As the sun sank in the west, Homurahara Academy was bathed in the afterglow of dusk. Golden tassels of light poured down from the green tiles along the window eaves.
The evening breeze carried waves of faint floral fragrance, refreshing the mind and making the beauty of the sunset all the more poignant.
Students who had finished their club activities walked out of the campus in small groups. The gentle sunset glow fell upon them, highlighting their youthful vitality.
But at this moment, Shirou Emiya had no mood to appreciate the scenery. The appearance of a new group of Holy Grail War participants left him with no room for anything else. All he wanted was for these students to hurry and leave this place of impending disaster.
Unable even to guarantee his own safety, yet constantly worrying about the safety of others—ridiculous, completely unlike the selfish creatures known as magi, yet entirely like Shirou Emiya.
When the laughter of the students after school gradually faded into the distance and finally disappeared, at the shoe locker entrance of the school building, Durandal beside Rita withdrew her gaze and looked toward the red-haired boy whose nerves were stretched taut.
"Shirou Emiya, correct?"
"The area has been cleared. Let us begin... the battle between Servants for the Holy Grail."
"Huh? Miss Ataegina, what are you talking about... mmph..."
As the only ordinary person still in the school at this moment, Ayako Mitsuzuri, dressed in black shoulder guards and a simple kyūdō uniform, spoke in confusion—only to suddenly feel darkness close in before her eyes.
A violent mental shock accompanied by an overwhelming wave of drowsiness made her head spin. She collapsed to the ground.
"Mitsuzuri!"
Shirou Emiya cried out and rushed forward, catching Ayako Mitsuzuri just as she was about to fall stiffly and strike her head against the floor. A trace of self-reproach flashed through his brown eyes.
So an innocent person was dragged into this after all...
"Relax. She will not die. She is fine. I merely made her sleep for a while."
Lowering her hand, Durandal frowned slightly as she observed the utterly amateurish behavior of the student Master before her. A faint glow shimmered in her cold blue eyes.
There should be no mistake. Although the magical energy was weak, she had indeed sensed fluctuations of prana from him.
At the same time, she had detected multiple magical energy sources across several buildings of this school—suspected activation nodes of magical arrays.
There was another Servant hiding here.
Was it the Servant of that half-baked magus called Shinji Matou, who had left midway earlier?
Durandal made her judgment.
Though they had interacted for less than a day, she had already gauged the foundations of the two young Masters fairly well.
Undoubtedly, Shirou Emiya left her with a decent impression. Somewhat like Kiana—cheerful on the outside, a hopelessly good person who loved helping others. That much was evident from the way the students treated him.
As for Shinji Matou... well, her first impression had been terrible. A playboy who looked utterly drained, wearing a gloomy face and repeatedly letting out low, unpleasant chuckles.
A magic array that drained the life force within a bounded field and converted it into magical energy—it was obviously the latter's handiwork.
"I will say this once. Hand over control of your Servant, or use a Command Spell to order them to commit suicide."
"Only then might you survive." With the intention of resolving matters peacefully and avoiding unnecessary combat, Durandal extended her hand and offered one final warning to the two before her.
As Durandal spoke, the Imperial Auxilia officer who had taken the place of Kuzuki Souichirou under the pretext of a "car accident hospitalization" no longer bothered maintaining his disguise. He stepped forward in a display of intimidation.
Boom—crack!
With a thunderous impact, the polished wooden floor shattered into dense cracks. Nearby shoe lockers toppled in an instant.
"Lady Durandal, this situation is far simpler than we anticipated in our original plan."
He had even gone to the trouble of fabricating an identity to infiltrate and observe discreetly for a period of time. Now it seemed entirely unnecessary.
He had overestimated the participants of this Holy Grail War.
"Magi—I thought they would be formidable figures. Instead, no vigilance, no defensive measures, no backup contingency plans. This Holy Grail War is like a children's game."
Tearing away his gentle facade, his expression became ferocious—contemptuous and furious, enough to send chills down one's spine.
"Why must we fight, Miss Ataegina? I have absolutely no interest in the Holy Grail War!"
"If you want the Holy Grail, we can cooperate. After eliminating those villains who harm innocent civilians, you may have the Grail. Why not?"
Gently laying the unconscious Ayako Mitsuzuri down and propping her against the corner of the wall, Shirou Emiya rose and continued to argue his case.
"How do you know I am not one of those villains you speak of?"
"Though abrupt, a person's words and actions reveal their character. Miss Ataegina, you are a knight of upright righteousness—I can feel that. You could have ambushed me directly, or ignored the lives of ordinary people and killed me on the spot, but you did not."
To be honest, when Shirou Emiya encountered Durandal and her Master-servant pair that morning, his heart had pounded violently. He had thought it was over and had already prepared to use a Command Spell to summon Saber from home.
Yet Durandal had not attacked. After merely observing him, she had chosen to continue touring Homurahara Academy.
That had allowed Shirou Emiya to breathe a sigh of relief. He concluded Durandal must be a good magus. Without even summoning Saber, he had eagerly run up to Durandal and offered himself as a tour guide, repeatedly mentioning his lack of interest in the Holy Grail.
Yes—such actions were very Shirou Emiya.
At the time, not only Durandal but even Rita had been stunned. Were you idealistic, or simply foolish? Weren't you afraid we might suddenly attack? That was naïveté taken too far.
Of course, Rita had quietly complained to Durandal that the boy's purity and consistency made her feel somewhat ashamed. Scheming against him felt rather uncomfortable.
"You chose a fair duel without involving others. That alone proves that you are fundamentally different from those magi who toy with lives and steal the life force of innocents to obtain magical energy—"
"Give it a rest, Emiya! I have no idea how that wooden head of yours ended up becoming Saber's Master, but watch carefully. I'll teach you what a true magus looks like!"
From the shadows emerged a figure whose face habitually carried mockery and frivolity—yet now it was twisted with mania.
"Shinji? Why are you back?! It's dangerous—leave!"
"Oh my, it seems this Mr. Matou... Seaweed Head has concealed himself quite well. Mr. Emiya truly failed to notice that he, too, is a participant in this Holy Grail War?"
Rita could not help but let out a soft, tinkling laugh.
"Don't call me Seaweed Head, you bitch! Can't you see I'm speaking to your master? A servant should know her place!"
Crack!
The floor tiles beneath Durandal's feet exploded instantly.
"There is no need for anger, Lady Durandal."
Rita was not enraged. On the contrary, she held back the visibly dangerous-looking Durandal, gazing at the reckless boy's exaggerated expression. Covering her mouth, she narrowed her eyes. A trace of killing intent flashed through her wine-red pupils.
"You clearly escaped, yet you deliberately returned. A magus without even a single Magic Circuit—what gave you the courage to stand before us?"
"What did you say?! You bitch! I'll slaughter you!" Shinji Matou's face instantly twisted with ferocity.
Born into a magus family yet possessing not a shred of talent—not even a single Magic Circuit—this had always been his deepest sore spot.
"I'll rape you first and then—ah!"
Overwhelming killing intent spread like a tide of frigid stillness, locking onto Shinji Matou in an instant.
Bzzt!
The next moment, with a crisp clang!, Shinji Matou's venomous shout was forcibly cut short—turning into a shrill scream as a streak of icy light swept past his neck at blinding speed.
A rapid series of metallic clatter-clatter sounds followed as a black, thorn-like dagger abruptly manifested in midair, deflecting the energy slash aimed at Shinji Matou's throat.
"Rider! Why are you only showing up now?! I almost died!"
Startled so badly he fell flat onto his backside, the foolish expression born of fear had not yet faded. Yet the moment he realized he had someone to rely on, Shinji Matou immediately regained his arrogance.
"..."
The newcomer remained silent.
A woman clad in a black short outfit, with mesmerizing purple hair that flowed past her knees. In each hand she held a short blade connected to chains tipped with vicious spikes.
Her exquisite figure stood quietly, steeped in an icy aura. Paired with the snake-shaped blindfold across her eyes, she radiated an indescribable, dangerous allure.
"Oh my," Rita exclaimed lightly. "To have a Master who is trash among trash, scum among scum... Rider, I almost pity you."
As she spoke, the Argent Knight · Artemis battlesuit manifested over her body. Skadi Ondurgud materialized in her grasp, and she lunged forward in an instant!
Boom!
Rita unleashed a merciless, razor-sharp slash at Rider.
Boom!!
The clash of Servants erupted with a sudden explosion of blazing sparks, fragments of the building bursting outward in every direction.
The seaweed-haired fool, sprawled on the ground, was violently blasted more than ten meters away. He tumbled repeatedly before finally slamming into a wall and coming to a stop.
"Bastard! Rider, kill her!"
Whoosh—!
The frost-laden blade carved through the air. The building was left in shambles, gouged with countless blade marks that spread outward like a spiraling storm of razors.
Seeing this, Rider focused with absolute intensity, not daring to relax for even a moment.
Without hesitation, she swung her short blades toward the joint between the scythe's shaft and blade. Her black thigh-high boots flickered up and down as chains glowing faintly with demonic light revealed themselves under her assault.
The chains flickered in and out of visibility. They could restrict the opponent's movement trajectory and also allowed rapid repositioning like a three-dimensional maneuver device.
Rider's Agility was high. Her body was supple like a serpent, weaving fluidly through corridors and classrooms like a divine-age venomous snake hunting its prey.
Clang! Bam! Clang!
After another collision, Rider borrowed the force to leap backward gracefully, her long hair flowing behind her. Kicking hard against the wall to shift position, she yanked the chains in her hands.
A long, spiked chain tightened instantly along the point where she exerted force, sweeping directly toward Rita in midair.
"Hm?"
The spiked chain achieved no result. Rider's expression shifted slightly. "That battlesuit... it's a defensive Noble Phantasm."
She had seen it clearly—the dagger at the end of the chain had indeed struck the scythe wielder, yet it had been blocked by the frost-emitting revealing armor.
Crack!
Not good!
A chill rushed toward her. Rider raised her dagger to block while shrinking her posture, drawing the chains in layers before her as a shield.
Slash!
Blood suddenly sprayed through the air. Gritting her teeth, Rider retreated rapidly. A wound deep enough to expose bone had opened across her back, stretching from shoulder to shoulder. Blood flowed freely.
At this moment, Rider already understood—relying on the meager magical energy her Master was supplying through external means, let alone using her Noble Phantasm, even her base parameters had dropped significantly. She might not even be able to break through the opponent's armor.
But if she wanted to retreat...
Her gaze involuntarily shifted toward Shinji Matou, who was sprawled on the ground with his hands over his head.
To put it bluntly, she felt he was beyond saving.
Tap, tap. "Ara~ Rider, are you thinking of rescuing your Master?"
Skadi Ondurgud radiated a soul-freezing chill. Rita's delicate face still wore a sweet smile, yet the coldness in her eyes surpassed even that of her weapon.
"But how could Rita possibly allow that unpleasant Mr. Seaweed Head to leave alive?"
Splurt!
...
Shirou Emiya, slammed against the wall by the shockwave, widened his eyes as he looked at the collapsed entrance hall. "Miss Ataegina! Shinji, he—"
"There is no need for negotiation anymore."
Durandal stepped forward several paces, her actions explaining her words. Golden light shimmered within her azure eyes.
A surging tide of magical energy rose from beneath her feet—enough to make anyone tremble. Her casual clothes vanished, replaced by a resplendent silver-white battle armor so magnificent it resembled a work of art.
Only then did Shirou Emiya realize he had misunderstood from the very beginning. Miss Ataegina had never been a Master.
It turned out that Miss Ataegina and Rita were both Servants, while the man calling himself Souichirou Kuzuki was the true magus hiding in the shadows.
Bringing two Servants with him—he must be the irregular participant Rin had mentioned in the Holy Grail War!
The next instant—
Bzzt!
Brilliant purple light blossomed. Strange dark-violet ripples spread across the entire space of Homurahara Academy. A barrier composed of countless mirror-thin hexagonal crystal panels of deep purple condensed into form.
Crack, crack, crack!
The school building trembled on the verge of collapse. Rubble rained down in a cascade. Cradling the unconscious Ayako Mitsuzuri, Shirou Emiya no longer had the luxury of hesitation. Raising his left hand, where the Command Spells in the shape of sword and scabbard glowed, he shouted—
"Saber!"
"Shirou!"
A golden-haired girl clad in knightly armor manifested before him. In a flash of lightning, her already breathtaking face was solemn and sharp without need of adornment. Her petite frame drove the heavy armor as she brandished the invisible sword.
Bang!
Under the grip of immense strength, the falling rubble shattered instantly into countless fragments of concrete that scattered across the ground.
"Saber? Just as I wished!"
Durandal's metal-clad hand thrust forward violently. A massive lance swept outward.
"Come—fight!"