"So the seventeenth Heroic Spirit I detected... that's you."
"The Child of Light from Ireland--"
"Cu Chulainn!"
Lounging at an open-air café in casual clothes, Cu Chulainn had been chugging water when he noticed a woman's intense stare locked onto him.
"Oh?" He set down his cup and draped his arms over the chair with an easy grin. "Saw through my True Name and identity at a glance, did you? So you're the Ruler the Grail dispatched."
"How did you manage to descend here?" Jeanne demanded, eyes narrowing. "Even with all the anomalies plaguing this Holy Grail War, a third Lancer shouldn't exist."
She studied the Servant before her with mounting suspicion. No trace of a Master's presence. Stranger still, his magical energy flow was completely wrong--as if he'd connected directly to the Greater Grail itself.
'How is that even possible?'
"Hey, hey--easy there." Cu Chulainn spread his hands, noting her tense posture. "I just happened to hear about a 7-versus-7 Holy Grail War and figured I could score some good fights. That's all. No ulterior motives."
"That's exactly why I'm asking--how did you do it?" This Great Holy Grail War already defied logic in too many ways, and Cu Chulainn was clearly one of those aberrations. As the adjudicator sent to oversee the ritual, Jeanne needed answers.
When he offered nothing but that infuriating smirk, she pressed harder. "If you won't answer, I will use a Command Spell to force you out of this war!"
Cu Chulainn's grin widened, eyes flashing with amusement. "Bold words, Ruler. Sure, you can invoke two Command Spells on any Servant--but are you really willing to waste them on an outsider like me?"
Jeanne fell silent. Her Command Spells had been calculated for the standard roster: seven Servants per side, fourteen total, twenty-eight spells. If she counted Cu Chulainn, the number should've been thirty. The mismatch only deepened the mystery.
Invoking her Ruler authority, she pulled up his status panel--and froze.
Beautiful and Stable Future (A++)...
That description made no sense. Cu Chulainn's legend ended in tragedy. So what was this skill that read like a "Good Ending"?
"I see..." Jeanne's tone softened as she shifted tactics. "In that case, would you help me uncover the truth behind this Great Holy Grail War?"
"Hm?" Cu Chulainn raised an eyebrow, rising from his seat. "You serious? Rulers aren't supposed to interfere with the War's progression. Aren't you breaking the rules by recruiting me?"
Normally, the Ruler class functioned as a referee--an impartial observer, not an active participant. Yet here she was, practically warming up to step onto the field herself. Something was clearly wrong.
"There are anomalies in this Great Holy Grail War," Jeanne explained. "You might be one of them, but you're certainly not the root cause. In the worst case... unnecessary battles will erupt."
Cu Chulainn snorted. "So you're saying, 'Since you're here to fight anyway, might as well help me out'--that it?"
He saw her angle plain as day, but had no intention of playing along. No Master to answer to. No shortage of mana. In this 7-on-7 brawl, he could do whatever he pleased. Why take orders from her?
"If you need it, I can use a Command Spell to assist you," Jeanne offered. "I'll grant you up to two."
"Pass."
Cu Chulainn waved dismissively as he turned to leave. "The current me doesn't need Command Spell buffs."
Under normal circumstances, he might've accepted. But things were different now. He was here purely to find powerful enemies and fight to his heart's content. Winning or losing didn't matter. Get eliminated after having his fun? So what?
For the first time ever, he had "privileges." If he didn't savor them to the fullest, what was the point?
Lose here? Fine. He'd hop to another Holy Grail War and try again.
"This is troublesome..."
Jeanne sighed as she watched his retreating figure, unsure how to process this headache-inducing development. The war already featured an unprecedented number of Servants, and now a rogue Lancer had materialized from nowhere. The established framework lay shattered.
'I just hope he doesn't become an enemy...'
That Noble Phantasm of his could prove fatal to many Servants. She'd failed to recruit him--but at the very least, she prayed he wouldn't stir up chaos or turn hostile.
.........
"What's wrong, Master?"
"Ruler has begun to move."
"Didn't you already mention that earlier?"
Amakusa sat within the church, recalling his earlier revelation as he conversed with his Servant, Assassin.
"But it seems a small complication has arisen."
"Oh?"
"A third Lancer has appeared--one belonging to neither the Red nor Black faction."
"...What?"
Assassin's brow furrowed deeply. The 7-versus-7 Great Holy Grail War was already chaotic enough. How could there be an additional Lancer?
Had another batch of Servants been summoned, transforming this into a three-way war? If so, things were about to get far messier than anticipated.
"Fascinating, isn't it?" Amakusa mused, steepling his fingers. "No Master. Capable of independent action. Apparently no shortage of magical energy... Who exactly is he?"
He'd pondered at length but couldn't identify the newcomer. Without seeing the man himself, he couldn't invoke his Ruler authority to access the Servant's True Name or parameters.
"Sounds dangerous," Assassin remarked. "Is he working with Ruler?"
"Unclear for now. But as a precaution, it would be wise to eliminate such an unknown variable."
As he spoke, Assassin caught Amakusa sending a subtle signal to one of the controlled Masters.
"Oh? You're dispatching him?"
"Lancer against Lancer--isn't that elegant?" Amakusa turned with a serene smile. "With his capabilities... victory is assured, regardless of who the opponent may be."
Yes--the Lancer of the Red Faction.
The legendary Son of the Sun God--
Karna!