Chapter 229: Gathering of All
Not long after Iskandar and Waver arrived, the pair of Irisviel and Artoria also rushed onto the scene.
Because Kiritsugu Emiya's wounds had yet to be healed, most of his combat strength was lost, and for now he could only remain hidden, issuing commands remotely.
Much like what had happened to Waver, the moment Irisviel and Artoria stepped into the bounded field that Caster had set up, countless tentacles surged up from underground.
Fortunately, Artoria reacted swiftly and withdrew with Irisviel in time, avoiding the risk of being seized and parasitized by the tentacles.
Soon after, Kayneth arrived with Diarmuid, appearing on the other side of the street.
Seeing that Rider in the sky and Saber opposite him had not engaged in battle, Kayneth instantly understood the tense atmosphere that filled the air.
He halted his steps, clasped his hands behind his back, and stood quietly not far from the boundary, waiting as well.
"Tokiomi, what do you suppose they're waiting for?"
High above, a hundred meters in the air, hovered a golden and emerald-adorned flying vessel of unique design.
Seated upon his throne, Gilgamesh rested his chin on one hand, watching with amusement the three groups below, who had gathered yet taken no action.
"They are likely waiting for the right moment…"
Wearing his customary deep crimson suit, Tohsaka Tokiomi bowed respectfully as he answered, eyes lowered toward the scene.
"Waiting for the right moment? Ha. Such words belong only to the weak. Boring… I did not wait this long just to watch them do nothing."
Gilgamesh's hand paused as he swirled his wine glass, his tone impatient.
At that moment, a figure clad in golden armor—Karna—arrived at the edge of the troubled street.
"Oh?"
Noticing Karna's distinctive appearance, Gilgamesh's interest was immediately piqued.
"A warrior of considerable strength, it seems?"
Thinking so, Gilgamesh rose from his throne, ready to descend and "greet" him properly.
But soon his attention was diverted by another arrival—Hikigaya Hachiman and Sakura, riding in on a giant fox.
"Tokiomi, behold. I see something most amusing."
"?"
Puzzled, Tokiomi followed Gilgamesh's gaze downward.
At once, he spotted Sakura seated upon the fox's back, and behind her a strange figure wearing a fox mask.
"Sakura?"
Seeing his daughter enter the battlefield, Tokiomi's brow furrowed involuntarily.
At the same time, he guessed that the masked man must be none other than Hikigaya Hachiman, who had appeared briefly a year ago.
To think he returned for the Holy Grail War—and summoned such a powerful Servant…
Turning his gaze to Karna, Tokiomi's expression grew complicated. Though he was confident Gilgamesh would triumph in the end, with both Hachiman and Karna's involvement, the path to that conclusion would hardly be straightforward.
"ROAR!"
A deafening bellow erupted from within the mist, followed by several colossal tentacles lashing out from its depths, striking toward the four groups at the perimeter.
Iskandar quickly steered his chariot to evade the strike, while Irisviel and Kayneth, aided by their Servants, also managed to retreat to safety.
Karna, however, betrayed no emotion as the tentacles swept toward him.
He raised his spear slightly, the tip igniting with blazing flame.
With a single strike, the tentacles surging toward him and Hachiman were severed cleanly in half.
"So strong…"
Witnessing Karna's effortless defense against the unknown enemy concealed in the mist, the other three groups grew tense.
True, by order of the Church, they could not fight among themselves now and instead had to unite to defeat Caster.
But once Caster was eliminated, how would they contend with the overwhelming strength of Karna? That question now weighed heavily on their hearts.
"Is this Caster's doing?"
Seated atop the fox, peering through the thin veil of mist, Hachiman could just make out the massive monster lurking within.
There was no doubt—only Caster could summon such a grotesque creature.
"Yes. Its strength is formidable."
Karna gave a slight nod, confirming Hachiman's words.
For the first time, he acknowledged Caster's summoned beasts with such strong praise.
"Formidable, huh?"
Karna never lied, and so if he deemed an enemy strong, then they truly were strong.
Hachiman grimaced. If Caster's creatures were so powerful, then they must also possess monstrous regenerative abilities.
To defeat such an enemy would require large-scale, overwhelming damage dealt in an instant.
The good news was that Karna had precisely that kind of power—indeed, three ways of unleashing it.
The bad news was the cost…
Recalling the forest outside the Einzbern castle, where Karna had only lightly released his Noble Phantasm and nearly drained him dry, Hachiman's mouth twitched.
If Karna fully unleashed it now, he'd be sucked dry in an instant—even with the power of the Inari sustaining him. Reduced to a husk…
"Yo, lad!"
After witnessing Lancer's display of power, Iskandar was the first to steer his chariot over and greet the three of them.
Spotting the child with Hachiman, he was momentarily surprised, but his focus quickly returned to the masked man.
If earlier he had merely grown serious about Lancer's team after witnessing Karna's might, now his curiosity was fixed on Hachiman himself.
His instincts never failed him—this Master had transcended human limits, standing on the level of Servants.
And not only that—his power seemed quite remarkable.
"If possible, I'd dearly love to fight him…"
Rubbing his bearded chin, Iskandar's desire for battle surged stronger than ever.
"Do you need something, Rider?"
As Iskandar sized him up, Hachiman too observed the mismatched pair of Waver and the Conqueror King.
Especially when he noticed Waver shrinking behind Iskandar under his gaze, the strange sense in Hachiman's heart only grew.
Wasn't a Servant supposed to resemble the nature of their Master?
Yet these two could not be further apart!
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