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[b]Rogue Saber, Higashiyama Ward[/b]
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Tokimune nodded in approval as the Master recognised the Hojo Clan emblem embroidered on his cloth. While it narrowed down his identity quite a bit for the young Master, there were quite a bit of renowned members of their clan that his identity wouldn't be immediately apparent. He was, however, quite pleased that even in this modern age, it appeared that the legacy he, his predecessors, and his successors left behind managed to endure that this young man recognised the emblem of his clan.

[i][color=0072bc]'Smart move,'[/color][/i] Tokimune then thought as the young man who conveyed his intent to back down and leave Tokimune alone.

His servant, on the other hand, while outwardly acquiescing to his Master's will, seemed to hold some sort of ill will towards him. He suppressed it well enough, and Tokimune did respect vassals who were willing to set aside their own wish for their lord, especially since his master referred to him as Berserker. But Tokimune was a practitioner of Zen Buddhism, a state of mind that granted him clarity in battle, as a Servant, it became a skill that allowed him to assess the state of a battlefield keenly. Even more so since they were now in his territory.

And so, Tokimune noticed how the Servant almost imperceptibly clenched his fist around the hilt of his blade, how Tokimune had seemingly earned the servant's ire with his handling of the situation.

Tokimune chuckled, as he turned to the enemy servant, [color=0072bc]"Haha...have I earned your ire, foreign warrior?"[/color] Pointing his katana at him as a challenge, he continued,  [color=0072bc]"I am quite curious how capable you are, given that one of my countrymen contracted you, a foreign heroic spirit, rather than one of this nation...Berserker, out of respect for your willingness to put aside your own desire to fight in deference to your Master, I shall grant you this. Let us have a bout, worry not, I will allow you to leave with your life after we are done and I have satisfied my curiosity."[/color]

Tokimune issued the challenge with an air of absolute confidence, in his eyes there was no doubt that he would be the one who emerged victorious. It was not merely a self-assuredness borne from confidence, rather it was one that rose from his clarity of mind, focused only on seeking what he had decided needed to happen. The same sort of state of mind that had Tokimune answered with one singular word, when asked how he was planning to fight against the invading Mongol army whom everyone thought was unbeatable, that word was...'Victory.'

[@King Cosmos][@Iamme]

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Once more, Saber confirmed through her Moksha skill that Constantine appeared to be genuine, or at least he believed he was. She replied, [color=39b54a]"Do not get me wrong, Shielder. It is not my intent to cast aspersion on you, I was merely giving my assessment, which I do believe was perfectly reasonable. We have nothing else but your words at the moment, being cautious is only prudent. Let us set aside the possibility you are lying for the sake of argument. The only one who could confirm the true nature of these 'Fragments of purity' is you, but even if you truly believed what you are saying, who's to say that someone, say a powerful mage or a Caster-class servant did not tamper with your spirit origin and only made you think that way for their own ends? Until we have more concrete proof, I would say some reservations are warranted, no? As a counteroffer, frankly, I do not understand why you are insisting on having us fight, especially if what you say is correct. Rather..."[/color]

Turning to Jan, she continued, [color=39b54a]"I have a proposition. Both you and I must desire the grail, we are summoned into a Holy Grail War for a reason. While I do think that the Grail should be dismantled if what Shielder said is correct, but currently do you not agree that there are still so many unknown elements to be certain of that fact? I believe that the best course of action is to secure the grail first, and then we can examine it properly to determine the truth. To that end, why not work together to secure the grail for ourselves so we can determine the veracity of Shielder's claim? If it turns out the grail is indeed corrupted, we will destroy it, if not, then we can settle this Holy Grail War with a duel between us."[/color]

She then turned back to Shielder, [color=39b54a] "That extends to you as well, of course. As far as 'counteroffer' goes, this is my counteroffer. After all, corrupted it might be, it is still a wish-granter, I would not doubt it if some servants and masters still desire to use it even if it is corrupted. Fortunately for you, you ran into myself and Rider. I have already said that I intend to destroy the grail if it is corrupted, and I am a...good judge of character, shall we say. From what I can see, Rider is inclined to do the same.[/color]

That is, at least, what her Moksha skill could tell her about Rider. He appeared to be an honourable man.

[color=39b54a] "Of course, if that is all right with you, Master,"[/color] she said toward Lorenzo, before turning to Jan, [color=39b54a] "...And yours."[/color]

[@Letter Bee][@GOATPlumber][@GubGar]