"Since it's still early, how about I take you for a walk? You can get familiar with the battlefield environment in advance."
The day remained young, and Rin Tohsaka didn't want to spend all her time confined to her home.
While the Holy Grail War had officially begun, magi typically avoided revealing their existence to ordinary people. Therefore, battles between Masters usually occurred under cover of darkness, either late at night or during the early hours of the morning.
Several hours remained before nightfall.
"Sounds great!" Chloe was the first to respond, raising her hand enthusiastically to show her agreement. "I'm curious to see how Fuyuki City differs in this world."
Both Victor and Stelle naturally had no objections to the proposal.
The group departed from the Tohsaka residence together.
Fuyuki City, a relatively unknown seaside town located in the far east of Japan. Beneath its peaceful exterior lay powerful spiritual leylines filled with magical energy. This unique geographical feature had made it the preferred venue for every Holy Grail War since the ritual's inception.
The conflict with the widest impact and greatest casualties had undoubtedly been the Fourth Holy Grail War ten years prior. That particular war had ended without a victor, but the coastal town had been nearly destroyed in the process.
Now, a decade later, time had gradually healed the wounds in the residents' hearts. The once-destroyed buildings had been reconstructed, and the city had grown more prosperous than ever before.
The four companions found themselves on a street in the city center, enjoying ice cream as they walked. Despite being called the "city center," it was actually just a relatively busy commercial district.
"Hmm?"
Suddenly, Victor frowned and came to an abrupt stop.
"Why did you stop so suddenly?" Rin Tohsaka, who had been chatting with Chloe behind him, nearly collided with his back.
Before Victor could respond, Stelle interjected, "Someone's following us."
Victor nodded in confirmation. "I didn't expect someone would come to us so quickly."
They had barely left the house before being targeted. Some participants were truly motivated to win this Holy Grail War.
When Rin and Chloe heard this, their expressions shifted as they immediately became alert. The latter even reached for her weapons, preparing to materialize them on the spot.
However, Victor stopped her with a single gesture. "Don't worry. The other party probably has no intention of attacking now. Let's continue our tour."
After saying this, he resumed walking forward with Stelle beside him.
Rin and Chloe exchanged glances before deciding to remain silent and follow.
The group strolled from the city center to the suburban streets, then from the residential areas to the school Rin attended. During their journey, they also passed by Shirou Emiya's residence.
However, Victor detected no trace of Servant presence from within the house. Shirou Emiya apparently hadn't summoned Altria yet at this point in the timeline.
Finally, they visited Ryuudou Temple on Mount Enzou. Unfortunately, neither Souichirou Kuzuki nor Medea were present, they seemed to be out and hadn't returned yet.
This absence made perfect sense. Since Souichirou wasn't a true magus and couldn't provide adequate magical energy for Medea, the witch needed to venture out frequently to hunt, drawing magical energy from ordinary people to sustain herself.
Time passed quietly without notice, and before they knew it, evening had arrived.
The group found a random restaurant on the street and enjoyed a simple meal together.
When they left the establishment, complete darkness had fallen.
The night was as black as ink, with silver moonlight and twinkling stars creating a deceptively peaceful tableau. Yet beneath this beautiful nocturnal scene, murderous intent lay hidden.
"Let's go. It's time to deal with that persistent tail," Victor announced, leading everyone toward the nearby harbor.
Soon they arrived at the port facility. The workers had long since departed for the day, leaving behind only massive shipping containers standing like silent sentinels in the darkness.
"You've been following us for so long. Aren't you planning to show yourself?" Victor turned around and addressed the shadows behind them.
As soon as he finished speaking, a man wearing a blue tight-fitting combat suit and wielding a crimson spear slowly emerged from the darkness. Anyone familiar with the Holy Grail War would immediately recognize this figure.
The legendary Irish hero, Cú Chulainn!
"Just as I thought, you've already noticed my presence," Cú Chulainn said with an approving grin. "Although I don't particularly enjoy fighting against young ladies, we are enemies after all."
He spun his spear expertly with both hands, the weapon cutting through the air with a distinctive whistling sound. The razor-sharp tip effortlessly punctured several nearby containers as he demonstrated his skill.
Then he pointed his weapon directly at Chloe, who was also a Servant. "While my cowardly Master may not be worthy of me risking my life in battle, I still want to say this: come at me! Let's stake our honor as Servants on this fight!"
Chloe immediately summoned Kanshou and Bakuya, the twin married swords materializing in her small hands. Just as she was about to respond, Victor stepped forward and positioned himself between her and Cú Chulainn.
Seeing this development, the Irish hero frowned in confusion. "What's this? Do you intend to fight in place of your Servant?"
Obviously, he had mistaken Victor for Chloe's Master.
Chloe tugged worriedly at the corner of Victor's sleeve. "Don't do anything reckless."
Victor gently patted her small head with a reassuring smile. "Don't worry, I'm not being reckless."
Then he turned to Stelle. "Take them away from the battlefield."
Stelle nodded in understanding, taking each girl by the hand and flying away with them in an instant, removing them from potential danger.
Cú Chulainn sighed deeply. "It seems you're determined to do this. In that case, I'll grant your wish."
As a knight, Cú Chulainn possessed his own code of chivalry and typically disdained attacking an opponent's Master. However, since the man insisted on this course of action, he had no choice but to comply.
"Come on, let me see how powerful the legendary Hound of Culann really is," Victor said, beckoning to the Irish hero with one finger.
"As you wish," Cú Chulainn replied. He had barely finished speaking when he stomped hard against the ground, causing the concrete to crack instantly. His entire body shot forward like a cannonball, rushing toward Victor at tremendous speed.
When he drew close, he aimed the spear in his hand at Victor's shoulder and thrust forward with lightning precision.
Victor couldn't help but smile when he saw this attack. The Servant was actually showing mercy? As expected of the Child of Light, even with a treacherous villain as his Master, he remained a noble knight at heart.
Since his opponent was fighting with such honor, using despicable methods would make Victor look like the villain. With this thought, he abandoned any idea of employing his abstract abilities in this battle.
He immediately sidestepped the attack and countered with a backhand punch aimed at Cú Chulainn's chest.
"What?!" Cú Chulainn never expected that someone who was obviously just a human could actually keep pace with his superhuman speed! Not only could he match his velocity, but he could also counterattack so quickly!
Am I the Heroic Spirit, or is he?
At the critical moment, Cú Chulainn pulled back his spear and held it horizontally across his chest to block the incoming strike.
Clang!
The collision between flesh and metal produced a crisp, ringing sound. This single punch sent Cú Chulainn flying backward through the air.
Just as he was about to slam into the wall behind him, he thrust his spear into the ground, using it as a brake to plow a furrow more than ten meters long across the concrete before finally coming to a stop.
Cú Chulainn rubbed his numbed arm, his eyes filled with genuine shock and disbelief.