We now interrupt with an afternoon news bulletin. The cause of multiple building collapses and destruction in the commercial district near Fuyuki City's new area has been determined. Due to personnel from the new district construction company cutting corners and embezzling funds, building safety standards were not met."
"This caused geological subsidence that pressured natural gas pipelines, ultimately resulting in last night's gas leak. Multiple houses and buildings were damaged by the chain reaction, causing immeasurable losses to Fuyuki City's new district development and travel inconveniences for residents. The Fuyuki City municipal government has solemnly apologized for this incident. The Church will work with the municipal government to compensate residents who unfortunately suffered property losses, and police will severely punish and arrest these unscrupulous civil engineering workers who ignored their consciences for dirty money."
The afternoon sunset was warm and pleasant. News reports played on the television.
Miss Illya, who hadn't properly rested in quite some time, hugged a large rice ball with her ahoge bobbing, finally experiencing long-lost tranquility in this Holy Grail War.
No need to think about how to fight next, no need to think about how to survive. Just quietly recover from injuries, waiting for magical energy to slowly repair some of her wounds. Though full recovery in the short term was impossible.
After all, the injuries she'd suffered fighting Lancelot weren't all simple external wounds. Much of the damage had endangered a Heroic Spirit Servant's foundation—the heart Spirit Origin—and her mental state. To fully recover would probably take until the Holy Grail War ended. But recovering enough combat capability today wasn't a problem—enough to use the Noble Phantasm cards in her hand, for instance.
She didn't really mind, because most Heroic Spirit Servants suffering injuries like last night's—
Even nullifying the final fatal wound, with their chest pierced, flesh torn, half their ribs broken, brain concussed, blood vessels burst throughout their body—would probably still die. That she was alive now was a miracle of her own excessive magical energy. Every extra hour alive was profit.
"Our station's reporter has now interviewed Father Risei Kotomine, the Church's renowned civil engineering and geological expert. Please welcome Father Risei Kotomine to share his views on this incident."
The TV screen switched. The kindly old priest who'd been on television almost daily lately appeared on screen.
However, Miss Illya could see this old priest seemed more haggard than a few days ago.
"Fuyuki City residents, please don't panic. Police have investigated the incident's full details—this was not a terrorist attack. This is a scientific age."
"I, Risei Kotomine, can very responsibly tell everyone this was simply a man-made disaster caused by shoddy construction. Some people keep trying to cause panic by spreading supernatural urban legends—absolutely don't believe them. Police will detain such irresponsible loudmouths with nothing better to do. Civil engineering work is like this—there are always bold people wanting to embezzle funds."
"I witnessed similar incidents decades ago. I never imagined that even with today's perfected laws, people would still dare commit crimes against the wind, disregarding innocent civilians' safety to earn dirty money. I, Risei Kotomine, deeply detest these corrupt individuals and will actively cooperate with the municipal government to continue investigating this incident, striving to bring all corrupt civil engineering workers to justice in the shortest time!"
The old priest on screen spoke with anguish, seemingly comforting the people while providing explanations.
In reality, he was secretly warning the other Heroic Spirit Servants and Masters.
Stop causing such huge commotions! The gas company's scapegoat personnel were all arrested—now the Church had to go after construction companies. If you cause similar incidents again, the Church's next wave might have to pin the blame on unclear entities like terrorists or gang warfare.
"The Church's cover-up speed is still pretty good..." Miss Illya took a bite of rice ball and chewed quietly, murmuring. Yesterday's incident had basically been completely blamed on someone by the next day.
Good thing the death penalty was extremely rare in the Far East. With the Church's behind-the-scenes manipulation, many people wouldn't sit in prison for many years. Otherwise, after a Holy Grail War finished—
The arrests were made this year, but they couldn't finish executing people by next year.
"Thank you for Father Risei Kotomine's explanation. Now let's turn our cameras to the Hyatt Hotel. Last night, Fuyuki City's Hyatt Hotel spontaneously combusted and collapsed..."
"?"
However, the next moment, the screen switched to show the Hyatt Hotel now reduced to rubble and ruins.
This made Miss Illya freeze slightly. If she remembered correctly, the Hyatt Hotel was Kayneth's base, right? And just yesterday afternoon it had been fine.
His Heroic Spirit Servant Diarmuid had been free enough late at night to wander around watching people fight. How did Kayneth disappear along with the hotel by this morning? She hadn't made a move. Who ruined her 100% high-end team participation rate?
"Tch, Kiritsugu Emiya."
Miss Illya easily thought of a certain magician killer proficient with modern weapons.
Because only he and she would be so dishonorable, would think of directly demolishing the Hyatt Hotel. Last night she'd been planning to steal some high-grade explosives from the Fuyuki City Self-Defense Force to play with demolition, but got entangled by that mad dog Kariya Matou. Otherwise, she'd definitely have caught Kiritsugu Emiya near the Hyatt Hotel.
"Kayneth-san couldn't have died, could he? If Lancer exited, would that King of Knights big sister's wrist recover? If it recovered, the Kiritsugu Emiya camp with four Command Seals would be more threatening than anyone else left."
Swallowing the rest of her rice ball in one bite, her small mouth stuffed full, Miss Illya's expression collapsed as she finally relaxed. She'd been unconscious for nearly a day.
She couldn't quite keep up with this rapidly changing meta. She hadn't anticipated Kiritsugu Emiya going against the grain, risking being caught by Assassin to blow up Kayneth's hotel, catching all the Masters and Servants off guard.
But thinking about it, it made sense. Diarmuid and the swordswoman were mortal enemies who couldn't coexist. Gáe Buidhe had reduced the swordswoman's strength by at least twenty or thirty percent—this was hard to compensate for. Without taking the risk to make Diarmuid exit quickly, fighting later would put the wrist-injured swordswoman at a major disadvantage.
"And if Lancer-aniki isn't dead, he's also mortal enemies with King of Knights big sister. I'm allied with King of Knights big sister, so I'll be targeted. If I help King of Knights big sister eliminate Lancer-aniki and she recovers to full strength, she can eliminate me. If I help Lancer-aniki eliminate King of Knights big sister, him being nearly as skilled in close combat as Lancelot but more rational could also eliminate me..."
The original balance of Berserker countering the swordswoman and the swordswoman countering Diarmuid had been broken.
The framework reset. Between Knight of the Lance and Knight of the Sword, there would inevitably be a life-or-death battle.
She and Rider also had to pick sides. Those two weren't idiots—if everyone else stayed neutral, they'd definitely eliminate the spectators first to avoid troublesome situations where others cleaned up. Therefore, her and Rider's positions became very awkward.
"This is a stalemate—Kiritsugu Emiya's overt scheme, forcing people to pick sides. He knows from the Magic Mirror Forest battle that I'm wary of Diarmuid, so in the final team selection I'll definitely side with him."
"Rider's Noble Phantasm Gordius Wheel has lost one bull and basically isn't a threat. So from his perspective, as long as he properly recruits me, even in the worst case, the combination of me and King of Knights big sister would be greater than the combination of Lancer-aniki and Conqueror King-san."
As long as Rider had no other trump cards that could change the situation, the lineup could be set.
Kiritsugu Emiya's chances of winning were still high. If she wanted to live, she had to charge alongside Kiritsugu Emiya.
Surely Iskandar and Diarmuid could figure this out too. Kiritsugu Emiya was gambling that she feared Diarmuid more than she feared the swordswoman.
Though in reality, that was indeed the case. After all, the swordswoman's performance from start to finish had been purely mediocre. Aside from those terrifying stats, everywhere else she'd failed to keep up with the meta.
"Considering Waver Velvet and Kayneth El-Melloi Archibald's relationship, the best-case scenario might even be three major Heroic Spirit Servants simultaneously besieging Diarmuid... Kiritsugu Emiya could sit back and watch from start to finish."
This situation gave Miss Illya quite a headache.
She didn't want to fall into Kiritsugu Emiya's overt scheme, but Diarmuid was indeed too powerful.
To break this surface situation of five major Servants—actually only four major Servants left—in its established pattern...
Unless...
—A new third party stirred up the waters.
Reaching this point in her thoughts, Miss Illya turned her gaze toward Rin Tohsaka, who was eloquently discussing and bragging with the red-haired little boy. She was still adding settings to Illya's backstory.
"I'm telling you, Caster-sama is really amazing. You know that manga serialized in Weekly Shōnen in 1983? Magic Kaito—that was created by the mangaka who happened to witness Caster-sama's heroic figure while she was chasing bad guys."
The two kids both sat on the floor, surrounded by many manga books that lots of people were reading in this era.
She had to admit, kids' thinking was just so erratic. They could go from 1960s Ultraman to modern various manga. Tokyo Television was truly a great evil.
Even Miss Illya couldn't keep up with their train of thought, not understanding how they'd synced their brainwaves.
"But isn't Caster-sama a magical girl? Do magical girls need to capture bad guys too? (?°?°?)"
"You don't understand then. Magical girls are maintainers who uphold love and peace. Caster-sama's enemies aren't just monsters—there are also many terrible criminals in human society, even witches, magical beasts, enchantresses, and many, many other fantastical beings from human imagination that we can only see in manga."
"Then, since magical girls are real, how does Caster-sama transform? With a magic wand or a belt? Can I see Caster's transformation belt? o(〃'▽'〃)o"
"A magic wand is a magical girl's life—how can it be casually shown to ordinary people?"
Rin hugged her shoulders in a queen bee's haughty posture, making the red-haired little boy's eyes fill with stars as she fooled him.
Ah, this was what it meant to lack magical talent and inheritance. She could easily make him lose all sense of direction with just a few words. Too bad she didn't know much magecraft.
Otherwise, she'd definitely show off hard and make him worship her even more.
"I've been adventuring with Caster-sama for over ten years. These incidents in Fuyuki City are small scenes. Back in the day, bad guys opened Pandora's Box trying to destroy the world."
"Caster single-handedly resisted the evil sealed inside Pandora's Box, battling the Ninety-Nine Levels of Hell War God who obtained evil powers for countless years, wearing down even time itself..."
Yank!
However, before Rin could finish, Miss Illya—unable to bear listening anymore, her embarrassment nearly causing a relapse—grabbed the girl's small face and dragged her to the room's corner!
Don't be too ridiculous! You dare add any manga setting, huh? This year even the Hong Kong manga Sea Tigerexists. If you keep adding, will I end up knowing Magnetic Field Rotation too? What kind of bizarre magical girl is this?!
You said love and peace maintainer, so at least lean toward the original concept when adding settings! Pandora's Box, magnetic field lunatics—which of these two myths and manga match my style at all?!
And you're only six or seven years old—what the hell is "adventured with me for over ten years"?!
"Ow, ow, ow! Caster-sama! ?·°(??﹏??)°·?"
"I told you not to talk nonsense and know when to stop! Don't keep adding weird settings to me!"
Miss Illya ignored Rin's pleas for mercy. Ever since waking up, she'd been listening to this girl spout bullshit while recovering. She'd scratched her thigh skin raw from embarrassment.
Especially when that red-haired little boy came to ask what grade she attended at Fuyuki Elementary, whether she'd skipped school these past few days, and whether he could play with her in the future and listen to adventure stories—she'd nearly felt socially dead.
She'd nearly been unable to resist silencing both of them multiple times to end this embarrassing slander.
At least—at the very least—when they chatted, could they stay farther away from her so she wouldn't have to hear it?
"I'm sorry, Caster-sama! I know I was wrong!" Rin, her small face grabbed, immediately apologized with tears in her eyes. She'd gotten a bit carried away talking just now.
She hadn't noticed she'd already deviated so far that her logic was about to collapse and expose their true identities.
"Right now is the Holy Grail War period. Be mindful of your identity."
"...So we're finally going to battle other Heroic Spirit Servants?"
Rin's eyes sparkled as if filled with stars, seemingly very excited and anticipating adventure:
"Battle! Compete for the omnipotent wish-granter! Mythic epic battlefields! Am I finally writing my own epic? Traveling through this forest called Fuyuki City, guarding against fierce beasts that might emerge from the darkness at any moment, like a navigator embarking on a grand new adventure!"
"?"
Looking at the adorable little girl before her who'd grabbed her small hands and placed them on her flat chest with an excited expression, Miss Illya tilted her head in confusion, then frowned without understanding:
"You're not my Master—why so excited? Get it straight—you're not a Holy Grail War participant. You're a magician prisoner I captured."
"Um, can't we be companions? o(╥﹏╥)o"
"Your power is weaker than even one strand of my hair made into a familiar."
And what are you even thinking? Your father Tokiomi Tohsaka is also a participant in this Holy Grail War. Here you are anticipating going out to battle and adventure with someone else's Heroic Spirit Servant—isn't that a bit filial piety flavored with rebellion?
Oh, you're saying Tokiomi Tohsaka has already openly exited and is under Church protection, so others can't attack him or his family?
Never mind then. Rin could apparently actually poach allies.
"Um, so what does Caster-sama want with me?"
Rin blinked, clearly unaware her father had already lost, nor did she think Miss Illya was the type of evil hero who'd use families to threaten others.
"Nothing much. Just sending you home and having you deliver a letter to your father."
"Ah? But the Tohsaka manor at Miyama is gone. I don't know where Father is in Fuyuki City right now..."
"Don't worry. I know."
"?"
"You've picked up an extra life, Rin Tohsaka. Deliver my letter to your father and you can regain your freedom, obediently going back to school when it starts tomorrow."
Kiritsugu Emiya played overt schemes forcing others to pick sides. Naturally, Miss Illya—who grasped nearly the most information in the Holy Grail War—couldn't let him succeed.
He wanted to cast a net to eliminate others. She could also let the lurking third party enter and stir up chaos.
She naturally didn't dare side with Diarmuid to eliminate the swordswoman together, then face the overpowered Diarmuid alone.
Nor did she want to side with the swordswoman to eliminate Diarmuid, letting the swordswoman recover to full strength and duel her.
But she dared to take them all out, choosing neither path, knocking out both these strongest fighters!
From others' perspectives, she had to pick a side between Knight of the Sword and Knight of the Lance—whichever side remained would dominate. But why did Miss Illya have to join someone else's camp? Just like she'd said from the very beginning—the weak should unite with the weak to counter the strong. And now, she wasn't the only weak one. Others who could see the current situation should know what to do. She just needed to make the first move!
"The current situation is basically clear. Knight of the Sword and the magician as one team, Knight of the Lance alone as one team, Rider might also defect to the Sword-Mage side due to his Master's relationship. Tonight or tomorrow night, this Holy Grail War's final victor can be determined."
Tohsaka residence. Tokiomi Tohsaka sat beside an old phonograph, sighing slightly.
Miss Illya hadn't guessed wrong. Many people had already realized this was Kiritsugu Emiya's overt scheme.
But fearing Diarmuid's powerful strength and Kayneth—that Clock Tower Lord's—other unknown trump cards, the remaining people could only choose the swordswoman's side.
Caster and Rider—these two major Heroic Spirit Servants' strength was obviously a notch below the three knight classes.
One side at most had one or two Command Seals left and was severely wounded in battle with the Black Knight, unable to possibly recover to peak combat power in the short term.
One side's mount Gordius Wheel was nearly destroyed, likely not even half as strong as during the harbor battle. After all, normally the Rider class in Holy Grail Wars—their main output was primarily in their mounts.
"But for Caster to single-handedly defeat Berserker last night was truly shocking. Even if she can't recover to perfect condition short-term, her choice remains crucial. As long as she's willing to fight desperately to help either side, the other side's probability of defeat will greatly increase."
Regardless of combat power, mainly that Age of Gods magician could actually supply magical energy to other Heroic Spirit Servants with her blood.
This kind of support meant even if she were an ordinary magician, she could raise any Heroic Spirit Servant's strength by a level.
"I apologize, Teacher. Even until Assassin's death, I couldn't determine Caster's Master's true identity, failing your expectations and trust..."
"Hahaha, it's fine, Kirei. Assassin with such inferior attributes encountering an Age of Gods magician who could engage in close combat with Berserker—being killed was naturally expected. This is a problem of the Assassin class having too inferior attributes, not your fault."
Hearing the apologetic, steady voice from the phonograph, Tokiomi Tohsaka smiled dismissively.
An assassin with nearly all D and mostly E attributes—probably couldn't even beat a skilled magician.
Being caught with bad luck by that suspected user of "advanced spirit possession" who could trade blows with the three knight classes—not dying would be the real problem.
"Moreover, everyone hasn't noticed me. With Assassin exiting and them fighting even more fiercely, this is also an advantage for me."
Tokiomi Tohsaka's current mindset seemed quite good. No matter how difficult the situation, he believed he had certain chances of winning.
"Thank you for your comfort, Teacher. Though Assassin couldn't verify it, the Church has already found that recently an American magician visited the Far East and was suspected of activity around Fuyuki City."
"Oh? Who?"
"Francesca Prelati, a Grand Magician. They still haven't found records of her leaving the Far East."
Interesting.
An American magician?
Tokiomi Tohsaka stroked his chin. The Holy Grail War was just a backwater minor magical ritual in the Clock Tower's eyes. Theoretically, it shouldn't attract such an existence:
"If she's truly Caster's Master, or related to her Master, we can try contacting her."
"Ley line-charging jewels are ultimately a drop in the bucket. If I want to establish true advantage..."
"I must establish some relationship with that Age of Gods magician."
Miss Illya could clearly recognize the severity of the current situation—how could Tokiomi Tohsaka not as well?
To discuss the actual circumstances, aside from his advantage of lurking in the shadows, he was barely better off than the severely wounded Miss Illya. The reason was simple: the upper limit of homunculus Servants was shamefully low.
It seemed the homunculus Servant beside him had successfully adapted to the King of Heroes' Spirit Origin. In moments of crisis, risking its life could even briefly awaken a trace of Gilgamesh's consciousness.
But that was all. Because when that situation occurred, before the King of Heroes could personally take action, the homunculus Servant's body would explode on the spot from being unable to withstand the Spirit Origin and various Noble Phantasms' output. It was like the stronger the combat power, the closer to self-destruction. The moment it truly reached Gilgamesh's normal-state level would be when the homunculus Servant's death knell tolled.
Moreover, the homunculus Servant was extremely fragile. To put it bluntly, an ordinary person with a sniper rifle could eliminate this thing. It couldn't turn into spirit form like regular Heroic Spirit Servants, and its flesh was constantly degrading, continuously collapsing every moment.
Of course, this would be fine. After all, the King of Heroes hadn't needed much physical strength in life either.
As long as the Gate of Babylon could still be used, even if the user was unconscious and couldn't precisely retrieve certain indexed Noble Phantasms from the treasury—
Just standing as a stationary turret, this homunculus Servant's upper limit still possessed terrifyingly formidable positional warfare capabilities worthy of a first-rate Servant. The gap between its upper and lower limits was extreme.
The main problem... was still the age-old issue of magical energy consumption that many Heroic Spirit Servants faced. This was the homunculus Servant's greatest defect, and Tokiomi Tohsaka's most difficult shortcoming to compensate for.
"Using ley lines to charge gems is ultimately just a small trick, allowing me to maintain combat capability with magecraft after the King drains my magical energy."
"Without gentle magical energy supply methods like Command Seals, even draining all my magical energy in one extraction, the King couldn't sustain more than five rounds of Noble Phantasm treasury bombardment. Moreover, the unconsciously used Noble Phantasms are mostly D-rank. Whether the sword that cleaves mountains or higher-grade Noble Phantasms—because he's not a true Heroic Spirit Servant, they cannot be precisely extracted."
Tohsaka family estate. Having closed the antique phonograph and finally gotten a good night's sleep last night, Tokiomi Tohsaka leaned against the soft leather sofa, supporting himself with his cracked but magically-charged ruby staff, sighing deeply.
Theoretically, controlling the ley lines meant he wouldn't lack magical energy. But the homunculus body's physical strength was too low.
The Einzbern family's technology was constantly advancing. The homunculus in his possession was merely one of the defective Lesser Grail homunculi the Church had preserved from the Third Holy Grail War sixty years ago. Forget comparing it to current Einzbern family homunculi—even among that era's same batch of homunculi, this thing was pure expendable material. Otherwise, it wouldn't have left the Einzbern family.
After all, though the Einzbern family sold homunculi, Lesser Grail-type homunculi were prohibited from sale. That was their family's internal foundation.
If one leaked out, it could only mean one thing: this thing was already so useless even the Einzbern family looked down on it. Might as well give it to the Church as a convenient favor.
"A Heroic Spirit Servant's Spirit Origin can withstand ley line magical energy, but infusing the homunculus flesh with the turbulent, violent magical energy of ley lines would probably leave not even ashes as the body collapses and the Spirit Origin follows..."
This was precisely why Tokiomi Tohsaka was troubled. Initially, it had been fine.
Because in his view, even with just several rounds of bombardment, by the end the homunculus Gilgamesh could at minimum trade one-for-one with the final victor.
But after the Dark Magician battle, he'd suddenly realized—this Holy Grail War wasn't just him with trump cards. The homunculus Gilgamesh might be strong, but definitely couldn't match the current two meta T0 powerhouses.
Diarmuid Ua Duibhne—enhanced by a magical reactor, stats rivaling Berserker's, backed by Clock Tower Mineralogy Lord Kayneth, with heaven knows how many other trump cards still hidden.
The King of Knights of Britain—guaranteed four Command Seals with no magical energy shortage, Mana Burst that could directly ignore even C-rank Noble Phantasm saturation bombardment, able to fight Diarmuid for nearly ten minutes without losing even without Command Seals, never having eaten any Holy Grail War meta update benefits yet always standing at the top of the power rankings.
—Since that Age of Gods magician was confirmed severely wounded, this Holy Grail War's power levels had completely polarized. The middle-tier transition options of Berserker and peak-state Age of Gods magician—one was dead, one had directly fallen to the same table as Rider who'd nearly lost his mount.
Meaning if the Knight of the Sword and Knight of the Lance survived to the end, even at critical health they weren't something a mere homunculus Servant could challenge or neutralize.
Tokiomi Tohsaka didn't dare imagine how precisely he'd need to micromanage to achieve final victory.
"Assassin is dead too. Four-way struggle for supremacy. The muddy waters Kiritsugu Emiya divided into new camps. If I want to enter and maintain victory odds around thirty to forty percent, I have only two choices. First choice: obtain Command Seals. Second choice: gain that Age of Gods magician's cooperation for mutual warmth."
Tokiomi Tohsaka rubbed his ruby staff, completely unlike his relaxed manner when contacting Kirei Kotomine. Or rather, it wasn't just him—the other camps' Heroic Spirit Servants and Masters were surely also troubled, including the Knight of the Lance and Knight of the Sword.
But they all had foundations or trump cards. At worst, Rider and the Age of Gods magician at least had one or two Command Seals as a safety net. Apart from a homunculus Servant, he had nothing left. The Tohsaka family's foundation had been nearly exhausted these past few days.
So his situation appeared very safe but was actually already disconnected from the omnipotent wish-granter.
And for him, devoted to glimpsing the Root, being disconnected from the omnipotent wish-granter equaled a life-or-death crisis.
"Risei Kotomine won't make principled errors. The Command Seals on his end are impossible for me to obtain."
"He's also repeatedly advised me to withdraw from this Holy Grail War. Clearly, he won't continue gambling with me, this gambler."
As for killing Risei Kotomine to seize the Command Seals? Tokiomi Tohsaka hadn't not considered it.
But considering the Command Seal transfer method—no one except Kirei Kotomine knew it besides Risei Kotomine—killing Risei Kotomine wouldn't accomplish much.
And most importantly, he, Tokiomi Tohsaka, was absolutely not the type of magician who'd betray trust and not even spare old friends who'd helped him. This thought that occasionally flashed through his mind came to nothing.
Moreover, if he died in this Holy Grail War, or successfully glimpsed the Root but couldn't return, his wife Aoi Tohsaka and daughter Rin Tohsaka would need that old friend to care for them. It was leaving a backup plan for his family.
"Then only the second option remains—that Age of Gods magician currently severely wounded and whereabouts unknown. But the conflict between her and me isn't exactly small, and even the Church has no clue what corner of Fuyuki City her magical workshop is built in. Just how should I contact her, with what identity and method..."
"Father, outside—someone's knocking at the door. It's a mailman uncle."
A purple short-haired little girl hugging a teddy bear walked into the room from the courtyard outside, her eyes dim and lifeless.
Her appearance was cute, her voice gentle—more quiet than the lively, active Rin Tohsaka.
However, looking carefully, her appearance bore considerable resemblance to Rin Tohsaka's.
"A mailman? This address is publicly uninhabited. How could a mailman deliver mail here?" Tokiomi Tohsaka froze slightly upon hearing this.
Then his heart raised a trace of vigilance. Could it be that magician killer Kiritsugu Emiya—utterly lacking a magician's pride and honor—had sent him some remote-controlled bomb or similar?
Don't ask. Just know that after last night's Hyatt Hotel incident, all the major Masters and Servants had shifted from guarding against the elusive Assassin to guarding against Kiritsugu Emiya, this killer. After all, magicians like him and Kayneth cared about face—Kiritsugu Emiya was a complete shameless bastard with no bottom line.
"But on the surface I've already withdrawn from the Holy Grail War, and haven't made any mortal enemies with Kiritsugu Emiya."
"What reason would he have to risk being targeted by the Church to attack someone like me... Forget it. Sakura, stay in the room and don't go out. Uncle Tokiomi will handle what comes next."
Tokiomi Tohsaka elegantly and gently curved his lips, lightly patting the small head of the cute purple-haired little girl with hollow, lifeless eyes before him. He didn't refer to himself as her father.
Instead, he called himself uncle, even though she was his biological daughter.
The purple-haired little girl's name was Sakura Matou.
About a year ago, she'd been ostensibly implanted with a Magic Crest by the Matou family—but in reality, implanted with Crest Worms. This poor little thing had been rescued from the Matou family's basement just a few days ago.
And because Zouken Matou had "voluntarily" signed a self-enforcing contract, at the moment of successful signing, Zouken Matou had to remotely remove the Crest Worms from her body. Now she basically no longer needed to worry about Crest Worm erosion.
But Tokiomi Tohsaka didn't want her to return to the Tohsaka family. Or rather, whether it was "Sealing Designation," "Calamity," or the identity of "Matou family heir"—
None allowed Sakura Matou to become Sakura Tohsaka again. From beginning to end, she could only be Sakura Matou.
"Father..."
"I said, call me uncle. Sakura, remember—your adoptive father Tsuruno Matou is your father. Whether to Matou family members or other visiting magicians, you can only say this. From a year ago, you were no longer part of the Tohsaka family."
Looking at the purple-haired little girl murmuring and gazing at him lifelessly, Tokiomi Tohsaka stood up, shook his head, and sighed deeply. It wasn't that he was heartless—he truly had no other choice.
The Tohsaka family had no spare Magic Crest. Rather than having Rin Tohsaka and Sakura Matou—these two sisters—fight to the death leaving one survivor, better to let her continue in the Matou family inheriting the lineage.
As one of the three founding families, the Matou family's inheritance was no worse than the Tohsaka family's.
Even if Zouken Matou was dead and she might lack a Magic Crest, as long as the Matou family's grimoires and materials remained, Sakura Matou could rightfully become the Matou family's next authority figure. This was legitimate enough to shut the Mage's Association's mouth. Those people wanting to play Sealing Designation couldn't find an excuse.
He'd already paved the road for Sakura Matou. With the self-enforcing contract in hand, the Matou family had to acknowledge her whether they wanted to or not. Her future magical studies could only depend on herself. He, unable even to protect himself, couldn't help her anymore.
"Excuse me, are you Mr. Tokiomi Tohsaka?"
The afternoon sunset's remaining glow in Fuyuki City was magnificent. Weeds in the residential courtyard swayed in the wind.
Walking out of the room through the spacious courtyard, Tokiomi Tohsaka saw from afar a young mailman pressing the doorbell, holding what looked like an informal, hastily written letter.
"No magical energy response. Not a magician..." Glancing at the golden-white long-haired, red-eyed girl following behind him, seeing she gave him no warning—
Tokiomi Tohsaka still didn't let down his guard. After walking to the boundary of the residence's simple magical workshop, he stopped. He'd already suffered once at that Age of Gods magician's hands—he didn't want or plan to suffer a second time at someone else's.
"Open the letter and show it to me. Don't approach."
The staff's gem flashed with an imperceptible light. Tokiomi Tohsaka's gaze met the mailman's, activating the most basic hypnosis magecraft.
Soon, the mailman fell into a daze, obliviously and slowly opening the sealed letter in his hand, spreading the paper inside to display before Tokiomi Tohsaka.
The current Tokiomi Tohsaka was very cautious. As the saying went, once bitten by a snake, ten years afraid of well ropes.
Having received such special attention from Miss Illya at the start, his thought process had been jolted awake.
Unless absolutely necessary, his homunculus Servant would absolutely not leave his side by more than ten meters. Most of the time, he didn't even dare step outside the door.
「To—Mr. Tokiomi Tohsaka.」
「Long time no see, esteemed Mr. Tokiomi Tohsaka. Since parting after the first night's battle, we haven't met in quite a while. I wonder if your injuries from that time have healed? If not, I do know a friend from the Age of Gods skilled in healing magecraft. I also know a thing or two about similar methods—I could help treat you free of charge as an apology.」
Touching the freshly scabbed wound on his neck, Tokiomi Tohsaka frowned slightly, vaguely guessing whose hand this letter came from.
「Well, but the wound has probably scabbed over by now. Even if I wanted to show my sincerity, it would be closing the barn door after the horse has bolted. How about I personally treat you to a small cake next time?」
「Of course, this is just being polite. If you really want me to treat you, please bring your wallet—after all, treating doesn't mean paying.」
Good grief. What a humorous inequality. You treat but don't pay, is that it?
Do Age of Gods magicians also tell cold jokes?
But this should just be preamble and pleasantries. The real purpose definitely wasn't reminiscing with him.
「Alright, alright. I'm sure Mr. Tokiomi Tohsaka has guessed my purpose in contacting you. After all, the current situation has a severely broken middle-tier combat power.」
「Knight of the Lance and Knight of the Sword dominate as the top two. No middle tier. Bottom tier has only poor me and the Conqueror King uncle.」
「This isn't some small secret. In battle with Berserker, I exhausted my trump cards and suffered severe injuries, unable to recover to peak condition from previous nights in the short term. Precisely because of this battle, middle-tier combat power completely disappeared. If I don't pick a side, all that awaits me is being made an example of first.」
As expected.
You noticed too—Kiritsugu Emiya's scheme.
However, shouldn't you be contacting Rider instead of me, someone already eliminated?
「Hehe, is Mr. Tokiomi Tohsaka thinking that after recognizing the situation, why would I think to contact you? Because our current situations are equally terrible.」
「I'm quite certain the Conqueror King uncle has certain trump cards, so he can temporarily remain independent. But Mr. Tokiomi Tohsaka and I are different.」
What's different? I'm just someone eliminated.
Already withdrawn from the Holy Grail War, a law-abiding magician under Church protection...
「For instance, neither of us has confidence that with our own power—or rather, our Servants' power—we can defeat the final victor between Knight of the Lance and Knight of the Sword, right?」
"?"
「You don't think you've hidden it that well, do you? That night you went to the Matou estate making such a huge commotion—you think it can just be casually covered up? Honestly, your initiative is truly impressive. Hard to believe you from the first night and you now are the same person. If not for me happening to have a friend in the Age of Gods who once researched homunculi paired with Servant powers, I truly wouldn't have imagined Mr. Tokiomi Tohsaka actually brought the King of Heroes back to life, and joined with the Church in shameless, underhanded dark operations~」
"!!!"
An Age of Gods friend?
Don't you have a few too many friends with overly broad areas of expertise?
Seeing these paragraphs, Tokiomi Tohsaka's pupils dilated slightly. Even his grip on the gem staff unconsciously tightened. He never imagined his greatest secret would be known by others—and by that Age of Gods Caster with whom he had grievances!
His heartbeat quickened from tension. If Caster knew, would others also know? Would those unaware of the details really think he'd revived the King of Heroes, then team up again to eliminate him?
This wasn't wild speculation but the most reasonable result. Because he and the Church had engaged in underhanded operations, and the King of Heroes' combat power in the harbor battle had single-handedly suppressed six major Heroic Spirit Servants. Speaking frankly, if he were a Master from another camp, what would he think? Probably wish to eliminate him immediately!
But this shouldn't be possible. Was the Age of Gods really that omnipotent? He'd never even shown his face before other Heroic Spirit Servants. And that night, knowing other Heroic Spirit Servants were all participating in defeating the Dark Magician, he'd dared to trouble Zouken Matou while testing the homunculus Servant's output power and magical consumption.
Just who was that Caster—to find traces and dox him like this?
「But don't worry. I haven't publicized this information. Because if I had, last night's explosion demolishing the Hyatt Hotel would probably have fallen on your head, wouldn't it?」
「And this is one of the sincerities I'm offering. Seeing this, you should understand my purpose, and I believe you also have this inclination.」
「After all, Mr. Tokiomi Tohsaka—you wouldn't want news of Archer-aniki still being alive known by other Heroic Spirit Servants, would you?」
—Caster·Medea.
Reading the letter's final signature and the brief contact method after the signature—
The slightly cold wind blew across Tokiomi Tohsaka's face, adding several points of desolate, lonely meaning to this weed-overgrown estate long uninhabited.
He hesitated as if still not recovered, lowering his head. He'd been threatened.
But he wasn't angry, because the more that Age of Gods magician threatened him, the more it showed she was also increasingly anxious, urgently needing to find methods to break the current rigid stalemate.
From this perspective, their interests and goals had barely reached alignment.
This was far more reliable and useful than any promise or contract...
"That Lancer-aniki and King of Knights big sister—whichever survives to the end, we can't handle."
Fuyuki City residential district. Gazing at the sunset's remaining glow, Miss Illya sat on the house's wooden porch.
Leisurely swinging her white-tinged-with-pink feet, she curved her lips slightly, revealing a mischievous smile.
Kiritsugu Emiya was playing overt schemes, betting she feared Diarmuid more than the swordswoman.
She was also playing overt schemes, betting Tokiomi Tohsaka feared Diarmuid and the swordswoman more than he feared her.
Because Kiritsugu Emiya knew she couldn't resist Diarmuid, and she knew very clearly Tokiomi Tohsaka's homunculus Servant absolutely couldn't resist the remaining two overpowered existences.
"The weak uniting with the weak is an evergreen topic. Now I'm weak again, but people I can unite with have also increased." Miss Illya spread her small hands somewhat helplessly. As for whether Tokiomi Tohsaka would blow up at her because of the threat?
She never worried about this. After all, Tokiomi Tohsaka wasn't a fool. As long as he still had thoughts of winning, he couldn't be too impulsive. Blowing up at her meant mutual destruction.
For an abnormal magician like Tokiomi Tohsaka who both cared about family and wanted to reach the Root, unless absolutely necessary, he wouldn't bring fire upon himself.
"Caster-sama, dinner is ready. It's sushi, and I also bought the small pudding you mentioned."
The red-haired little boy wore a bathrobe, carefully walking over carrying a square tray with food arranged on it.
On top was a plate of sushi, a bowl of miso soup, and a small pudding dessert bought from the supermarket.
Had to say, the little boy's cooking skills were really quite good. The food was visually appealing, aromatic, and flavorful.
"Thank you very much!"
Her ahoge swaying happily as she accepted the tray, Miss Illya beautifully used chopsticks to pick up a piece of sushi and place it in her mouth. Looking at the red-haired little boy, she found him increasingly pleasant:
"By the way, you've been kind enough to host me for so long, but I still don't know your name?"
"Didn't Rin Tohsaka big sister tell you?"
"No."
"What's your name, big sister?"
"Medea."
"I'm called Shirou."
Assassin is dead. The Church has issued a notice. Its Master was Church member Kirei Kotomine."
"True name: False Hassan—a fanatic who worshipped successive leaders of the Old Man of the Mountain cult. Apart from a Noble Phantasm specializing in reducing presence and disguise, its attribute values didn't even reach B-rank in Agility, theoretically an Assassin's forte."
Fuyuki City development construction building. This was an operational area basically uninhabited.
Having set up a barrier to disperse civilians and familiars for security, the blond man who'd changed into a new outfit received the Church's newly issued notice through his familiar. His forehead's veins immediately bulged, his white-gloved hands unconsciously clenching tight, as if finally getting an opportunity to begin revenge.
Assassin was finally gone! He could finally go out openly!
Now the Holy Grail War could finally shift from only requiring Heroic Spirit Servant battles to determine victory, to Masters also personally entering the field for true man-to-man magical duels with other Masters!
Kayneth's lips curved slightly into a cold smile. If asked who most detested the Assassin class in this Holy Grail War, probably only he stood unrivaled.
Assassin's existence made most Masters afraid to personally enter the field and duel other Masters. Even going out required their own Heroic Spirit Servants staying close, all guarding against Assassin's sudden attacks.
But now was different. Assassin was gone. He possessed both the current meta's strongest Heroic Spirit Servant Lancer and magical attainments at the top tier among Masters.
Fighting simultaneously with combined arms coordination, even against the previous meta overlord Caster's camp, he was confident he could make them meet their end at his hands.
The Holy Grail War's meta changed daily. Next, it was his turn to sit in this new T0 position.
"Seems that little kitten didn't break her word. Before nightfall, she fulfilled her promise, making the Assassin that troubled both me and that King of Knights quietly exit."
The handsome Lancer guarding the blond man's side smiled helplessly.
Current results proved his judgment last night wasn't wrong. Even severely wounded, that Age of Gods magician possessed formidable combat power. This might partly be because this Holy Grail War's Assassin class was indeed too weak, but undoubtedly, truly underestimating that dying little kitten would result in a vicious bite.
"Hmph! Isn't it because you were too useless? If you could have eliminated that Assassin earlier, last night we wouldn't have needed to compromise and deal with that strange Age of Gods magician."
Sitting on the spacious second floor's newly purchased sofa, Kayneth snorted coldly with surface dissatisfaction.
His anger was intense now, but not directed at Diarmuid—rather at Kiritsugu Emiya.
That bastard. Out of courtesy and respect, he'd accepted his magical duel challenge, having Diarmuid withdraw during the Dark Magician battle.
You should know that even if they couldn't kill that swordswoman, they could at least force out one or two Command Seals from Kiritsugu Emiya, making the enemy's gains from the Dark Magician battle completely null.
Yet he'd already been so magnanimous, and that bastard Kiritsugu Emiya was truly a wretch. Once yielding had exchanged for this Holy Grail War's carefully arranged magical workshop connecting to alternate dimension space—capable of exhausting even second or first-rate Heroic Spirits Servants' methods—getting blown up by that bastard's damned modern industrial explosives.
This contradiction wasn't just provocation—it was a contemptuous deception treating his duel as nothing. As a Clock Tower Lord, even if he didn't want that broken Holy Grail, he had to kill that damned rat Kiritsugu Emiya.
"Master, you're absolutely right..." Diarmuid knelt on one knee, actively requesting punishment.
After all, during this period together, he'd clearly understood his Master was a genius magician with a sharp tongue but actually treated those around him well.
Even facing a mere hotel waiter, he'd show surface disdain while actually giving extra tips.
"Though foolish, your choice last night was still wise. My incompetent student's summoned Heroic Spirit Servant is no ordinary being. If that Age of Gods magician's final desperate strike had landed on you rather than the Assassin, he would have seized the opportunity."
Assassin had exited. Kayneth—finally able to enter the field as a trainer—was in a good mood.
So his tone softened without being too aggressive. Even yesterday's gloom from having his base blown up cleared considerably. Though his expression remained rigidly stern, it wasn't as ugly as previous days.
"Tonight's final showdown—against the strongest class Saber with four Command Seals."
"What are your odds? Eliminating Kiritsugu Emiya naturally won't take me long. But if other variables appear—like that allied Age of Gods magician providing him certain magical tool assistance—short-term complete elimination will probably be difficult."
Undoubtedly, after tonight's heroes' banquet, would come the pinnacle battle determining the Holy Grail War's final victor. He feared no other Masters.
In his view, the once-glorious Einzbern family—now fallen to requesting assistance from a notoriously disgusting magician killer—already lacked threatening strength. The remaining Masters: Kariya Matou dead, Tokiomi Tohsaka—barely able to trade a few moves with him—exited, Church's Kirei Kotomine exited. Only that Age of Gods magician's unknown Master was worth slightly more consideration.
As for Waver Velvet? He didn't count. Because this incompetent student of his was a theoretical talent. In life-or-death duels between magicians, his combat power was basically negligible.
Moreover, he'd only wanted to teach him a lesson from the start. He'd never regarded him as an enemy like the other Masters.
"If it's four Command Seal Saber, might be somewhat troublesome. His Mana Burst skill can nullify most attacks. If maintained constantly, even my Gáe Dearg would struggle to pierce that nearly flawless magical barrier with no blind spots..."
After thinking several seconds, Diarmuid responded fairly. That King of Knights' martial skills were slightly inferior to his, but with Instinct and both sides' cards on the table—
In pure close combat, he and her were roughly evenly matched. With the magical reactor's terrifying enhancement, he could suppress her.
But she could also use Command Seals to activate Mana Burst or directly increase combat power. Victory-wise, without considering external factors or terrain, it really wasn't easy to say. After all, as long as magical energy sufficed, she had no tricks—just pure overwhelming power. The battle with the King of Heroes had revealed her terrifying stats when fully supplied.
"Will you lose?"
Kayneth didn't want explanations. He just gazed calmly at the kneeling handsome man.
Like an ancient monarch examining a general about to accompany him to war.
He didn't want data—he wanted confidence. If even the main general lacked confidence in victory, how should he—this personally campaigning monarch—proceed?
"Somewhat troublesome... but I'll win."
Understanding his Master's implication, Diarmuid slightly curved his handsome lips in solemn guarantee.
The magical reactor's provided magical energy was no less than direct Holy Grail supply—even capable of breaking through level attributes. If he couldn't achieve victory with such massive advantage, he'd shame his Master. Even after returning to the Throne of Heroes, he'd want to slap himself.
"But merely guaranteeing victory over Saber isn't enough." Kayneth opened a glass of red wine placed on the empty building's table, shaking his head meaningfully.
He poured two glasses of expensive red wine. One placed on the table, the other he held while seated on the sofa, swirling it.
"Tonight's best-case scenario: you must directly face Saber and her ally Caster's assault while guarding against Rider who might observe neutrally without picking sides initially. Meaning you need to simultaneously face two Heroic Spirit Servants' desperate attacks."
"And worst-case scenario: Rider also defects to Saber. Tonight you must simultaneously face final showdown with three major Heroic Spirit Servants. Win to the end and claim the Grail, or like that Golden King, be jointly defeated by weak ones warming together through courage."
Tokiomi Tohsaka and Miss Illya could see the situation clearly. How could Kayneth—the Clock Tower's contemporary genius—not see clearly? He possessed massive advantage.
But this advantage, like with the King of Heroes, was in a sense also a disadvantage.
Especially after Assassin exited, the battle accelerated, and Masters could enter the field—
Those magician Masters knowing he was a Clock Tower Lord—unless they were idiots—knew to unite and eliminate him first. Though he feared no magician's challenge, if those Masters desperately had their Heroic Spirit Servants besiege Diarmuid to gain victory, and Diarmuid lost too quickly, he'd also have no solution.
As for allying with Iskandar? No need to consider. Because his grievance with Kiritsugu Emiya was extreme.
And though he had no grudge with Waver Velvet, participating in this Holy Grail War from the start—his greatest original intention was wanting to give this incompetent student a proper magical ritual's cruel lesson.
If he allied with him, wouldn't that be putting the cart before the horse, admitting tearing up his shitty thesis was wrong?
He wasn't wrong and never thought he'd made any errors. The student was indeed quite good at theoretical knowledge. But as a magician able to write such suicidal thesis in the Clock Tower, this was his greatest flaw and mistake.
Just as that Age of Gods magician said—the so-called pinnacle of magecraft, the Age of Gods, was very cruel. But the modern magician world was equally cruel.
"Master, I'm confident in defeating the various heroes, but actual results—I also find difficult to predict..."
Looking at the red wine placed on the table, Diarmuid hesitated several seconds before not hiding it from him. He had eighty percent confidence in defeating the wrist-injured King of Knights.
But simultaneously facing three Heroic Spirit Servants, his victory odds were only about forty percent.
This wasn't whether he could definitely win in direct combat, but if one of them was forced desperate—the remaining two restrained him while the desperate one seized the opportunity to ambush his lord—then no matter how confident or capable he was, it would be beyond salvation.
He trusted the other heroes' noble, dignified character and bearing in this Holy Grail War, especially that Age of Gods magician. But he didn't trust other Masters would think the same. Kiritsugu Emiya had already proven magicians had no bottom line.
If other Heroic Spirits' Masters used Command Seals issuing orders, no matter how noble those Heroic Spirits' character, they'd have no choice.
"Diarmuid Ua Duibhne, you fear just three Servants?"
"Is this what you meant by bringing me victory, letting me win the Holy Grail War?"
Hearing this answer, Kayneth's expression turned cold. Diarmuid's heart slightly startled—because his Master seemed to have already prepared for tonight's one-versus-three, planning to sweep the entire field from the start.
His Master wasn't dissatisfied with him, but hinting tonight would be the Holy Grail War's finale.
"Master..."
"Do you know what you should do now? Take that wine glass and drink it all."
In my life, Kayneth, I don't permit failure. Whether theoretical magecraft or magical duels—only success exists. This is a battlefield where myths reproduce as epic!
I may not need the so-called omnipotent wish-granter, but I absolutely cannot lose face as a genius in this mere backwater Far East magical ritual!
And you, as my Heroic Spirit Servant—regardless whether you were powerful in life or after being summoned—
Must also have resolve to never accept defeat! Because behind you stands me, Kayneth El-Melloi Archibald—ninth-generation head of the Archibald family, Clock Tower Department of Spiritual Evocation first-class lecturer, Clock Tower Mineralogy Lord proficient in spiritual evocation, summoning, and alchemy!
"So what if she's an Age of Gods magician? Suspected of using advanced spirit possession to borrow unknown existences' power, with blood that can supply magical energy to others—so what?"
"Modern magicians are never much inferior to so-called Age of Gods magicians. Moreover, she's already severely wounded. Her era has passed. Now the magical world's genius is me, Kayneth!"
Perhaps not just hatred for Kiritsugu Emiya, not just teaching his incompetent student a lesson—
Kayneth, as the Clock Tower's once-in-a-century genius, seemed to have awakened a long-absent competitive spirit on this passionate epic battlefield.
Competitive spirit toward Miss Illya. Competitive spirit toward her—this Age of Gods magician whose combat style seemed completely nonsensical in his eyes. Wanting to duel her understanding of magecraft in the name of a modern genius magician.
He wasn't skilled at combat, but in magical theory and profound meaning, he believed himself no worse than her.
Because from the start, he'd found the Holy Grail War's loophole, splitting the summoning contract into two parts. His fiancée Sola-Ui Nuada-Re Sophia-Ri supplied magical energy to Diarmuid while he could still maximally exercise Master's rights. Completing this operational theory and thinking—he'd accomplished it shortly after arriving in Fuyuki City.
Also from that time, he'd increasingly looked down on this hick magical ritual in the Far East—until the harbor battle changed his view somewhat.
"Master, I apologize. I lost composure. This Holy Grail War—I, Diarmuid Ua Duibhne, will definitely present the Grail with both hands!"
Diarmuid raised his head, his handsome face no longer hesitant—only firm resolve:
"Not lacking confidence, but will definitely achieve victory, defeating all obstructing enemies!"
This answer satisfied Kayneth with a nod.
Exactly so. Whether him or his Servant—both should have this resolve for certain victory.
What dissatisfied him most about Waver Velvet was—as his student—being so weak and lacking confidence, actually hoping to make him acknowledge that shitty thesis's feasibility through the Holy Grail War, rather than obediently listening to lectures and understanding why that thesis was utter nonsense.
"Sit. Drink that wine. Time is still ample. When Sola returns, we'll also begin our final preparations. Mere three Heroic Spirit Servants still lack qualification to disturb our relaxation~"
"Master, please don't take offense. I'm somewhat curious—what are you having Lady Sola go to the airport to retrieve..."
"Just retrieving something. After the harbor battle, you don't think I only researched the magical reactor supply mechanism as this Holy Grail War's only discovery?"
"I understand you're a genius, Master. Just unclear what thing is worth having your commanded Archibald family specially escort from outside the Far East. If too precious and damaged in this Holy Grail War..."
"Just a small trinket. No need to worry. You just need to know I think it's useful for you—that's enough. Even if damaged, it's merely getting nagged a bit by some immortal old fogies after the Holy Grail War ends."
Seeing Diarmuid stand and pick up the wine glass with puzzled expression, Kayneth mysteriously curved his lips.
Extending his wine glass from above, wanting to clink with his glass.
Though proud, he wasn't foolish. Now all Heroic Spirit Servants' combat power distribution in this Holy Grail War was clear. But he couldn't rule out others having trump cards, especially that Age of Gods magician suspected of using spirit possession. Even if theoretically severe wounds would greatly affect her possession, some caution was still needed.
After all, this wasn't one-on-one. What he wanted was single-handedly overturning the entire Holy Grail War field. Even not guarding against that Age of Gods magician causing trouble—
Who knew if other Masters might pull some tricks? These were all unstable factors.
"Clink!"
"As my follower, bring forth your everything. And I will also grant you power to obtain everything."
Half-full tall wine glasses lightly clinked. Eye-catchingly red wine accompanied the sunset—
Drunk completely by a lord and his glorious knight.
This Holy Grail War's combat power had gapped, but not Heroic Spirit Servants' gap.
Rather, Masters' gap. In resources the Clock Tower Lord Kayneth could mobilize and magical attainments—other Masters were indeed just hicks.
Miss Illya was the type strong in anyone's hands, capable of self-supply.
While Kayneth was the type—whatever Heroic Spirit Servant he obtained became powerful.
Both were the kind who didn't need to look at teammates—they themselves were their teammates' greatest cheat.
"Kayneth El-Melloi Archibald, Kiritsugu Emiya—neither of these two camps can be resisted by you or me alone. If they determine one side's victory tonight, Mr. Tokiomi Tohsaka should understand how severe the situation will become."
Fuyuki City commercial building plaza. Lights brilliant, shops lined in rows. Streets full of office workers just clocking out on time, plus elementary students bouncing and jumping shopping with mom and dad after school, bursting with energy. Occasionally visible were several pairs of damned bastard high school couple students sweetly showing affection roadside.
Breeze blowing across the lively street. Despite multiple consecutive malicious incidents like gas leaks these past days, as a coastal Fuyuki City with consistently good economic levels, human culture and popularity hadn't weakened much from start to finish. Most people maintained an attitude of "not my problem" living day-to-day lives.
After all, whether gas leaks would fall on them—Fuyuki City residents didn't know.
But they knew if they didn't work, unemployed vagrant status would definitely fall on them. Before long, life would become increasingly difficult.
"I, Tokiomi Tohsaka, thank you—esteemed Age of Gods magician—for actively contacting me and not exposing to other Masters and Servants the fact I haven't exited."
On both sides of the flower bed at the lively commercial plaza's center, two figures sitting on flower bed benches dozens of meters apart with backs to each other both confirmed each other's identities through words.
One was an elegant, noble man in red formal wear holding a staff—Tokiomi Tohsaka.
One was Miss Illya wearing magically-conjured modern hoodie, hood up, student short skirt, feet wrapped in black student shoes, face and silver hair hidden.
This private meeting location was Miss Illya's choice, preventable against others attacking.
After all, in an area with at least thousands of residents and tourists present, erupting in battle—
Even the Church could hardly suppress it. Daring to fight meant good luck equaled the Church issuing wanted orders besieging you, bad luck meant the fight was day one, the enraged Church's Burial Agency arrived day two.
"I should thank Mr. Tokiomi Tohsaka for boldly coming here despite past grievances."
Using most basic short-distance magical sound transmission, even with very noisy surroundings—
Miss Illya could still smoothly communicate with Tokiomi Tohsaka.
"It's already in the past. What I'm more concerned about now is why Miss Caster suddenly contacted me, or rather—what you want me to do?"
"You also wanted to contact me, didn't you? Just that you couldn't find me while I could find you first."
"...Please be direct about what you want."
"Very simple. Tonight, cooperate with me—kill Kayneth and Kiritsugu Emiya."
Directly targeting the swordswoman and Lancer was obviously impossible. These two's strength in the current meta was too overpowered. Every single one had already surpassed the category of first-rate Heroic Spirit Servants. The swordswoman was purely powerful with sufficient magical energy, while Lancer's Master was too overpowered.
If Kayneth were Miss Illya's Master, she didn't dare imagine how terrifyingly fast her development speed and strength growth would be with a Clock Tower Lord's resources backing her. She'd probably be able to steamroll through a regular Holy Grail War directly.
But unfortunately, they couldn't swap. Kayneth and she had poor compatibility. Unless he had her holy relic, they couldn't possibly be together.
Of course, this was all beside the point. Now that both the swordswoman and Lancer were confirmed unbeatable, undoubtedly their Masters were the optimal choice.
After all, those two Heroic Spirit Servants' strength was meta T0, but that didn't mean their Masters were unbeatable.
Can't beat the duel monster? Can't you beat the trainer at home?
This was simple logic. In the Holy Grail War, aside from the Archer class, under normal circumstances other Heroic Spirit Servants couldn't possibly possess "Independent Action"—that special skill allowing brief manifestation after losing their Master. Meaning when Masters other than Archer's died, their summoned Heroic Spirit Servants would dissipate extremely quickly.
Heroic Spirit Servants with sufficient magical energy like Miss Illya could maintain themselves a bit longer, but still couldn't avoid declining strength and death.
So Tokiomi Tohsaka's greatest utility became apparent. With only four Heroic Spirit Servants openly remaining, Tokiomi Tohsaka possessed a fifth homunculus Servant with inferior hard power. Though his homunculus Servant was so fragile a single bullet could solve it, a glass cannon was still a cannon, wasn't it?
Tokiomi Tohsaka couldn't fight other Heroic Spirit Servants, but saying he couldn't fight other Masters seemed rather laughable.
"A secret flanking ambush—eliminating all Masters while other Heroic Spirit Servants are engaged in battle. Surely this isn't difficult for Mr. Tokiomi Tohsaka?"
"Assassin is dead. The restrictions on all major Masters are lifted. What follows isn't just war between Heroic Spirit Servants, but war between all major Masters."
"The Holy Grail War was never just duels between Heroic Spirit Servants. Proud as that Mr. Kayneth is, if my predictions are correct, the battle at midnight tonight will be his and Kiritsugu Emiya's solo show. And that time period is also Mr. Tokiomi Tohsaka's greatest opportunity—bar none."
Miss Illya's hands were tucked in her hoodie pockets, quietly watching passersby who walked past without noticing her. Her presence was very low now.
She wasn't spouting nonsense. Tokiomi Tohsaka's current best chance at victory was eliminating all Masters in one swoop during tonight's decisive battle. Because after tonight, whether the swordswoman or Lancer remained, both were terrifying existences a mere homunculus Servant couldn't resist. No matter how well Tokiomi Tohsaka hid or how excellent his micromanagement, he couldn't compensate for this fundamental hard power gap.
Facing absolute overwhelming stats, the homunculus Servant—this glass cannon—was just trash.
Even if enemies just dodged without attacking, the homunculus Servant would rapidly lose combat capability or directly explode and collapse from overload and magical energy consumption.
"It seems this Holy Grail War is finally welcoming its final act."
Dozens of meters away, Mr. Tokiomi Tohsaka first sighed slightly, not directly responding to Miss Illya's statement. Because although their situations were currently similar—
Since Miss Illya had proactively contacted him first, she was the one asking for help.
So the initiative still rested in his hands.
After all, being proactive meant disadvantage. Whoever was proactive appeared cheap in the other party's eyes.
"Age of Gods magician, if this is your view, then indeed it benefits both of us. But couldn't I also continue lying in wait, harvesting after you've all mutually destroyed each other? You should know my exit has the Church's official certification. I don't necessarily have to gamble my life tonight like you."
"If I expose Mr. Tokiomi Tohsaka's true situation, do you think you'll be safe?"
"Then let me ask—would other Masters and Servants believe a hostile Heroic Spirit Servant, or believe an official organization with tremendous influence in the modern magician world?"
"Whether they believe me, I don't know. But I can be certain Kiritsugu Emiya will believe me."
"....."
Tokiomi Tohsaka fell silent. He'd naturally heard about the exploits of that utterly shameless magician killer Kiritsugu Emiya. Especially after the Hyatt Hotel was demolished last night, his vigilance toward Kiritsugu Emiya had nearly reached its peak.
Others might hesitate because of the Church, but in Kiritsugu Emiya's eyes, only Tokiomi's death was truly secure.
"Are you threatening me? Age of Gods magician—Medea, the Witch of Betrayal."
"You'd better think clearly. I'm not powerless. I can also drag you down with me."
Tokiomi Tohsaka's tone carried some hostility. He had leverage against this Age of Gods magician, but clearly didn't want to be threatened so easily.
Though the homunculus Gilgamesh was at best second-rate normally, capable of reaching first-rate in self-destruct mode—unable to challenge meta overlords—challenging a severely wounded Age of Gods magician was quite simple. Her current true combat power most likely couldn't even maintain first-rate.
"If Mr. Tokiomi Tohsaka wanted mutual destruction with me, you wouldn't have accepted my invitation, would you?" However, Miss Illya just smiled mischievously.
Playing mutual coercion with her? She wasn't Zouken Matou—she didn't fall for this routine.
Zouken Matou had no way to blow up at Tokiomi Tohsaka. If pushed desperate, she really could mutually destruct with Tokiomi Tohsaka.
"If you want to name a price, go ahead. I don't like beating around the bush. You want to win, I want to win—we both don't want to die. No need to play those politician negotiation tactics."
Fundamentally, Tokiomi Tohsaka just wanted to raise his value, preparing to demand exorbitantly.
From the moment he dared come here, he'd already tacitly agreed to alliance and cooperation between them.
"Tell me magecraft to improve homunculus strength—methods to enhance homunculi. Best if it can restore the King of Heroes to First Night levels. This is my condition. And for you, proficient in spirit possession and having mentioned homunculus magecraft in your letter, this isn't a difficult matter."
"Pfft~ Mr. Tokiomi Tohsaka, you also enjoy cold jokes? Do you think this is realistic?"
Even if I really knew how, I couldn't possibly agree. The swordswoman and Lancer were already two overpowered monsters. If the King of Heroes returned to full power—
This Holy Grail War's victory would have nothing to do with anyone else. Just watch those three overpowered monsters battle royale.
"What's unrealistic? Two major camps will determine victory, but three major camps will enter a stable period. As everyone knows, triangles are the most stable geometric division. As long as we delay the decisive battle date, you—the strongest from previous days—also have time to recover strength. Whether for you or me, this is an advantageous benefit. Then it will become a four-way decisive battle after kicking out Rider."
Tokiomi Tohsaka demanded exorbitantly with an expressionless face, listing feasibility.
The decisive battle's advancement resulted from severely unbalanced combat power, requiring only the two strongest sides to determine victory. But as long as everyone became overpowered strong existences—
The meta would balance again. Everyone having stats meant no one having stats. Everyone could enter a new balanced meta.
Then the swordswoman and Lancer would inevitably erupt in new conflict due to hatred. He and this Age of Gods magician only needed to watch tigers fight from the mountain to possess rights to enter the finals. Even if the swordswoman and Lancer felt dissatisfied, the two of them could directly unite to eliminate the opposition. A true win-win.
"Hehe, I don't think even with recovered injuries I could compare with everyone."
Miss Illya refused mercilessly. Bullshit balance—her strength had long fallen behind. First Night she could still clash with others. Now each had eaten meta buffs and strengthened. How could she balance with others while severely wounded?
Moreover, why should she guarantee Tokiomi Tohsaka wouldn't completely eliminate her the first moment after recovering strength? She remembered Kariya Matou's matter bitterly. These magicians, like her, didn't keep promises or credibility.
Of course, most importantly—she didn't know shit about homunculus magecraft. Her intelligence all came from what Zouken Matou told her. If she actually saw Tokiomi Tohsaka's homunculus Servant herself, she'd probably only think Tokiomi Tohsaka had performed a second summoning or Gilgamesh suddenly faked death and gender-swapped.
"Then what about certain consciousness-awakening magecraft?" Tokiomi Tohsaka seemed still unwilling to give up.
As long as the King of Heroes recovered consciousness, relying on the Gate of Babylon could still return to meta strongest.
"Don't have it. If this is Mr. Tokiomi Tohsaka's sincerity, then we also have no need to continue discussing. I believe Mr. Zouken Matou would also be quite happy to replace you, becoming my best new ally..."
"!!!"
Zouken Matou?
How could you possibly know Zouken Matou?
And isn't he dead?
Tokiomi Tohsaka's pupils dilated slightly, his expression turning cold. He reacted extremely to this bombshell Miss Illya dropped, various thoughts continuously emerging in his mind. Soon he felt Miss Illya was bluffing, because Kariya Matou—the Matou family's participant—had been personally killed by her. How could she possibly have connections with Zouken Matou?
You should know if this Age of Gods magician truly had alliance-type relations with the Matou family, Kariya Matou couldn't possibly have fought her last night.
"Miss Medea, your price-lowering lie seems rather clumsy."
"This is already my expression of sincerity—revealing so much yet still willing to haggle meaninglessly here with you. Rather, Mr. Tokiomi Tohsaka, you're somewhat ignorant of your situation."
Whether rescuing Tokiomi Tohsaka's daughter Rin Tohsaka and sending her back to him—
Or proactively writing a letter expressing alliance intentions, or exposing information that Zouken Matou was still alive—
These were all sincerity Miss Illya had shown. Yet Tokiomi Tohsaka still dared demand such high prices, making Miss Illya somewhat dissatisfied.
"?"
What sincerity did you have? Wasn't it just mutual warmth after everyone was forced to desperate straits?
Tokiomi Tohsaka couldn't think of any other sincerity besides her proactively arranging to meet him and revealing the extremely low probability information that Zouken Matou wasn't dead yet.
However, sensing her transmission had become obviously unfriendly, Tokiomi Tohsaka also frowned slightly, not planning to demand exorbitantly.
"Ten vials of your blood, two hundred milliliters each. This is my bottom line for taking action."
"One vial of blood, twenty milliliters. Don't act and we die together."
"...Five vials, one hundred milliliters. Activating the homunculus Servant consumes enormous magical energy. I'll lose almost all combat capability. I must have certain magical energy replenishment means."
"You control Fuyuki City's ley lines cheating, charging gems with magical energy—you lack combat capability? Does Mr. Tokiomi Tohsaka enjoy jokes? One vial of one hundred milliliters blood is also my final bottom line. Even one hundred milliliters of my blood can very closely approach one Command Seal's magical supply, enough to support the homunculus Servant's battle."
"Four vials. This is my final bottom line after adjustment."
"....."
An Age of Gods magician and a magical family head began arguing like haggling at a vegetable market, completely lacking magician dignity.
Finally, after back-and-forth tug-of-war, their flexible moral bottom lines settled the price at two vials of one hundred twenty milliliters blood.
Meaning compensation nearly equal to two Command Seals' magical supply, in exchange for Tokiomi Tohsaka eliminating Kiritsugu Emiya and Kayneth.
And Miss Illya clearly wasn't willing to suffer losses either. After all, Tokiomi Tohsaka not acting meant waiting for death anyway. So she also demanded three gems with fairly abundant magical energy from him, to serve as gem bombs capable of catching certain people off guard.
In others' hands, this thing wasn't very useful. But in Miss Illya's hands, it was more effective than high-explosive grenades—just needed magical energy infusion to continuously raise damage, a small trump card more capable of bearing her magical energy than silver hair threads.
"Actually, I'm somewhat curious—why choose me? Rather than allying with Rider? Just because I'm hidden in darkness with advantage to ambush others?"
"Very simple. Because the homunculus Servant has a chance to kill me, and I also have a chance to kill the homunculus Servant. But in single combat, neither of us can resist the remaining two knight-class Servants. Only if you and I survive to the end in this Holy Grail War does each of us have a chance to obtain the omnipotent wish-granter as enemies."
Tokiomi Tohsaka naturally understood this clearly. Precisely based on this foundation, he dared ally and cooperate with this Age of Gods magician.
In a sense, both the homunculus Servant and her current state were that type of glass cannon.
She could find opportunities to kill the homunculus Servant. The homunculus Servant's Noble Phantasm bombardment—if hitting her—also had chances of victory. Without this relationship existing, even talking themselves hoarse, they couldn't possibly convince the other to ally. Rather, they'd wish the other died faster.
But Tokiomi Tohsaka also heard this Age of Gods magician's final implication:
"Your meaning is—Rider, having lost his mount, if surviving to the end also isn't something you or I can resist..."
However, this time Miss Illya didn't answer his words.
After both sides circled the flower bed obtaining their respective trade goods, Tokiomi Tohsaka discovered Miss Illya had already disappeared without a trace from the flower bed's other side.
Mixing into the crowd, no longer visible. Except for remaining warmth on the nearby bench—
That Age of Gods magician seemed never to have come here.
A gleam flashed through Tokiomi Tohsaka's eyes as he also quickly merged into the mall's crowd.
Heroic Spirit Servants surviving to this stage—none were simple existences.
He had to re-evaluate the Conqueror King Iskandar and this self-proclaimed Medea Age of Gods magician. Because they apparently weren't as they appeared on the surface, truly detached from this Holy Grail War's meta T0 strength...
But he was the same. Though he knew he couldn't defeat the swordswoman and Lancer, having confidence to beat the other two—even in poor condition, fallen to second or third-rate Heroic Spirit Servants—also showed he had certain unknown confidence. Because you should know the homunculus Servant's essential comprehensive strength was only second-rate. What made him dare assert that as long as what remained wasn't knight-class, he could almost certainly win...
"Why do I feel like some three-surname slave?"
Activating her class's inherent Presence Concealment, walking on Fuyuki City's outer harbor district streets—
Miss Illya couldn't help self-deprecating. This seemed already her third or even fourth alliance.
First with the swordswoman, second with Kariya Matou, third implicitly with Iskandar, now with her initial enemy Tokiomi Tohsaka.
Crucially, except for the swordswoman's side, others didn't know she actually maintained alliances with others too. Like a scumbag's backup lovers.
But she wasn't really that scummy, right? After all, every single one of these alliance targets—she wanted to betray and kill. And they all also wanted to kill her.
"Sometimes I truly wonder if you've lied about your True Name and really are that Age of Gods Witch of Betrayal."
"At least I haven't betrayed you yet, have I? Master even more useless than Waver Velvet."
"...If I hadn't used a Command Seal when you fought Berserker, assuming you could survive now, you'd probably already be at the Church claiming my head."
The voice beside her ear was calm yet helpless. Kirei Kotomine didn't really hide his thoughts either. After all, this was Illyasviel personality.
"But you did use it. So the day of settling accounts with you—I can postpone."
Miss Illya also didn't hide anything, her teasing tone carrying a trace of killing intent.
If Kirei Kotomine had recalled her earlier, she couldn't possibly have fallen from the Holy Grail War's upper-middle tier position. This Holy Grail War's final battle couldn't possibly have advanced so much.
However, Kirei Kotomine still had certain utility value. For instance, using the Church to issue information that Assassin was dead, allowing her to find opportunities to kill other Masters. Overall, he was a strange existence with both merits and faults.
Not killing him—he wasn't very useful, never providing very timely support.
Killing him—she had no replacement contract partner. With only one Command Seal left, he wasn't very necessary. Yet sometimes inexplicably useful.
So regarding Kirei Kotomine, she basically treated this Master as non-existent.
Occasionally serving as her temporary meal ticket.
"Tokiomi Tohsaka contacted me, hoping I can enter the field at tonight's battle's end."
"...Then seems I set the price too high. He was planning to cooperate and ally with me from the start~"
Miss Illya felt somewhat helpless.
However, Kirei Kotomine didn't believe her nonsense. He'd clearly seen his Heroic Spirit Servant's mouth had not one truthful word, completely lacking credibility:
"Not high. Because that was also your expectation, Assassin. Your highest bottom line was only giving Tokiomi Tohsaka 'two Command Seals.' Too much and you'd struggle controlling him. Too little and he might not prevent other Masters' Command Seal recalls disrupting your layout."
Too much blood—Tokiomi Tohsaka's strength surges, possibly advancing into strongest tier.
Too little blood—Tokiomi Tohsaka might get solo killed by others, or fall short at the critical moment.
"So only giving two vials of blood was undoubtedly the optimal choice. It could let the homunculus Gilgamesh temporarily maintain first-rate Heroic Spirit Servant standards short-term with no spare mana remaining. Even if one vial remained post-battle, Miss Illya and his strength could present mutual restraint with both having chances."
"Well, what did Mr. Tokiomi Tohsaka want Master you to do? Kill Kiritsugu Emiya?"
"No. Take Irisviel away."
"?"
"It's basically confirmed—Irisviel is this Holy Grail War's Lesser Grail, the vessel for the omnipotent wish-granter's descent. So Teacher, to ensure absolute safety and retain a life-saving trump card even if ultimately failing, needs to capture and bring her back."
Kirei Kotomine's voice was calm and certain, clearly having agreed to Tokiomi Tohsaka's request.
The Holy Grail War's Lesser Grail?
Irisviel?
Hearing this news, Miss Illya first froze, then her expression returned to calm, apparently learning this hidden rule for the first time.
"After the Grail descends, what happens to her?"
"As the omnipotent wish-granter's vessel, naturally beyond saving. What—you want to save her?"
"Don't tell me such cold jokes. I find her annoying enough—better if she dies early."
Miss Illya frowned slightly and waved her hand:
"Don't leave survivors. Dead people are much easier to handle than living ones. I don't want when I can return alive... to see Irisviel still breathing."