[FGO]: 179

All of Ryou's preparations were aimed at dealing with Heroic Spirits. As for Magus, they were never part of his considerations from the beginning.

With EX-level Magic Resistance, only magus with the title of Grand could pose any threat to him. The rest of the magus wouldn't even count as a snack before him.

Unknowingly, his power had already grown to such a level.

Although his calculations were meticulous, fate sometimes likes to play tricks on people.

The first person to appear before him was a female knight, clad in heavy armor, primarily white with blue accents, wearing a full-face helm, and riding a pure white warhorse without a speck of any other color. Her figure was explosively voluptuous.

Looking at her classic form, Ryou wore a complex, unreadable expression.

He had not forgotten that it was because he drew her in FGO gacha, and in his excitement...

Now, from Ryou's perspective, it was nothing but black history.

But sometimes, the most cringeworthy and foolish things you've done represent the purest emotions because they are part of a youth already passed.

If there was a term to describe it, it would probably be the feeling of a first love.

So, at this moment, Ryou felt conflicted as he faced the female knight in front of him.

Nevertheless, if she truly became his enemy, he would not hesitate to fight her.

Because he had already grown into a qualified warrior, and growth always comes at a price.

This female knight's true name: Artoria, class Lancer. It was not the King of Knights wielding the Holy Sword and its sheath, but the King of Knights wielding the Holy Spear.

At least, that's how it should have been.

When Ryou's gaze swept over the two golden swords at her waist, his eye twitched.

The Artoria in front of him had additional settings and a history that he didn't understand.

These two golden swords, which exuded an overwhelming presence, were none other than the most famous holy swords from Arthurian legend: the Sword of Selection—Caliburn, the Golden Sword of Victory, and the Sword of Promised Victory—Excalibur, the Holy Sword from the Lake.

And to top it off, she had the sword sheath of absolute defense, Avalon, the Distant Utopia.

In her hand was the Holy Lance, the Anchor of Storms that binds the stars—Rhongomyniad, the Lance That Shines to the End of the World.

Her collection of star-forged Noble Phantasms was no weaker than the oldest and wealthiest of kings.

While Ryou was sizing her up, he also noticed the probing gaze hidden behind her helm.

To his surprise, he didn't sense any killing intent from Lancer's gaze. Instead, it carried a complex emotion that was hard to describe in words.

Could this be another parallel world issue?

Thinking of a certain Jeanne Alter who wanted to BBQ him upon meeting, his heart skipped a beat.

At that moment, Lancer slowly raised the spear in her hand, its tip pointing directly at him.

Even though the Holy Spear was still sealed, wrapped in a thin veil as light as silk, Ryou could still feel its terrifying power locking onto him, causing a sharp pain between his brows.

Lancer's intention was clear: she was issuing a challenge!

"Master! More than three pairs of participants are lurking nearby!"

A nervous voice from Medea Lily echoed through the mental link.

"I know. Stay where you are and don't move."

Ryou replied calmly.

Following his command, Medea hid in the shadows without revealing herself, while he played the role of the Heroic Spirit.

In truth, with his current stats, he didn't even need to pretend. He was already at the level of a Heroic Spirit. The only difference was that other Masters couldn't view his basic stats through the skills granted by the Holy Grail, which was a small yet significant advantage.

As for Medea, her stats had already been leaked, and she could easily be targeted as a weak point, so he didn't let her take that risk. He insisted that she stay hidden and only provide reconnaissance.

With the magical expertise of an ancient era witch, almost all locations in Fuyuki City with strong magical power had fallen under her control, more accurate than any GPS.

A Caster hidden in the shadows while the Master charges ahead—this had become the norm in the Holy Grail War.

Ryou chuckled inwardly as he stepped half a foot forward with his left leg, slightly crouching, his entire body like a fully drawn bow.

As expected, the other participants did not swarm him. Instead, they stayed hidden, observing the situation.

Each of them harbored their own schemes, all wanting to play the role of the fisherman who benefits in the end, thus keeping one another in check.

Ryou no longer paid attention to the enemies lurking in the shadows, as Lancer had already made her move.

The moment he assumed a battle stance, Lancer's warhorse, the legendary steed Dun Stallion, moved with her full intent, charging at him at full speed, transforming into a streak of light.

Her speed was so quick that it was hard to follow with the naked eye, leaving a long trail of afterimages behind her.

In less than a breath, Lancer had crossed several hundred meters and was already in front of him.

The Holy Lance aimed directly at him, thrusting forward.

In that instant, Ryou felt as if he were locked onto by the sharp spear. If he didn't move soon, the next moment he would be pierced through by the Holy Lance.

This was only the first opponent. He didn't want to be forced to use his trump card of [Desperate Counterattack], which he could only use three times, in this probing exchange.

In a split second, he completely unleashed his EX-level skill, [World Ruler].

Faced with the overwhelming presence of the former ruler of the planet, even Lancer, who had ascended to the position of Holy Emperor, couldn't help but hesitate.

Her charging figure paused ever so slightly.

Ryou seized that fleeting opportunity.

Without caring whether his body could withstand it, vast amounts of magical energy surged through him. The damage caused by this power was instantly healed by the effects of [Reversal War God], which simultaneously generated a massive amount of magical energy and revenge power.

This cycle continued, endless and eternal.

This perpetual-motion-like system marked the fact that his combat prowess had essentially taken shape. Next, all that remained was to keep strengthening each point, pushing his power to ever greater heights!

With the enhancement of magical energy, Ryou drew back his right fist and then punched forward with all his might, aiming directly at the indestructible Holy Lance.

Clang!

A deafening sound echoed through the sky, like the toll of a great bell, as a terrifying shockwave spread out from the two of them, rippling wildly in all directions.

The sturdy concrete ground, capable of withstanding heavy cranes, trucks, and tens of thousands of tons of cargo, crumbled like tofu, forming a crater with a diameter of forty to fifty meters, with countless branch-like cracks spreading hundreds of meters outward.

It was a scene straight out of myth. The Heroic Spirits watching remained calm, but the Masters were utterly dumbfounded.

They had finally experienced firsthand what it meant to face a power beyond human comprehension.

The two figures in the crater separated after just one clash, and from the outside, it appeared they were evenly matched.

Lancer had the advantage in attributes and weapons, coupled with the terrifying power of her warhorse's charge.

Ryou, on the other hand, relied on [Mana Burst], [World RUler] and [Reversal War God], stacking skills and Noble Phantasms to hold his own.

Hiding in the corner, Medb curiously prodded Waver with her riding crop.

"Hey! Why don't we jump in now? What are we waiting for?"

Waver shot her a glance, pulled a cigar from his pocket, lit it, took a deep drag, and finally spoke.

"Now is not the best time. The two of them haven't gone all out yet, and the other participants lurking nearby haven't shown themselves."

Despite his youthful appearance—no older than 20—his demeanor and speech were far more mature, carrying a world-weariness well beyond his years.

"Hey~ You don't look it, but you're quite the schemer. I thought you'd be all about fairness and justice, but it turns out you're full of tricks," Medb teased him with a grin.

Waver scoffed with contempt.

"Fairness? Justice? I gave up on those naive ideas long ago. This is war—victory is everything."

Medb looked at him as if seeing him for the first time. Crossing her hands behind her back, she was filled with girlish curiosity as she circled Waver, studying him.

"Master, maybe we're more compatible than I thought~."

In another corner, Irisviel and Saber, who had been enjoying a moment together at the beach near the harbor, arrived at the battlefield earlier than anyone else.

"Irisviel, why aren't we stepping in right away? Hiding in the shadows and waiting for the enemy to exhaust themselves is against the knight's code," Saber asked, frowning.

Irisviel showed a hint of hesitation.

"But Kiritsugu said the situation is still unclear..."

Saber's face showed a trace of anger. Ever since she was summoned, she had been at odds with Kiritsugu Emiya.

Kiritsugu was a pragmatist who would use any means necessary to achieve his goals.

Saber, on the other hand, upheld honor and believed in fair, direct combat, where victory or defeat was glorious either way.

Their personalities were too incompatible. If Kiritsugu hadn't possessed Saber's scabbard as a holy relic, he wouldn't have been able to summon her at all.

"I'm sorry, Saber. Please, can we just listen to Kiritsugu this time?"

Irisviel clasped her hands together, pleading.

Faced with the soft words of the beautiful woman, the King of Knights couldn't bring herself to refuse.

Saber's delicate face showed a hint of gloom, and she sighed softly, quietly agreeing.

"I knew you were the best, Saber!"

Irisviel cheered and immediately hugged one of Saber's arms, pressing her face against Saber's cheek and rubbing affectionately.

The silver-haired noblewoman acted like a young girl, and even the King of Knights, who had crossed countless battlefields, couldn't handle it.

A slight blush appeared on her delicate face.

"Irisviel, you..."

At that moment, Lancer made her move.

Saber's deep emerald eyes widened in shock.

"The Holy Lance? Rhongomyniad, Caliburn, Excalibur, Avalon, Dun Stallion... Who is she? Why does she have these Noble Phantasms?"

Saber murmured in disbelief.

"Saber, what's wrong?"

Irisviel asked, puzzled.

Saber quickly suppressed the flood of questions in her mind.

Even though their physiques were entirely different, Saber couldn't shake the feeling that she was looking into a mirror.

But this was the Holy Grail War. Regardless of who the other person was, she was undoubtedly an enemy.

"It's nothing. I'm just curious about the identity of that female knight," Saber said with a strained smile.

Irisviel didn't notice anything unusual about Saber.

She glanced curiously at the female knight, then back at Saber, especially at a certain part of their bodies that couldn't be more different.

"Saber, don't worry. Yours will grow too," Irisviel said, giving her an encouraging gesture.

Saber didn't understand at first, but when she followed Irisviel's gaze to those impossible, physics-defying mounds, her expression froze.

"They're just lumps of fat that would only get in the way during battle!"

For the first time, the noble King of Knights felt a pang of jealousy.

Besides these two teams, several other groups were also lurking nearby.

Several malicious gazes were fixed on the two figures in the clearing.

To their surprise, after just one exchange, the female knight seemed to have confirmed something. She gently tugged on her reins, and her warhorse retreated several steps, putting some distance between them. The female knight also sheathed her Holy Lance, signaling a truce.

Although Ryou was now certain the other party held no hostility, his confusion only deepened.

He remained silent and stood upright.

"Not going to fight anymore?"

"Now that I've learned what I wanted to know, continuing to fight would be meaningless," a voice of immense authority, yet filled with mature charm, came from beneath the helmet.

At that moment, an exasperated voice rang out.

"Lancer, what are you doing!? Why did you stop!?"

The voice echoed from all directions, making it impossible to pinpoint the source.

But this was just a simple magical trick, and without needing Medea's reminder, Ryou easily spotted the figure hiding on the rooftop nearby.

With a single glance at that familiar slicked-back hair and that familiar green—no, lemon-colored hair—he immediately understood.

Lord El-Melloi's temper was as fiery as ever, but unfortunately, the one in front of him wasn't the loyal Dual-Wielding Lancer, but the Holy Emperor who had once ruled half the world.

"Silence. What I choose to do is none of your concern. Know your place, magus," Lancer coldly reprimanded without turning her head.

Kayneth's face turned red with anger, veins bulging on his forehead. He instinctively raised his right hand, but then seemed to remember something and quickly lowered it.

If word got out that the Clock Tower's famed prodigy had summoned a Servant he couldn't control with Command Seals, it wouldn't just be his reputation on the line—the entire El-Melloi family would become a laughingstock.

What Kayneth didn't realize was that his constipated expression was already making him a laughingstock to others.

"What a riot! A Servant openly defying their Master? This is just too amusing!"

Medb laughed uproariously, slapping Waver on the shoulder repeatedly.

Waver helplessly looked at his cigar, now on the ground, then glanced at Medb with a look that clearly said, "Do you not realize what kind of person you are?"

At that moment, the battlefield shifted once more.