"Are you hurt, Senpai? I'm so sorry, something just happened."
Mash immediately assumed a defensive stance, her eyes warily fixed on the newly arrived King Hassan.
The Servant, clad in skeletal armor and wielding a massive greatsword, radiated an aura of death. He looked like either an exceptionally sinister Saber or a berserk Berserker capable of single-handedly slaughtering entire armies. Mash could sense that this was the Servant who had launched the previous attack, and she remained on high alert.
Ritsuka Fujimaru, who had been working up her emotions, instantly lost her composure. She threw her arms around Mash, terrified of losing her again.
"Senpai, we're still in the middle of a battle. Please, don't do that."
Flushing, Mash drew Ritsuka Fujimaru into her protective range. Seeing that everyone was temporarily holding their positions, she quickly explained, "I've found a special ally who gave me a unique catalyst for summoning. Our reinforcements will be arriving soon."
Mash immediately sensed a shift in the atmosphere. The tense, combative aura that had permeated the room before her arrival rapidly dissipated, replaced by awkwardness. Even King Hassan, their adversary, fell silent.
Finally, King Hassan broke the silence. "Now that the lost one has returned, let us resume your trial."
Just then, a knock echoed from the Spirit Temple's massive gates.
"Excuse me—is anyone there?" A clear male voice called from outside, interrupting the solemn atmosphere once more.
"Do you have companions who have yet to arrive?" King Hassan asked sternly. "Since this is a trial, you should give it your all. I permit you to reinforce your ranks."
King Hassan's gaze sharpened toward the gates. Despite his power, he hadn't detected any other Servants approaching; the Spirit Origin at the gate seemed to have appeared out of nowhere. Whoever stood outside was no ordinary being.
Yet that very Spirit Origin felt vaguely familiar to King Hassan, filling him with an ominous premonition.
"Companions?"
Ritsuka Fujimaru, Bedivere, Xuanzang, and the others exchanged puzzled glances. Their entire group was already present, so there couldn't possibly be any other companions. Yet human voices were clearly audible outside the door, and it couldn't be the monsters lurking nearby.
"Is anyone inside? That's odd. Mash said they'd already arrived. Never mind, this door wouldn't be locked from this side, would it?"
Growing impatient, the person outside shoved the door. Finding it unyielding, they audaciously kicked it open.
"How dare you desecrate this sacred place!"
This temple was revered by the Hassans. Such an act was a blatant provocation. Cursed Arm and Serenity immediately charged forward, unleashing a storm of flying daggers.
"Isn't that Cursed Arm and Serenity? Especially Serenity... she seems to have been through quite a lot lately..."
Jiang You had barely raised his hand to greet them when the sky darkened with daggers. The Singularity's unstable nature made it impossible to accurately gauge the Holy Grail War's scope, forcing him to actively acquire targets. In another second, he would be riddled with holes.
In a flash, King Hassan stepped forward, moving faster than anyone could react, and positioned himself in front of Jiang You, intercepting the storm of flying daggers with his body.
The daggers clattered against King Hassan's armor, but failed to pierce its sturdy surface. Though nameless and merely a mundane artifact, this armor had accompanied King Hassan through the Valley of Death for so long that it had become saturated with deathly energy, its defensive capabilities surpassing even those of some Noble Phantasms.
"Founder?!"
Though they couldn't comprehend why King Hassan would protect such an insolent man, the Hassans instinctively knelt again. They trusted their leader had a profound reason for his actions.
"Forgive my intrusion," King Hassan said, his tone measured and resolute, tinged with unyielding authority. Unseen by all, he exhaled softly in relief. "This trial is a sacred rite. Victory and defeat are both part of the ritual. To launch a sneak attack before the ritual begins is utterly intolerable."
"That startled me. Guess they don't have those memories after all." Jiang You had assumed that as a servant summoned in Fate/Grand Order, he would inherit memories from parallel worlds. It seemed he had overestimated the extent of his fate.
"Thank you, Old Man of the Mountain. And Mash, I'm here to help."
"A new Spirit Origin reaction! This Servant is a Caster! His power level is about that of a third-rate Servant."
Romani remained stubbornly fixated on the Caster Class, even making a tactless remark about their new ally. Jiang You's stats might indeed rank him as third-rate—in actual combat, he wouldn't even qualify as fourth-rate—but if Romani had said that to any other Heroic Spirit, they would have cursed him to hell.
Ignoring Jiang You's words, King Hassan's eyes glowed crimson beneath his mask as he addressed the two Hassans prostrating before him. "Cursed Arm, Serenity, your transgressions warrant the forfeit of your heads. Since that is so, your lives shall serve as trials! Come forth, Human Master—fight as the dead and seize the right to live. I care not for the means, only the outcome. Place one of their heads upon the scales, and the ritual shall conclude. Now, let us see whom the Death Knell favors."
"Eek! Noooo!"
Upon learning she was to be sacrificed, Serenity let out a terrified whimper, but she still dared not lift her head.
"Understood, Founder. Your will shall be obeyed."
Cursed Arm accepted King Hassan's demand.
The two Hassan reacted differently, but the outcome was the same. A black mist enveloped them, their forms blurring into something akin to Shadow Servants, yet fundamentally different.
"Everyone, be careful! The Spirit Origins of the two Hassan are increasing exponentially. If we underestimate them based on their previous capabilities, we'll suffer dearly. Engage with full force!" Romani immediately alerted the team. He then noticed something amiss. "But if we ignore the process and focus only on the outcome, the Hassan's earlier attack on the newly summoned Servant should have been part of the plan... Whoa! What's happening? The connection's been severed!"
With a light tap of his sword against the ground, King Hassan severed Chaldea's connection. "Silence! During the ritual, those not involved shall hold their tongues!"
"Take Serenity and Cursed Arm's heads? That's impossible."
Ritsuka Fujimaru had never been one to pursue her goals by any means necessary. She desperately wanted to reject King Hassan's proposal, but the arrow had already been nocked and aimed, leaving her no choice but to fire.
"Mash, everyone, be careful not to hurt them," she warned.
"In this ritual, it's kill or be killed," King Hassan reminded her. "If you hesitate to take your opponent's life, you'll only end up injured yourself."
He understood Ritsuka's reluctance, but the path to saving the world was treacherous, destined to be paved with sacrifices.
"I actually have a plan," Jiang You announced. "Problem solved!"