"—Bound by the Three Great Words that govern fate, O guardians of the scales who stand beyond the restraining wheels of the world!"
With Izumi's final chant, the summoning circle flared, washing the workshop in a pale, blinding radiance.
Mana roared out of his body like a floodgate burst open.
And then—silhouetted against the light—was a towering figure, clad in gleaming armor, framed by an almost indecently spectacular physique.
A woman's voice resounded, resolute and proud:
"Lancer, summoned by thy call.
Are you my Master?"
The glow faded.
And there she stood—
A golden-haired woman, holding a holy lance, with a body sculpted like a goddess of war.
The first to react were Illya and Miyu, their faces freezing in shock.
"Eh!? Aren't you—"
—the one who almost killed us!?
Illya stared blankly, eyes wide.
There was no mistake.
That face, even aged up into a regal mature beauty, was unmistakable.
She was the same Servant they had fought when collecting Class Cards.
No matter how adult she looked now, that face could not fool them.
Le Fay, however, had an entirely different reaction.
Her violet eyes sparkled.
"Perfect…"
To her, the woman in front of them was the flawless embodiment of King Arthur—
In body, in features, in aura.
Exactly the ideal she had imagined.
…even if she was a woman.
But Le Fay had been told long ago by Izumi:
In this world, King Arthur is female.
(…well, mostly female.)
Izumi smiled and raised a hand in greeting.
"Nice to meet you, uh—Northern Hemisph— no, wait, I mean, King Arthur."
He almost said that cursed nickname out loud.
The white-lanced Artoria blinked, then returned a gentle nod.
"So you are my Master?
You seem reliable.
Please treat me well."
Unlike Saber, this Lancer carried none of that oppressive knightly rigidity.
Her voice was calm, warm—
She was, in every sense, a dangerously attractive older-sister archetype.
After brief introductions, Izumi motioned for her to stand aside.
Le Fay practically sprinted toward her, excitedly striking up conversation with her "ancestor from another world."
Izumi ignored her fangirling and turned to Sakura.
"Sakura. It's your turn."
"Y-yes! I remember the spell, Izumi-sama!"
She paused, frowning.
"Um… do I summon directly, or do I need a catalyst?"
She had studied enough magecraft to know:
summoning with a relic was standard practice.
Izumi laughed.
"Don't worry. I've got plenty of catalysts."
"Even if they're fakes, they'll work just fine."
"And I'm curious whether we can summon her."
He smirked, raised his hand—
—and projected a crimson spear.
Illya and Miyu gasped.
They recognized it instantly.
It was the Noble Phantasm belonging to their Lancer Class Card.
Miyu blinked.
"Are you summoning that Cú Chulainn guy?"
She had looked up the identity of her card's original Servant, so it was only natural she asked.
Izumi shook his head.
"Nope."
"Cú Chulainn is already summoned—by Kirei."
"I want Sakura to summon his teacher."
Illya froze.
"…Mapo Tofu?"
Kirei—the ramen shop guy who nearly killed her with spicy tofu—
that same man?
Izumi's mouth twitched.
Rin, meanwhile, frowned at the name "Cú Chulainn", but quickly relaxed.
Even if Cú Chulainn was dangerous—
with this roster, what was there to worry about?
Not to mention, her Servant was Miyu's brother.
According to Izumi—
the guy who could raze the Grail in one night.
Confidence, secured.
Fear, nonexistent.
After clarifying, Izumi looked at Sakura again.
She nodded back, resolute.
Whether success or failure—
she would obey him.
Raising her Command Seal, she began reciting the incantation—
"I call upon—"
As her words echoed, far beyond the world—
a purple-eyed woman opened her eyes.
Scáthach.
The Queen of the Land of Shadows.
She felt a pull—summoning her down.
"Oh? So you're not standing in my way this time?"
"He personally invited me, you know."
She smiled, a frightening smile—
—and the next moment, her power surged out, answering the call.
Back in the Throne of Heroes, Alaya and Gaia could only watch.
Gaia cursed.
"Damn it—damn old hag—"
A crimson spear appeared, pointed directly at her throat.
Scáthach's voice dripped with amusement:
"Hmm?
Care to repeat that?"
"I didn't quite hear you."
A silence so cold it froze the spiritual plane followed.
Alaya and Gaia—two cosmic forces, manifestations of planetary restraint—
quivered like frightened toddlers.
"N-nothing!"
"W-we're sorry!"
They hugged each other, trembling.
Suppressing Servants was hell.
Truly hell.
She wanted to cry.
In the Tohsaka basement, mana surged like a storm.
A graceful, commanding voice cut through the chaos:
"Lancer, summoned by your call."
"—Now, can you kill me, boy?"
The crimson spear flashed.
Straight at Izumi's heart.
He caught it—
with one hand.
"…Okay, that's rude."
"Stabbing people the moment you spawn is pretty messed up."
He sighed.
"But that makes three Lancers now, doesn't it?"
"A whole Holy Grail War… of spear-users?"
It was absurd.
How the hell did a Grail War end up with THREE Lancers?
Scáthach's eyes widened.
Impressed.
She was right about him.
On the sidelines, Sakura raised her hand—
fury burning in her eyes.
She was fully prepared to burn a Command Seal to restrain the woman who dared attack her Izumi-sama.
She was very angry.