Chapter 77

Two hours after Xunxin and others eliminated the sea monster, at the abandoned factory on the outskirts of Fuyuki City, Waver Velvet and Kiritsugu Emiya each held submachine guns, aiming their barrels at Kayneth and Sola-Ui Nuada-Re Sophia-Ri, who was being held as a hostage. Worried about the safety of his lord's fiancée, Sola-Ui, even Lancer, who could move faster than the speed of sound, did not dare to easily attack Kiritsugu Emiya, who possessed the ability to control time. Kenneth, whose magical circuits were completely destroyed by the Origin Bullet and who had only regained the use of his hands through the extensive resources provided by the Aozaki family and the healing skills of Aozaki Tohno, had no way to resolve the current predicament. If his magical circuits were intact, he might have been able to use the Moonlight Phial to seep underground and protect Sola-Ui, then have Lancer kill the Kiritsugu Emiya in front of him. However, without his magical circuits, Kenneth's options were virtually eliminated, and the magical equipment that did not require magical circuits had been destroyed in the explosion at the Hyatt Regency.

Now, Kenneth could only watch as the familiars dispatched by Kiritsugu Emiya placed two self-compulsory documents in front of him.

**Covenant:** For the fifth-generation successor of the Emiya family, Kiritsugu, and for Kayneth El-Melloi Archibald and Sola-Ui Nuada-Re Sophia-Ri, it is forever forbidden to have any intention or action to kill or harm them.

**Condition:** Kayneth El-Melloi Archibald and Sola-Ui Nuada-Re Sophia-Ri must follow Kiritsugu Emiya's instructions until the end of the Holy Grail War and must not act in defiance.

The self-compulsory document is used in the magician's society to establish an agreement that cannot be violated, one of the most impartial and unyielding magical contracts. It is a compulsory curse imposed on oneself using one's magical crest, which, in principle, cannot be eliminated by any means. Even if the user loses their life, the magical crest will still bind the soul of the deceased, and it will not be passed down through generations. It is a very dangerous magic. For magicians, presenting this document is essentially a sign of maximum concession.

The second document had different conditions: Kenneth must immediately withdraw from the Holy Grail War and dissolve his contract with Lancer.

Being forced into an alliance or forced to withdraw, these were the conditions Kiritsugu Emiya proposed. If Kenneth agreed to the first condition, Kiritsugu Emiya would likely, or rather, certainly, use Lancer as cannon fodder. Although the document stated that Kiritsugu Emiya would not kill him, if Kiritsugu Emiya used him as bait, death was inevitable, and the same applied to Sola-Ui, who had command seals. As for the second condition, although Sola-Ui was the source of magical power in Kenneth's secret technique, the contract that kept Lancer alive was connected to Kenneth. In other words, Sola-Ui was an external source of magical power, while Kenneth was the main subject of the contract. If Kenneth dissolved his contract with Lancer, Lancer would quickly return to the Hall of Heroes. However, without the Holy Grail, Kenneth's injuries could not be healed, and although the Mage's Association had methods to repair magical circuits, they were extremely costly and damaging to one's life force, and they had a significant impact on the user's mental state. As Kenneth hesitated, the sound of an engine came from the factory entrance, and the King of Knights and Irisviel arrived at the factory, witnessing the standoff between Kiritsugu Emiya and Kenneth.

"Master, you..." The King of Knights looked at his master, his eyes filled with anger and confusion. However, with the enemy present, he could not show any expression that might cause a disadvantage, so he walked behind Kiritsugu Emiya, fulfilling his duty as a Servant.

"Kiritsugu, why? Saber has a powerful Noble Phantasm that could secure victory, so why use such a method..." Irisviel, seeing Kiritsugu Emiya's tactics for the first time, covered her mouth with her long, white hands and looked at Kiritsugu Emiya and the clearly tortured and dazed Sola-Ui.

"No, Irisviel. Rider's strength has exceeded my expectations. At the river, Rider used a powerful magic like a fixed boundary field. The other Saber is also strong, and her Master can be considered a Servant, a top-tier one at that. According to the information I've gathered, Berserker has also joined Rider's side. Facing three Servants at once, even if just Berserker or Saber were to tie down the King of Knights, the other Servants could easily kill us. If we can get Lancer's help to delay those three Servants, Saber will have the opportunity to use her Noble Phantasm to eliminate them." Despite being in front of Kenneth, Kiritsugu Emiya openly shared his thoughts, not only for his own side but also for Kenneth to hear. You have a chance to win if you join us, but if you don't, just the three Servants from Rider's side are enough to eliminate you, and we might just kick you and Lancer out of the war. Kenneth struggled in his wheelchair, his face filled with hesitation. Lancer remained vigilant, not giving Kiritsugu Emiya a chance to attack.

"I..." After a long time, Kenneth finally made a decision, but just as he was about to speak, the sound of thunder from the night sky startled both sides. The Divine Chariot broke the night's silence and landed in the abandoned factory.

"Hey, King of Knights and Diarmuid, the night is beautiful tonight." The Conqueror King greeted the two Servants naturally, as if in a casual conversation, but the King of Knights and Diarmuid did not think so. They both aimed their weapons at the people on the Divine Chariot.

"Rider, do you intend to finish off me and Lancer tonight?"

"Conqueror King, I, Diarmuid, will defend my lord with my life. Even you cannot harm my lord." Diarmuid stepped forward, using his body to shield Kenneth and keeping an eye on both Saber and Xunxin's group. Now, Lancer's group was the weakest, and Diarmuid could not afford to be careless.

"Hey, hey, hey, don't be so tense. We're here to discuss something, don't be so unfriendly." Every time he appeared, others were on guard. The Conqueror King sighed helplessly. But it couldn't be helped; every time he appeared, others were in an emergency, and it was always accompanied by thunder and lightning. It's no wonder other Servants were on guard. (╯￣▽￣)╯

"Let's leave it to me to negotiate... What's wrong? I'm the Master." Xunxin jumped off the chariot and was about to step forward, but Saber and Lancer's weapons were immediately aimed at him, the shining Holy Sword and the ominous red magic spear both targeting Xunxin's vital points.

"Sorry, Mr. Amano, you are too much of a threat, I cannot let you get close to my lord."

"Likewise, you might harm my Master, I must prevent that." Well, Xunxin was also forced back by the actions of the two Servants. In the battle against the sea monster, Xunxin had shown off, and as a human, his output of power was even greater than the combined strength of the other Servants. Although Xunxin had limited his own power, not using his ultimate spark to destroy the sea monster or using spatial power to send it back to another dimension, the abilities he displayed had already shocked the other Servants and Masters. A magician who had never been heard of before could achieve a level of firepower comparable to a Mage and the Ancestors. After Xunxin officially joined the war, Kiritsugu Emiya had gathered available resources to investigate Xunxin. Unfortunately, Xunxin was not from this world, (in other words, the Dead Apostle Ancestor's ability to kill anything outside the world's roots could not kill Xunxin, as he did not belong to this world). To find Xunxin's information, they would have to break the world's limits and find the Heart of Infinity in the infinite dimensional space.

"Alright, alright, don't be so impulsive. At least you should hear why we're here."

Before the two Servants could respond, Kiritsugu Emiya looked at Xunxin and said, "Alright, Master of the Red Saber. Why are you here while I and Lancer's Master are signing an alliance?"

"Of course... to form an alliance with you and Lancer's Master." As soon as Xunxin spoke, Kiritsugu Emiya and Kenneth were stunned.

"Why form an alliance with both me and Lancer? Don't you already have three Servants working together?" The King of Knights frowned, questioning Xunxin.

"Please, King of Knights. We form alliances because we have a powerful opponent, so we must form an alliance to deal with it." The Conqueror King, standing on the Divine Chariot, swayed his bearded face, answering the King of Knights' question with a tone that suggested he was looking down on him.

"Powerful opponent? ... You mean Archer?" The King of Knights quickly understood who Xunxin and others considered to be a formidable opponent.

"Yes, Archer's true identity is the oldest king of humanity, the ruler of the city-state of Uruk in the Sumerian dynasty of ancient Mesopotamia, Gilgamesh, who is two-thirds divine and one-third human, the possessor of the original wisdom of humanity. According to my estimation, even if I, Berserker, Rider, and my Servant all attack together, we probably have no chance of winning." Hearing Xunxin's words, Lancer and Saber fell silent. It was no wonder; even the King of Heroes would find it difficult to face four top-tier Servants, but what Xunxin said was almost impossible to win.

"What you say is hard to believe, but if we can exclude Kotomine Kirei and Kirei Kotomine, I have no objections." Kiritsugu Emiya agreed to form an alliance with Xunxin and others, and Kenneth, protected by Lancer, had to agree when he saw Saber's group join Xunxin's group. As for why Kiritsugu Emiya agreed to form an alliance with Xunxin, Xunxin was very clear: Kirei Kotomine was a significant threat to Kiritsugu Emiya, not only in terms of power but also in predicting Kiritsugu Emiya's actions. If the methods of the Mage Hunter were understood, it would be very difficult for Kiritsugu Emiya to win against Kirei Kotomine. As a Mage who used magic as a useful tool, Kiritsugu Emiya was well aware of the power of the Church's agents, a group of religious fanatics who had been rigorously trained and equipped with the Church's secret techniques and special armor, and who had killed countless magicians. Kirei Kotomine was the best among them, able to block submachine gun bullets with six black keys and knock down a tree with a single strike of the Bak Mei, with a mental state completely unaffected by the outside world and unpredictable thoughts. From the beginning of the Holy Grail War, Kiritsugu Emiya had identified Kirei Kotomine as a formidable opponent. Even if Xunxin's power far exceeded expectations, since it was beyond what he could counter, Kiritsugu Emiya had already set Xunxin's opponent as his own Servant, and Kirei Kotomine was the Master he most wanted to eliminate personally...

"Since we have agreed to form an alliance, I will provide some information as a sign of our sincerity. Gilgamesh's flying Noble Phantasm, its true name is Vimana, a flying boat made of gold and emerald, powered by a solar crystal using mercury as fuel, capable of high-speed flight ignoring physical laws. Moreover, the most powerful weapon on the Vimana is the six missiles loaded in the six launchers at the front, each equipped with an ancient nuclear warhead. It is estimated that the power of a single missile is not as strong as the King of Knights' Excalibur, but a full salvo would likely be fatal for most Servants present." After the three groups formed an alliance, Xunxin and others gathered at the Amano Tofu Shop to discuss the next strategy. Sola-Ui was taken away by Yae for treatment, and her severed right hand was reattached using Xunxin's healing magic. Currently, the Rider group, Saber group, Lancer group, Berserker group, and Xunxin's group were gathered around the round table where the King's Banquet had been held. Just hearing the information about the Vimana, Kiritsugu Emiya and the wheelchair-bound Kenneth showed signs of fear. Kenneth was afraid of the Vimana's power, while Kiritsugu Emiya was afraid of the tracking ability and radioactive contamination of the ancient nuclear warheads. Magicians who did not understand modern technology were truly pitiful.

"I think everyone is familiar with the King's Treasury, which can shoot out stored Noble Phantasms at supersonic speeds, causing great destruction. Moreover, the consumption of this Noble Phantasm is very low, and from Gilgamesh's previous performance, it can be seen that the magic power consumed by using the King's Treasury is even faster replenished by the Holy Grail through Kotomine Kirei. However, no one can guarantee that Gilgamesh can use a variety of Noble Phantasms to attack, such as if he were to take Gungnir and stand at the highest point in Fuyuki City, with Archer's enhanced vision, he could easily see moving people. If he spots a target and throws it, in an unguarded situation, being hit by a Noble Phantasm with a guaranteed hit and at least A+ city-level power would almost certainly mean death. Currently, Gilgamesh does not consider the other Servants in the Holy Grail War as threats, and with the King's Treasury, which is the embodiment of the original wisdom of humanity, theoretically, Gilgamesh has a way to counter any Servant, even in a battle with multiple Servants. The rain of Noble Phantasms and the effects of the various Noble Phantasms he uses would be enough for Gilgamesh to easily win. Additionally, according to legend, Gilgamesh's close combat ability is quite strong, even sufficient to be a Saber-class Servant. If Gilgamesh did not have the flaw of arrogance, this Holy Grail War could have ended in one night..." Listening to Xunxin's analysis of Gilgamesh's Noble Phantasms and information, each Servant and Master seemed to be sweating coldly. According to Xunxin, if Gilgamesh were to take the war seriously, even if the Servants joined forces, their chances of winning would be only about fifty percent. Of course, without joining forces, their chances of winning against Gilgamesh would be virtually zero.

"Before defeating Gilgamesh, all Servants will temporarily cease hostilities and continue the battle after defeating Gilgamesh. No objections, right?" At the end of the discussion, Xunxin looked at everyone and asked.

"No objections." *4 (Actually, if there were objections, they wouldn't be said here. *2)

*PS: Request for recommendations, reviews, and collections.*

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