Because "King Arthur" is an extremely special existence, in the normal world line, Arthur's main body did not ascend to the Throne of Heroes, but instead pursued the Holy Grail as a living person.
In all Holy Grail Wars, the King Arthur who is summoned Blue Saber is actually the real person herself, not a Servant constructed from magical energy.
In addition, as a living person, King Arthur theoretically does not have so called "aspects." No matter where she appears, she will show up in the same form. The only exception is "Alter," that is, the form eroded by the curse of the Holy Grail.
There is only one situation where subspecies that are commercialized like Black Lancer Alter, X Saber, White Lancer Alter and so on would appear, and that is in the FGO world line where the Incineration of Humanity took place.
Because there is no Counter Force restraining things and human history has collapsed, a bunch of strange Servants ended up appearing.
FA of course never experienced the Incineration of Humanity, but the Throne of Heroes exists beyond time axes, so Servants from another FGO world line could also possibly be summoned.
Originally, the probability of this was extremely low, because it is very hard to find Holy Relics corresponding to these "subspecies Sabers," and the Counter Force in FA is still lively and active…
But since one has appeared, it means that some changes have already quietly taken place.
Between the current FA and FGO, there is probably now an invisible "connection." With just a slight push, parallel lines could turn into intersecting ones, and the point of intersection would be a Singularity.
In game terms, that would be… a collaboration between works?
"What should we do next?" Sella rubbed her sore neck and straightened her back as she sat up properly.
"Just wait?"
"Although my 'future tense' is not absolutely accurate, some things will not change. In this Red and Black Holy Grail War, there is still one judge who has not arrived. I want to try contacting her."
"The judge… Ruler?" As an Einzbern homunculus, Sella knew about this mechanism of the Greater Grail.
"Ruler will not join any camp. She only maintains the normal flow of the Holy Grail War and prevents large scale disasters… You cannot win her over, right?"
"Generally speaking, that is true, so I do not have much hope either."
"But… even if she cannot become a teammate, she must absolutely not become an enemy."
Iori seemed to think of something, and the corner of his mouth twitched slightly. "There are many characters like that in games and anime, right?"
"When they are on your team, they are just ordinary, but once they turn dark and become an enemy, they immediately become unbeatable."
"The reverse is also true. A powerhouse who can dominate the battlefield in the enemy camp will somehow become underwhelming once they turn into our ally."
"…What do you mean?"
"If the candidate for this session's Ruler has not changed, she will be an ultimate defense specialized Servant."
"Her body is ridiculously tough. When she is your teammate, you might not feel it much, but being her enemy would be quite a painful experience."
Iori pursed his lips. "It would be best to let her deal with people like Black Rider and Red Lancer, those human shaped self moving cannons. She would definitely draw most of the firepower."
Although he was not very likable, it had to be admitted that this boy was extremely reliable. Watching Iori calmly analyze the situation there, Sella felt an inexplicable sense of relief.
It had to be said that Berserker carried a strange charm. He was confident and honest, mysterious like moonlight, without the slightest trace of malice.
Every word he spoke made people unable to stop themselves from wanting to believe him.
In the short life of the silver haired girl, most of her time had been spent enduring the pain of transplanting magic crests and adjusting magic circuits.
She also had to spend a lot of time learning alchemy and combat techniques for self defense. She did not have much free time.
Now that her body was about to collapse, it could be said that her life was full of misfortune. Not a single moment had been truly happy or satisfied, and she had never really lived for herself.
This was not strange. As a homunculus, "misfortune" and "happiness" made no difference to her. Completing the mission given by the family was the only meaning of her life.
However, after meeting Iori, her packed and busy life suddenly slowed down.
Clearly it was during a great battle. Master and Servant should have been even more tense, yet no matter what this person did, he was never in a hurry.
In his spare time, he would not scout enemy movements either, but instead spent his time wandering around and eating and drinking like a tourist.
Sella was nominally the Master, but in reality she was completely being led around. Because she had to act together with her Servant at all times, she had also traveled and enjoyed the scenery quite a bit, like now.
Wasting life meaninglessly like this was a first for Sella. Even though she still had strength left, she was not investing it into completing the grand mission of her long held wish. A special feeling rose in the silver haired girl's heart.
'That should be… shame?'
But strangely, along with it, there also seemed to be… an extremely faint sense of joy?
Why? Clearly there was nothing about these things that should make her feel happy.
"Mm…"
As she kept thinking, perhaps because she was too tired, a wave of drowsiness surged up. Her cheeks grew warm for no reason, and her cherry lips parted slightly as she breathed out hot air.
"Why do I feel… suddenly so dizzy…"
"…"
Iori's expression turned serious. His nose twitched slightly as he smelled a faint wine scent mixed with an unknown floral fragrance.
"It seems we are not the only ones who came out to enjoy the moon tonight, Master."
All around was pitch black. Iori did not look around to search for the enemy's figure. Instead, he slowly closed his eyes and fully released his senses, spreading them across the calm water surface...
Whoosh!
The boy suddenly lifted his fishing rod. The flexible material drew a beautiful arc in the air. At the end of the silver thread was a hook. Like a flying blade, it suddenly cut through the gentle moonlight.
Whoosh!
A ghost like figure flipped to dodge the slash and lightly landed on the tip of the boat's bow like a dragonfly.
The sentimental and gorgeous kimono swayed slightly, revealing pale thighs and arms, as well as those strange tattoo patterns.
"Black side Assassin?"
"My my, being so enthusiastic upon our first meeting. But sadly, I do not quite like rough men~"
In short, she was a "demonic" woman.
Her face was childish, yet she carried the frivolous expression of a courtesan.
The faint smile at the corner of her mouth was like a feather brushing across the body, making an indescribable itch rise from the heart.
Her loose kimono hung open at the front, revealing a large patch of pale skin. She looked even more unrestrained than the boldest dancer, only barely covering the most important parts.
Fine thread like tattoo patterns spread across her body, strange yet carrying a kind of temptation.
The most eye catching feature was the huge wine gourd hanging at her waist. It was made of glass like material, half transparent deep blue, with exquisite patterns wrapped around its surface.
In addition, there were two wine red horns on the girl's head. They were not curved ram horns like those of Western demons, but slender, straight, and delicate, like hairpins used by courtesans.
"A monster?" Iori had already recognized the Servant before him. His eyelids lowered slightly, and cold killing intent showed in his gaze.
Shuten Douji.
A great yokai of the Far East, the drunken demon beheaded by Minamoto no Yorimitsu. As a Servant, she was first rate, with excellent stats in every aspect, so good that she did not seem like an Assassin at all.
At this moment, Iori was even more serious than when facing Atalanta's sniping. The magical energy in his body had fully activated, ready to strike and kill this dangerous evil oni at any time!
"Hehe, such a scary expression… Spare me~"
Shuten covered her small mouth that revealed a pair of sharp fangs with her sleeve. A shallow wine cup the size of a washbasin appeared in her hand.
She stretched it toward Iori. As she gently shook it, the clear wine inside gave off an even richer fragrance.
The crescent moon was reflected in the cup. As the breeze rose, a cherry colored petal drifted into it, creating faint ripples…
"I do not like fighting. Have a drink with me and pretend you did not see me, alright?"
Under the bright moonlight, the gorgeous oni woman who had landed lightly on the bow looked slightly drunk as she raised the wide wine cup in her hand and invited the handsome young swordsman. It was as if a folk legend had come to life at this moment.
Those soft and numbing words, paired with the wine scent spreading in the air, would make anyone in it lose themselves.
Sella was already affected.
Alcohol affects the sensitivity of the nervous system, so the silver haired girl had never had experience with drinking, let alone being drunk.
At this moment, just smelling some of it made her fair skin turn red and her whole face feel hot.
But it was not her fault. Even a seasoned drinker who could handle a thousand cups would not be able to resist this sweet scent, because it was not just wine aroma. It was also a poison, and also a curse.
In essence, it was a variation of the "Charm" skill. As a great demon symbolizing depravity and pleasure, this oni woman had mixed her bewitching demonic nature into the wine fragrance, turning it into a drug that could make people fall.
Not just humans. Even Servants could go mad if they were careless.
It just happened to be useless against Iori.
"Mm… What is wrong with me? So hot… so sleepy… Damn…"
"No! Iori… Iori… are you here?"
As a magus, Sella was excellent, but her weak body was almost instantly captured by the wine scent, falling into a drunken state of mental confusion and loss of control.
Deep down she knew something was wrong. So even as the world spun and she did not know where she was, she was still murmuring Iori's name. At this most dangerous moment, the one she trusted most was still Iori.
Hearing his Master call out to him, Iori, who was confronting the enemy Servant, did not turn back directly. He only glanced back with the corner of his eye.
"Ya hoo, do you not want to drink? Or is it that I am too ugly, so you do not wish to give me face?"
Shuten smiled as she looked at Iori and naturally noticed his small movement. She slightly tilted the wine cup in her hand, and a thin clear line fell down into the night.
"But this wine is sweet and fragrant. I really like it~"
Tap!
The wine fell onto the wooden board. As droplets splashed, a wave of malice struck. Iori instantly disappeared from where he stood, and Sella also vanished in that same moment.
Whoosh!
In midair, Iori appeared holding the half asleep Sella. Without even the gap of a single breath, a cold sword light slashed over, aiming to cut the two of them in half at the waist.
Clang!
The girl like great yokai appeared. Her sharp fingertips easily tore through fabric, and then... She grabbed nothing.
"Hm?"
Shuten Douji looked at the two fluttering pieces of cloth before her, and her smile faded slightly. But when she landed, that wild and unrestrained smile returned to her face.
The glass wine gourd floated on the river. Shuten sat sideways on it, her fair bare feet gently stirring the ripples.
"Carrying someone and still being able to calmly escape from my hands… how impressive~"
"With such a cute face, like the legendary Ushiwakamaru… yet not lacking at all in martial prowess. It seems one really cannot judge by appearance."
"Escape?"
Iori landed on the riverbank and found a bench to lay Sella down. He briefly checked her condition and confirmed that she was only "drunk" and had no other abnormal state. Only then did he feel slightly relieved.
The binding tool called Mountain Crystal appeared as a crystal pyramid, covering Sella just like last time.
After calmly finishing all this, Iori turned to look at Shuten. His face was quite displeased. "What a pity about my two thousand euro suit."
"I think it was worth it. After all, you picked up your life~"
Shuten reached behind her as if performing a magic trick and took out the huge wine cup again. She took a beautiful sip, her face flushing redder, her drunken look deepening.
"But next, I will be serious..."
"Shut up!"
"Mm!"
An invisible yet tangible pressure suddenly descended. Shuten Douji's next sentence was forcibly cut off. A trace of shock appeared deep in her eyes.
"So much nonsense… Fighting by the water? Consider yourself unlucky."
Iori untied the sword bag he carried and revealed a section of a jade like sword hilt.
Shuten's pupils shrank sharply.
Even from a distance, just seeing that section of hilt made the great yokai famed across the Far East feel as if thorns were at her back.
A phantom stabbing pain pierced through her heart like a long needle, making her entire soul tremble.
"No, this is...!"
Without hesitation, the wine cup disappeared with a flip of her palm, replaced by a gorgeous and strange long sword almost as tall as she was, shaped like something from a Buddhist mural.
Clang! Clang! Clang!
Three sword pressures condensed from thick water vapor split the river surface apart. Shuten blocked them with her sword held horizontally before her, but she was still sent flying.
However, there was a figure faster than the sword pressure, faster than Shuten. In the blink of an eye, he caught up to the great yokai of the Far East.
The usually proud and flirtatious great demon no longer had her usual dominance. Her body seemed somewhat sluggish.
She failed to completely dodge. Looking at the cold light falling from that ancient divine sword, her childish face showed a ferocious smile.
Why did she only realize it now… miscalculated. She should not have been so reckless. She did not expect such a coincidence to appear in the Holy Grail War.
"This guy..."
Clang!
Slash!
"...is my 'natural enemy'!"