"Pretty unusual snack. The taste is acceptable."
Irisviel tried a piece of takoyaki. To her, this sort of street food was simply novel; the flavor itself didn't especially excite her palate.
Artoria's hands moved at incredible speed, yet when it came to chewing she still looked impeccably elegant. There was no hint of wolfing her food down.
For a king's stomach, though, four boxes of takoyaki were barely enough to line it.
"Are you two siblings, or father and daughter?" Irisviel looked at Sakura, the gentle glow of motherhood in her eyes. What an adorable girl—just as cute as her own daughter, Illya.
"Let's call it siblings. This child got dragged into some… complicated things," Koji said.
Irisviel didn't think too deeply about it, but Artoria's expression turned understanding.
Last night's explosion was probably related to this Servant.
"We'll take our leave."
Koji took Sakura and continued wandering the streets.
Artoria and Irisviel also continued their stroll, just heading in a different direction.
"Master, that man just now was a Servant. A very strong one," Artoria said.
If Koji had been here to hear that, he would have been a bit surprised—only a bit. After all, in the original course of events, this ahoge king's Master should have been Emiya Kiritsugu.
But then again, even a butterfly like him had already flown into this world; of course the situation wouldn't stay the same.
"Is that so? For you to rate him that highly, he must be a formidable enemy."
Irisviel blinked, then actually felt some relief. At least she hadn't sensed any bloodthirsty aura from Koji.
"Not just a formidable enemy. I can say with certainty that I am no match for him," Artoria admitted with a wry smile.
Who would have thought a monster like that would descend into the Holy Grail War?
He had the raw stats, the intricate mechanics, and blessings beyond counting—just looking at them made her head spin.
"Huh?"
Irisviel couldn't help covering her small mouth in surprise. She had seen this Servant's own stat sheet, and it was already very luxurious.
"All of his basic parameters are pretty much EX," Artoria said quietly.
"Hiss…"
Irisviel drew in a sharp breath. She knew all too well what that meant.
"Don't worry. He said he's only here to watch the show. My intuition tells me he wasn't lying," Artoria continued.
Irisviel nodded.
If they actually fought, they couldn't win anyway. It wasn't as if someone that strong would bother to toy with them.
Night fell, and the Holy Grail War began.
By the sea, two Servants met.
Irisviel stared, stunned by the overly familiar face before her, her mouth falling wide open.
"Big sister Morgan…"
Artoria's brows furrowed. She had never expected her elder sister to also participate in this Holy Grail War.
"…"
Morgan didn't speak. Instead, her gaze dropped to Artoria's chest and shoulders. Was this really the figure Artoria should have?
If not for that face, if not for the aura of the Red Dragon, she truly would have mistaken this for someone who just looked very similar to Artoria.
Another version of Artoria from a different timeline. This Holy Grail War was turning out to be far more interesting than she'd imagined.
She had descended as a Berserker. In addition to the magecraft she already possessed, her physical power had been greatly enhanced.
A Berserker who retained her sanity—now that was rare.
"Artoria… your reactions are still as entertaining as ever," Morgan said with a faint smile.
"Big sister… since my opponent is you, there's no point in holding back."
Artoria drew out the holy spear Rhongomyniad.
As a Lancer, of course she would fight with a spear.
"Interesting."
Morgan recognized the weapon at a glance. So this must be the timeline where the Lion King was influenced by that very spear.
However, compared to that version of her little sister, this Artoria was far more composed and would not lose her temper so easily.
A wand appeared in Morgan's hand, and she rushed straight at Artoria.
Clang!
The spear and the wand collided, and the terrifying force of the clash shattered the ground beneath their feet.
Artoria's lips twitched. Wasn't her big sister supposed to specialize in magecraft? Why were her punches and kicks so powerful—actually on par with Artoria's own?
Berserker: Morgan
Parameters: Strength (A), Endurance (C), Agility (B), Mana (A+), Luck (D), Noble Phantasm (A++)
Lancer: Lion King Artoria
Parameters: Strength (A~A+), Endurance (EX), Agility (B), Mana (EX), Luck (E), Noble Phantasm (A++~EX)
Under normal circumstances, the Lion King's Strength was comparable to Morgan's. No wonder she felt so taken aback.
"You hateful Red Dragon, is that all you've got?"
Although Morgan retained her reason, a trace of Berserker madness still colored her temperament.
"In that case, big sister, I'll have to ask you to be the first to withdraw from this Holy Grail War."
Artoria's expression turned solemn as she prepared to release the spear's true power.
"Did I come at a bad time?"
Koji strolled over as if nothing were out of the ordinary, looking at the two identical faces.
Tsk, tsk. To think Morgan had been summoned as well—Takeuchi's copy-pasted faces really were everywhere.
"And you are?"
Morgan stared at Koji, her eyes filled with wariness.
Danger.
Although Koji's smile was like a warm spring breeze, the pressure he exuded was overwhelming—even her little sister didn't give off this level of threat.
"Just a passing Saber."
Koji shook the divine sword Dawn in his hand. It was probably because of this sword that he'd been categorized as a Saber-class Servant.
"What are you doing here?" Artoria put away her spear with a helpless look.
Fighting Koji wasn't a matter of whether she'd win or lose—she wouldn't last three exchanges.
"You two know each other?"
Morgan glanced back and forth between them, feeling as if she'd stumbled onto some scandal. If the two of them ganged up on her, she would be guaranteed to exit this war on the spot.
"We've met once before. Please, carry on. I'm just here to watch the fireworks. I still have to go back and tell a bedtime story later," Koji said with a smile.
He hadn't brought Sakura along. For a little kid, it was much better to be tucked up in bed.
"?"
Artoria and Morgan were both full of question marks. Was this guy really a Servant? He even did things like coax children to sleep.
Irisviel's lips curled upward as she thought of her daughter.
Without her by Illya's side, would the girl be able to fall asleep early?
Ah… she really wanted to hurry home, scoop Illya up in her arms, lift her high in the air, and recharge on pure Illya energy.
Bang!
A sudden gunshot shattered the quiet. A bullet slammed into the ground right at Koji's feet.
Hidden in the darkness, Emiya Kiritsugu was completely dumbfounded. This was not how it was supposed to go.
Even a Servant had to move in order to block a sniper shot.
But in reality, he had clearly been aiming at Koji's head. There was no reason for the bullet to hit the ground.
He had assassinated many people, but he had never seen anything this absurd. It was as if the bullet had deliberately curved away on its own.
[Evasion Blessing: Ranged attacks cannot hit.]
"Well, well, there's a little mouse around—but your aim is kind of lousy," Koji said with a light chuckle.
With blessings wrapped around him like armor, trying to take him out with a sneak attack was nothing but wishful thinking.
(End of Chapter)
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