In Britain, the Noble Phantasm: Divine Key

"So, what exactly do you want from me?" Shiki-kai Kairi said, arms crossed, as he withdrew his gaze from the Hydra infants displayed on the cabinet. "Let's make this clear first: if you want me to fight those monsters, I'm not going."

Rock's familiar brought back the battle report: fifty magicians, like him, who specialized in hunting, were instantly riddled with holes by black spikes that suddenly emerged from the ground. The scene sent chills down the spines of even the necromancer, who was used to death. It wasn't a battle at all; it was a one-sided massacre.

After all, the other party is a heroic spirit who has left a glorious name in history. In front of such an existence, whether it is fifty or one hundred, it is ultimately just a string of meaningless numbers.

"Don't worry, I'm not that naive." Belfinbond's lips curled into a wicked smile. "All you need to do is summon your Servants to join the battle."

"Huh?" Shishigaki's eyes twitched slightly. "Are you crazy? All seven Master slots have already been taken by Yggdrasil. How am I supposed to summon Servants?"

"That's why the Holy Grail activated its contingency plan. When all seven Masters are controlled by a single power, the Holy Grail will select seven more Masters to counterbalance them."

“Seven riders against seven riders…” Shiki-kai Jie Li pinched his brow and slowly exhaled a long breath. “It is truly a disaster in every sense of the word.”

“This is a sacred relic we prepared for you.” Belfinbond took out an ebony box from the drawer and carefully opened it. Shiki Jie Li leaned forward to take a look and saw a piece of wood inside that clearly showed signs of processing.

"This is?"

“The fragments of the Round Table are among the most precious treasures, even among the many relics under the Clock Tower’s control,” Belphebon said with a smile. “King Arthur goes without saying, but Lancelot, Galahad, Gawain, Tristan, Persval… whoever they are, as Servants, each of them possesses impeccable renown and strength. This is a gift we specially prepared for you.”

"Ha, I'm truly grateful." Shizi Jieli took the ebony box without any hesitation. "Then, according to the rules, let's pay the deposit first."

Belfinbond's expression stiffened slightly: "It's okay to give it to me after the job is done, right?"

"I don't need to elaborate on how dangerous this mission was, otherwise you wouldn't have come to me." Shiki Jie Li shrugged. "So of course we have to get the spoils while we can."

"...Then what do you want?"

Lion Robber stood up from the sofa and picked up the Hydra larvae that were placed on the cabinet without hesitation.

"I want this one."

Belfinbond's expression darkened slightly, but in the end he sighed helplessly and waved his hand.

"Then I won't stand on ceremony."

Lion Robber happily placed the box containing the fragments of the Round Table and the Hydra larvae preserved in formalin into his carry-on suitcase.

"By the way, besides me, who are the other participants on our side?"

Belfinbon hesitated for a moment and said, "Originally, according to the original agreement, we were to send five people and the Holy Church would send one person, but the Holy Church changed its mind at the last minute and asked for one more person."

"Oh? Who is it?" Lion Robber asked curiously.

Belfinbond shook his head: "I don't know. Our relationship with the Holy Church has never been very good. This time, we only joined forces because of the circumstances. I only know that the Holy Church sent a man and a woman. The man seems to be a priest named Shiro, and I don't know who the woman is. I just heard that she is the successor of a certain Buddhist sect from Japan."

Unfortunately, none of them were names I'd heard of.

Lion Robber shook his head, picked up his suitcase, and turned to leave the room.

Seven against seven – the unprecedented Holy Grail War has begun.

Tolifas, Romania, World Tree Castle.

"The time has finally come."

Danic looked at the altar in front of him and sighed softly.

Sixty years of forbearance, quietly accumulating power, collecting relics, and raising the banner of rebellion against the Mage's Association—all for this day.

The only miscalculation was that information about the Holy Grail War in Fuyuki spread, leading to the disappearance of Holy Relics that could serve as catalysts all over the world. The catalysts for ancient Hero Kings, the Knight Kings wielding the strongest Holy Swords, and the Conquerors who ruled over much of the world were all lost and their whereabouts unknown. That being said, the Holy Relics he ordered his people to collect over decades were indeed sufficient to summon excellent Heroic Spirits, and were not inferior to the Holy Relics collected by the Mage's Association alone.

The activation of the preparation system was also an unexpected turn of events. But in a sense, he had anticipated this. If he controlled seven users, the Mage's Association would definitely intervene. Seven riders against seven riders—at least in terms of numbers, it was a draw.

The Masters of Yggdrasil were ready, and the four of them gathered together. Before them was a special summoning circle that Darnic had specially used to summon all the remaining Servants at once. The circle was made of a mixture of molten gold and silver, which was both luxurious and exquisite.

"Are we about to begin?"

Particles of light converged on the throne at the top, and a man dressed in a jet-black noble robe, but with a frighteningly pale face, appeared in the light. His slender body sat upright on the throne, exuding an astonishing pressure.

This is Danic's strongest trump card for this Holy Grail War—[Black] Lancer Vlad III, the most famous hero in Romania. Wherever he is, his fame is the highest, even comparable to that of the legendary demigods.

“Yes, Your Majesty.” Danic bowed respectfully.

"Then, let's begin, let's summon the heroic spirits that will become our brothers."

The Masters nodded, placed their prepared relics on the altar, took a deep breath, raised their hands engraved with Command Seals, and chanted the incantations they had long memorized.

"[--Announcement]"

You have given yourself to me, and I will give my destiny to your sword.

If you wish to rely on the Holy Grail, if you wish to follow this will and reason, you should respond to my declaration.

Although there was no rehearsal, the chanting was perfectly synchronized.

With each verse completed, the light from the magic circle intensified rapidly. The surging magical power ravaged and humiliated the four. But even Koles, the lowest-ranking among them, stood firmly and continued chanting without hesitation.

"I hereby swear that I am the one who brings about all good throughout the ages, and I am the one who spreads all evil throughout the ages."

The three stopped singing at the exact moment. Only Corles seized the opportunity and sang the extra two verses.

"—However, your eyes should be blinded by chaos. You! One who is bound by the shackles of madness, I am the one who forges them."

Despite the intense pain caused by the rampage of the magic circuits, the four still had burning passion in their eyes. After all, for magicians, witnessing this level of mystery was a rare experience.

"—You who bear the seven heavens of the three great incantations, manifest yourself from the Wheel of Restraint, guardian of Libra!"

The moment the chant ended, a fierce gust of wind swept up, and the surrounding androids quickly crouched down, while Lancer and Danic seemed to endure it as if bathed in a gentle breeze.

The intricately woven magic circle emitted a blinding light, and a miracle materialized in an instant. Heroes, whose bodies were made of human imagination but who had reached the realm of the superhuman, descended upon this place.

First to arrive was a slender girl dressed in a white dress, holding a huge warhammer that did not match her appearance at all. She had a metal horn on her forehead and her empty eyes slowly looked around.

Not Victor... Danic sighed inwardly. Apart from Gorde, he had personally given the relics to the others, so he naturally knew what kind of heroic spirits they could summon.

He gave Koles the blueprints of the legendary Frankenstein's monster. If they could summon that mad scientist and combine him with Caster Avisbro, they might be able to create an invincible army.

Unfortunately, what was summoned in the end was the mechanical android created by that scientist.

However, in terms of compatibility, she is probably the only one who is a suitable candidate for Berserker's summoning.

The second to appear was a young man wearing radiant armor, his silver-gray hair swaying gently in the warm breeze, and the greatsword on his back clearly indicating that he was Saber, the strongest class.

A smile appeared on Danic's face. Although he had not bestowed the relic upon Gorde, as the leader of the Yggdrasil race, he naturally had the right to know about it.

The legendary hero who slays the dragon has a fatal flaw, but as long as it is not exposed, he is the strongest swordsman.

Suddenly, a powerful aura, no less than that of Vlad III, spread wildly. Everyone turned their heads in unison and saw a towering figure standing on the summoning circle. The imposing aura made the surrounding androids tremble.

If summoning Siegfried before only pleased Danic, now he was practically ecstatic!

They even summoned the great heroes of Greek mythology; this war is undoubtedly their victory!

"Well--"

Just as Danic had calmed down, he suddenly heard a painful groan. He turned his head and saw Sereneka tightly gripping her trembling right hand, her beautiful face filled with pain.

"Leader, my magic... is not enough," Sereneka said with difficulty.

Danic was slightly taken aback. He had only given Sereneka a bottle containing the rationality of Roland, one of Charlemagne's twelve warriors. How could there be a shortage of magic power?

Despite his doubts, Danic acted quickly. After all, stopping at this moment would not only cause the contract to fail, but could also cause Sereneka's magic circuits to explode, or even endanger her life.

He tapped the scepter in his hand, releasing his authority. In an instant, a massive amount of magic surged into Sereneka's body, making her complexion ease slightly.

As magic surged in, the summoning circle burst forth with a bright light. Amidst the howling wind, an astonishing aura, no less powerful than Lancer and Archer's, spread out, causing the entire [King's Chamber] to tremble slightly.

Danic was completely stunned. Such a violent commotion proved that the newcomer was definitely no ordinary follower. Could it be Charlemagne, the one who unified France?

He inexplicably felt a sense of unreality. Could it be that his accumulated good karma of ninety-seven had suddenly come to fruition? How could he suddenly summon so many powerful Servants?

The dazzling light faded into a hazy glow, revealing a handsome young man with black hair and black eyes.

"Black Rider, Anan, heed the summons, and ask yourself..."

His gaze slowly swept over the crowd, his slender frame exuding an aura that commanded respect, just like Lancer's—the majesty of a king.

"Are you my companions?"

Chapter Two: The Amazing Rider

“Anan…”

The crowd exchanged bewildered glances. They had never heard of this name before, whether in history or mythology. However, judging from the other party's imposing presence, this heroic spirit must be someone of great renown.

Could it be a fake name? Subconsciously, they had the same thought as Kenneth back then.

“I am not a hero of your world.” Yanan glanced around, pausing briefly on the towering figure, before continuing, “In a way you can understand, you can think of me as King Arthur of another world.”

King Arthur!?

Everyone was instantly jolted, and a look of horror appeared in their eyes.

In terms of both fame and strength, King Arthur can be considered an absolute top-tier heroic spirit. Before this, none of them expected that they would actually summon this legendary king.

Danic was trembling with excitement. The great hero of Greece and the king of Britain could summon two top-tier Servants in an instant. Could it be that he had truly been blessed by the heavens?

After the initial excitement, Danic suddenly felt a little doubtful: could the Holy Grail really summon heroic spirits from another world?

"Heh, no need to make a fuss, Danic. The Throne of Heroes exists independently of time and space. Even if it summons a Heroic Spirit from another world, it's just a perfectly normal thing," Vlad III chuckled.

“I apologize, Your Majesty, I was ignorant.” Danic bowed slightly to Vlad III.

Yanan glanced at Danic. Even Kenneth, a member of the Color Rank, knew about the Throne of Heroes, while this patriarch of the Yggdrasil Clan knew nothing about it. This alone showed how much of Danic's Grand Rank was genuine.

“It’s alright.” Vlad III rose from his throne, his majestic gaze sweeping over the crowd. His voice was deep as he said, “Welcome, esteemed Heroic Spirits who have traveled from afar. I am Vlad III, King of Romania, and also the Black Lacner of this Holy Grail War. I’m sure you are all well aware of the current situation, so I won’t elaborate. Although we will inevitably clash, I hope that before that, you can join hands, fight side by side, and achieve our ultimate goal.”

Saber Siegfried nodded expressionlessly, while Berserker Frankenstein scratched his head, grabbed Caules's arm, shook it gently, and let out a low growl that was difficult to decipher.

"Ah...you're asking for my opinion?" The timid-looking Corles was somewhat flattered. She had always been the background to highlight her sister Fiore, and this was the first time someone had cared about her thoughts.

He scratched his head and said, "Well... anyway, let's defeat all the guys on the red team first."

"Roar." Frankenstein nodded, and as if to prove her strength, she raised her slender forearm and made a muscle-squeezing motion.

This comical action made Koles burst out laughing.

"Roar!!" Thinking that Koles was mocking him, Berserker couldn't help but kick him in embarrassment and anger, and turned around angrily.

"Ah! I'm so sorry, I didn't mean to laugh at you, Berserker," Koles said awkwardly, clutching his shin where he'd been kicked.

As expected, Group B is where true love comes from... Yanan shook his head with a smile, then turned to Vlad III: "I have no objection either."

“Very good.” Vlad III nodded in satisfaction. “I look forward to our final battle, King Arthur from another world.”

After speaking, Vlad III turned his gaze to the towering man. The only ones who could be considered his opponents here were Archer and Rider.