Unlimited Ambition

At first, I had malicious thoughts about Himeko Maiya and assumed that Kiritsugu Emiya adopted her for "that thing".

But this training is a bit too good, isn't it? I didn't realize it. That Kiritsugu Emiya guy.

"So, Madam, just who exactly is this Hisayu Maiya?"

Asking the person involved directly would be a dead end. So, being extremely curious, I went to Irisviel indirectly, hoping to find out if she knew anything.

“I see… I don’t know much either. Maiya seems to be a girl that Kiritsugu rescued during a mission. After that, she stayed by Kiritsugu’s side.”

Is that so? A life-saving grace, and you repay it with your body?

However, it's worth mentioning that Hisahi Maiya and Emiya Kiritsugu seem to get along quite well. They're equally cold, share the same air of gunpowder and bloodshed, and are equally incompatible. It would seem even more fitting if they were a couple.

Well, there's one more thing, Hisayu Maiya isn't a virgin anymore.

that's all.

My curiosity about Hisayuu Maiya was satisfied to some extent, but she's not my type, so I didn't delve deeper. It's better to get back to business…

However, during this time, Kotomine Risei of the Holy Church secretly issued another mission to me. He seems to be quite committed to his promise and has not yet given up on helping Tohsaka Tokiomi win this Holy Grail War.

"Join forces to kill Saber's group's Master"

No reason, no excuse. Just kill him. Unite and kill him. As long as you do as I say, you'll receive a Command Seal as a reward. One for each person, no cheating.

In fact, even if Kotomine Risei hadn't said it, the other Masters had already realized that in a one-on-one fight, no Heroic Spirit was my match. The heroic figure I displayed in the battle at the docks, where I single-handedly took on ten opponents, couldn't be forgotten so easily.

What chilled the other Masters even more was the death of Diarmuid, the Lancer Heroic Spirit. With a simple trick, he caused the Lancers to turn on each other and perish. His wisdom and courage were perfectly matched. Such an opponent was one that no one wanted to face alone.

So let's unite—at least temporarily—and kill him—then we can fight again.

Chapter Twenty-Four: The Battle of the Central Bridge

Is stillness giving rise to restlessness?

Tonight might be a sleepless night.

Although I was a little drunk after drinking with a priest yesterday, I woke up quickly this morning. I'm a bit bored. Three days have passed, and the Holy Grail War is still making no progress. Gilgamesh has come to urge me several times already. It's clear she's quite impatient. If this matter isn't resolved soon, her favorability towards Gilgamesh might decrease.

"So, Kiritsugu, put in a little effort." After breakfast, I said to Kiritsugu, "War, war has broken out. Let's take the initiative tonight. Let's add some more fuel to the Holy Grail."

"Do you have any plans?" Kiritsugu Emiya asked.

"Yes, of course." I thought for a couple of seconds, then snapped my fingers: "I've observed it a bit, and the most conspicuous place in Fuyuki City is the bridge that spans that river, right?"

"Then?"

“I’ll stand on that rooftop and then release a little bit of my aura—of course, mimicking the aura of other Heroic Spirits. That way, others will mistake me for another kind of Heroic Spirit. They’ll take the bait obediently.”

"Hmm...indeed." Considering my combat capabilities, Kiritsugu Emiya hesitated slightly before nodding in agreement. "Then, do you need my support?"

“Of course, if you can find their Master, you can just go up and kill them.” I said to Kiritsugu Emiya.

...As expected, cooperating with this guy is quite pleasant. Looking at the understanding person before him, Emiya Kiritsugu recalled the seemingly deranged King Arthur of yesteryear. He felt that changing his Heroic Spirit was the most correct decision he had made in recent years.

So, as the city lights began to twinkle, Kiritsugu Emiya and I left the Einzbern family mansion and headed towards the Central Bridge.

However, reality and imagination are always a little different. If the other party is not allied, this deceptive tactic I used might still be somewhat effective.

However, now...

At that time, I imitated Gilgamesh's arrogant and haughty aura. Meanwhile, the other Masters, including Tokiomi Tohsaka, Kirei Kotomine, and Waver Velvet, were gathered inside the Tohsaka mansion.

The only one who didn't participate in this alliance was Matou Kariya, the unfilial son of the Matou family. His irreconcilable conflict with Tokiomi Tohsaka made it impossible for him to form an alliance with them.

The absence of the powerful Black Berserker has caused some trouble for the alliance.

It's like saying, using Gilgamesh's ranking system: he himself is the king, and everyone else is trash (perhaps I'm an exception?), yet he calls that black berserker a "mad dog." That might be a form of affirmation, in itself.

So, after sensing this power, the Masters discussed it briefly. Huh? It's the legendary power of Gilgamesh? Impossible, isn't Gilgamesh just drinking alone in the basement? Then who else could it be?

"It can only be that guy, right?" Tokiomi Tohsaka scoffed, then said, "What do you think?"

“Well, um…” The weak-willed Waver Velvet thought for a moment, then said, “If it’s Gilgamesh, then that black berserker should be the first to arrive, right?”

"...This guy does have a little bit of intelligence, huh?" Tokiomi Tohsaka thought to himself and understood Waver's subtext.

This group of people naturally knew that the one releasing an aura similar to the legendary Gilgamesh wasn't the real Gilgamesh. But Matou Kariya didn't know that. That guy who utterly hated Tokiomi Tohsaka would definitely take this behavior as a provocation from Tokiomi, and then charge at him with a ferocity even greater than a berserker. By then, even if he realized he'd mistaken someone for someone else, the war would have already begun. How could it end so easily?

Weber's second point likely refers to sitting back and watching the two sides fight, while he also benefits from the conflict. Although this approach is quite unreliable and involves opportunistic behavior.

"...No, let's go." Tokiomi Tohsaka considered for several seconds before saying, "The Berserker is no match for that guy. Rather than letting him kill the Berserker, we should go and support them. In this way, even if Kariya Matou disagrees, he will effectively form an alliance with us. With three Servants against one, no matter how strong he is, he can't possibly win."

"...However, what if Matou Kariya turns his gun on us halfway through the battle?" Kirei Kotomine said at this moment.

“No normal person would do that, would they?” Weber objected.

"However, that guy's mental state doesn't seem to be what you'd call ordinary..."

“Indeed.” Tokiomi Tohsaka nodded. “Well, no matter what, we should go and take a look first.”

"Ah."

At that moment, Gilgamesh, perhaps the true leader of the entire alliance, burst open the basement door with a bang, shouting, "You bunch of scum! Someone is defiling my majesty! Are you all fools? Get moving!!!"

And so, the Anti-Saber Alliance (tentative name) was launched.

At this very moment, just as Weber said, the first one to rush over was the slightly mentally unstable Kariya Matou—which is why I disguised myself as Gilgamesh—as I have said before, those unknown so-called "variables" are the things I hate the most.

I did say that, didn't I?

"...You, you're not Tokiomi Tohsaka?"

At this very moment, the magician assassin Kiritsugu Emiya had already taken cover. Through the scope of his sniper rifle, the image of Kariya Matou had appeared.

Kariya Matou considered for a moment, then decided to make a strategic retreat. After all, he'd been ravaged by the insects for so long, his brain wasn't quite functioning properly anymore. Currently, his obsession with the Holy Grail War had gradually evolved into killing Tokiomi Tohsaka. It was all Tokiomi's fault; killing Tokiomi would make everything better. Nothing else mattered except Tokiomi.

Therefore, to Matou Kariya, I am nothing more than an insignificant existence.

As for alliances and such, Matou Kariya's brain has now degenerated to the level of a monkey, and he is no longer capable of such sophisticated thinking.

So leave.

However, at that moment, his Black Knight Berserker roared and went berserk.

"Oh my..."

Even if this guy wanted to leave, I wouldn't let him go. But the opponent came directly. This situation couldn't be better.

Let's have some fun then.

Immediately afterward, a longsword with a slender, ice-blue blade engraved with numerous runes appeared in my hand. Then, I leaped forward, appearing behind that guy in a dimensional leap, and slashed the ice-blue longsword directly at his neck.

At that moment, the Black Knight had absolutely nothing to use as a weapon, and there were no telephone poles or anything else he could pull out and swing at—but then, just like me, a longsword appeared in his hand. He then spun around, and the longsword precisely parried my attack.

It was a deep blue longsword with a streamlined blade, four feet and six inches long, an exquisitely designed two-handed greatsword.

...The lake scenery, without regrets?!

So that explains why this guy retained such formidable combat skills even after going berserk. Indeed, if it's him, it's not unbelievable. And his hatred for Astrea, and for me, is now well explained.

Blame your monarch, resent your enemies. It's that simple.

I burst out laughing, a truly hearty laugh.

"You bastard, are you here for revenge? For revenge against me, for revenge against Astraea? Answer me, Lancelot, the paragon of knights, the knight among knights—now acting like a mad dog?! Speak up!!"

In the midst of repeated sword strikes, I effortlessly exchanged blows with Lancelot, like a storm of attacks, while shouting these words at him.

However, all I received in response was that guy's frantic roar and an attack that surged like a tidal wave, one wave higher than the next...

This guy has really gone mad.

For a moment, I even felt a little bit of regret—however, what followed was utterly ridiculous.

How long does it take for the world's noblest knight to turn into a mad dog?

Heh heh heh heh heh heh heh... This, this is absolutely hilarious. Lancelot, the noblest knight—a mad dog?!

Is there anything funnier in this world? No, right? No, right?!

Hahahaha—

Immediately afterward, I unleashed all my power, striking with the spine of my sword. Then, this mad dog named Lancelot, truly like a dog, was sent flying by unparalleled force—its black armor instantly ripped open at the abdomen, leaving a gaping hole—not a single ounce of that force was wasted. Lancelot remained standing, completely still—no! Even with such a horrific, fatal wound, the mad dog continued to roar, seemingly oblivious to the pain, its Unwavering Lake Light sword slashing down towards my head.

"Arrogant!!!"

Seeing this guy's desperate stance, I was finally enraged. After transforming into a half-werewolf, my sharp, razor-sharp claws stabbed directly towards Lancelot's helmet...

Chapter Twenty-Five: Moths to a Flame

Just as Lancelot and I began our second round of combat, Tokiomi Tohsaka and his group arrived. I had found the perfect angle to shoot, and a flick of my finger would be enough to take Kariya Matou's life—but at that moment, Kiritsugu Emiya took a deep breath and changed his target.

At this moment, high in the sky, the Divine Wheel of Power raced alongside a spaceship resembling an ancient warship, yet capable of free flight. This was a flying contraption named Vimana, widely used in the mythical era. Its power source was a solar crystal created by collecting solar energy.

At this very moment, standing at the bow of the ship is its owner, the hero (female) Queen Gilgamesh, along with his subjects A and B.

At that moment, his retainer, Kirei Kotomine, suddenly felt a pang of fear. His battle-hardened body reacted instantly, turning his head to the side. The bullet grazed past his ear, taking away a small piece of flesh. Kirei Kotomine couldn't help but hiss and gasp.

"It's that guy—I'm coming." After saying this, Kirei Kotomine drew his black key, leaped into the air, and ran towards where Kiritsugu Emiya was hiding.

"...How is it?" Tokiomi Tohsaka hadn't had a chance to ask his disciple what had happened. However, his usual trust in his disciple made him unaware that anything was amiss. He skipped over the matter and turned to ask his own Heroic Spirit, as well as his allies, the weakling and the King of Conquerors.

"Hmph... Let Smash handle that," Gilgamesh said, glancing absently at Lancelot and me fighting on the iron chains. Finally, as if struck by a sudden thought, he gritted his teeth, gave a cold snort, and turned away.

"Alright then, I'll go help that black knight. If there are no problems... you can keep an eye on this kid for a bit." The Conqueror King asked, scratching his head with a slightly helpless expression.

"Then, I'll leave it to you, Rider." The weakling thought for a moment, and seeing the Black Knight about to be defeated, nodded, agreeing to the Conqueror King's suggestion. Then, screaming, he was thrown onto the nearby ship by Iskandar.

"That's settled then! Ara la la la!!!!"

Then, the bull of the Divine Wheel, along with its rider, roared and charged towards me and Lancelot, who were fighting on the iron chains, as if it regarded us both as enemies.

"Hmph... Smash it." Gil muttered under his breath. He then rolled his eyes, crossed his arms, and started thinking about skipping work. Tokiomi Tohsaka chuckled wryly, then advised, "Your Majesty, the enemy is quite powerful. Without your assistance, we probably cannot achieve victory."

"Why should I, the king, help those scum?" Jill replied.

"...Because, uh, because it seems that the one named Iskandar is also one of Your Majesty's subjects, isn't he? Wouldn't it be a perfect opportunity to show your monarchical magnanimity by bestowing some favors upon your subject?"

Jill thought for a moment, then nodded: "What you said seems to make some sense."

Tokiomi Tohsaka, however, was sensible enough to know that this was enough of his advice. Any further words would likely backfire. So he simply lowered his head slightly and remained silent.

"However... I am simply not pleased. Therefore, your advice has been rejected."