"Ah, the world has changed so much, it seems that no one recognizes me anymore."


    Hashirama Senju appeared somewhat disoriented due to some information infused by the Holy Grail.


    "Nice to meet you, Mr. Hashirama Senju, please offer me your guidance from now on."


    Tao Yu raised his hand, revealing his Command Seal, prompting Hashirama Senju to nod in acknowledgment.


    "As a ninja, serving my employer is my duty, and I will certainly secure the Holy Grail for you."


    Others defined Hashirama Senju in their own terms upon observing him.


    Though he seemed a bit naive and clumsy, and not particularly strong as an unknown underling, at least he seemed obedient.


    And Treya, having seen the Konoha forehead protector, although the appearance was different, roughly confirmed that he must be a ninja of some kind.


    Having some understanding of the strength of ninjas, she felt a tinge of surprise, thinking that to be summoned as a Heroic Spirit, one must at least be a Jonin; his strength probably wouldn’t be less than hers.


    The oppressive atmosphere brought by this world suggested that he might even be stronger than her!


    She also concluded that the ritual might have encountered some issues due to the influence of the Abyss.


    She hoped that she too could summon such a potent ally.


    "That’s good, actually the compatibility between Servant and Master is quite important, at least your Servant matches you well."


    Kotomine Kirei nodded, clearly unable to recognize Hashirama Senju. With so many Heroic Spirits in the world, who could tell who was who, he then saw Tao Yu put away the Corpse Hiding Mirror and step back.


    "I’ll go next."


    Shirou Emiya sighed at that moment.


    "My father was a magician, but he was reluctant to teach me magic. I’m just a hack who knows a bit of strengthening magic."


    Shirou Emiya felt somewhat despondent. He had not anticipated that Rin Tohsaka, whom he somewhat admired, would turn out to be a Magician, and even Shinji seemed to understand quite a bit about magic.


    "I’m not really interested in the Holy Grail War. If the Holy Grail can indeed solve the current problems, I’m willing to summon a Heroic Spirit and then withdraw."


    Shirou’s character is indeed that of a companion of Justice, and currently, he does not have any pressing need to capture the Holy Grail.


    The entire Fuyuki City had plunged into the Abyss, and naturally, he had his own judgments and thoughts about it.


    Kotomine Kirei glanced at Shirou Emiya and involuntarily reminisced.


    "Withdrawing, huh? Your personality is completely different from your foster father’s. If it were him, he would undoubtedly secure the Holy Grail himself as a precaution."


    Shirou Emiya’s expression faltered; he hadn’t expected Kotomine Kirei to know Kiritsugu Emiya.


    "Do you know my father?"


    "I do, and quite well. He believed that if sacrificing a few could save the majority, then it was justified. He participated in the last Holy Grail War..."


    The sacrifices, naturally, were the other participants of the Holy Grail War.


    Yet, in the last war, Kiritsugu Emiya severed the Grail, and perhaps he might choose the same this time.


    The Holy Grail is not exactly a Savior...


    Shirou Emiya was taken aback upon hearing Kotomine Kirei’s words; Kiritsugu Emiya participated in the last Holy Grail War?


    Rin Tohsaka’s face was also moved, as her father had perished during that last Holy Grail War.


    Despite being emotionally stirred, Shirou firmly stood in the middle of the ritual formation without using any holy relic and began chanting.


    She wanted to see what the Holy Grail truly was and suspected it might be the Heart of the World. Furthermore, her claim of wanting to save the world wasn’t an empty promise—given the current state of the city, only the Pioneers could lend a hand!


    After the Holy Grail was summoned and confirmed, they would naturally lay all the cards on the table and explain the current situation.


    "Save the world... That’s interesting, I like it," said Caster, his expression showing a hint of melancholy before twisting slightly into something more ferocious, then settling back into calm.


    It was as though he could project many overlapping shadows.


    This change was perceived by the others as somewhat odd.


    There was something slightly wrong with this Caster.


    Saber immediately stepped back to protect Shirou and said,


    "Shirou, I sense an extremely ominous and evil presence emanating from him."


    "What a keen girl you are," Caster responded with a smile, looking back at Saber without denying her description.


    "Indeed, I am deeply contaminated. However, the connection to the source of the contamination was slightly reduced after being summoned by the Holy Grail. In fact, it’s much better now. I am only a projected being here, and I am bound by Command Spells, so you needn’t worry so much."


    After pausing briefly, Caster smiled again,


    "In fact, the Holy Grail itself isn’t exactly clean..."


    His words made Tao Yu become concerned; the black mud from the fourth war and the damage to the Holy Grail in the fifth indicated problems with the Holy Grail.


    Yet all the Servants, even Hashirama Senju, had not noticed anything wrong, but this strange Caster seemed to have perceived it. Who exactly was he?


    And why did Saber say he had deep contamination and ominousness?


    Why hadn’t he sensed it? Was such a level of disguise far beyond his Spirit Perception?


    Tao Yu involuntarily thought back to when he saw Sun Guangyao amidst the grey fog.


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    Besides, he hadn’t noticed anything amiss with the Holy Grail during the summoning ritual; he only felt that vague sense of foreboding before entering the world...


    "May we then have the honor of knowing your noble name?"


    "Isn’t it best to protect one’s information in the Holy Grail War?" Caster replied with a smile.


    "Ah? Is it necessary? I already said mine," Hashirama Senju responded, scratching his cheek in slight embarrassment.


    "Hehe, well, there’s nothing really to hide."


    Caster looked at Hashirama Senju, and as if sensing something, showed a slightly surprised expression,


    "What you said isn’t wrong, and there’s nothing shameful about my name. I am called Berti Abraham. You may also refer to me as ’Mr. Gate’..."


    At this point, Tao Yu fell deep into thought, recalling the numerous memories he had encountered.


    What in the world...


    He hadn’t heard of it...


    It must be a character from some obscure movie, possibly a well-dressed vampire noble? Perhaps it’s a strong character from an old vampire movie?


    But if the Holy Grail was dragged from a nearby world, where did it come from?


    That desert next door?


    Well, it all sounds like Medieval Noble names, so perhaps that’s where it was from. And he seems quite formidable at first glance...


    ——