"Elemental silver and iron. The contract of the earth and stone."
"My ancestor, my great master, Schweinorg."
"The surging wind is blocked by four walls."
"Close the gates of the four directions, release from the crown, and wander at the three-forked road to the kingdom."
"Encircled by the three great words for seven days, come forth through the Wheel of Restraint, O Protector of the Balance!"
In the underground workshop of the Tohsaka residence, Tokiomi Tohsaka, accompanied by Kirei Kotomine, watched a Servant materialize in the summoning circle.
"Not the one I imagined, but… victory is already ours!"
"Indeed. Congratulations, sensei."
Kirei Kotomine bowed slightly to Tokiomi.
…
Cluck, cluck, cluck!
In a small village, a boy stealthily grabbed a chicken and took it outside.
Snapping its neck, he poured its blood onto the ground, drawing a pattern. Ten minutes later, he tossed the desiccated fowl aside, revealing a grand summoning circle.
The boy, Waver, had joined this life-or-death war to prove himself.
Waver eyed the circle, pulling a tattered red cloth from his coat—a fragment of a cape, stolen from his professor, Kayneth. A relic of the legendary King of Conquerors, Alexander the Great, it could summon the storied monarch.
Kayneth had paid dearly for it, never expecting Waver to steal it.
"Your body under me, my fate upon your sword."
"If you heed the destiny of the Holy Grail, follow this will, this reason, then answer me!"
"I swear here."
"I am the one who accomplishes all good deeds in the world, the one who conveys all malice in the world."
"Encircled by the three great words for seven days, come forth from the Wheel of Restraint, O guardian of the scales!"
Blue light flared, and a towering, two-meter-tall man stood at the circle's center. He bent to pick up the cape fragment, glancing at Waver.
Unimaginable majesty filled that gaze. Waver instinctively stepped back, legs buckling, collapsing to the ground.
"Whoops! Sorry, Master, didn't mean to scare you! You're a bit careless, though!"
Iskandar laughed heartily, showing no real remorse, then grew serious, looking skyward.
"?"
"Look, Master, we've already been spotted!"
Iskandar pointed upward. Waver, enhancing his eyes with magecraft, saw a bird soaring above.
"That… that's…"
Waver stammered, knowing even as a novice that being exposed first in a magus's battle was a disadvantage.
"No need to panic, kid. Just an enemy spotting us. Hahaha!"
"Hey, why are you so calm? Being seen is—"
"Kid, hiding forever is pointless. You'll be exposed eventually. They only saw our appearance, not my True Name. Why worry?"
"Oh… right, no big deal."
"Tell your master, I am Iskandar, King of Conquerors, summoned as Rider. Ask if they'd like to join me, to share in the joy of victory and conquest."
"What?! What are you doing?!"
…
"Master, that thing watching us since the airport—should I deal with it?"
"No need. Just a petty trick by small fry. Let me, the current Lord El-Melloi, show them who the true strong one is with absolute power."
Atop Fuyuki Grand Hotel, the city's tallest building at nearly 150 meters, Kayneth conversed with his Servant, gazing out the floor-to-ceiling windows, the city sprawling below.
The hotel was the perfect stronghold for him.
…
"Kiritsugu, is it wise to summon a Servant without consulting that Matou?"
"No matter. That man's off. We need to stay wary."
…
"Encircled by the three great words for seven days, come forth from the Wheel of Restraint, O guardian of the scales!"
In Fuyuki's church, Kirei Kotomine revealed the Command Spells on his hand, chanting to summon his Servant.
In a flash of light, a burly figure appeared.
"Rushing from the shadowed valley of death… I am the Old Man of the Mountain, Hassan among Hassans… Hassan-i-Sabbah! Master, do you require the aid of an assassin?"
Clad in ancient, weathered heavy armor, he hefted a massive Western greatsword single-handedly. A tattered cloak fluttered from gaps in the armor, swaying in the wind.
A chilling white skull mask adorned his face, his voice like an ancient bronze bell.
The self-proclaimed "Assassin" stood in the church.
Kirei Kotomine's expression flickered with surprise—not at the "Assassin's" attire, but…
"What?"
Their voices were eerily identical, leaving both staring, bewildered.
…
"Hey, no way! Choosing someone like me? That's too weird!"
In a remote British city, within a declining, obscure mage family, a five-year-old girl—the family's last member—spoke with puzzled delight.
After her apparent self-talk, countless glowing specks, like fairies, filled the dim room.
Crimson wing-like patterns appeared on her back, radiating immense mana.
A girl bearing a banner of victory materialized.
"Didn't expect the Church's saint to choose a heretic like me to manifest? Too amusing, too amusing! So, Saintess, what do you need me to do?"
"No need to call me Saintess. I'm just a village girl who believes in the Lord, unworthy of such a grand title."
"Then… Jeanne-nee?"
The girl grinned, eyeing Jeanne as if she were a fascinating object.
Jeanne frowned slightly, disliking the objectifying gaze, though she warmed to the "sister" title.
"Corrupted by sinful heretics? If I guide her well, she'll surely walk a righteous path."
Jeanne thought.
But sometimes, some traits are truly innate.
"To Fuyuki, for the Holy Grail War. Someone's breaking the rules!"
***
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