"A Noble Phantasm bombardment…"
Aventurine turned his head to look at his Servant, Archer.
"If I remember correctly, the Noble Phantasm is your ultimate move, right?"
Archer nodded with a strange expression on his face.
"More or less. So, that Fu Zhu you all were talking about, does he mean to challenge you? It seems he isn't very interested in cooperating."
Boothill put his phone away and pressed his temples, a headache brewing.
"What is that Fu Zhu fellow thinking? In a situation like this, shouldn't we be teaming up to go after the mastermind? Or does he have a wish he wants granted? But with his power, what wish could possibly be beyond his reach?"
"Who knows? Are you going?"
Aventurine walked over to Boothill and asked. Boothill glanced at him and retorted, "Listening to you, it sounds like you're planning to go no matter what I say, right?"
"Of course."
Aventurine said with a grin. Since the other party was Fu Zhu, he would go no matter what. In truth, he had zero interest in the Holy Grail War. If it weren't for Jade's request, he wouldn't have participated at all.
But since he was already here, he might as well try to build some kind of relationship with Fu Zhu. That would be a win in itself.
Archer saw through Aventurine's intentions and forced a smile.
"Heh, I didn't expect this Master to not only be flashy but also a sycophant. I don't know if my luck is good or bad."
Aventurine turned his head to look at his own Servant, speechless.
"Come on, you don't have to diss me that hard, do you? I'm your Master, after all."
"A Master is not the client."
Boothill watched the Master and Servant suddenly start bickering and sighed helplessly.
"Alright, you two, stop arguing. Let's go meet Fu Zhu. If he really wants a fight, then we'll have to oblige. It's not like you can die in this dream world anyway."
"Let's go."
Aventurine naturally had no objections. As for Archer and Lancer, they had even fewer. They couldn't care less about their Masters' plans; they were just here to fight.
When the four of them arrived at the location Fu Zhu had sent, they discovered that it wasn't just the siblings Fu Zhu and Xing. Robin and her Servant were there as well.
The five teams of people stood in a triangular formation, occupying three sides and facing each other.
Boothill waited for a good while, but neither Fu Zhu nor Robin showed any sign of making a move. He was starting to get confused.
"Fu Zhu, buddy, you invited us over. Surely you don't actually want us to just stand here and get chilly, do you?"
Fu Zhu withdrew his gaze from Archer and the Servant beside Robin, shaking his head with a hint of regret.
He had spotted Emiya Shirou, but sadly, no Gilgamesh. He had thought that this Holy Grail War would be full of familiar faces besides himself! He hadn't expected only three to be 'old acquaintances.'
Still, even with only three "familiar faces," seeing Emiya Shirou gave him a new idea.
"Emiya Shirou."
The moment Fu Zhu spoke, the corner of Archer's eye twitched violently. He instantly projected two short swords into his hands and stared at Fu Zhu with vigilance.
Meanwhile, Lancer cheerfully walked over to Archer's side and nudged him with his elbow.
"How's that? How does it feel to have your True Name shouted out of nowhere? Now you know how I felt, right?"
Archer shot him a glare, then fixed his eyes on Fu Zhu and asked coldly, "How do you know my True Name?"
Seeing his expression, Fu Zhu knew that calling him out by name had scared him. The mischievous impulse in his heart became impossible to restrain.
"I don't just know you. Rin Tohsaka, Sakura Matou… I know all of them."
Archer's eyes widened. He never imagined that just by participating in one Holy Grail War, he'd get completely doxxed by the opposing Master right at their first meeting!
Archer couldn't take it anymore. He turned his head to look at his own Master, Aventurine.
"Master, are you sure he's not an enemy?"
But Aventurine just shrugged, a look of casual ease on his face, seemingly unconcerned that Fu Zhu had just exposed Archer's entire background.
"Not sure."
The reply made Archer's teeth ache. He could only turn back to face Fu Zhu again.
"What are you trying to accomplish by saying all this?"
"Nothing, I'm just purely curious…"
Fu Zhu stroked his chin, looking between Archer and Lancer. "I'm curious about both of your abilities. For example, Archer, can your projection magic replicate my Servant's Noble Phantasm? And Lancer, your Gáe Bolg—does it truly strike the enemy's heart without fail as the legends say? How about we have a little fight?"
Standing beside Fu Zhu, Xing was a bit baffled by her big brother's train of thought. "Old Bro," she asked, confused, "didn't you say you weren't going to get involved yourself?"
"I never said I'd be fighting personally. Just watch."
After answering Xing, Fu Zhu lifted his chin towards Archer and Lancer again.
"Let's have a little match. We can talk about everything else after it's over. How about it?"
Fu Zhu's arrogant attitude genuinely annoyed both Archer and Lancer. But they were Servants, and they had no intention of causing unnecessary trouble for their Masters. They could only turn to look at their respective Masters, seeking their opinions.
Boothill crossed his arms, looking at Fu Zhu with a puzzled expression.
"Buddy, is this really a match? We're practically comrades who've been through hell and back. Don't go hurting our own people by mistake."
"Relax, it's just a friendly match. Think of it as satisfying my curiosity."
"Alright then."
Boothill was the first to nod and agree. Aventurine had no objections either.
Seeing that both Masters had agreed, Archer and Lancer exchanged a helpless glance before moving apart and gripping their weapons.
Seeing this, Fu Zhu turned to Rider beside him and said, "Unleash your Noble Phantasm. You don't need to attack. I just want to see if he can project it."
After their short time together, Rider had already grown accustomed to Fu Zhu's spontaneous nature. Coupled with the fact that they were in a dreamscape where they didn't have to worry about casualties, she felt no psychological burden. She immediately began to release her Noble Phantasm as instructed.
Archer had assumed Rider's Noble Phantasm would be some kind of chariot. But after waiting for a long while and seeing nothing appear beside her, he couldn't help but frown and ask, "Where is your Noble Phantasm?"
Rider pointed a finger toward the sky.
"Now look above your head."
Archer tilted his head up and saw a high-tech battleship suspended in the air above them. The shadow it cast completely enveloped the crowd. The expression on Archer's face instantly became a picture of disbelief.
Right now, he really wanted to complain. Aren't we Heroic Spirits supposed to be on the side of mystery and magic? How did it suddenly turn into science fiction when it came to you, Rider?!
While Archer's worldview was crumbling, Fu Zhu and Lancer also began to act.
Lancer brandished his crimson spear, twirling it as he gave Fu Zhu a serious warning.
"Buddy, even though this is a dream, I have to tell you—sometimes, curiosity really can kill. Don't blame me if you get scared awake. You asked for this! By the way, how exactly do you want to test my Noble Phantasm?"
"Don't rush."
Fu Zhu took a Stellaron out of his Backpack and converted it into an Enderman Spawn Egg. If this had been before his deal with the Company, he would never have been willing to squander one of his few Stellarons just to satisfy his curiosity.
But things were different now. The Company had tasted the sweetness of [Bedrock] and would surely provide him with a steady stream of Stellarons. So, splurging once in a while was perfectly acceptable.
Holding the Spawn Egg, Fu Zhu didn't rush to summon the Enderman. Instead, he first gave everyone present a reminder.
"I'm about to summon a creature. Don't make eye contact with it, or it will get angry."
After the warning, Fu Zhu tossed the Spawn Egg onto the ground.
An Enderman materialized in front of him. Fortunately, everyone present was obedient; no one tried to look the Enderman in the eyes.
After summoning the Enderman, Fu Zhu turned to Lancer, who was standing opposite him.
"Alright, as long as you can pierce this creature's heart, I will grant you one wish."
"I doubt you can grant me any wish I'd want, but hey, you're the one who said it!"
Lancer let out a low shout, gripped his spear with his right hand, and hurled it with all his might toward the Enderman.
"Pierce the monster's heart!"
The spear instantly became a streak of crimson light as it shot toward the Enderman. Just as Lancer felt its success was guaranteed, the Enderman suddenly teleported more than ten meters away. The spear immediately changed its trajectory and continued its pursuit.
But every time the spear was about to strike the Enderman, the creature would teleport to another location at the last possible second. And Lancer's spear, just as he had claimed, relentlessly locked onto the Enderman, refusing to give up.
And so, the group watched in stunned silence as the streak of red light flew farther and farther away, until it completely vanished from sight.
Lancer stood frozen on the spot. It was only after he could no longer see either the Enderman or his spear that he turned his head back to Fu Zhu and asked dryly, "It's… not going to just keep chasing it like that forever, is it?"
Watching this scene unfold, Fu Zhu couldn't help but burst out laughing.