Antarctica.
As one of Earth's two poles, this final continent discovered by humanity was covered in endless white snow. The entire Antarctic continent seemed buried beneath an enormous and heavy ice sheet.
Wherever the eye could see, frost-white covered the land. Bare and desolate, heaven and earth blended into a single color.
Hurricanes chased one another through the skies while snowflakes darted and swirled to avoid them. The blizzard howled mournfully.
In such a frigid region, vegetation was exceptionally scarce. Only a small number of lichens and mosses could survive here. If an ordinary person came to this place without protection, the only possible outcome would be becoming a human-shaped ice sculpture.
For humanity, this was an uninhabitable frozen wasteland.
As the only continent without permanent human settlement, it was far removed from the conflicts of human society. In a sense, that was also beneficial.
Certain things unsuitable for public eyes were naturally well suited to being hidden here.
For example, the special research institution established atop a 6,000-meter snow mountain in Antarctica—Chaldea.
Chaldea, full name: Security Organization for the Human Order Continuation, Finis Chaldea. More commonly known as the Human Order Security Organization Chaldea.
Simply put, Chaldea was a special agency jointly established by nations around the world to prevent humanity's extinction—a Bad End.
Its purpose was to continue and preserve Human Order, ensuring that human history could endure for ages with resilience. Regardless of whether it involved magecraft or science, it gathered researchers from every field across the world, serving both as a research institute and an observatory.
It was said that within it existed a special magical workshop beyond the jurisdiction of any nation. Its observational equipment was not an astronomical observatory gazing at the stars from Earth, but a demonic observatory overlooking all of Earth itself from the void.
However, although Chaldea had been established through joint funding by many nations, seventy percent of its finances had come from the Lord family of the Astromancy Department within London's Mage's Association—the Animusphere family.
Thus, although Chaldea nominally belonged to all participating nations, actual control remained in the hands of the Animusphere lineage.
Of course, that was in the past. After the deaths of the first Director of Chaldea, Marisbury Animusphere, and the second Director, Olga Marie Animusphere, present-day Chaldea was left only with an acting director.
At the mountain summit, snowflakes danced alongside the storm. The piercing cold winds scraped indiscriminately across every inch of the cliffs like flesh-flaying steel blades, resembling a natural ice vault constructed by nature itself. It formed a natural barrier protecting the research facility atop the towering snowy mountain.
Chaldea Control Room.
Inside this white room resembling a special operations command center, silence dominated. The only sounds were the constant beep, beep of monitoring instruments and the occasional tapping of keys by the staff.
The room's interior was decorated in silver and dark blue tones, overflowing with a futuristic atmosphere. Yet the most eye-catching object was the gigantic spherical device floating in the center of the vast space beyond the control room's glass observation window.
Wrapped in multiple asteroid belt-like rings, the enormous sphere glowed with a faint blue luminescence. Judging from the patterns upon its surface—the seven continents and four oceans—it was an equal-scale model of Earth.
At this moment, the projection screen directly ahead displayed multiple images from different locations.
The images showed an azure planet. Lines connected various specific points across its surface, marking several important locations.
Positioned upon the Japanese archipelago in the Far East was the label: "Third Fuyuki Holy Grail War." Corresponding to it was "Great Holy Grail War" located in Romania upon the Balkan Peninsula in Europe. The location highlighted most prominently, however, was "Musik Family" upon the British Isles.
"Clock Tower... a familiar place. But... the Third Fuyuki Holy Grail War, the Romanian Great Holy Grail War, the Musik family... what connection do these three have? After fleeing to this timeline, he separately stopped at all three locations."
The speaker was a stunning beauty appearing around twenty years old, with medium-length brown hair and azure eyes. Her graceful figure was draped in luxurious wide-sleeved European robes. The combination of a blue dress and crimson cloak carried an inexplicably artistic elegance.
Her left arm was covered by an armored gauntlet carrying a strong industrial punk aesthetic. Dark in tone, with thick joints, sharp edges, gilded patterns, and brilliantly shining gemstones... Two entirely incompatible—even conflicting—styles had somehow fused together in perfect harmony.
Combined with the unusual magical energy radiating from her body, any magus knowledgeable about Heroic Spirits and Servants could instantly tell that this woman was not human, but a Servant.
"The last captured location was London..." Supporting her chin with one hand, the woman(?) somewhat irritably twirled her hair.
"Da Vinci-chan, found something new?"
At that moment, a handsome young man in a white lab coat walked in through the doorway carrying two steaming cups of black tea while yawning. His somewhat curly orange hair was tied into a ponytail behind his head.
"Mm... ah, Roman-chan, thank you very much."
Looking at the tea handed over to her, the woman named Da Vinci said, "Smells wonderful. Darjeeling?"
"Yeah."
Naturally, Da Vinci vacated the command seat in the control room. Extending her right hand wrapped in a blue silk long glove, she accepted the tea from the man and took a light sip before speaking to him in a seemingly casual tone.
"Roman, just now, CHALDEAS detected the fluctuations of Lev Lainur Flauros."
"And what confuses me is that he intentionally exposed his location. It's almost as if he's deliberately luring us over there."
Holding the teacup, Da Vinci glanced toward Doctor Roman seated before the command console, whose expression grew increasingly serious as he read the incoming information.
Clack!
As the automatic mechanical door opened, "We sincerely apologize. We arrived one minute late."
A black-haired young man wearing Chaldea's specially designed Master uniform hurried in from the corridor.
Following behind him was a soft-looking girl with glasses and short pink hair, one side of her bangs covering an eye. Wearing a short white work jacket, she followed closely behind the young man into the control room, seemingly apologetic about their tardiness.
Her lower half was clad in a black skirt and stockings. As she jogged forward, the youthful curves of her legs were accentuated.
"Ritsuka Fujimaru reporting in."
"Mash Kyrielight reporting in."
"Fou~ fouu!"
No sooner had her words fallen than a small white creature sprang out from behind the girl. The animal, resembling both a white dog and a white fox, let out cheerful cries of "Fou fou."
With practiced ease, it leapt up and pounced onto Mash's face, then scampered around behind her back before finally settling on her shoulder.
At the sight of the two of them and the little beast, the slight crease in Roman's brow immediately relaxed.
"Fujimaru, Mash, since you're both here, let's begin the strategy meeting."
They were Chaldea's last Master—Ritsuka Fujimaru—and the Demi-Servant—Mash Kyrielight.
Not long after returning to Chaldea following the restoration of the Seventh Singularity—Babylonia (Absolute Demonic Front), Chaldea had detected traces of Lev, who should have been cut cleanly in half by Saber Altera back in the Second Singularity—City of Seven Hills.
Following the clues Lev had left behind—clues that were hardly concealed, almost deliberately so—Chaldea's gaze tracked after him, arriving at this special timeline bearing traces of an alien god.
"Is it the final King of Solomon?" Standing before the command console and staring at the holographic screen, Ritsuka Fujimaru's blue-green eyes revealed a trace of determination.
"Uh... Fujimaru, I understand your resolve, but this time something unexpected has occurred. The enemy..."
"It's Lev," Da Vinci said, leaning against the desk and cradling her teacup, finishing Roman's sentence for him.
"Professor Lev?!"
At those words, Mash's eyes widened as she held Fou tightly. Though they had only spent two short years together, Professor Lev had been her mentor in the Magecraft Department.
When everyone in Chaldea had regarded her as a monster, Lev had been one of the few who, from the very beginning, treated Mash as a human being.
Therefore, even though Professor Lev had already betrayed them, fought her multiple times, and attempted to kill her, deep in Mash's heart—kind by nature as she was—she still retained a measure of gratitude toward him.
"Fou~ fouu~"
"Chirp~ chirp~" Fou jumped out of Mash's arms, licking the girl's face and rubbing her gently with its soft little paws as if offering comfort.
"Hey, hey, Da Vinci, why did you just blurt it out like that... ow!"
"Have you lost your mind?" Da Vinci jabbed her elbow into Roman's side and shot him an indifferent glance. "Mash-chan and the others will have to face this sooner or later. What's the point of hiding it?"
"If we kept it from them, those two would definitely be angry. We should just tell them," Da Vinci said with a smile. "Besides, when there's a problem, we can pool our ideas and figure out a solution."
"But..."
Bang!
"No buts."
Watching the "timid doctor" being pressed down onto the desk by Da Vinci, neither Ritsuka Fujimaru nor the other Chaldea staff in the control room so much as blinked. They were long since used to it.
Though the two appeared intimately close, like a loving couple bickering affectionately, the truth was that it was completely impossible—because they were both men.
Leonardo da Vinci.
At the mention of Leonardo da Vinci, most people would first think of world-renowned masterpieces such as the Mona Lisa and The Last Supper.
A great figure born in Italy during the European Renaissance of the fifteenth and sixteenth centuries, he was a globally renowned painter, natural scientist, and engineer. Profound in thought, skilled in painting, sculpture, invention, and architecture, he was also well-versed in mathematics, biology, physics, astronomy, and geology—a rare polymath in human history.
He achieved remarkable accomplishments in every field and was hailed as a universal genius. Though not a conquering hero, he was one of the few extraordinary talents forever recorded in human history.
Records state that in his youth he had been an unparalleled beauty, and the surviving self-portraits depict him as a white-bearded scholar of immense knowledge.
But the reality now was this...
Before a true genius, the soul is unrestrained. Gender and age mean nothing.
As Chaldea's third experimental Heroic Spirit, Da Vinci possessed the inherent skill Golden Rule (Body): B.
She had a perfect body comparable to that of a goddess, capable of maintaining eternal beauty. Thus, Da Vinci had completely "redesigned" her own body into what she considered her ideal masterpiece. Completely, in every sense.
As for the attending physician, Romani Archaman, it was even more impossible. Everyone knew that Doctor Roman had once become infatuated with an online romance, only to fall victim to an online scam. After meeting in person, he was left with an indelible psychological scar.
Oh, and the name of his online crush was: Magi☆Mari.
Tsk. Some might not understand. So what if it was just an online romance? What's the big deal? To put it simply, you know those infamous livestream catfishing scandals? Merlin pulled exactly that stunt—and our Doctor Roman had been the top donor...
"You'd better see for yourselves... You may be setting out again very soon."
A gentle smile appeared on the delicate face that seemed as though it had stepped straight out of an oil painting. With a playful wink, she raised her distinctly mechanical staff and pointed toward the enormous spherical device outside the window—CHALDEAS.
That was the pseudo–planetary environment model—CHALDEAS. It was based on the hypothesis pursued by the Animusphere family, Lords of the Astromancy Department: to regard the planet itself as a living entity, define it as a being with a soul, and replicate that soul to create a miniature Earth model.
A high-density aggregate of information possessing mass, it was said that because its material phase differed from ordinary matter, physical contact with it was impossible.
It could be used as an unshakable map of human history, and also served as a support system for the pseudo-spiritron conversion transfer—Spiritron Transfer.
When paired with the near-future observation lens—SHEBA, it could carry out observation missions and achieve the purpose of observing this planet's history.
"Mm..." Da Vinci tapped a few times on the transparent interface, and three locations were marked upon CHALDEAS.
One was an island nation at the edge of the Pacific Ocean. The other two were located on the European continent—one on the Balkan Peninsula, the other on the British Isles.
"Look. According to the images captured by SHEBA, after arriving at these three points, Lev disappeared."
"His final stop was London. He stole something from the Musik family of the Clock Tower's Department of Law. What could it have been..."
"The Musik family... that name sounds familiar. I think I heard Director Olga Marie mention it before..." Roman murmured.
The next instant, "Could it be the holy relic used to summon the King of Magecraft, Solomon? The legendary ten rings of King Solomon?"
Cough, cough! Da Vinci's speculation made Doctor Roman choke violently on his tea.
"Tch...
Clicking her tongue, Da Vinci tapped several times on the transparent interface. On the screen appeared the banks of the Thames under night rain, the rooftop of a towering building—and there stood Lev in his conspicuous green overcoat. In his hand, a twin‑headed eagle holy relic emitting dazzling violet motes of light seized everyone's attention.
Ritsuka Fujimaru and Mash instinctively moved closer to the console, bracing their hands against it as they leaned forward to peer through the glass. "A twin‑headed eagle? The Holy Roman Empire?"
At that, everyone present exchanged glances.
That shouldn't be the case. Even the Uruk Singularity—where the Age of Gods had not yet fully receded—had already been restored. What use would there be in Lev seizing a twin‑headed eagle–styled holy relic to create another Singularity and make a futile last stand?
Something was off.
"However, what's strange is that the history here hasn't been distorted, nor is there any sign of a Singularity forming. Lev seems to have only stayed briefly, taken the item, and then left this timeline," Da Vinci said, turning her head toward Doctor Roman.
"Lev never acts without purpose. He's highly goal‑oriented. There must be something in this timeline that attracted him. That twin‑headed eagle statue gives me a very bad feeling."
Seated upright before the computer desk, Roman said, "Continue tracking."
Nodding, Da Vinci resumed operating CHALDEAS.
Just as before, Lev made no attempt to conceal his movements.
"Coordinates: Year 2004, Japan..."
Da Vinci locked onto Lev's approximate position.
"This location is... Fuyuki City?"
Fuyuki City again?!
"Fuyuki City's Fifth Holy Grail War..." Doctor Roman sighed faintly, an unreadable depth surfacing in his emerald‑green eyes.
"A beginning and an end. Is this the place he has chosen for his final battle?"
Ritsuka Fujimaru's expression shifted slightly. Unaware of Roman's true thoughts, he instinctively recalled his own first experience with Spiritron Transfer.
After all, his path as a Master had begun there.
That city engulfed in tainted flames. "Fuyuki City..."
Da Vinci's gaze moved back and forth between Ritsuka and Roman with evident interest.
Just then, Mash's startled cry pulled everyone back to reality.
"What is that?"
If observation of the physical universe still appeared normal for the moment, then from the mystical perspective of Imaginary Space, this timeline chosen by Lev was anything but. In the Eastern Hemisphere, along the western shores of the Pacific Ocean, at the coastline of the Japanese archipelago, an unusual radiance was beginning to shine.
Though it should have been nighttime in Fuyuki City, under mystical observation it now appeared as bright as day.
Above Fuyuki City, like a violet‑crimson meteor trailing a long arc, something descended into the outskirts.
The fluctuation of that unknown energy was unmistakable to everyone present—it originated from the "holy relic" Lev had stolen.
Soon, CHALDEAS seemed to sense something as well and began to undergo rapid changes.
Blotches of violet‑crimson corruption spread across the surface of the spherical model, as though intent on devouring everything.
Gradually, vast portions of the enormous sphere were engulfed by that violet‑crimson light, as if the entire planet were burning.
"Senpai, that energy feels so oppressive. Cruelty, arrogance, coldness, and brutality—it's like a mountain of corpses and a sea of blood. The being Professor Lev intends to summon is definitely not a hero!"
Influenced by the noble Saint Graph within her—the perfect knight, the pure hero, the selfless human—Mash was especially sensitive to the intense and domineering desire emanating from that presence.
"Fou~ fouu!" Fou lifted its head and cried out as well, seemingly echoing Mash's words.
"..."
"Doctor Roman, Da Vinci‑chan, let's prepare for transfer."
It was Ritsuka who finally broke the silence. There was no fear in the boy's eyes. "We've overcome seven trials already. Just one final step remains before we can restore Human Order!"
"See? I knew it. If we told him, he'd immediately start clamoring to set out again," Roman said with a helpless shake of his head.
As expected, Da Vinci chuckled softly. She had known this would be the outcome.
"Fujimaru, Mash, make sure you come back alive," Roman couldn't help but remind them, his gaze shifting between the two.
Watching their departing figures as they left to prepare, Doctor Roman's expression was anything but optimistic. A deep sigh escaped him. "Sigh..."
...
Year 2004, Britain—at the headquarters of the Mage's Association, known as the Clock Tower.
Using the British Museum in London as its base, this was a gathering place for those who fancied themselves unrivaled within the long history of magecraft, as well as ambitious magi from all over the world.
In the dim, empty room, the sense of distance was strangely distorted. It appeared impossibly spacious, yet at the same time oppressively narrow.
"Lord El‑Melloi II, what is your opinion?"
Seated behind a glossy, art‑like heavy wooden desk, a small elderly man with a ramrod‑straight back broke the silence.
Under the old man's aged gaze, the man before him wore his long hair loosely, his gaunt face creased in displeasure.
"Who issued the order?"
Letting out a hoarse laugh like that of a night owl, the old man raised a withered, wood‑like finger and pointed toward the ceiling. "Above."
"II, you participated in Fuyuki City's Fourth Holy Grail War, didn't you?"
"Heh..."
Lighting the cigarette between his fingers with a candle flame, the man addressed as Lord El‑Melloi II set down the documents in his hand and slowly exhaled a ring of smoke.
There were few beings who could be referred to as "above" by the Head of the Summoning Department, Lord Lock Bellfame, one of the Twelve Lords. Could it be one of the Magicians who wielded the Five True Magics?
"What do you require of me?"
"Investigate Fuyuki City's Holy Grail War..."
...
At this moment, the eye of the storm—Fuyuki City.
Under the night sky, based on a consensus with no real binding force, the Fifth Holy Grail War's Lancer dispelled his spirit form and manifested his favored blue battle attire. Resting his crimson spear upon his shoulder, he crouched atop a high‑rise building in Fuyuki's new district, surveying the surroundings.
Until a massive surge of summoning mana jolted him alert.
"Heh! What third‑rate amateur magus is that? Performing a summoning ritual without even setting up a barrier?"
The blue spearman shot forward like lightning, charging toward the completely unguarded magus.
Tonight, he would personally cure these modern magi of their magecraft addiction.
In an instant, he crossed the city and arrived at a forest park. The figure in green was already in sight.
Still carving a magic circle... hm? That ruthless? Directly cutting his own artery?
The moment Lancer landed, he saw the man in the green top hat slash open his arm artery without hesitation. Blood fell like rain, scattering like petals at the close of a stage performance.
Either a fool or a monster. No time to linger.
Just as he prepared to launch a thrown spear attack from a distance, a frenzied roar rang out:
"Descend!"
Bzzz—!
Under the pillar of summoning light that shot skyward, the Celtic hound's expression froze in shock.
What the hell? That's your entire summoning chant? That perfunctory? Do you even know how to summon a Servant? If a Heroic Spirit actually responds to that, I'll—
In the next instant, Lancer's vision blurred.
"Ki—"
BOOM!"