Fate: Livestream in Chaldeas

Chapter 25: Tonight's Film Crew Dinner

As a Dragon—the mightiest Phantasmal Species—Fafnir's mere breath could generate an immense amount of magical energy.

Every movement it made was enough to make the earth tremble.

The pitch-black breath, like flames from hell itself, raged outside the fortress. Anything caught in its wake, even briefly, ignited instantly, burning away completely into ashes.

"Bringing something this dangerous onto the battlefield… Is that woman insane?"

Seeing the incoming black flames, Mordred immediately raised her sword—Clarent, Radiant and Brilliant Royal Sword.

"Crimson Lightning!!"

A massive surge of magical energy, like crimson lightning, descended from the heavens.

The seal on Mordred's helmet was undone, revealing her battle-hungry expression.

"Those soldiers just called you 'Dragon Witch,' didn't they? Sorry, but I've never liked witches!"

"This is the evil sword that destroyed my father—my rebellion against my great king! Clarent Blood Arthur!!"

Immediately, from the blade of Clarent, an explosion of blazing red lightning erupted and shot straight toward Fafnir!

The dragon's unstoppable breath attack, upon colliding with the raging surge of magical energy, was violently torn apart, creating an opening.

The crimson lightning did not stop—it surged forward, striking Fafnir square in the chest.

"GET LOST!!!"

Mordred clenched her sword with both hands, and in a flash, another burst of red lightning exploded with even greater intensity!

"GRAAAAH——————————!!"

Fafnir's breath attack was forcibly interrupted, and the colossal dragon was even pushed back a step, letting out a furious roar.

[Let's go! It's NP Time! Oh man, this effect… Absolutely stunning!!]

[That dragon looks ridiculously strong! Feels like it could wipe out an entire city in an instant!]

[In the Type-Moon world, Phantasmal Species belong to the Age of Gods. Dragons are the strongest among them—destroying a nation is child's play.]

[Naruhodo ne~, thank you, Wiki-san.]

[Shut up and watch! The animation budget is burning, missing even a second is a crime!]

[Unlimited Budget Works BRRRRRRR!!!]

Ethan squinted against the blinding light, straining his eyes to follow everything from behind Mash's shield.

Fafnir's power as a Phantasmal Species was overwhelming. Mordred alone could not break through.

As an Assassin, Emiya Kiritsugu could only harass the enemy, making it difficult to coordinate with Mordred in a direct frontal assault.

If Jeanne Alter and Fafnir launched a full-scale attack at the same time, this fragile frontline would collapse instantly.

At this rate… If they didn't get more Servants on their side, he might never make it out of the "starter village."

"System, use my points immediately! Summon 100 times!!"

Having made his decision, Ethan gave the order to the system.

[Beep beep——Host's request confirmed.]

[Initiating 100x Summon!]

The familiar sensation returned once more…

The leyline's magical energy began converging around him, and the silver summoning circle reappeared.

"Let it be declared now;your flesh shall serve under me, and my fate shall be with your sword.Submit to the beckoning of the Holy Grail.Answer, if you would submit to this will and this truth."

Tiny silver sparks began gathering.

"An oath shall be sworn here.I shall attain all virtues of all of Heaven;I shall have dominion over all evils of all of Hell."

At this moment, everything depended on fate.

"From the Seventh Heaven, attended to by three great words of power,come forth from the ring of restraint, protector of the holy balance!"

Thousands of viewers in the livestream chat were glued to Ethan's every action.

[OHHHHHHH! IT'S GACHA TIME!!!!]

[Here it is! Host's signature move—summoning right in the middle of battle!]

[GACHA GACHA GACHA!!!]

[Rate-up is a lie.]

[Gacha Is Bad Civilization!]

[Man, the host is getting smoother with the chant! I've memorized it too—I'm gonna try summoning in my storage room!]

[Be careful, you might summon a gluttonous Servant and lose your entire fortune.]

[Daijobu~ I'm Rich~]

[...]

[... Okay, Bruce-kun...]

[At this point, they HAVE to summon a dragonslayer, right? Who's the most famous dragonslayer in history?]

[Isn't that basically calling for Siegfried? That guy one-shots any dragon!]

[Jiaolong is also a dragon, I nominate Nezha!]

The Summoning Ritual Ignites!

The moment Ethan finished reciting the final chant, the summoning circle began to glow.

[It's happening, it's happening!]

[Let's see which Servant appears!]

[I'm betting on Nezha—placed my bet, not changing it!]

[Show yourself, Siegfried!!!]

Under the watchful eyes of tens of thousands of viewers, something materialized from the summoning circle…

A fluffy, oversized stuffed lion?!

[You have obtained: Plush Lion x1]

For a moment, the livestream chat fell completely silent. The viewers, who were prepared to analyze the summon, froze in place.

[…Can someone explain which Servant this is?]

[Why does it look like an ordinary stuffed animal? Don't tell me even toys can ascend to the Throne of Heroes now?!]

[Could it be a Tsukumogami from Japanese folklore? They say an object left alone for a hundred years can turn into a spirit yokai or something.]

[Umu… possible, or maybe an alien god?]

[Strangely enough, this plush lion seems to fit Saber and Mordred pretty well.]

Just as the audience was trying to process what had happened, the summoning circle glowed again!

Before everyone's stunned eyes, a steaming hot plate of Mapo Tofu appeared right in the middle of the battlefield.

[Is that… Mapo Tofu?!]

[What's next? Father Kotomine???]

[Any Chinese viewers here?]

[Chinese native here, currently riding a panda to school! Based on my professional analysis, this Mapo Tofu has the perfect color, aroma, and spice. The heat lingers—solid 9 out of 10.]

[Host, I'm starving now—order some rice ASAP!]

[Hahaha, did the production crew just deliver dinner to the set? No matter how much post-editing they do, they shouldn't be making the audience drool like this.]

Unlike the lively atmosphere in the chat, Ethan's mood was anything but relaxed.

[You have obtained: Magic Crystal x1]

[You have obtained: Extra Spicy Mapo Tofu x1]

[You have obtained: Black Key x1]

[You have obtained: Rune Stone x1]

[You have obtained: Plush Lion x1]

…

The system notifications kept ringing in his ears.

From the summoning circle, bizarre items continued to appear one after another, but the flow of magical energy had yet to stop.

With each passing moment, the number of remaining summons dwindled, and sweat began to soak Ethan's back.

Just as he considered cutting his losses, a surge of pure magic suddenly shot out from a small chapel within the fortress—protected by Mash's shield—and merged into the leyline, fusing with the summoning circle.

"————————?!"

With fewer than ten summons left, Ethan had already resigned himself to disappointment.

But then—

A brilliant, radiant light exploded from the summoning circle!!!

The chat was still enthusiastically discussing the production team's dinner, but all conversation came to a halt as a figure began to materialize on screen.

"Abiding by the principles of summoning, I have been called upon.I am Popess Johanna.I'd say that battles aren't my field of expertise, but…Not lending a hand to those who seek salvation would not do."

She smiled gently at Ethan.

"You must be my Master, correct? I look forward to working with you."

A snow-white hawk perched on the back of her hand let out a cry, as if greeting him as well.

She glanced around at the chaotic battlefield before tilting her head slightly.

"Aya, Master… your surroundings seem rather disorderly."