Like Scáthach and Iskandar, Gilgamesh also wore modern clothing.
He wore a well-defined black jacket, paired with meticulously tailored casual pants. His hair, which stood up when in Golden Armor mode, was now let down to match his casual attire, and with it, the overwhelming arrogance that couldn't be concealed was also significantly reduced.
To be honest, in terms of appearance, Gilgamesh looked stronger than Scáthach and Iskandar.
"I was wondering what strange aura it was; turns out it's Rider and Assassin."
"Perfect timing, Archer. I was just looking for you," Rider's attitude remained as friendly as ever.
"What business does this mongrel have with me?" Archer's arrogance hadn't diminished at all; his earlier momentary lapse was just an illusion.
Rider didn't take Archer's insulting term to heart and continued to laugh heartily.
"I'm planning to hold a banquet exclusive to kings, and I'm inviting you."
"Don't make me laugh, jester."
Archer narrowed his eyes, and his deep pupils almost formed a straight line.
"The true king is only me; the rest are all mongrels. A banquet for kings is nothing but a drinking session for me alone."
"That's quite a provocative statement," Rider remained unfazed and absentmindedly dug his ear with his empty right hand. "So, I suppose you won't be attending?"
"No, I will attend."
Archer's response was the opposite of what Rider expected.
"I must make these mongrels understand what a true king is. Time and location."
"Tonight, at Saber's castle. If we're talking about hosting a banquet, there couldn't be a more suitable place. Or do you not know where Saber's castle is?"
"The entire world is under my control, let alone the farce of these mere mongrels."
Rider automatically translated Archer's words as "I know where it is."
"By the way, how about a race to see who arrives first? Of course, if you're going on foot, consider it unsaid."
Faced with Rider's challenge, Archer snorted disdainfully, "What gives you confidence? That shabby chariot of yours?"
Scáthach's fighting spirit was also ignited.
"Conqueror King, even though you've manifested as Rider, I won't lose to you in terms of speed. The vehicles in this era are much more powerful than you can imagine."
"Oh?" Rider's face showed an interested expression upon hearing Scáthach's words, and Archer raised an eyebrow in response.
...
About one kilometer north of the pedestrian street, there was an ordinary apartment building with a dedicated compartment on the basement floor. One of the compartments was Scáthach's garage. Byakuya had arranged this through special channels to prevent the connection between Scáthach and the Matou family from being discovered.
Opening the iron gate of the garage, two motorcycles with sleek lines, avant-garde designs, and a strong post-modern style were parked side by side.
One was entirely black, a heavyweight motorcycle called KAWASAKI ZZ-R1100, produced by the famous Japanese motorcycle manufacturer Kawasaki in 1990. It could reach a top speed of over 300 km/h and was at the forefront of Japanese manufacturers' pursuit of 300 km/h speeds.
The other motorcycle, slightly smaller in size and blue-white in color, was the classic sports motorcycle Honda CBR600F2 produced by the Japanese company Honda. It had excellent overall performance and was considered one of the best all-around motorcycles.
Both motorcycles belonged to Scáthach, who often took turns riding them on the streets of Fuyuki City late at night, enjoying the speed and excitement that belonged to the modern era.
Seeing these two "steel monsters," Rider's eyes lit up, his enthusiasm surpassing even the time he saw the Grand Strategist T-shirt.
Although he had never seen motorcycles before, Rider's inherent skill as a Rider class, "Riding," told him that these were fantastic "war machines." The fierce and imposing designs were also to his liking.
"Kid--"
Rider turned around and laid a hand on Waver's shoulder. But before he could speak, Waver started shaking his head frantically.
"No, no, no - I can't afford motorcycles even if I spend all the money in my wallet."
Although they hadn't known each other for long, Waver had already witnessed Rider's wild ideas many times. For example, he wanted to buy an F-15 after seeing it, and when he saw U.S. President Clinton, he unilaterally considered him as his biggest rival in conquering the world. Compared to those instances, buying a T-shirt through a phone call and paying for delivery seemed insignificant.
Among the Masters participating in the Holy Grail War, Waver was the poorest. His belongings amounted to only a few hundred thousand yen, and he used chicken blood for the summoning circle. He relied on the kindness of an elderly couple, Glen McKenzie and his wife Martha, for food and lodging - Waver used suggestive magecraft to make them treat him as their grandson, and they showered him with affection.
The remaining five Masters either came from noble backgrounds or had the backing of one of the Three Families, easily spending hundreds of thousands or millions of yen without batting an eye.
For example, the two high-end motorcycles in front of them were purchased two months ago when Scáthach said she wanted to go out for a ride, and Byakuya and Kariya didn't have time to be her driver. Shinji half-jokingly offered to help his Sensei get a car. Byakuya agreed without hesitation, wrote a check, and then Scáthach, Shinji, and Sakura went to Kyoto and bought the Honda CBR600F2.
Later, Byakuya saw that Scáthach liked motorcycles and specially asked a friend to acquire the KAWASAKI ZZ-R1100.
"Um, Assassin, can I try this?"
Knowing that his Master truly couldn't afford it, Rider changed his goal and approach.
"Just once, just to Saber's castle."
"I don't think it's a good idea," the one who answered wasn't Scáthach, but Shinji.
"Why?"
"Your physique, your size is too large. It would be uncomfortable to ride and put a burden on the motorcycle."
Iskandar thought about his 212cm height, and 130kg weight, and then looked at the motorcycle in front of him, which was less than a meter in height, and sighed helplessly.
"What a pity, it's such a shame."
While Rider and Scáthach were discussing, Archer had already sat on the black KAWASAKI ZZ-R1100 and twisted the throttle a few times. The black motorcycle matched well with his black jacket.
"Assassin, I'm interested in this. It belongs to me now. I will offer you treasures of equal value in exchange, whether it be money or other treasures."
Indeed, he was the king of whales, known as the richest among the Heroic Spirits. He exuded unparalleled opulence in both his lifestyle and battles.
"Master?" Scáthach tilted her head, looking at her Master with a smile that could be seen as both amusement and non-amusement.
"What's meant to be yours will be yours. It's up to you to decide what you want to do with your belongings." Shinji shrugged casually, spreading his hands. While he certainly wanted to dig up some good items from Gilgamesh's treasury, he wouldn't make decisions on behalf of Scáthach just because he was her Master. In Shinji's mind, the entire treasury of the King couldn't compare to Scáthach.
"You really know how to give me a dilemma, Master."
Shinji's words not only failed to increase Scáthach's favorability towards him but also seemed to confuse her.
"I'm also quite fond of this ZZ-R1100 and don't want to give it to you, Archer. But I don't want to miss out on this special contest either... Here's the deal, Archer. Can you obtain this motorcycle, and can you present me with a treasure that moves my heart? You only have one chance."
Dangerous gleams flickered in Archer's eyes. "Are you challenging me? The one who possesses a collection of treasures from across the world, the one and only King?"
"You can interpret it that way." Scáthach locked eyes with Archer without backing down.
Both of them had crimson eyes, and Shinji, who was caught in between, felt like the air was burning.
Finally, the gleam in Archer's eyes transformed into delight.
"Interesting. I accept this challenge."
PS: Kariya: I'm starving to death!!! Why isn't the person who went grocery shopping back yet?
====
Note: It's kind of late, but this fanfic has already achieved 100k words. So, I think it's time for reviews. For every Five 5-star review, I will provide 1 bonus chapter. I repeat, only 5-star reviews will qualify.
Also every 100 Power Stone Growth = 1 Bonus Chapter