Why bother with the Holy Grail War? Let's play cards!

"That's quite interesting. Let's talk about it when we have a chance. Now that we're done, you should go to bed early." Enthusiasm faded quickly. Feeling sleepy, Jiang You stopped thinking about playing cards with Baimao and quit the game.

Chapter 39 Kenneth: A miracle can be obtained through a single draw, but isn’t the upper limit of the card pool five stars?

"It's still not enough." Tohsaka Tokito rubbed his nose repeatedly while looking at the account in his hand. But the financial shortfall, like his worries, could not be dispelled.

Since the family practices gem magic, most of the Tōsaka family's wealth is used to purchase gems. The repair costs of the Tōsaka residence destroyed by Romulus have not yet been paid, and then the magical explosion at the port follows.

As the de facto administrators of Fuyuki, the Tōsaka family was responsible for a significant portion of the church's funding for dealing with the aftermath of the magecraft incident. Therefore, the exorbitant cost of handling the devastating explosion the day before yesterday fell on Tōsaka Tokitoki. Even if he sold all his gemstones at full price, it wouldn't fill the hole, and even the support the Zenjo family was willing to provide wouldn't be enough.

Now that the Tōsaka family's finances have run into serious trouble, he has begun to consider whether he should wish for wealth from the Holy Grail if he can win the Holy Grail War.

In addition, his overly arrogant Servant, Gilgamesh, has been out of contact for two days. Ever since he was defeated by Caster named Jiang You, no matter how Tōsaka Tokichi called him, he did not respond. If the connection between the Command Seals and the Servant had not disappeared, he would have thought that Gilgamesh had been eliminated.

Moreover, his apprentice and partner in this Holy Grail War, Kotomine Kirei, had suddenly submitted his resignation last night, stating that he was withdrawing from the Holy Grail War for the sake of mapo tofu. He wanted to try all the localized Japanese mapo tofu before traveling to the great Eastern nation of Nishikawa to taste the most authentic mapo tofu. This reason made Tōsaka Tokitoki wonder if he had been struck by some kind of suggestion.

Even Kotomine Kirei gifted Caster the Command Seals that controlled Assassin. This caused Tōsaka Tokitoki to worry about a Heroic Spirit suddenly jumping out and stabbing him when he went to the bathroom. Oh, in this case, it was someone who suddenly jumped out and played cards with him.

Does this Caster have some kind of enchanting skill? Are his abilities a bit strange?

"What a misfortune." When Chen summoned Gilgamesh, he almost thought that the Holy Grail War had been won, but he found that he had underestimated the legendary figure. Whether it was Lancer who easily blocked Gilgamesh's attack, or the mysterious Caster, they all had the ability to win. So now, not only was his chances of winning slim, but he was also heavily in debt.

Just when Tohsaka Tokito was thinking about how to make money, the Command Seal suddenly became hot, and an abnormal magical power came from the direction of Mount Enzo.

"The direction of the spiritual vein, and Gilgamesh. What happened?" A bad premonition welled up in Tōsaka Tokitoki's heart. It seemed that something was about to happen. As the manager of the spiritual vein, he had to go and take a look.

In the Hyatt Hotel, Weber was writing furiously. His teacher Kenneth had just assigned him a study task that was beyond the normal level, and he would not be allowed to eat if he did not complete it on time.

After working his way through a magic problem, Weber collapsed on his desk in frustration. He had been studying for eight hours straight, and Kenneth hadn't even prepared lunch for him.

At just the right moment, a plate of fruits and vegetables was placed in front of him. "Lancer!"

Waver saw who was coming and carefully looked around. After confirming that his teacher hadn't come over, he asked Romulus tentatively, "Is it really okay for me to eat this? You won't tell Teacher Kenneth, will you?"

Romulus is Kenneth's servant. Waver doesn't know much about him and is worried that Kenneth is testing him.

"Don't worry, this is my own idea. Rider has handed you over to me, and Rome will naturally protect you." Romulus was not rigid. He agreed very much with the saying that if you are not full, you will not have enough strength.

Waver then grabbed the fruit and began to tuck into it. Kayneth had left early today with his fiancée, Sora, and was unlikely to return. "Thank you, Lancer, but don't you need to protect the teacher? He's still participating in the Holy Grail War. You have to be careful of the other contestants, right? And it seems to me that the teacher isn't that eager for victory anymore."

"Your teacher's strength is truly exceptional among magicians. If there were nothing restraining him, he would be the strongest competitor in this Holy Grail War. You don't need to worry about him."

A series of questions brought Romulus' thoughts back to yesterday.

"Lancer, actually the Servant I should have summoned is not you, right?" After settling Waver and waiting for Sora to fall asleep, Kenneth brought Romulus to the rooftop of the hotel and asked his doubts.

"Yes, Master, you have also seen the future revealed by Caster's Noble Phantasm. According to your holy relic, you should have summoned Dimurdo, but Kiritsugu Emiya mistakenly summoned Caster, so Romulus appeared here." Romulus patiently explained.

"Lancer, what are you still hiding from me? You should know that's not what I meant." Kayneth shook his head. He had already noticed something was wrong from the previous duel. "My magic power is simply not enough to support the purity of your spiritual base. Or rather, with a spiritual base of your size, no other magician can provide the magic power you require."

Kenneth had been known as a child prodigy since childhood, his consistent successes leading him to become incredibly proud and complacent. However, the duel with Waver dampened his spirits, calming him down a bit. After regaining his composure, he began analyzing his previous experiences. "During the previous battle at the Tōsaka residence, you were protecting Caster, right? Archer wanted to avoid Caster's Noble Phantasm, but you forced Archer to accept the duel."

Kenneth walked along the edge of the rooftop, gathering his thoughts as he walked. "Archer, as the oldest Hero King, you're incredibly arrogant towards other Heroic Spirits and even Masters, but you've restrained yourself towards me. You're far more than just the First King of Luo. Lancer, I know that with your strength, no known magician in the world, save for that unknown Mage Marshal, could be your match. If you harbored ill will towards me, it wouldn't even take a second to kill me. I was merely satisfying my curiosity."

"Master, please open the concealing barrier."

Romulus pondered for a moment and gave his answer.

Kenneth had turned this hotel into his temporary magic workshop, so the safety factor was self-evident. However, he still listened to his servants and opened a few additional barriers.

The golden armor representing Quirinus appeared above Romulus, and its momentum alone almost broke through the blockade of the barrier.

"Rome, visiting with [Crown]."

Chapter 40: Has the Holy Grail War Ever Been Normal?

"Hahahaha, as expected, even the Throne of Heroes has to acknowledge my talent." After hearing the pinnacle of Heroic Spirits say that only he was the most suitable candidate to summon the Grand Champion in this Holy Grail War, Kenneth laughed heartily.

"Hasn't this already been won? I really want to see the expressions of the other masters after they know the truth." Kenneth knew that Romulus couldn't take direct action due to various reasons, and couldn't even explain the reason for his appearance in the world. He was relieved because his vanity had been satisfied.

"That's enough, Lancer. You are free to act on your own from now on."

His own heroic spirit was too powerful and had a special mission. This made Kenneth lose his competitive spirit and decided to enjoy this hard-earned leisure time with his fiancée.

"Teacher Kenneth told me to be careful of sneak attacks from other magicians, but he himself was strolling around leisurely. I should be the one to withdraw from the Holy Grail War!" Waver let out a long sigh. The usually rigid Kenneth seemed to have changed his personality and was playing romance with Sora, while he was here suffering from tutoring.

"Rome wasn't built in a day. Your hard work now paves the way for the future. Your future is built on the accumulation of your present." Romulus encouraged Waver in his own way. "Aren't you looking forward to meeting your future students again?"

"I always feel that the future will be even more difficult..." Waver collapsed to the ground helplessly. "And Lancer, your Noble Phantasm really has the power to build a city in a day, right? Do you think this proverb is true?"

"This is Rome!" Romulus gave an answer that ordinary people could not understand.

Just when Weber was about to complain again, a special energy wave spread out from somewhere.

Romulus stood up suddenly, but in his haste he failed to control his strength and almost collapsed the floor.

"Archer's spiritual response has disappeared! And this is..."

Weber saw an unusually solemn expression on Romulus's face. This was the first time he saw tension in this powerful heroic spirit.

About three hours ago.

"Hahahahahaha! I am the only one who reigns supreme in the world!" Gilgamesh, riding an arcade motorcycle and wearing a black jacket and other modern clothes, looked at the scoreboard on the arcade screen that marked the No. 1 ranking and let out his signature laugh. He decisively entered "HERO KING" to represent his own code name.

The tourists around him all cast caring glances at him, but with Jin Shanshan's personality, he didn't feel embarrassed at all, and he didn't bother to care about what ordinary people thought of him.

"So where should I leave my name next?" Gilgamesh looked around, but found that every game and challenge had been occupied by his name. He had no interest in things that he had already won first place in.

"Boring." Gilgamesh, leaving the arcade, kicked the can away, letting it dissolve into a meteor. Ever since his defeat to Jiang You, Gilgamesh had been resentful. But he didn't seek revenge directly against Caster. Romulus's arrival as a crowned figure weighed heavily on his mind. Romulus had clearly intended to protect Caster; there must be some special connection.

Gilgamesh found an opportunity to meet Romulus, but Romulus did not give an accurate answer. He just asked him to follow Jiang You's Noble Phantasm in the Holy Grail War, or not to launch a fatal attack on Jiang You.

"It's like being a babysitter. When did the title of Crown become so devalued?" Gilgamesh bought several of the finest desserts with his gold and ate them as he walked, trying to dispel his depression. "Even I can't know the truth. What's going on?! Humph, if I were to descend as a Caster, I'd also be eligible for the title of Crown!"

The more Jin Shanshan wanted something but couldn't get it, the more he wanted it.

Romulus refused to speak, and he was too embarrassed to ask Caster. This left Gilgamesh's curiosity unsatisfied.

Gilgamesh wasn't some Heroic Spirit who sat still. After much deliberation, he came up with a good idea. "Since this is the Holy Grail War, there must be something they're seeking from the Holy Grail. The Holy Grail was able to attract that damned Caster and even the Grand Lancer, so there must be something special about it. All we need to do is start with the Holy Grail."

Gilgamesh didn't bother asking his Master, Tōsaka Tokitoki, for advice. He simply pulled out a Noble Phantasm capable of exploration from the King's Treasury. After injecting magic power into it, the Noble Phantasm quickly gave feedback.

A magical reaction similar to that of the Holy Grail came from the cave in Yuanzang Mountain, and there seemed to be something unknown in the cave.

"Hehehe, I knew it wouldn't be that simple." Gilgamesh praised his own cleverness. Now that he had a direction to explore, he didn't stop and walked straight towards the Holy Grail.

However, he still had a few questions in his mind: Why did the Greater Holy Grail react before the Lesser Holy Grail appeared? This unusual result made Gilgamesh quicken his pace.

"Has Ai Li already separated from the Little Holy Grail!?" Kiritsugu received a call from Eubusta Kuhaid (hereinafter referred to as Ahad), the head of the Einzbern family. It was only after Jiang You's repeated requests that this old-fashioned old man accepted this method of communication.

"That's great!" Emiya Kiritsugu couldn't help but shout with joy. "Thank you, Master Ahad."

"You have Lord Caster to thank. Also, Irisviel is on her way to Fuyuki, carrying the medium of the Lesser Holy Grail." Ahad's tone was as flat and mechanical as a machine. "Finally, I have a very important piece of news."

Ahad calmly said something that made Emiya Kiritsugu lose his composure: "According to your information, two Servants have been eliminated. However, after inspection, no soul was collected in the Lesser Holy Grail. To be precise, there was once a remnant of the aura of a soul, but it has now disappeared."

"What's going on..." Kiritsugu knew that the Holy Grail's essence was to collect the souls of Servants, using six or even seven of them to simultaneously return to the inner world and open a hole. The immense amount of magical power that overflowed from the hole would then fulfill the wish. Without souls, the Holy Grail couldn't function properly.

"But the ritual is still going on, and the Holy Grail War can continue, which means that the servants' souls have not returned to the other world. In other words, something has taken away the souls that should have been collected by the Holy Grail." As an android who wants to continue the inheritance of the Third Law, Ahad's knowledge of the soul can be called an expert. He analyzed the possible cause of all this early on.

"Let me see what medicine is sold in this holy grail!" Gilgamesh looked at the plaque with the words "Ryudo Temple" and took his first step.

Chapter 41: Defense Arrives

"My foreign friend, would you like to visit Ryudo Temple?" The abbot of Ryudo Temple showed a business-like smile in front of Gilgamesh. The passers-by around him also cast their eyes on the blond young man, as if they were curious about his exotic appearance.

Gilgamesh stared at the abbot in front of him with a frown.

"If necessary, I can lead the way for you." The abbot said enthusiastically, "You want to lead the way for Gilgamesh."

In response, he was shot with more than ten Noble Phantasms. In an instant, the abbot and most of the passers-by were shot to death by the Noble Phantasms, and the bright red blood dyed the floor of Ryudo Temple red.

The surviving pedestrians screamed in fear and rushed out of the temple.

"It's like something that was eaten and then spit out. How disgusting!" The golden ripples slowly faded away, and Gilgamesh put away his contemptuous expression.

Gilgamesh could clearly sense that, aside from the few who came to worship, most of the creatures here were merely remnants of their former selves, their inner selves twisted to the point of making him sick. He ignored the consequences of such a high-profile cleanup and headed straight for the hidden entrance to the cavern beneath the mountain, hidden within Ryudo Temple.

The further he went in, the more frightened Gilgamesh became. The entire cave seemed to have turned into a nest of some kind of creature. Creatures that did not exist in reality were scattered all over it. From their appearance, one could roughly tell that they were originally creatures such as cats, dogs, and birds.

"Ah, welcome, welcome. I thought people would only come after you had decided the winner. Please sit anywhere. Please forgive me for the poor hospitality." A slightly huge figure in the center of the spiritual vein extended an invitation to Gilgamesh.

Gilgamesh looked in the direction of the voice, his red pupils shrinking suddenly. "How is this possible!?"

A gigantic creature lay crouching on the spiritual vein. Its upper body resembled a woman's, its head crowned with horns reminiscent of various creatures. Its massive lower body resembled the sum of all beasts, with several pairs of various limbs scattered throughout. Its three enormous tails resembled scars left by a world burned by flames, connecting to a deep, painful path that led nowhere.

"This spiritual reaction is Beast!" Gilgamesh unfolded his own royal treasure house without any hesitation.

Under the cover of golden light, he held a strangely shaped long sword in his hand.

Enuma Elish

This time, there was no foreshadowing or pre-battle declarations. This time, Gilgamesh used all his strength to unleash the "Star of Creation of Heaven and Earth!"

A red magic storm, accompanied by a terrifying attack powerful enough to tear apart space, ravaged the entire underground cave, engulfing the Beast.

"Don't be so excited. But I refuse your invitation to a duel." The woman's laughter sounded on the spot. Gilgamesh's attack seemed to be blocked by something, and his proud sword of separation did not cause any damage.

"Is this the effect of Caster's Noble Phantasm!?" A strong sense of disobedience swept over Gilgamesh's heart, and he began to look through the knowledge and instructions brought by Jiang You's Noble Phantasm in his mind.

"This is impossible. The range of this Noble Phantasm covers the Seven Knights of the Holy Grail War and their Master. How could you do that!" Gilgamesh began to inject magic power into the Sword of Separation again. Since the opponent refused to duel, the next attack would not fail.

"Don't think I don't know your little tricks." Beast pointed with his slender hand, and the burning hairs on his tail fell down, transforming into human and animal-like monsters that rushed towards Gilgamesh.

Gilgamesh snorted coldly, and the King's Treasures were deployed to block the monster's attack. "You know what? Even without the spiritual foundation of the crown, I can still take the Beast's head away as a trophy!"

Now Gilgamesh finally understood why a Grand Servant had descended. A Beast had actually appeared in this Holy Grail War. However, a major question remained: this Beast was clearly not fully formed. Why didn't Romulus, the Grand Servant, immediately eliminate it? This didn't make sense.

But it didn't matter. The Sword of Separation was ready for its second attack. Gilgamesh was about to call out the True Name of his Noble Phantasm once more, unleashing it.

At this moment, an ox cart carrying lightning crashed into him. Gilgamesh just glanced at it with the corner of his eye, and the Heavenly Chain blocked the ox cart and the driver on it.

The opportunity was fleeting. Gilgamesh only paused for a few milliseconds to operate the Heavenly Chain, and two more ox carts crashed into him.

Gilgamesh finally saw the human figure on the oxcart, "Rider!?"

Then, a giant hand grew out of Beast's body, breaking through the air with the volley of Noble Phantasms, and grabbed Gilgamesh's hand holding the Sword of Separation.

The scale of the beast's spiritual base is much larger than that of an ordinary heroic spirit. The Beast's A-level strength completely suppressed Gilgamesh and tore his arm off.

Gilgamesh's severed limbs and the Sword of Separation fell to the ground and were quickly dragged away by the monsters, taking them to an unknown place.