"Impossible! How could this happen!"
With the Holy Grail War's referee as an inside man, and having summoned the strongest Servant, these two happy events overlapped, so why did it turn out like this?
In just the first clash, Gilgamesh became the first Servant to retreat.
Watching Gilgamesh's figure gradually dissipate before him, Tokiomi hardened his resolve and rushed out of the basement...
Meanwhile, Waver was dumbfounded.
He had originally thought the almost invincible King of Heroes, Gilgamesh, was actually defeated by Takatsuki in less than a minute of confrontation.
Although the opponent was eventually recalled by his Master using a Command Seal.
But with such injuries, even if all three Command Seals were used up, he wouldn't be able to recover, right?
And this wasn't done by a Servant; it was done by a Master.
"Hahaha! To make that most ancient King retreat like that, the Master next to me is quite skilled, isn't he?"
Unlike the others' reactions, Iskandar's first reaction was to praise Takatsuki's bravery.
He swung the longsword in his hand. Since it was different from when he cut Phantylia, it had a different name, but the general core was similar, except Sun Slash was a degraded version of Sunrise Slash.
Watching Gilgamesh also retreat, Takatsuki suddenly realized.
He...
He seemed to have become the strongest person in this Holy Grail War.
Not to mention himself, his team also had Berserker, Durandal, and a Caster to make up the numbers.
The remaining opponents, except for Assassin, were all on the field.
So...
Takatsuki looked at the other Servants around him.
As if sensing Takatsuki's thoughts, Artoria and Diarmuid both raised their weapons, guarding against Takatsuki and Durandal.
"Because you dealt with that Gilgamesh guy, you're setting your sights on the rest of us now? Berserker's Master, are you sure you want to face a combination of three Servants and Masters at the same time here?"
Iskander immediately saw through Takatsuki's intentions.
The ambition to end the Holy Grail War in one night by relying on his military might.
"Berserker's Master, I admit, you and Berserker are indeed powerful warriors, but we are not ordinary people either. If it's two against three, even if you want to, you don't have a complete chance of winning, do you?"
Takatsuki's powerful strength caused the others to form an alliance by unspoken agreement.
Although Artoria didn't speak, she didn't deny it either.
As soon as Takatsuki made a move, the three Servants would simultaneously confront him.
"Why be so serious? I always adhere to 'I won't offend if not offended'."
Dismissing the weapon in his hand, Takatsuki casually said, "It was that Gilgamesh guy who attacked me first before, wasn't it? You know, I didn't intervene when Berserker and Lancer were fighting."
After a brief thought, Takatsuki also understood. There was no need to risk confronting the remaining Servants here.
As long as they separated, he could defeat them one by one without even needing to divide them. In fact, even if they formed an alliance, if he brought the true Berserker, Then it would still be a crushing situation.
"Hahaha, well, in that case, let's end tonight's gathering here. We also need to go back and carefully consider the information you mentioned earlier, young man."
Although he said that, none of the others, including Iskandar, showed any intention of leaving.
Everyone knew that if one person left, the remaining two would definitely not be a match for Takatsuki's group.
The easiest to escape from here was Iskander, followed by Diarmuid, and Artoria was the hardest to escape because her Master was here.
Although Takatsuki knew that Irisviel wasn't the real Master.
"Durandal, let's go."
Everyone was waiting for Takatsuki and Durandal to leave first, and Takatsuki didn't play dumb, directly leading Durandal out of the warehouse district and back to the car.
Watching Takatsuki and Durandal leave, the five people on the field finally breathed a sigh of relief.
Even Emiya Kiritsugu and Kenneth, hidden in the shadows, were the same.
They couldn't figure out how to resolve this dilemma; even if the three parties worked together with one heart, someone would inevitably be eliminated by Takatsuki, and others would reap the benefits, so this was a choice they didn't want to see.
And Takatsuki's combination had no weaknesses at all.
The method of assassinating the Master was completely inapplicable; this Master was even stronger than the Servant!
"Thank you, Lancer, Rider."
After confirming that Takatsuki and his group had truly left, Artoria breathed a sigh of relief and expressed her gratitude to the other two Servants.
"You're welcome, Saber. I think everyone understands the principle of 'when the lips are gone, the teeth are cold.' However, given the opponent's strength, what was said before is likely true. What do you all think about this?"
Iskandar brought up the topic again after Takatsuki left.
But Artoria just shook her head. A series of events and truths had somewhat shocked her. If the Holy Grail couldn't grant wishes, then what was her purpose here?
"As for me, it depends on my liege's attitude."
Diarmuid directly stated his opinion.
"I am here in this world only to be loyal to my liege and personally win the Holy Grail for him, so I don't care whether the Holy Grail can grant wishes, because my wish has already been fulfilled."
Diarmuid's voice was firm and resolute: "As a knight, I will be loyal to my liege until the last moment, and I should leave now."
"Is that so? Then your Master is truly fortunate."
Iskandar sighed, regretting that such a loyal knight couldn't be brought under his command, but he himself also had many loyal generals.
"Then we'll leave first too."
Watching Lancer dematerialize and leave, Artoria also prepared to leave with Irisviel. Although no battles were fought tonight, the experience was too terrifying.
Thus, the first true confrontation of the Holy Grail War concluded. No one expected anyone to withdraw on this first night.
Nor would anyone have thought that this was not just the signal for the Holy Grail War to begin.
"You worked hard, Durandal."
Back in the car, Takatsuki also breathed a slight sigh of relief.
Although he had the confidence to defeat any Servant present.
He wasn't confident he could protect Durandal; protection is always more difficult than destruction.
"I'm fine. I've also gained a lot. But, are Heroic Spirits' Noble Phantasms all that exaggerated?"
Durandal was still a bit shaken by the Noble Phantasm rain earlier, and that was far from Gilgamesh's full power.
"How to put it… yes and no. That Gilgamesh guy just throws Noble Phantasms to smash people. It's like using hot weapons as projectiles, but he has the capital to use them that way, you understand, right? You also used Durandal, and I think you understand the difference in power between liberating and not liberating it."
Durandal nodded: "It seems my strength is still far from enough."