Our destination is Ryudou Temple.
It was the most critical strategic point in the Fifth Holy Grail War and the stage for many events. Currently, Emiya exists there as the gatekeeper guarding it.
The mountain itself acts as a Bounded Field, nerfing any spiritual entities that attempt to enter through any path other than the main gate.
Therefore, we took the direct approach: head-on through the front, climbing the stairs to Ryudou Temple.
"Hey, Dumpty. Are you not embarrassed?"
"There is not a single speck of shame in my life...!"
The stairs leading up to the temple gate were far too long and exhausting, so Castoria was carrying me in a "Princess Carry" as we ascended. Am I embarrassed? Not at all!
If I felt shame over something like this, I would never survive in the Moonlit World!
"Bu-hi..."
"The Director seems to think you are shameless."
"A person needs to be a little brazen to make a living. It is a necessary skill for survival in society!"
"I believe that is one of Master's strong points as well."
"Don't coddle him too much, Saber. No, Caster. Anyway, setting aside everything else, that guy seems to have a lot of magical energy. If he puts in the effort, he could become a decent magus. You should try applying yourself."
"Effort, huh... I am interested."
Me, a natural-born powerhouse? No, I have some magical energy... but that's probably just because of the System. Still, if I can learn magecraft, I'd like to try. Honestly, in Isekai stories, doesn't the protagonist learn magic regardless of their class? So, I should be able to use at least one spell.
Once we finished climbing the stairs, she set me down, and we passed through the gate into the temple grounds. Hmm, the inside is more of a mess than I thought.
Boom!!!
"I didn't say the inside was clean..."
An arrow flew at us immediately. Castoria deployed a barrier, and Cú Chulainn intercepted the attack with a blast of fire. Emiya, who had been hiding behind the roof, leaped out and stood atop it.
"You brought quite a crowd. And you are..."
"..."
"...Different from the Saber I know. Regardless, I cannot let you pass. That is my role."
He flinched slightly upon seeing Castoria, but he wasn't shaken that much. Does waiting for your lover in the afterlife give you that much courage? I immediately activated the system. Using 3 Saint Quartz to summon an Existing Servant.
I sent a telepathic message to Castoria asking her to act out the summoning ritual. She immediately began drawing a magical circle and chanting.
"Oh God, please forgive our sins."
[Th-this is a Servant Summoning!? Even for a Caster, doing it on the spot like this!?]
Come forth...!
Paaaaaaat!!!
"Nyahahahaha! It's Showtime~!!!"
A Wild Jaguar Man Appeared...!
"Wh... Th-That's a Divine Spirit!?"
[A Divine Spirit!? Th-this reaction is a genuine Divine Spirit!? What is with that ridiculous appearance!?]
She may look ridiculous, but she is strong. Though a minor deity, she is a War God who governs war and combat. Even in Babylonia (Singularity 7), other goddesses acknowledged her strength, and even Gilgamesh admitted her combat power exceeds that of his Caster form (The Wise King).
Even her vessel, Taiga, possesses kendo skills on par with Ryougi Shiki—a natural-born powerhouse. If she had been Medea's Master, she would have put up a good fight even against Saber.
Unlike other pseudo-Servants, she was chosen purely for her physical specs, so her strength goes without saying. And...
"Fuji-nee...?"
To Emiya, she is family—someone he has known longer than Kiritsugu. The reason Emiya Alter became so broken was that he had to kill Taiga with his own hands. And because he couldn't even achieve vengeance for that, he shattered completely.
In short, she is his "Reverse Scale"—a trigger even more sensitive than Rin, Sakura, or Illya. Because she is the family he shares the deepest bond with.
"Hmm~? It's Emiya! My, my, surely we aren't enemies today! Yesterday's friend is today's enemy! What a tragedy~ Though that is the way of Heroic Spirits! Still, it's Jaguar Man's Special Service Ti~me! If you surrender and withdraw now, I'll let you go!"
"....What an absurd prank, Saber. No, Caster."
Though I was the one who arranged it. Jaguar Man is strong. Plus, she's a character I loved enough to feed Holy Grails to. Her artwork, even for an Aotsuki design, came out quite well. Unlike Parvati, she actually feels like "That is definitely Taiga!" By the way, I dislike Parvati. Her character is fine, but the game art doesn't look like Sakura; it looks like a completely different character.
"Not going to back down?"
"...I have a duty to uphold."
Multiple swords were projected into the empty air. Is that a glimpse of Unlimited Blade Works...?
Soon, the swords flew toward me. My, my, trying to turn me into a skewer? Killing the Master first—a textbook judgment. I kept my hands in my pockets and watched the incoming blades. In the next instant, moving at a speed invisible to the naked eye, Jaguar Man swung her club and deflected them all.
Even amidst the explosions caused by the swords activating as Broken Phantasms, Jaguar Man remained unharmed.
"Targeting the Master... truly despicable. Do you have no warrior's pride...? Shirou."
"......"
"Well, fine. If that is how you want to play, I will face you seriously."
Jaguar Man's atmosphere changed. Her playfulness vanished, replaced by a solemn intensity. The intimidating pressure I felt earlier from Heracles radiated from her now. And it was directed solely at Emiya.
With a sonic boom, Jaguar Man charged at incredible speed. She swung her club—no, the "Jaguar Stick"—and Emiya was sent flying as the strike connected. As he was launched, an explosion erupted from the club, slamming him into the ruined temple.
"That was the Jaguar Dynamite~. Got anything else to show me? Cherry Boy."
Clang!!!
"Nyahaha~ Come to think of it, you weren't single, were you~? But listen here... you lack spirit!"
Boom!!!
Emiya burst from the debris, wielding Kanshou and Bakuya, but Jaguar Man blocked them effortlessly. She parried his strike, pushed him back, and immediately followed up with a dropkick that buried him back into the rubble.
She may look funny, but she is a Divine Spirit. Even as a lower-ranking Divine Spirit, she is a monster whose combat power didn't lose out to the Three Goddess Alliance. She was simply a War God in "Enjoyment Mode." They call her low-rank only because she's minor. As a God of War, her strength is a given.
It's a classic trope. In Isekai stories, there are many types of goddesses, but she fits the archetype of the "gag character who joins the party and turns out to be insanely OP." Though, unlike a certain Konosuba goddess, she's actually useful.
"Boring. Disappear now."
"..."
"The brownies you made... were delicious."
Kaboom!!!!
With that final emotional critical hit and physical strike, Emiya vanished. Saint Quartz obtained.
After all, Heroic Spirit Emiya comes from a timeline where he left Taiga behind to pursue his ideals alone. He has no right to complain about getting beaten up.
I went easy on the mental attacks, though. I didn't want to arouse too much suspicion. Making Jaguar Man say more would have been too cruel. I let him off the hook because his back looks cool.
"That was too easy~ He was weak because he only ever cooked in the kitchen!"
"Good work."
"Aha~! I am Jaguar Man, your Jaguar Man, after all! In that spirit, today we're having a meat party-nya~!"
Cat-speak, huh? Well, a jaguar is a feline. Cute.
[Uh, Dumpty-kun... That Servant, is she your Servant?]
"Artoria summoned her, so she counts as my Servant. Probably?"
[...]
"Mash can't do things like that, right?"
"No..."
"It's okay. Mash is a beautiful girl! That alone gives her sufficient value!"
"That doesn't really comfort me."
"Summoning a Divine Spirit..."
Doctor Roman and Cú Chulainn were looking at me with suspicious eyes. I glossed over it for now, but it's definitely abnormal. This is troubling. I'm really starting to look like an Isekai protagonist. There are a lot of developments like this, aren't there?
"Though, I would have been enough on my own..."
"Fufu, monopoly is bad! Besides, wouldn't Master prefer me over a child with a meager figure?"
She transformed into her Third Ascension—the Yakuza boss look—and pulled me into a side hug with one arm. As expected, she is voluptuous... Ah, I feel like I'm ascending to nirvana...
"...Is that so? My bond with him is deeper, however."
"You have to consider the length of time known, you know?"
A cat fight, is it...? Well, not bad.
"Then let's share him."
"Oh, that sounds good."
".....Pardon?"
I almost wet myself. What did you say? I haven't even done anything yet, so is this a Nice Boat ending!?
"It is a joke. You seemed to be enjoying yourself a little too much."
"Ah, yeah..."
Was that... a warning?
"Don't worry~ There's no one here who would hurt you."
Jaguar Man grinned, ruffling my hair roughly. Emiya, you fool. To leave a woman like this behind. What an idiot.