[154] Mysterious Figures
"...In summary, all four groups of participants have united to target you, Master."
"Alright, I understand."
Instead of showing the worry that Hundred Faces had anticipated, Sakatsuki calmly nodded, as if everything was within his expectations.
"Master, may I ask..."
"You want to know why I'm so calm, right?"
"My apologies, I overstepped."
"It's fine, raise your head, Hundred Faces."
Sakatsuki sat on a projected chair, his smile playful.
"After all, this Holy Grail War is different from the fifth. None of the participants are fools. How could my shallow tricks possibly deceive them?"
"Then why did you..."
Sakatsuki raised a finger, interrupting Hundred Faces' confusion.
"A seed of doubt, once planted, is enough."
"For the sake of the Command Spells, Kiritsugu would never come forward and say, 'Satsuki isn't dead, we didn't kill him.' And because of Excalibur, they wouldn't show evidence to others either."
"Thus, the other groups will inevitably suspect their relationship with me, especially since I've been close to them since the start of the Holy Grail War."
"For that one Command Spell, Kiritsugu and his group have to endure in silence. They did hide the truth and have no grounds to refute, which will inevitably drive them further apart from the other groups."
"As for the Holy Church... heh, their credibility has long been in the negatives. Tokiomi Tohsaka, who allied with the Holy Church, is no exception—I had planned to inadvertently reveal the spiritual leyline disk, but I didn't expect Kirei Kotomine to have a trick up his sleeve... That's fine too. In an environment akin to 'The Mystery of the Wolf Village,' anyone with suspicious points will inevitably be distrusted."
"With that, Tokiomi Tohsaka has also been isolated. As for Kariya, he was my ally from the start, so he naturally wouldn't trust others. Even if Waver could temporarily organize the Masters to cooperate, they would still harbour ulterior motives, making complete information sharing impossible."
"So, the Masters can only fight on their own?"
Miyu, who had been listening, pondered.
"Exactly. And if I add more fuel to the fire, this Holy Grail War will be completely shrouded in mist. In this way, every isolated participant will become my prey."
"Add more... fuel to the fire?"
"Yes, a fire that will make this Holy Grail War even more chaotic."
The young man smiled, spreading his hands under the puzzled gaze of his Servant.
"Awaken, my cards buried deep within the leylines."
A sudden surge of magical energy storm blew Miyu's hair and caused the young man's robes to flutter wildly.
Cards... Class Cards!
Miyu instantly realized something, her pupils contracting sharply as she looked behind her.
From the rising black mist, five figures slowly emerged.
***
Kariya Matou's Residence
Boom!
With a loud explosion, the barrier Kariya had set up shattered.
"Who's there!"
Kariya and Berserker rushed out of the house. As they stepped out, Berserker's eyes flashed red, and his left hand instantly grabbed Kariya's head, throwing him back.
"This familiar feeling, ugh!"
Kariya only had time to mutter before being tossed into the entrance by Berserker, landing hard on the floor.
In the next moment, with a loud "bang," the black knight's figure was sent flying, crossing the entrance and crashing into the living room wall like a ragdoll!
"Roar—!"
The door shattered as a giant at least 2.5 meters tall, wielding a giant axe-sword, stepped into Kariya's house.
"Ar...!"
The black knight, who had been stuck to the wall moments ago, was now wielding a kitchen knife, charging at the giant, slashing down.
Bang! Bang! Bang! Bang! Clang!
The reinforced kitchen knife was smashed away by the axe-sword. Berserker's hands turned into claws, tearing into the giant's chest, but he also took a direct hit from the axe-sword and was slammed to the ground!
"What the hell is going on!"
Kariya scrambled to the side, trying to stay away from the clash of the two beasts, his mind filled with existential questions.
Who am I? Where am I? What am I doing... and where did this giant Servant come from!
Yes, a Servant! Only a Servant can fight another Servant on equal terms!
But all the Servants in this Holy Grail War have already appeared, so what's the deal with this mysterious giant?
"Roar!"
Finally, the giant was pushed back a few steps after being stabbed in the chest by Berserker's broomstick, showing signs of weakening.
However, just as Lancelot was about to press the advantage, a black sword blade pierced through the giant's back, breaking his armour and injuring his right shoulder.
"Ar...thur!"
For some reason, the injured Lancelot became even more ferocious. The reinforced broomstick swept and slashed, forcing both the giant and the sword-wielding figure behind him out of the house.
No, to be precise, it wasn't Lancelot who forced them out, but the two mysterious Servants who voluntarily retreated, disappearing before Lancelot could chase them!
"What the hell is going on!"
Kariya ran out of the wrecked house, panting heavily as he tried to calm the raging Berserker.
At the same time, he suddenly felt a burning sensation in his pocket. Reaching in, he pulled out a card.
Class Card: Assassin.
"Sakatsuki..."
***
"▉▉▉▉..."
In a series of eerie incantations, countless magic circles lit up in the sky with a deep purple destructive light. Numerous magical orbs flew out, bombarding the Einzbern Castle into ruins.
"Saber!"
Irisviel, under Artoria's protection, ran out of the castle. Looking at the black-robed figure in the sky, she was stunned.
"Such spellcasting... is that Caster? But Caster is supposed to be that girl, Miyu!"
"Clearly, this is a Servant."
Kiritsugu Emiya and Maiya Hisau, who were patrolling the castle's perimeter, had narrowly escaped.
"It seems something unexpected has happened in this Holy Grail War... Saber, can you take her down?"
"Not unless I unleash my Noble Phantasm."
"Hmm..."
Just as Kiritsugu was weighing his options, the mysterious witch in the sky suddenly stopped her incantation, pulled her cloak around her, and dove into the forest like a large bird, disappearing.
"...What on earth is happening?"
***
Meanwhile, on the other side, it was a completely different scene.
"Kneel before the King's radiance!"
The Gate of Babylon opened, and dozens of Noble Phantasms shot out like meteors. Some were entangled by the flying snake hair, while the rest were deflected by the thorny spear in the hands of the beast-skin-clad man.
"That's—the weapon that killed Assassin, right?"
Gilgamesh narrowed his eyes, watching the two figures emitting a twisted aura retreat rapidly, a cruel smile forming on his lips.
"Hmph, the show has begun."
***
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