"Greetings, Holy Grail War Overseer."
Li Chong lounged casually on a wooden chair with his legs crossed, acting as though he were in his own home. His posture was relaxed, yet the arrogance in his demeanor was unmistakable.
"Since you are aware of the Holy Grail War, that means you are no ordinary man. Are you a new Master?"
Kirei Kotomine remained calm as he walked to a nearby chair and sat down with measured composure.
"I am not a Master yet, but I will be very soon."
Li Chong leaned forward slightly and smiled.
"How about we make a deal?"
"The job of an Overseer is to remain neutral. Or are you attempting to bribe me?"
Kirei's voice carried a faint hint of amusement, though his eyes were cold and probing.
"Neutral?" Li Chong scoffed. "You are the biggest cheater here. Summon Cú Chulainn and Gilgamesh and let us see."
He showed no interest in subtlety and laid everything bare without hesitation.
The faint smile on Kirei's face vanished instantly. His expression darkened as a sharp glint of killing intent flickered in his eyes.
"I have no interest in the Holy Grail itself. There is only one person I want dead. To achieve that, I need to become a Master."
Li Chong shifted his posture again, crossing his legs as if completely unconcerned by Kirei's hostility.
"If you cooperate with me, I will remove every obstacle in your path."
Kirei fell silent for a brief moment, carefully weighing the risks.
"And why should I trust you?"
"You do not have a choice," Li Chong replied calmly. "If you refuse, a meteorite will appear above your head."
"A meteorite?" Kirei's expression shifted. "Can you summon such a thing?"
"Would you like to test it?" Li Chong laughed softly, though the sound carried an eerie chill.
Kirei's emotions were never easily read, but uncertainty stirred beneath his composed exterior. At that very moment, a presence materialized beside him.
"He is telling the truth."
Cú Chulainn appeared out of thin air, his eyes fixed firmly on Li Chong with a grave expression.
With his Servant's confirmation, Kirei no longer hesitated. He made his decision swiftly.
"Who do you want?"
"Gilgamesh," Li Chong replied without delay. "If you are willing to give him to me, even better."
Kirei turned his head to the empty space beside him.
"Gilgamesh, do you object?"
Golden particles of light gathered in the air. The next second, a young man with golden hair and crimson eyes emerged. He wore a white shirt beneath a black jacket and trousers, his hands casually tucked into his pockets. His slender figure radiated overwhelming arrogance, as though the world itself existed beneath his feet.
This man was the King of Heroes, the oldest and most powerful of them all, the absolute monarch who possessed countless Noble Phantasms.
"I am very interested," Gilgamesh said with a faint smile.
He could sense the terrifying strength hidden within Li Chong's body, a power that was worthy of his acknowledgment.
Li Chong said nothing. Satisfaction filled his eyes as he met Gilgamesh's gaze.
"In that case, the deal is sealed."
Kirei's face remained unreadable, his true thoughts hidden deep beneath his calm exterior.
Ten minutes later, Li Chong exited the church. At the same time, a glowing Command Seal formed on the back of his right hand.
From within the church, Kirei watched him leave with a cold sneer.
Gilgamesh was not easy to control. Even he found it difficult. A body powerful enough to serve as a Holy Grail vessel, capable of holding massive amounts of energy, was exactly what he needed.
He was merely letting the current carry him forward.
---
Homurahara Academy High School, sports field parking lot.
A woman with short orange hair had just fastened her helmet as she prepared to ride her electric scooter home. As she pushed it from the parking space, she suddenly froze. Her mouth fell slightly open as she stared at the figure descending from the sky.
Lucien.
Taiga Fujimura, the English teacher of Homurahara Academy High School, was also Shirou Emiya's guardian and something like an older sister to him. She was an irreplaceable presence in his life.
Lucien had appeared here for one reason alone.
In the original course of events, Medea once used this very woman to threaten Shirou. Forced by his Command Seal, Artoria had been stopped in the middle of battle and left unable to move. Medea had taken advantage of that moment to activate her Noble Phantasm, Rule Breaker, and seize control of Artoria.
Later, when the controlled Artoria was about to kill Rin and Shirou, she resisted briefly with her powerful Magic Resistance, giving them just enough time to escape.
Afterward, Artoria had been captured and taken to the church, which Medea turned into her base. There, Artoria endured relentless torment.
It was during that time that Artoria appeared at her most fragile and dangerously alluring.
Lucien remembered it vividly.
Inside the church, Artoria had been dressed in a luxurious white wedding gown. Her hands had been bound and suspended by crimson magical threads. Her golden hair was tied with a blue ribbon, and her pale legs were wrapped in white garter stockings trimmed with delicate blue floral lace. Her cheeks had been flushed, her posture restrained yet breathtaking.
The image had left a deep mark in his memory.
Lucien's objective was simple. He would follow the same path, capture Taiga Fujimura, use her to threaten Shirou, and force Medea to turn Artoria into his own Servant with Rule Breaker.
At first, Lucien had considered cooperating with Shirou. Now, that was no longer necessary.
Bang.
Medea appeared behind Taiga in an instant and struck the back of her neck with precision. Taiga collapsed without a sound. Her unconscious body was lifted gently into mid-air by Medea's magic.
---
The cemetery in the southern outskirts of Fuyuki City should have been silent under the cover of night. Instead, it echoed with the deafening roar of battle.
Artoria clashed violently with a towering Servant more than two meters tall. His body was thick with muscle, his torso bare, his feet planted firmly on the ground. He wore only a battle skirt and wielded a massive axe with terrifying force.
The Berserker of the Seven Heroic Spirits, Heracles.
On a distant ridge stood a silver-haired girl with crimson eyes. Her expression was calm and detached as she observed the battle unfold.
She was Illyasviel von Einzbern, the Master of Berserker.
An artificial life form, created to look no different from a human girl.
More importantly, she was a living Holy Grail vessel, the core that would gather the souls of fallen Servants until the war's conclusion.
As Artoria and Heracles continued their fierce exchange, the ground cracked under each collision of blade and axe.
"How lively."
Golden lightning tore through the clouds.
Lucien descended slowly from the sky, amethyst eyes gleaming with cold amusement as he hovered above the battlefield.
His sudden arrival brought the clash to an abrupt halt.
Heracles immediately leaped back to Illya's side with astonishing agility for his massive frame. Artoria withdrew as well, regrouping beside Shirou Emiya and Rin Tohsaka.
Far in the distance, Rin's Archer stood nearly a thousand meters away, his bow drawn and aimed at Lucien, waiting for the chance to strike.
"It is you," Shirou said through clenched teeth.
Artoria's gaze remained steady as she locked onto Lucien.
"I did not expect to meet you again so soon," Lucien replied calmly.
With a snap of his fingers, Medea appeared beside him in mid-air. Floating next to her was the unconscious Taiga Fujimura.
"Sister Fuji."
The moment Shirou saw her, his face drained of color, and panic flooded his eyes.
_____
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