(Attendance… plz…)
….
What followed Rider's grand, booming offer to conquer the world was a stretch of somewhat, dead silence.
Lancer was gone, but yet again, another fool, or someone utterly, blindingly overconfident, had crashed on the battlefield. He had openly announced his class, his True Name, and his legend, fully aware that there were other Servants and Masters watching from the shadows.
It seemed both of these abnormal Servants were acting this way precisely because they knew they were being watched. Whether it was born of sheer arrogance or some meticulously crafted, multi-layered trap, Saber couldn't immediately tell.
But it was insulting.
"Your joke was overdone, King of Conquerors," Saber responded, her voice dripping with extreme irritation. "This is an unbearable humiliation to a knight."
"Really?" Rider scratched his chin, looking somewhat not fully apologetic. "I could bring you some compensation if you'd like..."
Saber's glare turned openly hostile. Not only did this giant have the gall to ask her to submit to him, but now he was trying to buy her loyalty with some trivial compensation?
"...Enough," Saber snapped. Disappointment was written all over her delicate features. It seemed that whoever she was fated to fight in this war was either a barbarian like Rider or an infuriating jester like this 'Caster'. She couldn't even find the words to express her profound irritation.
The only one who had displayed any true knightly honor, a warrior she felt a genuine bond of respect toward, was the spearman. And he had just been instantly killed by Caster. Now she was left standing between two men who stopped at nothing to disappoint and provoke her.
"Besides," Saber declared, lifting her chin proudly, "I am a king myself who ruled a nation. No matter what kind of king one is, he can never bow or serve under another king."
Clap. Clap.
Two sharp, deliberate claps drew everyone's attention away from Saber.
Gojo stood there, holding one finger up in the air like a professor about to correct a student.
"First of all, you are just wrong on a whole grammatical level," Gojo announced breezily. "I don't know what I'm missing here, or if you're just messing with me, but a 'girl' who rules is a 'queen' like in those fantasy novels and all. That's the title. And you used 'he' instead of 'she' just now. That's a massive pronoun error in your own sentence."
He wagged his finger disapprovingly. "So, it's queen and she. Please keep that in mind next time. Otherwise, people might misunderstand and think you don't even know how to speak or spell your own lore. I mean, someone else would be laughing right now... but seeing as how magnanimous I am, and the fact that I'm a teacher, I won't laugh. This time."
He smiled, making it perfectly clear that he absolutely would laugh next time.
Rider crossed his massive arms and nodded magnificently to himself, fully approving of Gojo's impromptu English lesson. "Caster makes a fair point! Did you perhaps not receive the knowledge of this era correctly before being summoned here? Is that also why you appear in the form of a little girl? Or is it a disguise to fool others? Though I assure you, I would not be fooled by a trick like that, as I will crush whoever stands in my way! Hahahahaha!"
Saber reached a boiling point. Literally. The mana surrounding her invisible sword flared so violently the air began to hiss. The only thing keeping her from lunging forward and slicing both of their heads off was Irisviel's desperate, trembling hands gripping her armor, trying to pull her back.
"HOW DARE YOU TWO..." Saber trembled, her voice shaking with unadulterated rage. "HOW DARE YOU... HOW DARE YOU!"
She was seconds away from a blind assault. Not only had they called her a little girl repeatedly, treated her true form as a cheap disguise, and mocked her gender, but they had fundamentally doubted her very reign as a king.
Irisviel was practically hanging off Saber's back. She knew how seriously Saber took her honor, and she knew the knight was furious, but Irisviel also saw the reality of the situation.
"Saber, we cannot do this here and now! Ignore them!" Irisviel pleaded softly. "Do not listen to them... They are just trying to get inside your head!"
Up on his majestic chariot, Rider sighed. "It seems the chances of an alliance are broken from the Saber-class's side. Though, as magnanimous as I am, if you wish to come surrender to me later... I will allow it, forgive your temper, and take you under my wing."
Rider then shifted his gaze toward Gojo. "And moving on to the next one... what is your answer, Caster?"
Gojo chuckled, stuffing his hands back into his pockets. "First of all... that was a very cool speech, big guy."
"Hahahahaha!" Rider threw his head back and laughed heartily. "Is 'cool' a modern term for majestic?! I like it! I like you! My Master just tells me the exact opposite and constantly misses the chance to bask in my magnificence. Learn from Caster, boy! Learn from him!"
Rider leaned forward over the rim of his chariot. "So, may I have the chance to hear your True Name, Caster? Or are you going to cower behind the rules like the others?"
Gojo looked right at him, his Six Eyes fully exposed and gleaming. "Gojo Satoru. A Jujutsu Sorcerer. My main profession is a teacher. Titles include: The Handsome and Cool Teacher. The Fun Teacher, not the boring strict type. Given to me by my students, of course, not me."
"Hmmm," Rider hummed, stroking his beard in deep thought. "Nice, nice... So what is your answer, Caster? Will you join me? Or will you refuse me and be inevitably defeated by me later on, like Saber?"
"Ahhh..." Gojo tilted his head, pretending to think deeply about it. "For now, I gotta say my answer is a 'no' as well. For various reasons."
Rider listened and understood. He could tell the strange sorcerer was interested, but Gojo didn't know Iskandar's true strength yet, so he was holding out.
"It seems that alliance has broken sadly as well," Rider sighed.
"Don't be so sad, are you even actually sad?" Gojo waved a hand dismissively. "Well, whatever. Try your luck with the other Servants. Actually, I'm not entirely opposed to the idea of teaming up. Maybe let's talk later, with some changed terms and conditions, you know? I don't want to be in a disadvantageous contract. And as for the Holy Grail... I highly doubt that cup can grant the wish I have anyway. So maybe an alliance will just be for the fun of it or for that."
Rider's eyes lit up. "Oho! So you aren't flat-out rejecting the offer like Saber! You will join me!"
"Not exactly a 100% yes," Gojo corrected playfully, "but we'll see how we negotiate. Like I said, the terms and conditions have to change for me to accept. Otherwise, it's a hard no. I'm not exactly a cultist or fanatic who just blindly follows some king because of mete words."
"Hahahaha! It seems my trip here was not wasted after all!" Rider boomed, slapping his leg. He looked down at Waver. "Did you hear that, Waver?! What did you say before, huh? See the sheer draw of my magnificence!"
For Saber and Irisviel, this was a waking nightmare. Caster, the monster who had completely killed Lancer without taking a single step or using a weapon but a spell was casually negotiating a potential alliance with the King of Conquerors aka Rider.
Down at Rider's feet, Waver Velvet was cowering, his face pale as a sheet. "Don't shout my name to the enemy Servants, you idiot! Do you want me to die in my sleep?!"
"No one can harm my Master in my presence!" Rider declared proudly. "And for anyone to even attempt a sneak attack would just show how cowardly they are. They would receive no mercy from me and my chariot!"
Suddenly, a voice echoed out from the dark, empty spaces between the warehouses. It was a voice Waver knew all too well.
"Damn it... so it was you..."
The voice was dripping with venom, specifically directed at the trembling boy in the chariot.
"No, I knew... I suspected it was you when you suddenly disappeared from the Clock Tower. And now, I have lost before the war has even truly started."
It was Kayneth El-Melloi Archibald. He had lost his elegant composure entirely, the reality of his situation shattering his aristocratic pride.
"I lost because of that damn Diarmuid! Because that Servant was so incredibly weak he lost to a single, nameless attack!" Kayneth's voice hitched, a mixture of rage and hysterical denial. "Losing without even being able to endure one strike! That piece of shit... that completely useless piece of shit!"
Kayneth's voice grew louder, projecting his fury squarely onto his former student. "And you, Waver... you stole my catalyst! Because you stole my relic, I ended up with that weakling spearman Lancer! Yes... yes, this is all your fault! It isn't my fault at all!"
He was blabbering, completely emptying his bottled-up frustration and humiliation onto the boy. He had found his scapegoat. It wasn't his tactical error that got Lancer killed; it was Waver Velvet's theft.
Waver was shivering so violently he looked like he might vibrate apart. His worst nightmare had come true. Lord El-Melloi, a genius magus of the highest bloodline, was here. He knew Waver had stolen the relic, and now, he was directing all of his murderous intent straight at him and his own failure.
"Yes, I am not the one to blame..." Kayneth hissed from the shadows. "It is the fault of a piece of shit student who dared to steal from his betters. Well, it seems I will have to give you an extra lesson, Waver. A lesson on the true meaning of magi killing other magi in a war. Yes... I will kill you, and I will take the Rider for myself. I will join the war again with the Servant that was rightfully mine, not the property of some petty thief!"
Waver knew it was over. He was going to be killed. Lord El-Melloi would easily bypass his weak magic, slaughter him, and steal Rider.
But just as despair threatened to swallow him whole, a massive, heavy hand rested gently on his head.
It was Iskandar.
The King of Conquerors smiled down at him, a warm, reassuring grin that instantly anchored Waver's panicking heart. Then, Rider lifted his head, his face twisting into a terrifying scowl of absolute disgust and pity as he glared out into the sky and the surroundings.
"Oi, you magus. If I understood your unruly, pathetic crying correctly... you were supposed to be my Master instead of this kid?" Rider called out, his voice practically shaking the ground.
Rider scoffed loudly. "The thought... the mere thought of serving a coward such as yourself is beyond even a joke. MyMaster? Don't make me laugh."
Rider stepped forward on the chariot, pointing an accusing finger into the dark. "The man who claims the right to be my Master must be a warrior who rides with me onto the battlefield! Not a coward who belittles a courageous fallen hero who foight for him, insulting him after he fought and died bravely in combat! And a pathetic wretch who does nothing but hide behind the shadows, not even daring to show his face... I can guess exactly how honorless and pathetic you are!"
Rider's eyes burned with genuine fury. "Don't ever insult me by saying I should have been your Servant! NEVER AGAIN!"
Silence descended once more. The seething anger of the unseen magus, standing on the absolute verge of breaking, could be felt radiating from his hideout. Rider simply laughed into the empty sky, a roaring, dominant sound that exhausted the air in his lungs.
Then, Kayneth's trembling voice replied, trying to regain some semblance of control. "I... I will not take offense to your words, Rider. Why don't you switch Masters right now? That pathetic kid doesn't even know what a Grail War is, much less possess the ability to win one. I am willing to forgive you. Come and join me... surely you have a wish for the Holy Grail. I guarantee you will not win it with that little thief... but with me as your Master, we will…"
"SHUT UP!" Rider roared, the sheer volume of his voice cracking the air.
"I think I made myself perfectly clear just now! I do not like repeating myself!" Rider slammed his fist against his chest. "I would rather have my wish denied entirely than have it granted by serving a coward like you! This boy is way better than you will ever be! Do not say another word... otherwise, I swear upon my name, I will hunt you down. Even if you flee this war, even if you hide in the Church or the depths of the earth... I assure you, I will trample you to dust!"
No words came next.
It seemed that even the furiously proud, hidden Master of the fallen Lancer knew exactly when to shut up for the sake of his own survival.
Breaking the heavy tension, Gojo suddenly stretched his arms and let out a loud yawn.
"So, yeah! Well, I wanted to fight you all and whatever, but I'm actually running a little late for something," Gojo said cheerfully, tapping an imaginary watch on his wrist. "I'll find you later, Rider, and your totally awesome Master, maybe mine and your Master will get along if this alliance works. We'll talk then. I'm on a pretty tight schedule right now from my master, so I gotta go."
Rider blinked, caught completely off guard by the abrupt shift in tone. "Wait, you are just going to leave like th…"
Before Rider could even finish his sentence, Gojo held up a hand.
"Might as well take care of some little pest in the way for you guys before I head out," Gojo smiled warmly. "Think of it as a complimentary gift from me. No need to thank me, though."
Warp.
In an instant, Gojo simply ceased to exist, vanishing from the street without a trace of mana or sound.
Rider just stared blankly at the empty space where the white-haired man had been standing a second ago.
"...How rude," Rider muttered.
…
High above the harbor, perched silently on the metal beams of the towering derrick crane, Assassin was doing his job.
The skull-masked Heroic Spirit had kept a vigilant eye on the entire chaotic sequence of events, observing and processing the visual and audio feeds directly back to his Master, Kotomine Kirei, hidden far away in the Fuyuki Church.
He had watched the whole thing from start to this point, the fight, the fall of Lancer, and finally, the bizarre exit of the white-haired Caster.
"He ran away without fighting them, huh," Assassin muttered to himself, recording the Caster's apparent retreat.
Just as he was preparing to shift his gaze back to Saber and Rider to surveillance their next moves, a nonchalant, breathy voice spoke directly into his right ear.
"I thought I said I was on a tight schedule."
Assassin's entire body seized.
"And here you are, twisting my words around in your head like I just ran away," Gojo sighed playfully, floating casually in the air right beside the steel beam. "I've been watching you for quite some time now. Am I to assume you're the Assassin in this war? But isn't an Assassin's whole gimmick to not get caught? Why are you just chilling out in the open like some cool background character?"
Assassin's breath hitched in his throat.
The voice hadn't come from in front of him. It wasn't a telepathic projection from his Master. It was a physical presence, sitting right beside him in the freezing wind on the crane.
He hadn't sensed a single fluctuation in the air. He hadn't felt an ounce of mana approach him.
Someone had bypassed his Presence Concealment and appeared right next to him without him noticing at all.
Operating on pure panic and supernatural reflexes, Assassin whipped his head around, raising his hidden dirk to strike the intruder.
But he wasn't met with a person. He didn't see a face, or a weapon, or even the white hair.
What was floating mere inches in front of his skull mask was a tiny, dense dot of glowing red light. The exact same light that had killed Lancer or injured him.
And the very last words the Heroic Spirit of Assassin ever heard echoed softly in the night air.
"You're a disappointment, man."
And the last thing Assassin ever saw was the color red.
….
A/N: So how was it? Hoped you liked it and all. And was rider in character or did i overdo it plz comment below bcz i can change the dialogue a little for it to fit better so it is good for everyone.
Q: Was Rider character good or overdone?
:Good
:Overdone
And i haven't really made a character sheet for gojo so you can suggest of what you think here like str, agi, etc…
Next two chapters are already on my discord.
&
you can join my discord server: https://discord.gg/5Y7uZ2kN2Y
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