It was a sword blade like a flash of lightning—or rather, it was lightning itself.
The approaching blade glimmered with a crimson radiance, reaching a domain beyond the grasp of ordinary people. It was, without a doubt, a demonic sword.
A blade honed through countless battlefields, forged through trials of life and death, and even raised in rebellion against the ideal king.
The wielder of this sword was none other than the Knight of the Round Table, Mordred!
The blade, shimmering with a frosty brilliance, was pressed against Alaric's face, only a hair's breadth away, as if a single misstep would pierce through his fragile eyes.
With a cold yet emotional tone, the knight's questioning voice carried on the rising gale:
"Hey, who the hell are you?"
Whoosh, whoosh, whoosh.
As the voice echoed, fragments of benches danced in the wind behind her.
This was all because Mordred had moved too quickly—so swiftly that she even surpassed the speed of sound.
The resulting destruction was immense. The long benches, meant for worshippers to kneel and pray, had all splintered and shattered, swept up by the violent winds.
But Mordred paid no mind to this. The moment she saw that face and felt the stirrings within her, she could no longer see anyone else.
This was someone she absolutely could not ignore.
Yet Mordred's thoughts were known to no one. Not even her Master, Kairi Shishigou, could fully comprehend her state of mind. Instead, he immediately asked through their Master-Servant connection:
["Mordred, what's happening right now?"]
Though they had only spent one night together, Kairi had already figured out what kind of person Mordred was.
For her to take such thunderous action, this man before her must indeed have some connection to Mordred—or perhaps even to King Arthur himself.
Could he be a Servant?
Kairi wasn't the only one shocked by this. Even Kotomine Shirou, who maintained his faint smile, couldn't help but reveal a slight surprise in his eyes.
Even the Servant lurking silently beside him revealed her true form due to Mordred's sudden outburst.
She was a stunning beauty dressed in a black dress, exuding a certain air of decadence. Her cold and elegant face carried a hint of astonishment.
Even she seemed unable to comprehend Mordred's actions.
Faced with his Master's confusion, Mordred didn't bother to respond. She simply stared intently at Alaric before her.
Whoosh.
Ignoring the royal sword that nearly grazed his eyes, Alaric stood up naturally. He looked at the petite rebellious knight in front of him and said with a smile:
"Nice to meet you. I'm Alaric, a magus and a Master in this Holy Grail War."
"Answer my question—who the hell are you?"
Mordred didn't back down. The royal sword in her hand was still aimed at Alaric as if she would thrust it forward if he said anything displeasing.
"Well—"
Alaric paused, then spoke with the utmost seriousness:
"I am the descendant of King Arthur. Very soon, I'll return to Britain to ascend the throne and receive the blessings of the island."
"But right now, I'm short on money for a plane ticket. Care to sponsor me?"
As he spoke, Alaric glanced at both Kotomine Shirou and Kairi Shishigou with a smile.
Kotomine Shirou, noticing Alaric's gaze, nodded slightly but did not intervene.
Even after knowing Alaric for a year, Kotomine Shirou could not discern his true nature.
It had been a year since they met—when Kotomine Shirou entered Hungary to collect holy relics. One day, he encountered Alaric.
On their first meeting, Alaric had burst into laughter for no apparent reason—a memory that remained vivid to Kotomine Shirou to this day, though he never managed to find out why.
Over the following year, Kotomine Shirou interacted and conversed with Alaric many times, forming a certain bond of friendship. Yet he could never uncover Alaric's true identity.
To Kotomine Shirou, Alaric was a man shrouded in mist.
Only today did Kotomine Shirou learn that Alaric had also become a Master and joined this Holy Grail War.
But as far as the Clock Tower's Red Faction Masters went, they were all already assembled after Kairi Shishigou's arrival. All seven Servants had manifested. So where did Alaric come from as a Master?
"An irregular summoning."
This was the only explanation Kotomine Shirou could think of. Alaric must have summoned a Servant outside the standard seven-class system, much like the Avenger or Ruler classes.
While surprised, Kotomine Shirou wasn't worried.
From his interactions with Alaric, Kotomine Shirou had deduced that Alaric was merely a mediocre magus. Though skilled in combat, that was the extent of his abilities.
Even if he had performed an irregular summoning, victory would still belong to Kotomine Shirou in the end.
Thus, Kotomine Shirou hadn't even bothered to verify Alaric's legitimacy as a Master with the Church or the Clock Tower.
As Kotomine Shirou's thoughts deepened, Mordred's lion-like roar rang out:
"Don't be ridiculous!! I am the only rightful heir to King Arthur!!"
The rebellious knight, Mordred, would never allow anyone to challenge this fact—especially not someone like Alaric, with that face.
The blade shone as Mordred, consumed by rage, swung the royal sword, launching a sudden attack on the unarmed Alaric!
This was not a scene anyone wished to see—least of all Kairi Shishigou.
But before Kairi could use a Command Spell to restrain Mordred, the ocean appeared.
It was the primordial ocean, the very Mother of All Life.
The Mother, now without her horns, wore a white ceremonial gown that outlined her slender figure. Her overly long flowing sleeves concealed her hands, yet they undulated like waves.
White over-the-knee socks hugged her slender, delicate legs, while her pale skin peeked out from beneath the gown, exuding a forbidden allure.
Her azure hair was coiled neatly behind her head, not a strand out of place.
In her star-like eyes glimmered an indescribable love.
She appeared as a young girl, exuding the poise of a well-raised noble daughter, yet she carried the aura of a Mother.
"Stop!"
The moment this youthful Mother revealed herself, she interrupted Mordred's attack, forcing her to step back.
The instant the young girl appeared, Mordred sensed an overwhelming danger.
This was no ordinary figure!
"Who are you?!"
On high alert, Mordred stood protectively in front of Kairi Shishigou. With the appearance of Tiamat, she quickly calmed down.
Since Alaric was confirmed to be a Master on their side, she would have plenty of time to get her answers later.
As Mordred swiftly adjusted her emotions, the puffed-up young girl in front of Alaric spoke with a pout:
"No, this won't do! Someone might get hurt!"
Alaric, seemingly protecting Alaric, puffed out her cheeks in indignation, her tone brimming with frustration.
The sudden appearance of this girl—Tiamat, the Primordial God and Mother of All—shattered everyone's train of thought. Especially Kotomine Shirou, who had finally laid eyes on Alaric's irregularly summoned Servant.
Almost instinctively, Kotomine Shirou attempted to use his True Name Revelation ability, only to feel as though he gazed into an endless ocean. Its vastness was beyond his comprehension.
"!"
Failing to discern her True Name, Kotomine Shirou's expression remained unchanged, but his Servant, a figure of immense power, immediately noticed his reaction.
Though the Servant said nothing, she kept her gaze fixed on Tiamat.
"Alright, alright. There's no need for fighting now, is there?"
Alaric, unperturbed by Mordred's actions, gently placed his hands on Tiamat's shoulders and grinned.
"You probably have something more important to discuss, right? Like the Ruler summoned by the Holy Grail itself?"
Upon hearing those words, Shirou froze for a moment. He looked at Alaric, who still wore that ever-present smile, and at this moment, it seemed as though Shirou was truly seeing Alaric for the first time.
Confident, as if everything was within his grasp.
That was the impression Alaric gave at this moment. But why?
Was it the Servant that gave him such confidence?
Shirou glanced at the girl firmly restrained by Alaric. Indeed, though her true name had yet to be revealed, this girl seemed to possess extraordinary power.
The fact that she could fend off Saber and even force her to retreat was proof enough of her strength.
"Enough. Let's focus on exchanging information for now."
Kairi Shishigou placed a hand on Mordred's shoulder, but his gaze remained fixed on Alaric as he said, "We don't have any reason to fight right now.
Let's hear what information you've got."
After all, Kairi's goal in this encounter was to obtain intelligence from Shirou. Fighting a Master and Servant from the same faction, whose abilities were still unknown, was completely unnecessary.
Shirou, still smiling, was about to gesture for everyone to sit down, but after noticing the ruined pews in the church, he could only say, "Then, let's begin with exchanging information."
...
Time flew by quickly. Shirou generously shared what he knew about the Black Faction, even pointing out that they had summoned Vlad III on Romanian soil.
As a former ruler of Romania, Vlad III gained immense power from fighting in his homeland—what one might call a home-field advantage.
He was undoubtedly the apex of the Black Faction's Servants.
As the exchange of information neared its conclusion, Kairi, acting independently as a mercenary, declined to join forces with Shirou or the other Red Masters. He left with Mordred.
But—
"You! Just you wait! I'll come find you!"
Mordred pointed at Alaric, leaving those words as she departed with Kairi. Alaric, spreading his hands, merely replied, "I'll be waiting!"
During the exchange between Kairi and Shirou, Mordred was not idle.
Once she had regained her composure, she persistently questioned Alaric about what was going on, trying to force him to tell the truth.
As Mordred spent more time with Alaric, her strange intuition grew stronger.
She was certain—there was something suspicious about Alaric!
Alaric, however, continued holding onto Tiamat and dismissively brushed Mordred off with half-hearted responses.
This resulted in Mordred failing to get any answers by the time Kairi was ready to leave.
After seeing off the Saber pair represented by Kairi, Shirou and his Servant, Assassin Semiramis, turned their eyes toward Alaric—the Master who had not participated in the information exchange—and the mysterious girl who exuded a radiant maternal aura at all times.
"Mr. Alaric, will you be joining us to meet with the other Masters next?"
Shirou smiled and asked, "Or do you have other plans?"
"I plan to meet with the Ruler. According to the timeline, she should arrive in Romania tonight," Alaric replied with a grin, rubbing his chin. "I wonder, who does she intend to judge?"
Alaric wasn't in a hurry to end the Holy Grail War. After all, there were over a dozen participants—who knew how long it would take for them to finish fighting?
What's more, obtaining the Greater Grail was far too troublesome in Alaric's eyes.
He intended to wait for Shirou and Semiramis to personally deliver the Greater Grail to him. That would be the moment for Alaric to reap the rewards of victory.
The magical energy stored in the Greater Grail over sixty years was limited, so Alaric needed to ensure that he had enough resources to use it. This meant he had to act before Shirou could make his wish for the Grail.
Shirou's expression didn't change as he smiled and said, "Well then, I won't see you off."
"See you tomorrow."
Taking Tiamat's small hand in his own, Alaric confidently walked out of the church doors, leaving behind Shirou and Semiramis, whose gazes grew deeper.
"Alaric, who exactly are you?"
...
Time flew by, and as night fell—
Wandering through Trifas, Kairi and Mordred were ambushed by the magi and homunculi of Yggdmillennia.
But that wasn't all.
At the Yggdmillennia workshop, an incident occurred: a homunculus serving as a source of magical energy broke free from its containment pod, catching Astolfo's attention.
This homunculus, designed solely to provide magical power, had awakened a sense of self and, driven by the instinct to live, broke through the pod in which it had been confined.
This small incident didn't garner much attention. After all, it was just a single homunculus. However, to Astolfo, it became the most important matter at hand.
At the same time—
Since the start of the Holy Grail War, the Ruler Servant summoned by the Greater Grail had merged with a young girl through possession and, after a long journey, finally arrived in the country hosting the war.
The girl disembarked from a car that had given her a lift, urging the confused driver to leave quickly. The driver, though puzzled, complied and left the girl in the wilderness.
The saint, Jeanne d'Arc, gazed toward the crimson figure that stood out even against the night sky.
"You must be the Ruler Servant," said a Red Servant. "Prepare yourself."
The Lancer, summoned by a command, wasted no time on pleasantries. After a brief introduction, he immediately launched his attack!
BOOM!
With a single thrust, the ground exploded in a radius of several meters.
Amidst the destruction, Jeanne d'Arc revealed her true form, wielding her flag as she declared the Lancer's true name:
"The son of the Sun God Surya, the Heroic Spirit Karna. Am I correct?"
Jeanne, possessing an extraordinary ability to discern true names, could identify most Servants and their associated information at a glance—unless they possessed Noble Phantasms designed to obscure their identities.
Karna, his initial strike having failed, slowly stepped out of the smoke. He said nothing, but suddenly stopped and turned to look into the distance.
Jeanne also turned her gaze in the same direction, as if sensing something flashing several kilometers away.
That event had occurred mere seconds earlier.
Several kilometers away, standing atop a tall tower, Alaric observed the scene unfold.
The magical energy fluctuations from the two Servants were crystal clear to him.
"As my debut strike, this mustn't be taken lightly."
Alaric raised his hand, conjuring a pitch-black longbow. Unlike the Wings of Steel, this weapon was simple, primal, and reminiscent of ancient hunting tools.
Golden light surged from his hand, transforming into a radiant holy sword that twisted into a dazzling arrow.
Magic power, akin to divine energy, coiled around the arrow and bow. As the bowstring was drawn to a full crescent, the overwhelming magical energy burned like the sun, illuminating the night sky.
The wind that stirred around him caused Tiamat to wave her hand, her cheeks puffing out in a pout.
"Not nice!"
But Alaric paid her no mind. At this moment, he had already locked onto Jeanne and Karna's location. Even if they noticed, it would be meaningless.
Revealing his overwhelming strength without hesitation, Alaric prepared to announce his arrival in the Holy Grail War with an absolute strike.
"Are you ready to face me?"