"I would like to hear more about that, King of Conquerors."
When I suddenly appeared, everyone on the scene became visibly cautious. Only Iskandar, however, stroked his beard with a meaningful expression. Surprisingly, his gaze held no hostility.
"Oh, is that so! See, Master? There are Servants who can be reasoned with!"
"Don't be an idiot! It's obviously some kind of trick! If we just follow him, we'll fall right into a trap!"
Iskandar sighed at Waver's perfectly reasonable reaction.
"Honestly... my Master is just too small-minded."
"Leave me alone!"
The tense atmosphere of battle was slowly dissolving, mainly because of their comedic routine.
"Shou Yozuki."
"What?"
"I figured if you couldn't trust me, I should at least introduce myself. My class as a Servant is undecided. Apparently, I'm a Servant who isn't supposed to exist. So my class isn't fixed."
"An irregular Servant!?"
The woman behind Saber exclaimed in surprise. I'll have to talk to her eventually, as well as the man who's probably watching this through a rifle scope.
"You guys... you guys! Are you all idiots!? Why are you revealing your True Names!?"
"Hmph! Well said! I, too, was getting tired of the rules of this war that demand we hide our names so meticulously."
What a pair of polar opposite Master and Servant.
I appreciate his approval, but it's not a problem for me to reveal my True Name. I'm not a proper heroic spirit to begin with. Even if my name spreads in the future, I can just claim to be a different person with the same name. Time travel hasn't been established yet, anyway.
"So, what do you say? Will you accept me as an ally?"
"Of course. I never thought I'd be able to recruit an irregular Servant as an ally. So, where is your Master?"
"I apologize, but my Master isn't here. She's not suited for combat."
I was secretly relieved that things were progressing so smoothly. I had achieved my immediate goal. I stood alongside Rider.
At this point, Iskandar addressed Saber and Lancer, who had become spectators.
"And you two. Now that you've seen one Servant join my ranks, has your mind changed? I'm willing to accept all kinds of talent, but..."
"Don't get cocky, Rider."
Saber glared.
"Terms of employment are negotiable, you know?"
"You're a pest!"
Lancer joined in, completely rejecting the offer.
"Hmm... Is that so... What a waste. I'm disappointed."
Rider lowered his shoulders, genuinely saddened. Someone like me is an anomaly.
"Ah, now that I think about it..."
What am I going to do about Sakura-chan, whom I left locked in Mechagodzilla? I don't want to ruin my relationship with my Master so early on. How can I get her to forgive me? Maybe I should prostrate myself. I haven't had to do that since coming to this world, but maybe it's time to unleash my ultimate move.
As I was looking into the distance, I made eye contact with Waver, who was also looking far away.
"..."
"..."
We had a moment of understanding. We'll endure the hardships ahead together. A lot of his troubles are probably my fault.
"I am a king. A king bows to no one."
"There's no one I would offer my spear to but my Master."
Rider's negotiation completely fell apart here.
"Well, at least I got a favorable response from one person. I'm glad I tried."
"I don't trust you..."
He still couldn't believe that a Servant actually fell for it, and he glared at me with suspicion. You don't have to worry that much; I won't be your enemy. At least, not from my side.
"Don't be so wary. How about we go to a Japanese public bath later to get to know each other better?"
"Ehh... no thanks."
He made a face that showed he was genuinely disgusted.
Then, a voice with no discernible source echoed through the area.
It seems it was you, of all people.
I wondered what madness possessed you to steal my relic, only to find that you would take my place and participate in the Holy Grail War. I feel betrayed, Waver Velvet.
"U...ah...uu..."
Waver trembled at the voice. I also knew who the speaker was. It seems there are no changes here, either.
I'm considering keeping the Lancer faction as a backup plan. My goal is to cooperate with the Rider, Saber, and Berserker factions, but the chances of that working out are pretty low. When I think about it, the Lancer faction is the next best option for a potential alliance. Even with Waver and me already in a cooperative relationship, it would still be as difficult as getting Saber and Berserker to work together.
If possible, I'd like to avoid any overt hostile actions.
How unfortunate. Truly unfortunate...
While I was thinking, the Lancer Master's verbal assault continued. I was about to let it slide since Waver also had a part to play in this by stealing his things... but even I was starting to get annoyed.
But I'll be patient. I'll let Rider handle the rebuttals.
I looked at Saber and the woman behind her. These two were watching everything unfold. If I miss this opportunity, my next chance to make contact will be a long time from now.
I want to pique their interest in me, something other than hostility. Something that will make them want to come and talk to me. Unfortunately, I only have one way to do that. And it will likely make them feel something close to outright hostility.
"Hey! Are there others watching us? All of you, hiding in the shadows and peeking!"
Rider shouted.
"What do you mean, Rider?"
"What, you don't think we're the only ones drawn to this battle, do you?"
"We fought so spectacularly, in a straightforward manner. It wouldn't be strange to have more spectators."
In fact, there were several who had yet to show themselves.
"That's right, you heroic spirits, you great heroes and your Masters! You'd sneak and peek like cowards! You should learn from Saber and Lancer, who fought here in a straightforward manner. Does it not sicken you to hear your titles as heroic spirits?"
Rider's impassioned speech continued.
"All you heroic spirits summoned by the Holy Grail, come now and gather here! And any coward who fears to show their face shall know the insult of Iskandar, the King of Conquerors!"
These words served as a provocation to the Servants who were watching the situation.
"To think that two brazen fools who call themselves 'King' would appear on the same night as me."
He appeared. A man wrapped in golden armor. His face, as he looked down upon us with his arms crossed, was twisted in displeasure.
Knowing his identity, I broke out in a cold sweat. His class is Archer. If I were to fight him head-on with my current power, I would be easily crushed.
"Hmph, then you should name yourself. If you are a king, you would not be shy to speak your name, would you?"
"You dare question me? A mongrel asking a king? You deserve death a thousand times over."
His brow furrowed in displeasure.
"But still, one who does not know... "
"If you do not recognize this face, even after being granted the honor of my presence, then a mongrel so ignorant has no value in living."
"It's a given that you know me; if you don't, then you die." Such an absurd theory. It was the height of arrogance, but Rider was observing Archer without any fear.
In response to his disrespect, Archer decided to show a glimpse of his power.
The space warped, and countless weapons peeked through. Each one was a Noble Phantasm with the power to kill. They were weapons that should be used in hand-to-hand combat, yet their tips were all pointed at us.
It was only a matter of seconds before he would fire.
Kill them—
I felt as if I could hear a curse like that from somewhere.
And in response, a black shadow was summoned. A humanoid Servant in full armor, with a face completely hidden.
"Raaaaaaah!"
"Berserker!?"
Another intruder appeared. Throwing a piece into such a chaotic battlefield is anything but normal.
After a long roar, Berserker's eyes fell upon the Archer looking down at him. Archer glanced at Berserker as if he were looking at an insect. His eyes now contained a different kind of anger than when he was told people didn't know who he was.
"Who gave you permission to look at me, you mad dog?"
The weapons that were aimed at us changed direction. Toward Berserker. And then, they fired.
"Whoa!"
Waver screamed.
The speed was too fast for a normal person to understand what was happening. If I weren't a Servant, I would have been completely lost.
When the dust settled, Berserker stood there, unharmed.
"H-how is he okay...?"
"What, didn't you see, boy?"
Two weapons were fired. Berserker caught one of them, which was flying at super-high speed, and deflected the other.
Archer, filled with rage that his treasures had been touched, completely changed his target to Berserker. He fired many more weapons than before.
But the result was the same.
Berserker caught them as if they were nothing more than a ball in a game of catch and swatted them away as if they were nothing more than a fly in a game of t-ball.
He even fought back with the weapons he stole.
"This fool! You dare stand on the same ground as me, the one who should be looked up to in the heavens! I will not even leave a speck of dust behind, you mad dog!"
In response to his tremendous bloodlust, the largest number of weapons of the night appeared.
"H-hey, Rider? If we stay here, aren't we in danger...?"
"Hmm."
Waver, trembling with Archer's killing intent, suggested they retreat. If Archer got a little serious, he could easily level the entire area. Understanding this, Iskandar was about to agree to the retreat for a change.
Gilgamesh suddenly stopped.
"Tokiomi, you..."
It seems a Command Spell was used on him, just like in the original story. The fact that he's resisting it is also the same.
"Mongrels, eliminate the rabble before our next meeting. Only true heroic spirits are worthy to fight me."
With that parting remark, Gilgamesh dematerialized into golden particles and left the scene.
It felt as if a bomb had just been defused. I was drenched in a cold sweat. I knew for a fact that I couldn't win if I fought him. There's no such thing as overconfidence; he is on a completely different level.
A tense atmosphere returned to the scene. Even though Archer was gone, his Master was still watching the battle. I wanted to make contact with the Saber and Berserker factions without revealing my hand as much as possible.
As I was entertaining this greedy thought, the next change occurred.
"Raaaaaah!"
Berserker screamed and charged at Saber. A charge befitting a Servant who lost his reason to Mad Enhancement, a wild boar-like attack.
He swung a steel beam, trying to crush Saber.
"!"
Saber defended herself, but something was wrong. The thing Berserker was holding was just a steel beam. It should have been destroyed in a clash with a Noble Phantasm.
"So that's it. Whatever that black Servant touches becomes his Noble Phantasm."
Iskandar seems to have figured out the mechanics of Knight of Owner. It's a troublesome Noble Phantasm. Its power allows it to steal the opponent's Noble Phantasm. Combined with overwhelming skill, it has the potential to steal a Noble Phantasm. I can't imitate that.
Saber and Berserker's battle became a one-sided defense for Saber. This was because she was protecting her left arm. The wound from Gae Buidhe was taking its toll.
The steel beam was swung down at Saber again. I intervened.
"Rrraaaah..."
"W-what!?"
Berserker and Saber both froze when they saw my weapon, the Super Universe Holy Sword: Space Caliber, which had stopped Berserker's steel beam.
Berserker, in particular, became dysfunctional, like a machine that had a bug.
I saw my chance and poured mana into the sword. Berserker is an unparalleled master, with a fighting style that doesn't degrade in any situation. But he was no match for the Super Universe Holy Sword: Space Caliber, which was already releasing its power and had become a blade of light that could burn and slice through anything it touched.
Berserker chose to evade rather than counter. His right arm was deeply cut and hung limply. It was exactly the wound I had envisioned.
I couldn't defeat him, but the difference in our abilities wasn't great enough for me to hold back. This was the best I could do, using a surprise attack and hitting a weak spot.
As I got closer to Berserker, I spoke words that only he could hear.
"I'm with Sakura-chan."
Berserker froze. A Command Spell must have been used. It's suppressing Berserker, who shouldn't be controllable. I wondered how much emotion his Master put into that command.
"I'll be waiting here on the day after tomorrow, at 8 PM."
After hearing my words, Berserker disappeared.
"What did you do?"
"Oh, I just gave a message to his Master."
"...You're still hiding something, aren't you? I'll get the details from you later. Alright, then."
The numbers had dwindled, and only the original members remained.
"Master..."
Lancer asked.
It will suffice. We shall withdraw now. I have seen something quite interesting. Do your best to survive.
With Keneth's words as a parting gift, Lancer disappeared.
Only the Saber faction remained.
"You, that sword..."
Saber was about to approach me, as if she had been waiting for this moment, but...
"Let's go, Saber."
"Irisviel!"
"I'm sorry, Saber. But please, wait for now. Okay?"
"...Yes. I understand."
Saber sheathed her sword.
"What, if you're going to fight, I won't stop you? It's a good opportunity to see what my new friend can do."
"I appreciate the sentiment, but I am my Master's sword. I must obey her will."
"You're a serious one, aren't you?"
"That's normal," Waver said.
"We are only retreating from this spot. The next time we meet, I will cut you down."
"Is that so? Then, I'll be looking forward to that time."
The Saber faction also left, and the battle truly came to an end.
"Phew..."
I let out a big breath, my tension finally breaking. For now, my first intervention was a success. The main events remained the same, and I was able to make my presence known.
"What's wrong with you? You look exhausted."
"Yeah, well. It's still nerve-wracking."
"Even as a Servant?"
This is a special case, but I'm still human at heart. I shrugged my shoulders without saying a word.
"I want to talk about what we're going to do next. Take me to my Master."
"Very well. Don't fall off."
We rode on Rider's chariot and left the scene.
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