Bleach Zero: Strawberry and the Red Knight (english version)

by silabc55

Having defeated Aizen, Ichigo Kurosaki enjoyed 17 months of peace without his powers of Shinigami, but one day, he and his friends were drawn into a new war in another world alongside a certain tomboyish, hot-tempered knight as partner-in-arms, and they will have no choice but to participate in it if they want to return to their world. Can they survive this?

5. Chapter 5

On reviwes:

Maxin7: Thank you. The truth is that I should have warned you that it was an isekai.

Zero x Saber: Thank you.

King of Fans: Thank you, Yeah, I also think that the concept of the multiverse is a bit complicated.

And since you've noticed how Ichigo is going to be an easy target like Shirou, I'll tell you that he won't be alone. I'm not saying it for the former captain, the A ranked healer, and the potential sniper/tracker, since at the moment, they will ally themselves with others. Guess who?

Chapter 5: The eighth Master

09/07/2020

---

The church cavity was at least spacious enough that a large number of people could visit it. Barely illuminated, you could see 3 rows of 12 wooden benches located next to each one in the middle of the mass, although it was currently empty and there were no people sitting or walking on these floors, except our protagonists who had just be invited to go inside by the old priest who, according to Kisuke, was the supervisor of the war that was taking place in this city that they had just stepped on.

Ichigo still had that strange feeling of restlessness upon entering this abandoned and yet well-preserved building as if it was still in operation. Of course, he was not fond of entering these strange places since Karakura did not have things like that, and he did not want to comment more on its architecture. The only thing he and his gang did was follow the priest who allowed them to pass except for Mordred and Kon who had to wait outside until they returned, while they would be caught in a conversation with the old man and he explain more about the war and if possible, get out of this and go back to their world. At least Ichigo was looking forward to if there was a way out of this stupid pointless war.

He didn't have to wait long when the priest stopped a few inches from the back of the mass causing his escort to stop a few feet from him. Then the priest turns to look at his guests without saying a word. His eyes scanned the faces of the people in front of him, until he stopped at Ichigo as he was the center of attention. It was thus that the priest finally spoke.

"Welcome… allow me to introduce myself. My name is Kotomine Risei, I am the mediator of this Holy Grail War." The newly identified Risei Kotomine introduced himself. "I've been waiting for you, Eighth Master."

There was a strange atmosphere around the words of this man when he mentioned that he was waiting for them as if he somehow anticipated their arrival here, in addition to that he also said 'eighth' when in reality there should be 7 participants. Kisuke decided to ignore this when he decided to politely introduce himself properly.

"Pleased to meet you." He greeted politely, bowing his head slightly. "My name is Urahara Kisuke, I am a humble shopkeeper and owner of a candy store."

Risei just stared with an unreadable expression on his face as he analyzed what the shopkeeper at Urahara Shop had said. Of course, neither Ichigo nor friends approved of his brief introduction. At that, Kisuke decided to continue speaking.

"I was also the sensei of the one you call the Eighth Master, and indeed he is like a very dear son to me." The shopkeeper answered with passion and almost fatherly affection, and adding more to his point, he put a hand on the teenager's shoulder. This also provoked mixed reactions from the occupants of the church.

Risei didn't change his expression in the slightest, believing that it was true that this man in the bucket hat claimed to be the boy's guardian.

Ishida and Inoue were a bit surprised by the former Shinigami captain's statement. While it was true that the owner of Urahara Shop was Ichigo's sensei when the latter lost the Shinigami powers borrowed from Rukia after his fateful confrontation with Byakuya and Renji. He trained him during the 15 days until he went to Soul Society to rescue Rukia. The truth is that neither of the 2 witnessed what the training was like or what relationship those 2 had, but they had expected it to be something close to parenthood.

Ichigo, on the other hand, his face almost burst into a furious shade of red while processing what he had heard. Urahara a father to him? He would rather be Grimmjow's little brother than have anything to do with the ridiculous man next to him.

Just when he was about to open his mouth to retort to the ridiculous hat-wearing bustard, he was suddenly struck by the same man's cane in the abdomen. "Oh shit!" He cried as fell comically to the ground in a pain from the blow. Orihime went to help him.

"Well, changing topic." Urahara said completely ignoring Ichigo's screams of pain to turn to the priest now. "I don't know if the Grail wanted to take me here on purpose, but I can't find an explanation for it to give me this." Urahara spread his arms to reveal the book that contained the information of everything, and this made Risei look in surprise.

"Oh, I see you have a copy of the book written by our ancestors who founded the war long ago." Risei said as he extended his arms to pick up the book and examine it better. "I assume the Grail entrusted this to you, right?"

"Yes, while Kurosaki-san was given his Servant, it entrusted this book to me to read and explain to my apprentice everything he needed to know where he had gotten into." Urahara counted making Risei nod.

"I understand. And I assume you have read all the information in here, right?" The priest added to make sure the Master's tutor was aware of how this all worked. The man just adjusted his hat before answering.

"Let's say I spent half an hour reading the book and was able to see necessary information such as the Holy Grail, the war, the Masters and the Servants, although there are also certain elements that I miss due to this interruption."

"I see. Then you better keep catching up." Said the priest as he returned the book to the shopkeeper, and this gladly accepted.

"Wait a minute." Now heads were heading towards young Quincy who seemed so eager to speak to the first person in this world. "You said earlier that you were waiting for Kurosaki's arrival, didn't you? You mean you already knew we were coming?"

Now Uryū's audience turned to Risei taking note of the Quincy's words and knew that he was right about this strange man anticipating their arrival, especially if they came from a parallel world. Risei was quiet for a moment before nodding.

"Several months ago, while we were making preparations to begin the ritual of war that was precisely today, we received a message created by the Holy Grail himself, of which it spoke that it was going to send an eighth Master here." Risei recounted how she remembered the events that happened in the past. Everyone was paying attention.

"Normally, the Grail is only capable of invoked no more than seven Heroic Spirits and turning them into Servants for the mages who had made a pact with them, but it also turns out that the founders installed a reserve system so that the Grail could summon more Servants in case of need. Although of course, this method had never been done before. In none of the previous wars did a phenomenon like this occur."

"Wait. Did you say previous wars?" Uryū asked puzzled. "You mean there were more wars like this?"

Now Uryū's audience turned to Risei taking note of the Quincy's words and knew that he was right about this strange man anticipating their arrival, especially if they came from a parallel world. Risei was quiet for a moment before nodding.

Risei looked at him for a moment before answering. "That's right. The Holy Grail War is not just a event that happens only once, since it happens repeatedly every 60 years. The first started around 1800, the second in 1860, the third in 1930, and right now it is taking place the fourth and it may not be the last. Unlike the previous three, there was no official winner, and we hope today is different." Risei explained as the audience listened.

"So, do you mean that this time they are going to see more Masters and Servants than anticipated?" Kisuke asked at the thought that in this war they could see more than 14 participants, which would be a big problem.

The priest looked at him for a moment before answering. "Well, under normal circumstances there would be more than 14 participants, but it seems that he only brought an eighth and nothing more. If you want to hear my opinion, I think this has not happened simply by chance as it could be a simple whim of the Grail."

Risei calmed down for a moment before turning her attention to the young orange haired boy. "The most shocking thing about the message was that the so-called eighth Master is not a magus, is unaware of the war and does not even belong to our world, as he comes from an alternate timeline where war does not exist."

In that, he was logically right. The world where they come from did not exist things like magi, Heroic Spirits or that Holy Grail, since the only thing they knew about supernatural issues were the Shinigamis, the Quincys and the hollows. However, what bothered Ichigo the most was that that shitty Grail chose him for something he didn't want to participate in without consulting him first, even if he wasn't a magus. He was sick of his life being planned step by step by others.

"Apart from that..." The priest spoke again. "It also said that said eighth Master had participated in a war and was a candidate to become a Heroic Spirit." Then he turned his gaze to the teenager to confirm what he heard. "That's true?"

The former Substitute flinched at this, undecided how to respond to that. Is right that almost 2 years ago, he and his friends had made it out of a war between Soul Society and the Arrancar led by Aizen. In fact, Ichigo was the one who had earned the most merit about the traitorous Shinigami's downfall because he was who defeated him with the Saigo no Getsuga Tenshō at the cost of his Shinigami powers, but he did not die or anything.

Even so, he did not know if that was what he had to have to become a Heroic Spirit and enter that Throne of Heroes since he was still live and besides that until now, he did not know anything about that and how to get to that dimension.

Seeing that the former Shinigami looked like he wasn't going to respond, Kisuke intervened.

"Well, let's just say it's true that Kurosaki-san is a veteran of a war of supernatural proportions that happened 17 months ago before we got here, and it was thanks to him that we prevented a terrible evil from taking over our world." The old shopkeeper counted, gaining the priest's attention. "Actually, he is not a magus since he had his own supernatural powers capable of equaling those of a Heroic Spirit. Thanks to him, he saved many lives of so many friends and family, and personally I think he deserved to enter the Throne of the Heroes and I would also dare to think that if he were a Servant, he could be of the Saber class and a very strong one since he was an exceptional swordsman."

Ichigo just rolled his eyes and had to hold back his big frown. It wasn't that it bothered him how he praised him, but rather how he implied that he should attend this place and become someone like Mordred.

Instead, Risei, though not showing it, seemed to be interested in the teenager's little background.

"Unfortunately, just when he was going to defeat the main bad guy, he sacrificed all his powers to defeat him and that is why he returned to being a mere normal human as you can see, but still, he still enjoys strong determination and a good sense of sense duty and justice. "

A strange sense of unease settled in the guts of the hero who defeated Aizen when he heard the last part his former sensei said. He didn't really care, but he had a feeling this would only serve to give more reason to join this new war.

"Hooh, how interesting."

The guests were hardly startled when they heard a new manly voice that spread through the cavity of the church. Glancing sharply around to see the fountain, they saw a flamboyant-looking man in a crimson tuxedo that has black buttons, a blue ribbon, and brown shoes. He has elegant black hair, a goatee, and blue eyes.

The group looked at the man approaching them warily, but Risei reassured them.

"Don't worry. He's just a friend of mine."

Saying those words, the elegant man stopped next to the priest and looked at the guests with interest, especially Ichigo.

"Pardon my interruption, allow me to introduce myself." The man spoke politely. "My name is Tohsaka Tokiomi, I am the current head of the Tohsaka family, one of the three magi families that founded the Holy Grail War a long ago."

The group looked at the strange individual in a mixed way with curiosity and even uncertainty. Despite his apparent handsome gentleman appearance, it didn't mean they should trust him well.

"I am also one of the 8 participants in this war, a Master and..." He raised his right hand revealing to everyone's surprise that he also has his Command Seals almost circular in appearance. "Your enemy."

The mere mention of that last word was enough to throw the group off guard upon hearing that this man was one of the participants in the war and opponent of Ichigo who was right in front. Just when they were going to carry out an action to protect Ichigo in case of aggression, Tokiomi raised his hands in surrender.

"Please calm down." The man said raising his hands up with a nervous and reassuring tone. "This is a neutral place. We don't want aggression here."

Even so, the teenagers still looked suspiciously at the tuxed magus with the belief that he might be planning to make them lower their guard and then attack, but Kisuke understood perfectly that the violence would get them nowhere, so he gestured towards the teenagers. to reassure.

"Sorry for our reaction, but we found it shocking that you revealed yourself as one of Kurosaki-san's enemies like that all of a sudden." Kisuke said indulgently.

"I understand. Sorry to scare you but understand that you at least needed to know at least the identity of your enemy." Tokiomi spoke with understanding. Seeing that there was no trace of threat, the teens lowered their guard for the moment. Once all was calm, Tokiomi turned his attention to the one with the orange hair.

"So you are that famous Master from another universe, and from what I just heard, you were also destined to become a Heroic Spirit. How interesting..."

Ichigo was still wearing his typical scowl, glancing at the strange man, but didn't say anything else.

"Sorry, can I at least know your name?" He asked kindly.

Seeing that there was nothing wrong with revealing his name to someone who did, the former Substitute decided to speak up. His code of honor forcing him to an equal exchange of names.

"Kurosaki Ichigo."

Tokiomi nodded satisfied as he memorized the full name for the next time they met.

"Well, Kurosaki Ichigo, now if you don't mind, I'd like to talk about a few matters that concern you in this." Tokiomi said now that his expression no longer seemed gentle, rather serious enough, and this made the former Substitute and his friends pay more attention to the red magus.

"Tell me, when you heard about the Holy Grail War and how you were chosen as Master, did you intend to participate in this and make a wish to the Grail?" He asked with doubt in his voice wondering if the teenager intended to participate in a war he had never heard of.

The minutes spent inside were uncomfortably silent as each face focused on the eighth Master with the intrigue of knowing if this was what he desired. Although of course, some doubted it. Anyway, after a few moments of meditation, the orange haired teenager finally gave his answer.

"Of course not, man!" It was the quick, almost sarcastic reply spoken aloud (much like when he turned down Shinji Hirako's offer to join the Visards) from the orange-haired teenager. This provoked mixed reactions from the others present. Risei and Tokiomi seemed surprised by the accuracy of the teenager's tone making it clear that he was not interested in the Grail.

Kisuke kept his cool as he had predicted this and didn't care. Instead, Ishida and Inoue were almost alarmed when they heard Ichigo brazenly say his answer in in a church of all places, and that could bring trouble. However, Ichigo himself didn't care and continued speaking.

"I don't give a shit about that Holy Grail and this ritual since just as you heard from Urahara-san, I came out alive from a war that was certainly different from this one and I spent 2 and a half years of peace as an ordinary high school student. Without some kind of incident happening until they put all of this on me because of this." He said that last sentence when he revealed his Command Seals. "I wanted to refuse, but apparently that Holy Grail dragged me and my friends here, and the reason I came here is to find out if there was any way to return to my world without at least participating in this."

Once finished, the entire church fell silent as each one recorded the teenager's words inside and both the Toshaka family head and Risei seemed almost perplexed by the tone that the teenager used to mark his disdain for the war, although inwardly they felt understanding.

"Kurosaki." Ishida scolded with a whisper in Ichigo's ear. "Don't you think you're having a bit of a go?"

"Eh?" The tough expression of the teenager softened and now he was half looking confused at the other teenager. "Why?"

Inoue joined him there. "It's true you shouldn't say those things inside a church." He corrected gently.

"But what are you saying?" He asked with little disagreement. He had never attended a church in his life and also did not know the rules to behave inside. "There aren't many people here other than someone who said they would be my enemy." He said that last word while looking at Tokiomi. The latter couldn't help but smile a little amused.

"What are you laughing at?" Ichigo asked almost defensively at the man's behavior.

"No, it's nothing." Tokiomi reassured once he stopped laughing. "It just amazes me that you don't have a strong fondness for the Holy Grail, although I understand you." His expression became solemn. "To your misfortune, I fear that there is no alternative for you to return to your world other than to participate in the war and win at all costs."

"That is what I suggested to him when we got here, and I agreed that it would not be possible to return to our dimensional plane unless I claimed the Grail and asked him to return everything." Kisuke spoke with conviction.

"I agree. I guess it was chosen that way." Risei spoke with understanding.

"But because I!?" The orange haired teenager suddenly exploded; the despair in his eyes and the outrage in his voice marked his face. Almost everyone was startled by his anger. "All of this doesn't explain anything to me at all because I have to be in this FUCKING war!"

Neither had reacted to the sudden anger of the enraged carrot-haired teenager who was still catching air in his lungs as he gazed narrowly at whoever was in front of him and still wanted an answer. His friends feared that this might upset the 2 men and their frustration would not help much. On the other hand, Uryū felt full understanding of it.

Talking about the subject. There was something that had bothered off the Quincy since they had been talking about the Holy Grail. All he knew was that it was a magical artifact capable of granting any possible wish as if it defied the laws of physics or reality such as extending its influence to parallel universes, but he didn't know any more about that.

What made him curious was that that same Grail was the one who summoned Mordred to their world to become Ichigo's Servant and the latter was chosen by the Grail itself to become her Master and then it dragged them to this world so that they participate in the war. If indeed the Grail was just an object that could only function when one used it, then it was impossible to say that it was just that the Grail did this without interference from someone.

"Can I ask something?" Uryū spoke breaking the silent atmosphere around him and drawing the attention of the others who soon turned to the young Quincy. "There is something I can't help asking." Uryū began as he mentally prepared himself to speak and solve this riddle. "Before, they said that it was that Holy Grail who decided that Kurosaki would become a Master and participate in this war, and incidentally sent us all here. According to what Urahara-san told us, it was that this Grail is an artifact capable of grant any wish to the people, and if that's true, then does it mean that someone wished for Kurosaki to come here? "

The whole environment fell silent again as each man considered the Quincy's words, especially Ichigo who had kept wondering in frustration over and over again why he had gotten into this mess. Wanting to answer, Risei lets out a soft sigh.

"You see..." The priest began. "I suppose I exaggerated the fact that the Holy Grail is just a mere object." He explained drawing the attention of his guests. "While it may seem like just an inanimate object, but more than that does not leave the fact that it was created from the combined magic of 3 great magicians quite some time ago, granting it with an omnipotent power capable of defying the laws of reality, and it would make sense to say that it has a conscience and a will of its own."

Kisuke's eyes widened with curiosity. "Are you saying the Grail is alive or something?"

"More or less." Tokiomi was the next to respond. "For me the Holy Grail is like a relic created from the combined powers of all the gods of the world and that is why its influence is infinite so it can transcend time and space and reach timelines like the past, present and future. The Holy Grail is a kind of 'wish catalyst' and was created specifically to be a 'miracle machine.'"

He paused a bit when he saw the impatient face of the orange haired boy who said he didn't want to hear that. Tokiomi cleared up for a moment before continuing.

"As I said before, the power of the Grail is capable of transcending physical space regardless of alternate lines including the Hereafter, so it is also able to contact the Throne of Heroes and bring the souls of the Heroic Spirits back to Earth depending on whether they are summoned from there. Also choose suitable random people to be Masters, and it seems like you are one of them."

"So the reason Kurosaki-san was chosen for this was just on a whim, right?" Kisuke summed up seeing the conclusion of all this.

It was an instant after Risei gave his answer.

"I guess so."

Ichigo could only frown at what he heard. That was the only thing he had to hear about this shit. So fate was toying with him again by forcibly involving him in another supernatural conflict he'd never heard of just to satisfy the needs of that fucking Holy Grail.

"It is still quite strange that the Grail has brought a Master who is not of this world, and he is not even aware or has no interest at all in this in any way. This is the first time this has happened." Risei added as he kept looking at Ichigo.

"I perfectly understand your frustration." The Toshaka family head spoke making the chosen teenager fix his attention. "The truth is that, to me, when I heard what Risei just mentioned it seemed like a complete insanity and a scandal, and I doubted that the Grail would do such a thing, but I see that I was wrong."

The man looked at the teenager solemnly. "I think you shouldn't be here."

Ichigo took a hard look at his expression knowing he was right, but that didn't help much.

"But is there really no way to get us back to our world even though you know too much about that Grail?" Uryū asked to try again to find some way to fix this, however ephemeral it may be.

Risei just shook his head. "I'm afraid not. Although I am the judge of this ritual, it does not mean that I am able to control the Grail. The Grail has its own independence and will only bow after the ritual is complete when the Master and his Servant have defeated all their opponents and only, they are left standing. Only then will the Grail manifest before them and they will have the right to make any wish they want."

Hearing that they could do nothing to return to their world without the need to participate in this violent ritual, Ishida and Inoue's expressions decreased. Then he had only one option left for the former Substitute, and he didn't like it at all.

"By the way." Tokiomi spoke again, changing the subject. "According to what I have been told and you also now, you lived your own war and almost became a Heroic Spirit, is that true?"

Both the priest and the magus had an intense curiosity for the young adolescent who had just been chosen as Master for this war that it was true that he was a full-fledged warrior who had participated in another war, but different in his world and he had the qualities and experience to participate in one. Only then would they see a reason for the Grail to choose him.

Just as Ichigo was about to speak, his sensei stepped forward to explain clearly.

"You see, it's a long story to tell, but actually Kurosaki-san was not a full-fledged warrior since he accidentally obtained incredible power capable of matching a Servant, and I offered to train him to be able to control it properly." Kisuke counted, although not wanting to tell all the details, making everyone pay attention to him.

"As I said before I was his sensei and thanks to my learning as a tutor and intense training, I made this boy a good fighter." There was barely a funny but slight snort from the teenager, but he ignores it. "Many challenges came to him along his path, and he was able to overcome the last one, but at the cost of his powers so he became a normal human again."

Although no further details had been released to him, it goes without saying that the 2 men seemed impressed by the hero's feat of the Winter War.

"Actually Kurosaki-san does not seek the power, glory and fame of the world, he only wants the protection of everything loved by him, be it from friends and family, while also trying to live a comfortable life as a human.

Kurosaki-san was only used to fighting against those who threatened the lives of his friends and everything that would harm everyone. Let's say the war he lived in was something like that between "good and evil."

Then he adjusted his hat. "By the way." Kisuke continued this time with a serious expression. "As I understand it, this war will only be pitted by magi against magis and their respective Servants, right?"

"Yes, that's how it is." Risei replied waiting for what the shopkeeper would say next.

"I don't think those magi are as bad as the enemies Kurosaki-san fought. While it's true that Kurosaki-san was forced to kill various warriors who were his enemies, but I don't think they were as benign as the magi that he would face could who could certainly be more humane than his previous enemies." The former captain looked directly at the head of the Tohsaka. "Tell me what ambition and motivation each magus has to participate in this contest and kill each other."

Tokiomi only offered a small smile. "The truth is that the reason does not matter. Each magi have their own reasons for making a wish to the Grail. I, for example, just want to make the dream of my ancestors who started all this come true. As I said before, the Grail it's like a "miracle machine" that only responds to people's whims either directly or indirectly, and everyone believes in the hope that it can come true. "

"So those magi aren't really that bad, just a group of individuals who crave a wish for hope or something like that." Kisuke concluded.

"That's right." Tokiomi finished.

"Oh well then I don't think Kurosaki-san will want to face those kinds of people since they don't seem like the evil type of villain. He wouldn't feel comfortable killing human beings at all."

"I understand. So I guess this war is too big for you." Tokiomi said looking at Ichigo.

"I think so it is. What do I do then? I guess it's true that I can't get out of this shit no matter what I do, right?" Ichigo said still annoyed by his situation. "All I have to do is carry those magi that I am going to face until that Grail. Isn't there a way to avoid that?"

"I'm afraid not, but if you are interested, you have two options to get out of the war, but I don't think either will allow you to return to your world." Tokiomi explained catching the attention of Ichigo and his friends.

"The first is to disqualify a Master from the war. Said Master must give his Command Seals to his opponent so that he is officially out of the war and must hide until this end. Which means that, if you now surrender your Command Seals, you will lose the right to participate in the ritual and you may no longer be the target of other Masters, and your Servant will disappear."

That last word almost surprised Orihime that Mordred was likely to disappear.

"What do you mean that the Servant will disappear?" Orihime asked with concern.

"You see, in case you've forgotten, the Command Seals is not just a symbol that marks the alliance between the Servant and the Master. Since Servants are still spiritual entities that, at the moment of being invoked, the Grail gives them physical forms, the seals are also the bond that keeps the Heroic Spirit bound to this world, and therefore, if the Master lost his seals, the Servant would disappear, and his soul would return to the Throne of Heroes." Tokiomi paused for the information to settle on the teens, and this gave the orange haired boy a lot of thought.

Looking at his Command Seals that had caused him so much trouble, he had finally found a solution to remove it and officially get out of this war. For a moment he felt eager to do it and at the same time doubtful since, even if he took it off, he did not know if it would bring him and his friends back to their world. On the other hand, this would allow Mordred to disappear and return to that Throne of Heroes being disqualified from the war. He didn't know if that would upset the Servant by being excluded from the war right away without even fighting another Servant, which would be dishonorable for her even for him.

Yeah, but Ichigo didn't want anything to do with this whole magical conflict things like this other than that he wasn't even a magus. Furthermore, Mordred herself said that he was 'inept' for this, and she was right. He shouldn't have been chosen for this, and so he should end this. However, there was still something that was bothering his mind.

Should he hand over his Command Seals, even if that didn't mean they could go home?

---

"Shit, why is they taking so long?"

It was what the blonde had been wondering irritably regardless of what was happening on inside the church. She had been waiting outside the church, just as her brainless Master had asked her until they came out, but for some mysterious reason, they were taking their time in there like they were entertaining at some kind of party she had not been invited.

It had been she did not know how long since they entered there and there was no indication that they came out much to the annoyance of Mordred, who all she could do was stand here,

her back leaning against a wall with her arms crossed and stomping the ground impatiently.

'What are they doing in there?' She wondered how her anger grew.

Beside her, Kon, the Mod soul within a stuffed lion, was equally impatient at the lateness of the teenager in there. His arms were crossed, and he was frowning. He had told that idiot Ichigo not to spend a lot of time there, and now it was becoming apparent that they were going to be there for a while.

Also, like Mordred, he was to upset that he couldn't enter the church to accompany them. The reason for this, not to create shock by seeing only a talking stuffed animal.

Bullshit!

He hated being treated so lightly and being underestimated for his stupid appearance. If only Strawberry hadn't condemned him to being in this damn cotton-filled body, he would be sure he could do incredible things due to his Mod soul abilities and everyone would surely admire and respect him. But no!

'I swear as soon as that dumbass comes back, I'm going to punch him all in the face for taking so long.'

Despite all his anger and frustration, the Mod soul couldn't help but wonder what exactly they were doing in there. All he had understood was that they had to go there to ask for an explanation of what was happening and to find a way to return to their world. The owner of that strange building (Kon doesn't really know what a church is) had asked the teenagers and the shopkeeper to come in without asking questions while he and the blonde tomboy stayed here like nothing.

"I've had enough of waiting! I'll find out what those idiots are doing there." Kon exclaimed, having had enough of waiting and decided to take a look.

The little stuffed lion started running to the left side of the building and turned a corner to see a pair of long rectangular windows made of glass in the wall. Kon smiled when he saw that he could see inside, but the problem was that they were too high for him. Once again, he cursed his tiny body.

"Hey you, what are you doing?" The Servant asked with apparent curiosity as she looked at the stuffed lion almost around the corner. Kon turned to the blonde girl and almost smiled to himself.

He had an idea.

In a hurry, Kon ran over to the blonde knight and stood a few inches from her feet.

"Hey, I have an idea to see what happens in there. I need your help." Kon prompted the Servant.

Mordred only arched an eyebrow not understanding what the Mod soul wanted.

"Come on, follow me." He gestured to himself as he returned to the other side of the corner. Mordred kept looking with some curiosity wondering what exactly he wanted. The truth is that she did not want to play with a ridiculous and silly thing, but she had nothing else to do besides stand there waiting impatiently for the return of her Master. Reluctantly, the blonde girl decided to follow the stuffed lion.

Just as she crossed the corner, she only saw Kon standing a few feet away staring at her, but nothing else.

"What do you want of me?" She asked crossing his arms.

"Would you mind looking out one of those windows to see what those idiots are doing there?" Kon asked as he pointed to one of the building's windows. "I'm sure you are also curious to know."

Mordred still seemed confused at the idea, but she obeyed anyway, as she also wanted to know what was going on there.

Approaching the first window next to him, she poked her head out to see the interior which, just as she thought, was mostly dark from the lack of lighting, though she could only see the benches, but no recognizable human figures. Frowning a little, she turned away from the first window and walked towards the second one that was a few feet from the first. In it, she could barely make out some figures near the rear.

"You see something?" Kon asked next to Mordred's foot.

"Yes, I think they are still talking to that old man." Mordred replied feeling a bit frustrated at not hearing what they were saying.

"Oh, then let me go up, I want to see it too."

There was no response from the blonde as she kept looking out the window. Realizing that she was ignoring him, Kon began to complain.

"Oh come on, let me go up, let me go up, let me go up!" He yelled like a child at his mother for not buying him sweets. Needless to say, the little stuffed lion's screams were too loud and scandalous that it caused the blonde to lose focus and growl.

"Let me go up, let me-

He was interrupted when the blonde's hand slammed into Kon's head, grabbing him and then yanking him towards the windowsill.

"Better this way?" Mordred asked annoyed hoping this has alleviated the complaints of the plush lion. If not, she would kick him straight to the moon.

"Yes, thank you. Sorry for causing such a fuss. Sometimes I am like a child." Kon smiled a little embarrassed.

The Servant only let out a small snort as she didn't want to waste time on something so strange and stupid, and she peeked out to silently spy alongside Kon on the guests inside.

---

Inside, the atmosphere was tense among the residents who were still staring at the chosen eighth Master about his decision to abandon the conflict now that he could, although it did not mean that he would return to their world.

Ishida didn't know what to think about it. While he wanted Kurosaki to resign in at once and hand over his Command Seals to the man who was to be his opponent in this conflict, to be officially excluded and save them a lot of unnecessary trouble. But still, it did not solve their problem of how to return to their world and what they will do from now on being here.

Orihime also wanted Kurosaki-kun to be safe, not to be forced to risk his life in a conflict, and she didn't even want him to be forced to kill people like those magi, if it was true that they weren't as bad as the Arrancars. On the other hand, he was also worried that it might happen to Mordred-san once Ichigo handed over his Command Seals. According to Tokiomi, if a Master handed over his Command Seals, the Servant would disappear and return to that Throne of Heroes. Despite her unfriendly and cheeky demeanor, Inoue couldn't help but worry about the Servant knight.

Ichigo was still debating his decision and still couldn't get anywhere. As easy as it would be to make his decision to exit the war without violence, it was not beneficial to him and his unintentionally involved friends as it would not make them return home.

Instead, Tokiomi looked with some regret at the teenager making a face of frustration for not having found an answer to his decision. He knew that even handing over his Command Seals, it would not solve things regarding his situation and that of his friends here. Even if he decided to fight to get the Holy Grail and ask him to bring him and his friends back to his world, he doubted that he could go too far since he himself possessed the most powerful Servant and could remove the teenager from the war, but it wouldn't help too much either.

He couldn't believe that the Holy Grail had such a malevolent side to involve young people who didn't know their place in this war.

"Tell me something." The head of the family was hardly surprised when he suddenly heard the voice of the teenager and fixed his eyes on him, who the latter gave a hard and serious look. "If I participate in that ritual, face a magus, and I manage to defeat him, what do I do? Is it necessary to kill him?"

Tokiomi was hardly astonished not by the fact that he decided to participate, but that he was worried about killing someone else instead of dying trying. He reconsidered his master's words when he told him the kind of person the eighth Master was and his life during the war, and it seemed like he was starting to take shape in the adolescent who was to be his opponent.

"It is not really necessary for a magus to kill another magus." Tokiomi answered honestly. "Only the only the Servants are the ones who have to face each other to the death, while the Masters they tend to act as backups or only have to stay as a spectator. If your Servant manages to defeat another Servant, it will not be necessary to take the life of his Master, since you can eliminate him from the war by giving you his Command Seals."

Ichigo collected the magus's words without changing his expression and the latter continued. "If you and I ever meet and our respective Servants fight, or rather, if my Servant defeats yours, I will not kill you. I will let you live in exchange for you to give me your seals and then go take refuge in this church for a while until the conflict is over and your life will be saved."

"But I don't think that will help me to go back, right?" Ichigo asked with a serious tone.

"I'm still not sure about it." Tokiomi replied with the same neutrality.

No one inside was convinced of what the former Substitute was going to be upon hearing those words. The only option was to play the game that was incumbent on him and try to win as it was if that was the reward to be able to return and forget what had happened. He did not know if Ichigo was going to accept that burden despite having experienced similar situations when he first went to Soul Society and Hueco Mundo respectively on different occasions, but this was different, and they did not know if he will be able to overcome it especially when he lost his Shinigami powers.

The silence that there was intense and only one word was able to cut it.

"All right."

Everyone flinched when they heard the orange haired teen speak in a low but deadly serious tone.

"I'm going to make this very clear." The teenager began looking directly at the 2 men from the front. "I don't have the slightest interest in that Holy Grail shit, and the truth is that it's going to be a headache to fight those magi, but I can't sit idly by because, because of me, my friends know too they got caught up in this even though they had nothing to do with it, and that is why, to make up for it, I will fight this war whether I want to or not." His expression aggravated a bit as he looked at the men confidently, his eyes blazing with determination. "Even if I am not a magus, as long as I can get up and fight, I will fight as a Master until I have defeated all the magi or Servants and have had that Grail and get out of here."

A new silence was formed inside as each person assimilated the former Substitute's little speech. They had no words to describe what he had said even with that convincing tone and he harbored no doubts at all. For a second Tokiomi thought he had seen his eyes flicker to a light shade of blue, though he dismissed at as light trick when he checked again more carefully and saw that they were the same shade of brown as they were a minute ago.

Ishida and Inoue were also at a loss for words after hearing the incredible iron resolve of Kurosaki, which they had undoubtedly seen in him on rare occasions, which had caused their jealousy and admiration, respectively.

Next to the teenager, Urahara could not help but smile proudly at those words. He had almost forgotten about it, but the former Substitute's resolve was as inspiring and powerful as ever, it was almost as if his words were palpable. He was sure now, Ichigo was able to accept the challenge that the Grail so unfairly entrusted to him to test his worth.

After a moment of silence, Tokiomi spoke again

"I see, so this is your resolution." He spoke in a tone that seemed to be pleased by his words. "So, despite not having the qualities of a magus, you still risk fighting them?" He asked to put him to the test and was only answered by his unchanging silence. "I admire your courage to some extent."

"If you let me." Kisuke interrupted with his smile. "I forgot to say that even though Kurosaki-san lost his powers some time ago and gave up all ideas of war to live a peaceful life, his resolve has not changed at all, and he still enjoys that tenacious warrior spirit. I think he will be able to. get over it. "

Tokiomi seemed to be convinced by his words as he saw that the boy's expression seemed to shape his resolve. He believed that this would be one of the reasons why the Grail decided to choose him as Master.

"Very well, if you have already made your decision, so be it." He said with a smile. "I wish you luck."

Ichigo didn't say anything as he put on his serious expression and his usual frown. Seeing there was no answer, Kisuke laughed nervously.

"Well, the truth is that he is not used to doing that kind of bow to his enemies." He adjusted his hat before looking at them now with a serious expression. "Now that Kurosaki-san has decided to officially enter your war, I and these 2 have decided to help him in whatever way we can, however little it may be. Now if you don't mind, I would like at least to have some information about this world, since I have still not known each other, and we do not know too much about magicians, do you understand?"

The priest considered the words on the shopkeeper before answering. "Very well, starting tomorrow I will send you the necessary information about how our world works and about the Mage's Association, but not anything beyond that."

"Very well, I think that will suffice for us."

"Wait a minute." Uryū said suddenly taking a step towards the 2 men catching their attention. "I would like to ask something about it."

"What is it about?" Risei asked wanting to hear what the young Quincy had to say.

"There is something that worries me that we should all consider." He said how everyone paid their attention to him. "Since we got here, we have been told that this city is where the summoning ritual will begin, right?" His expression turned white with concern at what he was going to say next. "So, you mean this is all going to become a battlefield where all the people here could get involved?"

The friends of the Quincy took each note very seriously. They had almost forgotten. Since the scene of the confrontation for the Holy Grail is going to take place in the middle of this city that seemed to be larger than Karakura and possibly more populated, it was most likely that a collective would be harmed by this.

It is true that in Karakura there have been supernatural battles between Shinigamis and hollows that could have caused collateral damage, but since they were spiritual entities, no normal living human being could have witnessed or seen them as if they did not exist, so their existence it was kept secret. Servants were also spirit entities, but it seemed that beyond that, their image and their powers could be seen by any normal human, so there could be panic among the city if they were seen fighting and causing so much destruction, and that would be a real chaos.

"You don't have to worry." Risei replied with a calm smile. "While it is true that any part of the city could become a battlefield, but we prefer to avoid mortal victims and that everything spreads around the world. And that is why all this is strictly under the supervision of the Holy Church, who we established strict rules that fights can only take place around midnight like today when all people should be asleep."

This seemed to reassure the group when they heard that this conflict between magi was restricted to the lives of civilians.

"What's more." Risei continued now with a serious expression. "You should also know that the Holy Grail War is absolutely unknown to the general population, that is, all those who are not magi and who think that this is all just fantasy. Therefore, no one in Fuyuki who has nothing to do with this, they are completely ignorant of what is happening at night when the fighting starts, and it must be so, do you understand? "

"We understand it perfectly." Kisuke replied with his typical smile. "Don't worry about anything."

The old priest nods. "Do you need to hear anything else?"

"No, so far we have heard quite a bit." Kisuke replied as he adjusted his hat again. "I think we better go and find an apartment to spend time here."

The priest nodded in agreement before fixing his gaze on Ichigo.

"I see you have made your decision, boy. Remember that in case you lose you can always take refuge here until all this is over."

Ichigo just nodded in response without saying anything as he didn't want to think about it.

"Alright guys, it's time to go." Urahara indicated seeing that the conversation here has ended and they no longer had any more reasons to stay in here, so now it was their turn to leave. Ichigo and his friends took this signal to finally leave so they turned around and started walking towards the exit.

"Wait!" Tokiomi's voice spread throughout the interior of the church causing the guests to suddenly stop and turn back to see the magus walking towards them.

"Sorry if I waste your time in here." He formally apologized before standing a few inches from Ichigo. "But if you don't mind, I would like you to reveal to me the identity of your Servant, Kurosaki Ichigo."

Ichigo just blinked in confusion not understanding why he wanted to know his Servant's name.

"It's true." Risei said as this was starting to walk as well and stood next to the magician. "As we told you, normally only there no more than seven Servants of each type, but since the Grail has decided to change the rules a bit and has decided to add another one, I don't think there is another type of category. Tell us the class of your Servant, please. "

"Kurosaki-san's Servant belongs to the Saber class." Kisuke responds.

"Yes, her name is Mordred." Ichigo concluded.

Suddenly, the red magus's calm and uniform expression was replaced by one of puzzlement at the name.

"Mordred? You mean the Knight of the Rebellion?"

"Knight of the Rebellion? Do you know her?" Ichigo asked curiously looking at the man. His friends were also looking at him expectantly.

Tokiomi only looked at his audience curious to learn more about the identity of the eighth Master's Servant. From their reactions, he deduced that they hadn't been told anything about him. Logical considering his bad reputation.

"Have any of you heard of King Arthur?" The magus asked, waiting for one to finish with that name.

Of course, most of them did not seem to know that name, except for one.

"I do." The Quincy said. "I understand that he was a legendary ancient king of Great Britain. To our world, that was a myth, although to yours... well."

"For our world it is also a myth, but it is true." Tokiomi spoke. "Shall I tell you the story?"

None answered the question as some seemed not to want to hear a story about that a certain 'King Arthur' they were talking about, but others were moderate and curious enough to meet him.

"I would like to hear it." Kisuke replied enthusiastically.

"I also." Orihime said also sharing her curiosity to know what Mordred's parents were like.

"Very well." Tokiomi nodded with a smile before concentrating on how to begin to explain the story.

"It all started in the distant past of just 2000 years ago, in what would be today the Island of Great Britain, which at that time did not exist the United Kingdom, nor its constituent countries such as England, Wales and Scotland. All the entire territory it was inhabited by a sub-group of a people whom history would call the Celts. Divided into various tribal groups, the Celts of ancient Britain never formed a unified state or kingdom like England and Scotland, as they lived separately in many peoples. This island world would see a period of dramatic change when one of the greatest empires in history, the Roman Empire, set its sights on her and launched a large-scale conquest over that unknown territory. Before long, the native Celtic tribes yielded to the overwhelming power of the Roman war machine and succeeded in subduing them and occupying the territory of what would become all of England, Wales, and parts of southern Scotland. The Romans called the occupied territory as 'Britannia', and the occupation lasted almost 400 years later when the Roman troops abandoned the entire territory due to both the internal and external problems that the decadent empire went through in recent centuries, leaving its inhabitants who they had embraced the culture and customs of their conquerors, alones in a hostile world.

Historical records of what happened around that time when the Romans left Britain are lost, but apparently the former Roman territory was divided into several rival sub-kingdoms and smaller fiefdoms ruled by Roman-Celtic aristocrats and other warlords who often entered the territorial conflicts with each other and at the same time they difficult moments passed due to the arrival of so many Saxon invaders."

"Saxons?" Orihime asked confused because she did not know the term of the name.

"Yes, the Saxons were an ancient tribe of barbarians who lived in what is now northern Germany who engaged in looting and pillaging and during the Fourth and Fifth centuries they invaded the Britons-Roman kingdoms. The Saxons were well known for their barbarism, ferocity in combat and cruelty towards people regardless of age or gender as they dedicated themselves to looting, razing and burning entire villages without leaving any vestige of innocent life.

That was why the Saxons were very feared by the Britons and the latter were recoiled before their advance and the Britons kings had certain difficulties to quell this great invasion.

Legends say that in the midst of all this chaos a military leader by the name of Artorius, more popularly known as Arthur, emerged. According to legend, an ancient prophecy said that before Arthur was born, he was destined for great things and would become something of a messiah for the Briton people and guide them into an era of peace and prosperity. "

The magus took a moment's breath before continuing on the most important thing.

"It is said that the greatest event of his life was when the day of the prophecy arrived and Arthur managed to pull out a mystical sword known as Caliburn, which was nailed to a pedestal, and he managed to grasp it and draw it without problems in front of his closest followers. It is said that this was the main event in which he was proclaimed king."

"I don't understand." Ichigo interrupted suddenly. "Why would someone name a king just for drawing a sword?" If there was something that the former Substitute did not understand, it was because he would appoint a leader just for performing a simple task like drawing a simple sword stuck in a rock. If it was something like a zanpakutō, and that Arthur managed to discover its name, that would be a feat worth hearing.

Ichigo heard an almost amused laugh from the magus, and the teenager barely frowned at his behavior.

"I see that you have no sense to understand the historical significance." Tokiomi laughed almost in amusement making Ichigo's frown deepen a bit more in annoyance. Once he finished laughing, Tokiomi returned to his serious state.

"For your information, according to the legends a mysterious wizard named Merlin put a sword on a rock and put a prophecy on it that said 'Whosoever pullet this sword of this stone shall be the right wise King of all Britain.' and this was something that many noble rulers believed since they finally found a pretext to be the rulers of a great unified kingdom, so they tried to extract the sword from the rock on more than one occasion without success.

It is said that young Arthur was the only one who managed to grasp and extract the sword from the rock without problems. After that, he joined the anti-Saxon resistance. Arthur was described as a great charismatic military leader, defender of the innocent and an ally of justice so to speak, who together with his knights saved many lives and won the hearts and trust of the people who needed a savior to help them protect and guide them. In fact, he was more or less like a Shogun.

According to legend, Arthur won 11 great battles whose victories were considered legendary, and the last and decisive one that would decide the fate of Britain occurred historically on Badon Hill where he faced a Saxon army 3 times larger than Arthur's, and after a bloody and fierce battle, Arthur's army was totally victorious. This is how the legendary King of the Britons defeated and drove the barbarians from the island, saving its people and culture from impending destruction."

It goes without saying that both Orihime, Kisuke and Uryū seemed to be interested in the story of that supposed legendary king, although Ichigo was the only one who did not seem pleased as that did not explain who his tomboy Servant is.

"After his great victory, King Arthur established his center of power in the legendary City of Camelot as the capital of his kingdom, where he would rule the entire country with dedication and justice. He also founded an elite warrior order formed by him as his leader and several veterans who accompanied him during the Saxon wars popularly known as the 'Knights of the Round Table' named for having gathered around a round table as equals to each other with their king. These people were in charge of protecting the assets from the realm of possible internal and external threats and were also admired throughout the country.

Such was his passion for justice and chivalric order that he earned the nickname "King of Knights."

"Yeah, yeah, if you're done talking about this Arthur, I'd like you to talk about Mordred that was the reason I decided to listen to your story." Ichigo interrupted almost rudely being fed up with continuing to hear something that had nothing to do with his Servant.

"Kurosaki!" Ishida scolded not happy not only for the interruption, but for the tone used by the former Substitute.

"Oh it's true, I almost forgot." Tokiomi replied unfazed by the adolescent's impatient tone. "Not much is known about Mordred's origins, except that he was also a part of Arthurian legends. According to early versions of his legend, Mordred was depicted as the king's nephew, while later versions label him as his bastard son born of an incestuous relationship with Arthur's half-sister named Morgan, who was also a powerful sorceress. It says that Mordred was knighted by Arthur and joined the fellowship of the Round Table and was said to be very loyal to their king, as well as the rest of the knights that made up the order."

He paused for another moment to move on to the next part.

"Yet despite everything, he eventually become the main actor in Arthur's downfall and his kingdom. According to legends, while Arthur was on a mission in France to hunt down one of his loyal knights who had conspired against him by committing adultery against the king's wife,

Mordred took advantage of the king's absence by launching a Coup against the Arthurian government with the intention of usurping him and crowning himself king of Britain, and he succeeded."

The audience seemed shocked to hear what the living knight Servant did regarding her betrayal of her own father.

"When the news of the Mordred's Rebellion and the Coup arrived, Arthur did not hesitate to return immediately to Britain to attend to this matter and thus began what would be a bloody civil war that tore apart the entire kingdom that Arthur created. The turning point of the contest is said to have occurred at the Battle of Cammlan in which Arthur and Mordred fought and ultimately killed each other."

That latest revelation was strong enough to surprise and shock viewers when they heard how things turned out.

Father and son killing each other.

This was something Orihime was not prepared to hear. Although she had not grown up in the care of her parents, her experiences with her older brother had shown her that families should get along and support each other. Sometimes they can argue from time to time, but nothing as fierce as the red magus had just mentioned. It was horrible. A tragedy.

Ichigo and Uryū had similar expressions as they compiled the last part of the last moments of the Red Servant's first life. Instead, Kisuke kept a neutral expression as if he was used to witnessing these kinds of stories.

"Did Mordred-san really kill her own father?" Orihime asked ruefully after a silent debate. "Why?"

The others were also paying attention to the wizard man for more details or any reason why a father and son had to kill each other.

"I do not know the reason." Tokiomi replied. "Legends vary about the circumstances in which Mordred had decided to betray his father and destroy his entire kingdom. It is said that, despite his status as a prince, Arthur never saw Mordred as his son or accepted him as his heir to the throne, so it would be a good reason to rebel. Legends attributed Mordred as a synonym for betrayal and for this reason he is remembered with the infamous name of the Knight of Treachery.

Either way, it's possible that some parts of his legend were wrong and there is a backstory to explain what he did." The red magus added our protagonists to ease the tension they had in finding out who the red knight was. "Just you have to ask him."

"Rather 'her'." Risei said suddenly, drawing the magus's attention. The priest just looked at Ichigo questioningly. "I have to assume that that young lady was the infamous Knight of the Rebellion, right?"

"Yes, I know it sounds weird, but it's true." Kisuke answered instead of Ichigo with a humorous smile on his face. "And I must say, she has quite a bit of character too."

"Young lady?" Tokiomi asked not understanding what they were saying. At that, Risei decided to explain.

"When I looked at the boy's Servant, I saw that it was a fairly young girl in her late teens." The priest replied while remembering the appearance of the supposed Knight of the Rebellion. "Who would say that 'he' was a girl."

Tokiomi looked a little puzzled as he could not believe that Mordred was a girl considering the origin of the name and that at that time women could not reach the hierarchy of knight.

"Let me ask you something to clarify this." Kisuke said with a slightly confused air. "By any chance Mordred is a male name?"

"In theory yes. Mordred is just a male-only name, and as such, legends and stories always described him as male."

Hearing that, Ichigo and the others were totally thunderstruck by the new revelation.

"Hold on a second!" Ichigo yelled frantically in confusion. "Are you hinting that her should be a guy!?"

---

'Tch, why do I have a feeling what they're talking about me?'

For a minute, Mordred had the feeling that they were talking about something important even though she couldn't hear him because these windows were obstructing the sound. Whatever it was, she couldn't help having a strange sense of annoying and just hoped it wouldn't last long.

---

"It should. But it doesn't matter. Whether male or female, the gender of a Heroic Spirit is totally irrelevant. The important thing is that it was the same person it was once in life and what it did to become a legend. What happens is that sometimes stories and legends are full of holes that cover up some truths such as gender. An example would be if Nobunaga Oda had been born as a female and had to hide her gender from the public and take the truth to the grave."

Still Ichigo and company (except Kisuke) didn't seem to be overly convinced about this fact. In addition, the idea of imagining the fearsome Demon King of the Sixth Heaven or Great Fool of Owari as a woman and tomboy like the blonde would be quite far-fetched and somewhat ridiculous, typical of yuri manga or anime.

Anyway, that would explain her tomboyish attitude and her apparent hatred of her 'true' gender.

"Well, now what I wanted to get to with all this, is that, if it is true that your Servant is of the Saber class, then there is probably another Saber as well."

"I see." Kisuke nodded as he adjusted his hat. "So, you mean there are two Sabers in this war, right?"

"I guess so." Risei replied. "Anyway, we are done."

"Thank you so much for everything." Kisuke thanked as he bowed slightly to the men before turning to the teens. "Come on, guys. Let's go out."

Taking this as a sign, Ichigo and the others turned and headed towards the exit.

---

"Look, it looks like they're going to finally get out." Kon stated again as he watched his friends move towards the door. Mordred didn't say anything as she was upset that they had taken so long to get out.

Without saying anything, she turned away from the window and went to the entrance to wait for them to come out. Kon jumped off the windowsill landing on the ground and then followed the blonde Servant towards the entrance.

Once there, the doors swung open, letting out the teenagers and the shopkeeper, stopping abruptly to come face-to-face with the Knight of Rebellion.

"Let's see, what the hell were you doing in there all this time?" Mordred asked in annoyance as she put her hands on her hips.

No one responded as a silence had formed in the environment as each one remembered the story Tokiomi told them about Mordred's life and her bad reputation. Although they still did not feel suspicions about this infamous knight since they did not know the truth about her circumstances, but they also did not know if they should trust her just because of her tomboy personality.

Mordred instead, she looked a little confused as the audience looked at her without saying a word as if she were a freak or something.

"What's wrong? Do I have something on my face?" Mordred asked. Before anyone could respond, the only adult among them stepped forward to avoid potential trouble.

"No, nothing, nothing, sorry for making you wait out there." Kisuke spoke hastily with a smile of his. "They made us have a good time in there explaining more about the war, and I must give you good news, since after a little discussion, Kurosaki-san has decided to officially enter the War for the Holy Grail and fight as your Master."

"Haaa!?" Mordred and Kon yelled in surprise in unison, unable to believe what they had just heard.

"Seriously?" Kon asked incredulously.

"What is this all about?" Mordred asked in a tone that triggered suspicion.

"It's just as you hear it." Urahara corrected. "Seeing that there is no other way to return to our world except to obtain the Holy Grail, and for this he must fight alongside you and defeat the other Masters and Servants who stand in your way, right?" To make his point, Kisuke put his hand on the former Substitute's shoulder and encouraged him to do the rest. Which worked.

"Yes." He replied in a stiff manner.

The orange haired boy started walking and approaching his Servant who the latter stared at him and could see something in his eyes. Ichigo stopped a few inches where the Rebellion Knight was standing, and the difference in height became apparent that Ichigo was only about 2 inches taller.

"Listen, I don't give a shit about this war over a stupid wish-granting glass." Ichigo spoke with confidence and seriousness in his voice. The tone was roughly the same as the one I use inside to impress the men inside. "The truth is that I would have preferred not to participate, but that will not help me and my friends who got this because of me, and that is why I will fight to get that Grail and ask it to return us to my world of once and this doesn't happen to us again."

Mordred continued to stare blankly at the boy's words, although there was a glint in his eyes.

"For that reason, I need your help to win this, since only Servants are the ones who must fight to do the ritual while their Masters must serve as backup. It may not be of much use, but I am not one of those who stand by crossed while this is happening, and that is why I will fight as well if need be." His eyes narrowed in determination at determination. "What do you say, will you help me as your Master?"

After that another intense silence was formed in the environment after finishing another of the small inspiring speeches of the former Substitute. Mordred herself could only look almost freaked out at the hard and scowling expression of her Master without understanding what happened to his personality.

Was this guy in front of her really the same dumbass that didn't know anything about the Holy Grail War?

Was he the same cranky brat who got easily pissed off with every offense he did to her?

Was he the same jackass who couldn't even learn her name 2 times before?

The stingy guy who didn't want to participate in this?

The next few minutes that passed were very quiet without anyone interrupting him. Soon Ichigo began to worry about his Servant's silent demeanor and dropped his frowning expression to be replaced by one of concern.

"Oi, are you okay?"

Unanswered.

"Oi-

And without warning, Mordred let out a big frantic laugh that startled Ichigo and his friends behind. Mordred had indeed started laughing hysterically as if he had just told her a funny joke. Ichigo could only look in complete confusion without understanding this reaction, while his friends in the same way.

Mordred nearly buckled his knees as he continued to crack up with laughter. Already overcoming his shock, Ichigo regained his frown, though confusion still showed in him.

"Hey, can I tell what you're laughing at?" Ichigo asked towards the crazy Servant. After a moment, Mordred almost recovered from her laughing fit, though there was still little left.

"Sorry, but you surprised me." Mordred replied as she tried to suppress what was left of her laughter. This answer only served to further confuse the former Substitute. "Ever since I met you, I always thought you were a pain in the ass and someone inept to be my Master. But now I can see that you have the balls to be a man."

Ichigo frowned even more annoyed at the comment or realizing that he had fallen for a practical joke. His friends from behind couldn't help but smile amusedly.

"I like your style." Mordred said before extending an arm with an open hand towards Ichigo looking at him with a friendly and energetic smile. "Okay, you have convinced me, Master. I will fight with you in this war. High five!"

Ichigo looked at this gesture somewhat confused, but immediately understood that it seemed that Mordred had begun to accept it and was willing to fight by his side. His code of honor told him to close the gesture in the same way.

"Hai."

And so Master and Servant collided their sleeves with each other, sealing the pact in a friendly manner. Needless to say, the force of impact from Mordred's sleeve was too strong for the orange haired boy who had to painfully wave his hand, while his Servant ignored him.

"Well Master, how about we go find our enemies?" Mordred asked cheerfully as she turned her head back to see the rest of the city, being prepared to begin the search when necessary.

"What?" Ichigo moaned confusedly at what he was going to propose.

"What do you mean 'What'? Haven't you decided to fight?" Mordred asked as she looked back at Ichigo with a confused expression.

"It's not that, the problem is that we don't know where we can find them." Ichigo corrected seeing that there was no way he could search for his enemies especially in a city they never were and know of.

"For me that is no problem." Mordred boasted without caring. "I can feel their mana and track them smoothly."

"No, the problem is that it is still very early, and also we still do not know anything about this city so we could easily get lost." Kisuke explained to clarify the situation. "The best thing would be to spend the night in a hotel and make preparations to start the battle."

To Mordred it didn't seem like an enthusiastic idea to wait just one night to be ready, while she was, but given the circumstances they were in, she had no choice but to listen. With a weary sigh, the Knight of Rebellion gave her reluctant reply.

"Fine."

Seeing that everything was arranged, the shopkkeper smiled happily.

"And where will we go?" Kon asked curiously.

"It's true, we still don't know how we're going to find a hotel around here." Uryū said realizing that it will not be easy to find a suitable place to settle temporarily because they did not know the city and they did not have maps to orient themselves around the surroundings.

They all considered young Quincy's words urgently as they knew he was right, and it left them in a totally screwed up position. After what seemed like a moment's silence, the shopkeeper spoke again in its characteristic voice as positive as if it were not affected by the situation.

"Well, never mind, we will manage to find one out there. The important thing is to get closer to more urban areas to avoid other Masters that are prowling around attacking us."

The 4 teenagers (including Mordred) and Kon just looked at the shopkeeper without being able to understand their positive attitude towards this situation, as well as wondering how they are going to do it without even having a map.

"Well, we better get going now while we can before a Master appears eager to fight." He urged Kisuke to start walking out of the church.

"No problem, I'll take care of it." Mordred said confidently as she followed them.

"I hope not..." Ichigo said in a whisper.

"Did you say something, Master?" Mordred asked barely hearing what the orange haired boy said.

"Stop calling me Master. Just calling me Ichigo is enough." Ichigo chided already being fed up with her calling him that way.

"Okay, Master Ichigo." The Servant replied with a playful smile, and just as expected, Ichigo's reaction did not take long to come as his face reddened in pure irritation. Anyone would have been intimidated by his reaction, but Mordred couldn't help but laugh another laugh of laughter as she walked faster to leave her enraged Master behind.

Ichigo didn't bother to catch up with her and just stared at her angrily and cursed under his breath. It was clear that even with her by his side, she would give him headaches.

Meanwhile, Uryū and Orihime did not know how to interpret this since, if they were sure of one thing, it was that they did not believe that they would become good friends. At least in the opinion of the Quincy. Although for Orihime things could change, if she gave them a little more time.

As for Kon, he also did not know how to interpret this, as despite having seen these kinds of scenes on television, he did not know if this was similar.

Is this the beginning of a beautiful friendship?

Nobody knew...

---

Once alone inside, both the priest and the magus were still watching the closed door through which their guests had left a while ago, now completely determined to get involved in this despite the circumstances. To be honest, from the beginning, Tokiomi was shocked by the fact that the Grail had made the decision to bring an eighth participant for the ritual that his ancestors created, and the most shocking thing was that this new Master was unaware of everything that was happening, and it was not of this world.

He did not know if that had something to do with some kind of whim of the Grail or of a certain wizard user of the Second Magic. Maybe the latter.

Either way, he didn't want that inexperienced young man who didn't even have any knowledge in magecraft to get involved, but after seeing his iron resolve and the determination that came from his eyes along with the mention that he was a possible candidate to become in a Heroic Spirit, he changed his mind about his situation and began to show interest in him.

"There goes our eighth contestant." Risei said after a long silence since his guests left. "Now we can definitely start the ritual."

"Yes." Tokiomi nodded in agreement.

"Still, I seem ambiguous to me that this is happening." The priest continued while still looking at the door. "I never thought that the Grail itself would bring people who had nothing to do with this, and that normally the Masters are only mages, and this one does not have any knowledge."

"Well, maybe this is the work of the Grail or of a certain Wizard Marshall." Tokiomi replied casually.

'I wonder what you're up to, Kischur Zelretch Schweinorg.'

"It's not the first time I've seen something so unusual anyway." He said again before fixing the corner of his eye to the right of the room. "Isn't that so, Kirei-kun?"

Taking this as a sign, a third figure emerged from the shadows where Tokiomi had appeared earlier. The person was himself a young man of about 28 years of robust appearance, brown hair and wears a black priest's suit with a golden cross around his neck. It goes without saying that unlike Tokiomi who was a handsome-looking person with a serene character, this man had a stoic expression and eyes empty of emotion. This man was Kirei Kotomine, Risei's son.

"Do you think it's wise to let them go, just like that?" Kirei asked with obvious curiosity.

"Something is bothering you?" Tokiomi asked in return without seeing the point the younger man was talking about.

"It's not that. I think you should have taken away his Command Seal since he didn't want to participate in this." Argument Kirei thinking that Tokiomi should not have missed his opportunity to eliminate that boy from the conflict.

The answer that came an instant later took the form of a small laugh from the head of the Toshaka Family. The young priest only blinked for an instant upon hearing the other man's laugh.

"Sorry, sorry." Tokiomi said as he tried to suppress his laughter. "Yes, I could have, but it would be a disgrace for my family to obtain a Command Seal that easily without having won it so fairly in a battle between our Servants."

Kirei didn't say anything else keeping his expression blank, but his mind said something else about it than Tokiomi said.

"While he seems to be a simple rookie who has no knowledge of magecraft, but I think there is nothing wrong with giving him some advantage at least even when victory is already within our grasp." Tokiomi continued speaking confidently, although Kirei thought differently.

"It's true, as strange as it may sound, the Grail has made its decision by putting in an eighth participant and I suppose there is nothing wrong." Risei argued as well.

The younger priest could only keep stoically looking at the older men and still couldn't understand their views.

"By the way, Kirei-kun." Tokiomi spoke once more, looking at the young priest smiling. "Isn't it ironic that the Grail chose someone who is unfit to participate in this and was also uninterested, and look at how they made a decision without hesitation? You should take an example."

If Kirei had laughed sarcastically, he couldn't because he couldn't do it in front of his father and his mentor. He certainly understood the point of this as his situation reminded him a bit of the boy's as he was also a victim of the vagaries of fate that led him to this and had no choice but to follow him.

The main difference was that the boy had a goal in mind as he had made it clear, and instead he had none. He certainly had not the slightest interest in that wish-granting cup.

Putting that aside, he was still reflecting on everything his supposed 'sensei' had said earlier about that boy being a possible candidate to become a Heroic Spirit, which he had a hard time believing considering it didn't seem impressive at all, although he was a bit impressed by her little speech from earlier and her willingness to participate in this despite the circumstances. He really doesn't know they looked at all.

There were also his so-called 'companions' who, according to him, were involuntarily involved in this. The only thing that came to my attention was that they and that strange man with the bucket hat would be in charge of helping him, although they did not know how. His father and his friend did not bother to ask more about them.

"Are you sure you don't want me to send Assassin to watch over them?" Kirei asked trying to insist on keeping an eye on them just in case.

"It won't be necessary." Tokiomi replied smoothly, which earned the young man a look of surprise. "I'll give you some head start on them to adjust to this and see how they cope. I suspect the Grail wants to put on a good show for us."

'Oh yeah? And is that why I participate?' Kirei thought sarcastically believing that his presence here was to satisfy the favors of others.

"Another thing." Tokiomi spoke again, drawing Kirei's attention. "What are you afraid of? I thought you were more concerned about that Magus Killer."

Kirei just froze in place, his expression made a bit more aggravated by the mention of that name as if it was taboo.

"It's true, Kirei, do you have any news?" Risei asked seriously.

Kirei looked at them for a moment before answering. "From what I hear he and a member of the Einzbern Family have caught a plane and should be arriving here in no time by now."

Both men fell silent when they heard that, and that was like a signal.

"I understand. Then we should prepare as soon as possible." Tokiomi said with a serious air which made Risei nod in response.

Kirei simply stayed in place reflecting on the events that were to take place here, completely forgetting about the eighth Master and only thinking about that supposed Magus Killer.

---

Several kilometers from what was happening with our protagonists and the 3 men of the church, crossing the waters of Kyūshū, a commercial ship was slowly approaching one of the ports of Fuyuki. On the deck there was a single person staring at the city in the distance with its image growing. The person himself was a tall man with messy black hair with matching eyes, wearing a black suit and tie, and a black trench coat on top.

His hard gaze and cold eyes watched the city lights as the ship approached. He knew that there was little left for them to reach the city where their last battle would finally be fought to end all conflicts and save the world once and for all. He would do anything to make his dreams come true.

Even if that meant sacrificing others for the sake of it.

---

At the same time, flying over the area, a commercial plane was also heading towards Fuyuki. Inside, there was a large crowd of passengers, and among them were a couple of women sitting together. One was in her early 20s with a pale complexion, white hair, and seductive crimson eyes. Her companion next to her was about 15 years old and looked strikingly similar to Mordred except that instead of having her hair tied in a ponytail, she had her tied in a bun. In addition, her expression, instead of energetic and conceited that represented the Knight of the Rebellion, she had it calm and serene.

She only looked wistfully at the views of the city below. She also knew that there was going to be the last fight that would lead her to the second chance that she had always wanted to remedy her sins. She was finally going to have a chance to save her old homeland from herself and no one will stop her.

---

Well, it seems to be already decided. Ichigo Kurosaki , our former Substitute has finally made the decision to join the Fourth Holy Grail War as Master if he wants to make him and his friends return safely to their world. Now we just have to wait when all the pieces are in place to start the first fights and the first blood.

It seems that our Knight of Rebellion is finally beginning to respect her stingy Master, at least in her own way, and to know what new course she is going to follow. It is still to call this 'the beginning of a friendship.'

Oh, and one other thing. When Tokiomi asked Ichigo about his Servant, he wasn't referring to what her name was, but her class. Also, let's remember that Ichigo doesn't know much about this yet, so he revealed his Servant's name inadvertently.

---

Mordred's parameters

Class: Saber.

Identity: Mordred.

Master: Ichigo Kurosaki.

Sex: Female.

Title: Knight of Rebellion.

Height: 1.61 cm / 41 kg.

Feeding: Chaotic Neutral.

Statistics

Strength: B.

Resistance: C.

Agility: B.

Mana: B.

Luck E.

Noble Phantasm:?