Chapter 13: Tom: Spreading his hands, he started!
"It seems that the first shot of the Holy Grail War has been fired, teacher," said Kiritsugu, reporting to Tokiomi through special means, "It's the rather reckless Master-Servant pair."
"Is it the Rider who just declared war on the entire city of Fuyuki? It seems his Master is quite confident in his Servant's strength, launching the first battle of the Holy Grail War so hastily."
"It appears this should be a Master who is merely filling the numbers in the Holy Grail War. There's nothing worth paying attention to, just gather necessary information and maintain an information advantage."
Sitting on the sofa in his study within his own mansion, Tokiomi asked for more details, "Then, what about the Servant who accepted the challenge? What class is he?"
"It's still unclear for now, but it seems the Servant who accepted the challenge is dressed exactly like that Rider. Perhaps they originate from the same legend. They seemed to be talking about something, but... Assassin says she couldn't hear clearly."
Just as Tokiomi was about to ask Kiritsugu to explain the conversation on the scene, Kiritsugu unexpectedly said that Assassin couldn't hear clearly. This instantly furrowed Tokiomi's brow. As the one responsible for observing the battlefield, Assassin couldn't hear the conversation clearly. This seems rather unsatisfactory!
"Is it the effect of some kind of magic? Or perhaps the influence of a Noble Phantasm?"
"No... Assassin said it's simply because her hearing isn't very good. She said the conversation on the other side sounded like a mosquito's buzz."
"Can't you let Assassin get a little closer?"
"It's really not possible. Assassin's skill in blocking her presence is not very high, and it can only be activated when she is crouching still. And," Kiritsugu mentioned another reason, "Because my Assassin has a special skill called 'Frail Constitution,' she occasionally coughs up blood, interrupting the effect of her presence concealment. Although it's restricted by the life-sustaining device on her body, the noise from the device itself would definitely be noticed if she gets even a bit closer, by anyone."
"...Are you sure the one you summoned is really Assassin?" After listening, Tokiomi felt as if three question marks were floating above his head.
Seeing Saber across from him with a strange expression, Tokiomi placed his hand over his mouth and fake coughed, secretly thinking, 'No, as the head of the Tohsaka family, I must maintain elegance.'
Although he restrained his expression, Tokiomi still inwardly complained. Assassin couldn't conceal herself properly; could this be a fake Assassin? Initially, when he learned that Kiritsugu had summoned not Hassan but a Heroic Spirit native to Japan, he was somewhat delighted. After all, as a Master, he knew that if a Servant fought on their home ground, they would gain considerable advantages.
Moreover, in most Holy Grail Wars, the Assassin class would usually be Hassan, but their side didn't summon Hassan. It could catch other Masters completely off guard—a win-win situation. He wins twice!
However... now Tokiomi started to doubt if his approach was wrong. Why did he always encounter these bizarre situations? Even yesterday, when he summoned his own Servant, the Holy Relic was undoubtedly Gilgamesh's, but he ended up summoning Artoria, which was absurd.
Although Artoria should also be formidable, Tokiomi wanted to summon Gilgamesh with the Holy Relic he had painstakingly collected. That would truly be a stable situation!
"It should be the real Assassin... Wait, she says she has detected a new target entering the battlefield at a fast pace."
Upon hearing Kiritsugu's words, Tokiomi immediately cast aside the slight displeasure from earlier. "Oh? Is it Lancer? Or perhaps Berserker?"
Upon hesitating for a moment at Kiritsugu's description, Kiritsugu then reported to Tokiomi, "It's... a bluish-gray cat running on two legs."
"...Huh?"
At the entrance of Homurahara Academy, Hephaestion and Alexander had already entered a tense standoff. On one side, Hephaestion didn't want to fight his former king but was pressured by Alexander's challenge and his own Master's urging. On the other side, Alexander was filled with high spirits, and it seemed inevitable that a battle would ensue.
As Alexander made the first move, Hephaestion eventually stopped hesitating and raised his sword, preparing to directly face Alexander's attack. However, just as they were about to clash, a sound of jet propulsion came from a distance, causing both of them to instinctively halt their movements and look towards the source of the sound.
"Slow down... slower... too fast, damn it!!!"
With Bai Song's low shout, he had already reached the end of the uphill road. Seeing this, Tom gave Bai Song a look that said, "I'm here, nothing unexpected will happen."
Tom calmly looked at the road ahead, preparing to decelerate with ease. However, after several confident attempts to slow down, Tom realized that it seemed to be getting faster instead. He began to panic and tried to use the handbrake while holding onto Bai Song.
Unfortunately, the handbrake didn't work as well as expected, and Tom's hand was partially worn away by the road surface. Although his eyes blinked and his hand miraculously returned to normal, Tom understood at that moment that braking was no longer an option. It was time to go with the flow!
Tom's hand, holding onto bai Song, suddenly relaxed, yet Shirou didn't fall. It was as if the Spider-Man in a video game could shoot webs and swing even in mid-air. Parallel to Tom on the ground, Bai Song formed a parallel motion with him in the air!
Tom shrugged his shoulders, spreading his hands apart, and then covered his eyes with a white cloth, shielding himself from what was about to happen. He then found a cigar from somewhere, put it in his mouth, and enjoyed a puff as if nothing had happened. His hands once again lifted bai Song.
With the end of the uphill road reached, the entire road had become a springboard for Tom and Bai Song. They suddenly soared into the sky, leaving the three people on the ground bewildered, as they watched Tom and Bai Song fly amidst the backdrop of the moon, which was exceptionally large and round that night.
From Waver's perspective, it looked like Tom and Bai Song had become the small figures on a bicycle imprinted on the moon, just like in E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial.