Time rewinds to before Kisaragi Rin and Emiya Shirou's battle.
This was a Holy Grail War. When Kisaragi Rin severely wounded Emiya Shirou, subdued Shinomiya Kaguya, and instantly killed Scáthach with a single blow, Soichiro Kuzuki and his Servant, Steve Rogers, naturally couldn't just lie there like dragons in a game, waiting for the hero to arrive.
Their current location was in a villa next to Fuyuki City Central Park.
Steve Rogers' killing was elegant; the only scent detectable was the moisture overflowing from the Mion River.
Sensing the magical energy fluctuations caused by Scáthach's surprise attack on Shinomiya Kaguya, Soichiro Kuzuki placed a bookmark at the page he was reading, put down the book, and looked up at Steve Rogers, who was waiting by his side.
"Should we go check it out?"
Steve Rogers' eyelashes trembled, and he was the first to ask.
"Why go there? You can't win anyway."
Soichiro Kuzuki calmly retorted.
Steve Rogers: "..."
He was a bit hesitant to respond to such a thing.
Looking at the silent Steve Rogers, Soichiro Kuzuki propped his left hand on his cheek, then suddenly let out a sigh of relief, comforting him: "You can't be blamed for this. Who knew that just coming in to kill a player would lead to such strange circumstances?"
Getting up from the lounge chair, Soichiro Kuzuki looked at the two remaining Command Seals on his hand.
"Command Seals, Heroic Spirits, tsk."
Noticing a hint of mockery on Soichiro Kuzuki's face, Steve Rogers suddenly had a bad premonition.
There was no one else nearby, only himself by his Master's side.
Swallowing the saliva in his mouth, Steve Rogers suddenly said, "It's all because the Paradise has too many restrictions."
This sentence was a bit out of context, but Soichiro Kuzuki understood his meaning.
It's not that we are too weak; it's that Paradise has imposed too many restrictions on us.
Paradise had only three restrictions.
Temporary luck attribute reduction, to prevent Yuusuke from instantly crushing weak Pursuers with his bare hands upon arrival.
Regarding intelligence, in this world, Yuusuke's sequence would not gain hidden intelligence.
In terms of strength, all five primary attributes suffered a 30% debuff, and the various things that Command Seals could unseal were restricted.
The excessive restrictions Steve Rogers spoke of referred to the third point.
After becoming Yuusuke's Follower, he had naturally acquired enhancements and abilities from other worlds, but when he became a Heroic Spirit, these were all sealed, with only his original world's deeds transforming into power.
And the Skills and Equipment that Master Yuusuke could unseal using Command Seals were also limited; essentially, all overpowered Items were locked.
Unfortunately, Steve Rogers' attempt to shift blame today did not receive Soichiro Kuzuki's approval.
"Captain..."
This soft call of "Captain" made all the pores on Steve Rogers' body constrict, feeling even more disgusted than when Ito Makoto was touched by him. Forcing himself to lower his head and avoid Soichiro Kuzuki's gaze, Steve Rogers looked earnestly at his face.
When I speak, listen carefully.
Look at my face, not anywhere else... these incantations echoed in his mind. Steve Rogers watched Soichiro Kuzuki push up his square-framed glasses and ask him, "Do you think Paradise's punishment is severe?"
"A slight reduction in luck attribute, and it's even temporary."
"A small gap in intelligence, yet it only removes the extra intelligence from the sequence, which is as important to us as chopsticks are to Western cuisine."
"I, a high-level player, enter another's game to pursue a low-level player, and my strength is only reduced by 30%, with another 30% caused by my own Items. Now it's just sealing some Abilities..."
Soichiro Kuzuki said calmly, "Can such a degree even be called harsh? All I see is Paradise's contempt for us."
"This contempt is Paradise's judgment of this life-or-death pursuit."
"It judges that such perfunctory restrictions are enough to place our strength in the range of being matched by or facing a strong enemy, contemptuously believing that these slight restrictions are enough for the opponent to gain fairness in the game."
At this point, Soichiro Kuzuki himself couldn't help but laugh.
Because it was indeed true.
Just as Paradise judged, such perfunctory restrictions already made it difficult for him to deal with that LV3.
"Paradise, players, tsk."
Finally no longer feigning calmness, resentment and malice filled Soichiro Kuzuki's eyes.
He said to Steve Rogers, "Today is the third day."
On the first day he arrived in this world, he had already unsealed one Command Seal, and now it was the third day.
"The three of them have completed their preparations."
"Then let them all return."
...A moment later, four Steve Rogers surrounded Soichiro Kuzuki.
And Soichiro Kuzuki raised the back of his hand and used another Command Seal.
When the magical light dissipated, Steve Rogers, who had already guessed what Skill his Master was about to use on him, still showed a stiff smile.
Skill - Tail-Devourer - LV10
Description: Humans are the spirits of heaven and earth; the Tail-Devourer feeds on humans.
Effect: Devour everything of the other, but if you fail to devour successfully, you will be replaced by them.
Special Effects - LV5 - Soul Snatcher: Reduces the impact on your own soul when devouring others' souls.
Special Effects - LV10 - Bloodline Source: Cannibalism can continuously purify your bloodline. After reaching a certain level, your blood can connect to an evil god named [Tail-Devourer].
Bonus: None
Usage Condition: Cannibalism
Due to Paradise's restrictions, almost all overpowered Skills and Equipment could not be unsealed.
However, there was one exception: powers that inherently possessed major flaws.
And now, what Soichiro Kuzuki was going to utilize was the flaw of [Tail-Devourer].
"Now, eat me."
Soichiro Kuzuki commanded gently.
The Steve Rogers looked at each other, and one of them bravely ventured to ask, "Can we leave one? It's enough for three of us to activate the Skill."
"Captain, are you joking?"
Soichiro Kuzuki pinched this Steve Rogers' cheek and comforted him, saying, "Don't worry, you still have five individuals outside. As long as you reclaim them, it doesn't count as death. And who knows, maybe you can successfully devour everything of mine."
The Steve Rogers dared not refuse anymore. Feeling the strange bloodline within their bodies, four shadows of Hydra spread towards Soichiro Kuzuki.
Like mice secretly gnawing on cardboard in the night, like cockroaches scurrying across piano strings.
The rustling sounds ended, Soichiro Kuzuki disappeared, and the faces of the four Hydra Captains simultaneously distorted.
"My name is Yuusuke."
Steve Rogers' facial flesh reorganized into Yuusuke's appearance.
"My name is Soichiro Kuzuki."
Square-framed glasses appeared on his nose, and he reached up to push them, letting out a light chuckle.
"My name is... Steve Rogers."
Everything dispersed, and the four Steve Rogers smiled brightly at each other.