"Huff... huff..."
When Tohsaka Rin sensed the tremendous surge of mana erupting from the direction of Homurahara Academy, she was still in downtown Fuyuki, investigating the nodes of the mana-draining ritual circle set up by Caster.
Without a moment's hesitation, she abandoned the inspection and rushed nonstop toward the source of the disturbance. The scene that greeted her immediately made her suck in a sharp breath.
What lay before her eyes looked no different from usual to an ordinary person. But in the eyes of a magus like her, the entire academy had already been enveloped in a violet-crimson crystalline barrier.
Everything she saw was bathed in a blood-red hue, as though her retinas had been smeared with vivid paint. A heavy shadow seemed to overlay the entire world.
Why did they have to start fighting at the school of all places? Did they set their sights on that idiot Emiya?
He knows perfectly well he's a half-baked amateur who only started midway, yet he has no self-awareness at all and keeps wandering around outside!
"Ahhh—!" What a pain! Always making trouble for me!
After adjusting her breathing, Rin shook her head, not allowing herself to think further. "Let's go, Archer!"
"Ugh..."
The moment she stepped into the barrier, a wave of dizziness struck her. An intense urge to vomit swept through her body.
Her Magic Circuits activated. Though the sensation quickly subsided, the feeling of the world turning upside down left her stomach churning uncomfortably.
"I hate this feeling."
It's suffocating in here. Not only does it block ordinary people's sight, but if a Master carelessly enters, the connection between Master and Servant might also be severed.
If one isn't careful, they could be forcibly induced to consume a precious Command Spell just to resummon their Servant.
"Emiya!!"
Upon spotting the red-haired boy hiding behind the plaza monument not far along the walkway, Rin immediately shouted.
"Tohsaka!!"
What is with you two shouting like a pair of star-crossed lovers reunited after escaping death...
Following behind Rin, the red-clad Archer manifested his black-and-white twin blades in hand. Watching Emiya Shirou stagger toward them with an unconscious woman on his back, he wore a distinctly displeased expression.
"Kid, care to explain who you've provoked this time?"
Ignoring Archer's sarcastic jab, Emiya Shirou hurried past Rin with Ayako Mitsuzuri on his back. As he laid her down inside the school gatehouse, he panted heavily and spoke in urgency.
"Tohsaka, Shinji is a Master too. He summoned Rider."
"Shinji Matou? That useless guy? Didn't the Matou family already lose any descendants with magecraft talent? He doesn't even have Magic Circuits. How could he be participating in the Holy Grail War?"
"I don't know either, but Tohsaka, Miss Ataegina's class is Foreigner—not one of the seven classes you told me about. What's going on?"
"Wait! Hold on, hold on! Emiya, let me process this first."
Rin waved her hands frantically. Emiya's rapid-fire questions made her own mind feel like it was short-circuiting, her eyes practically spinning.
"Who is Miss Ataegina? What do you mean Foreigner? What do you mean not one of the seven classes?"
As she spoke, Rin issued orders in quick succession. "Archer, go help Saber—"
"Rin, I must remind you. At a time like this, you should focus on protecting yourself. Avoid direct confrontation and withdraw—that's the optimal solution." Archer interrupted her.
Rin turned sharply. "Hah? Why should we run? Are you scared, Archer?"
"Think what you like. That remains the most rational choice under the current circumstances."
Unbothered by her mockery, Archer narrowed his eyes and looked toward the main body of the teaching building, now reduced to ruins by the crisscrossing flashes of blue and silver light.
"I can sense four Servant-level mana signatures... No, wait... and familiars? The numbers don't add up. Strangely, I can't detect any Master's mana at all."
"If I'm not mistaken, that extremely weakened Servant is Rider. Which means Shinji Matou has already been defeated and killed."
"And Saber is gradually losing ground." Archer glanced in another direction and frowned. "The unknown Servant who defeated Rider is also heading this way."
"Rin, the two incoming Servants are highly likely allies—"
"Archer, I'll say it again—go support Saber!" Rin shouted, clearly dissatisfied with how independent her Servant was acting.
Archer let out a helpless snort. "Rin, I hope you understand what you're doing."
Clearly familiar with Rin's personality and bottom line, the white-haired Archer acted before she could explode. He suddenly crouched and picked up the unconscious Ayako Mitsuzuri.
"I'll move the civilian to safety first..."
After tossing out that line, Archer flashed backward in a blur. Once he exited the barrier's range and placed Ayako somewhere secure, he leapt to a vantage point high enough to avoid the aftermath of the battle and projected a longbow into his hand.
"Perfect angle..." Archer murmured to himself as he drew the bowstring.
Strangely, what he placed upon the bow was not an arrow—but a slender spiral sword.
Within the raging ruins, two figures—one tall, one smaller—collided violently.
Boom—!
Another earth-shattering blast tore through the air. The impact unleashed an incomparably fierce shockwave that made the academy grounds tremble.
Even from such a considerable distance, Rin's clothes were whipped violently by the aftershock of Durandal and Saber's clash.
The teaching building cracked apart inch by inch before suddenly disintegrating. Concrete debris mixed with shattered glass and twisted metal, as a massive cloud of dust surged forward like a storm.
"Tohsaka, watch out!" Without hesitation, Emiya Shirou forced his unsteady legs—already drained by mana extraction—to step in front of Rin.
"Mash!"
"Hah!"
A dark shield descended from the sky. The pink-haired girl let out a sharp cry as she slammed the massive shield into the ground. The sheer force caused Emiya Shirou to stagger.
"Good thing we made it in time." Half-kneeling, Ritsuka Fujimaru wiped the sweat from his brow and helped Emiya Shirou to his feet with a warm smile. "Miss Tohsaka, you okay? And you too, sir?"
"Ah... y-yeah... thank you."
Nodding somewhat blankly, Emiya Shirou found his gaze drifting back and forth between Ritsuka Fujimaru and Rin, noting their shared black hair and blue eyes. His eyes then fell upon the crimson Command Spells on Ritsuka's hand, confusion flickering across his face.
""You are...?"
"Oh, right—let me introduce myself. Ritsuka Fujimaru. And you are?"
"Emiya Shirou."
After the brief exchange of names, neither spoke further. This was hardly the time for catching up.
In their line of sight, the petite knight and the valiant general constantly shifted positions, weaving and clashing—
Boom! Boom! Boom!
Buildings designed to withstand the frequent tremors of the island nation crumbled like paper under the strain of their collisions.
"Hah!"
With a heavy breath, Saber raised her invisible sword to meet the incoming strike.
Clang!
The two divine weapons collided once more. Under the crushing force, the small knight staggered backward. The massive lance adorned with deep blue patterns pressed relentlessly forward, its sweeping arcs making the air itself tremble.
Rumble—!
The underground sewage pipes burst apart in an instant. Seizing the moment, Saber rolled in the direction opposite the lance. The ground where she had been standing was plowed through for dozens of meters, carved apart by Durandal's A+ rank Strength.
The athletic field caved in. Dust filled the sky.
"Haaah!"
Though injured by the shockwaves and visibly battered, Saber refused to retreat. Regaining her stance, she charged again.
Durandal's expression remained unchanged.
Attack. Attack. And attack again.
Her lance tore at Saber's defenses from every conceivable angle.
Crack—!
An ear-grating sound rang out as the lance and the golden blade beneath the storm barrier collided again. The weapons trembled with each impact, scattering sparks in all directions.
Under Durandal's overwhelming blows, this contest of strength and endurance once again failed to last. Saber bent her knees and was forced back yet again.
"Running out of mana?"
Clad in Bright Knight, Durandal frowned slightly. As time passed, Saber's combat power had steadily declined—especially her mana, which was dropping off a cliff.
When she had first been summoned by Emiya Shirou through a Command Spell, Saber's mana reserves had been abundant. She maintained constant Mana Burst to reinforce her body and had unleashed several hurricane-like slashes.
But afterward, as the boost from the consumed Command Spell faded, Saber's attacks began to falter.
"Saber, get back!"
Whoosh!
Seizing the brief hesitation in Durandal's assault, Rin shouted. A dazzling streak of light shot toward Durandal in response, the violent wind it generated shredding turf and pavement in its path.
To the onlookers, it was as if a bolt of lightning flashed before their eyes. The next instant—
Boom!
The spiraling "arrow" struck the collapsed crater where Durandal stood without the slightest delay, piercing through the ground. A firework of gravel and dust erupted skyward.
Rumble—!!
The deafening explosion roared continuously, blossoming with the brilliance of a tactical warhead detonating.
Having already been blasted away by Durandal's immense strength, Saber ceased her assault the moment she heard Rin's warning and retreated toward her Master, Emiya Shirou.
"Shirou... cough... I apologize. I failed to defeat her."
Standing before him, Saber's once radiant golden hair had grown somewhat dull. Her armor was battered and broken, covered in ash and dust.
Taking out a handkerchief from his pocket, Emiya Shirou gently wiped the blood and soot from her fair face. He shook his head apologetically.
"No. It's my fault as your useless Master. I'm the one holding you back."
"It's enough that you're safe, Saber." His voice inevitably grew subdued. "Miss Ataegina isn't a bad person."
"Mm. I can sense it. She is a warrior of unwavering will."
At the side, unlike Rin—whose expression had long since collapsed into exaggerated disbelief—Ritsuka Fujimaru appeared entirely unsurprised.
Wasn't this just the usual Master-and-Servant bickering? As if he hadn't been through that before.
"Doctor Roman, who is the Servant fighting Saber?" Ritsuka spoke into the communication bracelet on his right wrist.
"Huh? Who are you talking to...?" Rin turned her head in confusion.
"Miss Tohsaka, I'll explain in a moment."
"Mm, alright. Ritsuka, give me a second. Let me check..."
Before everyone's astonished gaze, a pale blue translucent screen materialized out of thin air. Within it, a handsome man wearing Chaldea's green-based white lab coat uniform tapped rapidly at a virtual interface.
"She possesses Divinity. A demi-divine Saint Graph. Class: Foreigner. Her energy fluctuations also match the energy eroding human history observed on Chaldeas."
"It's certain—even if she isn't the original instigator, she is closely connected to the formation of this Singularity... Wait! Ritsuka! She hasn't lost combat capability!"
"That attack didn't injure her at all!"
"What?!"
An explosion comparable to the release of an A-rank Noble Phantasm—and she took it head-on without a scratch?
Hummm—
As the flames of the explosion dispersed, a pristine suit of bright silver armor was revealed. Though the ground beneath her had been scorched into flowing magma by the searing heat, every plate of the armor still gleamed brilliantly.
"No way! Don't tell me she's like that Einzbern kid's Berserker—with some kind of resurrection cheat Noble Phantasm!"
"No. Not resurrection. Something even more troublesome."
On the screen, Doctor Roman's expression was grave.
"That armor of hers should be a Noble Phantasm—one not inferior to Karna's golden armor. To inflict damage on her, only attacks possessing Divinity are likely to be effective."
"And that doesn't even factor in the Noble Phantasm's inherent reduction of all hostile interference—physical attacks, magecraft, curses, conceptual interference, and so on."
Hearing this, Emiya Shirou might still have been confused—but Rin was already on the verge of losing it.
"Ah! Why do I always run into these rule-breaking Servants?!"
She couldn't help glancing resentfully toward Archer's position.
"..."
With his hawk-like vision, Archer could read his Master's look perfectly.
So this is what I get for ending up with such a weak Servant. Look at someone else's Servant.
Sorry for being so weak, then.
Crack!
"Looks like everyone's finally here. Good. Saves me the trouble of finding you one by one."
Stepping out of the circular crater, Durandal leveled Hler's Serenity at the gathered group of Saber and the others, the tip of her lance pointing straight at them.
"Come at me together."