Chapter 287: You all come at once—I

Late night.

In a study carpeted with luxurious cashmere, Tokiomi Tohsaka was entertaining a father and son dressed as priests.

The middle-aged man with a goatee took a small sip of black tea, then spoke: "I never expected we'd gather all seven Masters so quickly."

"Heh." The elderly priest smiled. "I also didn't expect two Masters to appear in succession within just a week."

Once all seven Servants had manifested, the Masters would naturally know the Holy Grail War had begun.

"But it's better to start soon—after all, Tokiomi, you've already secured the winning trump card."

At these words, the three present all briefly pictured the image of a golden-haired youth clad in golden armor.

Tokiomi Tohsaka couldn't help but smile: "You're right, Lord Ritsuzen. No Servant can stand against His Majesty."

"Still, we must proceed with caution."

He turned to the young priest standing silently beside him: "Kiritsugu, you'll need to cooperate with Assassin to stage a performance."

"Yes, Master."

The young priest replied calmly.

At that moment, a flicker of golden light appeared, and a golden-haired man materialized in the study.

Tokiomi Tohsaka was not surprised by the golden-haired man's arrival; he merely spoke with respect: "Your Majesty, we rely on you for what comes next."

"Tch."

The golden-haired man emitted a sound of disdain, his expression utterly cold.

Tokiomi Tohsaka had long grown accustomed to his Servant's attitude; as long as it helped him win the Holy Grail War, he could endure such minor slights.

'This Great Grail shall be claimed by the Tohsaka family.'

With this thought, Tokiomi Tohsaka's face softened into a faint smile.

…

The Matou household.

Li Ang stared at the group of girls before him, their expressions reverent, and found himself at a loss for words.

After research, he and Scathach had indeed successfully held Sakura's Command Seals—but the Servant they summoned.

Glancing at Scathach beside him, Li Ang casually complimented: "You've truly given me a great surprise."

Scathach clearly relished the praise: "It's thanks to your magical energy, Master. Without it, I couldn't have achieved this."

"With Valkyries as auxiliaries, the Holy Grail War will be child's play."

Indeed, she had successfully manifested the Norse Valkyries as Berserkers.

The reason the originally Lancer-class Valkyries appeared as Berserkers likely stemmed from the Berserker attributes inherent in Norse mythology itself.

After all, Vikings—those who know, know.

What truly surprised Li Ang was

Scathach had summoned seventeen Valkyries, yet they seemed treated as a single entity.

Li Ang suspected this was almost certainly tied to her unique status as the former Master of the Norse Lostbelts.

Of course, under normal circumstances, Scathach would find this feat extremely difficult.

Even with their power drastically weakened, the Valkyries' presence still exceeded the capacity of an ordinary magus—only Li Ang's immense magical energy could sustain them.

'This works out well. With enough samples, I can further study the mechanics of the Throne of Heroes.'

'And if I recall correctly, Valkyries in this world were all handcrafted by the god Odin, weren't they?'

In other words, the Valkyries were divine puppets.

Thinking of this, Li Ang slightly curled his lips, then retained three Valkyries, preparing to study their structure closely.

But he hadn't studied long before a wildly flamboyant aura suddenly spread across the entirety of Fuyuki City.

Li Ang halted his actions and looked up toward a certain direction.

Scathach also sensed the aura; she spoke: "I'll go observe the situation."

"I'll go myself." Li Ang shook his head slightly, rejecting her offer. "This farce should be ended quickly."

No time for games!

With his current strength, eliminating the other five was effortless.

If so, why waste time playing pretend?

After disposing of them, ending the Holy Grail War would be entirely up to Li Ang—he could do whatever he pleased.

Hearing this, Scathach paused, then nodded: "I'll protect you."

"."

Li Ang gave no reply; in a flash, he vanished.

…

Beneath the night sky, a figure wearing a white skull mask moved through the garden like a dancer, darting and twisting.

With a flick of his fingers, the gemstones scattered like decorations across the garden shattered one after another.

As he reached out to claim the largest gem at the garden's center, a spear pierced the air and pinned his hand firmly to the gem's base.

"Vermin."

A cold, haughty voice came from the rooftop.

The figure instinctively looked up—and heard the second sentence.

"Who gave you permission to raise your head?"

The next instant, a barrage of weapons drowned the figure's position.

Watching the smoke-filled garden, the golden-haired man clad in golden armor sneered: "Vermin should behave like vermin."

With those words, he scanned the garden's perimeter and sneered dismissively.

Just as he was about to leave, a voice devoid of emotion suddenly rang down from the sky: "Hero-King"

"Forget it, I'll just call you Golden Shine."

The golden-haired man snapped his head up to see a young man calmly gazing at him.

He instantly flew into a rage: "Base cultivator! Who gave you permission to stand above me?!"

Before the words had even faded, colossal golden ripples emerged behind him, followed by an unimaginable multitude of weapons hurtling toward the figure in the sky.

Boom—!

The explosion's gale made the surrounding trees rustle violently; smoke wreathed in flame obscured the view.

Yet the next instant, a terrifying repulsive force swept the smoke clean away.

"Do you really dare call someone else a mongrel, Gilgamesh?"

A mocking tone drifted down from the sky as the young man with the magnificent right eye let out a scornful chuckle.