The sounds of father and son colliding—sounds that could only come from real fists and real bodies—netted Bai Ye a delicious harvest of amusement.
But entertainment was only a garnish.
He didn't forget the actual point.
"Confirmed?" Bai Ye asked as they walked down the mountain road.
"Confirmed," Scáthach said, nodding. "He didn't show himself, but that sense of threat isn't something you fake… The Servant within the church can only be the swordsman who wanders the Abyss of the Valley."
"So it really is him…"
Bai Ye stopped and looked back toward the church.
A figure who roamed the abyss, dying while still living.
The founder and arbiter of the Assassins.
The Hassan among Hassans.
The unquestioned Grand Assassin—
King Hassan.
His descent… actually made a certain kind of sense.
If Bai Ye's Morgan and Morgan's "illegal summon" of Scáthach were still within what the Counter Force could tolerate—
Then Sakura's Kama, and Irisviel's Artoria Pendragon—now divine under Rhongomyniad—
were both beyond spec.
Even if Kama had been slacking since arrival, and Rhongomyniad didn't seem out of control tonight—
From an insurance perspective, it was perfectly reasonable for the Counter Force to drop a Grand into the field.
And among those who could wear the crown—
King Hassan was, in every sense, the most "stable," the most perfectly suited to the Counter Force's philosophy of if it works, use it until it breaks.
But if that was the lineup…
Bai Ye held Morgan, Kama, and Scáthach.
The Einzberns held divine Rhongomyniad.
The Tohsakas held Gilgamesh.
Kayneth + Waver held Diarmuid + Iskandar.
And Kirei held a "neutral" King Hassan.
The overall "gold content" was insane.
But could this Grail War even still be fought?
[Newbie]:[Sighing.jpg]
[Cancer of Earth]:[Watching in the shadows.jpg]
[Kasumigaoka Utaha]: +1
[Youkai Sage]: +1
[Esdeath]: +1
[Newbie]: Huh? You're all still awake?
[Cancer of Earth]: Of course. After finding out you're in a "once-every-sixty-years battle that summons heroes from history and myth to fight to the death," how could we sleep?
[Cancer of Earth]: Anyway… that sighing meme you posted—does that mean the first night's going badly?
[Newbie]: That part's actually fine.
[Newbie]:[Video.mp4], [Video.mp4]
The two videos Bai Ye uploaded: the first was Rhongomyniad two-shotting Diarmuid; the second was Scáthach fighting Rhongomyniad to a standstill.
[Kasumigaoka Utaha]: Hiss… even slowed down ten times I can barely see it. So this is what ancient heroes look like in a world with mystery.
[Esdeath]: Even the one who got driven off in two moves looks like a fine warrior.
[Newbie]: He is.
[Newbie]: He's the foremost knight of the Fianna in Celtic myth—an unparalleled legendary hero.
[Youkai Sage]: The Fianna… "Radiant Countenance"?
[Newbie]: Yep. That's him.
[Esdeath]: …
[Youkai Sage]: Right, you don't have the myths on your side, and unlike Chika and Utaha you can't just search online. I'll send you a file.
[Group Notice: Member "Youkai Sage" uploaded a file: "Diarmuid Ua Duibhne, 'Radiant Countenance'"]
A moment later—
[Esdeath]: So that's who he is.
[Esdeath]: Then who's the one who crushed him in the first video, and who's the one fighting her evenly in the second?
[Newbie]: The one on the white horse is King Arthur. The one with the red spear is Scáthach.
[Newbie]: @Youkai Sage
[Youkai Sage]: Got it~
[Group Notice: Member "Youkai Sage" uploaded…]
[Group Notice: …]
[Kasumigaoka Utaha]: Wait. Say that again. The one on the white horse is who? King Arthur?
[Kasumigaoka Utaha]: How can King Arthur be a woman?!
[Newbie]: There's a tiny difference from the folk versions, but that's what she is here.
[Cancer of Earth]: "Tiny" (correction)
[Newbie]: And you shouldn't treat this "King Arthur" as the traditional one. Strictly speaking, she's the Artoria who, after Camlann, failed to reach Avalon in time because Bedivere hesitated a third time when returning the Holy Sword—so she took up the Holy Lance instead, was eroded by its nature, and became a god as she is now.
[Cancer of Earth]: So the "inside" is the Holy Lance, and the appearance is an Artoria suit? A "skin"?
[Newbie]: If you want to put it that way, sure.
[Youkai Sage]: So Scáthach is the Servant you summoned for this Grail War?
[Newbie]: Yes… and no.
[Newbie]: Technically, she's my Servant's Servant.
[Youkai Sage]: ?
[Newbie]: I already told you the rules. Seven magi summon seven Servants to fight.
[Newbie]: And the Servant I summoned is Caster—literally a mage. If she's a mage, then summoning a Servant during the war is pretty reasonable, isn't it?
[Kasumigaoka Utaha]: 6
[Cancer of Earth]: Wait—if you have two… no, three. You said before you dealt with one Master pre-war and formed an alliance, so you have three Servants. Worst-case it's three versus five. And in the first video the other five clearly aren't united. And your Servant's Servant can fight "King Arthur" to a draw. So why were you sighing?
[Newbie]: Simple analogy: I thought my opponents were a saint, a bishop, maybe a pope at most. Then I found out the saint is Gabriel's incarnation, the bishop is Michael reborn, and the pope can actually perform a divine descent…
[Cancer of Earth]: Uh… (⊙o⊙)…
[Youkai Sage]: Yeah, that would be depressing.
[Esdeath]: ?
[Kasumigaoka Utaha]: I'll handle it.
[Group Notice: Member "Kasumigaoka Utaha" uploaded a file: "God and the Church"]
....
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