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Normally, no one's stats should rise this fast.
But Alex's body had been reborn in sacred fire — his physical strength amplified tenfold, his cultivation talent maxed out.
Add in Luo Hao's brutal martial training and the relentless, squeeze-every-drop kind of regimen he'd been under lately, and it made sense he'd grown so much.
When Hestia asked if he was ready to level up, Alex didn't hesitate."Not yet. I want to push my stats to the absolute limit before I level up."
He'd watched DanMachi, after all — he knew how it worked. The smart adventurers waited until their ability scores couldn't climb any higher before taking that next step.
Your stats were your foundation. The stronger the base, the further you could go later.
He didn't plan on breaking records like Bell Cranel, who pushed past limits into SS or even SSS territory.S-rank across the board was good enough for him.
After all, he had the chat group. There was no need to cling to the blessing system.
That system was great early on, sure — but for true power later, he'd have to move beyond it.
"Excellent! That's the spirit I like to see in you, Alex!" Hestia beamed with pride.
The stronger her familia grew, the more glory reflected on her.She was already imagining the day she'd bring Alex back to Orario and completely shock that flat-chested Loki.
"So what if you've got a few good followers? Think you're all that?"
Meanwhile, Merlin had been quietly watching everything, her mind turning over countless thoughts.
Hestia clearly wasn't a god native to the Type-Moon world. She was from another plane entirely.And yet, she knew so much about Magecraft that she must have touched the Root at some point.
Merlin was sure now — not just Hestia, but Luo Hao, Roxy, and Esdeath too — all of them came from other worlds.
But there was something else that didn't add up.Even if they were all outsiders, they didn't seem to come from the same world.
Luo Hao's cursed energy, Roxy's magic, Esdeath's Teigu — all completely different systems of power.
Different worlds… but somehow, they'd ended up together?
It didn't make sense.She just couldn't figure it out.
After Alex put on his clothes, Hestia began that day's lesson — magical inscription.Not exactly beginner-level, but not too advanced either.
She explained the basics, then got bored halfway through and left the rest to Merlin.
With her skill Hero Creation active, Merlin could boost Alex's learning speed dramatically.
While Alex was focusing on magic training, back at the hotel, Roxy was learning Rapid Chanting from Morgan.
Of course, Morgan didn't teach for free — in exchange, Roxy shared her own world's magical theories.
A fair trade. Both teacher and student came out ahead.
Meanwhile, at the Church—
Tohsaka Tokiomi was in a private meeting with Kotomine Risei and his son, Kotomine Kirei.
"The last Servant was summoned last night," Tokiomi began. "The Holy Grail War has officially begun."
Kirei nodded. "Assassin has reported in — aside from Saber and her Master, all participants have already arrived in Fuyuki."
Risei leaned forward, intrigued. "I heard the Matou family isn't participating this time. What's going on there?"
Kirei replied, "The details are unclear. Supposedly, the family's fallen on hard times — no qualified magus left."
Tokiomi chuckled, standing to pour himself a glass of red wine. "Indeed, the Matous have declined."
As one of the Three Founding Families, he knew them well. Aside from the decrepit old Matou Zouken, there wasn't a single capable heir left.
Just yesterday, he'd sent his younger daughter, Sakura, to be adopted by them — a calculated decision to let her inherit their Magecraft.
That way, she and Rin wouldn't have to fight over the Tohsaka lineage.
It was a perfectly logical plan.Unfortunately, reality was far crueler than he imagined.He had no idea that decision would ruin Sakura's life.
Risei smiled. "Honestly, it's better this way. Even a dying camel's still bigger than a horse — but without the Matous, our main competition is the Einzberns."
Kirei shook his head slightly. "Not necessarily, Father. Assassin's reports mention three other Masters who warrant attention."
He laid out several photographs on the table — Alex, Roxy, Luo Hao, Hestia, Esdeath, Merlin, and Morgan.
The photos were taken from odd angles, but clear enough to see their faces.
And standing among them was a familiar figure: a distinguished man in a suit — Lord Kenneth El-Melloi Archibald, one of the Twelve Lords of the Clock Tower.Beside him stood an impossibly handsome man wielding twin guns.
Tokiomi barely glanced at Alex or Roxy — just a couple of rogue magi, not worth worrying about.But when he saw Kenneth, his smile vanished.
"Him?!"
His expression darkened. Kenneth was one of the Twelve Lords — his Magecraft far beyond Tokiomi's own.
Still, the Grail War wasn't decided by a Master's strength alone.It all came down to the Servants.
And Tokiomi had summoned the King of Heroes himself. That thought alone restored his confidence.
Risei frowned slightly. "Strange that he'd come all the way here to compete."
Tokiomi set down his glass, face resolute. "It doesn't matter. As long as he stands with us, victory is certain."
Risei nodded in agreement. "Indeed. The Grail will be ours."
As his teacher and father toasted to their success, Kirei said nothing.His eyes drifted to one of the ignored photographs — Alex's.
For some reason, he couldn't shake a strange feeling — a premonition that the boy in that photo would be the true dark horse of this Holy Grail War.
And there was one more man worth watching.
Kirei pulled out another photo from his pocket — this one of Kiritsugu Emiya, the Einzbern family's son-in-law.
According to his investigation, the registered Master for the Einzberns this time was Irisviel von Einzbern.But he doubted she was the real one in control.
Kiritsugu — her husband, the so-called "Magus Killer" — had to be the true Master.
Of course, it was all just speculation for now.
But the more Kirei dug into Kiritsugu's past, the more something inside him stirred.
He wanted to understand this man.To know what kind of person could earn the title "Magus Killer."What drove him? What did he seek?
If he could uncover that truth…He was sure it would bring him a kind of twisted joy.
"..."
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