"A decisive battle? Interesting. How does the King of Heroes propose we fight?"
Facing Gilgamesh's unyielding attitude, Artoria did not yield an inch.
Stepping forward proactively, behind her was Merlin, cheering her on and seemingly eager for chaos.
And behind Gilgamesh stood Enkidu, equally supportive. The combination of these four was quite comical.
"Mmm, when it comes to so-called Kings, I really can't participate much."
Watching the inexplicably lively hall, Haruno tilted her head, observing everyone, then Ryuya, finally settling her gaze on Kaguya.
"Kaguya~~~"
"What is it?"
Sensing the overly sweet tone in Haruno's voice, Kaguya knew Haruno was up to something again.
Well aware of her good friend's personality, she considered Haruno a powerful existence whose ability, intellect, courage, and spirit were no less than her own. But this expression of hers usually didn't bode well, making one somewhat apprehensive.
"Kaguya-chan, weren't you asking me about my brother the other day? So you two have already had something going on?"
While not fully understanding the situations of Camelot and Uruk that Ryuya mentioned, Haruno knew they were absolutely incredible, world-altering deeds.
But more than that, what she cared about now was that Ryuya was still her brother, her family.
Clearly understanding that the hall wasn't the place for her to speak right now, and that specifics could be asked later, she was more interested in Kaguya.
From what she knew, Kaguya and Ryuya had no prior connection, so how did these two meet?
"My relationship with your brother is complicated. It's definitely not what you think."
Trying hard to keep her expression calm, Kaguya did have very special feelings for Ryuya, who saved her.
But feelings were one thing… she had barely exchanged a hundred words with Ryuya so far.
Pursing her lips lightly, she felt somewhat at disadvantage, as if she had no competitive power.
"Is that so?"
Gently leaning closer to Kaguya, staring into those gem-like crimson eyes, Haruno knew her fairly well and could tell Kaguya was feigning composure.
"Of course it is. What else?"
"Fine, so what if I have some thoughts? Are you, as his sister, going to stop me?"
Unable to withstand Haruno's offensive much longer, Kaguya finally admitted it.
"Stop you? How could I?"
Smiling with pursed lips, Haruno shook her head and pointed at her sister, Yukino, who seemed lost in thought beside her.
"Me? I want to help my sister. After all, those Servants seem to know each other and will definitely stick together. We need some alliance too. As for fighting alone... unless you want to stay home alone forever…"
"Mmm... your sister?"
Looking at Yukino, whom she had heard about from Haruno regarding her relationship with Ryuya, Kaguya thought for a moment and nodded, finding the proposal worth considering.
"Hey, what about that one over there?"
"Hmm? Who are you talking about?"
"That one, the girl with silver hair and golden eyes. Haven't you noticed she seems to be all alone?"
"That person... I remember Ryuya called her Chiyo."
Following Haruno's pointing finger, Kaguya also saw Souji, standing alone and somewhat out of place.
"Right, her. She's not familiar with those others either. How about we bring her into our group?"
"This... is it reliable?"
She knew the Yukinoshita Sisters and had a decent relationship with them, but Souji was completely different.
Feeling immense pressure from Majin Souji, Kaguya doubted this would work.
"What reliable or not? Right now, we need to unite all possible forces!"
Giving a 'leave it to me' look, Haruno even began planning her strategy of 'forming distant alliances while attacking nearby rivals'.
While they were chatting, the conflict between Female Gil and Artoria briefly reached a conclusion.
It was Gilgamesh's victory.
"Hmph, a mere King Arthur, nothing more."
As it was already very late, Gilgamesh and Artoria decided to postpone their actual fight until tomorrow, temporarily choosing a quicker method to determine the winner today.
The method they chose was... rolling dice!
"Hmph, a bunch of weaklings, trying to compete with this king."
Female Gil, Artoria, Morgan, Merlin, Enkidu, Ishtar, and curiously, Irisviel, seven people in total, held nine rounds of dice-rolling, comparing sizes.
Unsurprisingly, Gilgamesh achieved a complete victory, claiming the championship title.
"Pfft..."
Seeing the others actually playing dice with Gilgamesh, Ryuya almost laughed out loud.
He sighed inwardly, thinking that this Gilgamesh was really something. He knew Female Gil was a King favored by fate, possessing the Golden Rule.
Any activity related to money, like poker or comparing dice rolls, will always result in her victory. That was the terror of the Golden Rule.
Although he wondered when Gilgamesh had become such a sly player, Ryuya didn't say anything, just quietly watched the others have their fun.
"By the way, Chiyo."
"Ryu-nii."
Hearing Ryuya call her, Souji responded. She had been watching Ryuya the whole time, seemingly content just seeing him now.
"Chiyo, there's something wrong with your body. You know that, right?"
Noticing the special condition of Souji's body, Ryuya saw it was infected with youki, becoming a sort of half-youkai existence.
Unlike Artoria and the others living in the Inner Sea of the Planet, or the divinity of Gilgamesh and her group, the Bakumatsu Era Souji was from was an Age of Man, naturally lacking such supernatural power.
Relying on youkai power to survive until now, she seemed fine on the surface, but in reality, her body had long reached its limit, enduring pain and erosion every moment.
After all, she had stubbornly lived from the Bakumatsu Era to the modern day just to wait for Ryuya.
"Ryu-nii, I'm fine."
Shaking her head, for Souji at this moment, being able to talk with Ryuya, speak with him, and see his figure at this moment was already the most satisfying thing.
Smiling at Ryuya, she never regretted her choices. Even if she were to turn to dust the next second, she would still cherish the happiness of the previous second.
This was her, the happy life of the one named Okita Souji.