"Incredible… Is my reputation really that good? How did you recognize me?"
Orion was genuinely perplexed. He had been identified in an instant by the other party.
Was his fame as the hunter beloved by a goddess really that widespread, or could the other side see through his true name at a glance?
Either way, it only meant one thing—the other party was dangerous.
"…"
Artoria didn't speak. There was no need to. Unlike other Heroic Spirits who lose their memories each time they are summoned, she remembered Orion from another mission under the Counter Force. She was familiar with him.
And she also knew he was extremely strong. As Crowned Servants, their spiritual foundations were pushed to the absolute limit.
"I see… so you too…"
Angelica frowned. She understood now—the surge of mana had come from a Heroic Spirit, and she was the one who had freed her prisoner…
And when she looked at Shirou behind Artoria, it seemed she wasn't the only one who had encountered a Heroic Spirit.
"Saber, she's my enemy…"
"Very well…"
Gripping her sword, Artoria took a guarded stance. Facing another Crowned Servant like herself meant she had to take this seriously.
"I'll leave her to you, Archer…"
The golden Gates appeared behind Angelica, treasures revealing themselves. Faced with this threat, she had no intention of backing down…
"No, no, no—wait a second, Master! We don't even know if we're on the same team yet!"
Orion had no desire to fight a cute girl like Artoria—especially when she knew his name and he didn't know hers. This World Holy Grail War was a four-sided conflict. Starting an internal fight if they were on the same side would only put them at a disadvantage.
"The same team?"
Fummmmm
"…!!"
Unfortunately, Angelica couldn't ask any further. A magic circle bound everyone present.
"What?! Saber, what's happening?!"
"This is bad! Hold on, Master!"
Artoria's eyes widened in shock—and she wasn't the only one. Orion was just as stunned.
In this World Holy Grail War, after a Heroic Spirit is summoned, control over participation normally lies with the Servants.
They decide whether to activate the spell and enter the war alongside their Master. Usually, they explain the pros and cons and obtain the Master's consent. Of course, they could also ignore their Master and activate the teleportation anyway, as Scathach had done.
But Artoria, as a knight, would never do that. She would use this as an opportunity to gain her Master's approval.
Unfortunately, the spell had been forcibly activated.
Someone else was calling them…
"Bastard! How dare you interrupt the arrival of this King of Kings?!"
In another Parallel World, the same thing was happening. Ozymandias was being transported along with his Master, who frowned deeply.
As the Fifth Magician of the World, Aozaki Aoko was among the strongest individuals of her era—and the more she mastered the Fifth Magic, the more her influence extended over the entire World.
She took pride in that. As the Fifth Magician, she was a living legend, the pinnacle of all magi.
Because of that, very few things could affect her. The Fifth Magic, also known as the magic of time, manipulates events and exchanges time itself—a miraculous art.
That was why she couldn't understand how a Command Spell had bound her body, nor how absurd it was that a teleportation spell could restrain her. Even more ridiculous was the fact that the Fifth Magic couldn't counteract it.
It was as if the event of her being summoned to the "War" was inevitable—a canonical event that could not be changed no matter what she did…
In yet another Parallel World, a Master and Servant remained calm as they were swallowed by light…
Tezcatlipoca, as a Crowned Servant, was confident he could face any enemy in this World Holy Grail War. Even against exceptions like Ultimate Ones—the assassins of Gaia he couldn't defeat—he could still escape.
Unfortunately, he didn't know that the one he would face was the Champion of Gaia…
Still, Tezcatlipoca's confidence was genuine, without arrogance. And more than that, he couldn't have asked for a better Master.
He turned his head and smiled at the woman beside him—someone who made even a Crowned Servant like him break into a sweat. He couldn't help it. This woman was beyond mortals, and her eyes were the very source of death.
"Are you nervous, Master? Don't worry. I love fighting, so let's have some fun, all right?"
"…"
Shiki Ryogi glanced at her Servant once before looking away. Her rainbow-colored eyes, which embodied death itself, were sharp as a stab. Tezcatlipoca's smile only widened in response…
"Adam…"
Connected to the Root, Shiki Ryogi was omniscient, and her power within a mortal body alone surpassed that of Servants.
But because she knew everything, the affairs of the World bored her. This World Holy Grail War was different.
She didn't know what was going to happen.
As part of the Root, she knew that Gaia and Alaya had invited a "favorite child" onto the battlefield and cast this bait into the game.
And of course, she took it. Not knowing what would happen was fascinating—and the fact that her counterpart had also been summoned made it even more entertaining…
That was why Shiki didn't resist the summoning. On the contrary, she welcomed it with anticipation…
As a demon hunter, facing this Champion was a delight.
Her hand tightened inside her kimono, and a golden key glimmered faintly…
"Master…"
"It's all right, little Abby. I'm here. I'll protect you—I'm very strong…"
The final pair of Master and Servant were also enveloped by the light of the teleportation spell…
They were pure gold—both girls possessed brilliantly shining golden hair.
And of course, neither of them could be underestimated.
The small Loli clinging to her Master's embrace was Abigail Williams. Her standard Class was Foreigner, like a demonic possession from Massachusetts.
As a witch of the demon, her origin was not of this planet at all. She shouldn't have been able to participate in this World Holy Grail War—but the World Grail was so enticing that it drew in an outsider like Abby.
Thus, she arrived as a dual summoning: Assassin/Foreigner.
A horror Lolita—yet none of that mattered to her Master. Even when the Command Spell bound her and Abby was summoned, there wasn't a trace of fear on her Master's face.
Only curiosity.
As a True Ancestor, she was the Princess of the Moon—Arcueid Brunestud. Over eight hundred years old, she had spent most of her time asleep and knew little of the World. Having Abby as her Servant was a first for her, and she was excited by what Abby called the World Holy Grail War.
Strong people? It didn't matter. She was a True Ancestor. She couldn't die.
Puffff
The cloud of smoke spread across the area. The final participants had arrived, and with that, the World Grail officially began the war.
Now, if Servants were killed, no new ones would appear to replace them.
That made Yuki's blood boil, because the last participants to arrive were all heavy hitters.
"Dear Mother… just how insane do you want this war to be…"
Yuki sighed. As the mother of all, they hungered for excitement and uncertainty. It was enough to draw even the Root itself in person…
"Only five keys, huh? That's plenty…"
There were ten keys bound to his heart. Yuki had called them all, intending to capture them in one sweep. However, unlike those in other Parallel Worlds, the keys directly infected by the Apocalypse Virus didn't respond to the call—or rather, their Servants had taken measures and rejected the summoning. Even Rin Tohsaka, his own Master, had rejected it…
"It doesn't matter. Five will be enough for now…"
Smiling, Yuki spread his arms wide, his voice echoing across the World…
"All right—let's begin our date (war), my beloved children."
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