NOVEL NEXT Chapter 99: Same As Mine (BONUS)
"However, it's still not enough."
Innate Time Control was only part of a Bounded Field. Even when converted into a complete one, it only reached 20%.
As for the fight between Gilgamesh and Shion.
His usage of Gate of Babylon was still not extensive enough, resulting in just 15% analysis.
Moreover, the deeper the analysis went, the more data was required to continue.
For someone like Gilgamesh, unless he was forced to use Chains of Heaven or Ea, the analysis of Gate of Babylon could never reach 100%.
"Still need to plan for the long term."
"Alright."
Rin said, "Tonight's goal is achieved. Let's go back too."
"Oh, right."
Rin stood up and patted Kiritsugu on the shoulder.
"Thanks for the gift. See you next time, Emiya Kiritsugu."
Ice Empress silently followed behind Rin.
Before leaving, she gave Kiritsugu a final glance.
That cold gaze was like a blade, ready to pierce Kiritsugu's heart at any moment.
Rin wasn't surprised by her reaction.
Emiya Kiritsugu was dangerous.
Even Ice Empress, as a Soul Beast, instinctively sensed his abnormality and had the urge to eliminate him.
'Beast's intuition…?'
Kiritsugu understood this and grew even more uneasy.
'It's the same pressure as facing an ancient monster…'
Luckily, the one leading these "Demon Gods" was King Solomon.
And for now, he could still be reasoned with.
"Haa~"
Realizing Rin had truly left and that he'd survived, Kiritsugu finally let out a long breath.
"Maiya."
Relaxing after the tension broke, Kiritsugu immediately contacted Maiya.
"I'm fine. He's gone."
"Is that so?"
Kiritsugu said, "It seems... we're not worth his attention."
Even if they'd been looked down on, Kiritsugu felt no resentment, only immense relief.
"So... who exactly is that Heroic Spirit?"
"If I'm not wrong, that man should be the king who commands the seventy-two Demon Gods."
!!!
Anyone with even a passing knowledge of the occult would immediately recognize what that meant.
"King Solomon?"
After Kiritsugu's reminder, Maiya began recalling the earlier events.
The girl who wielded a strange giant hammer.
The tall, purple-haired one-horned warrior woman.
The silent assassin who almost slit her throat.
And that incident not long ago, where the entire Matou household had been frozen into shards.
If nothing else, that was likely Rin's handiwork.
"With power like that… if it comes from Solomon's Demon Gods, then it's not surprising."
Maiya fully agreed with Kiritsugu's deduction.
Only this identity could explain why Rin had so many overwhelming "Heroic Spirits" at his side.
"Those guys aren't Heroic Spirits. They're Demon Gods—more like Magical Beasts or familiars."
Due to restrictions of the Holy Grail War, they couldn't release their full power, so they manifested in humanoid form.
Kiritsugu's well-constructed theory didn't just convince himself, it fully persuaded Maiya.
There was no helping it.
The pressure Ice Empress left him with was simply too strong.
He was certain.
She wasn't any Heroic Spirit recorded in human history.
She had no human attributes at all.
Her judgment was pure instinct—like a predator.
She hunted based solely on threat.
Nothing more.
----
"Time to go."
Shion walked over to Frankenstein, who stood in a daze.
Then the two of them dissolved into golden particles and vanished.
"Mm."
Frankenstein sounded a little disappointed.
She had really wanted to fight Gilgamesh.
But she also knew her limits.
She wasn't a match for someone like that.
"Ah, ah ah~"
"You're welcome."
Shion clearly understood her intent and smiled.
"We're companions. Of course we help each other!"
"Mm."
Frankenstein obediently followed behind Shion.
Just now, the girl who had leapt in front of the Noble Phantasms to protect her had truly struck Frankenstein's heart.
Her new master.
And her first friend.
"Com-panion… Fran likes…"
"Oh oh oh!"
Shion laughed, swinging an arm around the girl's shoulder.
"You can talk now? Haha, that's great!"
Just like that, the two women chatted as they walked, their figures dissolving into golden light in the distance.
But their departure didn't bring relief to the Heroic Spirits watching.
On the contrary, it deepened their curiosity and caution.
First of all, the two were definitely Heroic Spirits.
That much, anyone present could confirm without doubt.
So, here was the question:
If Frankenstein was a Berserker, then what was Shion?
A Caster?
By process of elimination, the currently summoned classes included Saber Artoria, Rider Iskandar, Archer Gilgamesh, Lancer Diarmuid, Berserker Frankenstein, and the Assassin seen earlier.
That left only the Caster class.
But…
A Caster that strong? Are you kidding?
From her combat power, durability, and speed, when Shion fought Gilgamesh, even Saber, said to be the strongest of the seven classes, wouldn't dare claim to beat her.
"Strength, Endurance, Agility—all above A."
"That doesn't fit a Caster's statline."
Then, was it a trick?
Was Frankenstein not the Berserker?
And Shion was?
"Kid, figure anything out?"
Iskandar looked to Waver, hoping for insight.
"The first Heroic Spirit to appear, the girl with the giant hammer, was definitely a Berserker."
That was Waver's evaluation of Frankenstein.
"But the one who came later… I can see her stats, but I can't determine her class."
Masters could use magecraft to glimpse some of a Heroic Spirit's basic info.
Of course, things like True Name, Noble Phantasm, and abilities were out of reach.
"What do you mean?"
Iskandar was confused. "You can see the stats, but not the class?"
"Uh…"
Waver, being a half-baked magus, could only describe what he saw.
"!!!"
Other Heroic Spirits might not have grasped the meaning behind what Waver said.
But Iskandar did.
Because—
'Is it the same as mine?'
He immediately thought of a possibility.
'Subordinate Servants. They have no class, only stats, but are still able to rival full-fledged Heroic Spirits.'
It was exactly like the warriors in his Ionioi Hetairoi.
The only difference.
Shion was stronger.
(To be continued.)