Chapter 16: Tokiomi Tohsaka is Getting Nervous

Zoran, of course, knew exactly whose estate he was ambushing.

Tokiomi Tohsaka, a middle-aged man with a penchant for making mistakes. The man himself was of no consequence, but his Servant was a different story.

Gilgamesh, nicknamed "Goldie." In Zoran's memory, he was the most powerful Servant in this Holy Grail War: peerlessly arrogant and utterly defiant.

Zoran glanced at Shendu beside him, who was currently reveling in the thrill of the hunt. Since Servants were restricted by a power ceiling upon summoning, it was hard to say who was stronger between the Caster-class Shendu and the King of Heroes.

Zoran, however, would bet on Shendu. With the Twelve Talismans at his disposal, Shendu was a perfect all-around warrior. But with a "might as well enjoy the show" attitude, Zoran was quite content to sit back and watch them tear each other apart.

This was why he had targeted the Tohsaka household first. It didn't matter who won or lost; as long as Shendu had his fun, Zoran was satisfied. After all, while Shendu's strength as a Servant was limited...

Zoran, as the Master, was not.

Tso Lan, the Moon Demon, had descended upon this world in his complete true form, at the height of his power.

Zoran looked up at the bright moon hanging high in the sky. For a fleeting moment, he found that silver orb to be quite lovely.

And quite delicious.

Seeing that Shendu had no intention of continuing the "game" for the night, Zoran turned and drifted away, his feet never touching the dust.

Shendu's ten-foot-tall frame followed. Stopping in his tracks, the demon rasped, "Shadowkhan."

In the shadows on the ground, several Shadowkhan warriors manifested into physical forms and vanished into the thick night.

…

"We were discovered! When?" Kirei Kotomine thought, a flash of surprise crossing his mind as he watched through Hassan's eyes.

His Servant, Hassan-i-Sabbah, was known as "The Hundred Faces." He was not a single entity; the one Gilgamesh had "killed" earlier was merely a decoy used to deceive the other participants.

Through Hassan's eyes, several dark blurs flickered, followed by a flurry of shuriken expanding rapidly in his vision. He turned stiffly. In an instant, dozens of Shadowkhan warriors had surrounded him in a perfect circle.

"Who... or what... are these people?"

No words. No answer. Only a sharp, lethal killing intent bloomed silently in the night.

From this moment on, the curtain rose on a bizarre and twisted Holy Grail War.

…

"Kirei, you mean to say these two strange entities are the ones who ambushed us?"

Tokiomi Tohsaka froze as he carefully studied the sketches handed to him by Kirei Kotomine. These were the images Kirei had captured through Hassan's vision.

A strange, green-skinned monster with a dragon's head and a humanoid body, even in a drawing, the oppressive sense of dread was palpable.

Tokiomi was shaken. To prevent a repeat of the previous night's events, he had already moved his base of operations. It was a blessing he had sent his wife and daughter to the countryside; otherwise, the losses might have been far more tragic than imagined.

He paced along the wall with the sketch in hand. Kirei walked in the opposite direction, silent and deep in thought.

"Correct. This war's Caster seems capable of more than just the fire-pillar sorcery from last night. It also possesses the ability to summon familiars," Kirei analyzed. "They are ninjas similar to Hassan, weaker individually, but far greater in number."

Tokiomi looked up, his expression grave. He racked his brain for any historical or mythical figure that could link these two abilities together. After a long while, he shook his head.

Nothing. He had never heard of such a figure in all of history. Their appearance and abilities were utterly unprecedented.

As the sound of footsteps continued unabated, Kirei's face grew darker. He hesitated, then added, "Perhaps you should look at the other one..."

"The other one?"

"Yes. In all likelihood, that is Caster's Master."

Kirei's expression gave Tokiomi a very bad feeling. As a former Executor for the Church, Kirei had dealt with many heresies; he was nothing if not well-traveled. But even he looked grim when facing this "Master."

Tokiomi laid the second sketch before his eyes. In an instant, he went still.

"Is this... a human? Or what?" He couldn't make sense of it.

In the drawing, a creature that defied description hovered silently in a floating posture. He wore exotic clothing resembling Taoist robes, noble and elegant, while his violet-black hair hung suspended against gravity.

Kirei was a skilled artist, and because of that, a single glance filled Tokiomi with a horror he had never experienced before. That was not a human face. The aura emanating from the drawing was certainly not something a human could possess.

Even through the paper, Tokiomi felt as if he were being watched. This proved that the demon-like monster in the sketch had noticed the prying eyes long ago, yet he hadn't cared in the slightest. His calm, composed demeanor held no trace of urgency.

It was as if someone had unearthed a grave of history, bringing an unspeakable ancient demon back into the world, trailing the scent of primordial age.

A powerful sense of oppression and crisis surged within Tokiomi. Always cautious, he stopped pacing immediately. Beads of sweat began to roll down his forehead.

What kind of opponent... was this? Was that truly a human being?

The Holy Grail War, which he had felt so certain of winning, suddenly became blurred and terrifying.

"I can't... I can't see through him at all," Tokiomi muttered, holding his forehead as a wave of confusion hit him. This situation had spiraled completely beyond his imagination.

He steadied himself against the table and said hesitantly, "Tell Risei Kotomine. As the supervising priest, he has the right to know the identity of every participant."

He was becoming desperate. He had to use any means necessary to understand this unknown adversary, or he would not survive another night.

"Understood."

Kirei's figure vanished into the shadows at the end of the hallway.

Golden light converged into a humanoid form. Gilgamesh took the two sketches and studied them with a serious expression. After a long silence, his lips suddenly curled into a smirk.

"It seems this dull struggle finally has opponents worthy of providing me some amusement."

"King of Kings, this opponent seems extremely troublesome..."

Tokiomi bowed low. He was desperate to hear a few reassuring words from Gilgamesh, his powerful Servant.

"Tokiomi..." Gilgamesh set the sketches down and picked up a bottle of wine. "Are you questioning me?"

"I would never," Tokiomi replied in fear.

Gilgamesh raised his wine glass, taking a sip with the arrogant confidence of the oldest King of Heroes. It had always been thus; as the protagonist of the world's oldest epic, his strength as a Servant was beyond question.

"Mere mongrels dug up from some nameless grave... they dare to challenge the sun?"

"The next time we meet, I shall deal with them personally."