[FGO]: 178

She stood there quietly, bathed in moonlight, perfectly cast in the shadow of a statue. If one didn't look carefully, they might have mistaken her for part of the shadow itself.

Only the faint reflection of her figure gave away the presence of a graceful young woman.

"Assassin, let's go."

Kotomine Kirei glanced at her before turning and leading the way.

The figure remained silent, following Kirei without a word.

As she stepped out of the shadows, her beautiful form gradually came into view under the moonlight.

A grimacing demon mask completely covered her face. Her long black hair was tied into a single ponytail, cascading down to her waist, so smooth and silky it could easily be featured in a shampoo commercial without any special effects. A blooming red spider lily was tucked into her hair, giving her elegance a tinge of cruelty.

From certain details, it was clear she wasn't very old, likely around 16 or 17 years old, yet her figure was incredibly seductive—her curves ripe like a peach, but still exuding a youthful, innocent fragrance.

This contradictory combination only amplified her allure.

On her back, she carried a strange-looking bow. Unlike ancient bows, which bore the marks of craftsmanship, her bow had a metallic, mechanical feel to it. From its seams, one could glimpse gleaming gears and bearings, making it look like an industrial-age mechanical bow.

She was dressed in clothing typical of an aristocratic noblewoman from the Meiji Restoration period.

The Kazoku was a noble class established in Japan during that time, modeled after European aristocracies.

The clothing of noblewomen from that era incorporated European styles into traditional Japanese fashion, resulting in the unique styles of the Meiji period.

Just from her distinctive clothing and the mechanical bow on her back, it was clear she was a modern Heroic Spirit.

However, as one of the representatives of the Mystic Realm, the strength of a Heroic Spirit wasn't determined solely by fame or achievements; the era they hailed from also played a significant role.

Generally speaking, the older the Heroic Spirit, the stronger they were, due to the greater mystery surrounding them.

A prime example of this is a certain ancient king, who constantly insults others as mongrels but is, in fact, the biggest mongrel of them all.

Considering the production levels, population, and medical knowledge of that era, the territory this so-called ancient king ruled over was probably no larger than a modern town.

But because of his ancient lineage, he became one of the strongest Heroic Spirits.

So, barring some exceptions, Heroic Spirits generally followed the rule: the closer they were to the modern era, the weaker they were in combat.

No wonder Kotomine Kirei, under the influence of others, had concealed her true attributes, and his teacher had no suspicions.

As a traditional magus, Tohsaka Tokiomi firmly believed that the older the Heroic Spirit, the stronger they were.

This was evident from the painstaking efforts he had gone through to summon the oldest king, Gilgamesh, the King of Heroes.

The thought of the expression on his teacher's face when he eventually discovered Assassin's true strength caused the corners of Kirei's mouth to twitch upward.

"Ara~ Kirei, you seem quite pleased with yourself~ Looks like you've followed my instructions exactly~ How does it feel, watching your teacher being deceived without realizing it? That feeling of being the only one who's truly awake while everyone else is in the dark must be quite... enjoyable, right~?"

A clear and melodious voice, filled with mischievous teasing, rang out beside Kotomine Kirei.

The girl in the demon mask remained silent, but the voice came from her.

Then, something strange happened—a ghostly figure emerged from behind the girl and slowly became more solid.

It was a figure more dazzling than the stars, with hair as black as the night sky, cascading down to her waist. Her face was as flawless as a goddess's, but the most unforgettable feature was her deep, dark eyes, which were so profound that one could never discern what lay within them.

The figure, like a spirit from legend, floated behind the girl.

At her appearance, Kotomine Kirei's usually expressionless face changed slightly.

He looked at her warily.

"What are you up to now?"

"Oh, nothing much. I just find you rather amusing, so I couldn't help but offer you a little guidance."

The spirit behind the girl conjured a folding fan from nowhere, covering most of her face and leaving only her amused eyes visible as if she were inspecting a fascinating toy.

"You demon! I won't fall for your temptations again!"

Kotomine Kirei spoke coldly.

"Oh, we'll see about that."

The spirit's eyes gleamed with an unfathomable smile as she responded to Kirei's wariness.

Kirei's face remained cold as he walked forward, ignoring her entirely.

"If you can't find any pleasure within yourself, why not seek it in others? Humans are such interesting creatures—joy, sorrow, anger, jealousy, hatred, love, fear...

And from different people, you can extract completely different forms of pleasure. Each one is a delightful surprise—how could anyone resist?"

The voice, like a demon's whisper, echoed behind Kotomine Kirei. He wanted to block his ears, but the voice bypassed them entirely, entrenching itself deep within his mind.

...

The first night passed peacefully.

But this was only the calm before the storm.

The next morning, as soon as the sun rose, Ryou and Medea began wandering around Fuyuki City.

However, within ten minutes, a thoughtful expression appeared on his face.

"Master, what's wrong?"

Medea, who had been watching him closely, asked in confusion.

Ryou's expression didn't change, but in their mental link, he said:

"I've noticed something odd. Medea-chan, scan the area and check if the number of familiars watching us has increased."

"Understood, Master."

Medea immediately followed his command.

An invisible wave radiated outward from the two of them, and like a radar, She quickly detected all the magical creatures in the vicinity.

In front of a magus from the Age of Gods, the tricks of modern magi were no match.

"Master, your intuition was right. The number has doubled compared to the previous days!"

"Looks like something big is happening, and it's aimed at us."

There was a hint of coldness in his words.

"Huh!? Why?"

"It's not surprising. Our only known enemies right now are Jeanne Alter and Gilles de Rais. Since they can't catch us themselves, they're using others to do it for them.

They've probably issued a notice in Ruler's name, calling on everyone to hunt us down."

Recalling the schemes of Kotomine and Tohsaka in the original story, Ryou's mind was as clear as a mirror.

In this era, whenever a judge gets directly involved, you can be sure they're playing tricks.

Unfortunately, Medea couldn't stay as calm as him.

'Master, aren't we in great danger now?!'

'Don't panic. If they come, we will beat them all!'

RYou's eyes flashed with cold determination.

He wasn't just pretending to be calm; a little analysis was enough to understand the situation clearly.

Including him, every participant in this Holy Grail War was an enemy to each other, and that dynamic was almost impossible to change.

It was like a certain popular battle royale game from before his time.

Only one victor could remain in the end, and only that person could "eat the chicken dinner" (obtain the Holy Grail).

Even if they all came to attack him, lured by the temptation of a certain ruler, the enmity between them wouldn't change.

If there was an opportunity to stab one another in the back, they wouldn't hesitate.

Ryou was 100% certain that as soon as someone showed the slightest flaw, these so-called allies would immediately turn on each other, no intervention from him required. One moment they'd be allies, and the next, enemies.

Ryou's confidence infected Medea, and her eyes sparkled as she looked at him.

'Master, what should we do then?'

'Perfect. I just thought of a great plan...'

Ryou shared his idea with her.

Medea's eyes widened, and her mouth gaped open so much that one could almost fit an egg inside.

'M-Master! You, you, you're just... just too...'

For a moment, she couldn't even find the right words to describe him.

'Don't worry. This isn't reckless; it's the result of careful analysis. Now we just need to wait until nightfall to act...'

Ryou's confident smile, combined with his blood-pumping strategy, filled Medea with excitement.

A stunning smile, as beautiful as a painting, appeared on her beautiful face.

'In that case, even if hell lies ahead, please allow me to accompany you, Master.'

...

As Ryou aimlessly wandered through Fuyuki City, several Masters and Servants were grinding their teeth in frustration.

A walking treasure trove was right in front of them, but due to the unspoken rule of not engaging in combat during the day, they couldn't make a move.

The frustration was unbearable.

Time passed slowly, and soon night fell. With a flicker, the streetlights came on.

Ryou's eyes suddenly sharpened, as if receiving some kind of signal. His fingers moved swiftly in the air before him.

A rune, glowing with blue magical light, appeared and hovered in front of him.

The next second, he vanished right before everyone's eyes.

The ones watching him were mere familiars sent by Masters, and they were incapable of detecting Ryou's use of Primordial Runes to cloak himself. They immediately lost track of him.

The onlookers became frantic. Fearing they might alert him, and just as he had predicted, the participants were wary of each other, so they had only sent a large number of familiars to monitor him. Neither the Masters nor the Servants had personally acted yet.

Unexpectedly, this created an opening for him to escape.

Was the entire day wasted just like that?

Many Masters, especially Tohsaka Tokiomi, wanted to scream in frustration.

He had spent the whole day preparing, even lowering his dignity to beg Gilgamesh to take action.

After much effort to convince the prideful King of Heroes, this happened.

This wasn't following the script at all!

Tokiomi had no choice but to stand respectfully to the side, bearing Gilgamesh's increasingly impatient gaze.

Just as Tokiomi was cursing silently in his heart, an overwhelming battle intent surged into the sky, with its target set on Fuyuki Port!

Tokiomi was so furious that his face turned green.

Suppressing his anger, he maintained his elegant demeanor, bowing respectfully to Gilgamesh, who was sitting on the sofa with a glass of red wine.

"My king, that man is provoking your authority."

"Hmph! Tokiomi, you better drop your little schemes. As for that mongrel, I'll go deal with him now. To mock this king, the one true ruler of heaven and earth, is an unforgivable crime!"

Gilgamesh said as he shattered the glass in his hand and stood up from the sofa.

"I wish you My King a victorious campaign!"

Tokiomi bowed deeply.

He didn't care about Gilgamesh's terrible attitude. As long as he could obtain the Holy Grail and reach the Root. What did a little humiliation matter?

As Gilgamesh disappeared into golden particles of light, Tokiomi knew the proud king had already headed to the battlefield.

With him taking action, who could stand in the way?

...

Fuyuki Port.

Although the economic bubble had burst, and Fuyuki Port was no longer as prosperous as it once was, it was still a deep-water port capable of accommodating large cargo ships and was filled with shipping containers.

The previously empty port was now stacked so densely with containers that it resembled a labyrinth.

At this time, the dockworkers had long since gone home, and due to warnings from the authorities, not even a single guard was left at the port after dark. The entire area was deserted, with only a few scattered streetlights, making the place seem like a ghost town.

In the very center of the port stood a figure, arms crossed, quietly waiting.

He didn't seem to be doing anything, but to any Servant skilled in battle, the overwhelming battle aura he radiated was like a beacon in the night, as if he were afraid no one would notice him.

After escaping from surveillance, Ryou immediately brought Medea to the port and then, without restraint, unleashed his aura, declaring his position to all the participants.

The reason he was doing this seemingly unnecessary act was to draw all the participants to the same place.

Sometimes, having many Servants present wasn't necessarily a bad thing, just as having few wasn't always good.

If too few Servants showed up, they would have fewer concerns, and it could easily turn into a situation where Ryou was surrounded and attacked.

Even if the Servants were cautious and didn't all gang up on him, they might still engage him in a series of exhausting duels.

Ryou couldn't accept either scenario.

On the other hand, if many Servants showed up, they would hold each other in check, which would work to his advantage.

Next, all he had to do was publicly crush one of them—pick a tough opponent and show that taking him down would come at a huge cost.

If defeating him required a great amount of effort while also needing to stay wary of other participants waiting to strike, a delicate balance of mutual restraint would form. In that case, Ryou could retreat at his leisure.

And the tough opponent he had in mind would naturally show up on their own.

After being tricked once, a proud Servant wouldn't be able to resist coming for him in person. After all, strength is often the foundation of their pride.