[Special Rules for the Fourth Holy Grail War]
[Participants are divided into Good Child and Bad Child factions based on whether they accept the Church's oversight.]
[The Good Child faction must adhere to all conditions set by the Church.]
[As a reward, each Good Child receives one additional Command Seal (Master) and one opportunity to fully restore magical energy (Servant).]
[Current members of the Good Child faction: Lancer, Assassin, Saber, Rider.]
[All other Servants are Bad Children.]
[If a Bad Child is discovered, Good Children must set aside personal grudges and unite to apprehend them.]
[Additional rewards will be granted for capturing Bad Children.]
[End of rules... ]
Through a wide-ranging baptismal chant, Jeanne Lily transmitted these new game rules directly into the minds of every Master.
It was a brilliant rule.
It was also a terrible rule.
At the same moment, nearly all participants recognized the rule's merits... but it also filled them with deep apprehension.
The reason was simple: every Good Child had a Bad Child lurking nearby.
"I'll need to keep myself hidden and direct the Good Children's attention toward the other Bad Children."
"That dragon from earlier seems like a good target… but where did it go?"
The Magus calling himself [Zhuge Liang] narrowed his eyes. This Holy Grail War was so drastically different from the [Fourth Holy Grail War] in his memory that, for once, he was uncertain and opted for the most cautious approach.
Zhuge's life was defined by caution... something like that.
"So, it's a game of cat and mouse?"
"But we need to be careful… getting outplayed by the mouse would be quite the spectacle."
Kiritsugu Emiya had the same thought as [Zhuge Liang].
Unlike the cautious Magus, however, this man's face remained impassive... he had already rigged dozens of C4 traps and prepared a grenade launcher.
As a Bad Child, shouldn't he act the part?
He planned to make Alaric appear tonight, luring greedy Masters to the scene, then sending them to the Root with his eternal "truth."
In war, victory justified any means, no matter how unsavory.
However...
"Come with me, everyone!!!"
"I know where a Bad Child is!!!"
Kiritsugu's plan was flawless.
But even the best plans require the enemy's cooperation.
This time, he faced an opponent who played by no rules at all.
"With Santa Claus's blessing, let's take him down together, umu!!!"
The rose-pink Heroic Spirit, brandishing her deep crimson greatsword, charged toward her Master's home.
[Nero Claudius Caesar Augustus Germanicus.]
The fifth emperor of the Roman Empire.
Summoned to the world as a Saber.
... Master: Tohsaka Sakura.
…
A lightning-fast assault.
Initiated by the Saber faction.
Before the other factions could grasp what was happening, the rose-pink Roman emperor stormed into the [Tohsaka] residence... a stronghold of one of Fuyuki's premier Magus families... with practiced ease.
"Buzz... "
The defensive Magecraft set up by Tohsaka Tokiomi activated instantly.
But before the [Emperor], these subpar defenses were utterly ineffective.
Nero barely exerted herself, merely swinging her longsword, and effortlessly reduced Tokiomi's painstakingly rebuilt magical barrier to rubble once more.
"Sakura…"
Surveying the ruined garden and feeling betrayed, Tohsaka Tokiomi's forehead throbbed with frustration.
He wanted to assert his fatherly authority and scold his daughter for her reckless antics... but when he saw the red Santa hat on Sakura's head, he was instantly speechless.
"Big Sister Jeanne said if I catch a Bad Child, she'll let me be an apprentice Santa Claus!"
The little girl spoke earnestly, radiating righteousness.
Santa Claus... damn that Santa Claus!
Tokiomi had no idea what kind of charm this "Santa Claus" had to enchant his daughter so thoroughly. But he knew he was in danger... Saber's overzealous actions not only exposed his position but undoubtedly enraged the prideful First King to his core.
" Mongrel!"
No need for further words.
Before the golden king even fully appeared, golden ripples filled the night sky.
"Die, mongrel!"
"I'm no mongrel... I'm the fifth emperor of the Roman Empire!"
"On the contrary, you with your half-divine blood... you're the mongrel, umu!"
"!!!"
The enraged king's eyes widened.
In the next moment, a dazzling rain of Noble Phantasms descended from the sky, unleashed with full force, covering half of Shinto in its attack radius.
The rose-pink figure danced through the Noble Phantasm rain like a butterfly weaving through a flowerbed.
... Of course, there were moments when dodging was impossible. But no matter... her EX-rank [Imperial Privilege] took care of those troubles.
"What a terrifying attack... "
"Multiple Noble Phantasms… how is that possible?"
"And that Servant... she can move freely through such a dense barrage… The fifth emperor of Rome, is that Nero?"
A young Magus hiding in the shadows, observing the battle, was stunned by the grandiose spectacle.
"Nothing is impossible, Mr. Waver Velvet."
"These are Servants, Heroic Spirits... if you'd paid attention in Spiritual Evocation classes, you'd know that Heroic Spirits are the embodiment of miracles."
Truth be told, even Kenneth was shocked witnessing this grand clash of Servants.
But unlike Waver, a young and inexperienced Magus, he was a true [Lord], a renowned genius Magus.
He quickly steadied himself, shifting from marveling at the enemy's strength to analyzing their weaknesses and devising ways to defeat such formidable foes.
"The enemy is powerful, but the rules are in our favor."
"Rider... "
Kenneth called out to the red-haired king, barely containing his excitement, eager to make a grand entrance in this spectacle.
His intent was for Rider to join Saber in taking down the golden Servant, whose class was still unclear but appeared terrifyingly strong.
However...
"No."
As if anticipating what the golden-haired lord was about to say, [Caster] swiftly intervened.
"It's too early to commit to a faction."
"Do what you want, Rider."
"Alright!!!"
Watching the king, roaring with excitement and charging into the battlefield atop a thunderous chariot, the man calling himself [Zhuge Liang] remained calm.
Though he lacked clairvoyance to see the future, he already knew what would happen next.
"Everyone, stop... "
"In front of this king!!!"
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