How come the Ace of Cups isn't considered the Holy Grail?

Of course, such a high-profile move is unlikely to be concealed, and there might be attacks from the military... Oh well, let's just pretend he didn't say anything. The threat from the military might not be as great as that from the Servants.

After all, this is in the city, not in the wilderness where heavy weapons can be used indiscriminately. At most, it would be fighter jets and missiles. Considering the temple's location in Tokyo Bay, warships might also be involved...

Yuwatari felt that if an EX-rank Noble Phantasm, which was essentially a Reality Marble, could be so easily defeated by battleships and missiles, then that Noble Phantasm was somewhat shameful...

There's no need for a reply. This letter is essentially an invitation; it's sent out without expecting a response. Yuto just needs to bring Reiryukan Misaya and head over in the evening.

Ramses II would probably have ordered the Sphinxes responsible for blocking the way to let them pass in advance; even if that didn't work, he could have tried ordering the Sphinxes himself.

After reading the letter, Yuuto handed it to Misaya Reirōkan, who was watching the Sphinx and the black magic girl play with great interest.

Then, ignoring the reluctance of the dark magician girl and Misaya Reirōdō, he grabbed the Sphinx by the scruff of its neck like he was catching a cat, and pulled the Sphinx, who was practicing a backflip under the command of the dark magician girl, over to him.

It's his turn to rub—cough cough, no, it's his turn to test whether he can give orders to the Sphinx…

Chapter 219 Bushgomen, So Curious?

late at night.

Harumi Pier, Chuo-ku, Tokyo.

The strange occurrences here had already been noticed by people, but the Holy Church, which relied on working overtime to use suggestive magic to put people to sleep, managed to avoid revealing its mysterious existence to the general public.

The silhouettes of the towering buildings along the coast contrasted sharply with the dark, gloomy seascape, while in the distance, above Tokyo Bay, stood a magnificent, radiant temple.

Although it is called a temple, it is not a single building, but a super-large temple complex composed of several overlapping temples.

If all the visible parts are actually real and not illusions, then the temple must be at least several kilometers long by sight alone.

The temple complex radiated a magnificent and unparalleled brilliance, as if stars had fallen to earth into this sleepless city that had dimmed the starry sky.

This is the product that embodies the majesty of Pharaoh Osmandis in the form of a Noble Phantasm!

The Great Temple of Radiance (Ramesseum Tentyris)!

So how can one rely on the temple of Chuijin while avoiding the surveillance personnel of the Holy Church that may be around?

The answer is simple.

They can use magic to conceal their bodies and then simply fly through the air.

In the unseen darkness, the black magician and the black magic girl, each carrying Yuuto and Reirōkan Misaya, along with a small starry sky sphinx perched on her shoulder, flew towards the radiant temple complex.

The four figures, concealed by illusion magic, perfectly evaded everyone's eyes and successfully entered the interior of the temple complex without anyone knowing.

The moment the dark magician removed the illusion magic from them, their presence was detected by the patrolling sphinxes.

Someone's hacked in? Let me see what's going on!

"Roar!"

With a roar, the sphinx closest to them charged towards their location, its jaws wide open, determined to tear the intruders to shreds with its sharp teeth as a tribute to the supreme Pharaoh!

At the same time, Yudu, who heard its cry, turned around and looked at the source of the sound. The Millennium Block on its chest reflected a bright luster in the glow of the surrounding buildings, and a familiar feeling climbed into the Sphinx's heart.

It was as if the person in front of him had completely merged with the buildings, or even taken control of the place.

This person is incredible; he has only ever felt this way with the supreme Pharaoh.

The Sphinx sighed inwardly, then vaguely realized that something was amiss—

I'm blanching it! Pharaoh!

Instinct, the braking mechanism, slammed on the brakes, and the Sphinx flapped its wings to slow the inertia caused by its leap.

In an instant, it was as if its entire body had been messed up with its key bindings. Its limbs frantically performed several difficult maneuvers in the air before staging a scene called "True Divine Beast Braking with its Face," successfully sliding to Yuwa's front in a prostrate position.

Behind it, countless Sphinxes that had lagged behind stopped in their tracks, staring at the beast with disbelief on their faces.

Bushgomen, so curly?

Yu Du: "...Were you sent by Osmandis to pick us up?"

The Sphinx sent by Ragnaros II to greet them was quite polite.

The Sphinx understood what he said. Although it had no recollection of picking up people, it knew that it only needed to nod and agree to all of the Pharaoh's demands.

"Roar!"

Yes, Your Majesty, I have come to receive you!

Yuuto couldn't understand the meaning of its roar at all, but after seeing the Sphinx nod, he put the Black Magician and his apprentice back into the card and rode on the Sphinx's back with Reirōkan Misaya...

It deliberately bent down and tilted its wings to serve as steps for Yuto and Reiko Misaya, making it easier for the two to climb onto its back.

After the two were settled and supported, Youdu patted its neck, instructing it to lead them inside the temple to find Ra-er.

After responding, the Sphinx immediately headed into the temple.

The situation here naturally did not escape the notice of Osmandis, the master of the temple. Seeing that Youdu had already boarded the Sphinx and was heading towards him, he recalled the Starry Sky Sphinx that he had sent to greet the two of them.

Meanwhile, at the main entrance of the temple.

The Starry Sky Sphinx, which was wagging its tail and waiting to welcome Yudo and Reiko-kan Misaya, also received new instructions from Osmandis, and its wagging tail gradually stopped.

Wait, what do you mean the future Pharaoh has already been taken away by other Sphinxes?

What beast would dare steal its job?!

A feeling arose in the heart of the Starry Sky Sphinx: that the opportunity to meet his future boss had been stolen by his subordinate.

……

The Sphinx stopped before entering the temple's interior, as the area beyond was beyond its reach.

Yuto had no choice but to lead Reiko Misaya into the temple on foot. As soon as they entered, they heard a continuous burst of laughter.

"Hahahahahaha!"

"I have been waiting here for a long time! The future Pharaoh and the young queen!" In the center of the temple, which was full of stone pillars and had reliefs on the walls, Osmandis was reclining on the throne that had been made for him.

He was no longer wearing the modern clothes he had worn when he met You Du and the others. Instead, he was shirtless, wearing only a white cloak and a gold necklace inlaid with a dozen sapphires.

The lower body is clad in brown trousers, with gold ornaments featuring ancient Egyptian characteristics adorning the waist and arms.

"However, I didn't expect that you wouldn't choose the Sphinx I arranged for you, but instead tamed one yourselves... Very good! This is the spirit of a true king who will never submit to anyone!"

His tone was full of admiration, which made Yuuto and Reirōkan Misaya exchange a bewildered glance.

what?

Wasn't that Sphinx sent by Ragnaros II to pick them up?

Why did it nod just now?

Yuto, who was completely unaware of what Osmandis was talking about, could only chuckle awkwardly: "Good evening, Lord Osmandis."

Misaya Reiko, standing beside him, greeted Osmandis, and then the little starry sky sphinx on her shoulder flapped its wings and flew over to Osmandis.

The beast returned to its rightful owner.

After teasing it briefly, Osmandis returned it to Misaya of the Linglong Pavilion, waving it away nonchalantly.

"This little fellow seems to prefer staying with you. Accept it! Young Queen, consider it a gift from me to you and the future Pharaoh!"

Misaya from the Linglong Pavilion hugged the Little Starry Sky Sphinx with some surprise.

She thought she was going to have to part ways with Little Starry Sky Sphinx!

Yu Du didn't refuse, after all, the hair of the Starry Sky Sphinx should be a good source of material, and he could pluck a little bit off later to see how it turned out.

The little starry sky sphinx, which had been perched back on Misaya's shoulder in the Linglong Pavilion, suddenly shivered.

Strange, it has such beautiful and warm fur, so why does it feel a little cold?

Chapter 220 Declaration of War

"Alright, let's end this small talk here!"

After giving the Little Starry Sky Sphinx to Misaya of the Linglong Pavilion, Osmandis deliberately changed the subject; he hadn't called the two over just to chat here.

Knowing what Osmandis was planning to do, Yuuto pulled Reirōkan Misaya aside and they prepared to watch the show together.

"Listen! You heroic spirits from all past and future, from all myths and legends, who still exist in this city called Tokyo!"

Osmandis casually spoke to the empty space in front of him from his throne, and thanks to the effect of the temple, he could effortlessly spread his voice throughout the entire Tokyo area.

Where Youdu cannot see, Osmandis's figure, seated on his throne, has transformed into a gigantic phantom, appearing above the temple complex outside, looking down upon the city like a god.

"I am the Rider of this Holy Grail War, the King of Kings, Pharaoh Osmandis!"

This grand gesture not only sparked heated discussions among Tokyo residents, but also left the church staff responsible for the aftermath with expressions of utter despair.

Arthur and Arash, who were the main targets of his declaration, naturally looked at the phantom appearing above Tokyo Bay with solemn expressions, feeling an ominous premonition.

They didn't believe that Osmandis had made such a big fuss just to say hello to them.

Sure enough, right after Osmandis finished his self-introduction, he changed the subject.

"Before this, I had repeatedly pondered whether the world today still had any value worth ruling."

"And now, the answer has appeared!"

Osmandis rose from his throne, waved his hand to fluff off the cloak behind him, and ran his hand through his hair from his forehead, slicking it back to create a wild hairstyle while letting out a gleeful laugh.

"That's right! I'll just accept its value for now!"

"After all, there are kings and saints in this era!"

Even if the aura emanating from his golden pupils was just an illusion, it made everyone who looked at him tremble and subconsciously look away.

Osmandis's phantom seemed to be able to see those who had turned their gaze away as it surveyed its surroundings. After the pleasant laughter ceased, it exuded the astonishing aura of a king.

"So... this is an ultimatum. Nameless heroic spirits, you are to come to my temple before dawn for the final battle."

"Otherwise, this entire Far East capital will be reduced to ashes under my glorious light!"

After uttering his last words in a calm voice, Osmandis's phantom disappeared above the temple complex.

Immediately, several beams of light and lightning shot out from the main cannons of the temple complex. Several warships that had arrived near Yokosuka when the phenomenon appeared had no time to react and were instantly annihilated by the beams.

Immediately afterwards, the temple complex, which had been a mirage, suddenly solidified, and the entire complex, spanning several kilometers, crashed directly onto the artificial island below, commonly known as the 'Sea Firefly,' which was not yet fully completed.

Thanks to the intentional pardon of the true master of the temple, the radiant man, the entire artificial island was destroyed, yet miraculously, no one was injured or killed.

The fate of those warships was completely different.

……

"So that guy from that day really was Saber! But I never expected Rider to be that guy... This is really troublesome."

Inside the inn, after seeing Osmandis's phantom disappear from the sky and the entire temple complex materialize and crash down, Arash, though unaware of what lay beneath the temples, couldn't help but gasp in shock.

"You know Archer... Oh, right, you two seem to be from the same era..."

Remembering that she had specifically looked into Arash's past after summoning him, Elsa recalled that she had seen some famous figures from his era.

Ramses II, the Egyptian pharaoh, was naturally not overlooked by her either.

Elsa's mind was still replaying Osmandis's words, which made her rub her temples in frustration.

Oh no, the mystery has been completely exposed now, hasn't it?

Are the churches there busy enough to handle?

And isn't she participating in the Holy Grail War?

How did Tokyo suddenly teeter on the brink of destruction?

"Don't worry, Master."

Seeing his Master looking so troubled, Arash couldn't help but offer words of comfort.

"Although the Great Sun King was somewhat excessive in his treatment of the Narna people, he was not a bloodthirsty person at heart. His statement about burning Tokyo to ashes was probably just a casual remark."

"...You mean we don't have to go to his temple as he said?" Elsa regained hope.

"Ah no, I still have to go..." Arash scratched his head and gave an embarrassed smile in response to Elsa's expectant gaze.

"Although he wasn't a bloodthirsty person, if we didn't follow his account of the past, I can't say for sure what kind of damage a pharaoh's wrath could have done to this city..."

But surely they shouldn't all be burned to ashes?

Elsa: "..."