"Ah?"
The red-haired, brown-eyed boy scratched the back of his head awkwardly. "According to what the priest said, I should be the last Master."
"That means..."
Looking at the forest park that resembled a demolition site, Tohsaka Rin fell silent for a moment. Then she suddenly grabbed one of her twin tails in frustration, stomping hard on the ground with her small leather shoes as the black ribbons bounced wildly.
"How annoying!"
"Why am I so unlucky? I finally get to participate in a Holy Grail War, and first the clock at home breaks, I fail to summon Saber, and by some twist of fate I end up summoning Archer—this old man instead!"
"I'd barely stepped out of the church before I got into a pointless fight with that little Einzbern girl's Berserker. Then when she sensed a new surge of powerful mana, she had the nerve to act all high and mighty and say she'd let me off! How irritating!"
"Out of responsibility as a member of the Tohsaka family to Fuyuki City, I ran all the way here to investigate—and what do I find? An illegal summoning! That's outright cheating!"
"Arghhh—!"
"Um... Tohsaka..."
Emiya Shirou wiped at his brow awkwardly. Even though he had received a basic explanation about the Holy Grail War, magi, Servants, and the Master-Servant relationship from the priest Kirei Kotomine at the Shinto Church, he still could not quite follow Rin's tirade.
"Tohsaka... um, could you explain..."
He tried calling her several times, but she ignored him completely, lost in her own world as she muttered guesses and speculation under her breath.
"The more I think about it, the more unwilling I am to accept this! Why did you get ahead of me, Emiya? If I were Saber's Master, even if someone tried an illegal summoning like the Einzberns did in the Third Holy Grail War, I'd still have the victory in the bag!"
To be fair, before revealing his true nature, Kirei Kotomine—Rin's guardian and senior disciple—had indeed been responsible enough. He had taught her everything he knew about magecraft, even instructing her in a powerful form of self-defense—Bajiquan—while also educating her about previous Holy Grail Wars.
Of course, it was entirely possible that Kirei Kotomine, being the kind of man who delighted in twisted amusement, had done so with some hidden motive.
"Hey now, Master. I may not be as strong as Saber, but do you really have to sound so disappointed in me?"
As if responding to Rin's complaints, the air behind her distorted. A tall, muscular Archer clad in red-and-black attire manifested, shaking his head with a helpless sigh.
"Hmph!"
Rin snapped out of her frustration and let out a light snort.
Archer: "..."
With practiced elegance, she brushed her hair back and crossed her arms, turning to the confused Shirou.
"Emiya, what's your question?"
"Tohsaka... about that illegal summoning and cheating... is it possible for people like us to cooperate instead?"
"Ha?"
Placing one hand on her hip, Rin leaned forward, frowning deeply.
"Emiya, are you pretending to be clueless or are you really this dense? Did you even listen to what that fake priest said? Wasn't the lesson from that Einzbern girl enough?"
The so-called 'fake priest' Rin referred to—Kirei Kotomine—belonged to the Holy Church as an Executor of the Eighth Sacrament. At the same time, he had been dispatched to the Mage's Association.
Because the Church rejected heresy, legitimate priests were forbidden from using magecraft.
To the faithful of the Holy Church, magecraft was a heretical practice that should not be learned. Only when its form was altered into Church-style thaumaturgy—such as baptismal rites—was it permitted.
Thus, in Rin's eyes, Kirei Kotomine, who had studied alchemy, spirit evocation, summoning, and divination under her father Tohsaka Tokiomi, was hardly a proper priest at all—hence, a fake priest.
"This is a fight to the death, not child's play! Masters are driven by their desires—they'll kill indiscriminately if it serves their goals! Were you even listening to me?"
"..."
Seeing that Shirou still seemed hesitant, Rin let out a faint, barely noticeable sigh.
Just as I thought...
His idealistic way of thinking really gave her a headache.
Strictly speaking, she had taken him to the church only because his status as a participant had not yet been confirmed at the time, so he had not counted as an enemy. But now that the war had officially begun, they should naturally return to being enemies.
And yet...
Emiya really was naive as a Master. Did he honestly think that just because she had brought him to the church out of goodwill, she held no hostility toward him? Did he think most Masters were that kind? Was he not worried that she might kill him and seize control of Saber?
He showed no sense of caution at all.
"Honestly! If you don't change your mindset, you and Saber will be eliminated sooner or later in this Holy Grail War!"
"Look around you. This is the kind of destruction Servants can cause with just their fists and kicks. If you don't want to die, then from now on, you'd better stay on your guard."
"Listen carefully—the Holy Grail War has only one winner!"
Shirou froze for a moment before muttering, "If you want to win the Holy Grail War, Tohsaka, I can help you. You can have the Grail. I'm not interested in it..."
Rin snorted and turned her head away.
"I don't need that. I hate owing people favors."
Shirou let out a small sound and suddenly smiled.
"You're stubborn in the strangest places, Tohsaka."
"But like you said, I don't like owing people favors either. You saved me. And you were the one who brought me to the Shinto Church so I could understand the Holy Grail War."
"If possible, I'd like to repay you. And compared to other Masters who might be truly evil, I think it's more appropriate for someone like you to have the Grail."
He smiled warmly, speaking with complete sincerity.
"I like people like you."
"W-What?! Idiot!! What are you suddenly saying? Do I look like someone who takes advantage of that?"
Rin's face flushed instantly.
"Even if you flatter me, I won't go easy on you!"
"Fists... spear blade."
Ignoring his flustered Master, Archer crouched down, running a hand lightly over the ruined forest park. His eyes narrowed.
"Tohsaka, what happened here...?"
Not long after Lev's group had departed, a young man and woman finally arrived, breathing heavily. Aside from the forest park looking as though a demolition crew had swept through it, no one else was present.
"That's... a summoning circle? And this is... human blood? It's still fresh... No, wait!"
"Emiya, wasn't the Saber you summoned supposed to be the seventh and final Servant?!"
Judging from the destruction at the scene, most of it was physical damage. Aside from the clean cuts left by bladed weapons, the majority of the impact marks formed spiderweb-like, sunken circular craters.
"One side was Lancer. As for the other..." Archer narrowed his eyes slightly. "Based on the attack methods, it resembles a Berserker-type Servant. Lancer was injured..."
Looking at the humanoid crater at the end of the fractured trench carved out by overwhelming force, Archer formed a tentative conclusion.
"It doesn't look like an ambush. Lancer's opponent was extremely strong. In a short close-quarters exchange, they managed to heavily wound him."
The petite blonde knight stepped forward as well, her expression solemn as she surveyed the shattered surroundings.
"Tohsaka, should we report this situation to Father Kotomine?"
"No need! That fake priest definitely has his own methods of observing battles between Servants," Rin replied matter-of-factly.
"With that time, we might as well finalize our strategy with Saber. The killing has only just begun."
She answered decisively before turning.
"Emiya, let's go. Dismiss the People-Clearing Field. City Hall and the Church will have plenty to deal with."
"Oh... right."
Soon after, firefighters and patrol officers arrived, sealing off the entire forest park. They were utterly baffled by the instructions from above.
Gas explosion?
...
At that moment, Shinto Church.
Within the vast cathedral, not a single candle burned. Compared to the sacred, exorcising aura typical of churches, this one located near Shinto Station in Fuyuki felt especially dark and oppressive.
"All living beings are led astray by desire."
"Falsehood and deceit are the sins of man."
Bathed in moonlight, the tall priest stood in the aisle between the confessionals, holding a Holy Testament annotated with divine teachings. His voice was low, carrying an indescribable strangeness.
"Hmph. You're smiling, Father."
"That sort of smile isn't meant to be shown in public. Wearing such a shameless grin would surely disappoint your God."
Half-lidding his eyes, the blond young man slouched irreverently against a confessional, his posture utterly blasphemous for a believer. He shifted his gaze away from the familiar's surveillance feed displaying the Servant battle in Fuyuki Central Park and glanced at Kirei Kotomine.
"Well, Kirei? Who would have thought a cheater would appear in this Holy Grail War? How delightful."
Swirling the red wine in his glass, he spoke as if he had discovered an entertaining new toy.
"I'm quite curious to see what this Holy Grail War will ultimately become."
"Oh? Are you planning to intervene?"
"No." The man shook his head. "I'd rather first understand that man who conducted the illegal summoning. There's something peculiar about him."
To him, although Lev's presence felt fascinating and deeply alluring—so much so that he was eager to unravel the mystery—the man restrained himself. At present, he pursued only pleasure. Matters like this were meant to be savored slowly. There was no need to rush.
Within the Gate of Babylon lay countless prototypes of Noble Phantasms that could easily reveal everything about Lev. But that would be dull. It would not amuse him enough. Wouldn't you agree?
"No matter how many mongrels gather, they remain mongrels. There's no need to concern ourselves."
...
Fuyuki City, Matou Residence.
In a castle-like chamber deep within the Western-style mansion, Sakura Matou, the eldest daughter of the Matou family, rose to draw the curtains of her bedroom. Tonight, she could not sleep.
As the Holy Grail War approached, her sleep had grown heavy as lead—dreamless, yet exhausting. Each time she awoke, she felt more drained than before she had gone to bed.
But that was still better. Because whenever she did dream, it was always tied to the deepest fears in her heart.
Awake or asleep, all she saw were images of her uncle and Berserker from the past—their smiles directed at her, their careful consideration for her sake, their reckless battles.
In the end, it had all turned to bubbles. Only her uncle's pale face remained, dragging his battered, blood-soaked body as he bid her farewell for the last time.
Sometimes, truly, she wished she were an ordinary person. Without talent for magecraft. Even if she were deaf, blind, or crippled—it would be fine. But she wasn't...
Thinking back to those days, she would wake crying, cry until she fell asleep from exhaustion.
When she could not sleep, she curled beneath her blankets, trembling in grief and despair until numbness consumed her.
Unconsciously, Sakura Matou recalled the young Servant who had cherished and protected her—a girl dressed in a pale pink dress, with long pink twin tails and pink eyes.
Though summoned as a Berserker, she had forcibly retained her sanity. With the slender body of an underage girl, she had accomplished the feats of a Heroic Spirit.
Sakura did not know what the girl had endured in life.
Her final memory was the promise she had made before seeking to obtain the omnipotent wish-granting machine—the Holy Grail.
"Sakura, I promise. I will eradicate tyranny. Children like you—and like me—will never again suffer such treatment or discrimination."
Though she had ultimately failed to keep that promise...
"Mine... Onee-chan... Sakura doesn't blame you."
"The Holy Grail War..."
...
Miyama Town, Ryuudou Temple.
The temple was not small. At this hour before dawn, it carried an eerie atmosphere.
Whoosh!
With a surge of air, Lev's figure descended, clad in a green overcoat. A ripple of spirit particles spread outward as Fu Hua, Kiana, Durandal, and the others manifested one after another.
"So this is Servant spirit form? Pretty convenient."
Stretching out her hand, Li Sushang curiously switched back and forth between spirit form and materialization as she observed her gradually solidifying right hand.
"It's convenient, yes—but the restrictions are severe. The weakening of power is far too obvious." Durandal clenched her fist, compressing a burst of force, and remarked thoughtfully.
"Enough. Valkyries of the God-Empress, let us begin—Her Majesty's descent ritual!"
Spreading his arms wide with a violent grin, Lev ascended the stone steps slowly, as if savoring the ceremonial gravity of the moment. Soon, a massive temple gate came into view at the top of the staircase.
Leaning against it was a handsome man dressed in an old-style purple kimono. His long dark-blue hair was tied into a low ponytail, a twig held casually between his lips. In his arms rested a katana nearly one and a half meters long. It seemed he had been waiting for quite some time.
"May I ask what business brings you here so late at ni—"
"Who wants him?"
Glancing at the man, Fu Hua rested one hand on her chin and adjusted her red-framed glasses with the other. A sharp glint flashed across the lenses.
"I'll take him."
In the next instant—
Clang!
Without granting her opponent the slightest chance for further words, Raiden Mei's killing intent locked onto the gatekeeper instantly. A blade of lightning-wreathed brilliance pierced forward in a thunderous thrust, aimed straight at his brow.
Boom!