278 Status of Rider
"First and foremost, we have to eliminate Ruler; otherwise, the impact on us would be too significant."
Shirou stated solemnly, his expression serious.
"If the Ruler themselves harbors desires for the Holy Grail, the threat is enormous to both us and the Black Faction. Ruler has an absolute authority to command a Servant twice, and we cannot ignore such privileges."
"Only Heroic Spirits without desires can assume the role of Ruler." Karna interjected.
"Heroic Spirits are also beings with desires. We cannot rule out the possibility of Ruler suddenly desiring the Holy Grail." Shirou argued adamantly as if he had already confirmed it.
"Hmm, that's true... I don't believe there's anyone in this world without desires. If there is, it means they're not worth trusting."
Ozymandias nodded in agreement, then looked at Shirou's face with a sly smile.
"So, according to you, who do you intend to send?"
Hearing the question, Shirou's eyes narrowed slightly.
Originally, he planned to send Rider to ambush Ruler, but judging by the former's demeanor, he probably had no intention of getting involved in this kind of thing.
Given this pharaoh's temperament, if he was genuinely interested in this, he wouldn't seek the opinions of others.
'This group of Servants are not easy to handle...' Shirou sighed inwardly, then turned to the white-haired young man beside him. "Can I ask for your help, Lancer?"
Karna nodded silently, turned away, and gradually disappeared.
'Let's hope everything goes smoothly.' Shirou prayed silently.
*Thud!* *Thud!* *Thud!*
In the basement of the church, heavy impacts reverberated, accompanied by what seemed like a beast-like furious roar.
"ACHILLES! ACHILLES!"
===
Meanwhile, in the Fortress of Millennia.
After taking down his own Master, Arkhan began inspecting the status of his current Servant's body.
He was curious about the abilities he possessed as Rider.
...
[True Name: Arkhan]
[Class: Rider]
...
[Parameters]
Strength: A+
Endurance: A+
Agility: A
Mana: A+
Luck: C
Noble Phantasm: EX
...
As Arkhan looked at his stats, a hint of surprise flashed in his eyes.
Judging solely from his parameters, he had far surpassed his former self as Lancer. He was almost on par with the state of activating the Black Dragon Body, and he could even challenge Heracles to an arm-wrestling match.
But what happened with his 'Luck'?
With a mix of curiosity and confusion, he continued reading.
...
[Class Skills]
Magic Resistance: B
Riding: EX
...
[Personal Skills]
Black Dragon Body: A
Eternal Arms Mastery: A-
Primordial Rune: -
Divinity: C
God-Slayer: A+
Born to Die: A
The Chosen King: A
Savior: D
...
[Noble Phantasms]
[Knight Proof]
Rank: B+
Description:
A trial selected by the Chosen King, filled with cliffs, waterfalls, and various dangers, including Wyverns. Successfully crossing it allows one to comprehend the true essence of a knight.
Within the coverage area, all units deemed allies by the Chosen King experience a boost in all parameters, with the highest being A+, and bestowed the concept of 'Dragon'.
[Godslayer Knight]
Rank: A
Description:
Summons a knight order personally formed by the Chosen King. All are Heroic Spirits, lacking class and related skills but possessing the concept of 'Dragon' and individual Noble Phantasms, with specialized attacks against gods.
[Divine Horse of the All-Father]
Rank: A
Description:
Summons Sleipnir, the eight-legged horse of the Norse Great God, Odin.
[Master of the Dragon of Despair]
Rank: EX
Description:
Summons Nidhogg, the Dragon of Despair who devours the world—an apocalypse dragon born from the world rules. Possesses formidable power of death; even casually spewed black flames turn the earth into a barren wasteland for a century. After consuming the roots of Yggdrasil, Nidhogg possesses recovery capabilities rivaling the concept of 'immortality'.
Nidhogg serves as the catalyst for Ragnarok, with a massive bonus against gods. Within the concept of 'Dragon', Nidhogg stands at the absolute peak, with all parameters comparable to top-tier gods. Nidhogg possesses self-awareness and an ability equivalent to B-rank 'Independent Action'.
[Divine Keys]
Rank: EX
Description:
Mysterious armaments from another dimension, a power that transcends even the Throne of Heroes' understanding. Only capable of constructing an imitation similar to it, unable to match the original's strength.
...
"Hmm, so that's how it is..."
Arkhan, after checking his Servant's body status, had a thoughtful look in his eyes. Finally, he understood what made his parameters special in this state.
It was clear that as Rider, all of his abilities were under the concept of the 'Dragon of Despair - Nidhogg'.
Thanks to this concept, Black Dragon Body, originally belonging to the Noble Phantasm's category, permanently resided in him as a personal skill, giving a complete boost to his parameters.
Of course, the decrease in 'Luck' was included.
Also, due to the influence of this concept, his original Noble Phantasms, 'Knight Proof' and 'Godslayer Knights', had the additional concept of 'Dragon'.
The concept of 'Dragon' in the real world had a fundamental difference from its game representation; it was a powerful buff, evident from Siegfried's example.
Looking at the statement 'Nidhogg possesses self-awareness', a bold idea suddenly surfaced in his mind and rapidly climbed like vines.
If it turned out to be true as he imagined...
*Knock!* *Knock!*
Just as he hesitated whether to verify this idea, a knocking sound echoed in his ears.
Opening the door, Arkhan found a homunculus standing outside.
"Greeting, Your Excellency, His Majesty has something to say and wishes to discuss it with you."
The homunculus said in a flat tone, with vacant eyes.
"I understand." Arkhan nodded.
Nonchalantly closing the door, he used the primordial rune to set a restriction on the door to prevent others from noticing Celenike's abnormality. Without delay, he followed the homunculus to the throne room.
"You've come, King Arthur." Vlad sat on the throne, exuding a gentle aura, showing his respect for Arkhan as a fellow king. "There's something I'd like to ask for your help with."
"It's Ruler, isn't it?" Arkhan said calmly.
Vlad's eyes suddenly sparkled.
"Hoh? You know about Ruler too?"
"Nothing is surprising about that." Arkhan smiled, pointing to his eyes. "My eyes can see many things that ordinary people can't."
Vlad thoughtfully stared at Arkhan for a while, then laughed.
"Haha, since that's the case, I won't beat around the bush. Please go and see if there's a possibility of bringing Ruler into our side."
'Impossible. That stubborn saint wouldn't agree to such a thing.'
Though Arkhan thought so in his mind, considering the opportunity to investigate the situation in the Red Faction, he still nodded.
"No problem."
