Type-Moon, What Do You Mean You summoned Tiamat?!

The Throne of Heroes.

This was a higher-dimensional anchor point completely independent from the outside world and time axes.

The concepts of "past, present, and future" did not exist here. As long as a hero had ascended to a heroic spirit in a specific time axis, within this hall, he would become an existence that "transcended time axes."

In most cases, Heroic Spirits did not actively respond to the call of the Holy Grail War. Because for them, who had already gained fame and glory in myth and history, the Great Holy Grail, known as the "omnipotent wish-granting machine," was actually not that attractive.

In many cases, they sent "clones" with the mindset of "taking a little trip to the human world and having some fun," simply to enjoy themselves together.

Clones did not retain all the memories of the original body. When the system summoned a clone, it often extracted only a "fragment" of the heroic spirit at a specific age from their long life.

Such information disparity and extreme personality differences often led to extremely embarrassing "overturning accidents."

For example, take Mr. Goldy, a kind-hearted citizen who wished to remain anonymous. His life could be roughly divided into three stages: a polite childhood, a short-tempered and immature youth, and an old age forced to work overtime every day.

The most famous era, the "young tyrant era," had produced breathtakingly dramatic and memorable, yet tragic events.

These included, but were not limited to: "Due to excessive arrogance, having the power of the king copied by a high school boy in Unlimited Blade Works," "Entering a dark alley to ambush a high school girl, only to be eaten," "Finally unleashing his proud Anti-World Noble Phantasm Ea, only to be blocked by a sword sheath and killed by being struck on the head with a curry stick."

Even in the recently held Snowfield City, this Hero King had shown stable performance and once again delivered a very spectacular exit scene.

Although he had been considered the top favorite to win, he was eliminated right at the start of the main tournament and sent back home. There, he began planning his comeback from hell.

For example, the famous Greek demigod hero who had long held the heavy responsibility of "combat power quality inspector" and was a strong candidate for the title of "Grand" could not escape the fate of elimination either.

He had also provided numerous tragic yet somewhat black-humored sudden death moments, such as "after going berserk, being slammed into the contract box and evaporating on the spot before the Twelve Trials even began" or "limbs bound by chains of heaven, trying to protect a girl and being shot full of holes like a hedgehog."

In any case, whether it was this demigod or that golden Pikachu who "could end the war in one night if he got serious," they were certainly among the highest peaks among Servants.

However, these two possessors of extraordinary talent had been eliminated in the blink of an eye in the Holy Grail War held in Snowfield City just recently…

This outrageous record revealed the undeniable fact that the Holy Grail War in Snowfield City was extremely complex and shrouded in mystery.

Looking back at the long-running Holy Grail War tournaments, in terms of authority, the current "Fake Holy Grail War" being held in Snowfield City would undoubtedly rank in the top three.

And right now.

The Throne of Heroes, where time had stood still, suddenly unleashed a massive, unmistakable ripple of summoning power.

At the same time, all Heroic Spirits clearly sensed the descent and prayer of a certain "special Master."

After a moment of deathly silence, the entire Throne of Heroes fell into complete chaos.

"This is truly surprising... I never thought the 'Mother Goddess' would personally participate in the Holy Grail War as a Master."

In the darkness, a woman with an almost unfairly voluptuous figure clad in purple form-fitting combat armor slowly drew "Doujigiri Yasutsuna" from her waist.

An unbelievably gentle yet strangely captivating and enthusiastic smile appeared on the woman's bright, mature face.

"Oh dear, it can't be helped... I have no interest in fighting over a broken cup, but the Mother Goddess still seems quite immature. As a 'mother' who deeply loves her child, I must directly lend a hand and properly teach and guide her. If any ignorant insects try to interfere with me fulfilling my maternal duties... I will slaughter them all without mercy."

However, before she could step through the summoning portal into the human world, countless golden chains emitting sacred light suddenly appeared from behind her, intertwining and colliding like a net, completely blocking the entrance to the portal.

Minamoto no Raikou slightly stopped her movement, and the gentle smile on her face instantly disappeared. The moment she turned her face, a chilling killing intent appeared in her eyes.

A beautiful woman with green hair, clad in white robes, stood quietly in the center of the chain-filled sky.

She said with a gentle smile, "Minamoto no Raikou-san, I'm sorry, but... this time, I want to meet her."

Minamoto no Raikou slightly narrowed her long, captivating eyes, which held a dangerous light, and said quietly, "Enkidu... Hmm? It's quite unexpected that a weapon like you would have selfish motives regarding this Holy Grail War."

Enkidu raised one eyebrow and was about to say something.

At that moment, a distortion occurred in this space, and a holographic projection from the "inside" of the world appeared arrogantly and forcefully in the passage of Throne of Heroes.

The two looked up and were shocked to see the Goddess of Venus with an unbelievably beautiful face riding a colossal celestial vehicle. With her arms crossed, she looked down at the two with an expression of joy and amusement, and quickly opened her mouth with a smile.

"Ah, don't misunderstand. He wasn't interested in the Holy Grail War. He had already participated as Lancer in Snowfield City, but he simply lost in power and was miserably eliminated."

At this point, she continued in a mocking tone. "The fact that you also secretly returned here means that arrogant, conceited man didn't fare much better, did he?"

Enkidu looked up at the goddess's phantom and slightly furrowed his brows, whispering, "Ishtar…?"

In the underlying laws of this world, the concepts of Heroic Spirits and gods were completely different.

Heroes were heroes in human history, and after death, their souls ascended to the "Throne of Heroes," severed from time axes. On the other hand, gods were manifestations of natural phenomena or planetary concepts. After the Age of Gods declined, gods had long since lost their physical existence and had always existed within Earth's "inner world."

At that moment, the goddess Venus, who always seemed to thrive on chaos, used the massive summoning channel Tiamat had just opened to forcibly create a projection from the "inside of the world" and came to the entrance of Throne of Heroes to observe the situation.

"Hmph..."

As the goddess's sacred voice faded, a cold, extremely displeased snort suddenly echoed from the deepest, most profound part of Throne of Heroes.

Immediately after, a mocking, arrogant voice quietly resonated in the void. "I thought it was a stray dog barking in front of the Throne of Heroes, but it turned out to be you. Incompetent, foolish goddess."

"What did you say? You were washed away by the Mother's Sea of Life in Snowfield City without causing even a ripple, leaving not even a trace, and now you dare to project your image into my garden to disgrace yourself?"

Anger and irritation flashed across Ishtar's beautiful eyes for a moment, and a vein pulsed on her forehead.

However, she immediately took a deep breath, and a smile returned to her face.

"Oh? At least this goddess confronted the Mother Goddess of Creation head-on… What about you? Who defeated you?"

Ishtar smiled mockingly and said mercilessly, "The so-called Hero King is a mediocre talent who couldn't even break through the preliminaries of the Holy Grail War."

After criticizing Gilgamesh, Ishtar turned to Enkidu and said with sparkling eyes, as if gossiping. "Hey, tell me. Who was it that had the power to defeat both you and that golden man?"

The green-haired beauty was unusually enveloped in a brief silence.

After a while, after his clear gaze swept over everyone, he sighed and quietly uttered the name. "...Matou Yuu."

Hearing this, the heroic spirits who had been lurking in the shadows preparing to accept Tiamat's summoning instantly erupted into an uproar.

"Wait a minute… Does that mean you and the Hero King were both defeated by the same person?!"

"Who is Matou Yuu? I've never heard of such a person in Throne of Heroes…"

Upon hearing the name, Ishtar paused for a moment, blinked, and racked her brain. After desperately searching the sea of her memories, as if suddenly convinced of something, she suddenly burst into an unbelievably joyful, uncontrollable laugh.

"So that's how it was... Could it be that he lost to a human magus?!"

She pointed at Gilgamesh and immediately began mocking him with rude words. "After suffering such a humiliating defeat, how can you still say such ridiculous things in front of this goddess?!"

"After all, at least I was gloriously defeated by the Mother of Creation… What about you?!"

"If I were you and had tasted such humiliation, I would probably want to find the clay tablets of Uruk and smash my head against them until I died, Gilgamesh."

However, the moment she finished speaking, several heroic spirits who had been in the previously noisy Throne of Heroes fell silent for an instant.

Immediately after, from the abyss of Throne of Heroes, a somewhat languid, powerless, yet gentle voice drifted out.

"Goddess Ishtar… your words have influenced far too many people. You have not only unintentionally insulted many of the people present, but you have also made your own gods the target of insults."

The moment these words were spoken, a heroic soul slowly emerged from the depths of the Throne of Heroes.

The newcomer wore loose blue-and-white Daoist robes with wide sleeves and had a mysterious smile on his face.

...Taigong Wang.

"Who are you..."

Ishtar slightly narrowed her eyes. Her last memory as an "avatar" was being completely swallowed by Tiamat's Sea of Life.

She had previously witnessed this man on the battlefield of Snowfield City.

"At that time, who was the Servant with an extraordinary spiritual origin summoned by the World Counter Force as a Grand Rider who descended upon the earth?"

"What do you mean? Could it be... that all the members of the Grand Order, humanity's strongest combat unit, were wiped out by the 'Mother'?" Ishtar immediately seized the opportunity and asked irritably.

Taigong Wang slowly shook his head, a slight sense of helplessness appearing on his face, and said, "Goddess Ishtar, you misunderstand. It is true that we manifested to stop Tiamat, but... in the end, we were stopped by Matou Yuu."

"The Hero King and Enkidu-san... were defeated in the same way."

"Wait a minute…"

Hearing this, Ishtar seemed to belatedly realize something and asked in an incredulous tone, "Does that mean Matou Yuu single-handedly defeated multiple Grand Servants, including you?!"

Her first reaction was that it was ridiculous, and she instinctively doubted the credibility of the other party's words.

It should be noted that among the Grand Servants present at the time, there were quite a few with very deep backgrounds, and some were even from the "god side."

She had seen Matou Yuu before… At best, he was just one of the excellent mages, and his magic stats weren't even top-class… That was all.

"How is that possible? Are you teasing this goddess?" Ishtar's tone instantly became filled with hostility.

He wasn't lying.

However, at that moment, a dignified female voice echoed from within the Throne of Heroes.

A golden-haired woman slowly entered everyone's field of vision. She had her golden hair tied up in an updo and wore heavy silver-white knight gauntlets and a breastplate, exuding an extremely majestic atmosphere.

...Artoria.

"Matou Yuu... It seems something is residing within his body, and he can even use my holy sword."

As Artoria said this, a complex emotion appeared in her emerald green eyes. She quietly shook her head and corrected herself, "No... To be precise, my Star Sword is now in his hands."

Ishtar's beautiful eyes slightly narrowed, and she instantly fell silent.

It was possible that Taigong Wang was joking, but the fact that another Grand Saber who had been present at the time personally confirmed this meant that this was by no means a joke.

In other words… that young man single-handedly stopped all the Grand Servants?!

Not only that, he stole the holy sword from the Grand Saber?!

After a moment of stunned silence, an enthusiastic, excited expression instantly spread across Ishtar's beautiful face.

"Interesting… Truly interesting! This goddess has become quite interested in that brat Matou Yuu right now. If my memory serves me right, he should be with the 'Mother' right about now, shouldn't he?"

Thinking this, she restlessly moved her gaze and, without saying a word, directly activated her immense divine power, attempting to insert her own projection into the summoning circle of Snowfield City that had been on standby.

Seeing this, the gathered heroic spirits immediately stepped forward to stop her.

"Don't even think about it!"

"Shameless, foolish goddess!"

Gilgamesh shouted, and the Gate of Babylon behind him instantly opened.

"The opposing side is clearly conducting a legitimate Throne of Heroes summoning. What are you, a god of the inner world, doing interfering? Go back!"

At the same time, an Eight Trigrams diagram quietly deployed at Ishtar's feet, severing her spatial jump.

Although Taigong Wang still had a smile on his face, he held the God-Striking Whip horizontally in front of Ishtar and said, "I'm sorry, Goddess Ishtar... However, I am also very interested in Matou Yuu, so I cannot allow you to take the initiative like this."

Golden chains appeared behind Enkidu, as if ready to bind Ishtar at any moment.

Not too far away, Minamoto no Raikou was also watching Ishtar warily.

And just as the tension was about to escalate——

Suddenly, a loud, dignified laugh echoed from the highest dome of Throne of Heroes.

"Hahahaha! Using a human body to escape from the highest-ranking stars and even stealing the Star Holy Sword? Then, the farce of the Holy Grail War unfolding in Snowfield City has piqued my interest a little."

Almost simultaneously with this voice echoing, Gilgamesh narrowed his deep red snake-like eyes and turned to look at the man who slowly emerged from the deep shadows.

"Who are you..."

"Eh, don't you remember me?"

The man descended the stairs illuminated by starlight.

He wore magnificent imperial robes reminiscent of flowing mercury, exuding an aura that combined a futuristic atmosphere with majesty. He wore a crown, and feather-like tassels swayed on both sides.

Without a doubt, it was a perfect, immortal body. Every movement of his contained an overwhelming power that could trample not only the people of the world, but even the stars, the sun, and the moon.

Seeing this person, Taigong Wang, holding the God-Striking Whip, slightly opened his crescent-moon eyes and whispered, "You are... the First Emperor?"

Not too far away, Ishtar was looking at the lively Throne of Heroes. A faint irritation appeared in her crimson eyes.

This is really troublesome… Thanks to this summoning slot, more and more troublesome people are showing up.

It seems… I might not be able to secure this one officially recognized slot.

Since the front entrance is blocked, is there another way to bypass the system and secretly descend into the real world?

This heavenly goddess, unbound by rules, gazed at the snow-covered modern city with her beautiful eyes through the gap in the "summoning passage."

Suddenly, as if she had captured a wavelength almost identical to her own soul, her eyes lit up.

"Hmm... Found it. The compatibility of this body is as if it was tailored for this goddess. It's even more perfect than that homunculus from the Einzbern family."

"Tohsaka Rin... Eh? Fufufu, I've decided on you!"

…

Meanwhile, inside the cheap inn in the snowfield city…

Right at this very moment, Matou Yuu and Tiamat were eagerly awaiting the magnificent appearance of a certain Heroic Spirit emerging from the magic circle.

However...

One minute, three minutes, five minutes... As time passed, Matou Yuu stared at the intensely glowing summoning circle, but no Heroic Spirit appeared for a long time, and he fell into deep thought.

"Why isn't this magic circle moving? Is there a network issue?" he couldn't help but complain.

The little Tiamat, who had been squatting at the edge of the magic circle, looked completely confused. Driven by curiosity, she extended her delicate little finger and gently poked the edge of the summoning magic circle. Then, it was as if a large question mark had appeared above her small head.

"Aaaaah…?"

Just as Matou Yuu was worrying whether he had drawn the magic circle incorrectly and should erase it and redraw it, Buzz!

It was as if they had sensed some kind of call to action.

The three-colored lights — white, blue, and gold — that had originally intertwined with each other and symbolized the orthodox mission in human history suddenly took on an extremely strange distortion.

Immediately after, the sacred halo instantly disappeared, replaced by an unparalleled deep, cold brilliance.

A fierce, deep red like fresh blood and a chaotic pitch black like the void... Two extremely ominous and calamitous colors suddenly erupted from the center of the magic circle into the sky!

The violent magical energy instantly spread throughout the entire summoning circle, and even the air was filled with a terrifying aura.

Matou Yuu's heart leaped. He instinctively sensed an extremely dangerous presence and quickly shielded Tiamat behind him.

Protected by him, Tiamat showed no fear at all. She merely tilted her head slightly, and a faint doubt appeared in her clear red cross-shaped eyes.

This aura…

The person about to appear from this passage didn't seem to have anything to do with the Heroic Spirits of human history at all.

…

PS: Please support me and read advanced chapters at /AbsoluteCode