No one could definitively say who is the strongest. However, if you asked who the strongest in Chaldea is... everyone would name him.
"I request a sparring match with you."
"Suddenly?"
Saber Alter requested a sparring match with Hokusai, one of his Servants.
"Yes. For now, you've joined our party. If so, we must test our coordination, and at the same time, I want to test your power and my current power."
"Sorry, can you spare a moment?"
"Hmm... well, okay. I don't have any ideas for a painting right now anyway. But, are you sure? I heard your record isn't good..."
"It will be different now."
"Yeah? Hmm... well, shall we see for now?"
Hokusai agreed, and the party headed to the simulation room. A duel between Saber Alter and Hokusai. Alter, who became capable of proper combat thanks to Humpty's help, ascending to her final stage, and the new recruit Hokusai who just arrived.
"I heard you're a painter, are you okay with fighting?"
"I used a sword in the past, you know... It's a dark history, but anyway, I can fight."
"I see. Then, as his Servant, I'll go all out."
And so, their fight began....
A moment later, the fight itself was not smooth.
"Kuh, the sea...!?"
"Well well, did you underestimate this painter? I'm not an ordinary painter, you know~ Right? Toto-sama."
She happened to be a Foreigner.
A monster on a different scale, with a different texture from the Heroic Spirits belonging to the Foreigner star. Each one is a natural disaster, in a way, an existence that could be categorized as a threat to humanity itself.
Mostly... reality alteration. Possessing power on the level of altering reality.
The picture Hokusai drew in the air gained substance and created a truly surging sea. Thanks to the spirit's blessing, she could walk on water, but the fierce, surging waves made it difficult to move easily.
Even so, quickly adapting, she charged and swung her sword at Hokusai, trying to push her back, but...
CRRRRRACKLE!!!
"Lightning!?"
"Be careful of the falling thunderbolts~"
Having instantly drawn dark clouds in the sky, she quickly drew lightning, and countless bolts fell from the sky. Following that, needles of ink like rain fell, attacking Alter.
Still, with her high defense, she endured the lightning and needles and continued her attack.
Slash~!
"!?"
She then slashed her, but the moment she was cut, she turned into ink and flowed down.
""Which one's the real one~?""
"...."
And then, countless Hokusais that looked exactly like the real one revealed themselves. A situation where even her Instinct B found it hard to be sure of the real one.
She tried attacking everyone by firing sword beams, but...
"Just where are you!?"
She attacked all visible Hokusais, but couldn't find the real one.
[Iya~ Just like someone I know~ That one got tamed a lot and became a maid.]
[Really?]
".........."
The real one, from the start, hadn't entered the simulation and was watching from outside with Ritsuka.
From the moment she failed to notice from the beginning, her defeat had already started.
Bzzzt~
"... Even my Instinct couldn't notice."
"Ahaha~ Sorry sorry~ I was curious if it would work or not? In the past, when Oki tried to run away from a deadline, I made a double, and many people couldn't tell~ Of course, it seems everyone notices now."
"Foreigner (One who has descended)... Just what is your true nature?"
"Well... Master said I should sing this song, I think? Look to the sky, way up on high~ There in the night stars are now right~ Eons have passed than now at last, Prison walls break, old ones awake~"
"Cthulhu?"
"That's right, you know well."
Ritsuka immediately recognized it as the Cthulhu version of the carol, and Hokusai smiled and nodded.
"... An Outer God, you say?"
"Well~ Our Toto-sama just took the power and ran away, so she only has the power, you see."
"Not just a simple supporter... Quite an unexpected Servant."
"Well, Foreigners are originally irregulars, right? Still, as for me, I don't have many ways to defeat you? In the first place, that sword and Foreigners have bad compatibility, you see."
"Is that so..."
Saber Alter was disappointed that she couldn't have a proper match. And...
"Master... when are you going to strengthen me..."
"Hmm... someday?"
Nobu at level 1 was at a similar level to Ritsuka.
================================
Great, the shop's completion is right around the corner. First, shall I rummage through some unused antiques in Chaldea's storage?
"Alright, let's go!"
"O... okay?"
"But what are you trying to find..."
"Anything!"
Heading to the storage with Manbun-kun and the Captain... but which storage? Chaldea is vast, so there are many storerooms. I've only been to Storage 1...
"Storage 3...?"
Then, in the hallway, I found a room labeled Storage 3. So this is a storage too. Then let's rummage through it once.
"I wonder what treasures are inside~"
Bzzzt~
"".....""
"......"
Bzzzt....
What did I just see...?
"Master, you should apologize first..."
"No no, as the Captain's intuition says, running away is..."
BAM!!!
And as expected, the door was broken down and out came a huffing Jeanne Alter in her combat outfit.
"What are you doing without even knocking...!!!"
"But it said storage! An act of God!"
"Huh!? ... Right. Anyway, die!"
"But I didn't see you naked, it's just casual clothes!?"
"Anyway, die!"
"Mariners~!"
The moment Nemo called the Mariners, 2, 3 marines appeared and brought over an oak barrel labeled 'gunpowder'.... Wait.
KABOOOOOOOM!!!!!
".... Captain?"
"It's fine. It's not the ship, and it was the best course of action to protect Master."
"Have you been taking something?"
"Nemo-san is also sometimes not in her right mind..."
Fire and gunpowder barrel met, causing a huge explosion. Just like that, Jeanne Alter's eyes rolled and she fainted. The Mariners carried her into the room, and the incident was concluded. I'm completely the bad guy here...
"We get along and hang out with the male crew, but Nemo-kun isn't normal either, huh?"
"What are you saying... It was a choice I made for you. Normally, I wouldn't do it."
"So it's my fault? That's too much... Of course, it is actually my fault."
Putting the incident behind us, we find and arrive at the real storage. We start rummaging, but...
"Nothing really good."
"But just what are you trying to find?"
"Manbun-kun, originally, doing this kind of thing with same-sex friends is romantic, you see. You might discover something amazing in the process...!"
"Is that so?"
"You never know. Someone's secret hobby or... Hmm?"
While rummaging like that... I found a chuunibyou-style cosplay outfit.
"Maid...?"
It's a maid outfit, but with an eyepatch, bandages, and rabbit ears. Why does something like this really exist...?
"Hmm... Somehow, doesn't the size look like it would fit? Nemo-kun."
"... Are you going to do something like Mo-san?"
"Heh... Nemo-kun, my roots are that of an otaku too, you know? Want me to put it on, or not...?"
"... Sigh."
Nemo, pretending to dislike it, obediently puts it on. Looking at the panties, there's definitely something there. Bigger than expected...?
A moment later, Nemo fully dressed.
"There's no sense of incongruity at all..."
"Right. Nemo is definitely cute, you know? I understand why Mo-san is obsessed...!"
"Please don't you start too, Master..."
I won't take a picture. That would be the final line, right?
Bam!
"Hey! Found you!"
"You're not dead...!"
And Jeanne Alter barges into the storage room. Damn, caught!
"... What's that?"
"It's Nemo-kun."
"No no, the outfit."
"Hmm... Dark Mage Maid?"
"Heh...."
"... By any chance, interested?"
"... Yeah."
And the chuunibyou outfit seemed to be to Jeanne Alter's liking. Giving her the bandages and eyepatch, I sneak out.
"Phew... Mission, complete."
"Seems your roots are the same after all."
"Right... But why did you only give her those?"
"Because those are the core? The possibilities of bandages and an eyepatch are endless, Nemo-kun. Now, then let's go to the next storage...!"
I wonder what will be in this one...!
"Hey... Master?"
"What? Manbun-kun."
"Master, behind, behind..."
Manbun-kun and Nemo-kun point behind me, and I turn around... and meet eyes with Kebab, whose eyes are dead.
"Uh...."
"So you, abandoned me...?"
"Th, that's not it..."
"Master...? For now, could you come to an empty room with me?"
"W, wait...! Manbun-kun! Nemo-kun!"
"Sorry..."
"Well, it's Master's fault, isn't it...?"
Men's friendship...!
Ah, no...!
WASTED
I'm not dead!