Shinji Matou At Your Service

Chapter 33: Gathering of the Six (Part 2)

However, what kind of Heroic Spirit could possess such an ominous figure?

The radiant elements that the revealed Heroic Spirits were completely absent in this Black Knight.

Artoria, Diarmuid, Iskandar the Conqueror, and the golden Archer, whose names were unknown, all had their splendor, something to boast about as Heroic Spirits. The legends and honors created by the admiration and longing of people are essential elements of their noble fantasies.

But the newly appeared Black Knight lacked those elements. Not only did he lack the glory of a Heroic Spirit, but he also exuded a chilling negative aura. Rather than calling him a Heroic Spirit, it would be more accurate to call him a vengeful spirit.

"Conqueror, aren't you going to try to subjugate him?" Lancer stared at Black Knight without daring to be complacent, but he could not help but taunt Rider in a mocking tone.

Rider furrowed his brow upon hearing it. "Subjugate him, hmm. Even if I wanted to, he's not the kind of guy you can reason with."

The only thing emanating from Black Knight was undiluted killing intent. Even the whirlwind generated by his magical power seemed to be a lament of resentment, sending shivers down one's spine.

Berserker was aware of this. The volatile aura filled with danger could only bring to mind a mad Heroic Spirit.

"In that case, kid, what class would you say that guy falls into among the Servants?"

Upon Rider's question, Waver could only shake his head blankly. "I don't know. I can't tell at all."

"What's the matter? You're at least my Master, so you should be able to discern his strengths and weaknesses, right?"

Once someone becomes a Master who forms a contract with a Heroic Spirit, they are granted the ability to see through the parameters of other Servants. The Holy Grail War invites Heroic Spirits to participate and bestows this special ability only upon the Masters. Proxy Masters, such as Irisviel, cannot possess this ability.

Rider's Master, Waver, can compare the differences in abilities between Rider and other Servants and then formulate strategies to tilt the battle in their favor. At this point, Waver identified the parameters of Saber, Lancer, Archer, and Assassin. However...

"I just can't figure it out. That black guy, clearly he's a Servant, but I can't gather any information about him."

Upon hearing Waver's desperate explanation, Rider furrowed his brow and once again stared at Black Knight.

The black armor showed no distinctive features or personalities. There was nothing that could hint at his identity—or rather, the more they looked, the less clear it became, and the more blurred it was.

Not only Rider, but also Saber, Lancer, and Irisviel, who watched attentively, noticed this. Regardless of how carefully they observed, they could not accurately capture his face.

Similar to a projected image that was out of focus, the outline of the black armor always became vague. Sometimes two or three overlapping figures would appear, creating an illusion. This figure not only affected their vision but also interfered with Master's perspective.

"It seems we have another troublesome enemy."

Saber heard Irisviel's murmured words and nodded. "That Heroic Spirit seems to possess a special ability or curse that can obscure his attributes."

Shinji, hiding in a high place, glanced at Saber, who was on high alert as if facing a formidable enemy, and then looked at his uncle's berserker. He secretly muttered, "If you can't even recognize your subordinates, I wonder how you became a King."

Shinji was well aware of Berserker's abilities and identity, which was why he made such a sarcastic comment.

Berserker's true name was Lancelot, the former first knight of King Arthur's Round Table. His martial prowess surpassed King Arthur himself and he made great contributions to the Arthurian dynasty. He was known as the "Knight of the Lake," and in another world, internet users preferred to call him the "Knight of the Long River."

However, Lancelot's most famous story was his tragic love affair with Queen Guinevere, which led to the downfall of the Arthurian dynasty.

Such a master-servant pair with a complex entanglement of gratitude and resentment, and King Arthur could not even recognize him?

In reality, Shinji knew that this was not Saber's fault. It was one of Lancelot's Noble Phantasms, "For Someone's Glory."

It manifested the exploits of Lancelot, concealing his identity and achieving victories while adventuring incognito. This allowed him to hide his own identity and abilities, even transforming into any other heroic warrior who could establish achievements. However, because of Berserker's class skill "Mad Enhancement," the Noble Phantasm was weakened and could only obscure his information with black smoke. In a sense, it was a convenient Noble Phantasm similar to the Harpe from Perseus that Shinji obtained.

"Speaking of which, Uncle takes risks," after finishing his sarcastic comment about Saber, Shinji shifted his target to Kariya. "To think he chose this moment to bring out Berserker. In such a chaotic situation, even if we join forces, it will be difficult to achieve significant results."

In the battle with multiple Servants, a single misstep could lead to a total loss. The Warehouse Street currently gathered six Servants, excluding Caster, and each of them had their plans.

Saber and Lancer staked their honor as knights and agreed to a decisive battle to the death. Naturally, they targeted each other as their primary objective. However, this was done under the assumption of a one-on-one duel without any interference. With so many people involved now, the most likely choice for the two honorable knights was to join forces against others and determine the victor later.

Rider has yet to identify his opponent. His goal was to understand all the participants in the Holy Grail War. However, since he had decided to reveal himself, he prepared himself to accept challenges from anyone.

Archer looked at Rider and Saber with evident hostility. Both claimed the titles of the King of Conquerors and the King of Knights, which seemed to greatly displease the Golden Heroic Spirit. In particular, the provocative was Rider, making him the prime target of Archer's attacks.

At this moment, Berserker appears and causes disruption. It was highly likely that he would face a collective attack from others, making it an unfavorable choice from any perspective.

"Should we say that hatred blinds the eyes, or should we say that love makes people blind?" Suddenly, Justeaze, hiding in her spiritual form behind Shinji, uttered these words.

"Huh?"

Shinji turns his head, giving Justeaze a puzzled look.

"What's wrong?"

"It's nothing," Shinji shook his head. "I just didn't expect you to say something like that. The influence Miss Irisviel brought to you is quite significant."

"Perhaps," Justeaze replied. "I don't know if this influence is a good thing or a bad thing, but... I feel like I'm becoming more like a person."

"Is that so? That's good to hear." In Justeaze's whispers, Shinji closed his eyes once again, and a smile unconsciously formed on his lips.

Whether or not the Holy Grail was purified, Shinji did not care. What he cared about was Justeaze. If he could resolve her inner conflicts, what did it matter if he lost the Holy Grail War?

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+60 Advanced Chapter /AbsoluteCode