The Gathering of Red Faction

"Hah..." Shirou sighed as he lightly pressed his fingers against his temples, tightening his face.

"What's wrong?" Kairi raised an eyebrow.

"Oh, nothing... Anyway, let me introduce you to my Servant. Show yourself, Assassin."

"Got it, Master."

The sudden voice of a woman almost caused Kairi to have a heart attack. Without any warning, a beautiful black-haired woman in an intricate black dress appeared in the seat next to him.

Mordred's eyes, hidden beneath the helmet, suddenly narrowed and showed a hint of hostility.

"What's the meaning of this?"

She immediately stood in front of Kairi and spoke with an unfriendly tone.

"C'mon, don't be nervous, just a little joke." Semiramis lazily yawned, half-smirking at Kairi. "I am Assassin of Red. You're Shishigou Kairi, right? Pleased to meet you."

"I should be the one saying 'pleased to meet you'..." Kairi forced a smile.

When it came to Assassins, they were usually summoned under the name 'Hassan'. However, his gut feeling told him that this woman was different from those conventional assassins who gained skills through physical and mental training.

She wasn't suited for assassination; she excelled in murder. With a single phrase or a glance, she could make someone take out her designated target without her lifting a finger.

'A dangerous and unpleasant woman...' Kairi secretly labeled Semiramis in his mind.

*Clap!*

Shirou clapped his hands.

"Alright, no time to waste. Let's report the current situation. The Yggdmillennia has gathered six Servants, all currently inside their fortress. Only Assassin seems to be yet to join them."

"Any recognized Servants with their true names?" Kairi inquired.

"For now, the only confirmed one is Vlad III, the Lord Impaler... There's also another..." Shirou hesitated for a moment, a hint of reluctance on his face.

"What's the matter?" Kairi asked curiously.

"No... It's better if you see for yourself..." Shirou sighed, shook his head, and took out a crystal ball, displaying the scene of Arkhan and Karna's battle.

As Kairi watched, a strong shock filled his eyes, and even Mordred's gaze showed a hint of seriousness.

"The one on the horse is Rider of Black... Who do you think he is?" Shirou put away the crystal ball and asked.

"Hahhh..." Kairi massaged his temples and smiled bitterly. "Eight-legged horse, pole weapon, and black dragon... This looks unmistakably like the All-Father from Norse mythology, Odin."

"But don't you find it strange? In Norse mythology, Odin never appeared with black hair and black eyes, and he certainly had only one eye." Shirou hinted.

Hearing that reason, Kairi frowned slightly.

"So, what are you suggesting?"

"This might not be the actual Odin..." Shirou said seriously. "With the power of a normal Saint Graph, it's impossible to accommodate existence like gods. So, I suspect the Yggdmillennia used a form of possession to control Odin's power and summoned it that way."

"You mean..." Kairi raised an eyebrow. 

"In other words, Rider of Black is likely not the real Odin but a Demi-Servant wielding the power of Odin." Shirou explained his assumption.

"Demi-Servant..." Kairi pondered for a moment, then smiled helplessly. "Even so, he's still too powerful."

"Of course, borrowing the power of a chief god explains such strength." Shirou smiled. "But usually, such possessions have some limitations. At the very least, due to physical limitations, they usually can't engage in prolonged combat."

Hearing that, Kairi raised an eyebrow. This was information even the Mage's Association didn't know. The priest's understanding of Servants was surprisingly deep.

"Currently we don't have someone strong enough to confront Rider of Black. Moreover, they have Vlad III with a significant regional advantage, and their other Servants haven't even shown up yet. The situation isn't favorable for us, which is why I hope Mr. Shishigou can join us and fight together in this war." Shirou said with a friendly smile.

Hearing Shirou's request, Kairi hesitated a bit.

Due to a strong sense of danger, he wasn't keen on cooperating with the priest in front of him and the seemingly dangerous Assassin. However, the Black Faction had already summoned such a powerful Servant. If he acted alone, the risk would be too high.

Therefore, he found himself in a bit of a dilemma and in the end, spoke to Mordred inside his mind through their Master-Servant contract for an opinion.

"Saber, what do you think?"

"Compared to going alone, I feel like it's riskier for both of us if we join them, especially Assassin... She gives me a feeling similar to facing my mother."

'Morgan le Fay, huh...' Kairi nodded silently in his mind. Since that was the case, there was no need to hesitate; he would choose to act alone.

However, just as he was about to speak, there was a sudden noise at the door again. Everyone turned their heads at the same time, seeing a tall woman standing there.

"Hello there~ I'm Sesshouin Kiara, Archer of Red's Master in this Holy Grail War. A pleasure to make your acquaintance~"

After introducing herself, the woman walked in slowly. Despite wearing nun attire, it couldn't conceal her elegant and alluring appearance, which contrasted with her calm and gentle demeanor.

"Welcome. I'm the overseer of this Holy Grail War and Assassin of Red's Master, Kotomine Shirou. This is Saber of Red's Master, Mr. Shishigou Kairi." Shirou smiled warmly as he introduced himself and Kairi.

The three Masters gathered, exchanging pleasantries. Even when facing the intimidating-looking Kairi, Kiara showed no sign of disdain or fear. Her smile remained calm and gentle.

"I heard you two discussing something earlier... Would you mind sharing it with me?" Kiara smiled, a bewitching charm in her expression that made it hard to refuse.

'Perfect timing.' Shirou smiled inwardly.

Bringing in Archer of Red's Master was within his plan. As a result, he repeated the conversation he had with Kairi to Kiara.

"Cooperation, huh... Well, it's not impossible. But right now, we're not that familiar with each other, and the risks of rushing into cooperation are too high. I reckon Mr. Shishigou feels the same, right?" Kiara said, flashing a smile at Kairi.

Kairi wasn't sure how to respond, so he simply nodded.

"Then, what do you suggest, Miss Sesshouin?" Shirou asked.

"Hmm... How about we join forces for one operation first, to build trust? What do you think?"

Kiara suggested with a gentle and benevolent smile as if she were a saint walking among mortals.

"As for the target, didn't Father Kotomine say Assassin of Black hasn't joined the Black Faction yet? Why not start with them?"