In Type-Moon, it all starts with adopting Sakura.

They were situated at the crossroads of the Sun King, the Lion King, and the earlier Lionheart King's expeditions.

If the two sides were to go to war, then Mount Mukebai, where the Mountain People live, would be an excellent strategic location.

Therefore, the Sun King, on the other side of the desert, kept sending his divine beast legions to capture this strategic stronghold and use it as a transit point for his attacks. The Lionheart King also intended to subdue the Mountain People, so he also sent a large army to attack.

This has led to a fierce battle between the various factions, with Hassan suffering heavy losses. The Sun King's divine beast army has also suffered significant losses. In addition, the Lionheart Crusaders' sneak attacks and offensives have left the Mountain Village with only four Hassans besides King Hassan: Hundred Faces, Tranquility, Cursed Arm, and Smoke Drunkard. Mad Faith can also be considered as a Hassan in terms of combat strength. Apart from these, their only remaining fighting force is that great Persian hero.

What worries Cursed Arm even more is that Tranquil Hassan went out to investigate the situation in the Holy City and has been missing for many days; Smoky Hassan is leading refugees to migrate and has not returned for a long time; Hundred-Faced Hassan went to the Sun King's side alone to assassinate him or kidnap another Pharaoh as a hostage to hinder the Divine Beast Legion in order to stop the Sun King from continuing his attack on the Mountain Village, and his fate is currently unknown.

At this moment, apart from him, only a brainless madman was left to guard the village. The situation was dire, and they were just one step away from being wiped out by the enemy.

Initially, Zhouwan wanted to go out and investigate their information and whereabouts, but he was really worried about leaving Kuangxinzi alone to guard the house, so he sent her out to investigate the movements and situation of Jingmi, Yanzui, and Baimao.

After all, she was an assassin, so gathering intelligence shouldn't have been difficult for Kyoko.

Then, instead of investigating Yanzui and Jingmi, this guy mistook Musa for a heretic, causing so many problems.

The three days lost during this round trip put Jingmi and Baimao's lives in even greater danger.

Now, Curse Arm finally realized that although Kyoko was powerful, all she could offer was her strength; she didn't actually have any potential as an assassin. It was completely wrong to judge her by the standards of an Assassin. He no longer expected Kyoko to be of any use; it would be enough for her to just follow orders in battle.

She is undoubtedly the Servant who needs her Master the most.

At this point, Hassan of Cursed Arm sighed, then stared intently at Rowe behind his mask before saying, "However, this time it can be considered a blessing in disguise. Meeting you, the Prophet, has greatly eased our tense situation."

"As combatants, you and your two other knights are naturally incredibly powerful, both being Servants no weaker than that great Persian hero. I am extremely pleased and welcome this. With the First Lord's intervention and your status, as a junior, I am naturally prepared to use myself as a weapon for others. This is my homeland where I actually lived, and I am willing to make any sacrifice to protect it."

"But I will also judge for myself whether you truly have the potential to lead us to victory, and I will not back down on that."

"So...you want to fight me?"

Luo Wei stroked his chin and asked the serious-looking Cursed Wrist in front of him.

These heroic spirits do indeed share this problem: pride. They need to see things for themselves before making a decision. After all, they are not machines or programs; they don't blindly follow orders. You must demonstrate the value and strength commensurate with your position.

Even Kai and Percival were convinced of his own strength before they became obedient. Since the situation was urgent and everyone had already started talking, Rowe didn't mind reasoning with Hassan the Cursed Arm and appealing to his emotions.

However, it's the "principle" in physics.

Moreover, ever since he entered the village, he has had a creepy feeling of being spied on, which is very uncomfortable.

Lovi knew that it was highly likely that King Hassan was watching him. After all, King Hassan had appeared on his own initiative when he tried to impersonate him to win over the Hassans.

Just now in the mountain village, when he noticed that the other party did not have the blessing of an angel, he realized that the other party must be real.

The other party is probably still watching him, but since he has taken the initiative to endorse it, it means that they do not object to him posing as the prophet and continuing to lead the Hassans.

After all, the remaining Hassans are just a bunch of worthless trash. Hundred Faces, Tranquility, Cursed Arm, and Mad Faithful Son. Even if the four of them attacked together, they would be easily wiped out by Gawain or Lancelot, who are three times larger. If they were allowed to continue playing, there would be nothing left.

That's probably why King Hassan entrusted them to his care.

Is this considered mutually beneficial?

I guess so, since it's a win-win situation.

Since that's the case, then he has to do a good job and live up to this trust, otherwise...

Luo Wei felt that this old man might jump out at any moment and strike him with a sword.

Therefore, he now wants to regain all of Hassan's approval and become the true ruler of the mountain village.

Lovi couldn't help but think of Gilgamesh's famous line: "The king shall bear it, the king shall acknowledge it, the king shall decide the world."

"No, no, no... I am not qualified to fight you."

Upon hearing this, Curse Wrist hurriedly shook his head and explained, "You are Musa, the prophet. It is impossible for us to disrespect you, both morally and logically. The two knights you brought are enough to prove the point. In addition, my strength is probably inferior to that junior, Crazy Faith, so I will not go forward and humiliate myself."

"So how do you plan to test me?" Luo Wei countered.

“I’m sorry, that wasn’t a test. I was just worried about your influence as a member of another sect, which is why you dislike the Mountain People and don’t cherish them in your command.”

"So...you want to?"

“I implore you, please cherish the life of every mountain dweller. We Hassans are already dead, merely ‘outsiders’ summoned here. Even if we die, it doesn’t matter; even our existence is nothing more than a phantom that doesn’t exist here. But the children in the mountain village, and my fellow villagers, cannot be treated this way. Their future is not something to be gambled with; they are the hope of the future, the last remaining seeds of life in this dead land. That is why I disregard rank and defy the First Lord’s orders to dare to make this request to you.”

"Hmm, I see... Cursed Arm Hassan, you really are unparalleled in loyalty."

"I dare not accept such praise."

"I see."

After listening to Cursed Arm's request, Lowe nodded and replied, "You're absolutely right. Children are the hope for humanity's future, and we must protect these villages no matter what. You did a great job on that, and I'll remember that."

"However, you're wrong about one thing as well."

Please correct me.

"I'll do it," he said respectfully.

“Fool! No one’s life is something to be thrown away so easily. Whether it’s you, Hyakko, Shizuka, or that stupid Mad Shinko, you are not phantoms of the past, but heroes who answered the call to save humanity. So I will never let you die so easily.”

As he spoke, Luo Wei's expression became extremely serious. He looked at the Cursed Arm and said earnestly, "From now on, I will lead you to victory! To victory fair and square!"

"You... are truly an ambitious person. Such a frightening ambition is truly admirable."

Upon hearing this, Cursed Wrist finally found his answer and looked at Luo Wei with a genuine smile.

"I, Assassin Hassan of the Cursed Arm, am at your disposal in the battle to come!"

"I have already spread the word about your search for the stranger, and everyone in the Hassan Order has already started to take action. I believe we will have news soon."

"...Is that so? Thank you for your trouble. I'll lead you from here on out. Hmm? Cursed Wrist, what's that...black smoke over there?"

Luo Wei suddenly glanced out the window and noticed plumes of black smoke rising in the distance.

"—!?"

Upon hearing his reminder, the person sitting directly opposite him, Cursed Wrist, showed utter astonishment and hurriedly jumped to the ground.

"That's a signal fire! It means the village is about to be invaded by enemies!"

"Damn it... how could they have arrived so quickly! Weren't they supposed to arrive tomorrow?"

Curse Wrist's expression was extremely serious. He hurriedly pushed open the door and rushed out.

The moment Cursed Arm left the room, he saw Kyoko squatting outside, writing "I am a useless, worthless assassin" on the ground with a twig. He quickly woke up the dazed and confused girl who hadn't even noticed the smoke signals, and told her to stay here to protect the Prophet while he went to check on the situation.

As wisps of black smoke rose, the entire mountain village visibly became bustling with activity.

Kyoko then realized what had happened.

"Black smoke signals...that means there's enemy intrusion...?!"

She was about to set off to provide assistance, but remembering that Senior Cursed Arm had instructed her to protect the Prophet, Kyoko quickly stopped.

"what!!"

At that moment, Lo Wei came out of the room, startling Kyoko and leaving her unsure how to face him.

Seeing the little fool's terrible performance, Lowe didn't say anything. He simply grabbed her arm and made her take him to find the scout.

"oh oh."

Led by Kyoshiko, Lovi found a villager running back from outside the village, panting heavily. He seemed to be a scout from the village.

"Kyō, Kyōshō-sama! There's... there's an enemy invasion...!"

Upon seeing the person he was looking for, Luo Wei ignored the uneasy Kyoko and stepped forward, asking, "Calm down first. Tell me the exact location? What's the size of the enemy?"

Luo Wei reached out to try to calm the other person down, and the latter finally caught his breath.

"They're...they're monsters! They're gathered at the entrance to that village, there are about thirty of them!!"

Upon hearing this terrifying number, Kyoko's expression changed drastically.

"A monster? I see..."

Rowe immediately understood what the other party meant. He initially thought it was the Lion King's righteous knights coming, but if it was a monster, then he understood what was going on.

"Sphinx, right? Tell me, is it a monster with a human face, an animal body, and wings—a complex combination of features?"

He asked to confirm.

"Yes, yes, yes! It's that Sphinx you mentioned. Not only that, more than twenty have gathered in this village, and this time there are fifty of them all at once!! Last time, Shining Star Hassan and Ghost Blade Hassan were torn to pieces by more than twenty of these monsters while protecting us!"

The villager who rushed back said with a sorrowful expression.

"So it's called the Sphinx... but why are there so many of them?"

Upon hearing this, Kyonobu's expression suddenly became tense.

She had fought alongside Hassan and his predecessors against these monsters before, so she naturally knew how powerful they were. On that occasion, just over twenty of them forced them to sacrifice two of their predecessors to protect the villagers. This time, over fifty of them appeared, clearly intending to raze the mountain village to the ground in one fell swoop.

With our current strength, it's simply impossible to defeat such a massive army of divine beasts.

“I think I understand the situation. That’s Pharaoh Osmandis’s divine beast army. The reason they found this place on such a large scale is probably because the Lion King’s side has made too much noise. The Sun King urgently needs this strategic location to prepare for war.”

"Damn it! Bai Mao, didn't she already go to assassinate Osmandis? Why is this happening? Did she fail again after all?"

Upon hearing this, Kyoko said angrily.

When it comes to Cursed Arm, Jingmi uses respectful terms like "senior," but when it comes to Baimao, she calls him by his full name. What a blatant double standard!

However, this incident really can't be blamed on Hassan the Hundred Faces, after all, the opponent is Ramses II, a top-tier Servant who is guaranteed to be second among the three Golden Targets and is vying for first place.

In the Azure Silver set, even taking on three opponents at once, including top-tier Servants, is not a problem at all.

Wang Hassan was just hanging around the village. If he hadn't helped, Baimao Hassan would have risked his life to assassinate him.

"No, we absolutely cannot let those Sphinxes into the village! They are incredibly terrifying fantasy creatures; ordinary people are utterly helpless against them! Even if it costs me my life, I must..."

Kyoko's eyes were slightly red. She clenched her fists tightly, wanting to rush out and help.

However, she knew that achieving an absolute disparity in strength between herself and the enemy wouldn't be effective if she went alone, so...

Kyoko looked at Lovi beside her, anxiously seeking his help, for he was the only one who could help the entire mountain people now.

Although she knew she had no right to make any demands on Lo Wei, whom she had always slandered.

"Prophet! The army of divine beasts is coming! What should we do now?!"

Just as Kyoko was getting anxious, Kai and Percival, sensing that something was wrong, ran back with Hassan the Cursed Arm and asked Rowe about his next plan and actions. Hassan the Cursed Arm looked particularly anxious and earnestly begged Rowe for help.

In this situation, Hassan alone would only be slaughtered by the enemy; only with the help of the prophet and the other two knights would he have any chance of survival.

“Kay, Percival, you two go and hold off the twenty-odd Sphinxes over here. Cursed Wrist, you go and organize the Mountain People to move to a safe place.”

Upon hearing this, Luo Wei immediately issued new instructions.