"Gold?"
Gilgamesh tilted her head, indicating confusion.
As a precious metal naturally possessing the characteristics of treasure, her King's Treasure not only contained gold, but could even be described as endless.
"Take a little out."
Kisaragi Rin said. Gilgamesh pouted, feeling like her dignity as a king was completely gone.
A golden halo shone, and Gilgamesh took out a Golden Cup made of gold and gems.
Kisaragi Rin signaled Medea to place a Ghost Infant inside, then drew out [Rule Breaker].
When the restraints disappeared, the Ghost Infant's piercing cries rang out again, but Kisaragi quickly squeezed the mouth of the cup shut, completing the seal.
Medea was initially wondering why the Master was doing this, but then she realized that the Ghost Infant contained in the Golden Cup was actually unable to break through the barrier.
Observing the interior with her Mystic Eyes, Medea discovered that in the presence of gold, it became as helpless as a true premature infant.
Medea said, finding it hard to accept, "This thing is afraid of gold?"
Seriously, your essence is so absurd.
It can devour even flesh and Mana, yet it was restrained this simply by gold?
"Hmm... just like a Devil Fruit user cannot affect Sea Prism Stone, the Ghosts of that world cannot affect gold. This allows for containment. It would be very troublesome if we didn't know, but knowing it, the solution is actually quite simple."
Kisaragi Rin said casually.
But he was not relaxed inside. The gold proved that this Ghost indeed came from that world, and he still didn't know if the Main Body of this thing had undergone any mutation with Soichiro Kuzuki's help.
"Ghost Infant? Starving Ghost? Ghost Child?"
"I remember the clips from the Short Videos said that the Protagonist eventually became existing simultaneously in the past, present, and future. How could this Ghost, which is so important in that world's world line, appear here?"
As early as when he first arrived in the Fate World and appeared in the classroom, Kisaragi Rin had joked that it was fortunate the teacher wasn't explaining the Three Great Rules for fighting Ghosts.
Looking at it now, he hadn't encountered them, but Soichiro Kuzuki, who came from Great Ming, had experienced that world!
The key point was that Kisaragi Rin had only read up to the point where the Protagonist solved the S-Class Starving Ghost Crisis in that novel in his previous life. He later heard that the plot was forcibly altered by a Divine Power, so he had no intention of reading the continuation.
Fortunately.
This was exactly one of the Ghosts he had finished reading about.
Recalling the details in the book, Kisaragi Rin pondered the intelligence regarding this Ghost.
Compared to Specters, Strange Tales, and Evil Ghosts... the [Ghosts] of that world have already departed from the concept of Spiritual Anomalies.
Ghosts cannot be killed. The Ghosts within that world are immortal and indestructible, akin to rules, yet they lack self-awareness. According to Kisaragi Rin's understanding, they are similar to Fragments of the Great Path.
Placed in the Fate World, that would be the level Medea refers to as The Root.
Every Ghost has its own Killing Rule, which the Ghost cannot violate. Only when a person triggers a Ghost's Killing Rule can the Ghost kill that person.
And the one they are currently facing.
Is named: [Starving Ghost].
Fortunately, Kisaragi Rin happens to know the Starving Ghost's Killing Rule.
Unfortunately, knowing it isn't very useful, because this Ghost's rules are terrifying.
Phase One - Ghost Infant: As long as you are touched by the Ghost Infant, you will be hunted by it until death.
Phase Two - Ghost Child: As long as you are touched or heard by the Ghost Child, you will be hunted to death.
Phase Three - Youth: As long as you are touched, heard, or seen by this Ghost, you will be hunted to death.
If the first three phases of the [Starving Ghost] still offered a chance to survive, then the Fourth Phase of the Starving Ghost is the despair that extinguishes that hope.
In the Final Phase, the Starving Ghost will give birth to a Ghost Domain large enough to cover an entire city.
And its Killing Rule is: as long as you breathe the air within the Ghost Domain, you will be hunted to death by it.
Fortunately, only the Starving Ghost's Main Body can grow to the Fourth Phase. The one Kisaragi caught, and others like it, are merely Ghost Slaves of the [Starving Ghost].
And Ghost Slaves can only grow up to the Third Phase at most.
As for the method of growth, it is cannibalism.
When the Ghost Infant finished consuming Tohsaka Rin, it would be the moment it broke through the belly to descend into the world.
Kisaragi Rin sent the Golden Cup in his hand into the Workshop, assigning Ai Haibara another research task.
"If you suddenly hit me with a Vicious Ghost Revival mid-battle, I would genuinely be flustered." Thinking of this, Kisaragi Rin said strangely, "Is this some alternative form of good deeds being rewarded? If I hadn't come to pick up Tohsaka Rin, I really wouldn't have discovered this."
The abilities of the Paradise are still too numerous; who can predict what an opponent will pull out?
Now that he saw Soichiro Kuzuki could even produce a [Starving Ghost], Kisaragi Rin felt he wouldn't be surprised if the man pulled out a Bug Arrow and stabbed himself with it the next moment.
"Gil, I need your help."
Kisaragi Rin looked gently at Gilgamesh.
Gilgamesh's small face flushed, and she said foolishly:
"No problem, you need gold, right? I have lots and lots more in my Treasury..."
As she spoke, the light and shadow of [King's Treasure] materialized around her, and accompanied by the summoning, a large pile of gold poured onto the ground.
"I'll trouble you, Medea. I need an Enclosed Cage made of pure gold."
Kisaragi Rin pulled Medea over and assigned her this task.
With the power of A-Rank [Item Creation], Medea would make full use of all this gold.
Medea: "No problem."
Gilgamesh, who was ignored again: "..."
"Soichiro Kuzuki, you haven't made a move yet. Could it be that you plan to use the Starving Ghost as your Ultimate Weapon against me?"
Thinking of the [Arrow of Shooting the Sun and Slaying the Ancient God] that wasn't used on Scáthach, a smile appeared on Kisaragi's face.
The [Starving Ghost] could not be killed in its Original World, but that doesn't mean it can't be killed in this world.
Since even Medea's [Rule Breaker] can seal it, Kisaragi was already looking forward to seeing what expression Soichiro Kuzuki would make when the arrow hit the Starving Ghost, causing it to crash, and then stuffing it into the gold cage.
Kisaragi Rin pushed open the door to Tohsaka Rin's house, and the others followed behind him, looking outside.
The relaxed and cheerful ordinary people inside Fuyuki City hadn't noticed that too many people already wanted them dead.
Emiya Shirou was holding the Corrupted Holy Grail, capable of Self-Destructing and igniting Fuyuki City at any moment.
Soichiro Kuzuki cast down the Starving Ghost's Seeds, allowing them to flourish in Foreign Territory. The moment the Ghost Domain opens to massacre Fuyuki City could arrive at any time.
"Today is another 'Nuclear Peace' day in Fuyuki City..."
Kisaragi Rin sighed.