---o---
Before Li Zihan's eyes was an exceedingly handsome man.
He was dressed in the style of ancient Greece and wore a pair of silver-rimmed, round glasses, giving him an impression of being both intellectual and free-spirited.
Like all gods, his body was suffused with a terrifying divinity.
His divine status as a sun god influenced the world itself.
His mere presence caused the sunlight in the sky to grow fiercely intense.
He was the Titan who stole fire, Prometheus.
He was also the one who keeps all things in motion, Surya.
—The biological father of the Hero of Charity, Karna.
As he advanced, the surrounding environment underwent a cataclysmic transformation.
The young man, who possessed Karna's complete Saint Graph in addition to partial Saint Graphs of Gilgamesh and Cú Chulainn, stared at the suddenly-appeared deity, silent for a long moment.
The frequency with which he had been called "child" and "beloved son" these past few days was frankly absurd.
Just a few days ago, when he first arrived in this world and landed in England, he had encountered the Heretical Hound's Father—Lugh.
This time, after a quick trip back to the Honkai world, he had returned only to run into Little Sun's dad—Surya.
Both had descended after sensing the presence of their sons.
Next up, will it be the Heretical Gilgamesh's parents—Lugalbanda and Rimat-Ninsun? Li Zihan wondered.
This situation of "sitting at home when a father falls from the sky" was getting a little tiresome.
"B-Big Brother's father?"
Looking at the man who irresistibly brought to mind the sun, wisdom, and even fire, Miss Seele was at a loss for words.
Miss Mei, who had never heard Li Zihan mention his parents, also widened her beautiful lavender eyes.
Is this... a meeting with the parents?
"He is Prometheus, he is Loki, and he is also Karna's father, Surya," the young man spoke. After the Black Grail War, he had made a request and received everything belonging to Karna, who had descended in the Lancer & Rider classes.
"And in a sense, I am Karna."
Li Zihan is Karna?!
This declaration made both Seele and Mei's eyes widen even further.
That Karna from Indian mythology? The unluckiest one of the six ill-fated sworn brothers, the son of the sun god who was killed by his own younger brother?
How does this guy resemble the Hero of Charity in any way?
He's the complete opposite!
"You are Karna, yet you are not Karna."
Prometheus, who should have been consumed by madness and become Heretical upon his descent, spoke with perfect rationality, sounding more like a sage from mythology. He smiled faintly.
"That is indeed true."
Looking at the god who was the very origin of the word "prophet," Li Zihan took a step forward, positioning himself in front of Seele and Mei.
Then, the divine bow Vijaya, forged by Vishvakarman for the great god Shiva, manifested in his hands.
Prometheus was a god who deeply loved humanity.
That much was certain.
But—
A Heretical Prometheus was a different matter entirely.
A Heretical Prometheus was merely a malevolent beast that brought calamity to the mortal world.
Even if he was rational now, as time went on, he would gradually lose his reason, revert to the madness of a Titan, and become a vicious god.
"What a truly frenzied child you are."
The man, who had no intention of returning to the realm of myth in a normal fashion when he descended, sighed as he looked at the youth who had already drawn the longbow forged by his father-in-law—Vishvakarman for Shiva.
His voice held a hint of helplessness.
"A God-Slayer is, by its very nature, a 'beast' created to hunt the Heretical, is it not?"
"If it isn't frenzied enough, then it's a failure."
The young man held the longbow, speaking with eloquent ease.
As a weapon forged for the great god Shiva, the divine bow Vijaya possessed the characteristic of being filled with mantras every time the bow was drawn and aimed, increasing its power several-fold.
But—
Its function was not so simple.
This bow bestowed a divine protection upon its master.
If a warrior held this weapon, no other weapon—including Shiva's corresponding divine instrument, Pashupatastra—could harm them in the slightest.
In other words, to injure the wielder of Vijaya, one would need a weapon with destructive power far exceeding that of Pashupatastra.
And the power of Pashupatastra...
In FGO's Fifth Singularity, the Mythological War of North America, Arjuna Alter had unleashed Pashupatastra and annihilated the twenty-eight Demon God Pillars summoned by Queen Medb.
Yes, twenty-eight Demon God Pillars, each requiring a joint subjugation effort by multiple first-rate Servants, had appeared at once and were wiped out in a single round by Arjuna's Pashupatastra.
An attack of that magnitude would be utterly useless against the wielder of the divine bow Vijaya.
One could only imagine how shamelessly powerful the protection of Vijaya was.
"If one isn't frenzied enough, that would make them a defective product, wouldn't it?"
The moment he confirmed the enemy was Surya, the young man had sacrificed his Kavacha and Kundala for Vasavi Shakti, which he then hid in the shadows at his feet. He shrugged and spoke.
The Sun's Armor was a gift from Surya to Karna. In a battle against him, one obviously couldn't expect it to function at its full potential.
In comparison, the God-Slaying Spear was far more reliable.
It was an armament from the God-King Indra, having no connection whatsoever to Surya.
Prometheus looked at the youth holding the divine bow that had once been in the hands of figures like Shiva, Indra, and Parashurama, and sighed again.
He could probably understand how Pandora felt watching the God-Slayers cause trouble all day.
This Karna from another world had already entered a perfect combat stance. The moment he made any move, he would be met with a tempestuous storm of attacks.
Having a child who was so willful and aggressive was truly a terrible thing.
"My beloved son, I will not be so easily consumed by madness. So, for the time being, please lower Vijaya."
The man, though wreathed in madness, was one of the foremost sages in mythology and would not be easily eroded. He spoke.
"My apologies for that."
Hearing these words, the young man immediately slung the longbow onto his back and apologized to the god who had not yet been consumed by madness.
"Then, may I ask, what business do you have with me?"
Li Zihan was extremely curious about what this foreseeing prophet wanted with him and posed the question to the man who could be called the most ancient of seers.
The man, who had learned from his conversation with Pandora that the young man before him seemed to be fixated on a certain Authority, did not answer the question. Instead, he looked at the youth who shared the same origin as himself.
He carefully scrutinized his beloved son. His gaze, though placid, was so piercing that it gave Li Zihan the feeling that there was nowhere to hide.
After a long while, the man who symbolized foresight finally spoke.
"My beloved son, are you yearning to become 'Steel'?"