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

In "Akatsuki no Akatsuki" and "Bleach", Iori has many followers, a significant portion of whom have formed deep bonds with him.

Because of the effect of the talent "Unwavering Aspiration - Reverse", the longing they have for Iori will drive Iori's own progress and occasionally contribute some art style value.

The quantity is small, but its value lies in its ability to accumulate over a long period of time. Similar to automatically refreshed CG art styles, they are both extremely important strategic resources.

Now, Sera has become an ally of Iori, though she herself is unaware of it.

"Iori, what is your real name?"

"Aizen Iori, that's my real name. I don't want to deceive you."

But in this Holy Grail War, my identity is that of a wicked and unruly individual, driven from home by my father and sister, wandering the earth alone, ultimately gaining the gods' renewed recognition through my dragon-slaying exploits—Takeshiro, Susanoo, and Fubuki-no-Kami.

Susanoo!

-

【The Form of Winter】

(A bond CG from Sera)

Spirit - Slight Improvement

Mobility and Minor Improvement

Avoidance/Slight Improvement

Art style value +2

Special Skills:

[The Grail's Favorite D]

They have gained the favor of the Holy Grail in a parallel world, receiving unseen protection and a slight increase in luck.

(The effect increases with the bond level)

Chapter 118: Why Did the Priest Become a Phantom Thief?

On the country road leading to the small Romanian town of Tulifas, the peaceful night was shattered by the fierce clanging of steel, the swirling flames and the pitch-black wind pressure clashing against each other, the sword-like aura of dusk and the emerald meteors colliding with each other!

Even without intentional sabotage, the aftershocks alone completely destroyed the winding road, which stretched for hundreds of meters, and the vast wilderness on both sides of it.

Perhaps the two sides deliberately chose this desolate place to fight; otherwise, if the battlefield had been in the city, razing a small town would have been an easy task.

It was a truly surreal scene, an exaggerated battle that could only be seen in mythology. The human eye could not discern what was happening inside; all that could be seen were invisible shockwaves ravaging the earth and trees, and the flames that were shattered turning the surroundings into a hellish inferno like incendiary bombs…

On the edge of the battlefield, a Valkyrie, clad in silver armor and holding a flagpole, stood unmoved by the fierce wind, intently watching the battle and having the privilege of recording this great war that had returned to the age of mythology.

Joan of Arc, the young woman who had a tremendous influence on French history, not only saved her country during her lifetime, but her spirit continues to inspire the French people for centuries to come—except for World War II, France has always been courageous.

From her appearance, her features are delicate and well-proportioned, somewhat similar to the Black Faction's Rider Knight King, but she lacks the majesty of a hegemon, instead possessing an aura of sacred inviolability and an unyielding pity deep in her eyes.

—This woman seemed to have been born to save people from suffering.

The Saintess has beautiful golden hair, like a wheat field in late autumn, braided and hanging down her back. Her armor is not bulky; it is a close-fitting type with some fabric embellishments, which perfectly accentuates her beautiful figure.

Her appearance is almost identical to that of King Arthur in his youth, so in a Holy Grail War in a certain timeline, a goldfish-eyed magician who wished to remain anonymous once mistook her for someone else.

This is really ridiculous. How can you judge someone by their face alone? If you just look down to their chest—how could you possibly mistake them?

boom!

The deafening explosions shook the surrounding area, and waves of intense heat swept over them, forcing Joan of Arc to raise her arms to protect her face. Even as a transcendent judge, she couldn't help but feel a chill run down her spine at the sight of this battle.

The main characters on stage are four Servants, two each from black and red: Saber and Rider from the black side, and Lancer and Rider from the red side.

These four all possess formidable strength that can be considered the pinnacle of Servants. From martial arts to Noble Phantasms and legendary status, they are all impeccable. Even their Masters have abundant mana, allowing them to fully unleash their power.

It is no exaggeration to say that any one of these four would be a powerful figure capable of winning the Holy Grail War in an ordinary one, and would be virtually unbeatable.

In every Holy Grail War, if a Servant can summon even one or two of these, it's already considered to be of a very high level.

Four top-tier Servants gathered together for a chaotic battle—this has never happened before in any of this timelines!

Only in a special war mode like the Red vs. Black War could such a spectacle occur!

Of course, Joan of Arc would not be excited by this. Although she gained fame in the war, she did not like fighting and sacrifice.

Furthermore, the reason these four Servants are fighting here is related to her; in a sense, she is a central figure, so her feelings are quite complicated.

The red team is there to kill her, while the black team is there to protect her.

It was clearly the Black faction that committed the first foul and seized the Greater Grail, so the Yggdrasil clan should have been more wary of the Ruler.

But when Joan of Arc descended in "possession" form, it was the Red Team that launched the first sneak attack on her?

It seems there are quite a few people with ulterior motives in this Holy Grail War!

Theoretically, if the Red faction is hostile towards her, she should join forces with the Black faction to fight against them. However, as the "arbitrator," Jeanne d'Arc will not join any faction. She will only join forces with Servants when there is a threat that could cause the Holy Grail War to spiral out of control.

Although she didn't know why the Reds were hostile to her, it wasn't considered a serious violation, so Joan of Arc refused the Blacks' offer to join her and remained neutral.

The blonde girl held a battle flag, her braids swaying in the wind as she carefully observed the changing battle situation... After a while, feeling that the outcome was uncertain, the girl thought for a moment and then went to pack up her luggage that had been knocked away by the red side's servant in a sneak attack.

After all, she wasn't a genuine Servant; she had possessed a living girl. She didn't need to eat or drink, but the host needed to live a normal life.

-

A large-scale battle between four Servants was projected into the void. The chaotic flow of magic caused the image to become blurry and shaky from time to time, making it difficult to see the details, but it was still possible to make out that the two sides were evenly matched.

"Yes, Lancer and Rider on the Red Team are indeed excellent... If we don't summon the great Norse hero Siegfried and the British knight king, it will be very difficult to win this war."

Vlad III sat on his throne, calmly assessing the combat prowess of the heroes.

Meanwhile, Fiore, the wheelchair-bound girl standing nearby, advised, "Your Majesty, Ruler hasn't joined the fight. Should we continue to commit our forces? With Archer's mobility, he can reach the target location quickly."

"No, that's fine. Given the current situation, continuing to commit more troops could easily trigger a decisive battle prematurely."

Vlad III said calmly, "For us, if we hold the decisive battle outside our territory, it would be tantamount to giving up our home advantage, which would be too advantageous for the Reds."

“I understand, it was my oversight.” Fiore hesitated for a moment. “I’m just wondering why Ruler chose to remain neutral even after being attacked by a red faction servant?”

"This is probably the character of a saint. He doesn't harbor resentment over such things and can always view things from a fair and objective standpoint."

Vlad III smiled confidently: "Let's ignore her for now. Even if she remains neutral, she will become our ally in the future."

He spoke with such certainty that Fiore gave him a strange look.

Vlad III's confidence was not without reason. In the memories he "inherited," he discovered that the enemy Master, Amakusa Shirou, was a Servant left over from the last Holy Grail War, and according to Darnic's memories, his class was [ruler]!

Compared to the Thousand World Tree, Amakusa had a much bigger hidden problem; otherwise, he wouldn't have sent people to assassinate Jeanne d'Arc.

As the saying goes, the enemy of my enemy is my friend. Although Joan of Arc was "neutral," she would definitely clash with Amakusa, which would make her a half-ally to Vlad III.

Therefore, he sent out his precious fighting force to ensure Joan of Arc's safety.

"By the way, has the Red Team's Master made any moves lately?" Vlad III asked Fiore. "Have all the moles from the Mage's Association been eliminated? No thieves are allowed on my territory!"

"Don't worry about that. Caster, in cooperation with the Assassin, has already wiped out the spies."

As for the Red Master…

Fiore hesitated for a moment, then continued, "I don't know why... but it seems they've become phantom thieves."

"...Huh? Say it again?"

Chapter 119: Ancient Greek Mystic Experts

"To be precise, an unidentified phantom thief has appeared in Romania, and we tend to believe that he is the Red Team Master."

Fiore reported to Vlad III: "After all, there are obvious signs of magic at the crime scene, and apart from the Master sent by the Clock Tower, all the magicians in Romania are currently under the jurisdiction of Yggdrasil."

"Phantom Thief?"

Grand Duke Varagne felt a sense of absurdity. Although he had been indoctrinated with modern knowledge and could easily understand the meaning of the word, he simply couldn't connect it with the Holy Grail War.

"What do you mean? Are they thieves? What are they stealing?"

"This is quite intriguing. The stolen items were all public facilities such as museums, memorial halls, libraries, and banks. The perpetrators' targets were not valuable gold and silver treasures, but rather a large number of cultural relics and ancient books."

From a magician's perspective, it's normal to collect artifacts from all over the world in order to study ancient magic and mysteries, even if it involves some dark methods that are outdated in modern society...

Strangely, the stolen items weren't any precious relics; most were simply antiques, valuable to collectors but meaningless to the magician.

Fiore was also puzzled, unable to quite understand the behavior of the Red Master (Amakusa Shirou).

It's not surprising that magicians would trample on all laws and morals and engage in illegal and criminal activities for the sake of their research, but the premise for doing so is that it's "worth it"!

In modern human society, civilization has developed tremendously compared to a century ago, and magicians' methods have also changed. With sufficient funds, even top-tier relics can be purchased, so there is no need to risk being targeted by the association to cause trouble.

Moreover, Romania is the territory of the Thousand World Tree, where the family has flourished and its influence has spread to every corner. The precious magical resources have long been acquired, and those museums simply do not have any decent relics or materials.

After all, only with top-tier artifacts can one summon a Servant that satisfies one's needs.

Otherwise, do you really think that you can just draw heroes from the Age of Gods so easily? You have to spend money!

By the way, Fiore is the best at this in Yggdrasil!

In the timeline of *Fate/Apocrypha*, the rampant occurrence of subspecies Holy Grail Wars has driven up the prices of various relics to exorbitant levels. It is against this backdrop that the wheelchair-bound girl manages to find the very best one:

Theoretically, it can summon the relic of Hercules, the poisoned arrow used by Hercules!

If Hercules is summoned in Europe, it is tantamount to winning the Holy Grail War—this is the consensus of almost all magicians!

But perhaps due to Fiore's bad luck, she failed to summon Hercules and instead summoned Chiron, the sage who was the victim of the poisoned arrow.

While this demigod is undoubtedly a first-rate servant, compared to Heracles... Of course, Fiore is still quite satisfied, after all, Chiron has an excellent personality and is compatible with her.

Are they collecting items with 'history'? That could be in preparation for some kind of ritual.

Although Vlad III was not a legitimate magician, ancient Romania was a very superstitious land, and as a king, he could be said to have extensive knowledge.

"After all, the Red Team's Servant... should be a Caster, right? Perhaps they are gathering materials to build a workshop for him."

The memories he received from the parallel world did not contain any specific information about the enemy assassins, but he had a vivid memory of the Sky Garden and guessed that the enemy's actions were related to this unusual treasure.

"Whatever the enemy wants to do, we cannot let him do it smoothly. Those who dare to steal on my territory must be brought to justice!"

“Your Majesty, leave this matter to the magicians below. It’s not worth getting angry about,” Fiore quickly advised, fearing that Vlad III would make an impulsive decision—Lancer’s personality had clearly changed recently, and he was no longer as composed.

"Hmph, such a trivial matter isn't worth my personal attention, and it also depends on whether it's appropriate..."

Vlad III pondered for a moment, then suddenly asked, "How are Caster and Assassin now?"

-

Deep beneath the castle of the Thousand Worlds, in a magic workshop comparable to a small factory, a massive and sacred spherical vessel, gleaming with golden light and containing a female bust, is placed under layers of protection, including physical railings and chains, as well as invisible magical barriers and traps.

If you approach rashly, even an assassin skilled in stealth will be detected, leading to an attack from the Yggdrasil Servants.

This magic workshop is located beneath the castle, boasting robust defenses, top-tier magic furnaces, powerful puppet guards, and ferocious beasts kept at its disposal—it is virtually foolproof!

Of course, without a skilled magician to oversee it, even the most powerful hardware facilities are just for show. But Yggdrasil doesn't need to worry about that, because they have undoubtedly summoned the magical authority of the Age of Gods.

At this very moment, the Caster and the Assassin mentioned by Vlad III are standing before the Greater Grail, admiring the appearance of this miraculous creation.

"How ugly! Humans have become so twisted in their pursuit of self-liberation."

Shuten-dōji, who was beaten to the brink of death by Iori and whose mind was "not quite right," can now stand up and make comments with dignity. Even his missing arm and demon horn have grown back... However, compared to the original, the restored parts are covered with flame-like red markings, making him look even more eerie.

"This 'cup' is incredibly ornate, but it's filled with bitterness. I was initially somewhat interested... but now I don't care anymore. Drinking from a cup like this would definitely taste terrible."

"You think so? I think it's absolutely beautiful. Although it's a creation of later humans and quite rough in many ways, the core magic circuits are extremely exquisite... It's a pity that it's too exquisite, its energy efficiency is too low, it's simply a shameful waste~"

Caster paused, then sighed, "If I were in charge of organizing it, the ceremony certainly wouldn't have dragged on like this. The original founders probably never imagined that a younger generation of magicians would fail to complete the ceremony even after three attempts, and that the fourth one would result in a red-black battle..."

Nowadays, magicians focus on "Servants" and "Wishing Machines" and take the outcome of the Holy Grail War very seriously, which is undoubtedly a sad thing in Caster's eyes.

Her magical skills, ranking among the best in the entire history of humankind, allowed her to come into contact with the Greater Grail on the very first day she was summoned, and she saw through the true nature of the Holy Grail War—

This is a large-scale magic ritual, not a battle royale competition.

The killing among Servants is merely a means to complete the ritual; the key is to activate the Greater Grail, which is what truly completes the ritual.

No matter how exciting the Servant fights or how thrilling the Master-Master feuds are, if the ritual is not completed, it is all meaningless!

And completing the ritual does not require killing all the Servants...