"I'd love to blow this place up in one go, but I've got to rescue Shirou first. Still, you really live up to your title as the King of All—you've got everything in that vault, huh."
Pulling out the Invisibility Cloak from the Gate of Babylon, Daniel wrapped himself and Young Gilgamesh in it as they quietly made their way toward the center of the crater. This was Ainsworth's magical workshop, surrounded by countless protective enchantments. However, under the cover of the cloak, they managed to bypass all of the wards without setting off a single alarm.
After unlocking the treasury earlier, Daniel had taken time to familiarize himself with its contents. While, like Gilgamesh, he didn't know the true names of most of the Noble Phantasms, he had identified a few that he could use.
One of them was the Invisibility Cloak—also known as Hades' Helmet of Invisibility. Essentially, they were the same artifact, just conceptualized differently depending on the culture.
"All things belong to the King," Young Gil declared proudly.
"Alright, you're up. Lead the way."
Daniel hadn't originally intended to bring Young Gil along, but since he was the only one who knew where Shirou was being held, there wasn't much choice. Ainsworth's workshop was constructed around displacement magic, and anyone without guidance would simply become lost.
"Pretty lush, huh? Birds chirping, flowers blooming, eternal spring… they really know how to live it up."
Outside, the world was gripped by apocalyptic snowfall, but inside the Ainsworth estate, the scenery was like paradise.
Following the guidance and aided by the Invisibility Cloak, the two of them reached Shirou's cell without incident.
"A magical lock, huh? Good thing I recently got my hands on something useful—Rule Breaker."
Shirou was imprisoned in a separate chamber, secured with complex magical locks. Trying to open it the normal way would've been a hassle—but Daniel now had just the thing for the job.
He summoned a peculiar dagger—Medea's Noble Phantasm, Rule Breaker, a legendary anti-magic weapon capable of nullifying any magical construct, whether it be a contract, Command Seal, or even magical life itself.
With a gentle tap on the magical seal, the lock clicked open instantly.
"Who are you people?" Shirou, surprised by the sudden intrusion, stared at the two strangers before him.
"We're here to rescue you. Or more accurately, your sister Miyu asked me to come save you."
"Miyu? How is she?!"
At the sound of her name, Shirou became visibly emotional.
"Keep it down. Don't worry—she's safe. You'll see her soon. For now, take a nap."
Daniel lightly tapped Shirou, knocking him unconscious. Though Shirou was formidable at full strength, right now he was severely injured and not in fighting shape.
"You're really going to use that?" Young Gil asked as they reached the entrance of the Ainsworth estate.
"Why not?"
Daniel unsheathed Ea, the Sword of Rupture. Young Gil looked at him with a mix of disbelief and resignation. Ea was Gilgamesh's strongest weapon—normally reserved for final, desperate attacks. But Daniel wielded it like a casual starting move.
"There's no rule against it."
The three red blades of Ea spun violently, generating immense magical energy that instantly exposed their location. The sudden spike in mana alerted the Ainsworths—but by then, it was already too late.
"Enuma Elish!"
A torrent of golden-red energy erupted from Ea, transforming into a furious storm that swept across the estate. The idyllic landscape turned to rubble in mere moments as buildings collapsed and the garden vanished.
Boom—boom—boom.
Flashes of lightning crackled through the storm, an attempt to dispel the chaos, but they only held out briefly before dissipating entirely.
"No way they died that easily…"
As the dust settled and the estate lay in ruins, Daniel doubted it was over. He was still curious about Ainsworth's displacement magic.
And sure enough, he was right.
"Die!"
Suddenly, the air before him twisted, forming a portal. Two figures emerged—one of them instantly hurled a massive hammer at Daniel with a scream.
"Beatrice… Another Berserker Class Card."
A red-haired girl in gothic lolita garb, her right arm grotesquely mutated, came charging in wielding a thunder god's hammer. Daniel raised his hand—seven crimson-purple magic circles appeared above him: Sevenfold Ring of Heaven's Wrath.
Boom.
The hammer struck the first layer of the rings, releasing a blinding burst of light. Dozens of thunderbolts followed, slamming into the shields.
"Impressive. You broke through four layers. But that's your limit."
Like the saying goes: a strong bow can't pierce thin silk when spent. Beatrice's lightning was powerful, but Daniel's strength far surpassed hers. Though Cu Chulainn once broke through this barrier in battle with EMIYA, that was a different scenario. Against Daniel, Beatrice was simply outmatched.
As her momentum faltered, Daniel countered with a barrage of golden swords—Gate of Babylon's signature attack.
Beatrice blocked the first wave with her hammer and lightning, but was quickly overwhelmed. Moments later, her body was riddled with swords, and she crashed to the ground.
"And now for you, Julian Ainsworth—or should I say, Darius Ainsworth."
Daniel turned to the second figure, who had emerged with Beatrice. Julian Ainsworth, Shirou's former classmate and the current head of the Ainsworth family… or rather, his body was just a vessel for the true puppet master: Darius.
The Ainsworth line had long been cursed. Each descendant served as a vessel for their ancestor Darius, whose soul would gradually overwrite theirs via displacement magic. Unlike the Matou family's Zōken, Darius didn't need a bug pit. His method was far more refined.
What made it worse was that his magic had taken on a conceptual curse—an inevitability. The heir of the Ainsworth family would become Darius, and even Rule Breaker couldn't undo it.
But it ends with this generation. Julian is the last Ainsworth. Everyone else is long dead—just dolls animated by displaced wills. Beatrice's body was one such puppet.
"Who are you?!"
Though he looked young, Darius's voice and manner were those of an old man, dripping with fury. All his plans—thousands of years of preparation—had been ruined in an instant by that one strike from Ea.
"You know Miyu, right? I came to destroy you for her."
Daniel didn't need to kill Darius right away. That would be too merciful. Now he understood why villains loved to monologue—it was cathartic.
"All because of her?! Do you understand what you've done? You've doomed this entire world!"
Darius was losing his composure. First Shirou had ruined the plan by storming through the Holy Grail War, then Miyu escaped, forcing him to delay everything—and now, Daniel had shattered it all.
"Of course I know. But what does that have to do with me?"
As Daniel spoke, he canceled his connection with the Gilgamesh Class Card.
"You—!"
Darius was speechless. Normally, one life couldn't compare to an entire world. Even Illya had hesitated when she first learned the truth. Only Kuro had decisively chosen to save Miyu.
"You're disgusting, Darius. This world's destruction is your fault. You want to save it? Then you should've killed yourself centuries ago. The only reason things ended up like this is because you kept stealing your descendants' lives."
"What did you say?!"
"You heard me. You're the root of this world's destruction. You claim to want to save it, but you're its greatest curse!"
"Lies!"
"Room: Slaughterhouse."
As Darius's mind wavered, Daniel activated the Ope Ope no Mi, swapping him with a nearby boulder. Darius quickly noticed something was wrong and summoned a card in his right hand—but before he could activate it, his arm was severed.
"I'm telling the truth. You know why I'm here? Alaya sent me to erase you. Now do you understand?"
Before Darius could respond, Daniel knocked him unconscious.
"Sorry, but you messed with Miyu. I'm not as forgiving as she is."
After restraining Darius, Daniel picked up the Berserker Class Card from Beatrice's body. He had a particularly bad impression of her—she'd tormented Miyu the most.
Unlike certain protagonists who let tormentors off the hook, Daniel held grudges.
"No mage family is complete without a basement."
He explored the ruins and soon uncovered Ainsworth's hidden chamber, taking all the documents he could find. From Darius's memories, he learned that Angelica had likely died in the blast. Without the Gilgamesh card, she wasn't strong enough to survive.
The other member of the family? Out traveling. But Daniel didn't care to chase her down—after all, she was this world's Pandora.
"So this is how the Class Cards were made… impressive, but still too cruel."
From Darius's mind, Daniel learned that the Class Cards were crafted from actual Heroic Spirits. That didn't stop him from using them—but he had no intention of ever creating more.
"Earth-style technique: Earth Fracture Palm."
Once everything was wrapped up, Daniel killed Darius and used an earth-based immortal cultivation spell to sink the entire Ainsworth workshop underground. He even filled in the massive crater.
Which meant Pandora… no longer had a home.
"Since I'm here, might as well try that legendary ramen."
Despite most of Fuyuki having evacuated due to the weather, one man remained—a certain joyful priest who ran a ramen shop said to be so good that even Heroic Spirits would line up.
"…Ramen's just a prop. But even so, can't you be less stingy with the actual noodles?"
Daniel stared at the fiery tofu and chili before him. He could only find three strands of noodle. Still, curiosity won out.
The first bite made him instantly regret it.
But with Kirei Kotomine watching and Young Gil happily eating beside him, Daniel forced himself to finish—then used his powers to erase the pain.
"The Ainsworth house is gone. Take care of the school."
Leaving those parting words, Daniel returned to Illya's world with Young Gil in tow. When Miyu saw Shirou again, she immediately ran into his arms, both of them weeping uncontrollably.
After a long while, they finally calmed down, and Miyu recounted everything she had experienced in this world. Both siblings repeatedly thanked Daniel.
"Don't worry. They won't be coming back. But… neither can you return."
When Shirou asked about the Ainsworths, Daniel kept it simple: he had destroyed the spell connecting the worlds. Now they could live peacefully here.
"So the Grail really is incredible."
Originally, Shirou and Miyu weren't blood-related. But thanks to a wish made on the Holy Grail, they had become true siblings—linked by blood.
"This is what you asked for."
One day, Luvia received a package from the Clock Tower. She opened it and handed its contents to Daniel.
"You really found it… thank you."
In his hands was a golden tablet—the artifact needed to summon Ishtar.
In the Fifth Holy Grail War world, Rin had failed to find it despite Lainis's help. But in this world, Luvia had succeeded.
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