The Holy Grail War Blessed by the Gods

"I have no objection. The immediate priority is to protect Edo's safety and eliminate the threat. Rider, standing in the heavens, doesn't speak lightly; he has the ability and will to put his words into action."

I believe Saber's Master, Lady Miyamoto Iori, will understand my words, so I support this.

Jing Zhengxue stepped forward first, her demeanor stern, and spoke in a measured and deliberate manner.

"It seems that none of you have any objections, so I will leave this place to you who are the true participants in the war. After all, I am not a soldier who has devoted myself to the battlefield, and I cannot offer any advice on the battle. But there is only one thing I sincerely want to ask of you: the safety of Edo is entirely in your hands. I entrust it to you."

Seeing that none of them had any objections, Tsuchimikado Yasuhiro smiled sincerely and then took his leave.

He tried his best not to get involved, at least not now was the time to reveal his identity as a Master.

Moreover, he doesn't plan to let his Servants participate in the upcoming battles, as he can't participate in them for the time being.

Let's prepare the ceremony first; that way, we can at least have some credibility.

Leave the rest of the discussion to those so-called real warriors; they'll surely come up with a viable strategy.

No matter what, an unclaimed Rider could never defeat so many Servants. The question now is how to get the Moon Cup back into his hands after the battle.

Tsuchimikado Yasuhiro's hasty departure brought the room to a complete standstill. Since the group of people were all somewhat connected, there was no awkward silence.

After exchanging a few words, they smoothly transitioned into a discussion about strategies.

Chapter Thirty-Two: Entrance

"Though not a demon, it is no different from one. Using the lives of all the civilians in the city as hostages, how is this any different from a demon? If it is a demon, then I, the Rising Sun, will punish it!"

A man riding a gray horse and dressed in magnificent samurai armor appeared in the sky.

The man's helmet was adorned with a sun pattern, his left shoulder armor was decorated with bull horns resembling a demon's head, and his right shoulder armor was covered with feathers like wings, making him quite fashionable.

He pointed his katana forward, and a radiant glow, like the rising sun, enveloped the sword, while flames swirled around him.

However, the flames and light were far too weak compared to the opponent he was pointing his sword at; at first glance, they were like moths drawn to a flame.

"who is it?"

The servants inside Kan'ei-ji Temple noticed the servants suddenly appearing in the sky and went outside to look at the sky in confusion.

"That's the unclaimed Saber. I've seen him before. He's a very righteous Heroic Spirit. He seems to be constantly tracking down and exterminating demons. But for some reason, he mistook me for his Servant and drew his sword against me the last time we met."

Looking at the rising sun and white shadows in the sky, Kujui Masayuki spoke.

(4) "I've met him before. He helped me stop Lancer and allowed us to escape from the siege."

Miyamoto Iori recalled, her hand already resting on the hilt of the sword at her waist.

②“The fact that Saber is now without a master is tantamount to suicide. Even if he were to burn himself to ashes, he would probably only be able to break through the outer perimeter of that palace at most.”

The fourth Assassin, Saburo Koga, suddenly removed his aura concealment and appeared, looking at the sky and speaking.

"It seems there's no time to continue the discussion, or rather, there's no need to discuss it in the first place. We can't reveal our trump cards or key intelligence, so devising a coordinated plan would be pointless. We should just adapt to the situation and carry out this campaign accordingly."

"Of course, but we still need someone to send us up into the sky. Lord Jing Zhengxue, there shouldn't be any need to hide Rider's mount, right? Could you take us there?"

"No need to trouble Rider, I will send you all up into the sky. Rider's mount seems to be a demon horse, which probably can't carry too many people."

Zhou Yu, standing to the side, spoke up, saying that he had also learned about Rider during his conversation with Miyamoto Iori. After all, Rider's mount was the reason he became Rider, so the probability that it would be his strongest Noble Phantasm was not small.

"Then I'll leave it to you, Archer."

Seeing that Zhou Yu had taken the initiative to take on the task, the others naturally didn't have anything else to say and readily agreed.

"Then stand firm, and please witness the might of my Sun Wu."

After Zhou Yu nodded, he reached for the sword at his waist and swung it. The illusory ship rose from the ground, carrying people into the sky before becoming real.

The unclaimed Saber in the sky was fully prepared. The radiance of the rising sun was no longer just on his sword, but also gathered around him, like a burning ring of fire.

"Holy Guanyin Bodhisattva, please grant me strength!"

The ownerless Saber uttered a liberating prayer, held the katana upright before her eyes, and scorching magical energy gathered in front of her. As she raised the katana above her head, the gathered magical energy formed a sun-like structure, radiating dazzling light.

Then, the sun-like radiance engulfed the unclaimed Saber's entire body, transforming him into a small rising sun. The radiant light finally broke through the terrifying sun in the distance and fell to the ground to illuminate the world.

"——'General Asahi (On Arorikya Sowaka)!'"

The true name of the Noble Phantasm also reveals Saber's identity as a masterless woman. Her name is Kiso Yoshinaka, a former general of the Kawachi Genji clan and a cousin of Minamoto no Yoshitsune (Ushiwakamaru).

In the past, Kiso Yoshinaka defeated the Taira army of 100,000 in the Genpei War, and led his troops to the capital to defend the emperor. His reputation was rising like the sun, and he was known as the Asahi Shogun or the Sun Shogun.

Of course, those more familiar with him are probably his cousin Ushiwakamaru, his wife Tomoe Gozen, and his nickname as the Japanese Xiang Yu. 8.

Having unleashed the true name of his Noble Phantasm, Kiso Yoshinaka truly manifested as the sun, and his grey-maned steed strode through the void towards Manjusaka's palace. (5)

This is a slash of the sun unleashed in conjunction with the maxims of the Holy Guanyin Bodhisattva. The fiery trajectory of the descending blade traces a circle that forms the sun, releasing its deadly solar magic.

The name Asahi-shogun is the best embodiment of this power; or perhaps it should be said that this power is the embodiment of the name Asahi-shogun, since this is a unique skill that Kiso Yoshinaka only acquired after becoming a Servant, a technique he never mastered in his previous life. (Lu)

This attack was far more powerful than the assault fire ships Zhou Yu had used as a probe. Your burning solar magic collided with the blazing holy fire outside the hall, the two flames igniting each other.

However, as long as it wasn't immediately neutralized, Kiso Yoshinaka was able to break through the defenses in front of him, striking his katana, overflowing with solar magic, against the palace wall.

"Buzz—"

There was no explosion, only a tremor. The katana that had struck the wall was thrown back, and General Asahi and his horse plummeted from the sky. (iv)

However, a large ship immediately flew in from below Kiso Yoshinaka and caught him as he fell, preventing him from crashing to the ground. ②

"The unclaimed Saber has opened a passage; don't let this opportunity slip by."

While directing the warships in the sky, Zhou Yu drew his bow and arrow, unleashing his Noble Phantasm once again.

The magic once again summoned the flaming ship, and together with the fire arrows he fired, a series of explosions filled the area around the palace, preventing the defenses from coalescing or being repaired for a time.

"Just as I thought, now it's up to you."

“Saber, it’s time to show your sword.”

Miyamoto Iori then gave the order, and Saber, who could no longer contain herself, flicked her sword, unsheathing it to reveal the true form of the Ame-no-Murakumo-no-Tsurugi.

"The purest waters, rippling, flowing, and surging into the sea, transforming into countless stars—Special Technique! Eight-Headed Raging Waves!"

The water, which had split into eight streams, immediately transformed into a giant eight-headed serpent that lunged forward. The rift that Kiso Yoshinaka had previously torn open was completely reopened by this attack.

The rising flames were relentlessly extinguished; eight strikes a year—a terrifying attack capable of annihilating ordinary Servants. 0◆〔wu※#

"You should go ahead first, and then I'll see if I can find an opportunity to kill the unclaimed Rider directly using ninja techniques."

Koga Saburo said calmly, and then he made a series of hand seals. It wasn't some kind of ninjutsu he was using, but he turned into a wisp of smoke and disappeared.

"Assassin should indeed do what Assassin should do. Rider, you should be the vanguard to open the gate. Given the size of the palace, this gate shouldn't lead to the location of the unclaimed Rider. So, first, go and occupy a foothold, rest, and then observe the opponent's counterattack before making any further moves."

"Yes, Master."

Rider remained calm and, after receiving the order, summoned the demonic horse with two ghostly horns that he had been riding.

Rider now wields a katana he's somehow acquired, which appears to be no ordinary weapon.

Without a word, Rider mounted the demon horse and charged towards the distance. She cleaved the still-regenerating flames in her hand and successfully stood at the palace entrance.

Rider immediately swung his sword at the gate in front of him, but when the sword struck the gate, it was just like what Yoshinaka Kiso had done earlier. The violent tremor shattered the sword, leaving only a shallow scratch on the gate.

And it didn't end there. The stone carvings on either side of the door, which were meant to be decorative, immediately came to life. They were baboon statues wearing the Moon King's Disc on their heads, awakening as the guardians of this place.

9. The blessing bestowed upon this place is by the god Thoth, whose symbol is a baboon with a moon disc on its head.

The most common symbols of Thoth are the ibis and the baboon, because baboons are nocturnal and possess considerable wisdom, which aligns with Thoth's characteristics as a goddess of the moon and wisdom.

The baboon wearing a moon crown stretched out its hands, holding a pen and paper, and wrote on the paper while chanting terrifying incantations.

During the Hellenistic period in Egypt, the Greeks were quite fond of using the same symbols to represent gods from other regions as Greek gods. For example, Amun was called the Egyptian Zeus, and Thoth was often considered Hermes.

Therefore, magic and alchemy are associated with it. This curse from the gods directly affected Rider, causing her to emit a putrid smell.

Despite his discomfort, Rider ignored his own condition and rode his horse directly towards the baboon.

The baboon hurriedly changed the incantation, but it was too late. The close proximity caused it to be knocked away and fall from the sky.

In this distant palace, its power was visibly dissipating rapidly. When it landed, all that remained was a stone sculpture smashed to pieces on the ground.

But Rider was not having an easy time either. Although she was only carrying a short-term curse, she still possessed considerable divine and demonic characteristics. After her charge, she immediately fell off her horse and landed on the ground, barely able to prop herself up with her hands.

If she hadn't acted decisively, she might have perished right there. Fortunately, the baboon possessed terrifying magic but lacked a correspondingly robust physique.

"That was close, but Rider probably doesn't have the strength left to open the door..."

Yui Masayuki breathed a sigh of relief on the boat, but then turned to look at Miyamoto Iori. However, before she could finish speaking, a samurai with two katanas at his waist interrupted her.

"Leave this to me. It's a rare and wonderful event, and I've been eagerly anticipating it."

As Miyamoto Musashi finished speaking, she flew directly off the ship, drew the two katana from her waist, and landed forcefully in front of the gate.

"It looks like a pretty sturdy thing, but I don't know if continuing to cut it will attract other strange things. Let's give it a try anyway."

Musashi glanced at the gate in front of him, but couldn't see anything and didn't think much of it. He simply swung his twin swords.

As expected, ordinary slashes were not very effective. Apart from leaving two marks on the door, it looked like it would take at least a dozen swings to break through.

Since that's the case, then we'll just have to put in a little more effort. The power of the five wheels converged in the katana, and then Musashi swung his sword forward, his magic power converging into a stream of light that blasted against the door.

The gate then revealed its true form, its engraved patterns gleaming with golden light, demonstrating its ability to withstand attacks. However, under the wear and tear of the five light cannons, it only lasted a short time before losing its brilliance and being shattered.

With a deafening roar, the palace gates were finally opened, but what they revealed as they opened was absolute malice.

There are quite a few things inside.

Miyamoto Musashi narrowed his eyes, sensing a great deal of malice within the hall behind the door. As the door was opened, something seemed to come alive.

Musashi swung his sword again, completely destroying the gate and sending light inside.

As the light shone in, one animal mummy after another was revealed, and these, like the stone sculptures at the entrance, were clearly not purely inanimate objects.

As the light shone on them, the mummies also came to life. The largest number of them were crocodile mummies, which symbolized the mythical beast Sobek.

Sobek was the son of Setju and Nephele. He once protected the young Horus and helped Isis and Nephthys fight against Set.

His main image is that of a crocodile with a human body. He is mainly worshipped in the Fayoum region because there are many crocodiles there.

However, outside of areas where crocodile worship exists, the crocodile is still seen as a symbol of terror and evil. There are only a few temples dedicated to it, and it is basically only sailors who worship it to pray for their safety from shipwrecks.

Sobek also possessed considerable power; it is said that he had the power of four gods: the fire of Ra, the air of Shu, the earth of Geb, and the water of Osiris.

These resurrected crocodiles also possess terrifying power. When they awoke, the area immediately turned into a swamp, with a large amount of water surging up, allowing them to hide within it, and they rushed towards Miyamoto Musashi at lightning speed.

"Well done."

But Miyamoto Musashi showed no fear whatsoever; instead, he appeared excited, leaping into the water and wielding two katanas to cut down the smaller crocodile that lunged at him first.