It feels strange to say this now, but in my past life, I was a die-hard FGO fan.
It makes sense, since Fate was my favorite series. Even though the story in the early parts of Part 1 was garbage, enduring it eventually led to higher quality works over time.
Of course, there were things like Olympus, but the rest were either decent or excellent.
I played both the JP and KR versions of FGO.
Of course, the JP version was mainly for trying things out in advance; my main focus was on the KR version.
If you think about it, the JP account was more like an alt, and at some point, it became a hassle, so I didn't play it much.
On the other hand, I poured my passion into the KR account. I'd been playing since it launched.
As a result, I boasted a considerable Servant lineup. Taking advantage of the small Servant pool at the very beginning, I pulled all the initial Servants back then. Funnily enough, aside from Vlad, I never pulled another 5-star unit from that lineup again. Of course, there were times when I got them unintentionally from guaranteed summons, or I chose them in the selection ticket just to raise their NP level.
Even for someone like me who played since launch, getting a 5-star to NP5 was impossible.
NP levels... they say that no matter how much money you spend, some people just don't get them. Back then, the pity system was a crappy thing called an Unregistered Spirit Origin. Even now, the pity system is at a disgusting level. The criteria for Unregistered Spirit Origins are also terrible.
If it weren't for the Fate IP, this game would have failed before its first anniversary.
The people who stubbornly play such a game? They don't do it because the game is fun, but out of their love for Fate.
I played for a long time out of that love, and my Servant lineup was quite impressive for a low-spender by FGO standards—in the range of millions of won.
Among them, the most splendid were, of course, the Grailed Servants.
Level 100? No, a lineup of Level 120s.
The Level 120s were all my favorites, regardless of their performance. Having multiple Level 120s? That's difficult unless you're a truly dedicated FGO degenerate.
Back when Level 100 was the cap, I didn't really Grail Servants other than my favorites.
I did, however, get all the Servants from the 5th Holy Grail War to Level 100.
Among them, a select few.
The original heroine, Seiba, was 120, and my favorite, Heracles, was also 120.
Besides them, I had several other Level 120 Servants. For example, Kiyohime, or Jason, whom I still have a soft spot for because I was so hyped by his story role. There are several other low-rarity Servants as well.
And of course, that goes without saying for Mash.
Among them, there were Servants who had reached the "Crown" level.
Artoria and Heracles, whom I just thought of, are examples. The true originals and my favorite lineup. I like Kiyohime too, but as a guy, isn't it only natural to admire Heracles?
My Crowned Servants.
Saber - Artoria Pendragon. Archer - Superhuman Orion. Lancer - Super Karna. Rider - Ozymandias. Caster - Artoria Caster. Assassin - Old Man of the Mountain. Berserker - Heracles. Shielder - Mash. Beast - U-Olga Marie, Prime Minister of the Earth Nation.
Even I have to admit, it's a great lineup.
Well, I have some on the JP version too. Like Kiara. Or Gilgamesh. But the JP version was just a testing ground, so I didn't pay much attention to it.
It's quite funny how my passion for that game is paying off in this life.
Could it be that even my diligent training and grailing of them are having an effect?
That's what I thought.
KRA-KRA-KRA-KRA-KRA-KRA-KRA!!!
Until I saw Kiyohime's Hyper Beam-level breath attack.
Kiyohime can breathe fire. Her swimsuit version could breathe fire too.
So I thought she could probably shoot a pseudo-breath attack and asked her when we saw a swarm of wyverns.
The result was a breath of blue flames that not only incinerated the wyvern swarm but also split the clouds in the sky.
"Fufu, what do you think?"
"More than I ever imagined."
[Senpai, what kind of monster have you created!]
"I wonder if Heracles would just smash the Singularity to bits."
[The cleanup!]
In terms of the number of Grails, Kiyohime, who is of a lower rank than Heracles, has a few more. But he's a Crowned Servant.
His Class Score is understandable since I maxed out all the Berserker ones, but Heracles has both the Crown and a Grand Score.
Wait a minute, what about Seiba?
Hmm, I don't know whether to be excited or worried.
"All of my husband's enemies... this Kiyohime will burn them all to ashes."
Kiyohime said in an elegant voice, covering her mouth with her fan.
"Y-You, how did you get so strong!"
"Fufu, it is the power of our bond, you see?"
Báthory's Saint Graph was strengthened too. However, Báthory didn't have any special ascensions. Her Saint Graph itself was adjusted to the level of my Chaldea's, but compared to Kiyohime, the difference was bound to be huge. Besides, most of my Servants are at the same enhancement level, so Báthory, who is fundamentally a weaker type, falls into the weaker category.
Of course, not everyone is like that.
"I'll take the next one."
"I'll be counting on you then."
Siegfried was also Level 90, having received two Grails. I had an affection for him, so his bond was 10 or higher, but he only had two Grails. After all, in terms of performance, for an AoE Servant, Seiba or Mordred would be better.
Of course, having received two Grails, the power of this great hero would be on a different level. Wouldn't he be at least at the level of a Divine Spirit? A lower-class Divine Spirit, perhaps?
Hmm, now that I think about it, are the Divine Spirits only at Parvati's level? She's not a combat type, but she can't be considered that strong. I'm curious about the other Divine Spirits.
"My, my, these new people are so strong that I haven't had much of a chance to shine."
"Well, it will be different when we're at war, won't it? Orléans and Bordeaux will surely mean war. You can accumulate merits then."
"Kiyo, hime. Strong. I, too, will, work hard."
"Miss Kiyohime's power is truly at the level of a Divine Spirit. That blue flame is almost like..."
The original Servants showed various reactions.
However, those with memories of Chaldea didn't react much.
"That's amazing. How is Miss Kiyohime so strong?"
"Ahaha, I know, right."
Mash was very surprised by Kiyohime's power. Ritsuka looked awkward and troubled, and the bound Martha had a "What did I just see?" look in her eyes.
I even started to wonder if we could restore the Human Order with just this lineup.
We defeated the enemies we encountered on our way, and that evening.
We arrived at Bordeaux, where Ryuuji was said to be.
But there was no one there.
"It's empty. There are plenty of signs that they were here, but it looks like they left in a hurry."
"Did they move their base?"
"This is bad. Atalante. The children?"
"No one was there. At least, there were no signs of them being killed. It seems they took them along when they moved."
Ryuuji, he was beaten by Lancelot, right? Did he move his base because of that? Or is he perhaps planning an all-out offensive to take Orléans?
If he's moving to take Orléans, that's a foolish move.
Lancelot alone could wipe out Ryuuji's entire gang, and Gilles de Rais would surely sweep away all the small fry.
What is he after?
No, that's not what's important.
"If he went to Orléans, we have to hurry."
He took the innocent children with him. He didn't abandon or kill them, but deliberately took them? Perhaps, he... he might use the children as body servants, laborers, or even combatants.
No, he would use them like that. Given the personality of a guy who would climb to the top by stepping on the deaths of others.
We have to get ahead of him.
Otherwise, only the innocent children will be sacrificed. He won't get his hands on the Holy Grail. After the incident in Lyon, Lancelot and Gilles de Rais will be thoroughly guarding Jeanne Alter's side.
So, if they fight, Ryuuji will either die or be defeated. In that process, it will be the children who die.
But we've already missed each other, so can we get ahead of him?
Impossible.
"BB. Is there any way for us to get to Orléans first?"
[It's possible if we use teleportation. However, we don't know what might be happening at the teleportation destination. I am observing, but direct observation of Orléans is difficult. That Abyss's evil eye is a pain, you see?]
Is it like the case where a Divine Spirit notices if you look with Clairvoyance? No, with Prelati's grimoire, it wouldn't be impossible.
Or rather, should I consider Gilles de Rais to have been buffed in this world? He's certainly a worthy candidate for a buff.
"I don't care. Do you think something terrible will happen to us?"
[That is....]
"I'm not asking you to send us directly into Orléans. Send us to a place a few kilometers away."
[...Understood. I'll make the adjustments, so please wait a moment.]
"Thanks."
If teleportation was an option in the first place, she should have told me sooner. Well, that's BB for you.
I won't let you get away this time, Ryuuji.
I won't let you kill anyone else. Because I will kill you with my own hands. The revenge for the previous Ritsuka is something I must do.
This isn't simply a revenge tied to the past. It's a rite of passage to break free from that past, sever the ill-fated connection, and move forward to a happy future.
By killing him, we can fire the starting pistol for our departure.
We will break the chain of tragedies we've experienced, this time.