While certain individuals were busy preparing to switch allegiances at a moment's notice, what was the King they spoke of actually doing?
The answer: drawing a sacrificial—ahem, a summoning circle.
In battle, intelligence is a life-or-death matter.
Possessing knowledge from his past life, a certain someone already knew the partial Authorities and personalities of his upcoming enemies and had long since laid a tailored trap for them.
He knew how to counter the Heretical God Susanoo and the Sage Ape King. He knew how to usurp power from other God-Slayers. He had even devised a plan to deal with the Last King and slay the Goddess of Destiny.
Therefore, before he officially switched into combat mode, his situation was, in fact, remarkably tranquil.
So tranquil, in fact, that he had the spare mental capacity to ponder how to rapidly master a level of culinary skill that would make his lovers' eyes sparkle with stars.
Yes, when in doubt, consult the System.
After that inquiry proved fruitless, Li Zihan remembered that he still possessed an Origin Bullet forged from the ashes of Archer-senpai's catalyst-daddy.
Using the Origin Bullet as a medium, there was a very high probability of summoning the man with the iconic back, Archer, wasn't there? After all, during the Black Grail War, Emiya Kiritsugu had used himself as a catalyst-daddy to summon an Assassin-class Archer.
The moment the great name of Archer-senpai—the Emiya-mom—came to mind... Li Zihan, as was to be expected, set his sights on the man whose culinary skills were nothing short of extraordinary.
Blood rich with potent magical energy flowed, drawing a flawless summoning circle on the floor. Instantly, magical power began to surge.
"Archer-senpai, lend me a hand."
The scumbag, who was no stranger to taking out Servants to empower himself, extended his hand.
The magical energy, dense enough to be almost tangible, began to churn.
And then—
The figure that appeared was not Archer.
Nor was it Emiya Kiritsugu.
Nor was it Illya or Sitonai.
"Ehhh? Big Brother, are you using Daddy's bullet to summon me?"
Stepping out from the summoning circle was a girl with a face identical to Illya's, but her skin was a healthy, wheat-toned tan.
A scant black top covered her chest, while the garment on her lower half barely concealed her private areas. Over this, she wore a red coat resembling a holy shroud.
Etched across her abdomen was a vibrant red pattern, the kind often seen in doujinshi and erotic games.
It was as if purity and seduction had been violently fused, creating a bizarrely alluring charm that flowed from the girl before him.
"Long time no see. Aren't you going to say hello?"
The girl looked at the very familiar young man nearby and grinned, her smile filled with both cunning and vitality.
So it's the red-eyed version of Big Brother.
That means he's at a stage where he's even younger than my other self.
Remembering how a certain someone's eyes had turned gold due to his Herrscher transformation, the girl's smile took on a wicked edge.
Maybe I should try to get Big Brother to call me 'Big Sister' for fun?
And moreover—
At this point in time, Big Brother probably hasn't met a significant number of the other girls yet.
A faint smile touched Kuro's lips as she thought about how hopeless her other self was—despite meeting him so early, she had let so many other girls leave her in the dust.
But things were different now.
Judging by the current situation—she was the one who arrived first.
She sauntered naturally to the boy's side.
And then—
Her body, identical to the Illya of his memories, pressed itself against his. That youthful, supple form simply threw itself into the boy's embrace.
Feeling the sensation of that petite body in his arms, for once, Li Zihan found himself at a loss.
Draw a summoning circle, and a legal loli just throws herself at you?
Are summoning tickets these days all this... intuitive?
High praise. A clear five-star experience.
If you could pay for this, wouldn't pulling a dozen times or so just net you a whole harem?
Li Zihan, whose gacha spending habits in his past life had been perhaps a bit excessive, suddenly felt the urge to go rob the Moon World's Chaldea of its summoning tickets.
"Should I call you Big Brother now? Or Master? Or perhaps... Darling?"
Like a nimble snake, the girl effortlessly scaled his arm. Clinging to him like a koala, her incredibly flexible legs wrapped around his waist while her slender arms locked around his neck.
"Kuro is Darling's slave... no, I'll obey any order... absolutely..."
She tilted her head up, her gaze teasing as she spoke words that were utterly at odds with her innocent and pure appearance, words dripping with lewdness.
"Don't let my looks fool you, I'm a full-fledged adult, you know."
"So if Big Brother wants to... 'replenish my mana'... there's absolutely no need to worry about landing in a jail cell." She rested her head against his shoulder, her warm breath tickling his ear as she whispered.
Honestly, Li Zihan felt his self-control starting to crumble. The "legal loli" archetype was, to put it mildly, just a little too effective against him.
Maybe we should go on a date after this?
And then—
His expression froze. He heard them. Footsteps. Very familiar footsteps.
There were two sets of them.
Ana and Sirin.
They must have woken up, found him gone, and come looking for him.
And here he was—
Li Zihan glanced down. What met his gaze were the innocent, almost animal-like eyes of the legal loli clinging to him in her revealing outfit.
His lover, who had a known weakness for lolis. A dusty warehouse used for storing magical components. A girl in clothes that could barely be called such, with an obscene pattern painted across her abdomen...
Putting it all together, what conclusion could they possibly draw?
A suffocating pressure, far heavier than any he'd felt facing the god Lugh, crushed down on his heart.
They're going to snap. Absolutely.
First comes the 'Subspace Mongrel,' then the 'Ice Storm.'
"Kuro, I'm begging you, you have to hide!"
Feeling the footsteps drawing ever closer, the boy pleaded urgently with the girl clinging to him like a koala.
"Getting caught in the act?"
Kuro, who had also heard the approaching footsteps, giggled as if she had just witnessed the most amusing thing in the world.
"Okay, okay. This Kuro knows how a good mistress should behave."
And then—
With a shower of golden particles, the girl who had been there an instant before vanished. She had shifted into her spiritual form.
A moment later came the sound of the door pushing open.
Two figures, unbearably familiar to Li Zihan, stepped inside.
"Director, so this is where you were."
Miss Ana, having likely woken up the moment she realized the space beside her was empty, had dragged Miss Sirin along to find him.
"Yeah, I was just preparing something," the boy replied, the boy who had planned to sacrifice Archer but summoned Kuro instead. "I've pretty much taken care of it."
"Then hurry up and come back with us."
Relieved that he hadn't vanished, Ana walked over and took his hand.
"Yeah, let's go."
Li Zihan, who was certainly not keen on having Sirin and Ana linger in a warehouse currently occupied by Kuro, nodded and took Sirin's hand as well.
And then—
Sirin didn't move.
A deathly chill crept up Li Zihan's spine.
He had forgotten something.
"What's wrong, Sirin?"
"A-Li... aren't you going to introduce us to the spirit form floating right behind you?"
The girl, who could now apparently see spiritual bodies thanks to her Demonic Eyes, spoke in a voice that was utterly terrifying.