Fuyuki City, Ryuudou Temple.
As the stronghold established by Caster, the surroundings of Ryuudou Temple were layered with magical barriers. Anyone who stepped inside would immediately notice that even the air itself had grown heavy.
Deep within the lush mountain forest, where flies and mosquitoes should have been everywhere, not a single insect could be seen. The absence was eerily absolute.
Inside a silent room, a gloomy man dressed in a black suit and wearing rimless glasses knelt on a tatami mat, staring at his coarse palms. The engraved circuits left behind by reinforcement magecraft glowed faintly in the darkness.
Two calligraphy scrolls hung on the walls. Directly facing the door were neatly arranged bedding, a low table, and folded quilts. Aside from these, the room contained nothing else. Minimalism taken to its extreme.
"Souichirou-sama, I am deeply sorry. This Holy Grail War has developed in an unexpected direction."
With a faint rustling sound, as though purple butterflies had gathered in a swarm, Caster appeared before the gloomy man through a spatial transfer ritual.
The contrast was striking.
This witch, shrouded in an ominous aura, clad in an indigo hooded cloak and violet robes that concealed her entire body except for her sensuous, dark-purple lips beneath the hood—like a poisonous poppy in full bloom—spoke in a voice so sweet it was almost cloying.
"Unexpected?" The man called Souichirou lifted his head, speaking in short, stiff tones.
"Another Servant summoning a Servant?"
Recalling how Caster had exploited a loophole in the Holy Grail War system with her magecraft surpassing modern magi, using the temple gate as a vessel to illegally summon Assassin, he asked plainly.
"No. It is worse than that."
Caster shook her head. Then she tilted it back slightly and removed her hood, revealing pointed ears clearly distinct from ordinary humans, a dignified and beautiful face, and long blue hair cascading over her shoulders. A playful braid rested by her left ear.
"Souichirou-sama, in addition to the proper seven Servants, a new magus has entered the war. He has openly shattered the rules of the Holy Grail War and forcibly summoned multiple Servants."
"Lancer appeared and engaged one of them in battle. He was defeated... If Lancer's Master had not used a Command Spell to recall him, he would likely have been eliminated already."
At the mention of Lancer, Caster paused. Her tone wavered, and unmistakable wariness surfaced in her blue eyes.
Though she disliked admitting it, she truly feared Lancer, Cú Chulainn. He had nearly forced her from the field once.
In a certain sense, it was thanks to Lancer that she had been discovered by Souichirou at the foot of Mount Enzou and brought to Ryuudou Temple, where they met and formed a Servant contract.
"Souichirou-sama, under these circumstances, I believe we should form an alli—"
Suddenly, Caster jerked her head up. She had only just settled into a kneeling posture when she instantly rose.
"A Servant's mana signature?! They're already on the steps. One, two, three... Damn it! It's them!"
"Is their target me... or the leyline nexus beneath Ryuudou Temple?"
Her expression darkened instantly.
Then—
Boom!
A thunderous explosion erupted from the temple gate. The building trembled violently.
"I can only hope that Assassin holds them off for a while."
With that uneasy thought, Caster manifested her staff.
"Souichirou-sama, please ensure your safety. If anything goes wrong, leave immediately."
With those words, her body dissolved into spirit particles.
Temple Gate.
Crack!
Assassin had not even finished speaking before a long blade wreathed in lightning slashed toward him. The Servant clad in white fabric and red-black armor, her trailing skirt armor reflecting an ominous violet glow, clearly had no interest in conversation.
He reflexively drew his blade, Monohoshizao, crossing it before him to block.
Clang!
Sparks burst high into the air as steel met steel. Assassin's body bent under the force, his expression shifting.
No. I can't meet her head-on.
From the very first exchange, he understood. This Servant who commanded lightning far surpassed him in raw strength.
The blade wind followed immediately. With a piercing metallic shriek, Assassin knocked aside Raiden Mei's sword with all his might. Twisting his wrist, he transformed a thrust into a sweeping slash aimed directly at her pale neck. Every strike targeted vital points.
Facing such precise and vicious angles, Raiden Mei showed no sign of yielding. Relying on her superior strength and the overwhelming surge of Mana Burst, she repeatedly stalled Assassin's attacks. Her blade flashed, carving countless gouges into the stone ground.
Clang! Clang! Clang!
In mere seconds, dozens of exchanges rang out. The terrifying force generated successive sonic booms in the surrounding air. Each burst of dispersing pressure left deep craters in the stone steps.
The sheer leakage of brute strength caused cracks to spread across the hard blue stone slabs.
Slash!
Blood blossomed across Assassin's arms and cheek in rapid succession. Compared to Raiden Mei's steady condition, he was already faltering. Blood seeped from the torn skin of his palms where he gripped his sword.
Bang!
With a sudden strike, Raiden Mei forced Assassin backward.
She shook her head.
In the end, you're only an Assassin... You're not enough.
Seeing her halt her assault, Assassin used the momentum to withdraw over ten meters. He spun his blade in a flourish to ease the trembling in his arms and the numb sting in his palms, then lowered his stance.
"You're somewhat lacking."
Raiden Mei spoke calmly. Lightning flickered within her violet-red eyes, carrying a faint trace of dissatisfaction.
After being summoned by Lev and receiving knowledge through the Servant summoning system, she naturally understood that Heroic Spirits were figures whose names were recorded in history.
She had assumed the gatekeeper would be formidable. She had immediately drawn her Noble Phantasm, Domain of Sanction, and even activated Mana Burst (Lightning).
And after the clash?
So you're just flashy but fragile.
Indeed, this Servant dressed in ancient kimono was a renowned Japanese swordsman recorded in history, peerless in swordsmanship.
Raiden Mei was well aware that the Hokushin Itto-ryu passed down in her family could not yet rival Heroic Spirits who had devoted their entire lives to perfecting the art of killing.
But...
His strength and endurance were too low. And he lacked Mana Burst.
After following Theresa in rebelling against Schicksal and facing the helplessness of confronting the rampaging Kiana as the Herrscher of the Void... then pursuing her across continents... and later experiencing that brief, utterly crushing exchange against the Empire's Great General Budo...
Raiden Mei had come to understand a truth.
Techniques like Hokushin Itto-ryu have limits. Their ceiling depends entirely on the rise and fall of one's physical abilities. After becoming a Herrscher, the release level of Honkai energy is what truly matters.
Technique is forever the icing on the cake. It can never become the foundation.
Just like Assassin.
Agility A+. Yes, impressive. But your Strength is only C. Your Endurance and Mana are both E.
With such base parameters, even if you possess Skill Rank: A | Mind's Eye (False); Rank: B+ | Presence Concealment; Rank: B → B++ | Tsubame Gaeshi Insights—these so-called technique-based Personal Skills...
Are they strong?
Strong. Undeniably strong.
Without deploying high-destruction, wide-area Noble Phantasms, without activating Mana Burst, against opponents with similar base parameters—or those lacking overwhelmingly superior fundamentals—Assassin would be extraordinarily powerful.
Are they weak?
Weak. Very weak.
A poor Noble Phantasm. Low base parameters. Insufficient mana. Against Servants with Mana Burst and high-destruction, large-area attacks, Assassin is extremely fragile.
Against even slightly stronger Heroic Spirits, a properly tailored battle plan could achieve an instant kill.
And unfortunately for him, Raiden Mei was precisely the type he least wished to encounter.
Boom!
Raiden Mei stomped the ground fiercely. The immense force fractured the earth into a spiderweb of cracks. Scarlet lightning erupted violently before her.
"Lightning Flash!"
Thunder roared as smoke and debris surged upward. Assassin's so-called premonition—his Mind's Eye (False), that sixth sense—screamed wildly.
He wanted to dodge. But as he looked at the massive pillar of lightning engulfing the entire temple gate, he understood.
His superb swordsmanship might be utterly meaningless here.
Even with Agility A+, his movement range was restricted to the vicinity of Ryuudou Temple's gate. He could not flee. He could not escape.
Boom—!
Blinding sparks exploded outward. Assassin's arm twisted grotesquely. The flesh of his palm burst open.
Crack!
With a deafening crash, the entire gate—including the torii—shattered.
Amid the swirling dust, his charred, blurred silhouette was sent flying, carving a furrow across the solid ground as if plowed by force.
Then he slammed straight into the main shrine of Ryuudou Temple, piercing through the central beam. The entire structure collapsed like dominoes in a cascading chain reaction.
Whoosh!
Crackling lightning danced in the air as Raiden Mei stepped out from the dust stirred by battle. She grasped Domain of Sanction and swept it sharply. The surrounding debris was blown away.
Clap! Clap! Clap!
"As expected of the God-Empress' retainers. Eliminating a Servant in less than half a minute—please accept my heartfelt praise. I can scarcely imagine how dazzling Her Majesty must be. I can hardly wait."
With exaggerated theatrics, Lev removed his green top hat and bowed, sounding utterly sincere in his admiration.
"Master, you flatter me," Raiden Mei replied with a composed bow.
"Well then. One complete. Five remain. The revival of the Age of Gods begins here!"
Stepping fully onto the grounds of Ryuudou Temple, Lev spread his arms wide and roared in exhilaration.
As Lev led Durandal, Kiana, Raiden Mei, and the others brazenly into Caster's barrier, a woman's voice echoed from the residential quarters of the temple.
"That gatekeeper Assassin couldn't even last half a minute."
Caster, wrapped tightly in her robes, floated in midair as though freed from gravity. The grand thaumaturgical formula of the Age of Gods radiated blinding violet light, expanding outward in rippling waves. The air grew tense, poised on the edge of violence.
"To mobilize Servants on such a scale merely to suppress this little woman for an illegal summoning—I am truly honored."
"Not at all. For the infamous Witch of Betrayal, Medea, no amount of seriousness is excessive."
Lev's sarcasm was razor-sharp. The moment her True Name was exposed and the word "witch" repeated so casually, Caster Medea's entire body trembled with surging mana.
Beneath her hood, the corner of her lips tightened. The half of her face visible twisted faintly. The hatred was unmistakable.
Suppressing it with visible effort, Medea forced her voice out through clenched teeth.
"Unknown magus... I can hand Assassin over to you. We can even sign a contract. I do not require the Holy Grail..."
"Heh. Witch of Betrayal—that is your title. Who would believe a single word you say?"
With his hands clasped behind his head and a blade of grass dangling from his mouth from who-knows-where, Senti clicked his tongue, deliberately reopening old wounds.
"If you ask me, enough talk. Capture her. Memory reading, mental control—either works. Her workshop can still be put to use."
"You—"
Durandal narrowed her eyes slightly.
Caster was putting on a fierce front, but she was too obviously bluffing.
"Caster is afraid. Just now, her line of sight toward the house shifted four times."
"Caster... they are enemies, correct?"
At that moment, the gloomy man in a black suit pushed open the door and stepped out.
Seeing this, Medea moved like a mother hen shielding her chick. In a flash that seemed to exceed the limits of her class, she stood before him.
"Souichirou-sama, I warned you. If enemies invade, you must not risk yourself. Please retreat to safety immediately."
Despite the overwhelming enemies surrounding her, her voice toward her Master overflowed with unconcealed tenderness and concern.
"No. I do not wish to choose escape."
The man removed his glasses and assumed a ready stance.
"Oh? That posture... looks a bit like Snake Fist?"
Watching an ordinary human calmly approach while taking a fighting stance, Senti gave a villainous chuckle. He squinted at the nameplate still pinned to the man's chest.
"Homurahara Academy... Souichirou Kuzuki."
"A teacher?"
Senti laughed lightly. Then his gaze sharpened. Powerful mana surged outward like tangible pressure, forcing a muffled groan from Souichirou Kuzuki.
"Let this Immortal test just how much weight your Snake Fist carries!"
Thud!
"Souichirou-sama, be careful!"
Medea tried to move to assist—but Fu Hua and Raiden Mei were already upon her.
Not far away, the blonde Valkyrie clad in silver-white armor locked onto her completely.
Caster Medea felt despair.
"No! Don't!"
"I surrender! Do not harm Souichirou-sama!"
"As long as Souichirou-sama lives, I am willing to give anything!"