To become a king and a magician

Kotomine Shiro—or rather, Amakusa Shiro Tokisada—was somewhat surprised. Although he had received news from the Mage Association that Natsukawa Torakawa was coming and had prepared how to deal with him, he did not expect that he would actually be connected with his long-lost interpersonal relationships.

“I am his sworn brother. I was adopted by his father for a period of time, but I haven’t seen Kirei for a long time since his father passed away.” After thinking for a moment, Kotomine Shiro decided to go along with Natsukawa Torato’s story for now. “How has Kirei been lately?”

“He’s a priest at the Fuyuki Church, lives with his daughter. I’m not close to him, and I don’t go there often, but he seems to be doing well,” Natsukawa Tora said with a smile. “But what really surprised me was that the supervisor is actually a family member of Father Kotomine.”

"Me too, thank you for telling me about Kirei—well then, enough with the pleasantries, let's begin exchanging information?"

Kotomine Shiro gestured for Natsukawa Torato to sit down first.

"We've gathered some information about the Black Faction. It seems most of the Servants have arrived, except for Assassin, whose whereabouts are unknown. Let's assume he's also arrived. We've also learned Lancer's true name; he's Vlad III."

Vlad III.

The vampire known worldwide as "Dracula," also known as "The Impaler," was once the king of this land—Romania. This time, he has been summoned as Lancer in his homeland.

“A Servant’s power is affected by their fame. In Romania, the Black Lancer was probably summoned as a hero, not a vampire, so his power would probably be amplified to the greatest extent, which is quite troublesome,” Kotomine Shiro explained. “Fortunately, our Servants are also very good, at least in terms of quality.”

As Kotomine Shiro's voice rang out, a glamorous woman in a heavy evening gown appeared beside him.

"The Crimson Assassin, real name Semiramis. Nice to meet you, Magician of the Falling Moon."

"Is it okay to just reveal my real name?"

“It’s alright. From now on, we will be allies fighting side by side, and I think this level of trust is necessary,” Kotomine Shiro explained. “Besides, since we are going to fight side by side, the release of Noble Phantasms is inevitable. It’s only a matter of time before our true names are revealed. So it’s better to reveal them now so that we can better formulate battle plans.”

This is the special case that occurred in this Holy Grail War. Normally, in a Holy Grail War, concealing one's true name is the most important thing.

"Now that everyone here except Saber has arrived, I presume that the one you summoned is Saber. May I ask what Saber's real name is?"

"Mordred."

"Natsukawa Tora replied."

Kotomine Shiro seemed somewhat delighted: "It's that Knight of the Round Table? That's great news. As a companion, his strength is very reliable. Now, please come with me to meet the other Masters."

There's no need for that.

Shaking his head, Xia Chuanhu stood up and walked towards the door: "I don't get along with the people from the Magic Association, so let's skip meeting them. Cooperation is still possible, though. If you have any plans, you can let me know, and I will try my best to cooperate."

"Going alone could lead to being surrounded and attacked."

“Then I’ll smash the moon again. Besides, I don’t think my kids are weak enough to fall down just from being surrounded.”

50. A simple and brutal battle plan

Inside a hotel in Sigishwara.

After opening the door, Xia Chuanhu went inside but did not see the other three people.

"Haven't they come back yet?"

Because of Jeanne, the group split into two teams. Natsukawa Torama, the publicly acknowledged Master of the Red faction, focused on their duties: joining forces with the other Red members and fighting against the Black faction—in short, participating in the Holy Grail War. Jeanne, accompanied by Angelica and Kallen, investigated the unusual circumstances surrounding the Holy Grail War.

With Angelica by his side, Natsukawa Torato felt at ease. Karen, on the other hand, primarily provided access to church-related channels.

Of course, this doesn't mean the two sides are separated. Every night, no matter what, they must meet at this hotel.

"Master."

Reverting from spirit form to physical form, Mordred removed her armor: "Why not cooperate with the other six?"

"Oh? You want to cooperate?" Natsukawa Tora asked with a smile as he lay down on the bed. "Well, in terms of results, cooperation seems to be the best option. Karna, Achilles, Atalanta, Semiramis, Spartacus, each of them is a formidable force, and even Shakespeare can play an important role in some aspects."

To put it bluntly, if it weren't for Romania, Black would have been defeated on the first night of fighting Red. After all, unlike Red, Black's strength was mainly concentrated on Vlad III, Siegfried, and Chiron. If Vlad III hadn't been in Romania, their fighting strength would have been greatly reduced.

The only variables are Avisbro's Noble Phantasm and Astolfo, a ticking time bomb.

If Natsukawa Tiger and the Red team cooperate, it wouldn't be difficult for them to sweep the Black team in one night.

but.

“Even without cooperating with them, we still have the fighting power to wipe out the Black Faction in one night, don’t we?” Natsukawa Tora said, counting on his fingers. “We’ll leave the most troublesome Siegfried and Vlad III to Angelica to keep them occupied. You can handle Astolfo and Frankenstein without any problem. I can take care of the remaining three.”

"Hey! This division of labor is wrong! Why is it that the person you're dealing with has the easiest job?"

"Because I'm human. How can a mere human fight against you superhuman Servants? I can only pick on the weak. Besides, Chiron is definitely not weak, is he?"

That was the teacher in Greek mythology who educated many heroes. After his death, he became a constellation in the sky. He was proficient in all kinds of skills, and even as an archer, he could hold his own against Achilles in close combat.

To be honest, Natsukawa Tiger was quite eager to experience Pankrasin's skills firsthand.

"So, all things considered, I'm actually the most relaxed?"

After analyzing the situation, Mordred became dissatisfied again: "Why did you give me the easiest job? If you give me Chiron too, I'll have to fight three of them! Don't look down on me!"

With the scabbard in hand, Mordred is now very confident.

As for this arrogant brat, Xia Chuanhu didn't say anything; he'd just let her get a beating later. However, if she could win against three opponents, Xia Chuanhu would have to praise her to the skies.

"By the way, Master, do you have any money?"

"Yes, what's wrong?"

"Then do me a favor!"

--------------------------------

Time flew by, and by the time Grey and the others returned to their room, night had already fallen.

"Oh, you're back. You've been so slow."

Mordred, who was on the sofa, immediately greeted the group upon seeing them return.

Upon seeing her appearance, Grey and Karen were momentarily stunned, because Mordred was no longer wearing her armor or revealing, form-fitting clothes, but rather a rather revealing modern outfit.

"Miss Mordred, what's that you're wearing?"

"My Master bought these for me, and they look pretty good, don't they?" Mordred laughed. "But unfortunately, my Master absolutely refused to let me buy another pair of pants and insisted that I wear these mid-length trousers."

"Nonsense, how could you wear those kinds of pants? Have some chivalry!" Natsukawa Tiger glared at her, annoyed.

Although he really wanted to see Mo Zai's classic everyday style, unfortunately, when he was choosing clothes, the Arthurian power within him kept protesting, which translated to "Girls absolutely cannot wear such revealing clothes! Change into something normal!" As a result, even Xia Chuanhu is now being affected a little.

Closing his doll-shaped notebook, Natsukawa Torato asked Angelica, "Is everything alright, Angelica?"

"Yes, everything went smoothly and there were no problems."

"So, regarding the unusual situation, has there been any progress, Joan of Arc?"

Upon hearing Natsukawa Tora's question, Gray's body trembled slightly before she changed her tone and replied, "Not yet. The Holy Grail War hasn't fully commenced yet, so there's not much we can investigate. I think the real anomaly will only appear after the war officially begins, at which point the revelation will definitely react."

"So, in other words, we have to start a war with the Black faction first, no matter what, right? Well, anyway, Mordred and I have already basically decided on the next battle plan while you were away."

As he spoke, Xia Chuanhu patted the wall, revealing a blackboard, and then picked up a pen and began to write on it.

"Since the red side is currently an ally, our primary target is naturally the black side."

"The battle plan is as follows: Mordred, Angelica, and I will launch an attack on the Black Faction's stronghold, Tulipas. First, I will use Moonfall to smash the castle on the other side and force them out. Then, Angelica will hold off Siegfried and Vlad III, I will deal with Avisbro, and Mordred will handle the remaining three. Jack the Ripper will not be considered for the time being; if she comes out, I will deal with her."

"Once Mordred and I have finished our battle, we'll join Angelica in ganging up on Siegfried and Vlad III."

"After wiping out the black team, we can then happily start a battle against the red team."

"As for the battle with the Red Team—we can leave Shakespeare's comedic characters aside, Achilles can be dealt with by Angelica, Mordred will deal with Atalanta, and I will deal with Karna."

“What about Spartacus and Semiramis?” Joan of Arc asked.

"I'll smash the moon!"

Natsukawa Tora spoke with a relaxed expression, as if it were a casual outing, despite the fact that it was a very serious Holy Grail War.

Let's feel sorry for the Magic Association and the Church who helped with the cleanup afterwards; they'll probably see several more meteorite craters later.

Just then, a bird suddenly flew in through the open window.

[It really took me a long time to find the Magician and Saber.]

Semiramis's voice came from the bird's beak—it was a familiar used for delivering messages.

【We've encountered a special situation. Berserker Spartacus has launched an attack on the Black Faction's castle. It's impossible to bring that berserker back, so we've decided to engage the Black Faction in a preliminary battle. If you two are able, please come along as well.】

As soon as the voice fell, the bird familiar turned into a feather and floated away.

"Oh dear, this is really..."

Same as before, as expected.

Xia Chuanhu stood up: "Then let's set off too. Angelica, get Vimana out, we'll go there on your plane."

"Yes."

51. Do you think this moon is big?

Yggdrasil's castle sits atop a hill on the outskirts of Tulipas, separated from the town by a considerable plain and forest. Normally, at night like this, the area would be so quiet it would seem as if time had stood still.

But now, laughter echoes throughout the area.

"Ha ha ha ha! Oppressors! Oppressors! Where is the oppression?!"

It was a laugh that could be described as a child’s hearty and straightforward laughter, but in reality, the one laughing so heartily was not a child, but a burly man who was over two meters tall and covered in muscles!

Red Berserker - Spartacus.

Gladiators in ancient Rome were heroes who sparked large-scale slave rebellions and were symbols of rebellion.

Now, instigated by the Red Caster Shakespeare, he has embarked on a solo journey to the Black Castle, only to find himself surrounded at the very place he is about to reach.

An army of over a hundred homunculus, created as soldiers and magic batteries for combat, and bronze golems created by the Black Caster Avisbroun that even Spartacus had to look up to, blocked Spartacus's path.

Undoubtedly, this is the first line of defense set up by Yggdmilienia.

"Ooh ooh ooh ooh! The oppressor! The oppressor! Here comes the oppressor!"

As if he had met his dream lover, Spartacus, who was surrounded, laughed wildly with excitement and launched a suicidal charge forward like a chariot!

Without any defense or evasion, Spartacus braved countless attacks and charged straight into the army in front of him!

Then--

"Boom—!"

A tremor, like an earthquake, suddenly erupted in the forest!

Standing on a tree not far behind Spartacus, the Red Archer Atalanta steadied herself and looked down at the scene with some dissatisfaction—homunculi were being smashed and blasted away one after another, and bronze golems were being smashed to pieces like clods of dirt.