Type-Moon, But I Summon Tom

Boom!!!!!!

With an earth-shaking crash, it felt as if the entire mountain was trembling. The three people on the ground even felt like they might lose their balance.

But in reality, it was just an illusion. Only the camera, or rather, the perspective, was shaking.

However, for Minamoto and Tom, the force of the impact was very real. A deep, bottomless crater had been formed on the ground, and the shape of the crater perfectly matched the outline of Tom holding Minamoto.

"What... what just happened?" Waver stared at the crater in complete confusion. He was starting to feel like he didn't understand the Holy Grail War at all.

The two who had been about to fight also turned their attention to the crater. Alexander, unsure, said, "Probably... a Servant...?"

A few seconds later, a blue-furred hand reached out from the crater and grabbed the edge. The hand belonged to Tom, who was now trying to climb out of the hole with one hand while holding Minamoto with the other, using his short legs to push himself up.

"It's coming out...!" Waver gulped, shrinking back in fear.

The impact just now had been far more powerful than when Alexander had landed earlier. Waver had felt it firsthand—the entire mountain seemed to shake!

In stark contrast to Waver's fearful state, Alexander, after a brief moment of confusion, became filled with fighting spirit. He couldn't wait to engage in battle.

However... when Tom finally crawled out of the crater, Alexander fell into deep thought again. "A... cat?"

"That cat caused all that commotion?!" Hephaestion, standing nearby, felt her brain overheating. She had initially thought the man was the Servant, riding the cat... Well, that was already a bit strange, but it was still easier to accept than the idea of a cat carrying a man.

But now it was clear that the cat had climbed out of the crater first and was even trying to pull the man out. It was obvious who the Servant was... or not.

She had seen it with her own eyes—the cat and the man had fallen from the sky at supersonic speed, and the shape of the crater showed that they had hit the ground horizontally.

After such a terrifying impact, not only were they not dead, but the man didn't even have a single scratch on him!

She knew a thing or two about the resilience of magi, and she was well aware that almost no magus could survive such an impact, let alone come out completely unharmed.

That man... was no ordinary person!

"Whew... Whew... Holy crap... I'm still alive!" Minamoto sat on the ground, his legs still weak from the experience.

Just moments ago, when they hit the ground, Minamoto had thought it was all over for him.

Fortunately, it seemed he hadn't been hurt at all, all thanks to Tom. If it had been anyone else, they wouldn't be sitting here in shock—they'd be a puddle on the ground.

Wait, no. Normal people wouldn't even accelerate to such speeds from a fall of just a few dozen meters, right?

"Tom..."

Hearing Minamoto call his name, Tom flinched, his body visibly trembling. He quickly put his hands behind his back, forcing an awkward but polite smile, his eyes fixed on the ground as his body swayed slightly.

Seeing Tom's reaction, Minamoto couldn't bring himself to scold him. "It's fine."

Standing up, Minamoto's eyes met those of the three bystanders, and the atmosphere instantly became tense.

Minamoto realized that he had... accidentally stumbled into a battle, interrupted the fight, and now all eyes were on him.

As a former haunted house worker, Minamoto was confident he wasn't socially awkward—in fact, he considered himself somewhat socially adept. But under the gaze of these three, he felt a little nervous.

Heaven knows, his original plan was to follow the lightning in the sky and sneak a peek at the scene. If the fight was intense, he'd wait to reap the rewards. If it was just a brief skirmish, he'd slip away quietly.

But now, he had become the center of attention.

Taking a deep breath and deciding to forget about pride, Minamoto quickly hid behind Tom and began observing the people present.

Although the appearances in the anime and real life were different, Minamoto could still recognize them by their outfits. The man and woman who had been facing off were clearly Alexander the Great and Hephaestion.

And the short, trembling guy on the horse was undoubtedly Waver, his outfit identical to the one in the original story.

"Today must be my lucky day, to encounter two legendary heroes at once!" Alexander said, his eyes burning with excitement as he looked at Minamoto and prepared for battle.

Seeing that Alexander seemed eager to fight the newcomer who looked incredibly powerful, Waver broke out in a cold sweat. Recalling the earth-shaking crash earlier, he quickly tried to stop Alexander. "Hey! Are you serious? You still want to fight after all that?!"

"Of course! I came here to participate in the Holy Grail War."

In Alexander's eyes, compared to Hephaestion, who was reluctant to fight him, Minamoto, who had flown in from afar and forcefully interrupted the battle, was a much more suitable opponent.

Moreover, the impact that had shaken the entire mountain had left Alexander deeply impressed.

Seeing that Alexander seemed intent on fighting, Minamoto didn't have time to think too much. He quickly told Tom to prepare for battle.

"Tom, go!!!"

Hearing Minamoto's command, Tom's heart tightened. It seemed like he was being asked to fight someone. He was terrified.

But he couldn't disobey Minamoto. After the stunt he had just pulled, landing them in a crater, if he tried to back out now, not only would he lose his promised cake, but he might even be kicked out!

No, that couldn't happen!

Once Tom made up his mind, his body stiffened like a wooden stick, swaying slightly before he turned stiffly to face Alexander, who was ready for battle.

However, when Tom saw that his opponent was this short guy, he suddenly froze, then immediately relaxed. He thought, This is my opponent? This little guy?

If he wasn't mistaken, this short guy was even shorter than the person he had beaten up yesterday.

This kind of opponent... he could totally handle, right?

I think I can beat this little guy. With that thought, Tom's confidence soared. His back straightened, and his legs no longer felt stiff.

Beating strong opponents might not be Tom's forte, but picking on the weak? That was his specialty!

Tom turned back to Minamoto with a mischievous grin, pointing his thumb backward at Alexander as if to say, This guy? Easy! Then, with his left hand resting on Minamoto's leg, Tom stretched out his right arm and slapped his own belly, laughing exaggeratedly at Alexander.

"Ahahahahahaha!!!"

Alexander, who had been filled with fighting spirit, was now slightly annoyed by Tom's antics. Even though he didn't fully understand what was happening, he could tell that he was being... mocked by a cat?

For Alexander—no, for any Heroic Spirit—this was unbearable!

Blue arcs of electricity began to crackle around Alexander's body. He was starting to get genuinely angry at Tom's attitude.

"If you're a Heroic Spirit who has left your mark on human history, then fight me properly! I swear on my father's name!" With that, Alexander prepared to attack, his eyes locked on Tom and Minamoto.

Although he said that, Alexander was also thinking to himself. Clearly, the one he was about to fight was that arrogant cat.

But he had never heard of any hero who was a cat. In Greek mythology, the closest thing was the story of Hippomenes and Atalanta, who were turned into lions. Maybe this cat was from Egypt, a descendant of the cat goddess Bastet?

Minamoto gulped, thinking that Tom was really stirring up trouble. Wasn't the hatred he was drawing enough? If Tom kept this up, they might end up in deep trouble!

So Minamoto quickly patted Tom's shoulder, trying to get him to stop the taunts. While Tom's taunting skills might be useful in a team battle as a tank, this was a one-on-one fight. It wasn't helpful and might even give the enemy a rage-induced attack boost.

Seeing that Minamoto was urging him, Tom calmly walked toward Alexander.

As he approached Alexander, Tom somehow—perhaps during a camera angle change—had changed into a French swordsman's outfit, complete with a fancy fencing foil in his right hand.

When did that happen?! Alexander, who had been fully focused on preparing for battle, suddenly noticed that Tom had changed outfits without him realizing it!

"Ah-ha!" Tom stood confidently in front of Alexander, his body turned sideways, holding the foil ready for battle.

A gust of wind blew past, and a leaf floated down between them. Both sides moved at the same time!

In a flash, Alexander, empowered by Zeus's lightning, swung his sword at Tom. His speed was almost impossible to follow with the naked eye.

Clang!!!

But... Tom easily thrust his foil, the tip of the blade precisely meeting Alexander's sword. The sheer skill of Tom's swordsmanship left Alexander stunned.

Alexander quickly adjusted his stance, slashing at Tom from an angle. But it was futile. Tom, still in his relaxed posture, casually thrust his foil again, effortlessly deflecting Alexander's attack.

Refusing to give up, Alexander swung his sword several more times, but each strike was easily parried by Tom. Gradually, the momentum of the battle shifted in Tom's favor.

Under Tom's relentless assault, Alexander, who should have been the aggressor, was forced to retreat step by step.

This made Alexander increasingly frustrated. He had known from the earlier crash that Tom was strong, but he hadn't expected to be completely outclassed. He couldn't even fight back!

From the outside, Tom's posture was full of openings, but whenever Alexander tried to attack, Tom would simply thrust his foil and deflect the blow with ease.

Even more absurdly, at some point, Tom had closed his eyes and tilted his head back, still managing to block every one of Alexander's strikes without even looking!

Tom could have ended the fight at any moment, but he was clearly toying with Alexander.

Faced with Tom's silent mockery, Alexander's ears turned red with anger.

"You... just who are you, really?!" Alexander growled, his pride wounded. "I've never heard of a cat with such incredible swordsmanship!"

Tom, who had been ignoring him, suddenly had an idea. He stopped attacking, and a light bulb appeared above his head.

Seeing the light bulb, Alexander was momentarily confused.

Tom pointed behind Alexander. Although he didn't know why Tom was pointing there, Alexander turned to look.

Seizing the opportunity, Tom grinned mischievously, his tongue hanging out. He tossed the foil aside and pulled out a giant mallet from behind his back, smashing it down on Alexander's head.

Alexander's body stiffened, then collapsed to the ground.

After dealing with Alexander, Tom dusted off his hands—even though there was no dust—and turned to Minamoto, giving him a thumbs-up.

It was as if he was saying, Done, boss!

The atmosphere... froze.

But the wind continued to blow.

Minamoto was stunned. Waver was stunned. Even Hephaestion, who had been standing idly by, was stunned.

Looking at Tom, who was proudly looking at him as if waiting for praise, Minamoto was silent for a moment before finally giving a thumbs-up. "Incredible."

At this moment, Minamoto had no other words to describe Tom.

He had thought that Tom might at best manage a draw, given that the opponent was a Servant. But Alexander hadn't even lasted a few rounds before being taken down by a single hammer strike. Minamoto had underestimated the power of a comedic character.

Well... although the way Tom had defeated Alexander was a bit underhanded, a win was a win.

This also made Minamoto realize that he and Tom together had the power to defeat Servants!

Hearing his master's praise, Tom began fantasizing about the rewards he would receive. A cloud-shaped thought bubble appeared above his head, showing at least one apple pie... no, two!

Munch munch~ Tom's mouth started watering, and he began chewing the air as if he could already taste the pie.

"No... no way... Rider is dead?" Waver stared at Alexander, who was lying peacefully on the ground, and felt his heart skip a beat. Had his Servant just been taken out so easily?

"...Are you an idiot? If Rider were dead, wouldn't he have disappeared already?"

Hephaestion shot Waver a disdainful look before turning her attention back to Tom. A burning rage began to spread through her heart.

Her lord had just been brutally defeated. If she didn't seek revenge, what kind of loyalty was that?!

Admittedly, this cat was incredibly powerful, capable of toying with Alexander or herself in combat. If it had defeated Alexander through sheer strength, she might not have been so angry.

But... look at what this cat had done! To win, it had resorted to such underhanded tactics, completely disregarding honor!

It could have won through skill, but instead, it chose to cheat!

"Hey! You stupid cat!" With a flash of red lightning, Hephaestion's body became enveloped in crimson electricity. Waver, standing nearby, nearly fell off his horse in fear.

He couldn't afford to be careless now. Even though Alexander wasn't dead, he was clearly unconscious and couldn't protect Waver. And with Waver standing in the middle of a Servant battle, even a stray attack could send him to meet his maker!

As the lightning crackled and Hephaestion shouted, Tom, who had been daydreaming about food, was suddenly startled. He turned around and saw another person drawing their sword.

But Tom wasn't worried. Although this woman was much taller than Alexander, she was still shorter than the first person he had defeated. That meant she was definitely within his capabilities!

Without hesitation, Tom gave Minamoto a confident look and decided to use the same trick again.

In Tom's eyes, Hephaestion wasn't a fearsome enemy—she was a walking cake or chicken leg. Defeating her would surely earn him even more rewards!

"Ah-ha!" Tom calmly walked to within ten meters of Hephaestion, standing confidently with his body turned sideways, holding his foil ready for battle.

Boom!!!!!

However, at that moment, a dense, dark red cloud appeared in the sky, crackling with eerie crimson lightning.

Crash!!!!!

With a deafening roar, a chariot pulled by two skeletal dragons, each with a wing on its side, crashed to the ground. The impact and the red lightning caused the ground to crack.

Without wasting any words, Hephaestion leaped onto the chariot and grabbed the reins with her left hand.

She knew very well that in close combat, she stood no chance against Tom's absurd swordsmanship. To defeat him, she needed overwhelming firepower. In other words, she had to use her strongest weapon—her Noble Phantasm!

"Ah-ha." Tom tentatively thrust his foil forward, but his body began to shrink, his legs trembling uncontrollably. His voice grew softer. "Ah-ha..."

Tom gulped and looked back at Minamoto, pointing at himself and then at the massive chariot, as if to say, Are you sure I can handle this?

Although Minamoto was also starting to have doubts, he... still gave a thumbs-up!

Turning back to face the chariot crackling with red lightning, Tom thought to himself, Can I really take this thing on?

After thinking it over, Tom immediately shook his head with great determination, firmly concluding in his heart that this thing was definitely not something a lazy cat like him could handle!

"Let's settle this!" With that, Hephaestion flicked the reins, and the chariot soared into the air.

After a brief moment of hovering, the chariot charged straight toward Tom!

Without a second thought, Tom tossed aside his French swordsman outfit and sword, turned around, and decisively started running away!

His judgment in critical situations was always spot on. Even though he loved food, he knew he had to be alive to enjoy it. If he got hit now, he might never get to eat again!

But for some reason, when Tom started running forward, his feet seemed to slip as if they were greased. He ran in place for several seconds without moving an inch. It wasn't until the chariot was almost upon him that Tom finally managed to launch himself forward.

Unfortunately, he was still too slow. In just two seconds, the chariot closed the distance, and the skeletal dragon's horns pierced Tom's rear end.

The moment he was hit, Tom instinctively covered his butt with both hands, his body arching forward as he continued to float through the air at a constant speed. At the same time, Tom let out a scream that sounded excruciatingly painful.

"Ow↘ Ow↗ Ow↘~~~ Ow↗ Hoho!!!"