Jayr POV - Nasuverse, Moon, Far Side, Sakura Labyrinth - 2030 AD
After I cut off the feed and listened as the system finished its announcement, I let the silence of the moment extend a little bit more, a simple way to show a degree of respect to the fallen Master.
The Master of Yan Qing, the woman named Isozaki Remi, is gone; she has been erased.
The Sanctuary floor feels emptier for it, even though she was never here. Names vanish quickly in this war. Way too quickly. One moment, they exist as voices, strategies, choices. Next, they're nothing but a line of text in the Moon Cell's records.
The Moon Cell does not mourn, and that is perhaps its greatest cruelty. It simply records outcomes, not experiences. Victories and erasures are processed with the same detached efficiency, stripped of context, stripped of meaning. If Remi Isozaki had screamed as she was erased, if she had begged or cursed or laughed in defiance, none of it would survive. The system would not care. It would only log that her existence had ended.
I've seen enough deaths across enough worlds to know that forgetting is often worse than dying.
A person lives as long as they are remembered. Here, remembrance is optional. Only data matters.
I let my gaze drift across the Sanctuary floor, thinking back to the mountain floor where the battle took place, immaculate and untouched. No blood. Just some wreckage, no other sign that a Master had just ceased to exist somewhere in this digital reality. It makes it too easy to pretend nothing happened. Too easy to move on.
That is what the Holy Grail War demands.
Still, I force myself to remember her name again. Isozaki Remi. I repeat it silently, like a quiet vow. It won't change anything. It won't bring her back, not yet at least. But it keeps her from becoming just another anonymous casualty in my mind, and if possible, I'll try to bring her back at the end of this conflict.
For all her caution, for all her careful planning, she had still chosen to fight. She had entered this Holy Grail War knowing exactly what the Moon Cell does to the defeated. That deserves at least this much.
Beside me, Nero remains still. I can feel her presence through our bond, steady and composed, but there is a faint weight there. She understands this kind of battlefield. She understands the cost of empire, of conflict fought on principles larger than any single life.
Perhaps that is why she keeps her eyes closed a moment longer.
When she finally speaks, it feels like permission to breathe again, and after that brief moment of respectful silence, Nero says at last, "She fought very well."
I agree with her, "She did. She used her talismans intelligently. Never overcommitted. Every spell had a clear purpose behind it. Every choice was strategically valid. She was good enough to survive until now."
While saying that, I replay fragments of the battle in my mind. Isozaki's careful positioning. The way her Codecasts reinforced Yan Qing's movements rather than competing with them.
Meanwhile, Nero nods and continues, "She understood her role. A Master who knew she was not the blade, but the hand that guides it."
I softly exhale and add, "Yan Qing carried the rest. His footwork, his timing… beautiful, honestly. Unfortunately, his Noble Phantasm was almost wasted on a matchup like that."
It seems that Nero has the same opinion as she dryly says, "Against Lu Bu... Many things are wasted. That Servant is a being of relentless force."
I can't argue with that.
While Ambushed from Ten Sides - As If There Was No Shadow is a deadly Noble Phantasm, at its core is still a series of strikes duplicated and generated by the unique footwork of the Yan Qing Style.
This feat does appear as a series of visually imperceptible attacks to the observers, but it does not reach the realm of Magic or a level of power able to take out someone as tanky as Lu Bu.
Yes, Yan Qing was extremely skilful to the point that he is regarded as the founding master of the Yan Qing school of martial arts, despite the fact that he was a fictional character of one of the Four Great Classical Novels of Chinese literature, Water Margin.
Such a "legend" further empowered him and his abilities, making him a fairly powerful Servant.
But even then, Lu Bu's "myth" is equally impressive; after all, he is the General of Repetition of the Romance of the Three Kingdoms.
An infamously treacherous military commander from the Three Kingdoms era.
His military exploits and deeds of arms are unmatched, and he was counted as one of the strongest in the world of the Three Kingdoms.
Because of that and his summoning as a Berserker class Servant, Lu Bu is a catastrophe given form. Every strike erases space. Every movement forces the battlefield to adapt to him, not the other way around. His Noble Phantasm wasn't just power. It is sheer destruction given direction.
The only saving grace is that, due to being under the effects of Mad Enhancement, most of his military-related skills from when he was alive have been erased from his mind. Only his knowledge of the spear and of basic artillery, such as cannons, remains. But even then, Lu Bu is still a living fortress, with skills beyond exceptional.
What makes the clash so tragic, in a way, is that Yan Qing did everything right.
Technique against brute force is always a gamble, but Yan Qing's legend is built on turning impossibility into inevitability. His footwork is deception layered upon deception, angles collapsing into blind spots that shouldn't exist. Against most Servants, even high-tier ones, that would have been enough. Death by a thousand precise impossibilities. However, Lu Bu is not "most Servants."
The problem is not that Lu Bu cannot be hit; the real problem is that being hit does not matter.
His Saint Graph is built like a siege engine. Each parameter is excessive, reinforced by a legend that glorifies betrayal, conquest, and raw dominance. There is no subtlety to him. No need for it. His existence overwrites the battlefield by sheer presence alone, and on top of that, there is Rani's masterful Codecast that further enhances those specific parameters.
Even Yan Qing's Noble Phantasm, as refined and terrifying as it is, assumes a target that must obey physics at least a little, but Lu Bu does not. He endures, advances, and destroys everything in his path. The only way to stop him is through overwhelming power.
Watching the replay earlier, I noticed the exact moment the fight became unwinnable. Not when Yan Qing activated his Noble Phantasm, but when Lu Bu took the first full sequence of strikes and did not slow. Did not flinch. Did not adjust.
That is when the outcome was sealed.
Mad Enhancement has taken Lu Bu's ability to command armies to outmanoeuvre enemies on a grand scale. But it has also stripped away hesitation, fear, and restraint. What remains is a weapon pointed at whatever stands in front of him.
Rani knew this. Of course she did. She is an outstanding Master whose pure computational ability surpasses that of the high-level AI within the Moon Cell, thanks to her core, the Hermes, which is a 6th-generation spiritron computer that shouldn't even be completed and exist in this world yet.
That is the most unsettling part. She did not choose her Servant. Like Nero for me, she summoned the Servant that was most compatible with her. She summoned the one who would guarantee results, even if the cost was personal risk. That tells me more about her priorities and personality than any words she could speak.
Efficiency above all else. I don't like an opponent with that kind of belief.
While my mind briefly wanders like that, Nero suddenly asks, "And Rani?"
Focusing back on the discussion, I hesitate for half a second before I finally say, "Very rigid. Precise. She doesn't improvise unless forced, and even then, she doesn't excel at it. Everything she does is pre-calculated. Even her Mystic Codes feel… planned months in advance."
Nero nods and says quietly, "She fights like someone who has already accepted every outcome."
Yes. That's exactly it. She is perfectly fine with either result. She wins. She loses. It doesn't matter. Rani's primary objective is to determine if humanity can survive in the virtual world of SE.RA.PH, by abandoning their physical bodies, acting as a "new form of mankind" developed by the Atlas Institute.
As a homunculus, she seeks to win the Holy Grail War to prove her viability and fulfil her purpose as a tool for her creators. Nothing more, nothing less.
We fall silent.
Then Nero tilts her head slightly and asks, "Do you believe she will stop now?"
I exhale and reply without any hesitation, "No."
She nods, unsurprised and agrees, "Nor do I."
Rani has momentum. More than that, she has a clear path forward. Retreating now would waste both, and she would never make such an "illogical" choice. If I were in her position, I'd also press on while the way ahead was open.
At the same time, I can't help but consider, 'Momentum is dangerous in the Moon Cell. Once the system begins to favour a participant, subtle advantages start stacking. Pathways open. Resistance thins. Probability bends just enough to feel like destiny. I've seen it happen before. The Moon Cell rewards forward motion, punishes hesitation. Rani understands this instinctively. In that sense, she and I are not so different. We both analyse outcomes rather than hope for them. We both understand that stopping to question oneself in the middle of a war is a luxury most cannot afford...'
Following that thought process, I frown as I realise, 'But that was when SE.RA.PH was in control of the Holy Grail War. That kind of momentum is dangerous in the Far Side of the Moon Cell. Who knows what happens to those who carelessly press on and continue to move forward... Then there is also the difference in why we move forward...'
I almost exhale as I keep my gaze focused on Nero, who is now admiring the architecture of Athena's Temple while thinking, 'For Rani, progress is proof. Proof of a hypothesis. Proof that her existence, and the future she represents, has value. Every victory reinforces her purpose. For me, progress is survival. Mine, Nero's, Aletha's, Marie's, and everyone else caught in this artificial crucible. That difference matters. Even more so when whoever is behind this does not care, but I do. Which is why I know she won't stop.'
At this point, I reconnect to the Funnels, and the confirmation of our assumptions comes immediately.
Then I say, "She's advancing. Straight through. No pause. No consolidation."
The feeds show the mountain floors collapsing into irrelevance behind her.
With the Master of Yan Qing, Isozaki Remi, erased, her domain has lost all structure. Traps have gone inert. Enemy Programs stand frozen or disintegrate entirely. The terrain itself feels abandoned.
Watching the feed through our bond, Nero remarks, "Erasure leaves nothing behind. Not even a bare hint of resistance."
I watch Rani cross the former headquarters floor without slowing. Lu Bu doesn't even look around as they pass by the heavily defended but now inert Chinese Temple. A sign that there's truly nothing left here worth acknowledging.
For a moment, a thought worms its way into my mind, making me ask, "Do you think this is random? That she, among all the other possible Masters, ended up this close to us?"
Nero considers it for a moment before she replies, "If it were chance, it is a cruel one."
Hearing that, I grow solemn and say, "And if it isn't…"
Nero, understanding what I'm going to say, then finishes, "...Then someone wants you to meet."
We don't say anything more about it. At this point, there are no clear answers to be found there, only speculation.
After a brief moment of silence, Nero asks, "Where do we meet her?"
I take a moment to consider our option as I step out of Athena's Temple and look down the endless stairs toward the replica of the Golden Zodiac below us, then I bring up the interface and look at the buffer floor further below, the one that connects to the late Isozaki Remi's set of floors.
At this point, I say, "If we wait here, we may reveal too much. This place is meant to be seen last. If at all..."
Hearing that, Nero, who has followed me and is standing by my side, asks, "And the buffer floor?"
I keep my gaze on the interface and reply, "It's a more neutral ground. At least symbolically. And it's still ours."
She smiles faintly and comments, "You still hope she will speak before she strikes."
I admit, "I do. But be ready anyway. Rani won't allow even her own desire to get in the way of her assigned objective. While I do hope that she may make another choice, the conflict may be inevitable."
Hearing that, Nero smiles gently and says in her usual confident tone, "Then we will make her experience the full glory of Rome, my Praetor."
After that, we move, starting our descent from Athena's Temple down the endless staircase of the Golden Zodiac.
As we are about to reach the Pisces Temple, Nero can't help but comment, "The architecture of the Sanctuary is truly magnificent. And even its location and layout are strategically perfect. But the real masterstroke is using these steep, endless staircases with these twelve temples as the last line of defence. I can already imagine what hellish experience it would be for an invading force to go through all this."
Hearing that, I can't help but smile wryly and say, "Yeah... Once, in my youth, I had to actually attack the Sanctuary with my friends, and it wasn't a fun experience. The staircase between the temples is already a test of patience, stamina, and willpower. The temples themselves house the strongest warriors of the Sanctuary, and fighting them one after the other is an almost impossible feat."
At this point, the smile on my face becomes warm as I think back to those times before I continue, "I can literally count on the fingers of one hand, the times someone successfully invaded the Sanctuary and reached the Athena's Temple in the whole history of my home universe. And one of those few times was with me at my hand, with the support of the very Goddess ruling the place and many of the Gold Saints guarding the Temples of the Golden Zodiac. While for the other times that it happened... Well, those who succeeded also had Divine's support and even then, their final fate was quite unfortunate. There is a good reason why the Sanctuary and Athena are undefeated since the Age of Myth."
Hearing that, Nero nods and comments, "Umu. I can feel the pride and love you feel for this place, my Praetor. I can't wait to look at the real thing. If we survive this Holy Grail War that is..."
I look at her and say in a confident tone, "We will..."
Like that, we continue to cross the twelve temples and beyond. The whole time, I entertained Nero with the stories of my youthful adventures in my home universe.
As we descend, I can almost feel the Sanctuary responding.
It isn't a living thing, not really, but the Sakura Labyrinth's architecture carries intent the way stone carries heat. Every step down the staircase reinforces the same truth. This place recognises me as its architect.
When I was assigned those three blank floors, the choice had been obvious. There had never been another option. If I were going to stake my territory in this treacherous Holy Grail War, it would be here, my home.
The Sakura Labyrinth had accepted the design without resistance. It always does when something is constructed with enough clarity of purpose. The Sanctuary exists here because I remember it. Because it mattered enough to be recreated in full detail, from the incline of the staircases to the silent authority of the twelve temples watching over all who pass.
I slow slightly near the Virgo Temple, my gaze lingering on its familiar symmetry. For a moment, the boundary between past and present thins. Training under a merciless sun. Bloodied hands clenched into fists that refused to give in. Friends arguing, laughing, fighting, and standing shoulder to shoulder against enemies that should have been impossible to overcome. For a brief moment, I almost have the impression of sensing the familiar presence of Shaka's Cosmo enveloping the whole Virgo Temple, and the same is true for every other temple we passed, as they give off the same aura as the Gold Saints, my friends.
I built all of it exactly as it was.
Nero notices the shift immediately and says quietly in an observing tone, "You are different here."
I reply simply, "It's my home..."
She looks around again, more carefully this time. Not as a commander assessing defences, but as an emperor recognising another ruler's domain before she says, "It's not that... I feel like your whole being is resonating with this place. Like this place, the Sanctuary is truly part of you."
I allow myself a faint smile, "Every single moment I ever spent here taught me something. About strength. About responsibility. About what it means to stand at the top and still protect those below. About friendship. About sacrifice. This place shaped the man and deity I am today."
Nero nods once before she says with clear approval in her voice and even a hint of respect, "Umu. I can see why you chose it. This Sanctuary will not fall easily. A land shaped by conviction never does."
Her confidence settles something in me.
Then Nero adds, "However, I still can't help but feel something familiar about it... The Sanctuary almost gives me the same feeling as my Aestus Domus Aurea. Maybe, with a bit of work, you can create something similar."
I stop for a moment, thinking about what she just said, then I reply, "It is possible... But I don't think I actually need it. I already have a domain-like ability that creates a whole universe, which is completely under my control. Something like your Aestus Domus Aurea feels a bit redundant..."
At this point, I notice Nero puffing her cheek in clear annoyance and quickly add, "However, it may still be useful to try and develop it as it is surely more localised and less energy intensive. On top of that, it may also produce some unexpected and interesting effects."
Hearing that, Nero smiles brightly and exclaims, "Umu!"
With that, we continue downward, leaving the temples behind as the path carries us toward the buffer floor and whatever waits beyond it.
Before long, the Sanctuary recedes behind us as we descend into the buffer floor I designed for exactly this purpose.
The city greets us in silence.
Ancient stone walls rise around wide plazas and broken forums, their surfaces carved with weathered reliefs of forgotten victories and idealised processions, figures frozen mid-march as if still advancing toward an unseen horizon. The masonry is massive and deliberate, laid with Roman precision and authority, yet softened by Greek proportion and balance, strength and beauty forced into uneasy harmony. Marble columns stand half-collapsed along the avenues, some snapped cleanly at the base, others still defiant despite deep fractures running through their shafts. Their shadows stretch long across cracked roads paved with layered stone, the seams aligned with almost ceremonial care, subtly drawing the eye forward rather than allowing it to wander.
Statues line the plazas, some intact, others reduced to torsos and shattered faces. Gods stand beside heroes, emperors beside anonymous soldiers, their scale intentionally inconsistent. No single figure dominates the others, yet the arrangement suggests order, hierarchy, and purpose. Many are posed mid-decree or mid-stride, one arm raised not in threat, but in command. The forums themselves are broad and exposed, spaces clearly meant for assembly, judgment, and proclamation. Anyone who crosses them does so as if stepping onto a stage, visible from countless angles, judged by stone eyes that never blink.
Narrow alleys twist between dense blocks of buildings, their paths irregular but disciplined, chaos constrained within firm limits. Some are wide enough for organised advance, others narrow abruptly, forcing intruders to slow, to bunch, to break formation. Rubble fills many of them like collapsed balconies, fractured arches, and fallen statuary, and yet even the destruction feels curated, guiding movement rather than blocking it outright. The city does not forbid progress. It demands that it be earned.
Above it all, elevated walkways span between rooftops and towers, supported by arches that favour endurance over elegance. From these heights, banners of carved stone hang frozen in permanent unfurling, bearing abstract insignia rather than words, symbols of unity without allegiance to any single god or era. From here, the city reveals its true intent. Lines of sight overlap. Control replaces chaos. Any approach can be observed, any hesitation punished. The rooftops themselves are flat and purposeful, built not for comfort but for presence, as if designed for rulers and defenders alike to look down upon the world below.
This is a Greek city built with Roman discipline.
Nero and I designed this floor to make people uncomfortable, so that they are just constantly aware that something could go wrong at any moment.
The acoustics are deliberately imperfect. Sound carries too far in some places and dies too quickly in others. Sightlines promise clarity, then betray it with unexpected obstructions. Even the lighting is uneven, shadows pooling where logic says they shouldn't.
I watch Nero take it in with a tactician's eye. She notes the high ground, the choke points, the open plazas that invite overconfidence. A lesser Servant might find this place oppressive. Nero finds it interesting as she murmurs, "Umu. A city that punishes arrogance. Exactly as I envisioned, this is perfect."
I allow myself a small smile, but I still don't relax. Not even a little.
Rani will notice all of this, too. She will calculate firing angles, approach vectors, and fallback positions. She will already be planning how to dismantle the advantages I built into the terrain, but that is fine.
This floor was never meant to guarantee victory. Only to ensure that any confrontation here happens on my terms. And I've never needed to rely on tricks to win a battle.
This floor was never meant to stop an invader outright. It was meant to slow, observe, and bleed them. Every street offers too many angles. Every open space is a potential trap. Even standing still here feels like a mistake.
I take a position near a ruined archway, Nero beside me, both of us visible by choice.
While we wait, I spare a glance toward the other feeds.
The Funnels scouting the forest path have reached the ascending staircase into the next set of floors. After a moment's deliberation, I order them to hide and hold position.
No more advancement. Not now, as at this moment I can't afford to split my focus.
I switch back to the mountain feed and see that Rani has cleared the last of Isozaki Remi's territory.
At her pace, she'll reach us in a few minutes.
I sever the connection and look ahead.
The sound comes first.
Heavy footsteps. Each one slow, deliberate, resonating through stone and air alike. The ground vibrates faintly with every step.
Lu Bu emerges from the staircase like a walking siege engine, towering over the ruined cityscape, weapon resting casually at his side.
Then Rani follows shortly after, her small figure almost hidden by the imposing presence of Lu Bu.
Her steps are light, almost silent. The contrast is very striking.
She stops when she sees us, and for a moment, no one moves.
Lu Bu's presence warps the space around him.
It's subtle at first. A pressure behind the eyes. A sense that the city itself is bracing. My senses register micro-fluctuations in the terrain mesh as the Sakura Labyrinth compensates for its mass and energy output.
He stops when Rani stops. Obedient, in his own way.
I meet Rani's gaze across the ruined plaza. She looks unchanged. Calm. Focused. There is no surprise in her gaze.
As if she were arriving at a scheduled meeting rather than the threshold of a potential battle.
That composure worries me more than hostility ever could.
And once again, I have the impression that this is not a coincidence. Whatever happens next was anticipated long before either of us set foot on this floor.
When she finally speaks, the silence feels earned.
While she shows no obvious reaction to our presence, I can't help but have a feeling that she is already calculating all the possible actions she can take and our possible reaction.
Then, as if she came to a decision, she inclines her head slightly and greets me, "Long time no see, Jayr."
I casually wave my hand and reply evenly, "Hello there. I hope you have been well, Rani."
I meet her gaze and ask the question that matters the most at the moment, "What are your intentions now?"
The city waits with us, silent and watchful, as the war tightens its grip.