“Good judgement.”
Lin Zhongtian's voice, tinged with appreciation, fell from the sky.
The blond man came back to his senses, raised his lips, and said softly with a smile: "I never thought that a being like you could actually have consciousness and even personality... Tell me, why did you call me here?"
Lin Zhongtian smiled and told the story of the final battlefield of the Holy Grail War.
Kotomine Kirei frowned as he listened, seeming a little disappointed at having to face off head-on.
The blond man also frowned, but soon his brows relaxed and he said with a smile: "If you want me to perform, I can, but I need to get a promise from you. If I win this battle, will you let me use the Holy Grail?"
"certainly!"
Lin Zhongtian said without hesitation.
The blond man glanced at Tong Shen, Tosaka Rin and others on the opposite side, and said calmly: "Since you don't care about the Holy Grail, you should also know the true appearance of this Holy Grail right now?"
"certainly."
Lin Zhongtian smiled and nodded again.
The blond man looked at him deeply, then chuckled and jumped down from the audience seats.
"Very good." The blond man landed in the center of the arena first. He looked up but actually looked down at the audience. He said proudly, "I am Gilgamesh, the most ancient king who reigns over everything!"
"Who among you miscellaneous cultivators will be my opponent?"
As the words fell, an indescribable aura rose from Gilgamesh.
There were strange noises coming from Toosaka Rin and others in the audience opposite.
Saber couldn't help but take a step forward, looking at the golden glittering below with a look of disbelief on her face.
“…Why is it you?!”
"We meet again, Saber!"
Gilgamesh had a faint smile on his face.
Saber’s face was solemn: “As far as I know, the seven Heroic Spirits of this generation have all appeared in the world... Why are you here?”
"Isn't it obvious~" Gilgamesh smiled happily at everyone's gaze and said, "After the last Holy Grail War, I did not disappear, but stayed in this world."
Saber was shocked and asked, "How is this possible?"
"Because I am the only Heroic Spirit who has bathed in the Holy Grail!"
Gilgamesh laughed happily and said, "Yes, it's all your credit, Saber!"
"During the Holy Grail War ten years ago, I was only one step away from obtaining the Holy Grail, but you stopped me. The Holy Grail was cut in half by your Sword of Promised Victory right in front of me..."
"What?" Emiya Shirou and Toosaka Rin were both shocked, "Saber once cut off the Holy Grail?"
Gilgamesh ignored their reactions and continued with a smile, "The Holy Grail broke, and the contents that flowed out turned into flames, burning all the surrounding streets. I was located directly below the Holy Grail, so I was naturally washed away by the torrent."
"From that time on, this king obtained this body that can remain in this world."
"It was also from that time that I learned the true identity of the Holy Grail..."
At this point, Gilgamesh paused for a moment, then lowered his head, looked at his palm and said calmly: "It's really a boring thing... Although it's boring, it's still usable."
"Since then, I have made the decision that only I am qualified to deal with this matter!"
Hearing Gilgamesh's words, Toosaka Rin couldn't help but look stunned.
Emiya Shirou couldn't help but glance at Saber, his eyes dimmed slightly.
"The fire ten years ago was caused by Saber breaking the Holy Grail, right?"
Gilgamesh glanced at the people in the audience and suddenly changed the subject: "I hate looking up."
As he spoke, Gilgamesh raised his foot and stepped lightly. A flying boat made of gold and emeralds emerged from the golden ripples, carrying his body and rising rapidly, and soon reached the same height as the top of the stone pillar.
Feeling the solid space barrier above, Gilgamesh frowned slightly and looked up at Lin Zhongtian.
Lin Zhongtian smiled slightly: "I also hate the perspective of looking up."
“…”
The corners of Gilgamesh's mouth twitched. Considering the identity that Lin Zhongtian presented to him, he suppressed his anger and did not speak. Instead, he turned his gaze to the people in the audience below.
"So, who's going to die?!"
Arrogant words filled with a domineering aura came from above.
Lu Bu raised his eyebrows and laughed out loud.
"Someone is here to kill you!"
Before he finished speaking, Lu Bu took a step forward.
But at this moment, two silver lights burst out at the same time, teleporting Lu Bu and Gilgamesh back to their original positions.
Gilgamesh was slightly stunned. He couldn't help but raise his head and glared at Lin Zhongtian, "What do you mean?"
"My patience has its limits!"
Lin Zhongtian chuckled: "Don't worry, I haven't announced the rules yet!"
"There are six heroes present. Let's pair them up in pairs. Eliminate three of them. One of the remaining three will receive a bye and advance directly to the finals. The two without a bye will enter the semifinals to decide the second candidate for the finals."
"Finally, the two people who are both lucky and capable will compete in the final to determine the final winner!"
When people in the audience heard the rules announced by Lin Zhongtian, their expressions varied.
Gilgamesh frowned and waved his hand impatiently.
"It's settled then, let's get started!"
“Very good.” Lin Zhongtian nodded, his eyes swept across the audience, and he chuckled, “Then I declare that the first World No. 1 Martial Arts Tournament, sponsored by the Holy Grail, officially begins!”
“…”
Hearing the term "The World's No. 1 Martial Arts Conference", Tong Shen finally couldn't help but turn his head to look at Lu Bu.
"Uncle Bu, tell me the truth, who is this guy?"
"...Kid, be careful with your words!"
Lu Bu glared at him, but before he could utter a second word, he was swallowed up by the sudden burst of silver light.
On the ground of the arena, six heroic spirits emerged from the silver light and appeared on the three battlefields that divided the circular arena into three equal parts.
On the battlefield in the north, Lu Bu raised the halberd in his hand and pointed it at the spearmen in blue armor on the opposite side.
"Hello again, Lancer."
"Yes!" The Lan family spearman carried the scarlet spear on his shoulder, a smile full of fighting spirit appeared on his handsome face, "This time, I can finally fight you without any scruples!"
"Ha ha!"
Lu Bu laughed loudly, swung his halberd and leaped up: "Come on!"
“clang——”
The pitch-black halberd and the scarlet spear collided, splashing out fierce sparks.
On the battlefield next door, Saber held the invisible sword in her hand and looked solemnly at the tall black figure in front of her.
"…Did you draw the worst lot?"
"roar!!"
Berserker roared and swung the exaggerated axe in his hand, stirring up a whistling wind.
Saber sighed, then said seriously, "Come on, let's continue the battle we haven't finished yet!"
As soon as she finished speaking, Saber cracked the ground beneath her feet and rushed towards the Berserker opposite her like a gust of wind.
At the same time, Gilgamesh, with his hands in his pockets, stood on a flying boat made of gold and emeralds, looking down at the nameless hero in red clothes below with contempt and pride.
“…It’s you!”
"I thought I would meet the strongest monster, or the unrivaled Lu Bu, but I didn't expect it to be a nameless cultivator like you..."
Gilgamesh sighed, and golden ripples appeared in the air behind him. He said impatiently, "Hurry up and see if you are qualified to be my entertainment program!"
“…”
Hearing Gilgamesh's words, Red A, who had remained silent, suddenly smiled.
"Six Heroic Spirits, I have to face you. I'm so sorry, Hero King - you've drawn the worst lot!"
…
…
In the audience, Tong Shen and others stood there with frowns on their faces, looking at the handsome young man floating in front of them.
Lin Zhongtian's eyes swept over Tong Shen and the other three, and finally fell on Kotomine Kirei, whom he had just grabbed across space.
"As a Master," Lin Zhongtian suddenly chuckled and said, "You can choose to watch the battle from the audience, or go down in person and fight alongside your own Heroic Spirits."
"If you are a spectator, you will not be able to use magic or Command Spells."
"But if you fight in person, you must be prepared to die in battle..."
"So, what are your choices?"
After saying this, Lin Zhongtian stopped talking and looked at the people in front of him with interest.
Kotomine Kirei glanced at the Command Seals engraved on his arms. Reason told him that staying in the audience seats was the safest option. However, considering the fact that the spearmen had been defeated by Lu Bu, he suddenly spoke:
"I choose to fight next."
"……very good."
Lin Zhongtian nodded, and without any movement, Kotomine Kirei was teleported to Lancer's side.
Of the remaining four people, except Tong Shen who stood there calmly, the other three were a little hesitant.
Shirou Emiya gritted his teeth and was about to go down to fight alongside Saber when Lin Zhongtian suddenly spoke again.
"Oh, by the way, I forgot to tell you that if you choose to watch the battle, I will supply the magic power of the heroic spirit, but if you choose to fight alongside him in person, you will need to supply the magic power yourself..."
...Is there such a thing?!
Everyone in the audience looked stunned.
Toosaka Rin frowned and asked, "Why didn't you say anything just now?"
Lin Zhongtian spread his hands and said innocently, "I forgot."
Toosaka Rin expressed great doubt, she felt that Lin Zhongtian was deliberately setting a trap for Kotomine Kirei to fall into.
Tong Shen's eyes lit up, and he said without hesitation: "I choose to watch the game!"
After he finished speaking, he moved closer to Emiya Shirou and whispered, "I suggest you choose to watch the battle. Saber's strength is much stronger than you think. It's just that you are lacking in magic power, so she has been greatly weakened."
"If the mysterious person in front of me provides the magic power, I believe that Berserker will definitely not be her opponent!"
After hearing Tong Shen's words, Emiya Shirou became hesitant again.
Toosaka Rin thought for a moment and said decisively: "Then I will also choose to watch the battle!"
"It just so happens that the opponent is an ownerless heroic spirit. We are two against one. Even if the victory is unfair..."
Looking at the confident Tosaka Rin, Tong Shen couldn't help but complain: "Isn't it because you care about your magic gem?"
Toosaka Rin glared at him and said with a slightly red face: "You are the only one who talks too much!"