Tonight is destined to be a turbulent night.
First, there was a chase between dusa and Cu Chulainn, followed by a disciple-master battle between Scathach and Shinji. Then, Gilgash made a flashy appearance on a motorcycle. With all that finally coming to a close and everyone returning to their places, Iskandar and Altera appeared one after the other, leading to a eting of kings with Gilgash.
anwhile, Shinji was far from idle.
At the ti, the three—master and disciples—were walking together, discussing the irregularities of the Holy Grail War.
Upon learning about Scathach and Cu Chulainn's classes, Shinji had already sensed sothing was off. However, since there were too many people around, it wasn't convenient to discuss it, so he kept it to himself until now, when they were alone.
It was certain that the source of the anomaly was Heartless' sacrificial death. The result of that sacrifice led to the appearance of two Lancers in this Holy Grail War.
Of course, this wasn't without precedent. For example, during the Holy Grail War in the parallel world of 1999, there were two Lancers: Karna as the Red Lancer and Artoria as the Black Lancer.
However, Justeaze had already confird that the ergency system of the Holy Grail War had not been activated. Additionally, neither Scathach nor Cu Chulainn's status screens showed any sign of them being part of a specific faction. In this case, there's only one possible answer: the special Holy Grail War recorded in Fate/strange Fake—held in Snowfield City—where there are no factions, and two servants of the sa class can appear in a single war.
However, the reason Snowfield's Holy Grail War was so unique was due to the differences in ley lines between Snowfield and Fuyuki City, as well as the lack of a crucial Greater Grail. In the end, they had to summon more Heroic Spirits to make up for this. They first summoned six False-servants to elevate the false Holy Grail War into a true one, and only then could they summon seven true servants. But this also brought about a problem: the Holy Grail War in Fuyuki City is the real deal, the genuine article, with no need for such asures.
The anomaly in Fuyuki is different from those in parallel worlds or Snowfield. The structure of the number of participating servants might also be different—such as having an extra Lancer in place of another class. This was a point raised by Scathach.
At first glance, it sounds like nonsense, but upon careful consideration, it makes sense. The Grail requires Heroic Souls, and the classes serving as vessels are not necessary. As long as the number of servants is sufficient, theoretically, the Grail could be activated even if all the servants were Lancers. The number of servants doesn't necessarily have to be seven. With the precedent set by the Faker class, additional servants can appear.
This was Shinji's primary concern. His original plan was to kill off all the enemy servants, then reveal the truth to his servants, causing them to fight amongst themselves, and finally gather enough souls to activate the Greater Grail.
Don't call Shinji cruel. With the personalities of Scathach and Karna, even if they didn't know the truth, they would ultimately fight to the death, driven by their warrior instincts. It was their choice, and Shinji couldn't stop them. Ever since Scathach chose to die under Artoria's sword ten years ago, Shinji had co to terms with this.
In the end, Shinji would slowly purify the Grail under the protection of the remaining servants. Once the purification was complete, they could discuss how to use it. The ones Shinji had chosen for his side didn't care much for the so-called "wish." As long as the reasoning was sound, they didn't mind who got the wish.
The plan wasn't particularly brilliant, but its greatest strength was in its stability. By following it step by step, victory was assured. But now, that stability was no longer guaranteed. The thod to activate the Greater Grail had been set long ago—absorb five Heroic Spirits, and it activates, regardless of how many servants remained outside. If one or two enemies were left standing, the entire plan could fall apart—Shinji and Justeaze absolutely couldn't be disturbed during the purification process. That's why Shinji has always emphasized the importance of stability.
Sakura, however, showed a different kind of optimism compared to Shinji. If things went this way, they might not need to sacrifice any of their servants. During this ti, dea and dusa had been getting along quite well with Sakura, and the two beauties from ancient Greece shared many similarities with her.
Both had blue color sches, both had great figures, both had long hair, and both were very beautiful—in more ways than one.
Sakura and dusa got along because of their similar personalities. The two were fundantally very alike, much like Shinji and Perseus. They didn't need to speak to feel comfortable around each other. As the modern saying goes: "They've confird each other's gaze and found the right person."
With dea, it was about the rhythm of life. Their daily routines were very similar. They would wake up early to cook, clean the house when idle, and handle chores, and in the evening, they would curl up on the sofa with cushions to watch TV dramas, chatting about skincare along the way. Afterward, they would head to the workshop for magecraft practice, where dea gave Sakura many suggestions.
This routine made dusa very envious, to the point of suspecting dea of so hidden plot. But since dea hadn't shown any ill intent, dusa couldn't take action. She secretly sought Shinji's advice, and he just smiled and told her not to worry. dea had simply seen a bit of her old self in Sakura. In the end, dusa could only raise her guard in secret.
On the other hand, dea was also quietly envious of dusa. It seed like she and Sakura were closer, but in reality, dusa was trusted more. At the very least, dea knew that she would never be entrusted with a precious Noble Phantasm like the Harper, nor could she maintain the almost pathological loyalty dusa displayed.
The small conflicts between the two were proof that they were becoming more integrated into the Matou household, and their importance in Sakura's heart was growing. When the ti ca for a decision, Sakura might silently follow Shinji's lead. But if given the choice, she didn't want to lose anyone. Now, that chance had arrived.
Whether it was a conspiracy or an accident, Sakura was determined to do her best—for her brother, dusa, and dea. She silently encouraged herself.
Seeing this side of Sakura, Scathach gave her an approving smile, while Shinji could only shrug helplessly. The burden had just gotten heavier.
It was at that mont that dea's voice echoed in their ears, filled with urgency and anxiety.
"Shinji, Sakura, you need to co back—sothing big has happened."
"Don't panic. Speak slowly," Sakura comforted in a gentle voice.
"Did you blow up the house?"
Shinji joked with a smile.
"Now is not the ti for jokes! I've discovered an enemy—the strongest enemy!"
dea's voice was filled with unprecedented gravity.
"The strongest?"
Scathach's interest was piqued.
"Who is it?"
Shinji had a suspicion—during the Fifth Holy Grail War, there was only one enemy dea would call the strongest.
"Hercules!"
As expected. Only he could instill fear in dea. His appearance also ant that the Einzbern family had arrived.
"Where is he?"
"Near the garden where the woman you asked to monitor often goes."
"That's... the Emiya household—this is bad!!!"
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