Is It Wrong to Abusing Cartoon Tropes in Dungeon?

The familiar glow of the portal, the familiar jolt of landing. Altair opened his eyes, relieved to find himself not in a forest this time.

Or, thank goodness, amidst a pile of corpses.

He stood in a plaza, surrounded by people going about their day, completely oblivious to his presence, as if he were invisible.

Altair spun in place, taking in his surroundings. Hmm, this seemed like a fairly modern world, street lamps, small cars, though the cars looked dated, like Santanas, giving off a retro vibe. But they were shiny, almost new, suggesting they were the mainstream models here. So, early 21st century, maybe?

Yet the buildings nearby told a different story, brick and stone structures with red-and-blue tiled roofs and wooden windows, straight out of a fantasy tale. To his surprise, the streets even had horse-drawn carriages and covered wagons.

"If it weren't for the lack of demi-humans, I'd swear this was Re:Zero."

He'd landed in a plaza with a fountain, people bustling around, all ignoring him, a strange sense of déjà vu. But clearly, this wasn't Re:Zero's world. No gods were hounding him at the outset, nor was anyone offering up a divine life for him to claim.

Fine, then. Time to lower his presence and do some recon.

With his presence-dampening skill active, Altair could investigate anywhere, unnoticed even by gods. This ability, reducing his existence to the point of being imperceptible to the world, was practically a cheat code.

It was his favorite skill so far, especially in dungeon worlds like this one, hands down the most useful. With it, he could uncover almost any information he desired.

In a world where gods roamed, it was perfect for gathering intel.

First order of business: figure out where he was. Fantasy world or Earth?

Altair wandered through the European-flavored town and learned its name.

Romania, a small Eastern European country, unremarkable in economy and military, but prime for tourism.

Yeah, the tourism potential was obvious from the architecture. The buildings retained a post-medieval charm, electrified but barely modernized, preserving their old-world aesthetic. It'd be a waste not to capitalize on that.

A world with gods, set in Romania, this piqued Altair's curiosity. He couldn't immediately place which world this was. Romania didn't strike him as a hub for major plot points. His landing spots in dungeon worlds rarely aligned with the main storyline, so this was likely just a starting point. To dig into the world's core, he'd need to venture further.

Luckily, he hadn't spawned in the middle of nowhere this time. He could ask for directions.

But as he spotted someone on the street dressed somewhat stylishly, well, relatively, in a leather outfit, and approached to tap their shoulder, recognition hit.

Just as he reached out, the man turned, his chiseled face making Altair briefly mistake him for Arnold Schwarzenegger. But the dark sunglasses and the unmistakable claw-like scars over his right eye told a different story.

This wasn't Schwarzenegger.

This was Kairi Sisigou, the necromancer!

Well, well. The Nasuverse, then.

As a Nasuverse fan, even if he'd run out of resources to "protect human reason" After crossing over, Altair knew the older characters well. With all the fan rivalries, you had to keep the roster straight.

The Nasuverse had plenty of gods, all sorts of wild elements, and magi who were rarely sane. But magi weren't the main draw here. The Nasuverse was famous for its Heroic Spirits.

And that concept drew from Norse mythology's Valhalla, where heroes went after death.

So, Loki's gaze had opened a Nasuverse dungeon for him, huh?

This world's depths made the Campione world look shallow by comparison. As the dungeon warning had noted, the danger level was high, proper preparation was a must.

Gods existed here, each one formidable, with many high-level abilities rooted in concepts. You talk magic, they counter with concepts, that was the Nasuverse's vibe, all very metaphysical.

Piecing together the clues: Kairi Sisigou, Romania.

So, this was the Holy Grail War world, right?

A 7v7 clash of fourteen Servants, actually sixteen, plus a hacked-together homunculus, in a massive Holy Grail War.

The gist of the plot: after the Third Holy Grail War, a magus stole the Greater Grail. Sixty years later, the war resumed, but the Grail's internal adjustments shifted it from seven Servants duking it out to two factions, Red and Black, each with seven Servants in a team battle.

Among them was Amakusa Shirou Tokisada, a Ruler-class survivor of the Third War, who stuck around, spent sixty years scheming, even mining in the Middle East and getting tanned, manipulating the war from behind the scenes to save the world. Only to be thwarted by a homunculus who crashed the party with absurd cheats.

The plot was wild, especially the homunculus's arc, utterly ridiculous. Even Jeanne d'Arc, the Ruler, fell for him and played favorites. Pretty... bizarre.

But for Altair, Rulers, homunculi, and other Servants were irrelevant. None of the Servants in this war were personal to him.

He wasn't here for Servants. He was here to clear the dungeon and snag rewards. And the best reward in the Holy Grail War world? The Greater Grail itself.

Unlike the corrupted, murky Grails of Fate/Zero or Fate/Stay Night, this one was the real deal, a wish-granting artifact.

So, Altair's plan: join the Holy Grail War and claim the Grail.

His ticket in? The man right in front of him, Kairi Sisigou.

Kairi Sisigou, a participant in this war, was invited by the Mage's Association as a Red Faction Master. They gave him a fragment of King Arthur's Round Table to summon a Knight of the Round Table.

And Kairi would use that fragment to summon Mordred, the rebellious knight.

As for Altair's current look? It was perfect, modeled after Saber. Armor, appearance, voice, all matched Saber's template. He could pull off a male King Arthur cosplay flawlessly.

Perfect. Let's roll with it.

With the info he needed, Altair didn't disturb Kairi but tailed him, using his low-presence skill, all the way to a cemetery outside town.

As a necromancer, Kairi's magical power surged in a graveyard, ideal for summoning.

Altair's plan: when Kairi summoned Mordred, he'd jump into the summoning circle.

In the cemetery, Altair sat with Kairi all night, enduring a haze of second-hand smoke until midnight, when magical energy peaked. That's when Kairi began the Heroic Spirit summoning.

Cigarette in mouth, sunglasses on despite the pitch-black night, the necromancer stood by his mercury-drawn summoning circle, expression grave, and started the ritual.

His right hand, marked with Command Seals, extended forward.

"With silver and iron as my foundation."

"With stone and the grand duke of contracts as my mainstay."

"My offering is red!"

The summoning circle glowed red as magical energy surged.

The scene thrilled Altair, standing nearby. As a Nasuverse fan, the classic Heroic Spirit summoning was electrifying.

"I shall be the wall that blocks out the wind."

"Close the four cardinal gates."

"Come forth from the crown."

"And follow the path of the three-forked road to the kingdom."

The incantation's tone rose, the red light on the ground blazing brighter.

"Herein lies my will."

"You whose body shall be under my command."

"My fate shall be with your sword."

"In accordance with the Holy Grail's will."

"I shall attain all virtues in Heaven."

"And purge all evil in Hell!"

Crimson magical energy erupted into a pillar of light, illuminating the sky and blinding Kairi's vision.

The surge forced even Kairi, sunglasses and all, to shield his eyes.

The light persisted for seconds before fading. When it did, a figure in red-and-silver armor, topped with a horned helmet, crouched before Kairi.

Staring at the imposing knight, Kairi swallowed hard. This was a legendary Knight of the Round Table?

Under his gaze, the figure rose. The horned mask, infused with advanced British magical tech, opened automatically, revealing a young girl's face.

Golden hair, emerald eyes, a valiant expression, lips curling into a confident smirk. She locked eyes with the stunned Kairi and began her introduction.

"I am Mordred, the sole legitimate heir of King Arthur Pendragon!"

"I ask you, are you my, "

But before she could finish, a voice cut in from behind.

"I am King Arthur Pendragon, ruler of Britain."

"I ask you, are you my Master?"

"What?!"

The sudden voice startled Mordred. She spun, drawing her Clarent sword and aiming it behind her, only to see a golden-haired youth in similar armor, smiling at her.

It was Altair, perfectly timing his return to visibility. Or rather, King Arthur Pendragon.

"Oh? Mordred, you actually came."

"You…"

Mordred froze, stunned. This person, his style, it felt like a male version of her father. But no, her father was female, so…

"Who are you?!"

Rebellious or not, Mordred was a die-hard Arthur fan. Seeing this man claim to be King Arthur, she challenged him loudly.

"Mordred, what's wrong? Why do you act like you don't know me? I'm your father, Arthur!"

Altair feigned shock, spouting nonsense with a straight face.

"Knight of the Round Table Mordred and King Arthur Pendragon!"

Kairi, clueless nearby, was utterly baffled. Was this normal? Was summoning Heroic Spirits a buy-one-get-one deal?

"No way! My father isn't a man!"

Mordred scoffed, unconvinced.

"Huh?"

Altair and Kairi voiced confusion in unison, one faking it, the other genuinely lost. King Arthur, a woman?

"Kidding? How could I be a woman? I, King Arthur, am a man who stands tall!"

Altair retorted, feigning exasperation.

"And what's with you, Mordred? Joking around with your dad is one thing, but calling me a woman? Have Morgan and I spoiled you too much? That's not a joke to make."

"Huh?"

Now Mordred was the one thrown off. Altair's act was so convincing, even mentioning Morgan, that she briefly wondered if he was her father.

But no, impossible. Her flat-chested, short-tempered father would never joke with her like this, or be so calm, or mention Morgan. Never.

"You impostor, still talking nonsense? Let my sword teach you a lesson!"

Furious, Mordred gripped Clarent, ready to strike.

Kairi, the summoner, couldn't stay quiet anymore. He rushed between them, raising his hand.

"Hold it!"

"Master?"

Kairi's authority as Master made Mordred pause.

Being called "Master" confused Kairi, this was his first Holy Grail War, and he had no idea what was happening. Time to ask.

"Can someone explain what's going on? Which of you is the Servant I summoned?"

"Obviously me! Servant, Saber, Knight of the Round Table Mordred!"

Mordred declared confidently.

"You're a Saber too?"

Altair looked at her, feigning curiosity.

"But I'm also a Saber, King Arthur Pendragon."

"But what's with your body, Mordred? Why's it made of magical energy? How'd you die? I just talked to you via Merlin's magic yesterday."

"What? Me, dead? You're calling yourself a Servant, aren't you dead?"

Mordred snapped back, annoyed.

"Nope, I'm not dead."

Altair answered casually.

"Didn't I hand Britain over to you, then retire to Avalon with Merlin and Morgan? How could I be dead? We talked via magic yesterday, you said you were too busy to visit."

"Wait, can someone who's not dead be summoned as a Servant?"

Kairi, the magus, couldn't help but ask. Weren't Servants supposed to be deceased heroes? This was getting weirder.

Mordred, meanwhile, was floored by Altair's words. What? He handed Britain to her? She inherited the throne?

"That's strange? It's my first time being summoned like this, so I don't know. I was bored in Avalon, wanting you to visit, but you've been so busy running Britain, you never had time. So I thought it'd be nice to see you."

Altair spread his hands, looking pitiful, like a lonely old man, almost making Mordred feel sorry for him.

"Then I heard a voice saying if I answered its call, I'd see you. So I did, and poof, I'm here from Avalon, with new info in my head about this place. This Holy Grail War feels odd, but the voice didn't lie, I got to see you, Mordred."

"But you not recognizing me, and being dead? That's weird."

Altair's spiel left Mordred stunned.

Why did this guy sound so convincing? Could he actually be her father?

***

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