.
"Ho, to think the warrior this King has taken a liking to is a man of this era... But a 'Son of God'? That term is a bit delicate. Could it be that golden fellow saw wrong?"
Frowning in thought, Iskandar was skeptical.
He himself possessed the blood of Zeus and had been called a "Son of God" in his own era.
Not to mention the Heracles standing not far away, who was the famous demigod, the son of Zeus.
But now, in this era, having acquired modern knowledge after his descent, Iskandar understood that the world's mainstream religions were basically down to a few.
And now, the strange young man held the Spear of Longinus, coupled with Gilgamesh's "Son of God" theory...
Even that one wouldn't be carrying the very thing that pierced him after descending, would he? Besides, a "Son of God" shouldn't even exist in this era...
Feeling that it was likely a cognitive error on Gilgamesh's part, Iskandar suppressed his doubts and decided to wait and see.
Hearing Gilgamesh deduce his circumstances before the start of the Holy Grail War with near-perfect accuracy based on mere speculation in just a few minutes, Aozaki Rin felt that the situation had become tricky.
Even if not everyone believed what the other party said, the very suggestion that he wasn't a Servant provided a line of reasoning for others to follow.
"The King of Heroes, Gilgamesh..."
Having learned his opponent's True Name from Sajou Manaka the moment he appeared, and seeing that the situation was about to be completely exposed, Rin had no choice but to change his strategy. He offered a silent apology to Lancer Longinus in his heart and put on a bluff.
"I don't know what you're talking about, Archer... no, it should be King of Heroes, Gilgamesh. My True Name is Lucius Longinus, a Servant who has answered the call of this Holy Grail War and descended under the Lancer class."
"Hah, still stubbornly refusing to admit it? No matter. Being able to recognize this King proves my earlier judgment was not mistaken."
Gilgamesh saw through the young man's shoddy acting at a glance and couldn't help but chuckle, a smirk on his lips.
"But, so what if you really are a 'Son of God'? To still conceal your face before this King, don't you think that is excessively rude, boy!"
As his voice fell, dozens of golden ripples suddenly appeared behind Gilgamesh. Swords, spears, axes, halberds, hammers... one Noble Phantasm after another appeared within the ripples, their light illuminating more than half of the warehouse district.
"Are those all... Noble Phantasms?!"
Irisviel took a step back in shock. Although she had learned Archer's True Name from their earlier conversation, she still found it hard to imagine that a single Servant could possess such a vast number of Noble Phantasms. It made her worry about the future of the Holy Grail War.
"There is still time to reveal your identity, boy. If this King were not somewhat interested in you, you would certainly not have survived after standing at the same height as me."
Gilgamesh stared at the young man. In truth, he was more interested in discovering the origin of the strange divine aura about him, which was why he was, contrary to his usual self, offering advice again.
But Aozaki Rin, who was hiding his identity and pretending to be a Servant to participate in the Holy Grail War, would never answer his question.
Rin silently sensed his surroundings, beginning to think of an escape route to prevent any more of his personal information from being exposed.
But at that moment, to everyone's surprise, a bullet silently cut through the air from the darkness, shooting from an unknown distance straight towards the back of Irisviel's heart!
-------
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