I watched Shinji leave the school with a hint of a smile still plastered on my face.
"Well, that was an entertaining show," I muttered to myself, resisting the urge to make Shinji's umbrella collapse and strike him with a weak lightning spell.
I'll let him have a moment of peace, if only for one night. Right now, I had other places to be, other things to do, and other people to meet. Making his life miserable could come later. I had plenty of time.
I apparated, appearing at the Fuyuki Church near-instantly. A rusted iron gate and spiked fence enclosed the grounds. Beyond them, the stone church stood stark against the dusk, its stained-glass saints staring with hollow eyes.
The air thrummed with the presence of a Bounded Field. It gave off a feeling of being cold and surgical, quite unlike the expectation I had of it being warm and welcoming as a church ideally should be. Behind the gate was the paved stone path that would lead straight to the base of this war's overseer, Kirei Kotomine, an empty man who could only find peace in the suffering of others.
To be a direct participant in this war, I needed a Command Spell from the Holy Grail and a Servant. I could easily get both using the Inventory. But there was a perfectly good Servant right here, ripe for picking—Lancer. Taking Lancer from Kirei Kotomine would also be hitting two birds with one stone as his influence in the war would lessen without a Servant to send out.
The gate groaned open. I stepped onto the rain-slicked path, the Bounded Field parting around me like smoke, unnoticed, unremarked. Weathered oak doors hung slightly open. The scent of stale incense and wet stone seeped out. Above the entrance, a rain-slicked stone crucifix wept rust where nails pierced its eroded hands.
The doors swung wide as I pushed them in, revealing the cavernous gloom within. Incense hung thick, masking the scent of old stone. At the far left end stood Kirei Kotomine, his shadow carved into the church walls by the moonlight.
His hands were clasped behind his back, posture priestly and still. But his eyes—flat, dark, and utterly devoid of warmth—tracked me as I walked down the aisle.
No surprise showed on his face. Not even a flicker. But I felt it. A subtle shift in the air, the faintest tightening around his eyes. I assumed his Bounded Field hadn't whispered a word of my arrival. I was a literal blindspot to any form of information gathering, wasn't I? Glad to experience one of my safeguards' effects in real time.
"An unexpected visitor," Kirei's deep voice echoed. "To what do I owe this… intrusion?"
I stopped a few paces away, hands shoved casually in my jacket pockets. "Just taking in the local sights, Father."
His gaze remained impassive. "Few seek the solace of the Church without purpose. Or guilt."
Well, he was right about that. I smiled.
"The Holy Grail War."
A beat of silence followed as he digested my words.
Kirei tilted his head, his eyes narrowing. "Who are you?"
"Just a guy having a bit of fun and solving problems that come across his way," I shrugged. "Call me Kayden."
"Problems." Kirei savored the word. "What problems bring you to my doorstep, Kayden?"
"Questionable interior decorating?" I grinned, deliberately flippant. "I'll cut to the chase, Father. I'm here for two things. The Command Spells on your left arm and your Servant. But don't worry. You can keep the ridiculous amount of Command Spells on your other arm."
Another beat of silence. The stale air grew heavier. Kirei didn't flinch, but a spark of genuine, dark curiosity seemed to have ignited in his eyes.
"How intriguing. It seems you are somehow privy to information I've carefully kept concealed." He snorted, remaining calm. But I sensed a subtle tension in his voice. "On top of that, you come to me with rather bold demands. Are you expecting me to surrender without opposition?"
"Not really. So I'll take them from you by force, even if I have to get through your Servant first," I stated before pausing, tilting my head as I stretched my senses. "But Lancer isn't even here, is he? He's off skulking somewhere. Or maybe you sent him on a mission. Shame. I wanted to meet him."
Kirei's lips thinned almost imperceptibly. "My Servant's whereabouts are his and my own concern, as are my Seals."
"True," I conceded. "But here's a proposition, Father. Summon Lancer. Right here, right now. Use a Seal if you have to."
My hand rose, two cards flickering into existence between my fingers. The Archer Class Cards.
"I'd like to test some new toys before I relieve you of your burdens as a hidden Master. Consider it… a final performance review. If you don't wish to summon him, that's fine. But I'll be taking your Command Seals, regardless."
Kirei stared at the cards. For a long moment, the only sound was the drumming rain outside. Then, a low, humorless sound escaped him. It wasn't quite a laugh, more like stone grating on stone. "Very well."
He raised his left hand. Crimson light blazed from the back of it, illuminating the gaunt lines of his face and the hollows of his eyes. His voice cut through the gloom, sharp and absolute.
"By my Command Spell, Lancer, attend me!"
The air crackled. A whirlwind of blue and gold light erupted beside the altar, resolving into the tall, lean form of Lancer, his entirely blood-like crimson spear in his grip. The displaced air turned into a gust of wind and brushed against my skin.
He landed lightly, eyes scanning the dim church, instantly alert. His gaze locked onto me first—wary, assessing—then snapped to Kirei.
Cu Chulainn was a blue-haired, red-eyed man whose primary outfit was a deep ultramarine full-body tights covered in Runic protections, grey metallic pauldrons, and a metal plate over his lowest abdominal section. He wore his hair in a rattail that reached the middle of his back. A pair of silver earrings dangled from his ears.
Lancer gave off the impression of a beast and even carried a bestial smell.
"What's this now, Master?" Lancer's voice was a low growl, tinged with annoyance and confusion. He shifted his stance, the tip of Gae Bolg subtly angling towards me. "Roused me with a Command Spell in the middle of my mission for a chat? It was just getting good, too."
His sharp eyes darted between Kirei's impassive face and my casual stance. "And who's the pup looking like he owns the place?"
"This man wishes to take my Command Spells and become your Master," Kirei explained.
"Hah?" Lancer looked as if Kirei had just told him a horrible joke. "Seriously? He's why you summoned me? I can't even sense a lick of magical energy from him."
"Don't let appearances fool you—there's more to him that meets the eye. He somehow bypassed my Bounded Field without touching it."
"It would be wise to listen to him, Lancer," I said, grabbing the Servant's attention.
Lancer sneered, giving me a cocky smirk. "I'll listen to whoever I want, brat."
"I respect that. But if words won't convice you, then what about a demonstration?"
The stage was set. The air hummed with tension. To my senses, Lancer's presence filled the church with crackling energy. My fingers tightened around the Archer Class Cards, a predatory smile touching my lips. I had expected Gilgamesh to be present as well, but it seemed my fight with him would have to happen at a later date.
For now? Showtime.
"Install."
Golden light enveloped me. My entire being transformed as the power within the cards surged.
Divine mana flooded my body as it grew to two and a half meters in height. My hair bleached white, my skin gained a lead hue, and my muscles swelled with tremendous power. Despite not being as bulky and muscular as Heracles as a Berserker, my leaner body held just as much strength.
When the surge faded, I wore fused armor: EMIYA's black bodysuit and crimson coat now reinforced with the Nemean Lion's pelt, its golden-stained fabric heavier like hide, edges fur-trimmed, shoulders layered like beast-hide, and claw-soled boots completing the transformation.
Like adjusting the volume on a speaker, I controlled my Blindspot safeguard's effects, letting them—and only them—sense the power I held. The effects were immediate.
Kirei and Lancer stared.
Lancer's grip tightened on Gae Bolg. His cocky smirk vanished, replaced by razor-edged focus. He scanned me from head to toe, and his eyes narrowed.
"What the hell are you?" he asked, spear tip pointed at my face.
Next to Lancer, Kirei didn't move. But his stillness deepened, like a coiled viper observing impossible prey. His dark eyes, usually voids of apathy, burned with raw, unholy fascination. A thumb stroked the edge of his chin, examining me like a scholar caressing a forbidden text.
"How intriguing. This familiar sensation… A servant? No. That's impossible. You said 'Install' before those cards released a torrent of magical energy and transformed you," he murmured. "Ah. I see. You are currently neither a Servant nor a human. Lancer, our guest is somehow able to wear legends as skins using Mystic Codes of sorts."
Motherfucker. He really deduced all of that from a few pieces of information? I guess I should have expected this from an Executor of the Holy Church and an experienced participant in the previous Holy Grail War.
I stretched my arms above my head, groaning as I felt the stretch in my back. "Didn't think you'd figure out that much so quickly. But it doesn't matter."
The Elder Ring flashed.
Petrificus Totalus (Full Body-Bind Curse).
Kirei's arms snapped to his sides. His legs sprang together and his whole body went rigid, swaying where he stood before I launched him and stuck his body to the wall, stiff as a board. His jaws were jammed together so he couldn't speak, and only his eyes were moving.
Those same eyes stared at me with cold regard. Okay, maybe sticking the priest to the wall was a little excessive. But hey, no interruptions.
Lancer's spear didn't waver, but his eyebrow did. "Neat trick," he grunted, jerking his chin at Kirei's frozen form. "But binding a Master isn't the same as facing a Servant. What's your endgame, kid?"
"Endgame?" I shrugged. My hair—now long enough to reach the middle of my back—brushed against my shoulders. "Honestly? I just want to be part of the fun. But," I paused as I added a few new objectives to my list," I alsoplan on injecting a bit of controlled chaos into this Holy Grail War."
Lancer tilted his head, a flicker of surprise replacing skepticism. "Controlled chaos? Sounds like a fancy way of saying you want to meddle."
"Damn right I am!" I grinned, but it felt sharper now. "Meddling for better outcomes. Think of it like… upgrading the war. Better challenges, smarter opponents, actual teamwork maybe. Way more satisfying than babysitting Mr. Suffering-Fetish over there, yeah?"
I nodded towards Kirei.
Lancer looked back at his frozen Master and barked a short laugh. "This guy is a bit of a downer and a backstabbing bastard. But… so what? You're the new 'dungeon master'?"
"Something like that. Which brings me to my offer." I spread my arms apart. "After we settle this? Ditch the priest. Be my Servant. Help me run interference. I promise worthy fights and zero backstabbing." I met his fierce red eyes. "Plus, I have an endless stock of delicious food. You wouldn't want to miss out on that, would you?"
A moment of silence fell. I hoped he would accept my terms. While I was fine with stealing the Command Spell from Kirei without Lancer's explicit acceptance, I would rather cooperate with the agreeable hero under friendly terms.
Lancer studied me, the playful glint in his eyes warring with something deeper. Curiosity? Respect? I had no clue. But a slow, fierce grin spread across his face.
"Ha! You're mad, kid. Mad and maybe… not entirely wrong." He spun Gae Bolg, creating a metallic hum. "Alright. Beat me. Prove you aren't just talk. Show me you've got the strength to pull off this plan of yours." His grin turned feral. "Do that... and I'll be your Servant. But fair warning. I bite."
My heart hammered—part nerves, part pure adrenaline.
A fight, huh? I wouldn't have it any other way. I've been wanting to test out the power of the Class Cards.
"Looks like I've got my work cut out for me."
Golden light flashed in my palms. Twin curved swords of extremely captivating and beautiful craftsmanship, Kanshou and Bakuya, materialized. They were quite big, but in the grasp of my gigantic body, they seemed more like knives identical in shape with the only difference being their color. Kanshou, the black Yang sword, possessed a blade covered in a red hexagonal pattern, and Bakuya, the white Yin sword, was more like polished porcelain.
However, these blades weren't projections degraded by an entire rank. They were complete replicas of the originals in every way, retaining their complete Anti-Monster capabilities and original strength of B- Rank. When wielded together, they become A- Rank Noble Phantasms and enhance their user's Anti-Physical and Anti-Magic attributes.
The Celestial Inventory's absolute mastery ensured that even the normal drawback of EMIYA's signature ability didn't apply to me.
The air crackled. Rain drummed a frantic rhythm against the windows. Across the aisle, Lancer's stance shifted as our bodies became coiled springs.
My own grin mirrored his, fierce and focused.
This was it. My first real battle.
"Alright, Lancer," I called, stance shifting and blades rising. My voice cut through the damp air. "No holding back. Show me what a legend is made of!"
Lancer's lips peeled into a savage, joyful snarl.
"About time someone asked!"
Cu Chulainn explodedtowards me. Gae Bolg became a crimson line aimed straight at my heart. He was fast. Incredibly fast.
But not fast enough.
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A/N: Next chapter will be in a few days. Half of it is complete, but writing the next half of the fight is taking me a while for some reason. I might be experiencing writer's block.
Also, a short message to those who want me to write Kayden summoning "this thing" and "that thing", because I might as well nip it in a bud:
Suggesting a bunch of items you think would be interesting to see is fine. You're free to do that. However, note that the scope of my knowledge is limited, as is my writing ability, so I won't be able to incorporate each and every suggestion into the story. In addition, I am trying to take things slow with the items. The narrative could easily get too confusing and hectic for both me and the readers if I have Kayden summon a dozen powerful things that are each from a different source.
More chaotic times like that will arrive, though not anytime soon. One of these times will be when Kayden hosts a friendly battle between him, Goku, Vegeta, Saitama, and Superman, with their friends and families as the audience. But that will be further down the line.
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If you liked the story and want to see more, you're welcome to add it to your library! Power stone donations are welcome and appreciated as well!
Seriously, though. I don't know if it's the same with other authors, but every time I see the collection and power stone numbers go up, I get a small hit of dopamine.
I implore you, my dear readers, to enable me and my new potential addiction.