"There seem to be quite a few participants chosen this time, don't you think?"
"And... I have to ask, is the Counter Force being a bit playful lately?"
"Stuffing those specific individuals into the mix..."
Standing in the center of the current world, the entity known as "God" had already sensed the telltale signs of an unusual war on the horizon.
He cast a brief glance toward the figure beside him as he spoke.
"..."
The other presence seemed to offer a silent, almost apologetic plea, as if asking for a bit of leniency in the coming events.
"Well, whatever. I suppose I'm curious to see how things develop with this particular group."
"Whether they choose to descend into infighting or find a way to work together... it remains to be seen."
He had no intention of disrupting the natural progression of the event. He had already surmised the general trajectory, and he saw no reason to intervene.
After all...
The idea of those specific Servants being gathered in one place... it promised to be quite entertaining.
"Hmph. Since it's already come to this, I might as well add one more variable to the mix."
"With a team like this, I suspect even the King of Heroes from your domain would find a reason to flee in the middle of the night, wouldn't he?"
***
"Is the summoning of the Servants complete?"
Dressed in her regal, ornate attire, the Empress Semiramis looked toward her Master, who maintained a constant, steady smile on his face.
"Yes. Almost everything has been finalized."
"Three of the Servants have already been confirmed without issue."
"Furthermore, their respective Masters have yet to disclose the true nature of this war to the Mages' Association."
Shirou Kotomine looked toward his Servant and offered a relaxed, confident response.
"Three?"
"What about the final one?"
"Kairi Sisigou is a necromancer. He was the first to be selected. The Clock Tower apparently caught wind of something and commissioned him before anyone else could."
"But he only received the necessary catalyst from the Association. It seems he hasn't revealed the actual details of the conflict to them."
"He even possesses one of the Dragon Balls."
Shirou explained the situation, holding two of the glowing spheres in his hand as he described the key players.
"Hmph. That's only to be expected, isn't it?"
"The reward for this victory is far more substantial than the Greater Holy Grail alone."
Semiramis let out a cold snort. As a Servant, she was well aware of the incredible opportunity presented by this war.
It wasn't something one would share with others, perhaps not even with their closest relatives.
As long as this "Kairi Sisigou" wasn't a fool, he would surely keep the information to himself.
BOOM!
A massive, echoing crash erupted from outside the church, causing Semiramis to frown in irritation.
"It seems our Berserker isn't particularly interested in a peaceful coexistence."
"This is going to be difficult to manage."
Shirou's expression shifted to one of mild resignation.
A Berserker with an overbearing sense of self was notoriously difficult to control.
Attempting to suppress such an entity through brute force was ultimately meaningless, as it would only result in collateral damage to their own side.
Despite being a "Fragmentary" Servant, the entity was exceptionally unruly.
He wondered if the effects of "Mad Enhancement" were to blame.
"I'll have to try and reason with her again..."
"Hmph. Are you serious? I haven't even met that thing yet, and I can already sense the demonic stench radiating from it."
"As a priest, surely you find that... problematic?"
Semiramis watched Shirou as he began to walk toward the exit.
She had encountered her fair share of sinister entities, but the presence of this particular creature was unlike anything she had ever felt.
It was as if it hadn't been born on this planet at all.
"True..."
"But things are different this time."
"Once we win, we'll be able to realize a wish that is far more efficient than the implementation of the 'Third Magic' through the Greater Holy Grail."
"Therefore, for the sake of the salvation of all humanity... I will utilize every resource at my disposal."
The danger inherent in those words, spoken so calmly in her presence, was almost impossible to process.
Following him outside the church, their gaze fell upon a severed arm floating in the air.
It had no body. It was simply a single, fleshy hand.
This was their representative for the "Berserker" class.
The hand noticed Shirou's arrival and seemed to probe the depths of his soul.
'You possess such a profound sense of sorrow... and yet, why is the darkness and hatred within your heart so insignificant?'
The seductive, manipulative voice echoed directly within Shirou's mind, but he didn't react.
Anger, hatred, and resentment...
He had long since overcome those ancient scars. Even if a Berserker could peel them away, it would have no effect on his resolve.
"Since you still require mana to restore your physical form, perhaps you could try and be a bit more cooperative?"
Shirou maintained his polite, steady smile.
'Why do you not hate?!'
'Why do you not resent?!'
The hand ignored his request, continuing its attempt to draw out some hidden darkness, but its efforts remained futile.
'I never imagined such a human could exist...'
Realizing that Shirou couldn't be manipulated, the hand suddenly accelerated, darting toward the street like a bolt of lightning.
"Hey! She's escaping!"
Semiramis shouted as she watched the hand vanish. She was surprised to see that Shirou didn't even look concerned.
"Leaving her like that would surely result in casualties among the local residents."
"She is, without a doubt, a creature of pure evil."
"She wouldn't hesitate to consume a life."
"Therefore... I won't allow her to have her way."
Shirou had no intention of allowing such an entity to cause havoc.
"I'm counting on you... Assassin."
Semiramis frowned, knowing that Shirou wasn't referring to her.
SWISH!
In that single instant, a figure clad in a white robe manifested beside Shirou.
"!"
Semiramis watched as the newcomer slammed the escaped "Hand" back into the pavement. He held it down with a firm grip, and a series of mysterious characters began to spread across the flesh: a seal.
'Is this...?'
She could sense a faint ripple in the space around them. This second Assassin seemed to possess an incredibly advanced set of spatial and sealing [Noble Phantasms].
She scrutinized the man's appearance. He wore a unique forehead protector and possessed bright, golden hair. He looked relatively young, but the robe he wore gave him an air of profound dignity and authority.
"Thank you for your hard work. Without you, I suspect even sending Lancer out wouldn't have been enough to capture her."
Shirou walked toward the man with no trace of hesitation, his voice filled with genuine appreciation.
In this Dragon Ball War, the usual restrictions on class summonings had been lifted, Allowing for the manifestation of multiple Servants for a single Master.
Against an anomaly like that Berserker, only the Assassin before him was capable of a clean capture.
Even sending out [Lancer] would have had limited success.
"Let's keep her sealed for a while."
"She is still a valuable asset for our side. Once she understands the situation and calms down, she'll eventually become more cooperative."
"Is that really feasible? She looks completely devoid of reason."
"No, she isn't. She's simply hiding her true nature. After all, when you're reduced to nothing more than a hand, you'd naturally want to hide your vulnerability."
Shirou spoke with a level of patience that was almost unsettling.
He wasn't worried about the Berserker escaping again.
As long as this Assassin was here, she would never be able to truly flee.
After all, once a [Flying Thunder God Seal] was placed, it could never be removed.
No matter where she went, he could retrieve her in an instant.
This was the power of their second Assassin...
Minato!
[Translated and Rewritten by Shika_Kagura]