Chapter 109: The Disguise is Blown
Seeing how serious Cosette was, Kazuma Yumesaki left the matters to her.
Cosette wove a series of hand signs, casting a Ninjutsu to create several clones. Amidst the rhythmic clanging of cookware, she finished preparing a lavish lunch. Indeed, Cosette could use Ninjutsu. Since she was Yumesaki's personal chef, there was no way he wouldn't grant her the power to protect herself.
The Shadow Clone Technique, in particular, was perfect for a chef. With this jutsu, Cosette alone was equivalent to an entire kitchen staff, capable of handling large-scale banquets by herself. Everyone ate heartily until their lips were glistening with oil, letting out sighs of satisfaction.
Once lunch concluded, Yumesaki looked at Medea, Medusa, King Hassan, Cu Chulainn, Hercules, and the other Heroic Spirits sitting beside him with great ambition. The Holy Grail War only had a total of seven Heroic Spirits, and now five of them were on his side. Yumesaki couldn't imagine a way he could possibly lose.
However, Yumesaki remembered a hidden rule within the Holy Grail War. If all the Heroic Spirits stood on the same side, the Grail might issue extra slots, forming what was known as a Great Holy Grail War—a clash between seven Servants against seven Servants. Even if that was an event from a Parallel World, Yumesaki was quite looking forward to seeing if it would happen here.
If an additional seven Heroic Spirits appeared, it would be a very good thing. It meant Yumesaki could bring even more legendary figures and combat power back with him. Therefore, he wouldn't stop it; instead, he would encourage the situation to occur.
Thus, the next focus was to bring in the final two Heroic Spirits: the Heroic Spirit EMIYA and the King of Knights, Artoria.
Last night, Tohsaka Rin had already summoned EMIYA, but Artoria had yet to appear. This was because the final Master, Emiya Shirou, had not yet received his Command Spells. After discussing with the others, Yumesaki decided to go after EMIYA first.
Once everyone was full, they headed toward Homurahara Academy under the guidance of Sakura Matou. The reason for coming here was simple: after summoning EMIYA, Tohsaka Rin hadn't taken any time off and was still attending classes during the day. Meanwhile, EMIYA remained in Spirit Form, guarding her side. To find them, Yumesaki naturally had to come to the school.
As Yumesaki's group entered the school grounds, they immediately caught EMIYA's attention. After all, the group wasn't hiding their presence at all. The sudden appearance of five Heroic Spirits together sent a shock through EMIYA.
Wait, what's going on?
He remembered that during the Fifth Holy Grail War, nothing this absurd had ever happened. Why were five Heroic Spirits arriving together? Had they formed an alliance? How was that even possible?
Though he found it hard to believe, EMIYA immediately notified Tohsaka Rin.
"Master, listen to me carefully..."
Tohsaka Rin, who was in the middle of a lesson, listened to EMIYA's explanation and felt her world crumbling. Five Heroic Spirits arriving at once? If they weren't targeting her, who else could it be? She was likely the only Master currently at Homurahara Academy.
Seriously? Did I break some divine law? Why are five Heroic Spirits ganging up on me? This makes no sense!
When she entered the Holy Grail War, Rin knew it would be dangerous, but this wasn't just danger anymore—it was a total dead end. Her face turned pale, and her legs began to tremble. No matter how mature she acted, she was still just a teenage high school girl.
At that moment, EMIYA's voice rang out again. "What should we do, Milady? If we run now, there might still be time."
Run? Right, I have to run! In a situation like this, if I don't run, I'm dead!
"Teacher, my stomach suddenly hurts. I need to go to the infirmary!"
Rin didn't care about the lesson anymore. She tossed out a random excuse and, without waiting for a reply, bolted out of the room faster than any other student. The teacher at the podium watched her go and commented, "It seems Miss Tohsaka is in quite a bit of pain."
If she wasn't, she wouldn't be running that fast.
After escaping the classroom, Rin didn't hesitate. She threw open a window and jumped, completely ignoring what floor she was on. She knew someone would catch her.
Sure enough, EMIYA dropped his Spirit Form and caught Rin with ease. The moment his feet hit the ground, he kicked off with explosive force. The floor cracked under the pressure as he shot forward like a cannonball. He blurred across the field like a streak of red light, leaping over the school fence and fleeing the campus in an instant.
But right at that moment, EMIYA's voice suddenly turned sharp. "Oh no. Danger!"
Rin's heart hammered against her ribs. "What is it, Archer?"
"We might not be able to run anymore," EMIYA said.
"Huh?" Rin was about to ask why, but then she noticed something was wrong. The sensation of the arms holding her felt... off. They were hard and cold, with no body heat whatsoever. She looked down and gasped in horror. EMIYA's lower body and his arms had been turned to stone.
"What is this?!"
"Petrification Mystic Eyes," EMIYA gritted out. "Of those five Heroic Spirits, one of them must be Medusa."
"Medusa?! That Gorgon?!" Rin screamed hysterically.
She had heard the legends of Medusa. Those Mystic Eyes were a massive problem. But what made her feel even more helpless was that this amnesiac Servant of hers was so useless he got petrified in a single encounter.
"Think of a way to escape, Archer! I'm still young! I don't want to die yet!" Rin cried out.
EMIYA sighed. "How about we just surrender?"
While he had some confidence in a one-on-one duel, he wasn't arrogant enough to think he could fight five enemies at once—especially since he'd been caught off guard and had half his body turned to stone. He was like meat on a chopping block now, at their mercy. Aside from surrendering, there was no other way.
Rin thought about it over and over before finally letting out a helpless sigh, looking like a deflated balloon. "I guess that's all we can do."
She never expected her Holy Grail War journey to be this short. She'd summoned a "useless" Servant yesterday, and today she was already surrendering. This was the worst experience ever. Rin swore that if she survived this, she'd never touch a Holy Grail War again. This war wasn't fun at all.
"Good afternoon, Tohsaka-senpai."
"Good afternoon, Head of the Tohsaka Family. Illyasviel von Einzbern sends her greetings."
As Rin waited for her fate, two figures appeared before her.
"Sakura... it's you."
Rin ignored Illyasviel, focusing all her attention on Sakura Matou. She truly hadn't expected that Sakura would be among those who had pushed her into this corner.
Illyasviel pouted, annoyed. I greeted you so nicely, and you ignore me?
"You really are rude, aren't you, Head of the Tohsaka Family? As expected of a poor person from the countryside—no manners at all."
"Who are you calling a poor person from the countryside?!"
Rin was losing it. She wanted to tear Illyasviel apart. She could handle being called rude, but she absolutely could not stand being called poor. Because she actually was poor, and that truth stung.
Seeing Rin's fury, Illyasviel delighted in it, continuing to call her "poor" over and over. Rin's gaze didn't hide her murderous intent. If Archer weren't so unreliable, she would have taught this brat a lesson.
"That's enough, Illya. Stop it."
Just then, Hercules approached, picking Illyasviel up and placing her on his shoulder. Calling someone poor a few times was fine, but continuing was just impolite. Illyasviel sat on his shoulder, laughing happily as she stuck her tongue out at Rin.
"I'm not mad... I'm not mad..." Rin took a deep breath, forcing her anger down and smoothing out the twitching nerves on her face. She looked at her younger sister and asked softly, "Sakura, can you tell me what's actually going on?"
Sakura Matou replied calmly, "As you can see, Tohsaka-senpai. Illyasviel and I are allies. We've already formed a coalition for this Holy Grail War."
Hearing this, Rin's heart, which had been racing, practically skipped a beat. "And? What are you going to do to me?"
"It's simple. Join us," Sakura said.
Rin took a sharp breath. "You already have five Heroic Spirits. If I join, that's six. Just what kind of monster is the last Heroic Spirit that you need to gather this many people to fight it?"
"You've got it all wrong, Head of the Tohsaka Family." Illyasviel rolled her eyes. "Big Brother's goal is to gather all the Heroic Spirits to save another world, not to fight in the Holy Grail War."
"Huh?" Rin looked utterly confused. Another world? Am I the one who's crazy, or are all of you?
EMIYA's heart thumped. Big Brother? Another world? Is this the reason for the changes in this Holy Grail War? Just who is this "Big Brother"?
EMIYA forced a smile. "Little miss, might I ask who this 'Big Brother' you mentioned is?"
As soon as he spoke, EMIYA felt Illyasviel's gaze turn... strange. The look of resentment and sorrow she gave him made his skin crawl.
"How pathetic. Now you won't even call me 'Big Sister' anymore, Shirou?"
The moment those words left her lips, a string of profanities flashed through EMIYA's mind in giant capital letters.
He had been doxxed.
"Shirou?" Hearing that name, Rin's eyes sharpened instantly. She whipped her head around to glare at EMIYA. "What does she mean by 'Shirou,' Archer?"
EMIYA tried to ignore the chill running down his spine. "Wait a second, I don't know either! About that 'Shirou' thing..."
At that moment, Sakura Matou launched a follow-up attack. "It's been a long time, Emiya-senpai. You've certainly had a rough few years."
Shirou? Emiya-senpai? Emiya Shirou?!!!
Rin finally realized it. Even though Archer had white hair, if she looked closely at his facial features, he really did look like Emiya Shirou. She just hadn't considered the possibility before. Who would have thought that the person she cared about would appear as a Heroic Spirit!
— — — — — — — — — — — — — — — —
50 Power Stone = 1 Bonus Chapter (Up to 5 bonus chapters per week).
Join my Patreon to get access to more chapters from Webnovel here:
patreon.com/FaaanzKun