"I came here to ask you both, will you help me defend the universe, the world, my family?"
That's right.
Drako had come to the McKenzie home to try to recruit Rider, and Waver was also a good choice to add to his group.
Why was Waver a good choice? That's what many may be wondering.
Out of pure curiosity, Drako had decided to use [Inspect Status] on Waver. To his surprise, something had happened that Drako had already experienced with an object.
[Record of a Servant with this human's characteristics found]
Just as with the Nemean Lion's pelt that Aphrodite had given him, the system had detected a Servant's records with Waver's characteristics.
This meant that, when it came to turning Waver into a Servant, he would not follow the same process as Kuroka or Zoë.
When Drako turned the two girls into Servants, they gained the default parameters of their respective classes. With Waver, it would be different since there were already records of Waver as a Servant. The system would take those parameters and implement them in Waver. Not only that, but he would also gain all his Skills and Noble Phantasms.
This was all that the system had been explaining to Drako while Rider and Waver were discussing.
In a single moment, the plans Drako had made for the Nasuverse had received a big change.
His main goal in arriving at the place where Waver was residing was to invite Rider to join him since he was the only Servant Drako was willing to ally within this Fourth Holy Grail War. The others were nothing more than experience to level up and gain personal strength.
But now that he knew of this possibility, a new possibility had appeared in front of Drako. Perhaps there were more people in the Nasuverse like Waver, with their own Servant record.
Shirou Emiya was a clear example of this. With Waver's example, Drako could turn Shirou into a Servant and give him the characteristics of Archer EMIYA.
If, for example, Irisviel also has a Servant record in the system, then turning her into one would be much more profitable than Drako thought. Who knows, maybe Sakura and Rin have their own Servant records.
That being the case, Drako had already figured out what he could do in the 10-year gap between the fourth and fifth war.
"I see; you're asking us to abandon Holy Grail and ally with you to deal with this outside enemy."
Rider put his hand to his chin and ducked his head as he thought.
Drako knew of Iskandar's directness. He didn't tend to overthink things, so the answer he was going to give him was the final one.
Iskandar raised his head, and through his eyes full of ambition and determination Drako received the answer.
"I see..."
The negotiations had failed. No, there was no chance to negotiate in the first place.
"My dream is to reign over all the land at least once. That's right, I don't care about Holy Grail. However, I cannot let go of my dream. Because this one is not mine alone. I owe it to my subordinates, those who followed me across unknown lands, facing fearsome enemies, only to find Okeanos. If I were to start working for you, I would be betraying everything I stand for."
Alexander the Great, Iskandar, it didn't matter what the name was. The Conqueror King was a person worthy of Drako shutting up and listening to what he had to say. He was an idiot, but he was also a wise man. The experience he had was no match for Drako's.
Drako couldn't be mad at him for not taking him up on his offer, even if Iskandar knew that the future of humanity was at stake. Rider had on his back the hopes of thousands of soldiers who had fought alongside him. They were his family, and Rider wasn't going to abandon his family even if it meant the others would die.
Drako wouldn't either, so he could only nod his head at Rider's words.
Waver watched in amazement as these two great powers smiled at each other, knowing they were enemies. Since Rider had rejected Drako, they were destined to face each other.
At that exact moment, boom! A deafening explosion reverberated in Waver's ears.
No, to be specific, it was not a sound but an auditory stimulus. It directly attacked the sensitive nerves of a Waver magus - in other words, a magical impulse.
"So that's the method they use to summon magicians. If I wasn't here, I wouldn't have detected anything."
Drako muttered as he looked to the east, the place from which the magic impulse had been launched.
With a frown, Drako watched as a layer of smoke dispersed into the clear sky. Although the cloud pattern looked like those clouds formed by fireworks, the flashing glow did not look like any fireworks.
Even though Drako could clearly see the smoke, people could not see it outside of magicians since it had been formed from magic. The same went for the noise. To a normal person, this would be nothing but the normal noise of fireworks.
"That location... That's where the Fuyuki Church is, right?"
As one of the Masters participating in the Holy Grail War, Waver possessed at least the essential knowledge. So he immediately understood the meaning behind the sign.
As the overseer of the war, the Holy Church would trigger that signal whenever there was something crucial to report to the Masters. This is the most appropriate method to inform the Masters, since the Holy Church would have no idea where they would be.
"Would it be something related to us?"
Waver struggled to find the best answer to Rider's question.
"I couldn't say it's completely unrelated to us. How should I put it..."
In fact, Waver did not announce his identity as Master to the Holy Church.
As long as his Servant is in the land of Fuyuki, naturally, his position as Master would be established. So there was nothing to urge him to do things under the Church's approval - that was what Waver decided. After all, he had obtained the holy relic through unscrupulous methods. If he did something else strange, wouldn't he be getting into more trouble?
However, it would be unsafe to ignore the consensus called by the Fuyuki Church. A meeting for all Masters called by the supervising Holy Church, what emergency could it be? Usually, it would be something related to the amendment of rules, addition of new conditions... Besides, it could announce some new information.
This information could be the key point for the battles from now on. From the current situation, it would be better if you listen to the supervisor's suggestions. And in case they were specific regulations that would restrict them, when the time comes, all he would have to do would be to ignore them.
"It is related to my presence. The Church and Tohsaka Tokiomi have grown tired of my interference in the ritual. They are going to launch a war against me."
Drako said unscrupulously. He had no doubt why they were summoning the Masters.
Originally, that call was to finish off Caster. Since Caster was already dead, the next nuisance for Tokiomi was none other than the variable named Drako. Probably, they had found the remains of Ouryuu that Drako hadn't bothered to clean up, so they were going to use it as an excuse to unite the Masters against Drako.
"Rider, Waver Velvet, the next time we meet, it will be as enemies. It's been a pleasure talking to you."
Drako got up and left without waiting for Waver and Rider to be able to say anything. Now that he was sure Tohsaka had him in his sights, he wanted to say that they probably already knew where he resided.
It was time to make preparations for what was coming.
............
I'm back! :)
A heavy atmosphere hung around the church pews.
Noticing the dense demonic aura in front of him, Father Kotomine Risei could not help but laugh bitterly.
It has been about an hour since the summoning signal was sent. None of the Masters came to Fuyuki Church. Instead, four familiars had gathered. Apart from Kirei, who had been recalled from the war on the surface and the two Masters who had already died, Lord El-Melloi and Ouryuu Ryunosuke, the other Masters had sent their representatives. It seemed that the Masters would not be bothered by their manners in front of the church.
Tohsaka Tokiomi had also sent his familiar to the meeting. The rest of the familiars should have been dispatched by Einzbern, Matou, and Waver.
"I had even specially prepared the welcoming pleasantries, but it seems no one has come. So I'll get straight to the point."
After the simple opening, the old Father facing the human-free congregation - at least no humans were present in the audience - continued:
"The Holy Grail War, which can fulfill all your desires, is presently in a great crisis. The Holy Grail is supposed to grant its power only to Masters and Servants who seek it, but now we have a traitor. A third party who seeks only the destruction of the Grail, a blasphemy to the holy ritual."
Risei was unconcerned about the crowd's response, possibly given by the fact that he had grown accustomed to preaching as Father. For obviously, the congregation could only listen quietly. After a silent cough, the old Father continued speaking.
"We discovered the body of the mangled Master of Caster, with magical traces matching those of the person who had earlier killed Lancer. Miss Sola-Ui found the corpse of her fiancé in his room, brutally murdered. We have deduced that this act was also the work of this person or his subordinates. Not only is he committing sacrilege by intervening in this holy event, but he has no qualms about using magic freely. He doesn't even bother to erase his trail."
Although there was no response from the familiars, the Masters who heard his words should be hesitating at this moment, at least slightly. Just as Tokiomi reacted this morning, that is the normal reaction of a magus.
"He and his Servant are no longer more than a general threat to the invocation of the Holy Grail. Therefore, I make use of my supervisory authority that I possess for these critical moments to temporarily change the rules of the Holy Grail War."
He declared in a strict voice as he raised his right sleeve, revealing his arm.
Even though his body was old, one could still see the strong, muscular arm he had had during his younger days. Tattoo-like images covered it from his elbow to his wrist -
No, those were not to be called tattoos. The Masters who participated in the Holy Grail War should know at a glance what they were.
"These are the ones that have been collected from the previous Holy Grail Wars and were entrusted to me as the overseer of this Holy Grail War. The inheritance of those Masters who lost their Servants before the final battle - their missing Command Seals."
After this test, no one would doubt Father Risei's authority as the overseer.
All unused Command Seals at the time were cared for by him, the overseer.
The Command Seals are also known as holy marks. This test carried with it the destiny of participating in the Holy Grail War. Not only did it carry the meaning of fate, but it is also a device to control the Servants.
The phenomenon of Command Seals is already a kind of miracle in itself. But, although this seal on the Master's body possesses enormous power, the Command Seals are still an exhaustible form of physical sorcery. That is why they can be transplanted or transferred through enchantments.
"I can transfer these Command Seals to anyone as they fall to my judgment. For all of you who control your Servants, I assume you all know the importance and value of these seals?"
Although he was only facing the familiars whose only duty was to pass on what they had heard to their masters, Father Risei slowly entered a preachy state and looked more excited.
"All Masters must stop their current hostilities. They must all destroy Drako with everything they have. I will select the Master who succeeds in annihilating Drako and his companions and award him additional Command Seals given the special situation.
If this mission is accomplished by one, only that person will be rewarded; if many cooperate, all will be rewarded. Once I have ensured that Drako is destroyed, the Holy Grail War will continue."
Father Risei lowered his sleeve and added:
"So if there are questions, you can ask me now."
In the darkness, a commotion could be heard. Sounds of chairs moving, of getting up and leaving mingled together and gradually faded away.
Since the overseer's announcement had been fully understood, there would be no point in lingering any longer in this place. At present, the Masters had nothing to ask. They had probably all begun their preparations for the new competition.
The church had finally returned to its human-free state. Father Risei pondered the future developments while smiling.
After giving these instructions, all he had to do was wait. These four hungry dogs would surely drive Drako to despair.
The location of where Drako resided was already known. If the other Masters were informed, it would probably increase efficiency. However, if not handled carefully, it might raise their suspicions. Thus, it was not yet an appropriate time to distribute Assassin's intelligence to the public.
How would Drako be able to resist? Risei and Kirei felt that the current situation would not immediately change to a 5-2 siege. In their opinion, it would be difficult for the other Masters to reluctantly follow the supervisor's instructions, focusing on Drako as their main target. This is because they felt that the hunt for Drako was a mere interlude. Their real goal was to succeed in the ensuing dogfights.
Everyone craves more Command Seals. But if the opponent got the same, then they would be left without any advantage.
These Masters, instead of cooperating to obtain Command Seals together, would rather destroy Drako on their own to gain advantage over the others, even though the former would be much easier. Moreover, they might even obstruct each other in this competition.
If so, it would be problematic. If each obstructed the other, it could be disadvantageous to Archer's movements.
The movements of all the Masters would be under the observation of Assassin, someone they had already almost forgotten. Kirei's duty was executed virtuously. As a magus who learned magecraft at the last moment within a few days, to be able to use such superior methods to control his Servant, this is something that even his teacher Tokiomi could not imagine.
For the sake of his faith, for the sake of the doctrine of the church, and for the sake of his promise to his late friends; brimming with confidence, this boy had exhausted everything he had by displaying his talent. Certainly a great accomplishment, something even his Father had failed to achieve.