Chapter 166: Holy Grail War on the Game Board
The Holy Grail War officially began.
In the hall of Tsukumihara Academy, seven pairs of contestants were ready to set out.
The opponents were all Servant pairs, either famous men and women from history or mythology, but also included the father-daughter combination of the professor of mathematics and the scientific monster, as well as the twin pair from Greek mythology.
And a certain young boy, together with an immortal woman of some sort.
"The rules of this Holy Grail War are extremely simple,"
Finn solemnly announced,
"This Singularity has been remodeled by the Holy Grail into a gigantic game board, for the contestants to explore and compete."
"Each team has one die, only allowed to roll once per turn, how far you can move on the board depends on the number rolled. On the board are many paths, each path has random events and Craft Essences, as well as unique intimacy games for couples!"
"Teams can plunder, or they can trade, as long as it's within the scope of the basic rules, anything is possible! As long as you can become the final victor, any means are permitted!"
"This match has no time limit, it continues until the final victor is chosen."
"Ah! To think of such Holy Grail War rules, the organizers truly are geniuses, who knows, it could even be turned into a blockbuster game!"
Saying this, Finn sighed with emotion himself.
"Genius my ass, this is clearly a blatant rip-off of Mario Party! If you dare make it into a game, be careful not to receive a lawsuit letter from Nintendo!"
From the audience, Eikou voiced his complaint.
Just as he had expected, this was by no means a serious Holy Grail War.
The rules weren't complicated at all, it was simply a competitive board game exactly like Monopoly.
But Eikou had already learned enough lessons from the previous Holy Grail War race, he would not underestimate this battle just because of its unusual format.
Seven Servant pairs, meaning more than ten Servants at least, such a scale had already surpassed an ordinary Holy Grail War. Among them were even top-class Servants, plus the element of luck—no matter what, it could not be taken lightly.
He had to embody the spirit of Kiritsugu Emiya: "in the Holy Grail War, one must go all out, sparing nothing in order to seize final victory."
Analyze the situation of friend and foe, gather intelligence about Servants, make use of Magecraft and Craft Essences along with other resources.
The tasks to be done were essentially no different from a normal Holy Grail War.
"Once I've entered the Holy Grail War, there's no turning back, I've already staked my life and Yu Ji's in this…"
Eikou took a deep breath, exhaling all the tension in his chest, calming himself again.
"Ah, one more thing I nearly forgot to tell everyone, on the board will appear the key item 『Holy Grail Shard』, collecting seven pieces allows for direct victory. This is the most important strategic resource of this Holy Grail War, I hope contestants will quickly collect them, elegantly and splendidly."
Finn hastily added.
"Has everyone understood?"
The contestant pairs there all nodded seriously.
It sounded simple, only to be seen how it would really play out.
"Very well, then let us begin officially."
With that said, Finn snapped his fingers, the four walls of the school auditorium rumbled and collapsed.
Before their eyes appeared a massive board in the form of a miniature world, its squares and paths naturally stretching into every corner of the Singularity.
Including Eikou himself, the contestants only now realized they had unconsciously stepped onto this board.
Was this… a Reality Marble? Or teleportation? Or perhaps a miracle only the Holy Grail itself could manifest?
And the very first thing that caught their eyes was a gigantic board themed after a shopping mall, its marble floor gleaming, straight lines forming squares to move on, spreading through every walkway of the center.
"So we start the Holy Grail War from here?" Eikou asked.
"That's right, a shopping mall is precisely the kind of place lovers must absolutely visit on a date, one could call it a holy land, making it the starting point of your journey is most fitting.
"Each pair begins with 3000 QP as starting capital, which can be used in the mall to purchase supplies, better preparing for the fierce struggle for the Holy Grail… contestant Eikou, you suddenly raised your hand, is there a question?"
Eikou's eyes suddenly sharpened: "If after the battle ends there's still QP left, can I take it back with me?"
"No, this is only virtual currency inside the board."
"Damn it, understood."
Finn sat solemnly atop the lectern in the hall, using Magecraft to monitor the contestants' situations from many angles.
And beside him, the knight of the Fianna Knight Order, the gallant and upright lancer Diarmuid, appeared right behind.
"This time's Holy Grail War of Love: My Beloved Wife is the Best in the World will be hosted and commentated by myself, the glorious leader of the Fianna Knight Order, Fionn mac Cumhaill, together with my proud confidant, Diarmuid!"
"The two of you, pairing up to commentate on something about loving one's wife, don't you feel even the slightest bit awkward..."
Eikou said helplessly.
He truly felt that in his life lately, there was always some combination of a 'powerless husband and a blond guy,' why on earth was that?
"Next, we will begin drawing lots to decide the starting order of each team." Finn said so.
A die fell in front of Eikou.
[The two of you, please make a Luck check.]
[Luck check complete, your team will start last.]
Right from the beginning, it was already a disadvantageous start.
"Yu Ji-senpai, allow me to ask one thing… what is your Luck rank?" Eikou asked wearily.
"E-rank..."
She was a little embarrassed, but still gave a very decisive answer.
"As expected, huh..."
He gave a wry smile, shifting his gaze away.
Yu Ji immediately bristled, revealing her vampire fangs in a threatening manner: "Human, what do you mean by that, are you looking down on Luck E!"
"Eh, let me give you an example and you'll understand right away," he sighed, pointing at the referee and MC, Finn, "This guy is the very definition of an 'impotent husband,' yet even his Luck is C."
"What, are you saying I'm even more unlucky than this thing?!"
She looked as if she had been struck a heavy blow, as though the entire world had turned bleak.
While they were talking, the other pairs had already started one after another.
"Leading is Argo from Greek mythology, the pair Medea Lily and Jason, the two of them have very high Luck ranks, in this board game they can be said to hold all the advantage! I'm very optimistic about this pair!"
Finn, as the MC, began to comment on the match,
"But those competitors with low Luck shouldn't worry too much, this is not a game where only luck decides everything. Moreover, as far as I know, having high luck doesn't necessarily mean you'll meet a good end, I recall Jason and Medea's ending was..."
"My King, please be careful with your words!"
His knight, Diarmuid, hurriedly cut him off.
"What's there that can't be said, my queen Grainne ran away with you, didn't I also calmly accept it?" Finn said innocently.
"My King! This is not a place where you can just say whatever you like!"
"You're right, but let me ask you, is there anywhere in this world where it's okay to just snatch another man's wife?"
"My King!"
Eikou looked helplessly at the quarrel between these two men, "Honestly, what the hell are these people here for?"
[While the cuckolded and the cuckolding were quarreling,]
[The special Holy Grail War for couples had begun.]