"Assassins? Strange… Didn't the Assassin die at the hands of that golden guy on the first day of the Holy Grail War? So why have three more suddenly appeared?"
Akuta Hinako flexed her hands. When she reformed her body, she accidentally absorbed some of the beer from earlier and now expelled it from within herself. Her gaze fell with disdain on the fading spiritual forms of the assassins.
They hadn't been worth fighting. Even so, she could tell these assassins were only clones. The one that died to Gilgamesh earlier was merely bait. This new group was hidden far more carefully. As expected of the Holy Grail War — even with only seven Heroic Spirits, there were still layers of conspiracies and schemes.
Akuta Hinako smirked and glanced at the back of her hand. She gave it a small shake, and the disguised Command Seal that had vanished when she self-destructed earlier reappeared. Who were they to accuse others of trickery? After all, they themselves had plenty of tricks up their sleeves.
Calling others devious now would be the pot calling the kettle black.
Whenever she thought about those schemers who had plotted against the "gangster" who defied the higher-ups, she couldn't help but scoff at their twisted minds.
She put away the skull mask in her hand and had Merlin use his illusion magic to restore the KTV room to its original state, saving them a hefty compensation bill. That meant she could use the leftover money to order a few figurines of that person.
Akuta Hinako had never been particularly fond of humans, yet in less than a century of not paying them much attention, they had invented so many fascinating things. Heavy metal music had become her favorite, and the rise of collectible figures was a pleasant surprise.
As long as you had the money, you could commission a manufacturer to make whatever figure you wanted. Akuta had only learned this after coming to the Far East. She had never cared for "treasure" in her daily life, so despite her thousands of years, she was nowhere near as wealthy as Aslan.
The result? She could only afford to commission two or three action figures of that person — and since she was the only one who truly knew his appearance, she had to draw the designs herself. Fully custom.
If not for her love of heavy metal, which helped her vent her emotions, she might have already sold her precious bass to fund more commissions. She had even entertained the rare idea of joining an agency and debuting as a singer to hold concerts and make money.
Fatigue wasn't a problem — she could just blow up her body each night and reform it to erase all exhaustion. If she wanted, she could easily become the entertainment industry's most tireless worker, or even start her own company. Either way, the most important thing right now was money.
When Irisviel and the Heroic Spirit Aslan arrived, they found Akuta Hinako — clad in a Shamat-style coat, head lowered in deep thought about money — holding a bloodstained skull mask in her hand.
The moment Akuta's eyes met Aslan's, her expression twitched. She could tell that the Heroic Spirit before her was the same person as a certain "junior" she knew. So, the kid had made quite a name for himself in history. Perhaps, when she had time, she'd look up his story.
Hadn't Aslan fought Balin during the Battle of the Pier? Yes… but she had arrived late and barely participated, dragged there only to "relax." Victory in the Holy Grail War was never her real goal.
She was even willing to take Aslan's place as Merlin's Master — partly because she couldn't die, and partly because she enjoyed stretching her body in fights against Heroic Spirits who came looking for trouble.
After all, fighting was her main motivation for being here.
"Hello, Miss Akuta Hinako, is it?" Irisviel asked politely. "We're the Saber team. We've already formed an alliance with the Lancer team. Our main goal is to deal with the golden Heroic Spirit who appeared at the docks."
Akuta Hinako had a lollipop in her mouth, giving her the look of a delinquent older sister. She pouted, then pointed toward an empty park nearby, her eyes narrowing at Aslan with obvious mischief.
"Let's go talk in that park. Even if you want an alliance, you should show a little strength first, right?"
Her grin widened. "And, most importantly… I want a fight. If you're here with sincerity, you won't refuse."
Of course, she had her own reasons. That "junior" had played a prank on her when they first met, and she was still stuck with some of his debts. She understood the situation, but it still left her irritated. In a way, the Heroic Spirit in front of her was Aslan.
How could she pass up a chance to punch him? Even if she didn't do it herself, it would be just as satisfying if Merlin did.
When Merlin's eyes met Aslan's, he too recalled the humiliation of the past two days and itched for payback.
As for Aslan — his instincts immediately flared at the sight of Merlin, the "gene" within him urging him to settle old scores. He still regretted not getting a proper fight with Merlin at the docks. Now, with the opportunity before him, there was no way he'd turn it down.
Irisviel glanced at Merlin. He gave a small nod, and she agreed without hesitation. They turned toward the park together. She had come here with genuine intentions — walking away without even trying wasn't an option.
-End Chapter-
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