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"I'm curious, Scathach—what class were you summoned as?" Roy asked Scathach.
"I wasn't summoned as any class. I simply heard rumors of someone capable of killing me, so I came." Scathach chuckled, a rare smile gracing her cold features.
Her words stunned everyone.
"No class? How is that possible?" Rin gasped in disbelief.
"This isn't a normal summoning, then! Why did you attack us?" she pressed, glaring at Scathach.
She couldn't understand why the Holy Grail system would summon Scathach without a class. It meant she didn't have a Master.
"Because the one who can kill me is here," Scathach replied, her gaze fixed on Roy.
Roy frowned.
Who told Scathach that he could kill her? And who summoned her?
This Holy Grail War was different from what he remembered. Something was amiss.
Suddenly, a thought struck him. The only ones who controlled the Throne of Heroes were Gaia and Alaya—the collective consciousness of the planet.
They were the only ones who could summon Servants at will.
So, they were the ones who had summoned Scathach.
Were they trying to use a Servant to eliminate him?
It made sense—As the consciousness of the planet, Gaia and Alaya couldn't directly intervene. They could only use the Heroic Spirit Summoning system.
But it was a foolish attempt.
Even all the Servants in the Throne of Heroes combined couldn't defeat him.
Roy smiled.
"Master, be careful!" Saber exclaimed, stepping in front of Roy to protect him.
"Don't worry—I'll handle this," Roy reassured her, gently pushing her aside.
Scathach—unbound by a class, could wield the powers of multiple classes. She was far stronger than an average Servant.
Saber was no match for her.
Saber hesitated for a moment, then stepped back.
After all, Roy was her Master, and she had witnessed his power. He was as strong as any Servant.
"Be careful," Rin said, a hint of worry in her voice.
Ishtar raised an eyebrow. Why was Rin cheering for the enemy Master?
"Don't worry," Roy said to Rin with a smile, then walked towards Scathach.
"Scathach... no—it's easier to call you Master," he said.
"Do you wish to become my disciple? That would be good—It would be even better if you could kill me with the magic spear I bestow upon you," Scathach said with a playful smirk.
"No, I have no such intention. It's just a title," Roy replied with a chuckle.
"Is that so? What a pity," Scathach said, her smile fading.
"Could you tell me why you want me to kill you?" Roy asked, curious.
He knew the reason, of course.
Scathach had taken countless lives in her past, be it humans, wraiths, or even gods.
She had fought and slain numerous powerful beings.
As a result, she was cursed with immortality.
And the Land of Shadows she ruled was eventually ejected from the world, making her an existence akin to a god.
Unable to find a worthy opponent, Scathach was lonely. She longed for a glorious death in battle against a powerful foe.
Her answer was as Roy expected.
Rin—listening to their conversation, was shocked. To kill gods as a human... Scathach was incredibly powerful.
"Master—what you truly desire is a good fight, isn't it?" Roy said, seeing through her facade.
This woman's thirst for battle was no less than Ilulu's or Esdeath's. In fact, it might even be stronger.
"Indeed," Scathach admitted, surprised that he had seen through her.
Roy smirked. "In that case, there's no need for a deathmatch. Become my servant."
"That way, you can enjoy battles to your heart's content. There's no shortage of battle-hungry individuals among my servants."
He was telling the truth. Ilulu, Tohru—and the other Dragons were all eager for a good fight.
They wouldn't feel right if they didn't have a few battles in the subspace every day.
Of course, they had other "appetites" as well. Lucoa often dragged Roy into the Time Stop field for days of "intense training."
After all, she was a dragon who had been "hungry" for countless years.
Athena and Metis also loved to fight.
And they were all incredibly powerful. Scathach, although strong, was only at the Maou level.
She was no match for Tohru and the others.
"Servant, you say? If you can defeat me—I might consider it," Scathach replied, intrigued by his offer....
For Scathach, battle was everything.
She was eager to test Roy's strength.
"Come then. Let me see if you're worthy of being my Master," she declared, pointing her crimson spear at Roy.
Roy didn't waste any more time.
"Est!" he called out.
"I'm here, Roy—It's been a while since you summoned me," Est said, appearing beside him with a pout.
"How about some ice cream later?" Roy offered with a smile, patting her head.
"Yay!" Est cheered, nuzzling his hand.
"It's a deal then."
Est looked at him with her blue eyes, then transformed into the Demon Slaying Sword.
Roy grasped the sword and pointed it at Scathach.
"Interesting. It's the legendary sword spirit," Scathach commented, intrigued by Est.
"He really is a pervert! Even a little girl like that..." Rin muttered, disgusted by Roy's actions.
She had initially looked down on him for summoning a little girl, but seeing Est transform into a sword shocked her.
A spirit that could transform into a weapon!
She had only read about such beings in legends.
Her curiosity about Roy grew.
"Let's begin!" Roy declared.
Scathach instantly charged towards him, her spear aimed at his vital points.
Her spear skills were unmatched, far surpassing Lancer's.
Countless spear images appeared before Roy in an instant.
"Be careful!" Rin couldn't help but shout.
It was as if the entire world was filled with spear images.
Saber's expression also turned grim. Scathach's spearmanship was God-like. Her swordsmanship was no match for it.
She considered using Avalon to defend.
But before she could decide, Roy acted.
He didn't use any fancy techniques. He simply raised his sword and swung it down.
The spear images vanished, and Roy's sword clashed against Scathach's spear.
"What?!" Scathach was shocked.
Her attack had been neutralized.
Many had broken through her attacks before, but they had all relied on brute force.
Roy, however, had effortlessly deflected her spear with a simple sword strike. This had never happened before.
And she realized that he hadn't used any magic. He had relied solely on his swordsmanship.
In her long life—no one had ever matched her spearmanship.
But now, there was someone whose swordsmanship could rival her spear skills. Her fighting spirit surged.
"Impressive swordsmanship. Let's continue!" she declared, attacking again.
Countless spear images flew towards Roy, but he effortlessly deflected them all with his sword.
Clang! Clang! Clang!
Their movements were incredibly fast, their figures blurring as they clashed.
Sparks flew as their weapons collided.
The battle was fierce.
Rin stared in awe.
"Is—is he even human?" she wondered.
"He must be a Servant too!" Ishtar exclaimed.
It was almost impossible for a human in this era to possess such power.
Roy must be a Heroic Spirit!
Saber was also shocked by Roy's swordsmanship.
Although Saber was confident in her own swordsmanship, it was a skill honed on the battlefield.
Compared to Roy's transcendent swordsmanship, it was nothing.
The battle raged on.
Thanks to the barrier Roy had erected, their fight didn't attract any attention.
"Haha... Come on..." Scathach's voice was filled with excitement.
She attacked relentlessly with her spear.
Roy, however, remained calm and effortlessly blocked every attack.
Scathach realized that he wasn't using his full strength, and she was displeased.
Clang!
Their weapons clashed once more, then Scathach leaped back.
"What is your name?" she asked, her red eyes fixed on Roy.
"Ah, apologies for not introducing myself earlier. I'm Roy Lucifuge. Just call me Roy," he replied with a smile.
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