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(Fate) Chapter 250: The Stage is Already Set (2k)
🕑 Added 2025-01-06 15:43:59 +0000 UTCHearing that name, the red-haired Hippolyta, bearing the iconic "Takeuchi face" of the Nasuverse, was stunned for a moment, as her gaze quickly shifted to Promise.
And as their eyes met, looking into his clear, emerald-green ones, the war god Ares’ girdle tied around Hippolyta trembled slightly.
Simultaneously, Hippolyta’s eyes widened in shock as she stared intently at Promise and blurted out,
"The hero of the goddess of wisdom, the one who rewrote fate... No, no, that’s impossible!"
She appeared deeply shaken, leaving everyone around her momentarily speechless.
"No, there’s no trace of the Age of Gods’ aura on you—not even a shred of magical energy."
However, Hippolyta soon furrowed her brows and scrutinized Promise again, with a skeptical expression.
The students exchanged confused glances with one another.
"Could this be some kind of misunderstanding?"
Shirou Emiya was the first to voice his doubt. "Promise has always been a student at the Clock Tower, hasn’t he?"
Rin Tohsaka and Luvia, her golden-drilled rival, nodded in agreement nearby.
Moreover, Promise wasn’t just a student of the Clock Tower; his declining lineage as a mage family and his life history from birth to the present were all meticulously documented.
Hippolyta didn’t respond.
She continued to stare at the young man in silence.
"...You look very much like him."
After a long pause, Hippolyta finally said, "You greatly resemble the legendary hero. Though I’ve never met him, I doubt there’s anyone who doesn’t know of his deeds."
"Thank you," Promise replied, lowering his head slightly in polite acknowledgment of her praise.
Following this encounter, it became evident to Waver Velvet’s students that Hippolyta’s gaze would occasionally fall on Promise and this occasion was too frequent.
This only deepened their suspicions.
Still, no matter how much they speculated, all they had were doubts.
After all, Promise' documented history and the time they had spent studying together left no room for fabrication.
And yet…
Could he truly just look like him?
Recalling the descriptions of that hero from legend, they glanced again at Promise—his emerald eyes so bright and clear, like stars scattered across the heavens, his refined demeanor exuding the essence of someone kissed by the goddess of art herself.
"I mean, you’re not really that hero from the Age of Gods, are you?"
Shirou Emiya, unable to suppress his curiosity, leaned closer to the boy in the suburban villa and asked with a puzzled face.
"Hmm..."
Promise's eyes shifted slightly as he sensed the many gazes converging on him.
His lips curved into a faint smile, and he winked at Shirou Emiya, saying with a playful tone, "Why don't you guess?"
The moment he said this, many people at the scene were left speechless, their expressions a mix of exasperation and disbelief.
At the same time, however, Hippolyta's gaze toward Promise grew even more puzzled.
Because of that one remark, he seemed even more like the person she had in mind.
Though she had never seen Promise in person during that era, she was far from unfamiliar with him.
Whether it was through the accounts of Ares, the war god, or Heracles, Promise’s legend had been vividly described to her.
To be precise, the era Hippolyta lived in was one illuminated by the brilliance of heroes.
Promise was a name that resounded far and wide, not just praised by the gods but celebrated endlessly by bards.
He was someone truly known by all.
Hippolyta knew of his unparalleled wisdom and bravery.
No matter how insurmountable the challenge, he could always find a way to overcome it.
But at the same time, she also knew about another aspect of him: his infamous grudge book.
Anyone who offended him would be added to that list and inevitably face his revenge.
Even the mighty Olympian gods weren’t spared from his wrath.
Even her great father, Ares, the god of war, had been beaten by him.
Just as the atmosphere in the room grew increasingly strange and even Jason began to wonder if the truth of tonight’s events was about to come to light, a sudden, urgent ringtone interrupted everything.
It was a call from Waver Velvet, the current Lord of the Clock Tower.
After all, there was an obvious issue that needed his immediate attention.
Jason, who was summoned as a Rider-class Servant, had been called forth by Promise.
But Hippolyta, Queen of the Amazons, was also summoned as a Rider-class Servant!
When Waver raised this point, the students quickly shifted their focus to analyze the situation of the Holy Grail War, momentarily setting aside their curiosity about Promise.
Through their discussion, they soon uncovered the truth about the Holy Grail, distinguishing the genuine Grail from the false one.
This also led to their understanding of why Ruler-class Servant Jeanne d’Arc had appeared.
Later, when Waver learned from the students that Promise was not only a Master but the Master of two Rider-class Servants, in addition to being surprised and stunned for a moment, another realization struck him.
In this Holy Grail War, the most troublesome person under his tutelage was probably not the reckless Flat Escardos, but this seemingly calm and composed Promise!
If Jason knew Waver's current thoughts, he would likely laugh uncontrollably, perhaps even stand up and applaud, praising Waver’s keen intuition.
After all, back in the Greek Age of Gods, there was a famous saying—or rather, an iron rule—among their ranks:
If one day, Promise suddenly became quiet for several days, behaving like a well-behaved child, then don’t doubt or hesitate.
Grab your belongings and run as far as you can!
'I'm not afraid of Promise causing trouble, I'm afraid of him remaining silent!'
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And on this very night, as the true Holy Grail descended upon the city and the Masters and Servants tied to it began to reveal themselves, that inexplicable sense arose.
Both Hippolyta and Jason suddenly lifted their heads, gazing into the distant town in the same direction.
"...Is it you?"
Hippolyta stood up, her beautiful eyes fixed on the horizon.
Moments later, she chuckled softly.
"So that’s why. So this is the reason I’ve come here!"
At the same time, Jason instinctively looked at Promise.
The lagger met his gaze and nodded lightly, confirming Jason’s suspicion.
In that moment, Jason became certain of the identity of the Servant summoned tonight for the Holy Grail War.
It was someone he knew as well as Promise, a figure from the Age of Gods—one who had always followed in Promise’s footsteps, and who, like Promise, was eventually revered as a god: the legendary hero Heracles!
"Shall we go over and say hello?"
Jason grinned, asking with evident amusement.
He just felt this Holy Grail War was becoming quite entertaining.
As for Promise, his expression, as if everything had been anticipated, did not surprise Jason at all.
After all, Promise, who walked amidst the threads of fate, revealing the most brilliant futures to the goddess of destiny who observed them, naturally possessed the ability to peer into fate and glimpse the future.
In simpler terms, he had the power of clairvoyance.
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Meanwhile, in the ruins of the city where Heracles had been summoned by his Master, something extraordinary occurred.
Beautiful flowers blossomed on the barren earth, spreading across the grassy terrain.
Through these flowers and accompanied by a silver wolf, Enkidu approached Heracles.
"Who are you?"
Heracles, whose body appeared as though sculpted by divine hands, emanated overwhelming magical energy and divine aura, looked at the unexpected visitor.
He also noticed how vines sprouted from the ground under Enkidu’s command, binding the surrounding magi, including the Master who had summoned him.
Yet, Heracles sensed no hostility from Enkidu.
"I am Enkidu," Enkidu said gracefully, performing a deep bow. “I came here at the request of a friend... to intervene in your fate.”
With that, she spoke a single sentence that erased all confusion from Heracles’ heart.
"The name of that friend is someone I believe you know even better than I do. His name is... Promise."
The moment Enkidu uttered Promise’s name, Heracles’ eyes widened, and an incomparably terrifying surge of magical energy erupted from his body.
The residual force of his power was enough to terrify the magi bound by the vines, leaving them trembling uncontrollably.
At the same time, in the secluded villa on the outskirts of the city where Waver Velvet’s students had gathered, Jason asked Promise, "Should I head over to greet him?"
The latter replied calmly, “Go if you want. I think he’s fine now.”
In this Holy Grail War, Heracles had been summoned in the Archer class, which best suited him.
However, the magus who summoned him had prepared 24,976 human sacrifices to create mana crystals for magical energy supply.
This magus did not seek a noble hero but instead desired a Servant with greed.
Thus, they used the corrupted black mud from the Fuyuki Holy Grail War to taint Heracles.
Knowing all of this, Promise naturally couldn’t let Heracles suffer such a fate.
That was why, the day before, he had sought out Enkidu and entrusted him with this task.
As for why Promise didn’t personally handle the matter, apart from entertaining Rin Tohsaka and Shirou Emiya during their visit, there was another reason...
"Hmm, why did it suddenly start thundering?"
Rin Tohsaka muttered as she gazed out the window.
The once starry night sky was intermittently lit by flashes of lightning, leaving her slightly perplexed.
At the same time, an inexplicable surge of emotion welled up within her.
She even began to hear faint, indescribable sounds that she couldn’t quite put into words.
As she stared at the flashes of lightning in the sky, she suddenly found herself in a strange daze.
In that moment, Rin saw a faint, golden-haired goddess who bore a striking resemblance to herself.
The figure sat alone in the Underworld, gazing at Rin from afar.
Her lips moved slightly, as though trying to convey something.
Then, as the lightning flashes grew more frequent, a fierce gale swept across the land of Snowfield, seemingly out of nowhere.
The weather shifted dramatically.
Thousands, millions, even billions of bolts of lightning lit up the heavens.
It was as if the apocalyptic thunderclaps of the end times had begun to roar across the world.
"...So, she’s noticed, has she?"
Promise looked at the sudden changes unfolding in front him.
Yet his eyes betrayed no surprise, only amusement. He even chuckled softly to himself, murmuring,
"Of course she noticed.
After all, she’s a goddess truly descending upon this world. It’s only natural for her to perceive my presence and intentions, and to act accordingly...
"Hmm, in that case, I suppose I should go thank her."
"Thank her for setting the stage for me!"
From the very beginning, Promise had known this Holy Grail War was far from ordinary.
Not only was it a battle between the true and false Grails, with fourteen Servants, including such exceptional heroes as Gilgamesh and Heracles—but it also featured the involvement of a true deity.
Aside from the troubles involving Chaldea, human history, or the Fantasy Tree, this Holy Grail War was undoubtedly the grandest and most expansive one Promise had ever encountered.
Now that he had decided to participate and seize the Holy Grail, he had informed everyone just yesterday during his confrontation with Gilgamesh.
What remained for Promise was to step onto the stage.
But who was he?
He was the favored disciple of Athena, the goddess of wisdom and patron of heroes.
He was Hera’s cherished child, renowned for painting the gods and lauded as the god of painting in ancient Greece.
Therefore, the stage he stepped onto had to be magnificent and awe-inspiring.
Did such a stage exist in this Holy Grail War?
It certainly did.
It was a monstrous avatar of the raging skies with golden hooves capable of crushing everything between heaven and earth,
In Sumerian mythology, even the creator goddess Tiamat could only hold off this divine beast for a time.
It was none other than Gugalanna— the Bull of Heaven.
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