It's normal for an evil god to raise an Abyss.

Bubble puts his hand on his forehead,

"Xiaoxue, why don't you use your shadow to decorate something."

"These things don't fit in there," Xueyue argued, "and this is also part of the fun of shopping, you don't understand!"

"Oh, by the way, Megs, take a look at this dress I picked out for Abby."

Xueyue pushed Abigail in front of Bubble, excited as if she was showing her a new toy.

"Hmm... not bad, it matches well~" Bubble glanced up and commented with a hint of approval.

Abigail wore a black hat with a blue bow on the side, and changed her clothes into a light blue dress. In addition to the big black bow on the chest, there were also small white bows on both sides of the skirt as embellishments. She wore a pair of low-heeled white sandals on her feet, and the girl's slightly rosy cheeks showed a different kind of purity and loveliness.

"See, I told you, Abi-chan is even cuter like this~" Xueyue pinched Abi's cheek lightly with pleasure, and the blush on Abi's face grew a little more intense.

"Well, you guys should go and watch the fun later." Bubble interrupted "inappropriately".

"That's right. The first melee will start tonight. We have to go and show our faces. Abi, are you ready?"

"I'll try my best!" Abigail responded with full of energy, showing no sign of tiredness after shopping for half a day.

Chapter 7: Sword and Gun Duel

Connected to the Seaside Park is the Warehouse Street by the harbor. After nightfall, there is no movement of people here, leaving only dim lights shining in vain on the street. Huge cranes are lined up like silent giants, hooking the cold moonlight.

This deserted venue is perfect for a duel between Servants, one who deliberately sends out his aura to challenge, and one who gladly accepts the challenge.

On one side was a handsome man holding two guns, and on the other side was a swordsman with the appearance of a blonde girl, holding a sword entangled by the wind.

Lancer and Saber did not exchange too many pleasantries; the clash of weapons in their hands was the best answer.

The red spear collided with the sword wrapped in wind. Although it was just a duel of cold weapons, the damage caused could not be underestimated.

The powerful air currents sweeping around easily crushed the ground, and the air waves from the weapons were enough to break street lamps and collapse walls.

This was the battle between Servants. The aftermath of hand-to-hand combat alone could destroy an entire street.

The difference in skills between Saber and Lancer was not that great, and it was difficult for either to defeat the other with simple attack and defense in a short period of time. The Master of Lancer, who was hiding in the dark, obviously could no longer resist the idea of ​​ending the battle quickly.

"Don't waste any more time. That Saber is difficult to deal with, so I allow you to use your treasure and end the battle quickly." The opponent deliberately used some tricks, and the source of the sound could not be determined.

Noble Phantasms - Generally speaking, they are the distillation of the achievements and deeds of the Heroic Spirit throughout his life. The forms of expression vary, but the only thing that is certain is that as a trump card, most Noble Phantasms are enough to change the course of the battle.

This was something that both Saber, who was called Artoria Pendragon, and Irisviel von Einzbern, who was watching the battle behind her, knew clearly, and it was enough to make them treat the matter with greater caution.

Lancer threw the pistol in his left hand to the ground, and the spell on the spear in his right hand slowly unravelled, finally revealing its true appearance.

It was a crimson gun that exuded an ominous aura, and its magic was like a mirage.

The red spear collided with the "Invisible Sword" entangled by the wind again. This time, the sword, whose shape and length were originally hidden by the Wind King's barrier, was completely revealed.

"I have seen through your blade clearly. I will not be fooled by you again." Lancer said with a little pride.

This little accident did not affect Saber too much. She adjusted her posture and stared closely at the next attack launched by the opponent.

(With this strike, the armor was enough to graze the spear he was stabbing at his ribs, but my sword could cut him in two...)

During the fierce attack and defense, Saber noticed the opponent's "flaw" and immediately put it into practice.

The sudden pain forced Saber to give up the attack. She withdrew her sword, turned her body sideways and rolled over on the ground, escaping from the opponent's attack range.

The tip of Lancer's gun was already stained with blood.

(I was still careless...)

Saber immediately adjusted her posture to defend against Lancer's possible pursuit, but the pain on her face could not be hidden.

“Saber!” Before thinking about what happened, Irisviel prioritized using the technique to heal Saber’s wounds.

"Thank you, Irisviel. I'm fine. The healing magic is working."

Saber covered her wound. Even if it healed, the pain would not be completely relieved in a short time.

Taking a deep breath, Saber began to organize the information.

His armor did come into contact with the gun, but he was still damaged. However, there were no scars on the armor. The armor was materialized by magic power. When combined with the disintegration of the Wind King's barrier before... the answer was obvious.

"That red gun of yours can temporarily cut off magic power, right?"

"You'd better give up your armor, Saber. You are no different from being naked in front of my gun."

Lancer's slightly sarcastic words confirmed Saber's suspicion.

"Since we can't defend, we can only see who can attack more fiercely."

Saber made a prompt decision to remove her armor, wearing only a thin blue casual outfit. This not only made her movements more agile, but also allowed the magic power originally used to construct the armor to be fully used for attacking. Releasing the magic power at the right time allowed her movements to be accelerated instantly. This was Saber's answer to the close combat that was about to come to an end.

"Is the final blow coming? I admire your bravery and decisiveness, but you will make a mistake this time, Saber!"

With provocative words, Lancer slightly moved his pace, looking for a better fighting position.

Bang!

The violent explosion marked the beginning of the final attack. Saber took the initiative to release the Wind King's barrier, and with the release of magic power, it pushed Saber from behind, allowing her speed to exceed the speed of sound.

The red gun in Lancer's hand remained motionless, but his legs sank into the sand pit, kicking something.

It was none other than the pistol that Lancer had just "casually" thrown away. At this moment, the spell on the pistol had been released, revealing its golden body, and the tip of the pistol was facing the direction Saber was flying from.

"You made a mistake." Saber remembered what Lancer had said before.

At this moment, Saber had to admit, with her naturally sharp sixth sense, that she was indeed wrong.

Saber, who was moving at such a high speed, was now unable to change her actions. An instant later, the yellow spear pierced her throat, playing the closing song...

From the darkness, two dark red magic bullets were fired from a strange angle. Under normal circumstances, Saber and Lancer could easily block such an ordinary attack, but at the moment of this duel, neither of them could react to these two sudden attacks.

However, the two magic bullets did not directly attack Saber and Lancer's vital points, but hit the yellow tip of Lancer's gun and Saber's golden holy sword, causing both attacks to deviate slightly.

And these slight deviations are enough to make both sides turn each other's fatal attacks into nothingness at the same time.

"who is it!"

The attack was blocked. Saber and Lancer, who passed by each other, were on guard against possible attacks from each other, and at the same time, they shouted questions in the direction where the magic bullet came from.

Chapter 8 Mediation and Recruitment

"Ah, I'm sorry to interrupt your duel, but I couldn't bear to see the two heroes end up together so early, so I intervened. I hope you don't mind."

Contrary to Saber and Lancer's expectations, the attacker did not disappear, but emerged from the shadows. Of course, what surprised them even more was that the attacker was only a white-haired girl of fifteen or sixteen years old, wearing a long-sleeved student outfit with a black robe on the outside, holding a wooden staff in her right hand, and holding the hand of a blonde girl who was even younger than her, only about twelve years old, wearing a light blue dress.

No matter how you look at it, these two girls are more like ordinary students who have strayed into this place. They are totally out of place on the battlefield here, and it is hard to believe that they were the initiators of the attack just now.

“Who are you?” Saber still responded with caution, but her tone softened unconsciously.

"I am not a warrior of the Fianna Knights, nor am I the famous King Arthur. I don't have a real name worthy of praise in the history of this world. I am just a Caster passing by."

Xueyue smiled and shook her head.

Those two magic bullets were perfect in terms of both the timing and angle of attack. It would not be surprising if Caster could do that.

However, this is even more strange. Logically, each Servant will have a certain amount of resistance to magic to reduce the damage of magic. Therefore, in the Holy Grail War, Caster who mainly relies on spells to fight is often considered the weakest job. Therefore, most Casters will choose to hide in the dark and manage their positions, so as to maximize their advantages. Of course, it is not ruled out that a small number of Casters are strong enough to suppress the enemy on the front battlefield.

Both of these conditions were clearly not found in the "Caster" in front of him. The Caster in front of him did not have any obvious magical fluctuations, and her attire seemed like the image of a stereotypical third-rate magician in fantasy works. Combined with her self-disclosure that she was not famous and her harmless appearance, maybe she was really a noob; and it was even more impossible that Caster's position had been arranged here in advance.

So, these two girls may not even understand what the Holy Grail War is...

Such a young child became a Master without knowing it?

Everyone present, whether it was the two Servants and Irisviel in the open, or Kiritsugu, Maiya, Assassin, Lancer's Master who were waiting in the dark, and others who were keeping an eye on the battlefield through familiars and other means, all came to a similar conclusion: the Caster group was nothing to be feared.

Saber and Lancer seemed to have received messages from their respective masters and gave up the idea of ​​continuing the fight.

This is obviously a wise choice. After the battle just now, even the unknown Caster recognized the real names of the two, not to mention the two sides of the battle, who already knew the intelligence of the other side. Saber's real name is Altria, who is the famous King Arthur in history, and Lancer is Diarmuid, the first warrior of the Knights of Fiona. After the real name of the hero is known, it is equivalent to the information of weaknesses, treasures, etc. being known. In this case, there is Caster. If Caster chooses to reinforce one side when the two continue to fight, then even a weak help is enough to tilt the balance of victory to one side. It is undoubtedly extremely unwise to continue the war.

"Um, Caster's Master, what is your name, please?" Irisviel transmitted a voice to the little blonde girl that Xueyue was holding on her left hand.

"Just call me Abby..." the blonde girl, Abigail, responded, while hiding behind Xueyue, looking shy.

“Then, can you become our ally?” Irisviel did not hide her intention to recruit him.

"Beautiful lady, my lord also hopes that you can join our team." Diarmuid also conveyed his master's intention and extended his right hand to show friendship.

-------------------------------------

At present, everything is going according to Xueyue's plan, and it is worth it that she deliberately acted like an amateur in the two people's attire and strength. She knows these people's personalities too well, and the development of things naturally came to the stage of recruiting both sides. In this case, once the Caster group clearly leans towards one side, it may pose a threat to the other group. For these masters who participated in the battle, the Caster group currently shows that it is easy to control, and the addition of Caster can also give them an advantage in the spell duel; even if they maintain their status as allies to the end, it is easy to get rid of Caster at the last minute and win the final victory.

Xueyue knew clearly what they were planning, and had long noticed the scanning of the sniper rifle scope hiding in the dark or the murderous intention that had briefly arisen from another place. Xueyue had already placed invisible protective measures beside Abigail, just in case; in the worst case scenario, that is, if someone present or about to arrive unexpectedly launched an attack, she was also fully confident that she could get Abigail away from here safely.

Xueyue did not immediately respond to the invitations from both parties, but just pointed upwards.

"It seems like we're not the only ones joining in the fun tonight~"

In fact, there was no need for Xueyue to remind him, as a thunderous sound had already come from the night sky not far away.

Saber and Lancer simultaneously looked toward the southeast sky.

A flying object drew a straight line in the air and headed straight towards this side. The purple lightning it carried indicated that the previous sound came from it.

The flying object landed heavily, no, it would be more appropriate to say it smashed down, just like a loud thunder, raising a cloud of dust.

“Is that... a chariot?” After the smoke and dust cleared, what was revealed surprised Irisviel.

It was an ancient chariot with two wheels. Hitched to the shafts were not war horses but two sturdy and strong bulls. They pulled the luxurious and magnificent chariot, with purple lightning under their hooves. The chariot's wheels rumbled and it floated just a few feet above the ground.

This strangely shaped tank, with power that rivals that of a bomber, could only be the Noble Phantasm of a certain Servant.

Chapter 9 Are You Here to Fight?

The new Servant immediately attracted the attention of everyone present, which was natural because of such a loud voice.

"Put away your weapons in front of this king!"

A burly giant stood at the driving position of the chariot, roaring calmly, which matched the previous thunder. If it were an ordinary person, he would probably feel a little tremor in his heart.

Abigail didn't seem to like this guy who was yelling so loudly, and she shrank behind Xueyue again. Xueyue touched her head and comforted her. Saber and Lancer were both famous heroes, so they would naturally not be frightened by such a roar.

"Newcomer, you're too loud. You're disturbing my Master." Xueyue expressed her dissatisfaction.

“Hmm?… Ah, sorry. I didn’t expect such a young child to participate in the Holy Grail War. It’s really surprising…”

The red-haired man seemed to be a completely different person from the one who yelled just now. He seemed to realize that he was in the wrong and his voice became a little softer, but his tone was still somewhat stern.

"Ahem, my name is King of Conquerors Iskandar, and I'm participating in this Holy Grail War as a Rider!"

"........."

The people present were somewhat confused, or even dumbfounded. In the Holy Grail War, the real name was the key to strategy, so under normal circumstances, it was impossible for a Servant to take the initiative to reveal his real name in front of the enemy. For a moment, the chaotic scene fell into strange silence.

“Baka, baka, what on earth are you thinking about, Rider!” The one who broke the silence was Rider’s Master, Waver Velvet. Compared to the burly Rider, his stature was far too small. At this moment, he was hitting his Servant with his fists in despair, but the force he used did not even seem to be enough for a massage.

Rider ignored his Master's little quarrel and just looked around at Saber, Lancer, and Caster, and continued:

"It seems that Caster has resolved the dispute before me, which is good. I believe that everyone has come to this war to obtain the Holy Grail. Before we fight each other, I have something to ask you. What kind of wish you have placed on the Holy Grail, I don't know, but now please think about it for yourself, think about whether your wish is more important than the ambition that can embrace the heavens and the earth."

“What exactly do you want to say?” Saber had no idea what this meant, but her intuition told her that the true meaning of this was somewhat sinister.

"Hmm? Isn't what I said very clear?"

Rider still maintained his dignity, but his tone was a little confused.

"Now that I have come here, do you intend to give me the Holy Grail? If so, I will definitely not treat you unfairly. I will treat you as my friends and share the joy of conquering the world with you."

Such a matter-of-fact tone made Saber and Lancer freeze in place for a moment.

"Caster, that uncle seems a little..." Abigail gently tugged at Xueyue's clothes and said in a low voice.

Xueyue knew that what Abigail wanted to say must be "stupid". Although it might seem so to others, to some extent, the King of Conquerors expressed this point of view without any false emotion.

Even if he wins, he will not destroy his opponent; even if he dominates, he will not insult his opponent. This is his way of "conquering". He really takes it for granted, but at this moment, his words are nothing more than a joke that other Servants find a bit bad.

“It’s really…” “It’s ridiculous!”

Saber and Lancer reacted fiercely to Rider's proposal.

“Don’t get excited, we can still negotiate the terms…” Rider touched the stubble on his chin.