Chapter 417

【At this moment, this very second, eternity was frozen in her heart.】

【………】

【"The final Servant... has finally manifested, hasn't it?"】

【Shinomiya Residence.】

【A middle-aged man with meticulously groomed silver hair stood with his hands behind his back, looking up at the silver pillar of light piercing the sky.】

【"The Holy Grail War has finally begun."】

【The woman named Shinomiya Nayatake sighed with a hint of reluctance.】

【Her own life had also entered its countdown.】

【…….】

【Fuyuki Grand Hotel, fifth-floor suite.】

【Yukinoshita Haruno stood before the floor-to-ceiling window, squinting her eyes as she watched the radiance rising at the edge of the horizon.】

【Shiromeguri Meguri sat on the edge of the bed, assembling a heavy sniper rifle with a striking visual impact amidst the clatter of metal: "It's Caster, isn't it? Doesn't look like a soft target."】

241. Kuroba Kaito: Damn it, don't walk down the path of crime.

【Haruno shook her head: "Manifesting at this point in time—if they aren't an extremely formidable Servant, the Caster team is already out."】

【If Caster were given time to prepare, they would likely be a formidable rival, not inferior to the three Knight classes, perhaps even stronger.】

【If the time limit for the Holy Grail War weren't seven days, but seventy.】

【A formidable Caster-class Servant would be capable of setting up a celestial-grade grand ritual, and it wouldn't be impossible to end the Holy Grail War in an instant by killing all seven riders.】

【But if they aren't prepared...】

【The notorious expert in slaughtering mages, Yukinoshita Haruno, curled her lips into a faint smile.】

【They will instantly become the weakest of the seven.】

【The strongest, yet also the weakest.】

【Just like the countless mages she killed in her youth, even though a flick of a finger and a terrifying spell could destroy her and everything within dozens of meters.】

【But before that, a mere magical bullet fired from a lady's pistol could pierce their skulls.】

【Compared to their firepower, which is like a mobile artillery battery, they themselves are far too fragile.】

【"That's true."】

【With a crisp click, she efficiently chambered the magazine, and Shiromeguri Meguri turned back like a gentle wife: "With Saber's Magic Resistance, they should be the Servant least worried about Caster."】

【She couldn't help but sigh in her heart.】

【As expected of the Einzbern family.】

【To have such a Holy Relic, and to actually summon that legendary King to manifest.】

【Not to mention those absurd base stats and Noble Phantasms.】

【A+ rank Magic Resistance alone is enough to leave most Casters helpless.】

【Unless it's a Heroic Spirit sublimated from a top-tier Age of Gods mage, that King could cut down a pile of them with his eyes closed.】

【Added to that peerless base stats and Noble Phantasms, they would likely be a dominant existence in any other Holy Grail War.】

【Even if a Divine Spirit-level Caster manifested, facing that King would be nothing more than a matter of one sword strike, or perhaps a few more to finish them off.】

【But even with such an absurd Heroic Spirit, this Holy Grail War is not without opponents.】

……..

"No, I admit this version of Saber is indeed absurdly strong, but Caster is the Holy King."

At this moment.

Billions of eyes watching this scene closed in pity.

They seemed to see their own tragic future, and the endless regret of that time.

"To be honest, their way of thinking is understandable."

Mutual Aid Society.

Natsuki Subaru looked at the confident Masters on the Sky Curtain with pity.

"Yeah, after all, every single one of them is incredibly strong; a Caster without prep time is indeed not much of a threat."

Hideyoshi also couldn't bear to keep watching.

A+ rank Magic Resistance.

They wouldn't even break a sweat against super-spec grand magecraft thrown at them, and could cut off an average Caster's head with one sword strike.

The question is, would the Holy King be an average Caster?

………

【"Leave Caster aside until they show their value; that golden King summoned by the Shinomiya family this time is likely a significant threat."】

【Shiromeguri Meguri stood up and waved, sparking a burst of electric arcs to construct the image transmitted by the familiar monitoring the Shinomiya family.】

【"The ability seems somewhat like Projection Magecraft."】

【"But Projection Magecraft requires truly analyzing the Noble Phantasm. To be able to witness the true form of so many Noble Phantasms, this Heroic Spirit is likely a renowned figure in history."】

【Watching that magnificent scene of war.】

【She studied every frame, every expression, every detail, over and over again.】

【"The gap is too large. With Assassin's strength, there's no way to probe for more intelligence on that golden Heroic Spirit."】

【Yukinoshita Haruno turned back: "Before that golden Heroic Spirit strikes again, let's study the intelligence on the other four Heroic Spirits."】

【All that is known is that ability to replicate and launch Noble Phantasms.】

【Whether it is magecraft or a Noble Phantasm, it is impossible to tell.】

【Giving up on this meaningless line of thought, Haruno lit a cigarette, holding it between her slender fingers and sniffing it gently at her nose.】

【She didn't smoke; it was just a habit.】

【Sniffing the scent of the cigarette, it was as if the foster sister she had killed with her own hands was still by her side.】

【"Meguri, what do you think of Assassin?"】

【Shiromeguri Meguri looked at the image transmitted by the familiar for a long time, then finally shook her head: "Too deliberate, too reckless, as if they were intentionally throwing their life away."】

【"The Holy Grail War hasn't even truly begun, yet they rushed into the mage workshop of a local powerhouse..."】

【Haruno nodded, her gaze drifting.】

【Did they not care about winning the Holy Grail at all, and only wanted to complete the mission?】

【No.】

【Without an obsession that can only be realized through the Holy Grail, one would never be chosen by it.】

【"Meguri!"】

【Haruno toyed with the cigarette and suddenly asked: "Where is Assassin's Master now?"】

【"The supervisor of this Holy Grail War notified us that Assassin's Master has applied for asylum at the Holy Church and has already headed there."】

【Shiromeguri Meguri was somewhat doubtful.】

【But since the Holy Church has endorsed it, Assassin should truly be out of the game.】

【The next moment.】

【Haruno looked up: "Meguri, arrange familiars near the Holy Church. Once Enoshima Junko steps out of the church, snipe her immediately!"】

【Shiromeguri Meguri was taken aback: "Is that really okay?"】

【The Holy Church is a behemoth on par with the Mage's Association. Killing someone they are protecting...】

【And for a Master who has already exited the game and has no value?】

【Haruno chuckled, flicked the cigarette butt into the ashtray with a bent finger, and looked out the window with a distant gaze.】

【"That supervisor might not necessarily represent the Holy Church anymore."】

………

"Holy crap, is she that decisive?"

People were shocked.

"As expected of the butcher who killed thousands of mages. It feels like she didn't even confirm if Enoshima Junko was a problem."

"Did you guess right or not?"

"Hahahaha, they actually thought Gil's Noble Phantasms were Projection Magecraft. Archer Emiya is asking for clarification."

"Actually, in a sense, they guessed right. After all, there really is someone who plays like that, right, Archer Emiya?"

"After all, no one's imagination is that wild, to guess that the Noble Phantasms are all real, and are the prototypes of all Noble Phantasms."