Secretly Seizing the Holy Grail!

The sudden mention of their true names left the two figures hiding in the forest momentarily silent.

After exchanging glances, Achilles burst into laughter. Slinging his spear over his shoulder, he and Atalanta emerged from the woods.

"Sorry, we didn't mean to just watch, but as we observed, we realized there was no chance for us to intervene." Achilles said, chuckling. "A woman who throws around her Noble Phantasm recklessly, a woman who casually reveals true names, and a warrior who can drop the moon—"

His gaze swept over Naoki and the others, a faint battle aura emanating from him. "If only you were in the Black Faction, each of you would be a worthy opponent for me."

"Angelica's strength is undeniable, but Mordred and I wouldn't gain an edge against you." Naoki said, eyeing Achilles' heel.

"Unless someone has divinity, their attacks can't harm you at all. Even when you run, you'd expose your fatal heel, but as the fastest hero in human history, few can match your speed—at least not me or Mordred."

If Naoki had a way to defeat Achilles, it would be by targeting his heel during a counterattack. That was essentially his only shot.

"You really know me, and you know a lot." Achilles said, narrowing his eyes. "Have we met in a previous Holy Grail War?"

"You could say that. From my perspective, I actually know many Servants."

"Oh, quite a few, then."

"Let's end the casual chat here, Rider and Saber's Master." Atalanta interjected, locking eyes with Naoki. "It might sound opportunistic, but do you need our help? The Black Faction's Servants can no longer fight. This is a perfect chance to wipe them out."

"Go ahead. Even if all the Black Faction Servants here are eliminated, there's still one more to deal with before we can start our civil war."

Atalanta frowned. "What do you mean?"

"The Black Assassin isn't here. There are only six Servants present. I suspect she's already in Romania but hasn't arrived yet." Naoki mused, then addressed Atalanta. "By the way, if possible, could you pass a message to Father Kotomine?"

"I've taken down six from the Black Faction. Leave the rest to you all—that's it."

At those words, Achilles and Atalanta's expressions twitched.

This guy… was mocking them!

Though they wanted to retort, Naoki had indeed crippled the Black Faction, earning the greatest credit. In Greece, such situations were common, and both were accustomed to it, so they held their tongues.

"By the way, Ata-nya… ah, sorry, Atalanta."

"What did you just call me?" Atalanta's eyes sharpened instantly. "Are we that close?"

"Sorry, back in that Holy Grail War, I used to call you that. Old habit." Naoki said, waving it off before turning serious. "About Black Assassin, she might be a bit troublesome for you. Not only does her Noble Phantasm have a special attack against women, but her origin is the key issue."

"Origin?"

"The Assassin bearing the name Jack the Ripper was a serial killer active in 19th-century London, England, known as Jack the Ripper. You've heard of her, right?"

They had, but only vaguely. As heroes from the Age of Gods, Atalanta and Achilles paid little attention to modern Heroic Spirits, especially assassins like her.

Atalanta frowned. "So what? Why is she troublesome for me? Does she have a blessing that lets her dodge arrows?"

"The Assassin known as Jack the Ripper is more like a vengeful spirit than a Heroic Spirit. In 19th-century England, there were many prostitutes, and thus many abandoned children. This Assassin embodies the collective resentment of tens of thousands of those neglected children."

◆━⊰✧⊱━◆

Moments later, underground.

"Master, why did you tell that cat lady about Jack the Ripper?" Mordred asked, trailing behind Naoki.

Earlier, after Naoki revealed Jack the Ripper's true name, Atalanta's spirit had visibly shaken.

This tied to Atalanta's life experiences.

Abandoned by her parents in the forest at birth, she survived thanks to the kindness of many. As a result, she felt compelled to help children deprived of love, just as she had been helped. She hoped to repay that kindness to other children.

This also made her deeply despise anyone or anything that threatened children.

Jack the Ripper's origin undoubtedly struck a sensitive nerve.

"Is Master planning psychological warfare? Attacking her mentally first to destabilize her, so she and Black Assassin take each other out, reducing our enemies by one—pretty clever, Master!"

"You're overthinking it." Naoki laughed. "Well, it's not like I haven't considered letting Jack the Ripper wear Atalanta down, but more than that, I'm curious about what she'll do. Facing children who can't be saved, I wonder what choice she'll make in the end. Anyway, let's set that aside and focus on the most important thing now."

The Black Faction's only remaining combat-capable Servant was Chiron, and with all their surviving Masters unconscious, he had to stay and protect them. Meanwhile, nearly all Red Faction Servants were absent. Atalanta was mentally unstable due to the Jack the Ripper issue, and Achilles had to keep an eye on her.

So, in truth, no one could stop Naoki now.

Here's a question with no prize.

Question: What lies beneath the giant crater where Yggdmillennia Castle once stood?

The answer was right before their eyes.

*BZZZ!*

A golden orb radiating an immense Mana aura reflected in Naoki and Mordred's eyes.

The Holy Grail.

"Master, you…"

"No one would expect this. We'd head straight for the Holy Grail's location at a time like this. The Black Faction should've realized it, but in their current state, they can't stop us. The other Red Faction members will figure it out soon, but they can't get here now."

Naoki grinned.

"So, want to give it a shot, Mordred?"

"Back to the day of the king's selection, let's see if you can pull out that Caliburn."