This is the worst. Things have gone from bad to worse.
My vision, once filled with light, was now in a dim room with a terrible stench and only a faint light source. The floor was made of stone, and I could see something wriggling in the darkness. It wasn't one or two of them, either. I was surrounded by a massive swarm of insects.
"Gross..."
Some people would faint at the sight.
At the same time, a flood of information poured into my head.
"Ah, this really is the worst..."
Servant, Master—the Holy Grail War.
I don't know how, but it seems I've become a Servant. If you were to ask me how I know, I can only say it's an instinctive feeling. Perhaps the power I had when I came to this dream world caused this supernatural phenomenon.
In any case, I'm no longer a regular human; I'm a Servant. That means I must have a Master.
And judging by the looks of it, this is the Matou family's Worm Room. It seems I was summoned here. I started to think of who my Master could be, given this location.
"This is the worst," I mumbled again.
I took a step forward, and the insects scattered. The girl lying in front of me was my Master. She was completely naked, and her body was covered in the worms' mucus. Her small frame and vacant stare made her look like a well-made doll.
Sakura Matou. This girl seems to be my Master.
---------
I can't just stand here in a daze. This is the home of one of the series' main antagonists. I don't want to be caught off guard.
I knelt before Sakura-chan.
"It seems I can summon my weapons."
Even though I've come to the past, I can transfer the weapons I had back home. My weapons and abilities have become Noble Phantasms, likely because I'm a Servant.
"Tusk, Act 4."
I summoned my Stand and began to grind the stone floor. Soon, I had a perfect sphere.
I applied a spin to it and ran it over Sakura-chan's body. I'd been practicing this a little ever since Tusk, Act 4 first manifested, and it seemed like it would be useful now.
A quick physical examination via a spinning attack. The results were terrible. Her entire body was infested with worms. But still...
"There's nothing wrong with her heart..."
As far as my spin examination could tell, there was no main worm—Zouken's true body—inside Sakura-chan. Her conditioning had only just begun. Perhaps he was too worried about entrusting his life to her.
This is a stroke of luck.
"Alright! Space Caliber!"
I swung my holy sword once.
The light, which had never been exposed before, blinded the worms in the Worm Room—and the next moment, they were all gone.
By the time the Assassin Servant arrived, sensing the disturbance, the Matou mansion had been completely destroyed.
---------
We escaped using the Mechagodzilla and landed in a forest a good distance away.
"I messed up..."
I was so focused on escaping quickly that I didn't pay attention to the fact that Sakura-chan was naked. It's really not good to be holding a naked girl.
I came here in a hurry, but now I need to find a place where we can settle down and plan our next move.
First, this is the world of Fate/Zero. Or rather, since I went back in time, this event happened this way. And the setting is not the usual island.
Since Sakura-chan is my Master, I'm an irregularity not found in the original story. What's more, I'm a special kind of anomaly, different from any I've seen before. As Master and Servant, it's inevitable that we'll be dragged into the Holy Grail War. It doesn't seem like Sakura-chan summoned me of her own will, either.
"My goal this time is..."
To ensure Sakura-chan's survival and to prevent the Holy Grail from being completed. If possible, I want to dismantle the Holy Grail. Well, dismantling it is completely outside my area of expertise, so I'll have to leave that to someone else.
"I think the Holy Grail becomes ready when five or more Servants' mana is collected..."
There are some participants in this war who can't be reasoned with. With that in mind, who should I try to form an alliance with?
"Saber, Rider, and Berserker."
Assuming the players haven't changed, these three factions are my best bet.
The Lancer and Archer factions are led by pure-blooded mages, so the chances of cooperation are slim—about as slim as me giving up my earthly desires and achieving enlightenment.
The Caster faction, led by a serial killer who enjoys tormenting people, is out of the question.
Assassin is in league with the Archer faction, and his Master is a psychopath. No way.
"This is going to be tough..."
I feel like the Rider and Berserker factions might be manageable.
But the situation changes completely when the Saber faction is involved. To be honest, it's impossible for Berserker and Saber to be in the same space.
And I can't afford to be defeated.
Even in a desperate situation, I have to keep moving forward. The future looks bleak, but I have to keep going.
Just as I finished organizing my thoughts, the girl woke up.
"...Who are you...?"
"I'm a Servant. My class is undecided. I'm on your side."
I tried to be as gentle as possible, but Sakura-chan's tension didn't ease. I couldn't blame her.
"...Where are we?"
"In a forest somewhere. The house you were in is gone. I don't know what happened to the people who lived there."
"...Eh...?"
She just blinked, unable to comprehend my words. She couldn't say a thing.
"Excuse me for a moment."
I used the power of Tusk, Act 4 to spin the stone sphere. All the worms in Sakura-chan's body were dead. It seems that Zouken's true body was among the worms I just wiped out. This means I don't have to worry about that old man attacking us.
"Heehee, that tickles..."
"Oops. My bad...I need to get you some clothes soon..."
"Huh? Ah...ahhhhhh!"
Realizing she was naked from my mumbling, Sakura-chan covered herself. Don't worry, the moonlight is so dim that I can barely see anything. But still, is it a bad look? Yeah, I guess it is.
"Okay, Sakura-chan. I'd like to talk about what we're going to do next... Ah."
I was about to launch into a full strategic explanation, but then I remembered that Sakura-chan probably wouldn't understand any of it.
This is going to be a pain. How should I explain this? It's pretty complicated, and even I don't have a complete grasp of it.
"I'll stay with you."
"Huh?"
"I'll stay with you. I'll listen to what you say. Just don't leave me alone."
"Okay."
Her words were a relief. Even if it's a little twisted, I'll rely on that for now.
There's another problem: my mana. As a Servant, I'm made of mana, and using my abilities and weapons—in other words, releasing the True Name of my Noble Phantasm—consumes a massive amount of mana.
By the way, I lost about 40% of my total mana when I used my holy sword just now. It wasn't even at full power. This isn't a war I can just go into blindly.
We also need a place to live. For now, I've opened the Mechagodzilla's hatch and have her sitting in the cockpit, but we need a place to stay that can protect us from the wind and rain.
And then there are my goals for this war.
"This is going to be tough..."
"?"
Sakura-chan tilted her head at my mumbling.
Peep! Peep!
"Hmm."
"Whoa! Ah, I didn't touch anything!"
"It's okay. Nothing's broken."
I grinned.
The high-performance radar on Mechagodzilla, which has been modified to this world's specifications, has picked up two high-density mana signatures. The location is near the harbor. No doubt about it, a Servant battle has begun.
This saves me the trouble of searching for them.
I have to go.
"Alright, transform!"
"Dual Gashat!"
"The strongest fist! What's the next stage?"
"Gachan! Mazuru up!"
"Akai ken tsuyosa! Aoi pazuru rensa! Aka to ao no kousa! PERFECT KNOCK OUT!"
"Wha—what!?"
"I'm going to go for a bit. Sakura-chan, wait here."
Her face went pale at my words.
"N-no! I'm coming with you!"
She protested with tears in her eyes, but I couldn't give in. Besides, I don't want her to use a Command Spell on me.
"I'll be back soon. If you get lonely, just think 'Come back' really hard in your heart. Got it?"
"I don't get it."
Please understand me. You said you would listen to me!
I can't afford to waste this opportunity by arguing here!
"Sakura-chan."
"What?"
"I'm sorry."
I closed the Mechagodzilla's hatch.
"I'm so sorry."
I listened for the sound of her pounding on the hatch...but I couldn't hear anything. I guess Mechagodzilla's armor isn't that flimsy.
I put Mechagodzilla on standby. I've set it to fly to my location immediately if anything happens. And if all else fails, a Command Spell warp will get us out of here.
I headed to the scene at full speed.
---------
"Now then."
I watched the battle from a distance where I wouldn't be noticed. Rider is probably watching, too. The combatants are Saber and Lancer. Their faces are the same as I remember. It's a small relief.
All the Servants I want to form an alliance with should be participating in this battle. I may not be able to establish an alliance right away, but I can at least make a scene to make sure they all know I'm here.
"Putting that aside..."
I watched the battle between Lancer and Saber. How well can I fight? I wonder if I can handle it with Perfect Knock Out...
Oh yeah, I really wish I didn't lose mana just by transforming. Thanks to that, I had to cancel my transformation to save mana.
Just then, Lancer activated his Noble Phantasm and inflicted a wound on Saber.
It was Gae Buidhe, the cursed spear that prevents wounds from healing. If I were transformed as Rider, I wouldn't be directly wounded, so I wouldn't have to worry too much... right? No! I can't be overconfident.
The battle was nearing its end. The two Servants stared each other down, and then...
"A-A-A-A-A-A-A-A-A-I-E!"
An intruder from the sky stopped them.
"Sheathe your weapons! You are in the presence of a king!"
I'm getting nervous. I'm so close to executing my plan.
"My name is Iskandar, the King of Conquerors. In this Holy Grail War, I have been summoned as the Rider-class Servant!"
The King of Conquerors, Iskandar, proudly announced his name. He was like a samurai from an ancient age. However, this was an unheard-of action in the Holy Grail War. The other Servants and Masters were all stunned.
But Iskandar wasn't bothered by the atmosphere. There was one man brave enough to call out this great figure.
"What are you thinking, you idiot!?"
It was Iskandar's Master, Waver Velvet.
"Urgh!"
However, he was silenced with a flick to the forehead. Iskandar continued.
"I know we are fated to fight for the Holy Grail... but before we clash swords, I have a question. I do not know what each of you desires from the Holy Grail. But think on this: Is your wish still as weighty as a grand ambition that could swallow the heavens?"
"What do you mean, Rider?"
"What are you trying to say...?"
Saber and Lancer, displeased that their duel had been interrupted, glared at Rider and asked.
"It's a simple matter. Would you not consider joining my army and yielding the Holy Grail to me? If you do, I will treat you as my friends and share with you the joy of conquering the world."
"Nonsense."
"I refuse."
They were such clear rejections, it was as if they were saying, "I'll cut you down right here."
The discussion was over. All that was left was to fight. That's how it went in the original story.
"I'd like to hear more about that, King of Conquerors."
I changed the flow of events.
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