The Holy Grail War.
A war in which seven Servants and seven Masters compete. All seven Servants had been summoned. However, the Masters were a little different. Before Saber was even summoned, the original Lancer and Caster Masters had died, and Lancer fell into the hands of the irregular participant, Kotomine Kirei, who should have been the supervisor, while Caster was in the hands of the Berserker's Master, Illya.
To make matters worse, Caster had summoned an Assassin, making the actual number of Masters five. And with the irregular Archer of the Fourth War, the number of Servants was eight.
But… the only ones who knew all of this were the Einzberns. Kirei, the supervisor, also knew that Lancer was his, the existence of the Fourth War Archer, and that Caster's Master had died… but he did not know the rest of the truth. The king with the all-seeing eyes was not interested, so he was not observing, and since he had already blocked his sight in preparation for this, he could not know.
Lancer, who had noticed this, also kept quiet because he disliked his Master, so there was no way for the supposed masterminds to know…
The real mastermind is me.
And my Noble Phantasm is one that summons Servants. If I were to summon them all, even Gilgamesh would be no match for Scáthach. While I am focused on firepower, Scáthach is specialized in killing. If it comes down to it, Scáthach, not I, will have to face him to prevent casualties.
I am only worried about the casualties; I have no doubt that I will win. What's so great about him? It's all just his Noble Phantasm. Is he a great warrior? Not at all. His skills are inferior to those of an ordinary hero. Even if his body is strong, his skills are not that good. Without Babylon, the weakest in this Holy Grail War would undoubtedly be Gilgamesh.
He's not a threat at all, except for the casualties.
But if we fight, there will be casualties, so I will thoroughly prevent him from observing me. Even an all-seeing clairvoyance has its blind spots.
A god.
A god can notice that sight and observe back. And if its rank is high enough, it can block it. I learned this from the Morrígan, and if I use the Wisdom of the Land of Shadows, I can do it too. In the first place, clairvoyance users can block each other's sight.
It's a good thing he's the King of Arrogance; if it were someone like Merlin or Solomon, they would have been interested right away. The Wise King or Gil-kun would have been the same, but the him of the Fifth War, not the Fourth, is not the King of Heroes, but merely AUO. The AUO who is defeated or eaten by a high school student. In the original route, Saber's victory over him doesn't feel that impressive…
And it is today.
The time when Saber is summoned. I know where they are… and I saw that even if they fought near the church, the King of Arrogance didn't give a damn. That's why…
On a foggy dawn, at the intersection called Miyama Town, were Rin Tohsaka, Shirou Emiya, and Saber, with Archer, who had been injured, at home. A silver thread glittered and closed the iron gates of the church.
Clank…
Saber, who had sensed a presence, turned around, and her Master spoke.
"Hey, are you done talking?"
At that, the boy and girl turned around. With a grin, she answered.
"Hello, big brother. This is the second time we've met, isn't it?"
Shirou, who remembered the girl he had passed by on his way home the previous night, felt a chill.
"It's a pleasure to meet you, Rin. I am Illya. Illyasviel von Einzbern."
Illya greeted her with a noble's bow, showing her respect.
"Well, aren't you polite…"
Rin was tense, and Saber, who stood before her, seemed to feel a sense of bitterness as she looked at Illya, whom she had known at the Einzbern Castle in the past. And Rin, with the eyes of a Master, looked at my parameters.
"No way… a kid that small is overwhelmingly stronger than Archer and Saber…!?"
"!?"
Saber was shocked. Her current parameters were lower than they were in the Fourth War. Because Shirou Emiya's abilities as a Master were the worst. I smiled at them, and at that, Rin blushed in surprise. Saber also flinched for a moment, and then frowned. A beautiful boy with slitted eyes… I didn't mean to use it, but it's a passive skill.
"Well then, shall we begin? Then, I'll kill you? Get them, Berserker~♪"
"Berserker…? A child like that…?"
Shirou Emiya, who could not sense the difference in rank. At that, as soon as Illya finished speaking, I released my magical energy.
Rumble, rumble, rumble…!!!!
""!!!!""
NlllUkJ6emRjOFNvUGgxa1BTUTJNMmppSjFNZmcvNzJXV3F3M09EM21TL2hZY21uVUFNaDUyOTREbXRPbVVpUA
A powerful storm of magical energy. Rin and Saber were shocked by the immense magical energy released from the flexing of my muscles, and even Shirou Emiya, who could not sense magical energy, could not help but be surprised by the pressure. By the way, I had set up a barrier around us, so Gilgamesh had no way of knowing. In the first place, he's the kind of AUO who doesn't care.
"…!"
Saber threw off her raincoat and charged at me with her invisible holy sword, which was shrouded in the wind of the Invisible Air. She tried to cut me down, but…
"As expected of Uther's daughter, your judgment is good. But it is a foolish choice, since your opponent is me."
"!?"
Saber was shaken by the mention of Uther's name and the statement that seemed to know her true identity. That opening also showed her lack of experience, as she was still only in her thirties. Setanta and Artoria, they are so different from me at that age. That's why I was so strict with Medb's education.
KANG!!!
"What!?"
I saw through the form of the slashing Excalibur and, with the edge of my hand, struck the flat of the blade, forcing her arm down. Saber, unable to resist my immense Strength EX, lost her posture. I then threw a full-force punch at her solar plexus.
BAAAAAM!!!!!!!!!
"Kuh…!"
Saber's eyes glazed over and became faint. The force of the punch shattered her armor, and she spat out blood and saliva as she was sent flying backwards.
Thud~ thud!!!
Saber rolled on the ground, breaking the trees behind her. Even so, she held onto her consciousness and stabbed her sword into the ground to stop herself from flying further. But… this is the worst. In the Fourth War, Irisviel would have healed her, but now there is no one to heal her. And it seems that the wound she received from Setanta has not yet healed.
"At this rate, your skills are even inferior to Uther's. You have remarkably little experience fighting monsters who are overwhelmingly stronger than you."
"What… you know, the previous generation…?"
"Shall I give you a chance? A handicap. I am Fergus mac Róich. The master of Erin, Fergus mac Róich. I am the one who gave you your heart."
"!?"
Her heart was the heart of the Red Dragon of Britain. Two dragons born after the death of Albion. The White Dragon and the Red Dragon. Of them, the White Dragon became Vortigern's power, and the Red Dragon became Artoria's heart. Yes, I was the one who caught the Red Dragon at Merlin's request. Just as Morgan had created Mordred, she was practically my creation.
"F-Fergus mac Róich…!? The legendary king of Celtic mythology!? The god-slayer who killed the gods!?"
"Is he that great!? Berserker!?"
"Of course!? It's said that if Greece has Heracles, then Ireland has Fergus! Where else in mythology can you find a pure human who slaughters gods!? In all of mythology, there are not even ten!? To think, to summon such a great hero…"
"Yes, you finally feel the fear, don't you, Rin? Berserker is the strongest!"
Rumble, rumble…!
"Hah… hah…"
"Sigh… Artoria. Your level of skill is common in Erin. In the Age of Gods, your level of skill is not that surprising. Merlin may have taught you in a spartan manner, but… honestly, your talent is inferior to Setanta's. Are you perhaps getting arrogant because you fought to a draw with Setanta? Setanta was only using half of his strength. The fact that you fought to a draw with him means you are not that great."
"!?"
"You're wondering how I knew, aren't you? That wound on your shoulder, Gáe Bolg. How could I not know? My eyes are special. They are on the level of Merlin's. In the first place, that brat is also weaker than me. Your skills are inferior to Merlin's, who is a mage, aren't they? In terms of skill alone… you are inferior to Lancelot, Gawain, and Galahad of the Round Table. That is why you were mortally wounded by Mordred and fell. Am I wrong? You and I are on different levels. I have fought against Scáthach countless times in the Land of Shadows and have not neglected my training for 500 years. In preparation for something like this."
"....."
"Do you wonder why Britain fell? It is because your efforts were not enough. Honestly, I think the people of Ulster and Britain are equally trash. The environment was worse? That's true. But… I overcame that with overwhelming power. I fought and won against the nations of Erin, except for Ulster, and I won against the gods. That is the difference between you and me."
"Are you… insulting me…"
"I have the right to do so. I was of great help in your birth, and you owe me a debt. Merlin and your father, Uther, told you to repay the debt of catching the Red Dragon. I can even show you the contract if you don't believe me."
"Kuh, Merlin is truly of no help in life…!"
That's right. He's no help.
"You are a failure. The fall of Britain was largely due to your misjudgment."
"Shut up… shut up!!!"
Saber, who became enraged at the mention of Britain and charged at me. This is her biggest weakness…
"That is the decisive proof that you are lacking."
POW!!!
"Kuh…!?"
I dodged her charging and swinging sword and threw a straight punch at her side.
"You are too emotional. Everyone has something that makes them emotional. Just as the fall of Britain is your sore spot. A part that needs to be fixed, like Setanta's. Battles and wars must be fought with complete rationality and with your emotions hidden. The fact that you are so easily provoked by such a low-level taunt that has no sincerity in it is a problem."
Just like how she was easily angered by Gilgamesh, who stood in her way before the Holy Grail. She's still too young. Even a 30-year-old is young in my eyes.
"Cough… kuh…!"
Saber collapsed, coughing up blood.
"You failed to do one of two things properly. As a king, you failed to completely abandon the heart of a human, and you abandoned it half-heartedly. If you were going to abandon it, you should have abandoned it completely, or you should have done it with it, like me. You failed to choose one of the two and did it half-heartedly. And especially, your management of your subordinates was so incompetent that it was lamentable. The fact that you failed to hold onto Tristan, and the fact that you forgave Lancelot. To turn a blind eye because you didn't want to lose your fighting strength. I firmly abandoned those like Cathbad and Conchobar. Because they were not just a waste of fighting strength, but they would destroy that fighting strength. You are the same. What was the result? You lost three of the Round Table, Gawain was crippled, and you lost many knights. I don't know about the other things, but your mistake of not managing your subordinates is too great."
"Kuh, kuh…"
"I'm telling you not to react to this. The fact that you feel so many negative emotions and show them so openly. You are too emotional, Artoria… I will spare you this time because of our past connection. Even your original self would have been lacking, and now you are even weaker because of your weak Master. It must be frustrating. But do not forget… a Heroic Spirit is merely a nerfed Divided Spirit. My original self is much stronger. You could have been killed in one blow. My attacks are fatal if you don't dodge them. The fact that you couldn't dodge my fist, which can shatter the skull of a demonic beast in one blow, makes the difference between you and me clear."
It's truly pathetic. For such a weak child to be so obsessed with the Holy Grail, with her country… it's so pitiful. Is it because she slightly resembles Illann… I'm hesitant to kill her.
"I was expecting more. I had some expectations for the Knight King who made a name for herself in Britain, from the same culture… but you're still too young. You have too little experience. No, in the first place, it's impossible to have that level of experience. Even so, you rely too much on your weapon. That is the great weakness of heroes. The majority of heroes use weapons. What if they don't have a weapon? What if they can't win with a weapon? Heracles showed us. He killed the Nemean Lion, which could not be killed with a weapon, with his strength… that was the environment of the Age of Gods. No matter how much of a final island of mystery it is, it is nothing more than a game compared to the age of mythology, Artoria. You cannot defeat me."
"...."
"I've lost my interest. To think that I didn't even have to draw my weapon. You're not even worth killing… get lost."
"......"
She could not get up. I glanced at Shirou and Rin, and they flinched in fear. I walked over to Illya.
"She's too weak. I've even lost the desire to kill her. Later, I'll kill you in a pathetic and miserable way. Well then, see you later?"
Illya grinned and said goodbye, and we disappeared into the fog…
"…Hey, Illya. Was this right?"
"Yes! You did great! You've completely broken Saber's heart!?"
Well… the harsh words were all requested by Illya. Since she was the child of an acquaintance, I was planning to go easy on her… but she asked me to go all out. I said she was weak because I really felt sorry for her, and the other things were said because Illya said she hated Saber and asked me to insult her. It was also a provocation, but…
"I feel a pang of conscience. I want to apologize later…"
"Hmph, Saber deserves that. To come back and wish for the Holy Grail so shamelessly, when she couldn't even protect my mother. Killing her a hundred times is not enough!"
Illya's hatred is justified, but… it still bothers me. My heart aches… but the difference in our skills is too great. Artoria, it seemed like she was trying to fight well with her intuition, but did I just see through everything with my Eye of the Mind? I should have gone a little easier on her…