On the open ground of the pier.
Rider was loudly expressing his regret that Saber and Lancer had refused his invitation, when suddenly—
Swish!
A sharp sound of something cutting through the air rang out!
A crystal-clear blue stream of light shot out from the shadow of a container above and to the side. It was as fast as lightning, aimed straight for the back of Lancer's heart as he was adjusting his stance!
"Hm?!"
Lancer's intuition as a top-tier spearman instantly alerted him!
Without even turning his head, his long spear, Gáe Dearg, swept backward as if it had a life of its own!
Clang—!
The ice arrow was accurately struck by the tip of the spear, instantly shattering into a cloud of ice crystals that refracted the light into tiny fragments of color.
A chill spread through the air, causing the temperature nearby to drop by several degrees.
"Who?!"
"A sneak attack?!"
Saber, Lancer, and Rider shouted almost simultaneously, their sharp gazes sweeping toward the direction from which the ice arrow had been shot.
Irisviel also nervously clenched her hands.
Weber shrank his neck in fear.
Rider's thick brows furrowed, and his booming voice carried a hint of anger: "What coward is this?! Since you have participated in this war for glory, why do you not choose to stand out openly! What kind of hero are you, hiding in the shadows and shooting cold arrows!"
He was answered by another silent ice arrow, and this time, the target was Rider himself!
"Hmph!"
Rider didn't dodge, and he didn't even use his gordius wheel. He simply pulled a gorgeously decorated short sword from his waist and swatted it away like he was swatting a fly!
Smack!
The ice arrow was shattered by the short sword, sending ice shards flying.
"You fellow who hides your head but shows your tail!" Rider's anger grew even stronger.
Just as everyone's attention was drawn to the attacker in the shadows and they were tensely searching for the enemy's tracks—
Clang! Crash—!
The distinct sound of a metal container being kicked over came abruptly from behind a container in another direction.
Everyone's gaze was instantly drawn over.
A large green metal trash can lay pathetically on the ground, its contents—empty cans, crumpled paper, instant noodle cups, and other trash—scattered everywhere.
Then, they saw the overturned trash can being dragged by something, slowly and sneakily retreating behind the shipping container.
Next came another dull thud, as if someone had bumped into something.
Immediately after, an obviously annoyed female voice rang out, clear but sounding quite displeased:
"Rummaging, rummaging, what are you even rummaging for! You've rummaged through twelve trash cans along the way! I'm seriously done with you! Is this some kind of waste recycling station that deserves such focus from you?!"
As the words fell, a gray figure clutching their head scurried out from behind the container. The movement was as fast as a startled rabbit, quickly hiding in the shadow of another container, only poking half a head out to peek in a certain direction.
It was Stelle.
Everyone: "???"
What was the situation?
Following that, a tall figure walked slowly out from behind the container Stelle had just scurried from.
It was a woman with an extremely exquisite appearance and a proud, cold temperament.
She wore a complex and gorgeous purple-black Lolita dress and a witchs hat with exaggerated decorations. Her long brown hair fell behind her, and her purple-black eyes were like the deepest night sky. At this moment, she was looking at the distant Stelle with clear displeasure.
It was Ms. Herta (Limited Power Version).
Ms. Herta ignored the wary, stunned, or curious gazes of everyone present. She first spoke toward Stelle's direction in her cool and impatient tone:
"Come here. Why are you hiding so far away? Are you the master or am I the master?"
Stelle slowly shuffled out of the shadows, taking three steps for every move, and stood about five meters away from Ms. Herta—a delicate distance that was neither too close nor too far.
Looking at Stelle's cowardly yet righteous appearance, Ms. Herta couldn't help but raise a hand to her forehead. She sighed and muttered in a low voice, which was quiet but could be clearly heard by the Servants with their superior hearing:
"...You're even more abstract than that Stellaron boy."
Stelle: "..."
(Silently shifted her gaze away.)
Rider blinked his large, bell-like eyes, being the first to break this eerie silence.
He looked Ms. Herta up and down and spoke with interest. His tone wasn't hostile, but rather curious:
"Oh? Another new face! Such a beautiful lady with such an extraordinary temperament, are you also a participant in this war? May I ask your name and what Class you are?"
Only then did Ms. Herta withdraw her gaze from Stelle and glance at the people present.
Her gaze lingered for a very brief moment on Saber's holy sword, Lancer's twin spears, and Rider's gordius wheel, as if she were quickly analyzing something.
Then, she crossed her arms and answered clearly in her Genius-style arrogant tone:
"Herta. As for the Class... probably Caster."
After she finished, she glanced at Stelle, who was trying to lower her presence, and added an explanation that sounded like a complaint:
"As for her—my master. A troublesome fellow who has an extraordinary passion for 'local specialty waste disposal facilities'..."
Stelle: "..."
(Focused intently on a small pebble on the ground, the tips of her ears twitching slightly.)
The atmosphere at the pier became even more subtle due to the unexpected appearance of this "master and Servant" pair, whose style was clearly off-track.
In the shadows, on top of a shipping container.
March 7th's mouth hung open as she looked down at the gray-haired girl who looked exactly like the "Stelle" she knew, and then at Ms. Herta. Her brain was having trouble processing this.
"Stelle...? And Ms. Herta... how are they also..."
Long Night Moon's crimson eyes watched the scene below, especially Ms. Herta. A complex emotion of "it's even more lively now" flashed deep in her eyes.
She gently pressed down on March 7th's shoulder and whispered:
"The situation has changed. Let's wait and see."
System Space
Black Herta stood in the center of the pure white space, with two massive light screens floating in front of her.
The screen on the left showed the increasingly chaotic "Heroic Spirit Tea Party" at the Fuyuki City port warehouse area, while the one on the right showed the beach simulated by the Golden Descendants' confined space—or rather, it had now turned into a boiling, bizarre sea.
Her gaze rested more on the right screen, her purple-black eyes unblinking, her fingers unconsciously tapping her arm.
The scene in the image was truly... beyond expectations.
Aglaea sat elegantly in her seemingly ordinary wheelchair. However, the wheelchair was now moving in a way that completely defied physical common sense, sticking firmly to the dark sea surface that was steaming with white mist due to high temperatures. Like the lightest surfboard, it performed Z-shaped maneuvers between the waves and steam as if dancing.
And behind her was Kalpas, looking like a human-shaped disaster. Half of his body was covered in crimson crystals, and every step he took caused seawater to evaporate and magma to splash.
This Flame-Chaser of [Decimation] was currently acting like a madman. Dark red flames burned with difficulty on the damp sea surface, only to be constantly extinguished by giant waves and steam, letting out a "hissing" wail.
He roared and chased, his violent fist winds plowing deep furrows into the sea and kicking up even more water mist, yet he was still unable to close the distance with the phantom-like wheelchair ahead.
"Stop! Don't run! If you have the guts, don't run! Fight me head-on!!!"
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