Aside from the "Shield of Courage" seemingly being integrated into the Noble Phantasm form of Aion Saiga, Leon's overall power structure hadn't changed much.
He had merely been wrapped in the shell of a Servant, which inevitably lowered his upper limit.
At the moment, the biggest weakness of Servant Leon might actually be the lowest-rank Divinity that the system had forcibly attached to him.
It was practically a hard counter for a certain blond citizen who liked standing on streetlamps.
Still—
It wasn't unwinnable.
Back then, when Berserker Heracles went berserk in rage for the sake of a little girl, he had nearly overwhelmed Gilgamesh.
In the end, Gilgamesh only managed to defeat him by exploiting the anti-divinity properties of the Chains of Heaven.
And now—
Leon's parameter sheet and Noble Phantasm loadout were far more luxurious than the Berserker-class Heracles who had already lost much of his original heroic power.
Now this…
This is a game worth playing.
Leon sighed inwardly.
While the moment was fresh, he decided to complete his daily check-in.
[System Notification! Daily check-in completed.]
[Congratulations! You have obtained: "How Copper Is Forged."]
How Copper Is Forged
Type: Book
Content: Please read it yourself.
"…I didn't expect you to be this kind of system."
Leon mentally rolled his eyes.
Still—
despite his complaints, he immediately pulled the book from the system storage (also known as the Vault of the Gods) and began reading it with great interest—purely for critical analysis, of course.
The opening line read:
"There are three great qualities of lolis: petite bodies, softness, and easy to push down."
Leon clicked his tongue.
At first he thought it would be some kind of cursed cult text.
But surprisingly—
the content was actually rather proper.
It was basically a child-rearing guide.
At that moment—
Matou Zouken cautiously spoke.
"Um… Lord Berserker…"
"Leon Stark Odinson."
Leon interrupted coldly.
"That name explains everything."
"Do not ask me unnecessary questions."
His gaze fell disdainfully upon the old magus.
"And remember this, old worm."
"My Master is not you."
"Wh—"
Though resentment burned inside him, Matou Zouken had lived long enough to suppress it.
He could bow, abandon dignity, even grovel—
if it meant obtaining the Holy Grail.
But that wasn't the important part.
The important part was this:
The Servant before him claimed to be a god.
And judging from the name Odinson, he was supposedly a direct descendant of Odin, the king of the Norse gods.
That was absurd.
In theory, an ordinary Servant Saint Graph could never support the descent of a true god.
At best, Servants were heroes with connections to gods.
Trying to force a full divine spirit into a Servant vessel would be like installing a fighter jet engine into a toy airplane.
As one of the three founders of the Holy Grail War system, Zouken could not comprehend how the summoning circle he personally designed had managed to summon such a being.
There was only one possible explanation:
The god had voluntarily lowered himself to answer the call.
But why?
Surely not just for amusement…
Zouken immediately dismissed that ridiculous thought.
Meanwhile—
Matou Kariya walked toward Leon, clutching his left arm that had already gone numb.
He seemed about to say something—
but suddenly his legs gave out.
He collapsed directly to his knees in front of Leon.
The three of them—
Kariya, Leon, and Sakura, who sat between them on Leon's lap—
stared at one another.
The atmosphere instantly shifted from tragic to awkward.
"Uncle Kariya…"
Even without light in her eyes, Sakura's questioning gaze filled Kariya with shame.
He couldn't bring himself to meet her eyes.
"How disgraceful."
Leon flicked his finger.
A golden sphere of divine power separated from Aion Saiga on his wrist.
The glowing orb shot directly into Kariya's mouth.
Instantly—
healing runes activated.
Kariya felt warm energy spread through his entire body—like being embraced by a mother.
Golden light spread across his skin, making his flesh appear nearly translucent.
Then—
Under Zouken's stunned gaze—
Kariya began to grow younger.
His gray hair returned to black.
The deep wrinkles carved into his face faded until they were almost invisible.
Although he hadn't fully returned to the perfect health he once had before the Crest Worm implantation, he had recovered nearly completely.
His lifespan—
which had been reduced to barely one month remaining—
suddenly expanded again.
More than ten years of life flowed back into his body.
Though the Crest Worms continued to drain it rapidly.
"A miracle…"
"This is a true miracle!"
Zouken's mind trembled with excitement.
Then—
as expected—
Leon crushed him again with telekinesis.
Squish.
"Old worm," Leon said flatly.
"You talk too much."
This time—
not only the worms forming Zouken's body—
but every worm in the basement exploded simultaneously, releasing disgusting fluids.
Which Leon instantly froze solid before the smell could spread.
"Thank you… Berserker."
Feeling much better, Matou Kariya expressed his gratitude.
His words carried two meanings.
"Don't mention it."
"If you die too early, it'll cause trouble for me too."
"Sakura…"
Kariya hesitated.
If possible, he wanted to take Sakura down from Leon's lap.
He didn't want her to become entangled with Servants or the Holy Grail War.
She was still too young.
Too fragile.
"This child is called Sakura?"
Leon placed a large hand gently on her head.
"I like her."
"For now… she'll stay with me."
It sounded less like a suggestion—
and more like a declaration of ownership.
Kariya could only sigh helplessly.
At the very least, as long as she remained beside Berserker, Sakura would not have to suffer the torment of those disgusting worms.
Perhaps—
With his heart settling, Kariya couldn't help but feel the temptation to rely further on Leon's power.
But human morality and ethics restrained his thoughts.
Even with three Command Seals, he still felt powerless.
Then suddenly—
"Why not just ask me to kill him?"
Leon suggested casually.
"Wait—"
Kariya looked up in shock.
"Can you hear my thoughts?!"
"Isn't it obvious?"
Leon smiled meaningfully.
"I don't know the exact details… but your face shows everything you're thinking."
"Uncle Kariya's expression…"
Sakura said quietly.
"It's scary."
"What…?"
"I see…"
"I'm sorry, Sakura. Uncle scared you."
Realizing his loss of composure, Kariya hurriedly forced down the twisted hatred on his face.
He returned to the gentle expression he normally wore.
But—
…
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