This man is a Master???
Hearing this, Iskandar's first reaction was that his Master had been scared silly.
After all, any Master participating in the Holy Grail War knew very well how big the gap was between Servants and magi.
The difference was simply too great. In a normal Holy Grail War, if a Servant encountered a Master without a Servant, they could basically kill them in two or three moves.
But, Waver seemed to have calmed down a lot, which meant...
"Master, are you serious?"
"Yeah... thinking about it carefully, the fact that we couldn't see his stats, and that subtle feeling earlier, can be explained."
"The most unexplainable thing now is—why does this person have the power to easily kill a Servant?! I remember that even the Lords of the Clock Tower only have a few people who can defeat Servants, but almost no one can easily instakill one!"
............
At the same time, Emiya Kiritsugu also confirmed one thing.
The stinging pain from the Command Spells just now was definitely not an illusion.
That man is not a Servant holding the Caster class; he is essentially a magus.
Although he didn't know why this magus had the power to fight Servants, after knowing the opponent wasn't a Servant, Emiya Kiritsugu felt his vigilance toward the Caster team rise by at least two levels.
"This man is actually a Master... this is trouble."
"Yes, if he is a Master, it means Caster has actually been hiding in the dark without acting."
Saber, scanning the surroundings vigilantly, said to Emiya Kiritsugu and Hisau Maiya.
"Kiritsugu, and Miss Assistant, you absolutely cannot stray too far from me. The probability of the battle between Archer and that man spreading to us is small, but Caster could launch magical attacks at you from elsewhere at any moment."
"I have Magic Resistance and don't fear bombardment by grand magecraft, but if the opponent bombards this area directly, I may not necessarily be able to get you two out of the battlefield safely."
"No, that's not what I'm worried about right now. That Caster guy might not necessarily act. What really gives me a headache is... that man's identity as a Master."
Exhaling a breath of turbid air slightly, Emiya Kiritsugu looked coldly at the wharf that had been bombarded beyond recognition and spoke to the Servant beside him.
"If this man were just a Servant, then whether we kill his Master or drive him into a desperate situation, there's a high probability we could kill him. Even if he communicates with his Master, the Master might not be able to activate a Command Spell in time to pull him from the battlefield. As long as we create a time lag, he might be taken out by one of your sword strikes."
"But if he is a Master, then even if he is driven into a desperate situation by the enemy, he can absolutely use a Command Spell to strengthen his body immediately. Although this strengthening cannot achieve the effect of [Spatial Transfer], combined with his concealment skills, it's enough to flee the scene."
"Incomparably tyrannical strength, the ability to leave the battlefield at any time, plus his skills in concealing himself... Sigh. Assassin is troublesome enough for Masters, but compared to this man, Assassin's meager strength and assassination skills are completely insignificant."
Listening to Emiya Kiritsugu's analysis, Artoria frowned slightly.
Before, she thought the success rate of revealing her Noble Phantasm to take him out in one shot wasn't high, and its use depended on the situation.
But after Emiya Kiritsugu, a magus skilled in special tactics, analyzed the troublesome nature of this enemy from a Master's perspective, Artoria felt the unease in her heart worsen.
In the current state, Rider has teleportation abilities. Berserker and Archer are obviously at odds. That man is still on the battlefield. Although Assassin isn't dead, he is actually the least threatening to the Saber faction. Berserker's identity is unknown, making him a potential threat.
If releasing the Holy Sword now can take out Archer and that man, then even if my identity is exposed, it shouldn't be a loss.
Caster will be finished sooner or later without a Master. The remaining Servants we need to deal with will only be Rider, Berserker, and Assassin...
"Saber, you said earlier that the timing to release the Holy Sword might not be right, but I feel—if you don't release it today, there might not be another chance."
"I agree, Kiritsugu. Archer is undoubtedly a powerful enemy for us too. Now that a strong enemy is fighting another strong enemy, later... there probably won't be this chance."
"I will prepare to release the Holy Sword. The timing... let us judge it together."
"Ah, as long as you find an opportunity, don't hesitate. Blast them with the Holy Sword."
"If we can solve these two enemies, our troubles should be much fewer afterward."
But if we don't solve them, they will inevitably pour all their anger onto us... But we are enemies to begin with. Even if we don't provoke them, both sides will have to determine a winner sooner or later, so angering the opponent isn't a big deal.
Fight, fight. It's best if you beat each other into a state of mutual destruction, making it easier for us to reap the harvest.
............
On the battlefield that had been blasted directly by Noble Phantasms, Aaron, having used a Command Spell to strengthen himself, looked at the anger on Gilgamesh's face and calmly began preparing his next offensive.
Gilgamesh is undoubtedly an invincible Servant... well, at least before Fate/Grand Order came out, he was indeed the top figure among early Servants.
But his invincibility has a prerequisite—he has to be serious.
Regrettably, for the sake of entertainment, Mr. Gilgamesh chose to seal his strongest [Serious Mode], and even turned off Sha Naqba Imuru himself to have a bit more fun.
Of course, there's nothing wrong with an OP person limiting themselves for fun, but the key problem is...
—When he gets provoked, instead of getting serious, he easily generates thoughts like 'You mongrel dare to insult this King, this King will kill you' and falls into a rage.
It is widely known that few people can keep their brains online after getting furious, especially with a personality like Gilgamesh's. It's destined that as long as he gets annoyed, he becomes easier to deal with.
After making this judgment, Aaron, already fully buffed, had sneaked back near the battlefield. When Gilgamesh fired sixteen Noble Phantasms and Lancelot knocked them all away, he seized the opportunity to swipe those familiar Noble Phantasms.
Using Knight of Owner to dominate the Noble Phantasms, Aaron threw them into his storage space, proving his theory through Gilgamesh's furious display.
Sure enough, after throwing those Noble Phantasms into the storage space, Gilgamesh flew into a rage. From this point, it could be deduced—his Noble Phantasms were indeed swiped by Aaron using this strange method.
Of course, taking these Noble Phantasms out to use against Gilgamesh... doesn't seem like a very sound method.
But no one complains about having too many Noble Phantasms; swiping them is always a good thing.
And through this action, his other strategy was also completed.
Gilgamesh is angry.
Once he's angry, things are easy to handle.
Aaron, having strengthened himself with a Command Spell, now used [Demon Armor: Incursio] to complete his armor equipping. Without holding anything back, he activated that ability.
[Ittou Shura, activate!]
[Spirit Command—Focus, Intuition, Wall, activate.]
After completing all this, Aaron, who had completed his Honkai Beast transformation, stomped one foot directly on the ground. Relying on this charging ability, he leaped behind Gilgamesh.
And the moment he revealed his killing intent toward Gilgamesh, Gilgamesh naturally sensed it—this enemy was indeed near him!
Tohsaka Tokiomi wasn't at the scene, so naturally, he couldn't sense that Aaron held Command Spells like Waver and Kiritsugu did.
So the Servants and Masters in the Archer faction still regarded Aaron as Caster.
"Caster, you have some nerve!"
Seeing the enemy appearing before him, Gilgamesh drew a Noble Phantasm longsword in extreme annoyance and poured magical energy into it.
"Heh, your nerve isn't small either, Mongrel King."
Seeing the sword strike from the enemy before him, Aaron had no intention of avoiding the opponent's movement.
Although he activated the Spirit Commands 'Focus' and 'Intuition' to boost evasion, Aaron knew very clearly that evasive action would only slow his offensive.
And right now, dodging would only make him lose this opportunity.
This opportunity born from Gilgamesh's arrogance and carelessness before seeing his full strength.
At this moment, besides the [Incursio] armor he had turned into a Noble Phantasm using Knight of Owner, Aaron also had a layer of form-fitting carapace he created using Honkai Beast armor, which was also turned into a Noble Phantasm.
However, the Noble Phantasm in Gilgamesh's hand, after being infused with magical energy, still sliced open Aaron's two layers of armor and wounded the flesh underneath.
"Hm?!"
This situation wasn't strange to Aaron, but for Gilgamesh, it was a bit off.
The Noble Phantasm he selected this time was already considered strong within the Gate of Babylon. After infusing magical energy to activate its destructive power, even if he couldn't cripple this thieving mongrel in one hit, it shouldn't have just caused slight injury.
But Gilgamesh completely didn't expect that when Aaron engaged him, besides stacking defense buffs with magical food and layering two Noble Phantasm armors, he also used the Spirit Command 'Wall' to reduce the damage he took to one-quarter for a short time.
Even though the Noble Phantasm sliced his armor and completed a detonation inside, Aaron could still rely on his Battle Continuation ability to complete the next offensive.
[Spirit Command, Valor, activate!]
"Whale-Slaying Tyrant Fist!"
Punching toward the enemy before him, Aaron imprinted his fist directly onto Gilgamesh's chest.
The speed of this punch was simply too fast. Gilgamesh could only manage a preliminary evasion to ensure the opponent couldn't attack his head, and was forced to take this incredibly vicious blow.
With Incursio fully turned into a Noble Phantasm, the armor on Aaron's hands naturally became D-rank Noble Phantasms.
Relying on the tyrannical output of the Whale-Slaying Tyrant Fist combined with Valor, Aaron's punch shattered Gilgamesh's golden armor on the spot.
"Guh!"
Gilgamesh, whose armor was blown apart in one hit, wasn't seriously injured thanks to the armor's protection, but the anger in his heart burned even fiercer.
This mongrel stole this King's treasures, dared to oppose this King, and even shattered this King's golden armor?
"You mongrel! How dare you! Enkidu!"
Accompanied by the Golden King's shout, chains bearing the same name as his friend shot toward Aaron from all directions.
Even though Aaron condensed solid ice under his feet as a stepping stone, he was still bound by these iron chains the moment before he could hit Gilgamesh.
And in the next instant, everyone present saw that scene.
After the chains locked Aaron's body from all directions, dozens of golden ripples appeared nearby, firing terrifying Noble Phantasms.
The power of these Noble Phantasms just by throwing wasn't enough to pierce Aaron's armor in one hit, but when the number of Noble Phantasms reached a certain level, Aaron's body was pierced regardless.
Looking at the impaled man, Emiya Kiritsugu made a throat-slitting gesture to Artoria.
Understanding the meaning immediately, Artoria secretly began releasing the Golden Sword, preparing to charge her Noble Phantasm.
"Ha, for a mongrel, you've worked hard enough."
Looking at the man before him, Gilgamesh regained his previous arrogance and looked at Aaron with a sneer.
"Against you, there is no need to use Ea."
[King, something is wrong, please...]
[Shut up! Tokiomi! This King just defeated the enemy who shamed him. Are you telling me to retreat at a time like this?]
"Right, not using that sword... Ha, haha... You are stupid beyond reach!"
*Crack!*
[Spirit Command, Guts, activate.]
Using Guts to completely repair the injuries on his body, Aaron broke free from the chains directly. Taking Gilgamesh by surprise, he yanked him to his side.
"Idiot, I don't have Divinity. Did you think this stuff could hold me? I let you think you won on purpose!"
Giving Gilgamesh and Tohsaka Tokiomi no chance to react, Aaron focused his power on the top of his head, causing the mask of Incursio on his face to shatter instantly.
Simultaneously, Aaron, in his Honkai Beast form, condensed power atop his head, causing a mask resembling Honkai Beast armor to appear.
Except this mask was different from the previous one.
On the forehead of the mask, Aaron grew a sharp long horn.
"Wearing armor on your body but not your head? Die, dumbass!"
An incredibly swift strike.
Regrettably, before he completed that strike, Tohsaka Tokiomi had already activated a Command Spell.
But because Gilgamesh still held the thought 'If you dare use a Command Spell, I'll make you pay when I get back,' the teleportation was slightly delayed.
When he transported his Servant to his side with the Command Spell, Tohsaka Tokiomi realized...
—It was all too late.
The long horn atop Caster's head had easily pierced Gilgamesh's brain, pouring power into Gilgamesh's body through the wound.
After being transported back, the temperature inside Gilgamesh's body dropped extremely low; his brain and part of his blood were frozen directly.
The Spiritual Core was naturally blown up by the energy Aaron poured into the body. In other words...
Tohsaka Tokiomi's trump card, Gilgamesh, had been completely eliminated after Aaron blew his head open with one hit and finished him off with power.
"Why... did things turn out like this!"
Looking at the dissipating corpse of the Servant, Tohsaka Tokiomi couldn't accept this reality at all.
The Holy Grail War happened once every sixty years. He had finally summoned the strongest Servant and completed the layout through conspiring with his old friend Kotomine Risei.
As long as Gilgamesh performed normally, he could have taken the Holy Grail into his hands and fulfilled the Tohsaka family's long-cherished wish. Yet now...
Gone, everything is gone...
Sixty years later... he would be old and frail.
Although magi had existences with incredibly long lifespans like Matou Zouken, the Tohsaka family obviously wasn't as good at surviving as the Matou family—after all, the ancestor Nagato was long gone, while Makiri Zolgen, who established the Holy Grail system with him, was still alive in the world as proof.
"It's all over, so now..."
Could it be that I can only let Rin strive to compete for the Holy Grail?
"Teacher Tokiomi, please do not grieve."
At this moment, Kotomine Kirei, who knew everything through Assassin's vision, still had a very normal attitude toward Tohsaka Tokiomi because he hadn't awakened certain traits yet.
After contacting Assassin, he sent a message to Tohsaka Tokiomi.
"Assassin is still here. As long as I transfer him to you, you still have the right to compete for the Holy Grail."
"Moreover, just now, Saber released her Noble Phantasm at the remaining Caster over there. After that flash of light, Caster's body also disappeared."
"...In other words, Caster was ambushed by Saber after killing Archer?"
Hearing this news, the incredibly dejected Tohsaka Tokiomi felt he could breathe a little easier.
Caster was a powerful enemy, and now that strong enemy had been blasted away. Under these circumstances, Tohsaka Tokiomi naturally felt there was still a chance.
And Saber released a Noble Phantasm...
"Kirei, did Assassin see what Saber's Noble Phantasm looked like?"
"A golden sword. There is absolutely no mistake."
"I see... it's that King."
"To think Arthur Pendragon was a woman; truly surprising news."
"Wait, Teacher, another message came from Assassin."
"Caster's Master lured them to an uninhabited area and defeated them one after another. Those Assassins who lost contact..."
"It is very likely they were directly killed by Caster's Master."
..............
After delivering a headbutt directly to Gilgamesh's head, Aaron activated a Command Spell without any hesitation.
Among the functions of Command Spells, besides making Servants obey orders or strengthening them, they could fundamentally achieve near-magical spatial transfer.
And this was the biggest reason Aaron dared to fight head-on with Gilgamesh and the others—if he really couldn't win, he could just use a Command Spell to strengthen himself, then combine it with 'War Fog' or Incursio's invisibility to disengage.
Aaron, who had been hiding in the dark earlier, had noticed that the Ahoge King squatting over there, for some reason, not only didn't quarrel with Emiya Kiritsugu but seemed to have a sense of mutual appreciation.
So when fighting Gilgamesh, Aaron kept a mental note, just to guard against those two opponents who had reached a consensus stabbing him in the back while he fought Gilgamesh.
The final result was not unexpected. He poured power into Gilgamesh's body and used the Meta-Morph Factor to freeze Gilgamesh's body with that power.
He didn't pinpoint the Spiritual Core's location, but after causing an internal energy implosion in the enemy's body, the probability of the Spiritual Core not shattering... was actually really small.
As for Artoria's sword strike...
[War Fog, activate!]
The instant he was about to be covered by the sword light, Aaron used a second Command Spell to strengthen himself, then used Incursio's invisibility to hide his figure.
The moment before the light cannon was about to hit him, relying on the Ittou Shura effect that still had over ten seconds left and the Command Spell reinforcement, he continuously 'stepped on ice' in the air to rapidly displace himself, avoiding the fate of being bombarded by the light cannon.
After leaving the area, he pulled out the Noble Phantasms stuck in his body on the way and flew quickly to Raiden Mei's side. Only when he saw Raiden Mei...
—Appearing before him was Raiden Mei, her eyes filled with confusion and uneasiness.
But unlike the Raiden Mei of the past, the current Raiden Mei...
Was already stained with a large amount of blood.
............