You are very strong, but my painting style is better than yours!

Because "King Arthur" is a very special existence, in the normal timeline, Arthur's true form did not ascend to the Throne of Heroes, but instead pursued the Holy Grail as a living person.

All the King Arthur (Blue Saber) summoned in the Holy Grail Wars are actually the real King Arthur, not Servants constructed from magic.

Furthermore, as a living person, King Arthur theoretically does not have any "side profiles." He will appear in the same form no matter where he is, with the only exception being "Black Saber," which is the form corrupted by the Holy Grail curse.

There is only one possibility for the emergence of diverse (and monetization-driven) "subspecies" such as Black Lancer Artoria, X-Men, and White Lancer Artoria: in the FGO world line where humanity has been burned, the lack of a counterforce and the collapse of pan-human history have led to the appearance of a large number of strange Servants.

While the Burning of Humanity did not occur in Fate/Apocrypha, the Throne of Heroes transcends timelines, so it is possible that Servants from another Fate/Grand Order timeline could be summoned.

The probability of this happening was originally extremely low, because it's very difficult to find artifacts that correspond to these "subspecies ahoge," and the Counter Force in *Fate/Apocrypha* is still active...

But since it has appeared, it means that some changes have already quietly taken place.

There seems to be an unseen connection between Fate/Apocrypha and Fate/Grand Order (FGO). With just a little push, they could go from being parallel to intersecting, and the point of intersection would be a singularity!

In gaming parlance, it's like a collaboration between different works?

"What do we do next?" Sera rubbed her sore neck and sat up straight.

"Just wait?"

"Although my 'future tense' is not absolutely accurate, some things will not change. There is still one referee who is not present in this red and black battle, and I want to try to contact her."

"Referee...ruler?" Sera, as an android from Einzbern, was familiar with this mechanism of the Greater Grail.

"The Ruler won't join any faction; she'll only maintain the normal course of the Holy Grail War and prevent large-scale disasters... She can't be won over, can she?"

"That's generally how it is, so I didn't have high hopes."

However… even if we can't be teammates, we must never become enemies.

Iori's lips twitched involuntarily as if she had thought of something: "There are many characters like this in games and anime, right? They're just ordinary when they're your teammates, but once they turn evil and become enemies, they immediately become invincible."

Conversely, the same applies: a powerful figure who can dominate the enemy camp might inexplicably become ineffective once they become an ally.

"……What's the meaning?"

"If the choice of this year's Ruler remains unchanged, it will be an ultimate defense-specialized Servant, but her body is as tough as anything... You won't feel it when she's an ally, but being her enemy will be a very painful experience."

Iori nodded: "It would be best to let her deal with humanoid self-propelled artillery like Black Rider and Red Lancer; she can definitely draw most of the firepower."

Although he wasn't likable, it had to be admitted that the boy was very reliable—watching Iori calmly analyze the battle situation, Sera felt inexplicably at ease.

It must be said that Berserker possesses a unique charm, being both confident and honest, as mysterious as moonlight, without a trace of malice, and making people want to believe him with every word he says.

In the short life of the silver-haired girl, most of the time was spent enduring the pain of transplanting magic crests and adjusting magic circuits. She also had to spend a lot of time learning alchemy and combat skills to protect herself, leaving her with little free time.

With her health now on the verge of collapse, it can be said that her life has been full of misfortune, with no moment of happiness or contentment, and she has never truly lived for herself.

—This is nothing unusual. As an artificial human, "misfortune" and "happiness" are no different to her. Fulfilling the mission entrusted to her by her family is the only meaning of her life.

However, after meeting Iori, her fulfilling life suddenly slowed down.

Even though it's during a major war, the Master and Servant should be more on edge, but this person is unhurried no matter what he does. He doesn't scout out enemy movements in his spare time, but instead spends his time wandering around and eating and drinking like a tourist.

Sera is nominally a Master, but in reality, she is completely led around by others. Because she has to act with her Servant at all times, she has also traveled around quite a bit, like right now.

This was the first time Sera had ever wasted her life so meaninglessly. She clearly had the energy, but she didn't devote it to fulfilling her long-cherished wish, which left the silver-haired girl with a peculiar feeling.

Should I...feel ashamed?

But strangely, it seems that something else was born along with it... an extremely small amount of pleasure?

Why? There's nothing about these things that brings her any pleasure.

"Well……"

As she pondered, perhaps due to exhaustion, Sera felt a wave of drowsiness wash over her, her cheeks inexplicably flushed, and her cherry lips parted slightly as she exhaled a warm breath.

"Why do I suddenly feel so dizzy..."

"..."

Iori's expression was solemn, her nostrils twitched slightly, and she caught a faint scent of wine mixed with the fragrance of unknown flowers.

"It seems we're not the only ones out to admire the moon today, Master."

All around was pitch black. Iori didn't look around searching for the enemy. Instead, she slowly closed her eyes, fully releasing her senses, and let them drift along the calm water's surface.

call out!

The boy suddenly raised the fishing rod, its resilient material drawing a graceful arc in the air. A silver thread, with the hook attached, flashed through the gentle moonlight like a flying blade.

--call!

The ghostly figure dodged the slash and landed nimbly at the tip of the bow like a dragonfly. The seductive and gorgeous kimono swayed slightly, revealing sickly pale thighs and arms, as well as strange tattoo patterns.

"Black's assassin?"

"Oh dear, such enthusiasm on our first meeting! But unfortunately, I don't really like rude men~"

Chapter 112: Drunk Shuten-dōji's Nemesis

In short, she was a "demonic" woman.

Her petite figure, like that of a young girl, possessed a youthful face yet carried the frivolous air of a courtesan. The faint smile at the corner of her mouth was like a feather brushing against her body, causing an inexplicable itch to well up from within.

The loosely draped kimono was open, revealing large expanses of fair skin, making her even more wanton than the most daring dancers. It barely covered her most vital parts, and fine, thread-like tattoo patterns spread across her body, exuding an eerie yet alluring charm.

The most striking feature is the large gourd hanging at the waist, made entirely of glass, with a semi-transparent deep blue color and exquisite patterns on the surface.

In addition, the girl has two wine-red pointed horns on her head. They are not the curved horns of Western demons, but slender, straight, and delicate, like the hairpins of a courtesan.

"A monster?" Iori recognized the Servant before her, her eyelids lowered, and a cold killing intent flashed in her eyes.

—Shuten-dōji.

The great demon from the Far East, the drunken demon beheaded by Minamoto no Yorimitsu, is a first-rate Servant, with stats so good that he doesn't seem like an assassin.

At this moment, Iori was even more serious than when facing Atalanta's sniping. The magic power within her body was fully activated, ready to strike and kill this dangerous demon at any time!

"Hehe, that expression is terrifying... Please let them go~"

Shuten covered his small mouth, which revealed a pair of sharp teeth, with his sleeve. A shallow wine cup the size of a washbasin appeared in his hand. He reached out to Iori, and as he gently shook it, the clear wine inside released an even richer aroma.

The crescent moon's reflection shone in the wine cup, and as a gentle breeze stirred, a cherry blossom petal drifted down, creating ripples...

"I don't like fighting. Please have a drink with me, and just pretend you didn't see me, okay?"

Under the bright moonlight, a beautiful ghost woman, seemingly drunk and hazy, landed gracefully at the bow of the ship and raised her large wine cup to invite the handsome young swordsman... It was as if a folk tale had been reenacted at this moment.

The soft, sweet words that melt your bones, combined with the pervasive smell of alcohol, would make anyone who was in that situation feel mesmerized.

Sera was infected!

Alcohol affects the sensitivity of the nervous system, so the silver-haired girl had never drunk alcohol, let alone been drunk.

Just smelling the scent made her fair skin turn rosy, and her entire cheeks felt hot.

But it's not her fault. Even a heavy drinker who can drink a thousand cups without getting drunk can't resist this sweet scent, because it's not just the smell of alcohol, but also a poison and a curse.

Essentially a variant of the "charm" skill, but as a great demon symbolizing depravity and pleasure, this demon woman infused her bewitching charm into the aroma of sake, turning it into a drug that could make people fall into depravity.

Let alone humans, even Servants can go mad if they're not careful!

—It's just useless against Iori.

"Ugh... What's wrong with me? I'm so hot... so sleepy... Ugh..."

"No! Iori...Iori...Are you here?"

Sera is an excellent magician, but her frail body was almost instantly overwhelmed by the alcohol, falling into a dazed and involuntary state of drunkenness.

Subconsciously, she knew something was wrong, so even though the world was spinning and she didn't know where she was, she was still murmuring Iori's name—in this most dangerous moment, she still trusted Iori the most.

Upon hearing her Master's call, Iori, who was confronting the enemy Servant, did not turn around directly, but instead glanced back out of the corner of her eye.

"Oh dear, don't you want to drink? Or is it that I am so ugly that you would not wish to grace me with your presence?"

Shuten-dōji watched Iori with a smile, and naturally noticed his action. He immediately tilted the sake cup in his hand slightly, and a thin, clear line hung down in the night.

"But you know, this wine is sweet and fragrant; I really like it!"

Hey!

The wine spilled onto the wooden board, and as the water droplets splashed, a sense of malice swept over them. Iori vanished from her spot in an instant, and Sera also disappeared without a trace.

--call!

In mid-air, Iori appeared, holding the half-asleep Sera. Without even a breath's pause, a cold, sharp sword light struck, threatening to cut them both in half.

bass!

A large demon in the form of a young girl appeared, its sharp fingertips easily slicing through the fabric, and then—

I missed my target!

"Ok?"

Shuten-dōji's smile faded slightly as she watched the two fluttering pieces of clothing before her. But when she landed, that unrestrained, frivolous smile returned to her face.

A glass sake bottle floats on the river, with Shuten sitting sideways on it, her bare, white feet gently parting the ripples. Her small yet remarkably pert buttocks are outlined by a thin kimono, creating a charming contrast with the curves of her gourd-shaped figure.

"To be able to escape from me so calmly while carrying someone... that's truly impressive!"

Despite his adorable appearance, resembling the legendary Ushiwakamaru... he's equally skilled in martial arts. It seems appearances can be deceiving.

"escape?"

Iori landed on the riverbank, found a bench and put Sera on it. After briefly checking on her condition, he was sure that she was just "drunk" and had no other abnormalities, which put him at ease.

The binding tool, named "Inverted Mountain Crystal," manifested as a crystal pyramid, enveloping Sera just like last time.

After calmly finishing all this, Iori turned to look at Shuten, her face full of displeasure: "What a waste of my two thousand euro suit."

"I think it was totally worth it, after all, I got my life saved~"

As if by magic, Shuten-dōji reached behind him and produced a huge sake cup. He took a delicious sip, his face flushed, and his drunkenness deepened.

"However, I must be serious from now on—"

"Shut up!"

"Well!"

An invisible yet tangible sense of oppression suddenly descended, forcibly interrupting Shuten-dōji's next sentence, a look of astonishment emerging from the depths of his eyes.

"Enough with the nonsense... Fighting by the water? You're out of luck."

Iori untied the sword pouch she carried with her, revealing a section of jade hilt.

—Shuten's pupils suddenly contracted.

Even just seeing that section of the sword hilt from afar made the great demon, renowned throughout the Far East, feel as if she were being stabbed in the back. The illusory stinging sensation was like a long needle piercing her heart, causing her entire soul to tremble.

"No, this is it!"

Without hesitation, the wine cup vanished with a flick of her wrist, replaced by a magnificent yet bizarre longsword, almost the entire size of her, shaped like a Buddhist mural.

Zheng! Zheng! Zheng!

Three sword pressures, condensed from dense water vapor, parted the river's surface. Shuten-dōji blocked them with his sword, but was also knocked away.

However, there was a figure who was faster than Jian Ya and Shuten-dōji, and caught up with the great demon of the Far East in the blink of an eye!

The usually arrogant and frivolous demon was now completely devoid of her usual majesty, and her body seemed to have become much sluggish. She was unable to completely dodge the attack. As she looked at the cold light falling from the ancient divine sword, a ferocious smile appeared on her youthful face.

Why did it take so long to realize this...? I miscalculated. I shouldn't have been so rash. I never expected such a coincidence to happen in the Holy Grail War!

"This guy--"

Zheng!

puff!

"—He's my 'natural enemy'!"

Chapter 113: Stop pretending, you're just a cross-dressing master, aren't you? (Two chapters combined)

Stab it!