The encounter with Gilgamesh the day before was a complete accident.
However, Gilgamesh had no intention of provoking additional conflicts outside of the war. After all, he participated in the Holy Grail War for fun.
Even after obtaining some information from Takatsuki and the others, he made no other moves. In fact, Tokiomi's deterrence plan on that day proceeded as originally planned.
First, the Matou Family was attacked, then the Tohsaka. The two different outcomes indirectly showed the level of strength, and perhaps the effect of demonstrating strength was even better than Tokiomi had initially planned.
However, Takatsuki knew that all of this was futile. Even if he wanted to avoid combat and preserve his strength until the end, Gilgamesh himself wouldn't be able to sit still.
So Takatsuki completely disregarded his thoughts and instead summoned Durandal and Medea the next afternoon.
"You must have felt it today, the provocative magic power."
Even as a complete novice in magic, Durandal, who was forced to master magic due to being a Servant, could now control some of it.
"Which Servant is it?"
Durandal directly asked Takatsuki. She knew that Takatsuki must know the other party's identity to say this.
"If there are no other circumstances, this Servant should be Lancer, the chief warrior of the Knights of Fianna, Diarmuid Ua Duibhne. He uses two spears, excels in tactics, and induces opponents to make mistakes to gain an advantage. He has an inherent skill, Love Spot, which passively charms the opposite sex, causing them to develop strong affection for him. It's a magical effect and can be resisted by Magic Resistance. Durandal, this is very disadvantageous for you. Do you want to fight him?"
Due to her special summoning reason, Durandal could not view her own skills. She didn't even know her own skills, and it seemed she didn't even have a Class.
She was completely no different from others who had transmigrated with Takatsuki.
"I want to try. As a warrior, I need to face many unfavorable situations. Dr. Schrödinger once told me that I have strong adaptability. Whatever doesn't kill me makes me stronger. Even if I'm charmed, Medea should be able to dispel it for me."
Durandal did not shrink back from the opponent's targeted mental attack. Medea also nodded in support of Durandal's determination: "Durandal, don't worry, sister will handle both magic and curses."
"Since you've decided, then good, I'll tell you about the opponents you might face tonight."
Takatsuki didn't say much: "I will go with you as the Master. The combat will be left to you. Is that alright?"
"No problem."
"Good." Takatsuki nodded: "The first opponent should be a one-on-one duel with you, which is Diarmuid. He is a practitioner of chivalry. Besides what I mentioned earlier, his abilities include his Noble Phantasms. His tactics should also be based on his two Noble Phantasms. One red long spear is the Gáe Dearg, the Crimson Rose of Exorcism, a weapon that can break magic, so magical defenses have no effect against it. The other yellow short spear is the Gáe Buidhe, the Yellow Rose of Mortality, which curses any wound it inflicts, preventing it from healing, whether by healing magic or natural recovery."
"It's fine. If it's a curse, then my Noble Phantasm can restore it."
Medea raised her hand and said.
"Mm, then I'll rely on you, Medea."
Durandal spoke softly to Medea, but Takatsuki poured cold water on the idea.
"You can, but Medea, you'll have to remain in spirit form and only appear in special circumstances."
"Huh? Why?"
Takatsuki crossed his arms: "Because you don't have a Master's arrangement right now. After all, we can't let others think that Durandal is both a Servant and a Master, or we'll be collectively targeted by other groups."
Hearing Takatsuki's words, Medea made some aggrieved sounds, like a small animal.
Durandal patted Medea's head to comfort her, then looked at Takatsuki: "What about the others?"
"I won't talk about the Master's information. The next one to appear might be Saber. This Saber is King Artoria Pendragon, the King of Knights from the Arthurian legends. You need to be careful of the sword in her hand, which is Excalibur, the Sword of Promised Victory, a weapon at the pinnacle of Holy Swords, capable of releasing powerful light beams. However, this move requires charging, so it rarely appears in close combat. What you need to watch out for is another Noble Phantasm called Invisible Air, which can hide her weapon, making it transparent, and can release a move called Strike Air when needed, creating powerful wind pressure to attack enemies or to accelerate herself."
"The third to appear will be Conqueror Iskandar, the Servant manifested in the Rider Class. His martial arts are average, but he possesses extremely strong charisma. His Noble Phantasm is Gordius Wheel, a Noble Phantasm pulled by two divine bulls that can move freely in the air and also manipulate lightning, as well as an Reality Marble called Ionioi Hetairoi. Inside the Reality Marble are the Conqueror's former army. If you wish to fight a strong opponent, the Conqueror is not a good choice."
"The last one you already met yesterday, Gilgamesh. His martial arts are not good, but he has a Noble Phantasm called the Gate of Babylon, which contains an endless supply of Noble Phantasms. He launches them like projectiles, each having the effect of another Servant's full power attack, and he can launch countless of them simultaneously. I think Medea already saw this attack method last night."
Medea blinked before realizing: "So those were the Noble Phantasms that killed Assassin? So those were all real, that's too rich!"
"Because he is the first King, there is a legend that all treasures belong to his treasury. A Servant's abilities are partly their own strength and partly the materialization of their legends in history. Durandal, try to avoid conflict with him."
To deal with Gilgamesh, you can only defeat him in one go while he is careless.
"So these are Servants."
Each unique Noble Phantasm, just by hearing their effects, one could understand their power. Even Diarmuid, who wasn't exceptionally strong, was a famous warrior in history.
"Yes, the deeds of every Servant are sublimated into Noble Phantasms, so these are their greatest reliance. In comparison, Durandal, you don't seem to have anything that can be called a Noble Phantasm, do you?"
Durandal nodded: "I haven't felt the existence of such a thing. Besides the magic power flowing from you through the contract, nothing else has changed."
"In that case, fighting others would be a major disadvantage. I'll give you some weapons."
The first thing Takatsuki took out was the weapon from when he had broken into the Matou Family's residence.
"This sword is called Durandal. Its Noble Phantasm release name is Unbroken Holy Durandal, an Anti-Unit Noble Phantasm that can transform magic power into powerful slashes."
"Durandal…"
Durandal heard the familiar name and took the peerless Holy Sword from Takatsuki's hand. However, it was different from the sword in her memory; it merely had a similar name.
"This Durandal is the Holy Sword of this world, different from the one you once had."
Durandal looked up at Takatsuki: "You know about that Durandal?"
In the Honkai world, the Holy Sword Durandal is also translated as Durandal, which is the origin of Durandal's name.
Takatsuki didn't know the details of Durandal's past adventures, but from the Valkyrie armor called Immortal Blade, he knew the origin of this armor.
"That power is still within you, but you can't unleash it yet, just like the power in your bloodline. So, until then, use this Durandal."
Clutching the Durandal tightly, although it wasn't the same weapon, Durandal seemed to see her past adventure in it.
"Thank you, Takatsuki."
"Don't rush. This is just the first one."
Saying this, a briefcase suddenly appeared.
"Calamitous Ordnance, Pandora. It can engrave up to 666 forms of demonic weapons based on the user's imagination. Its current form is Pandora's strongest form, PF-666 Omen."
"It can accumulate calamity energy based on the destruction caused by other forms and release it all at once, causing extreme destruction to the front. Remember to cover your eyes even if you're behind it when using it."
As he spoke, the briefcase in Takatsuki's hand continuously changed forms, then reverted to its briefcase appearance.
Even an amateur could see the preciousness of this weapon. Durandal accepted it without being pretentious. She didn't care what made her stronger, as long as it was something she could control, she wouldn't mind its origin.
However, Durandal didn't have a spatial inventory like Takatsuki, so she could only carry it directly in her hand.
"These two weapons must be superior to many Noble Phantasms, right?"
Medea didn't expect Takatsuki to casually pull out two A-rank Noble Phantasms. The Calamitous Ordnance Pandora was hard to say, but Durandal alone was a famous Holy Sword.
"That's right, but it's not enough. Two pieces of equipment, one for close combat and one for long-range. I also have a defensive type."
Durandal raised her hand, indicating that her hands were already full: "I can't carry any more equipment."
"Don't worry, this won't affect your movement and doesn't take up space."
Even Durandal was a little embarrassed by Takatsuki's generous actions.
"You've given me enough. Why are you so good to me?"
Durandal couldn't understand, just as she couldn't understand the things Takatsuki was saying that she didn't know.
"Because you were dragged into this Holy Grail War because of me."
He sighed, "If I could, I wouldn't want to involve anyone else, but since it has come to this, I will naturally protect your safety."
This was also the reason Takatsuki kept asking about Durandal's wishes and thoughts. Since Durandal didn't want the wish he offered, he would respect her choice to a certain extent. If she wanted to fight Heroic Spirits, he would give her the opportunity. It wouldn't affect his plans anyway, and he could even leverage it to some extent.
Seemingly accepting Takatsuki's explanation, Durandal said nothing more until she saw the next item Takatsuki took out.
"Wow!"
Medea, who was beside them, was the first to exclaim.
"Is Takatsuki-nii planning to propose?"
Upon hearing Medea's words, even Durandal's cheeks flushed slightly, and she glared at Takatsuki.
"Ahem, don't misunderstand. This ring is called the Ring of Eden. Its effect is to generate a protective layer for the wearer, which can resist physical attacks. However, I think its endurance should have a limit, so you still need to be careful."
Takatsuki had only used this ring once, and it had been gathering dust in his backpack until yesterday when he thought about compensating Durandal's combat power, and he dug it out from a corner of his backpack.
Just like Pandora, it had been sitting on the bench.
"But, isn't giving a ring between a man and a woman a declaration of love?"
"It also means friendship."
Compared to Medea's wild thoughts, Durandal calmed down after her initial blush, took the ring, and put it on her right index finger.
Watching Durandal's actions, Medea stretched out her hand and calculated for a long time: "Right index finger, right index finger… wearing a ring on the right index finger means single. Takatsuki-nii, you still have a chance."
This made Durandal blush again.
"Don't be silly, I already have a girlfriend." He gently tapped Medea's little head: "As for you, little girl, always thinking wild thoughts, could it be that you want to fall in love?"
Takatsuki's words not only didn't make Medea restrain herself, but the little girl even said somewhat coyly, "Oh, Takatsuki-nii saw through me. Actually, I'm really curious about love. I wonder what it feels like."
"But Takatsuki-nii already has a girlfriend? Then Takatsuki-nii must know what love feels like."
When Medea said this, even Durandal's gaze fell on Takatsuki.
"What are you prying about?"
Takatsuki tapped Medea's little head again, but Medea didn't give up, still pestering Takatsuki.
"Takatsuki-nii, just tell me, I'm really curious."
"Sigh." It seemed that if he didn't give a conclusion today, it would be endless. Takatsuki thought for a moment and said, "Satisfaction."
"Satisfaction?"
Takatsuki nodded, "I can't quite explain what it feels like. At the end of the day, it's happiness and satisfaction. Even in a very ordinary life, you can feel the happiness of doing what you love most, just like… Medea, the feeling you get when you eat dessert."
Medea recalled how she felt when she ate dessert and instantly understood: "Then I also want to experience the feeling of love. Is it really the same as eating dessert?"
Of course not!
However, Takatsuki was too lazy to explain further. Anyway, Medea was just a Servant and would disappear after this Holy Grail War. He did notice, though, that Durandal, who was beside him, averted her gaze when he looked at her.
"..."