Section 9: Tactician of the East and the Elderly King of the West - Before

Well, Master, are you ready? Our route into the castle begins on this cliff.

Taigong Wang has heavily fortified the front gate, so this back path is the only remaining means of entry I could find.

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As long as you remain calm and patient, you will be fine. So, relax.

That was all we needed to do to keep construction workers from falling to their deaths during the construction of the Lighthouse of Alexandria...for the most part.

This reminds me of Lord Yoshitsune's Hiyodorigoe maneuver.

Oho. So a general in your land employed similar tactics? I would love to add his story to my library.

Ah, there's plenty of books about him already. Every kid back where I come from knows about him.

I see. Your homeland lies far to the east, yes? Even farther than the land where we were forced to give up.

Between your country, Taigong Wang's country, and all the other nations out there, I don't think the staggering size of this world will ever stop surprising me.

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Hmm. It sounds like Taigong Wang is near the front gate. If we make our way in now, we should have a straight shot to the throne room.

Even if we can't get the Tear of the Holy Grail right away, setting the pace for this battle will give us an advantage.

All right, that's enough explanation. Are you ready, Master!?

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Gimme your hand!

Haha! You see? I knew you could do this. Look, there's the castle's tower now!

Hm?

My, oh my. You actually did come this way.

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He may be an absolute dunce of a tactician, but he does have an eye for strategy. I suppose this is what they mean about not showing your hand too soon.

Of course, that sort of cunning is irritating in its own right. Don't you agree, Nezha?

I do. Taigong Wang. Is surprisingly. Mean-spirited. But. He does know. His stuff.

So he sent you here!?

Oh yes. Much as I hate to admit it, he IS the lord of our castle, so we have to do what he says.

Though only until I can take my leave with suitable payment in the form of the Holy Grail, of course.

Anyway, now that you've kindly gathered yourselves in one place for me, you should make a lovely meal for my adorable pets.

Gah! You call these things "pets"!?

I've got your back!

Oh, what an adorable little peashooter you have there. I'm sure the other me would love to take you on.

Unfortunately for you, you've got my more...animalistic self to contend with.

And if there's one thing I won't stand for, it's firing a gun at my darling animals.

Wh-what're you going to do now!? You can't possibly take shelter while you're sliding down a cliffside!

Even if you make it to the bottom, you'll still have Nezha to deal with! The way things are going...

The longer they drag this out, the worse it will get! If Taigong Wang joins the fight, they'll be completely outmatched!

So, they did come from the cliff.

I suppose I needn't have bothered guarding the gate myself.

Guess I'll make my way over there no

Hm? What was that?

Naturally, I expected you to anticipate my strategy, as you are one of the greatest tacticians of the East.

So I made some...tweaks.

Unidentified impact. Confirmed.

It sounds like something's charging the ramparts!

Ooh! I didn't think you still had a Servant capable of this kind of attack!

...No, wait. This is

As you know, our castles are so close they're practically connected.

Now that Master's the lord of our castle, it was within our means to alter the structure of our castle to lead it your way.

It seems you didn't have one of your own!

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...! (Oh my, what a fine looking specimen! I hope I remembered my scouting equipment!)

Now!

A Morph spell!? ...No. It's not!

An illusion? ...No, it's not that either!

Hold on tight, Master!

Aah! My darling animals!

Amazing! He's holding Senpai in one hand and his spear in the other, and he's still taking them out!

Haha! I confess, I do enjoy doing this kind of thing every now and then!

(That wasn't just plain old speed or technique.)

(The way he moved just now was as if he already knew how all the animals would act ahead of time...)

(I knew it. This must mean that Ptolemaîos is)

Now, go on, Dreadnought! Lay waste to everything in your path!

The shadow knights, too!? This is worse than I thought!

I can't let that monster rampage through the castle! I'll handle it!

Nezha, Lady Koyanskaya, you two take care of Ptolemaîos's team!

Why can't I be the one to deal with that beast!?

All right, you, you're coming with me!

Taigong Wang. Has left. He really. Is a. Hopeless. Deadbeat.

All right, Master! Now is the time to go on the offensive!