freenovelworld Chapter 95 Familiar Strangers
Chapter 95 Familiar Strangers
"I declare! Your body obeys my command, and my life is one with your sword!"
The voice was off-key due to fear, but that extreme longing touched a kind of grand resonance.
boom--!
A bright light flashed.
A chaotic thunderous roar, like a thousand horses galloping past, suddenly resounded.
Amidst the towering lightning, a giant man, as imposing as a small mountain, let out a hearty laugh.
"Hahaha! Looks like this is where I'll find my place in this era!"
Weber stared blankly at the other man, whose huge eyes fell sharply on him, before he broke into a big smile.
"Hey kid! Did you summon me?"
"Now that you're my Master, stand tall! Let's conquer this world together!"
Rider, Iskandar.
Before that thunderous will, all of Weber's humility seemed to be swept away.
……
Inside the underground workshop of the Tohsaka residence, the air was compressed to its limit due to the extremely dense magical energy.
Tokiomi changed into a formal red magical costume and stood in front of the summoning circle.
"Mr. Arthur, please watch." Tokiomi turned around, his tone carrying a hint of reserved pride.
"At this very moment, the Tohsaka family will welcome the Heroic Spirit who will be the strongest and most absolute cornerstone of victory in this Holy Grail War."
Arthur leaned against the armrest, his emerald green eyes fixed on the snakeskin fossil.
In Tokyo of another world, he also confronted the Golden Hero King under the moonlight. To him, that man, though arrogant, was not unpleasant.
"Then, I'll wait and see, Tokiomi."
"—Announcement."
Its base is silver and iron.
Its foundation is the great public agreement of stone and covenant.
—His ancestor was Wu Xianshi Xiubaiyinaogu.
—Let the surging winds be blocked by four walls, close the four gates, release them from the crown, and wander at the crossroads leading to the kingdom.
As the solemn chanting began, the long-accumulated magic within the earth's veins erupted like a flood.
—You have come here because you are bound by the seven-day self-restraint wheel of the three great spiritual words.
—The Guardian of the Scales!
As the last word ended, a blinding light illuminated the entire workshop.
boom!
As if a comet had fallen to earth, the dazzling golden light dissipated, and a figure clad in golden armor stood proudly in the center of the altar.
It was a magnificence and majesty that defied description.
The man had blond hair combed back, and his crimson eyes, like the finest rubies, exuded a cold and arrogant air of looking down on everything.
"We've got this in the bag." Looking at the figure before him, Tokiomi murmured involuntarily.
"Who gave you bastards the right to look me in the eye?"
With just one sentence, the air in the entire workshop seemed to freeze.
Tokiomi Tohsaka immediately knelt on one knee and performed the most perfect bow of a subject: "Great Hero King, your subject Tokiomi Tohsaka welcomes your arrival."
As Arthur gazed at that familiar golden hue, a faint smile unconsciously curved his lips.
He was about to go over and say hello when Gilgamesh's gaze shifted towards him.
The crimson gaze passed over Tokiomi kneeling before him and shot straight at Arthur standing to the side.
There was no unspoken understanding like old friends reuniting, only completely unfamiliar, cold gazes filled with scrutiny and extreme displeasure.
The Hero King's exceptional insight allowed him to instantly detect the extraordinary aura emanating from the opponent's body the moment he arrived.
"...Oh?" Gilgamesh raised an eyebrow slightly, a dangerous smile playing on his lips.
"Not only is there an unpleasant magician, but there is also a bastard who dares to stand before me."
There seems to be a certain familiarity in your emerald eyes that greatly displeases me.
Arthur paused slightly in his steps.
He looked at the King of Heroes and instantly realized that the Gilgamesh of this world did not recognize him.
In this timeline, to the King of Heroes, he was merely an impudent fellow who exuded the aura of a dragon yet dared to show him an expression of "reunion with an old friend."
"...I'm sorry, I was rude."
Arthur quickly composed himself, suppressing his nostalgia, and nodded slightly, bowing in a manner almost akin to that of a knight in arms.
"I have long admired your name, King of Heroes. I am Arthur, an ally of the Tohsaka family."
"Arthur?" Gilgamesh let out a malicious sneer, and the magical energy around him began to surge violently.
"In this land full of bastards, how dare anyone use such a name?"
What I find even more repulsive is the nauseatingly pure, chivalrous stench emanating from you.
He slowly raised his hand, and golden ripples began to appear in the void.
"That mere bastard dares to look at me with such presumptuous eyes; he deserves to be cleansed with his death."
"Your Majesty, please calm down!" Shishin broke out in a cold sweat and quickly tried to dissuade him.
"Mr. Arthur is not an enemy; he is a highly valued guest of the Tohsaka family and a crucial asset in our quest for the Holy Grail!"
Gilgamesh snorted coldly, and the ripples gradually disappeared, but the sharpness in his eyes did not completely vanish.
"Tokiomi, out of respect for your somewhat respectful manners, I will allow this bastard to live in my sight for the time being."
But remember, a king's countenance does not tolerate any disrespectful gaze.
After saying this, the Hero King transformed into golden spirit particles and disappeared into the air.
Tokiomi wiped away his cold sweat with a sigh of relief, while Arthur turned and walked towards the stairs.
This is the Holy Grail War, where not only heroes from other eras will appear, but also unfamiliar "old acquaintances."
In the shadows not far away, Kirei Kotomine quietly watched all of this.
……
Einzbern Castle.
Emiya Kiritsugu stood before the enormous summoning circle, his empty eyes reflecting the sacred relic at the center of the altar—Avalon.
"Kiritsugu," Irisviel whispered, "if the prediction is true, the one about to descend will surely be him..."
"Irene," Kiritsugu interrupted her, "whoever the other party is, they are merely tools used to achieve the goals of this war."
"Now everything is ready."
"I hereby swear that I will accomplish all good deeds in the world and eradicate all evil deeds in the world."
"Respond to the call of the Holy Grail; if you are willing to follow this will and this principle, then answer it!"
boom!
A pure, unadulterated beam of azure light pierced through the spire of the chapel.
As the light faded, a girl clad in silver armor and a pale blue cloak stood in the center of the summoning circle, holding an invisible sword.
"Tell me, are you my Master?" A clear voice rang out, and her emerald eyes seemed to hold an undying starlight.
Kiritsugu looked at the image of the Heroic Spirit before him, which was completely different from the imposing figure and overwhelming power he had imagined, and a deep disappointment flashed in his eyes.
Is there a mistake in the legend, or is there a problem with the summoning?
Is the Knight King a petite girl?
His petite stature means he may be at a disadvantage in close combat, which contradicts his goal of becoming the strongest Servant.
Kiritsugu did not answer, but coldly turned away: "Everything is proceeding according to plan. Alice, take her to familiarize herself with the battle environment."
Artoria Pendragon watched the back of the man who was nominally bound to her by a pact, and she felt utterly shocked and humiliated.
She had never experienced being treated like "air" before.
……
Fuyuki City, Tohsaka Residence.
Arthur abruptly stopped pruning the flowers in the courtyard, the scissors sliding silently down his side.
In his perception, the world seemed to have cracked open, and a strong, soul-shaking tremor rushed into his Dragon Power River.
That was the mournful cry of the sword in the stone after it broke, the loneliest echo of a soul bearing the weight of the nation alone in countless twilights.
"A shared aura."
Arthur muttered to himself, reaching out to touch his chest, trying to calm the restless sword in the stone within him.
He could sense that in the distant future, another version of himself existed, carrying some heavy wish, and had appeared in this world.
This resonance was so strong that the red dragon blood within him was boiling.
It's a kind of heart-wrenching empathy that comes from seeing another version of yourself walking on the edge of a cliff.
"What's wrong, brother?"
Sakura jogged over, looking at him with concern. "You look...very sad."
Arthur snapped out of his daze, looked into Sakura's pure purple eyes, knelt down to pick up the scissors, and gave a slightly forced smile:
"It's alright, Sakura. I just sensed that someone familiar seems to have embarked on a very difficult journey."
"If you see that person, you must help him, just like you helped me before."
Arthur was slightly taken aback, and the knotted feeling in his chest miraculously subsided a little.
"Ah, I understand, Sakura."
In the ancient castle of Einzbern, Artoria seemed to sense a gaze from afar.
She pressed her hand to her chest, where it was slightly warm.
What is that...?