Those time travelers that year

Just as Assassin's hand grasped the ruby, a rapid whooshing sound rang out, and a spear, in an instant, pierced through the base at a speed Assassin couldn't react to, pinning his hand to it.

"Ah!" Assassin screamed, instinctively looking towards where the spear had come from.

"Who gave you permission to raise your head?" an arrogant voice rang out. "You lowly worm crawling on the ground..."

More than a dozen exquisite weapons, including swords, spears, knives, and axes, rained down from the sky, mercilessly bombarding the inescapable Assassin. In his final moments, Assassin saw only a shimmering golden light and the Noble Phantasms emerging from the golden ripples behind him.

They actually said that... there's nothing to be afraid of?

His last shred of consciousness was crushed by the incoming weapon.

"You have no right to look at me. Insects should be like insects, watching themselves die on the ground." The golden tyrant stood on the rooftop, mockingly looking at the now-corpse Assassin. "Mongrel..."

——————————Divider Line——————————

"Hahahaha..." Ciel laughed loudly as he watched Assassin being blasted to smithereens by the blades in the mirror image. "Caster, that's our greatest enemy. After seeing this, do you still think this is just a stage play? Any thoughts?"

"..." Caster looked at the battlefield falling in the mirror, and after a moment of silence, he said, "It's terrifying. To be honest, even though Master had already given me Archer's information to look at before, seeing it with my own eyes is always more terrifying than what is described in the information."

“That’s just one of Gilgamesh’s standard attacks.” Charles patted the armrest of the sofa and continued, “But are you confident you can survive an attack like that?”

“…No!” Caster shook his head. “Noble Phantasms are crystallizations of magic and fantasy. So many Noble Phantasms attacking at the same time, even if they are simply launched instead of releasing their true names, is something I cannot withstand. Even if I fight them on the battlefield… if I’m not mistaken, the Noble Phantasm that killed Assassin had a special anti-magic effect.”

“So, when facing this pay-to-win player, we have to cheat to win!” Charles lowered his head, a grayish-white stone appearing in his right hand. Under the light, a winding figure was revealed within the stone. “Our victory condition lies in the Command Seals on Archer’s Master’s hand. Of course, we also need the assistance of a poor wretch on a leash. Sometimes, hatred can change a person, and similarly, revenge born from hatred will be the best motivation.”

"For other combinations, the Holy Grail War is about deciding the winner on the battlefield. It's about crushing the enemy with strength, fair and square... But in my opinion, as long as we can win, whether it's poisoning, assassination, threats, curses, sabotage, or destruction, as long as we can reach the end and become the one playing the game, then nothing else matters."

“Do you understand, Medea?” Ciel turned his head away, looking at Caster, whose face was hidden under her hood, with a mocking smile. “Can you do it? Bring me victory.”

“Of course!” Caster replied after a long silence, her voice tinged with complexity. She then slowly removed the hood from her clothes, revealing a beautiful smile on her delicate and alluring face. “As you wish, victory will ultimately be yours. The Holy Grail will belong to you, my master!”

57. Ask the mage to allocate skill points to find dried tofu.

The first night of the Holy Grail War came to an end. The brutal killing of Assassin highlighted Archer's terrifying power. Apart from Ciel, the other members believed that Assassin had become the first victim of this war. Even Assassin's Master, Kirei Kotomine, sought refuge with the Church and withdrew from the Holy Grail War.

However, both Ciel and Caster already knew that the seemingly neutral Holy Church had actually chosen to cheat and was in league with Archer's side. Assassin's death was even more of a joke; at least with Ciel's prompting, Caster, using various common small animals as familiars, still managed to discover some traces of Assassin.

The next morning, the city remained peaceful. Although the case of the serial killer was still unresolved, it didn't stop the residents of Fuyuki City from enjoying their new day as usual. The only exception was the monks at Ryudou Temple, who were all criminally detained by the Fuyuki City police on suspicion of knowing or participating in the Fuyuki City serial killings.

The incident appears to have started when a fire inexplicably broke out at Ryudou-ji Temple last night, burning down a room used for storing miscellaneous items. Traces resembling those left by a cult or a murder scene were then discovered at the fire site. Furthermore, an unidentified person recently reported that Ryunosuke Uryu, a suspect in a serial killer who had been killed, had visited Ryudou-ji Temple multiple times. As a result, the unfortunate monks were all summoned for investigation by police and government personnel, and the entire Ryudou-ji Temple was temporarily closed.

Of course, all of this is inextricably linked to Ciel. Don't be fooled by the fun the magicians and heroic spirits seem to have; in reality, the city's rulers are still ordinary people, making it incredibly easy for them to find or fabricate excuses. Like now, Ryudouji Temple appears sealed off, but in reality, it's under Caster's control. Just like history repeats itself, Caster has once again taken control of Ryudouji's ley lines, but this time, Caster is far more powerful than in the normal timeline.

At least a day later, when Ciel arrived at Ryudouji Temple, he discovered that the entire mountain and the temple itself were shrouded in something. In the original story, although Caster used Ryudouji Temple as a base, it seemed that aside from summoning a Heroic Spirit to guard the entrance, he didn't do much else. Even the defenses at Tokiomi Tohsaka's villa were far more extensive.

However, recalling the actions of the brain-dead magician who summoned Caster during the Fifth Holy Grail War explains the situation. This time, Caster, summoned by Ciel during the Fourth Holy Grail War, perfectly demonstrated the power of a top-tier spellcaster. In the established lore, Caster is comparable to or even surpasses a mage, and the abilities she displayed as a mage of the Age of Gods far exceeded Ciel's expectations. From the foot of the mountain, following the steps to the temple at the summit, Ciel sensed at least five deadly traps, and various defensive structures crisscrossed the path from the foot of the mountain to the top.

Unless they fly in from the sky, even the Saber class with the highest magic power would suffer if attacked from the ground.

"Looks like your work is going well, Caster!" After arriving at the temple, Ciel couldn't help but praise Caster, "As expected of a magician from the mythical era, you can turn an ordinary temple into a fortress in just one day."

“Thank you for your praise, Master!” Caster, still wearing her hooded cloak, slightly twitched her body in gratitude.

"Is the Noble Phantasm ready?" Ciel asked.

"Of course, my master, once you apply the ointment and use the Urn of Youth, you will possess the same power as those renowned heroes, enough to subdue the Bronze Bull of Eaetes..."

"Thank you so much, Caster!"

Together with Caster, they entered a room in the temple, where a huge, towering jar stood.

“Then let’s begin, Caster!” Charles took off his outer garment. “In order to summon the Dragon Fang Soldier who can rival a Servant as soon as possible, let’s speed things up; we don’t have much time left.”

“I understand…but, Master…” Caster hesitated for a moment, seemingly wanting to say something, but Ciel interrupted her.

“I know what you’re thinking, and I know what kind of story this Jar of Youth has held. But it doesn’t matter…” Ciel said. “This is the Holy Grail War. Even if the world calls you a traitorous witch, so what? Now you are my Servant…” Ciel looked at Caster. “…On this point, I believe in you. You said last night that you would bring me victory.”

“…Yes, my master!” Caster bowed deeply, answering with a complex tone. “By the River Styx, I will bring you ultimate victory!”

…………

……

...

.

In the story of Jason and the Golden Fleece, the heroes who had traveled from afar met with King Aeetes and tried to obtain the Golden Fleece. However, the king laughed heartily upon hearing their words, saying, "Young men, I admire your honesty. But the Golden Fleece is our national treasure, how can it be easily given away? If you truly wish to obtain this treasure, you must do two things before I will grant your request."

"First, you must be able to do something I often do. I have two divine oxen, with bronze hooves, fire-breathing nostrils, and incredibly fierce. At dawn, I drive them to plow four acres of barren land. After the clods are plowed, I scatter the teeth of a terrible dragon. By nightfall, the harvest is full of ferocious warriors who swarm at me from all sides, and I kill them one by one with my sword. Second, in the forest where the Golden Fleece hangs, a venomous dragon waits day and night. You must find a way to subdue it to achieve final success."

Hearing these chilling descriptions, the heroes were stunned. The king chuckled inwardly; he knew no one could accomplish this, otherwise, how could the national treasure remain so secure? Jason was also uncertain, but having come this far, he had no choice but to agree.

Back at their lodgings, everyone was heavy-hearted, and no one wanted to utter a word. At that moment, Medea, the king's daughter, suddenly arrived. It turned out she had been present when the king met with the heroes. Jason's heroic spirit immediately captivated her, and she decided to help her beloved at all costs. Thus, with the help of Medea's elixir, Jason subdued the Aeetes' bronze bull and defeated the dragon-toothed soldiers. Although the ending of this story, and Jason's final actions, are indeed despicable, it is precisely because of Medea's elixir that Jason, who was not particularly outstanding among the many Greek heroes, was able to subdue the Aeetes' bronze bull, a force that most heroes would rather avoid.

The Noble Phantasm manifested by this legend truly granted Ciel divine power akin to that of the valiant heroes of Greek mythology.

The Eaetes Bronze Bull, summoned using the same Noble Phantasm, is just as terrifying as the legends say.

In a clearing atop the mountain, two enormous bulls, their bodies spitting fire, roared and charged relentlessly, their bronze muscles throbbing and bulging. Their heavy hooves carved deep craters the size of washbasins into the black basalt ground, demonstrating their immense power, enough to destroy an armored vehicle. But between them, a young man in a black trench coat was wrestling with the two demonic beasts.

Compared to the two massive bulls that looked like mountains of flesh, the boy appeared thin and small. However, when facing the two bronze bulls of Eeetes that seemed to have stepped out of mythology, it was the seemingly small boy who had the upper hand.

The Fiery Bronze Bull roared incessantly, its eight enormous hooves pounding the ground with thunderous roars. The ground within a radius of several meters was shattered by its power, forming eight huge circular craters. Yet, it still could not withstand the boy's not-so-thick wrists. The flames spewing from the bull's mouth should have been enough to heat the rocks red-hot, but to the boy before him, they were like a gentle breeze, leaving his clothes completely undamaged.

Finally, as if they had exhausted all their strength, the two Eaetesian bulls began to pant heavily, and were reluctantly pulled by the boy to have a huge iron plow harnessed to them.

"Wow, that's amazing! No wonder it's a treasure from the mythological era..." The boy, Ciel, collapsed to the ground, exhausted, after harnessing the iron plow to the bronze bull of Eeetes. "...It can grant an ordinary human a power comparable to that of a Heroic Spirit."

"This is the side effect..." Charles touched his face with a wry smile.

"Master, are you not happy? You know, countless heroes and kings throughout history have longed for the miracle of rejuvenation." Caster appeared beside Ciel with a smile.

“I’m still very young, and now this makes me… well, I look like a brat who hasn’t even grown up yet.” Ciel dusted himself off and stood up. “Alright, Caster, stop laughing. Let’s hurry up and complete the next part of the ritual to summon the real Dragon Fang Soldiers! Only with Dragon Fang Soldiers who can threaten the Heroic Spirits enough can we gain a sufficient advantage in the upcoming war.”

"Of course, my master!"

58. As usual, one filler chapter.

With Caster's Noble Phantasm, the Urn of Youth, combined with the effects of Titan's Ointment, Ciel's originally ordinary body suddenly became comparable to that of a Heroic Spirit in the Holy Grail War. If expressed numerically, Ciel now possesses strength equivalent to a B+ rank. This value directly rivals, and even surpasses, Saber's current appearance as a Servant. However… the side effect is that Ciel, whose image and temperament were already somewhat effeminate, now seems, at least in Ciel's eyes, to be moving in a slightly unpleasant direction. He appears several years younger and looks even more delicate…

Of course, as a magic-based class, Ciel didn't think he could fully utilize this B+ rank power. He wasn't the teacher from the original timeline, whose enhanced body was enough to easily defeat Servants. On the contrary, if he were to engage in melee combat with Servants, it would be impossible unless he was a Caster, a class that didn't excel in strength. Others, even the Assassin with the lowest base stats, could easily thrash him in close combat. However, summoning the full version of the Dragon Fang Soldier didn't require too many conditions. Both the Eytes Bull and the Dragon Fang Soldier were part of Caster's Noble Phantasm, so as long as the process was passable, it would be fine.

After sunset, the land where the Poison Dragon had grown cracked open, and dozens, even hundreds, of warriors emerged, their bodies gray and seemingly covered in stone. Fully armed, each over two meters tall, these were the true Dragon Fang Soldiers, a far cry from the skeleton soldiers of the original timeline. While individual Dragon Fang Soldiers weren't strong enough to fight Servants, once they formed a group, unless the opposing Heroic Spirit possessed a Noble Phantasm with a wide-area attack, they would be slowly worn down to death. However, if the opposing Heroic Spirit chose to flee, these Dragon Fang Soldiers wouldn't be able to escape either.

"Phew, finally done!" Looking at the Dragon Fang Soldiers bursting from the ground, Xia Er breathed a sigh of relief. At least during the Fourth Shinobi World War, unless Gilgamesh came knocking directly on their door, even the Emperor's massive army of ten thousand might not be able to easily deal with these Dragon Fang Soldiers. As for the weakest element, the Assassins, if they dared to come, they would only be ganged up on and killed by the Dragon Fang Soldiers.

"Thank you for your hard work, Master..." Caster, who was about to say something, suddenly paused and then looked in the direction of the city.

"What's wrong, Caster?" Charles asked.

“…Just now, a surge of magical energy erupted within the city. Judging from the sensation, it's the power of a Heroic Spirit,” Caster replied. “Someone is provoking us, or rather, extending an invitation…”

"Oh! I see, I understand!" Hearing Caster, Ciel immediately recalled the tragedy of a certain class with an E-rank luck. Speaking of which, this should actually be the real opening ceremony of the Fourth Shinobi World War! "Don't worry about it. A direct confrontation would be too disadvantageous for us. Besides, the enemy won't be stupid enough to just stand by and be surrounded by Dragon Fang Soldiers. Getting involved would be pointless for us."

"I understand, Master! I'll go continue expanding our territory..."

"Wait, Master!"

"kindness?"

“Send out all the familiars.” Ciel narrowed his eyes, also turning his gaze towards the city. “Then broadcast it live; I’m still somewhat interested. This battle isn’t the final one, so have the familiars secretly follow Lancer to his Master. Also, I need to know Berserker’s whereabouts throughout the entire process.”

"Yes, Master."

…………

.........

……

...

.

Clang!

The invisible blade clashed with the spear, the whirlwind created by the swings tearing the concrete floor to shreds. No, it wasn't just the aftershocks of the weapon's collision; every step and every advance of the combatants carried a power capable of shattering the earth.

The two combatants were a blonde girl who appeared to be only sixteen years old, and a young man with a mole on his face. However, their attacks generated a force powerful enough to shatter steel.

In fact, the area where they fought had been completely destroyed, from the concrete ground to the containers on the nearby dock. The sounds of their fight carried far and wide; had it not been for someone setting up a protective barrier, the place would have been discovered long ago. At least during the day, how to cover up the damage to the dock would be a real problem for some.

However, the battle, which seemed to have lasted for quite some time, quickly took a turn. The young man wielding dual pistols used a trick to inflict an incurable wound on the blonde girl's hand, putting her at a disadvantage. Of course, at this moment, a troublemaker arrived. A chariot pulled by two black bulls, accompanied by lightning, descended from the sky, and then, the heroic spirit who arrived riding the lightning and the chariot unabashedly revealed his true name.

Iskandar the Conqueror.

……

"Iskandar the Conqueror, Artoria the Knight, Gilgamesh the Hero." Caster, who had been observing the battle from the perspective of his familiar, compared the identities of the Heroic Spirits who appeared one by one. "Lancelot the Knight of the Round Table, Diarmuid the Radiant One, and Assassin lurking in the shadows... My Master, it seems this Holy Grail War is really quite unfavorable for us! Almost half of them are kings who are famous throughout history."

"In fact, only the Noble Phantasms of those three kings can pose the greatest threat to us," Charles said. "The life of the Conqueror King was dedicated to commanding wars. In other words, compared to personally engaging in battle, Iskandar the Conqueror King was more skilled at commanding troops. A king skilled in commanding troops would not allow his army to stray from his side. Similarly, the core of the Arthurian legend is undoubtedly the sword in the stone and the sword given to him by the Lady of the Lake. The former symbolizes royal power, but it has been severed in the legend. Therefore, what we have now should be the sword in the lake..."

"The final Hero King is the strongest opponent. A Noble Phantasm used in regular battles is equivalent to the ultimate trump card of other Heroic Spirits. How could someone not have a sufficiently strong trump card?"

"So, what does 'master' mean?"

"Find an opportunity to take down Lancer. His Crimson Rose of Destruction is too much of a threat to you. However, Lancer's Class Advent is the biggest limitation for him. Without those two more famous demonic swords, Lancer can't possibly handle the full version of Dragon Fang Soldier alone..." Ciel replied, "Find an opportunity to entangle him, while I will personally deal with his Master..."

"Is Master going to launch an offensive?"

"Yes, Saber was only able to be freed after Lancer died. At least at the end of the Holy Grail War, the Noble Phantasm of that little girl who was obsessed with her dreams was really needed."

"As for the rest, do you think the King of Conquerors would team up with that King of Heroes? No, they'll be the first to want to settle things once and for all. But the outcome is that the King of Conquerors will inevitably lose... Only then will we have a chance to eliminate the King of Heroes."

“Of course!” Through Caster’s magic, Ciel turned his gaze to the berserker who appeared, emanating an ominous black aura, and said with a smile, “I’m sure a certain loser in life will be happy to cooperate with us in this regard.”

59. Talking

Wearing a hooded mantle, Matou Kariya's appearance, hidden beneath the hood, was that of a man in his fifties or sixties, with a full head of white hair and wrinkles. However, this was the price—the price for someone who had never received systematic training in magic, yet possessed the qualifications to participate in the Holy Grail War. Already possessing almost nothing, he didn't care about those things anymore, except…

“Sakura…” Matou Kariya gasped for breath, enduring the pain and weakness caused by the Crest Worms gnawing at his body. “…I won’t lose, I will…Tokiomi, Tohsaka Tokiomi.” Muttering the name that had once brought him despair time and time again, even Matou Kariya, who had grown accustomed to pain, couldn’t help but feel a pang of heartache. “…You, you have everything I don’t have, so why did you take Aoi away? Why, why, why did you oppose me time and time again? Even Aoi’s daughter, Sakura… Is magic so important to you?”

"You crave the Holy Grail so much? Then I'll grant your wish... Since you desire that cup so much, then I'll exchange it for your life... Aaaaaaahh ...

Through the Command Seals system, Kariya Matou, who shares the same perspective as the Heroic Spirit, is able to see Archer appear in the golden light. Gold and black—what an ironic contrast. Just like how it represents the difference between two people, the lofty gold and the lowly black.

"Hahahaha, Tokiomi Tohsaka, is this your trump card... cough cough cough..." Kariya Matou suddenly coughed painfully, spitting out a mouthful of foul blood. In the blood, strange-looking insects could be seen struggling in the pool. However, at this moment, Kariya Matou's expression was filled with anger and excitement. "Berserker, kill him."

……

Appearing before the four Heroic Spirits was a Berserker clad in black armor, radiating an ominous aura. A chilling killing intent emanated from his blood-red helmet. Even watching from a distance through Caster's magic, Ciel felt a sense of unease; this sense of danger was unsettling. Even through the mirror image, this Berserker, Lancelot, nicknamed the Knight of the Yangtze, posed a greater threat than the incompletely resurrected skeletal dragon from The Elder Scrolls. Even if that skeletal dragon were fully resurrected, it wouldn't be a match for Lancelot, now a Berserker. After all, in legend, Lancelot, the strongest Knight of the Round Table, was renowned for slaying dragons; as a Heroic Spirit, this feat would translate into a damage bonus against targets with dragon attributes.