"e out."

  Tokiomi smiled softly, and in response, Darius III materialized from spirit form beside him.

  [Name: Darius III; Css: Berserker; Gender: Male; Alig: Lawful, Banced.]

  [Strength: A; Endurance: A+; Agility: B; Mana: E; Luck: D; Noble Phantasm: A.]

  [Css Skill: Madness Enha B.]

  [Personal Skills: Golden Rule B, Battle tinuation A, Glory of the Achaemenids A+.]

  [Noble Phantasm: Athanatohousand (Rank A+ Anti-Army, range 1-99 meters, Maximum Target: 500 People).]

  This summoning was Tokiomi's way of demonstrating siy to Chihiro.

  Chihiro immediately uood. No woohsaka Tokiomi had turned on Gilgamesh earlier; it appeared he had already found a new ally.

  Chihiro couldn't deny that he was intrigued by the offer. With Gilgamesh out of the way, the only formidable oppos left would be Iskandar and the First Emperor.

  Iskandar was the lesser . As long as they didn't give him an opportunity to unleash Ionioi Hetairoi, he could be managed.

  The First Emperor, however, was airely different story.

  If the Emperor's army were mobilized, Chihiro's followers wouldn't stand a ce against such a massive force. While Zhang Jiao could summon Yellow Turban warriors, doing so ed signifit mana. Even if Chihiro exhausted himself, it would be impossible to summon an army to rival the Emperor's forces.

  But with Darius III on their side, things might shift.

  Though Darius III wasn't among the top powerhouses, his Noble Phantasm, Athanatohousand, allowed him to summon an undead army of ten thousand. Such a force could potentially ter the Emperor's army.

  Seeing Chihiro's ption, Tokiomi let out a sigh of relief. F this alliance hadn't been his first choice, but he felt ered. Right now, the stro fa was the alliaween Waver and Kayh. If he approached them, they might look down on him, and besides, Darius III would go berserk at the sight of Iskandar, making peaceful coexistence impossible.

  Emiya Kiritsugu was too ing to be trustworthy. An alliah him would likely end with Tokiomi being double-crossed. As for Matou Kariya, he was too fixated on his own family grievao be a reliable partner.

  That left Chihiro as the only viable option. Plus, Chihiro had a good retionship with his daughters, Rin and Sakura, which added a yer of trust.

  "Alright, I'll agree to your proposal," Chihiro said after a moment's thought.

  The more allies, the better.

  "In that case, let's formalize it with this tract." Tokiomi produced a self-enforced magical tract he'd prepared earlier and pced it oable.

  Chihiro looked it over without much . By this stage of the war, trust was essentially meaningless among the partits, so he had e to expect these formalities.

  After firming there were no hidden cuses, Chihiro signed his he tract stiputed that he and Tokiomi, along with their Servants, would not attack each other until all other Masters were eliminated or the Holy Grail War cluded.

  "As a token of siy, let me show you a familiar face," Chihiro said, signaling to Hassan of the Hundred Faces, who had been hidden in spirit form until then.

  When Hassan materialized, Tokiomi visibly flinched, his immediate rea one of arm. "You—!"

  "Rex." Chihiro waved a hand dismissively. "She's my Servant now."

  "What?" Tokiomi was taken aback. He blurted out, "Did you kill Kirei?"

  Chihiro rolled his eyes. This master-disciple pair had indeed reached a peculiar point of strained loyalty.

  "No," Chihiro replied, "but after finding his 'true calling,' Kirei lost i in the Holy Grail War and released his Servant."

  Tokiomi was dumbfounded. "What exactly did you tell him to make him walk away from it all?"

  He couldn't imagine Chihiro lying about something like this, there was o.

  "Nothing much, really," Chihiro said with a smile. "I just helped him find a different goal. You won't be seeing that particur side of him from the video anymore."

  "Is that so…?" Tokiomi sighed, his expression flicted. The revetio him introspective. Even though Kotomine wouldn't betray him in the same way as in the video, their retionship and by extension, his retionship with Kotomine Risei—would never fully return to its former state.

  Seeing Tokiomi's thoughtful look, Chihiro took his leave, satisfied that their alliance had been secured. Rin and Sakura immediately stood to see him off.

  Just as he reached the door, Chihiro remembered Rin's broreasure chest from the Q&A group. She had never mentioned what she'd received from it. Curious, he decided to ask.

  The mention of the chest visibly darkened Rin's expression. As it turned out, she had opened a bag of rare gems from the Age of Gods, only for Tokiomi to fiscate them, saying he would "keep them safe" until she was older.

  Chihiro ughed out loud. Tokiomi's behavior was not unlike a parent taking away a child's New Year's money with promises to "save it for ter."

  ---

  The evening desded, and with it, the fifth night of the Holy Grail War began.

  At Kayh's residence, Waver, Kayh, and the athered, their expressions a mix of emotions. Earlier, Chihiro had reached out to Waver, revealing Emiya Kiritsugu's current location.

  With Kayh standing nearby, he overheard the entire versation. Unsurprisingly, he immediately expressed his iion to front Kiritsugu. So-ui and Diarmuid were quick to support him, but Waver appeared hesitant.

  Their alliah Chihiro had ended, and Waver doubted Chihiro would offer suformation purely out of goodwill.

  "You're right to be cautious," Iskandar said, puffing on his cigar. "This is a cssic setup—'the mantis stalks the cicada, unaware of the oriole behind.' Chihiro wants to sit bad reap the rewards after we csh with the Saber team."

  Waver nodded, uanding the strategy but feeling flicted. Kayh and his team, however, were too riled up to listen. The events in the day's video had left them seething.

  "Humph. It's an obvious ploy," Iskandar remarked, exhaling a cloud of smoke. "But it seems we've uimated Chihiro." He may very well be our stro petitor in this Holy Grail War."

  "So what's the pn?" Waver asked, looking at Iskandar fuidance.

  "It's simple. We follow Kayh's lead and hahe Saber team first," Iskandar replied with a smile. "If Chihiro wants to py the fisherman, he'll have to wait until the snipe and cm have worn each other out."

  An hour ter, Waver and his allies left the building, marg in formation toward the Emiya residence.

  Heroic Spirit Kiritsugu, who had been watg from a distance, immediately reported back to Kiritsugu.

  "They're moving."

  Emiya Kiritsugu swiftly began preparing his arsenal. Irisviel, watg him with , asked, "What's the pn, Kiritsugu?"

  "We're out of pces to run. This time, we stand and fight," Kiritsugu replied, his face steely as he loaded his ons.

  "That's rich, ing from you," Artoria ented, her tone cold and ced with bitterness. The day's revetions had left her furious with Kiritsugu, and it showed in her every word.

  "Follow my lead," Kiritsugu replied ftly, ign her barbs. He quickly id out his pn. As a seasoned merary, he had crafted a strategy within minutes, preparing for the immi battle.

  ---

  Meanwhile, Waver's group was halfway to the Emiya residence when a sudden, r engine signaled someone blog their path.

  It was Artoria, astride a sleek silver motorcycle, a fitted rag suit.

  "Iskandar, do you dare to challenge me?" she called out, her voice steady. But this wasn't a challenge for a duel—it was a race.

  "Hahaha! Why not?" Iskandar ughed, revving up as he donned a leather jacket and mounted a motorcycle he'd bought with Waver's money.

  "The's go," Artoria decred, kig off and speeding ahead.

  Iskandar quickly followed, and the two unched into an intense race down the darkereets.

  Much to Iskandar's surprise, Artoria's motorcycle was not only fast but incredibly stable. bined with her expert riding skills, she maintained a signifit lead.

  As he struggled to keep up, Iskandar couldn't help but wonder where she'd acquired su impressive mae. He would certainly ask her about it ter.

  Unbeknownst to him, Artoria's motorcycle wasn't something she had purchased. It was a magical gift she'd received from the broreasure chest she opened earlier that day.

  Magic Item – Twin-Wheeled Steed.

  This item was effectively a Noble Phantasm, and its design closely resembled the motorcycle that Irisviel would ter gift Artoria in the inal timeline.

  However, this version of the Twin-Wheeled Steed was equipped with a unique enha—it had a special attack bonus specifically effective against Riders. In the hands of Artoria, though, it simply funed as an exceptionally powerful mount with unparalleled speed and stability.

  ***

  Bonus Chapter

  Support me on patreon to read 40+ advanced chapters: patreon./Blownleaves.