Rider of Black

Seeing this, Darnic was completely stunned.

The intense disturbance indicated that the summoned Servant was undoubtedly extraordinary.

Could it be they summoned Charlemagne himself, the emperor who unified France?

Darnic inexplicably felt a surreal sensation.

Had his accumulated luck suddenly burst forth? How could his family summon so many powerful Servants all at once?

The dazzling light soon faded into a hazy radiance, revealing a handsome young man with black hair and eyes.

"I am Arkhan, Rider of Black, summoned at your call. May I ask..."

His gaze slowly swept across everyone. Despite his figure seeming frail compared to Archer, he exuded an aura that couldn't be ignored—an aura reminiscent of a king, much like Vlad.

"Are you people, my comrades?"

"..."

""Arkhan...?""

Everyone exchanged glances in confusion.

Whether in history or mythology, they had never heard that name before. Yet, judging by his imposing aura, this Rider named Arkhan was definitely no ordinary hero.

He must be a renowned figure.

Could it be a pseudonym?

Subconsciously, everyone entertained thoughts similar to Kayneth.

"I am not a hero of your world." Arkhan surveyed the group, pausing on the towering figure as if emphasizing a point, then continued. "In a way you can comprehend, you can think of me as King Arthur from another world."

King Arthur?!

Every Master instantly shuddered, a trace of astonishment evident in their eyes. Whether in fame or strength, Arthur was undoubtedly a top-tier Heroic Spirit. None of them had expected to summon this legendary king to their side.

Darnic trembled with excitement.

The legendary hero of Greece and the legendary king of Britain, these two top-level Servants were summoned at once. Could it be that he was truly favored by the heavens?!

However, after the excitement, a hint of doubt arose in Darnic's mind. Could the Holy Grail really summon Heroic Spirits from other worlds?

"Heh, no need to be so surprised, Darnic. The Throne of Heroes exists outside the time axis. Even summoning Heroic Spirits from another world is quite normal." Vlad chuckled as he saw his Master's confusion.

"Apologies, my King. I was ignorant." Darnic slightly bowed to Vlad.

Seeing this, Arkhan glanced at Darnic's figure.

Even Kayneth, who was a Brand rank, knew about the Throne of Heroes' characteristics, but the leader of the Yggdmillennia who was supposed to be a Grand rank, which was one rank higher than Brand, seemed clueless.

This indicated that Darnic's rank might not be as trustworthy as it appeared.

"No problem."

Vlad casually responded, then stood up from his throne, his authoritative gaze sweeping over the group.

"Welcome, Heroes who have come from afar. I am Vlad III and act as Lancer of Black in this Holy Grail War. I believe you are all well aware of our current situation. Though a battle lies ahead of us, I hope we can join hands and fight together to achieve our ultimate wishes and ambitions."

Saber Siegfried nodded expressionlessly, while Berserker Frankenstein scratched her head. She grabbed Caules's arm, swaying it gently, emitting an indistinct low growl.

"Ahh... You're asking for my opinion?"

A somewhat surprised Caules, who always served as the background character to his sister Fiore, felt cared for the first time.

"Well... let's defeat all the guys from the Red side first, I guess..." Caules said while scratching his head.

"Aah!" Frankenstein nodded as if to prove her strength, lifting her slender arm and making a muscle-squeezing motion.

"Pfttt..."

This comical gesture made Caules couldn't help but chuckle.

"Guuu!"

Thinking that Caules was mocking her, Frankenstein couldn't help but kick him in annoyance, turning away angrily.

"Ahh! Sorry, sorry, I didn't mean to mock you, Berserker."

While clutching his sore leg from the kick, Caules awkwardly tried to console Frankenstein.

'Well, well, truly heartwarming...' Arkhan chuckled inwardly, shaking his head, then turned to Vlad. "I have no objections either."

"Good." Vlad nodded in satisfaction. "I look forward to our final battle, King Arthur from another world."

Having said that, Vlad shifted his gaze to the towering man. He could feel that the only true opponents for him here were Archer and Rider.

But Archer was just looking down at the ground, seeming a bit distracted.

"What's wrong, Archer?" Vlad questioned, puzzled. "Is something wrong?"

"I want to ask." Archer lifted his head, gazing at Darnic above. "What exactly is your source of magical energy?"

Hearing the question, Darnic's face immediately stiffened.

The magical energy of Yggdmillennia came from the homunculi created by Gordes using the technology of the Einzbern family. These homunculi carry magic circuits from the moment of creation, serving as the most efficient magical energy batteries and one of Yggdmillennia's preparations for the war.

However, the perceptive Darnic could tell that this Greek hero seemed dissatisfied.

"Even if they are homunculi..." Archer looked expressionless at Darnic, voice steady but with a dangerous aura. "They're still living beings, aren't they?"

High on his throne, Vlad squinted his eyes, silently watching Archer.

At this moment, even the dull ones could sense the unusual atmosphere.

Cold sweat trickled down everyone's foreheads.

This unexpected turn of events caught Darnic off guard. Clearly, if he couldn't provide a satisfactory answer, this Greek hero wouldn't easily let it slide.

Archer, one of the most powerful Servants summoned in this Holy Grail War by them, would be a massive blow to the Yggdmillennia if provoked.

"It depends on how you define the living, Heracles."

A calm voice suddenly spoke, and everyone quickly turned their gaze toward the black-haired man.

"These homunculi might look human, but they're basically just tools pretending to be human, with no will or thoughts of their own. Such stuff shouldn't be strange in your time, like golems or puppets." Arkhan smiled at Archer Heracles. "In my book, having a will and thoughts of their own is what makes them actual living beings. Don't you think so?"

Hearing that reasoning, Heracles frowned slightly. Although he found Rider's words questionable, he couldn't find a reason to refute them. Looking at the expressionless, hollow-eyed homunculi around him, he sighed softly, toning down his aura and nodding.

"You make a valid point."

'Hahhh...' Darnic inwardly breathed a sigh of relief, giving Arkhan a grateful glance.

"Um, Rider..."

Fiore, sitting in a wheelchair, suddenly raised her hand, her big eyes filled with obvious curiosity as she looked at Arkhan.

"Do you have, like, the ability to 'see through true names' or something?"

Upon hearing her question, the others were slightly taken aback, then suddenly remembered that Rider had just directly called out Archer's true name without Archer revealing his identity.

"Hmm, sort of..." Arkhan rubbed his chin, smiling nonchalantly.

Hearing the answer, Darnic's eyes lit up with immense excitement. The ability to see through a Servant's true name was truly an amazing skill!