"The old man really bled heavily this time."
Sisigou smirked as he watched the video of himself negotiating with Rocco Belfeban and acquiring the young Hydra specimen in exchange for his cooperation.
He leaned back and let out a satisfied laugh. "This is a good deal. That Hydra's worth about thirty percent of my net assets."
Kayneth: "This feels odd."
Waver: "What is it?"
Kayneth: "The video just mentioned the five Red Masters aside from Sisigou Kairi and Kotomine Shirou none of them have appeared in this group yet."
Waver: "Now that you mention it, that's true."
Tohsaka Tokiomi: "It's peculiar. All the Masters of the Black Faction have joined the group, but only two from the Red Faction? That's a little strange."
Kotomine Shirou glanced at the group chat, his expression calm, but his thoughts turbulent. He knew the truth behind this mystery and hoped the group wouldn't dig any deeper.
"Kotomine Shirou thought to himself, 'I hope this doesn't expose anything.'"
[The scene shifted to the night, as all the Masters who had yet to perform their summoning rituals prepared to summon their Servants.]
[Sisigou sat alone in a cemetery, the summoning array meticulously carved into the ground before him.]
[Meanwhile, within Yggdmillennia Castle, the four remaining Black Masters prepared for their own summoning rituals.]
["Will I manage this?" Sisigou muttered, taking a long drag from his cigarette before flicking it away and beginning the incantation.]
["Let silver and iron be the essence. Let stone and the archduke of contracts be the foundation, and let the color I pay tribute to be red."]
["Let the winds of the four cardinal directions rise, and enclose. Let the gates of the crown be shut, and let the three-forked road to the kingdom rotate."]
["I hereby swear: Your body shall be under my command, and my fate shall be your sword."]
["Abiding by the summons of the Holy Grail, if you would heed this will and this reason, answer me."]
["I am the one who embodies all the good in the world. I am the one who lays bare all the evils of the world."]
["You, clad in the seven heavens bound by three great words, come forth from the circle of constraint, O Guardian of the Scales!"]
[At that same moment in Yggdmillennia Castle, four Servants appeared in response to the summoning of the Black Masters.]
[They were Siegfried, Astolfo, Chiron, and Frankenstein.]
[In unison, the four Servants declared, "We are the Black Servants, called forth by your summons. Our fates are now intertwined with those of the Yggdmillennia clan. Our swords shall be your swords."]
["My King," Darnic Prestone Yggdmillennia said, bowing respectfully to Vlad III, the Black Lancer. "These are the Servants we have summoned under the banner of Black, your loyal subordinates."]
[The Grand Duke—Vlad III—nodded in approval. He stood tall and spoke with authority. "All who have gathered here to pursue the Holy Grail, our first goal is clear: victory for the Black Faction."]
[The video abruptly paused.]
---
[Question: Who is the Servant summoned by the Red Master, Sisigou Kairi?]
[A: Artoria; B: Mordred; C: Gawain.]
The quick response phase began immediately.
In both the Black Faction's camp and among the group members, everyone began to analyze the question.
Darnic Prestone Yggdmillennia, his fellow Black Masters, Kotomine Shirou, and Sisigou Kairi himself all pondered the obvious clue: the summoning relic. The fragment of the Round Table clearly pointed to one of the Knights of the Round Table, but which one?
And another curiosity emerged among those unfamiliar with the name—who was Artoria?
Chihiro: "The answer is B—Mordred."
[Ding! Congratulations to Chihiro for answering correctly and earning 3 Saint Quartz.]
[The members of the Black Faction fell silent.]
Kotomine Shirou: "..."
Sisigou Kairi: "..."
Tohsaka Rin: "Wow, Chihiro, your reaction time is getting better and better."
Waver: "You didn't even hesitate to think it through."
Chihiro: "A good Master anticipates the questions before they're even asked. That's what preparation looks like."
Waver and Rin: "Alright, show-off."
Rebellious Knight: "Huh? Me?"
Rebellious Knight: "But ugh, how dare they use fragments of the Round Table to summon me? That's disgusting."
Kayneth: "This question felt almost too easy."
Tohsaka Tokiomi: "It was clearly designed with the newcomers in mind. But in the end, an old group member swooped in to take the reward."
The members of the Apocrypha world were left dumbfounded.
Those unfamiliar with the group's dynamics began to think, "Are these old members all geniuses or something?"
---
[The video resumed.]
[Sisigou stared at the swirling aura within the summoning circle. His expression faltered slightly as the figure before him took shape.]
[The summoned knight stood clad in a set of imposing horned armor and carried a longsword that shimmered under the moonlight. However, there was something peculiar, this knight's stature was smaller than Sisigou expected. She didn't even reach his chin.]
[For a moment, Sisigou couldn't identify the knight standing before him.]
[Sisigou: "Uh… Who are you?"]
[The armored figure reached up and removed her helmet, revealing a bold, confident face that could only belong to someone with an unruly nature.]
["I am Mordred," she declared, her tone sharp and impatient. "The one and only legitimate heir to King Arthur, Artoria Pendragon."]
[She raised her chin proudly. "Now, tell me—are you my Master?"]
[Despite her diminutive frame and feminine features, Mordred's tone carried an undeniable arrogance. She made no attempt to disguise her contempt.]
[As if to cement her rebellious demeanor, Mordred stripped off her armor, revealing an outfit that was nothing short of scandalous in its lack of coverage.]
Artoria: "Mordred I've told you before, stop wearing clothes like that."
Rebellious Knight: "Hmph, Father, you're just too old-fashioned."
Sisigou Kairi: "Wait, Father? This Artoria is… King Arthur?"
Artoria: "Yes, that is correct."
Sisigou Kairi: "But shouldn't King Arthur's name be Arthur?"
Artoria: "Arthur is merely a pseudonym. My true name is Artoria Pendragon."
Sisigou Kairi: "...Hang on. That voice… are you a woman?"
Artoria: "Yes."
Sisigou stared, clearly struggling to process this revelation. "...I'm going to need a moment to sort this out."
Tohsaka Rin: "Wait… If King Arthur is a woman, does that mean Morgan is… a man?"
Rebellious Knight: "Ridiculous! My mother is very much a woman."
Kayneth: "If that's the case, how were you even born?"
Rebellious Knight: "Shut it! What's it to you, anyway? Why so many questions?"
Darnic: "My apologies for their rudeness."
[Sisigou sighed and extended a hand to Mordred. "I am Sisigou Kairi, your Master. I'll be relying on you."]
[Mordred didn't take his hand. Instead, she turned her back on him, leaving him to awkwardly pull his hand back and rub it on his coat.]
["Summoning me in a graveyard? Are you some kind of necromancer?" Mordred asked, glancing disdainfully at the tombstones surrounding them.]
[Sisigou smirked. "I've been surrounded by corpses since I was a kid. So, yeah, you could say that."]
[He then scratched his chin thoughtfully. "Still, I didn't expect Mordred to be… a woman."]
["SWOOSH!!!"]
[Mordred's sword shot toward his throat in an instant, stopping just short of the skin. Her expression was fierce.]
["Say that again, and I won't hold back next time."]
["…Got it. Won't happen again," Sisigou replied quickly, raising his hands in mock surrender.]
["Good," Mordred said, spinning away. She stepped over to the summoning circle and glared at the holy relic still sitting there, a fragment of the Round Table.]
[With a scoff, Mordred raised her boot and stomped down on the fragment of the Round Table, shattering it to pieces.]
[Sisigou winced slightly. "What a waste."]
["Hmph," Mordred sneered. "Using something like this to summon a rebellious knight like me? That's just rude."]
[The scene shifted to the next morning, with Sisigou arriving at a church for a scheduled meeting. Inside, a white-haired priest knelt in silent prayer. It was Kotomine Shirou.]
[Sisigou stepped forward confidently, his voice breaking the solemn atmosphere. "This is the meeting place we agreed on, right? So you must be the one who summoned me here."]
[Kotomine Shirou stood, turned with a serene smile, and bowed politely. "It's a pleasure to meet you. I am Shirou Kotomine, the supervisor for this operation."]
[Sisigou waved a hand dismissively. "I'm Sisigou Kairi. I'll skip the boring introductions if you don't mind." He plopped himself down on one of the benches nearby.]
[Kotomine Shirou's gaze flickered briefly. "I see. Is your Servant nearby?"]
[Before Sisigou could reply, Mordred materialized, fully armored and wearing her helmet. She stood at Sisigou's side like a protective guard dog.]
[Sisigou raised an eyebrow. "What's with the armor?"]
[Mordred sniffed the air, her voice muffled by the helmet. "It smells awful here."]
[Kotomine Shirou didn't seem fazed. He spoke gently, "If that's the case, I believe it's time for my own companion to join us."]
[The video abruptly paused.]
---
[Question: Who is the Servant summoned by Kotomine Shirou?]
[A: Semiramis; B: Karna; C: Achilles.]
Even veteran group members like Waver were momentarily stumped by the question. While the group knew the configurations of the Red and Black Factions, they weren't privy to the details of who summoned whom.]
Tohsaka Rin: "I'll go with B—Karna!"
[Ding! Tohsaka Rin answered incorrectly. 1 Saint Quartz has been deducted.]
Tohsaka Rin: "What? No way!"
She frowned, frustrated. She had assumed that someone as composed as Kotomine Shirou would summon the most powerful figure available.
Chihiro: "The answer is A—Semiramis."
[Ding! Congratulations to Chihiro for answering correctly. You have earned 3 Saint Quartz.] (T/N: Chihiro blitzing lmao)
Waver: "How do you always answer so fast?"
Chihiro: "A good Master always stays prepared. Anticipating the system's questions is just part of the strategy."
Waver: "Show-off."
Sisigou Kairi: "These quizzes really aren't fair to us new folks, huh?"
Kotomine Shirou: "Adaptation takes time, but I'm sure we'll catch up."
***
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