"That… devil—ah, no, I mean Mr. Fu Zhu. This is the Holy Grail War. Fighting is a brutish act that should be handled by Servants. You wouldn't deign to enter the ring yourself, would you?"
Scott looked at Fu Zhu with a timid expression, forcing a fawning smile onto his face.
Fu Zhu couldn't help but laugh at this display.
"Are you still the same lone wolf Scott I know? Why the sudden use of honorifics?"
Scott gave an embarrassed laugh, wringing his hands anxiously.
"It's just that I've suddenly realized how truly awe-inspiring you are, so… you… you wouldn't bother dirtying your hands with a small fry like me, right?"
"Of course not." Fu Zhu nodded. This was the Holy Grail War. How boring would it be for him to personally get involved and beat up some Heroic Spirits?
He was more interested in seeing what kind of abilities the Himeko from another world possessed!
The moment Scott heard Fu Zhu's confirmation, he let out a long sigh of relief. The subservient stoop in his posture vanished, and the ingratiating smile on his lips was immediately wiped away.
"Hahaha, since you're not fighting personally, then watch as I give your Servant a good thrashing!"
Rider and Saber stared at Scott's dramatic reversal, their mouths agape in astonishment, utterly speechless for a long moment.
The silence on the scene held for a short while before Rider finally couldn't resist turning to Fu Zhu.
"Master, is this person… always like this? He was so humble just a moment ago, and now he's suddenly so arrogant. Isn't he worried you'll go back on your word?"
Hearing Himeko's words, Scott's realization belatedly kicked in. He hugged his weak and helpless self, a look of terror on his face.
"Fu Zhu, you can't go back on your word! You're a Double Emanator, you have to be a man of your word!"
Scott's performance made both Fu Zhu and Xing stifle their laughter. The former nodded, a smile playing on his lips.
"Relax. Whether I'm a Double Emanator or not, I keep my word. At least when it comes to you, I won't personally make a move."
"That's what you said! Everyone, get them!"
At Scott's command, a horde of Dreamjolt Troupe monsters materialized around him and charged directly at Rider.
Seeing Scott resort to using sheer numbers, Xing let out a displeased snort.
"Trying to win with numbers? Saber, teach them a lesson!"
"Yes, Master."
Just as Saber, holding her invisible blade, was about to charge forward, a crimson spear swept towards her from the side. Saber had no choice but to halt her advance and parry the attack with her invisible sword.
Saber frowned, turning to the wielder of the crimson spear, Lancer.
"Lancer, have you allied with that Master over there?"
"Allied?" Lancer scoffed, covertly putting more force into his hands holding the spear. "With that clown? He's not worthy of an alliance with me. However, I can't just stand by while you two Servants take him out and then turn on me. I'm not at an advantage in a two-on-one. Therefore, Saber, your opponent is me. Let's continue our previously unfinished battle!"
Lancer retracted his spear and followed up with a series of fierce attacks. Saber had to abandon her plan of fighting alongside Rider and instead found herself locked in combat with Lancer.
On the other side of the battlefield, Rider brandished the Godfall Sword. With just a casual swing, she sent several monsters flying, their bodies erupting in brilliant flames that incinerated them to ash.
This display made Rider look down at the Godfall Sword in her hand with some surprise. The sword had not been materialized by the Holy Grail along with her; rather, it was the Catalyst her Master had used to summon her.
But, if she remembered correctly, the Godfall Sword had shattered at the time of her death. Now, it was not only perfectly restored but also felt even more powerful than before!
However, Rider had no time to ask Fu Zhu about the changes to the Godfall Sword. She still had to defeat the monsters before her.
Just as Rider was about to press her advantage while the enemy's formation was in disarray, Fu Zhu's voice came from behind her.
Fu Zhu excitedly raised his right hand, which was marked with a Command Spell. "By my Command Spell, I order you, Rider, unleash your Noble Phantasm and wipe them all out!"
Rider's expression changed. She began to take action to unleash her Noble Phantasm, but she couldn't help but ask Fu Zhu with some confusion, "Master, is this how Command Spells are used? And… do we really need to use a Noble Phantasm?"
Fu Zhu scratched his head, perplexed. He looked back at the Rider who was in the process of unleashing her Noble Phantasm and retorted, "Is there a problem? Besides, you can't defy a Command Spell's order. Using it up early grants you your freedom back sooner. Plus, I'm really curious about your Noble Phantasm."
Hearing this reason, Rider didn't know whether to laugh or cry. She shook her head and added one more thing.
"In that case, Master, is your wallet sufficiently stocked?"
"What do you mean?"
"I don't have this world's currency, so any damages incurred will likely have to be covered by you, Master… Noble Phantasm Unleashed—Manifest, Hyperion!"
As Rider gave the command, a colossal battleship was projected into the sky. A massive cannon barrel began to accumulate energy, aiming down at Scott on the ground.
Seeing this, Scott was so shocked the sunglasses nearly fell off his face.
"What the hell?! I've never heard of a Noble Phantasm being a whole-ass battleship!"
Fu Zhu's eyes widened as he saw the projected Hyperion, his face filled with delighted surprise.
"Rider, I never expected that for your Rider class, your mount is a battleship!"
The Hyperion hanging overhead was nearly the size of the Radiant Feldspar. Judging by the power gathering in its cannon, it was at the very least city-level in terms of destructive capability. The cost, however, was a little steep.
Fu Zhu glanced at his experience bar. Compared to the slow, steady drain of simply maintaining Rider's existence, the rate of depletion had now tripled. While it was still nothing to him, it was clear that this attack was not to be underestimated!
"Hyperion—Fire!"
The moment the Hyperion finished charging, Rider gave the order.
A dazzling pillar of light shot towards the surface. Lancer and Saber, who were locked in combat, both paled. Neither of them knew what that thing in the sky was, but they both knew that if they took a direct hit, they would be forced to withdraw from this Holy Grail War.
"Dammit, how did I run into another crazy Master?! Is this how you're supposed to use a Command Spell?!"
Lancer cursed under his breath and, in a tacit understanding with Saber, broke away. He immediately entered his Spirit Form and fled for his life, afraid that being even a second too slow would mean getting hit by the blast.
Saber, meanwhile, dashed back to Xing's side, wrapped an arm around her waist, and retreated into the distance. As for Fu Zhu, she didn't have time to go back and get him. At this point, she could only prioritize the safety of her own Master.
The instant Saber moved, the pillar of light fired from the Hyperion precisely struck the spot where Scott stood frozen. He didn't even have time to scream. The shockwave from the beam's impact on the ground instantly enveloped an entire city block.
A massive boom echoed as the surrounding shops and buildings were utterly annihilated. The storm of destruction whipped up by the beam raged for nearly three minutes before gradually subsiding.
After the storm died down, Rider stood on the spot, her face deathly pale. This wasn't because she had expended a great deal of "magical power," but because the destructive force of the Hyperion had far exceeded her own expectations.
"Wait, where's Master?"