In front of the magnificent Millennium Castle Brunestud.
Ritsuka sat tensely on a wooden chair, an object that looked in stark contrast to the luxury of its surroundings. Across from him, the Servant he had just summoned sat gracefully on a classic-style sofa. An expanse of blue-glowing flower fields stretched endlessly, bathed in the light of a giant full moon hanging low in the sky, making the millennium castle a stunning backdrop.
Ritsuka stared sharply at the Servant in front of him. He leaned forward, resting both elbows on his knees with his fingers tightly intertwined.
"You definitely have another goal, don't you?" Ritsuka started in a deep voice. "There is no way a being like you manifested as my Servant without a specific reason. So, what exactly does Gaia (the Will of the Planet) want from me? Why did she send you here?"
Archetype: Earth leaned her back against the sofa casually. She was completely unaffected by Ritsuka's words. "You don't need to be so vigilant. Just treat me like when we were in the past."
"I might be relaxed if you showed up at Chaldea's base. But right now we are in the middle of a Holy Grail War!" Ritsuka replied coldly. "I cannot underestimate your presence. There are billions of humans living in this world. You are the representation of the planet itself, which means you have absolute authority over nature. Just one small reason could turn you into the enemy of humanity. I will not take the risk of endangering the lives of the people in this timeline."
Hearing that, Archetype: Earth's red eyes stared intently at Ritsuka. "Hoo... So, you intend to fight me if I truly came to wipe out humanity here?"
"Yes. I will do it," Ritsuka answered, without a single speck of doubt in his eyes.
'Master, this is too risky! If you truly intend to fight her, you must release all the Seals of Excalibur!' Arthur warned. His tone sounded very tense.
However, as if the walls of Ritsuka's mind were mere transparent glass to her, Archetype: Earth gave a faint smile.
"Correct, just as your King of Knights inside you said," Archetype: Earth stated, successfully making Ritsuka gasp in shock because the woman could hear them. "If you want to defeat me, you indeed have to release all the seals of Excalibur. And not only that..."
The woman's gaze sharpened, as if piercing straight into Ritsuka's soul. "...If you use all the power that you are desperately holding back right now, it is guaranteed that you will be destroyed and cease to be human. Are you truly prepared to bear such consequences?"
"I will do it... even if I have to turn into a monster!" Ritsuka answered passionately. His hands clenched tightly until his knuckles turned white. "I will protect humanity, no matter the cost! Even if I have to throw away all of my humanity!"
Silence enveloped the blue flower field after those words were spoken.
Instead of getting angry, a gentle smile slowly adorned Archetype: Earth's face.
"You really haven't changed, huh..." she murmured softly, her tone of voice filled with nostalgia and deep affection. "Even after going through all that suffering, you are still a fool."
Archetype: Earth slowly stood up. Her footsteps were so elegant as she stepped closer to Ritsuka. "You do not need to worry, Master. I did not come here as an enemy of humanity. I am here... because of you," she said as she stopped right in front of Ritsuka.
Ritsuka pointed at himself, confused. "Me?"
"That's right, you," she nodded. "You should know, your recent actions that provoked the Princess of the Root, Sajyou Manaka, she is looking for a way to cross the boundary to come here. My presence here is as a counterforce that will fight her if you happen to fail."
Hearing that explanation, Ritsuka was stunned. "S-so... you didn't appear here to wipe out humanity?"
"Yes," she answered briefly.
A heavy burden seemed to lift from Ritsuka's shoulders. The young man looked down for a moment, rubbing the back of his neck with an awkward smile. He then looked up at the Ultimate One. "So this is my fault, huh? Forgive me, Archetype. I should be thanking you, instead of acting paranoid and interrogating you like that."
"It's alright. That cautious nature of yours has indeed become your trademark," Archetype said. Her expression hardened slightly.
"However, know this... I am acting not only because of Manaka's threat. I am also here to monitor the movements of your organization. Chaldea's actions have triggered a massive cosmic ripple; worlds outside the Root have now begun contacting us to ask for help."
"Eh? You even know about that? But... what do you mean by our 'actions'?" Ritsuka asked, his forehead wrinkling in confusion.
Archetype's ruby-red eyes stared deeply at him. "It seems you yourself have not realized what Chaldea has done. It is fine, in due time you will know."
Ritsuka opened his mouth, preparing to demand further explanation. However, his words caught in his throat. Suddenly, Archetype stepped forward, gripped both his shoulders firmly, and leaned her face in until the distance between them was completely erased.
"Eh?! W-what are you doing?!" Ritsuka exclaimed in panic, feeling the aura drastically change in an instant.
"Be quiet..." Archetype's breathing grew heavy, her voice now sounding husky. "I have been holding it back since earlier... The scent on your body is truly incredibly tempting."
In a flash, Archetype lifted and embraced Ritsuka's body. Her hug was so tight, focusing her immense physical strength, although it was clear she was desperately holding back from crushing her Master's bones.
She forcefully tilted Ritsuka's head, exposing his left neck. From behind her parted lips, a pair of white fangs poked out.
Seeing this situation, Ritsuka's eyes widened in horror. Zelretch's warning about his body and blood suddenly echoed clearly in his head. "Wait, Archetype! Ah—!"
It was too late. The True Ancestor's fangs sank deep into his neck.
A sensation of cold and heat spread instantly as his blood began to be greedily sucked.
Ritsuka flinched violently, feeling his life energy being forcibly drawn out. In the midst of that intoxicating suction, his eyelids widened, the color of his irises slowly changing; from a clear emerald, slowly glowing into a bright gold.
After a few moments that felt like an eternity, Archetype finally pulled away reluctantly.
"Ahhhh..." Archetype: Earth sighed softly, her facial expression looking so ecstatic as if she had just gulped down the nectar of the gods. She gracefully wiped the remaining blood from the corner of her lips. "This is truly delicious... Blood with the most majestic taste that has ever existed. There is a slight spicy and burning sensation at the end of the taste, but that actually perfects it. Could this be the effect of the tainted Dragon Core inside your body?"
CLUNK!
Ritsuka's legs went weak until he fell to his knees, his chest heaving as he panted. While holding his throbbingly painful neck, he glared in protest at the vampire.
"Damn it... you took way too much! Do you not know any limits at all, huh?!" Ritsuka protested. "If the person you just bit wasn't me, but an ordinary person... they would have definitely turned into a dried-up, withered corpse!"
Archetype: Earth merely chuckled softly. "What can I do? Your scent is extremely tempting, you know."
"You act just like a starving person! If you really needed a blood intake, just say so nicely! Your behavior of suddenly biting me like that earlier really scared me half to death!" Ritsuka scolded, still trying to stabilize his breathing.
"Tehee~" Archetype: Earth replied innocently. She tapped her head lightly while winking one eye in the style of a sweet teenage girl.
"Don't just 'Tehee'!" Ritsuka massaged the bridge of his nose, sighing in resignation at dealing with someone acting this overly casual. "Hah... then, what do you want to do next after this? Are you just going to be here as an observer?"
Archetype: Earth's facial expression turned a bit more serious, although a bright smile never left her lips. "How about this, what if we make a deal? I will obey your wishes and act as a compliant Servant, although of course, there are still certain limits. In exchange, you must give me your blood every day. How about it?"
Ritsuka was silent for a moment. "Alright. But on one condition: you are only allowed to suck it up to a reasonable limit, and you must stop instantly when I tell you to stop. Don't let an incident like earlier repeat itself, you sucked way too much."
"Fufu... alright, I will do it," Archetype: Earth promised cheerfully. She extended her slender hand forward. "Deal?"
Ritsuka nodded firmly and returned the handshake. "Yes, deal."
As soon as the contract bond between Master and Servant was forged, Ritsuka let go of the handshake. "Alright, Archetype, please return us now. Rikka and the others must be anxiously waiting out there."
"Okay~"
At that very moment, the Millennium Castle and the expanse of flower fields shattered and faded into light particles. The scenery around them changed back into the luxurious hotel room Ritsuka had rented.
The reddish twilight light slipped in through the window, painting the room with a warm orange nuance.
However, the warmth of the evening light was inversely proportional to the extremely tense atmosphere inside the room.
Ritsuka immediately realized something was wrong. In a corner of the room slightly further away, Aoi stood hugging her two daughters tightly with her body trembling in fear. Right in front of the three of them, Mash stood tall with her large shield planted on the floor. Rikka stood on guard beside Mash, while Assassin Emiya held his weapons in a full attacking stance.
They all looked extremely tense.
Before Ritsuka had the chance to speak up to ask, an arrogant and familiar voice was heard from behind him.
"You finally showed up... my subject."
All of Ritsuka's muscles tensed stiffly.
Slowly, he turned his head back. On the soft sofa of his room, sat the King of Heroes, Gilgamesh, with his legs crossed casually, illuminated by the glow of the setting sun.
And right by his side, stood Tokiomi Tohsaka staring at Ritsuka with a cold gaze filled with wrath and murderous intent.
"Ah, Gil, you came—"
Before Ritsuka could finish his casual greeting, Tokiomi had already slammed his magic staff onto the floor with peaking anger.
A blazing red magic circle was created in the air. The next second, a fireball shot fiercely toward Ritsuka. However, before the tongue of flames could touch the edge of his clothes, the roaring fire suddenly extinguished without a trace like a blown-out candle. Ritsuka glanced to the side; Archetype: Earth had just flicked her hand casually, as if she were merely swatting a fly.
"Human magus... you had better be careful in your actions when you are in my presence," she warned with a cold, intimidating tone.
"What?!" Tokiomi's eyes widened in disbelief seeing his magic cancelled as easily as flipping a palm.
"Tokiomi, you had better obey her words," Gilgamesh suddenly interrupted. The King of Heroes' face was serious, losing his arrogant nature. "I cannot guarantee your safety if you dare to bother her."
That warning from Gilgamesh made Tokiomi even more dumbfounded. Both his hands clenched tightly holding back his wrath and remaining pride. He then glared sharply toward the corner of the room.
"Aoi! Return to my side right now! This insolent young man dares to toy with me by slandering you of having an affair with him!" Tokiomi snapped, his voice trembling due to emotion. "I will kill you, Brat!"
Hearing that threat, Ritsuka glanced toward the table where the edited photos and his provocative letter were scattered. His laughter then broke out. "Hahaha! It seems the lie about those photos has been found out, huh?"
"Of course it's been found out!" Rikka replied, unwilling to lose, crossing her arms with a pouty face. "How could Brother want to sleep with an old woman! Someday, Brother will only sleep with me! It's obvious those vulgar photos are just fake edits!"
"Senpai... are you sure with this that Senpai Ritsuka was the one who manipulated the photos?" Mash whispered, tired of seeing Rikka's behavior.
However, unnoticed by anyone amidst the commotion, Aoi secretly stole a glance at the pile of edited photos. The adult woman's face actually blushed bright red.
"Aoi! Why are you just standing there in silence?! Rin, Sakura, come here! Right now!" Tokiomi ordered impatiently.
Rin looked confused and scared, staring at her father and mother alternately. However, suddenly Sakura stepped forward, positioning herself in front of her family.
"I will not go with you, Uncle! You are an evil old man!" Sakura shouted loudly.
"What did you say?!" The veins on Tokiomi's forehead bulged. He intended to step forward to discipline his daughter, but a golden-armored hand belonging to Gilgamesh stretched out, holding him back.
Tokiomi turned his head in confusion, wanting to protest, but his words caught in his throat upon seeing what was happening to his daughter.
The little girl's purple hair suddenly lengthened on its own, its color changing. The most terrifying thing was, both of her eyeballs now changed their pattern into a blazing cross 'X' shape.
Sakura slowly opened her mouth.
However, what came out was not just a little girl's voice. There were three layers of voices overlapping and echoing simultaneously.
"Sakura no longer needs you." Those three voices were spoken by three different beings through one vessel. "She is now My Child... My Little Sister... and My Friend." That voice echoed in the heads of everyone in the room. "So, Sakura does not need you. She is now completely under my care."
"What in the world is this?! Sakura, what exactly happened to you?! Why are you—"
Aoi covered her mouth with both hands. Meanwhile, Rin trembled in fear and immediately hid behind her mother's body.
Sakura raised one of her tiny index fingers. A dense pink glow gathered at the tip of her finger. "I am warning you. Take one more step forward, and you will die."
Gilgamesh stared sharply at the 'X' pattern in Sakura's eyes. A faint smirk mixed with a sense of awe and respect formed on the King of Heroes' face. "Hoo... so that is how it is. You yourself decided to raise her," Gilgamesh murmured softly.
Tokiomi froze. As a Magus, his instinct screamed in terror. He could feel the massive mana energy and murderous intent radiating from such a small pink light.
However, before Sakura had the chance to unleash her attack, Ritsuka moved faster. He pressed Sakura's tiny hand down and held it gently.
"That's enough, Sakura. Do not be an unfilial child. No matter how bad his behavior is, he is still your biological father," Ritsuka scolded soothingly.
Miraculously, hearing the young man's voice, Sakura's killing aura instantly evaporated. Her hair shortened back to its original length, and her red eyes returned to being innocent, round purple eyes.
"Brother... I'm sorry," Sakura squeaked softly. "I really don't want to see that person's face right now. Could you please chase him out of here?"
"Sa-Sakura... what is wrong with you? Why did you act like that? And what was that energy earlier—" Tokiomi stammered.
His words were cut off when Ritsuka stepped forward to protect Sakura.
The air in the room instantly chilled. In a flash of black light, a dark sword with a reddish pattern manifested in Ritsuka's hand. At the same time, the young man's pair of eyes changed into a blazing, predatory gold color.
"Just as she said, Tokiomi. You have to leave this place. From now on, she is under my care," Ritsuka declared in a deadly tone.
"What did you say, Brat?!" Tokiomi's anger exploded again, masking his fear. "Who are you exactly?! And how could you summon so many Servants?!" he snapped hysterically. Tokiomi then looked desperately at his wife. "Aoi! Come here right now! Take Sakura and Rin and return to me!"
Hearing her husband's words, Aoi's body trembled. She tightly gripped Rin's hand and began to step forward. However, those steps did not end up at Tokiomi's side. Aoi instead stopped and stood right beside Ritsuka.
"Forgive me, Tokiomi-san... our relationship ends here," Aoi said with a trembling voice. "I will go with Ritsuka. After hearing for myself what happened to Sakura at the Matou residence, I can no longer trust you. I will also never hand Rin over to you. Her safety will not be guaranteed with you, so I will raise her myself."
Hearing that, Tokiomi's eyes widened. His grip on his magic staff tightened until his knuckles turned white, while his legs froze stiffly like a statue.
"Wh-what did you say? Y-you must be joking, right... A-Aoi?" his voice cracked and stuttered, in disbelief that his wife who was always obedient was now rejecting him outright.
Ritsuka turned to look at Aoi. Without a second of hesitation, he reached out his hand, embraced the adult woman's waist, and pulled her close to his shoulder.
"You are wrong, Aoi-san," Ritsuka interjected in a gentle tone. "The two of us are the ones who will raise Sakura and Rin together. Not you alone."
Tokiomi was stunned. His mouth gaped open soundlessly.
"Y-YOU... BASTARD BRAT!!" Losing all of his sanity and rationality, Tokiomi jumped forward, lunging at Ritsuka barehanded.
However...
Thud!
Crash!!
Before Tokiomi could manage to touch Ritsuka, his body immediately collapsed, hitting the floor. Assassin, who had been on guard all this time, struck the back of his neck with precision, making him instantly lose consciousness.
Seeing Tokiomi lying helpless, Ritsuka slowly released his embrace, leaving behind Aoi whose face had already turned red. He walked casually toward Tokiomi's body and looked up at Gilgamesh. "So, Gil... was your goal in coming here just to watch this cheap drama?"
"Hahahaha! You managed to present a very interesting spectacle, My Subject!" Gilgamesh's laughter boomed freely, highly entertained to see his own master humiliated in such a way. The King of Heroes then glanced at the dark corner of the room. "Kirei, pick him up."
From within the shadows, Kirei stepped out with a flat expression. He bent down and lifted Tokiomi's body with ease.
Seeing the appearance of the priest, Ritsuka was immediately stunned. His eyes widened, recognizing the face. "Raspu—"
Ritsuka's words were cut off mid-sentence. He hurriedly clamped his mouth shut. Even so, Kirei's sharp ears managed to catch the sound. The priest glanced at Ritsuka.
However, before Kirei could grow any further suspicious, Gilgamesh was already standing face-to-face with Ritsuka, blocking his line of sight.
"You have changed a great deal. Even though it hasn't even been a full week since our first meeting in this war," Gilgamesh observed.
Ritsuka gave a small smile. "Well... this is all thanks to the actions of a very troublesome woman, that I ended up with a body like this."
Gilgamesh merely smirked. He then walked past Ritsuka, briefly patting the young man's shoulder. "Tonight, there will be a meeting between me, the True King, and the fools who dare to call themselves kings. Come to that homunculus's castle. You must come, because I myself have acknowledged you."
After those words, Gilgamesh's form faded into golden dust particles and vanished.
"I see. So tonight..." Ritsuka muttered softly.
He then saw Kirei turning around, about to leave carrying Tokiomi. "Ah, wait a moment, Mr. Priest!" Ritsuka called out quickly.
"Before you go, there is something I want to give you."
Kirei stopped in his tracks right at the doorway. He turned his head with Tokiomi's body still hanging helplessly on his shoulder. Ritsuka picked up a piece of paper from the table, hurriedly jotted something down on it, and handed it to the priest.
"What is this?" Kirei asked flatly.
Ritsuka smiled widely. "This is just a cooking recipe. When you return to the church later, try cooking it. Trust me, the taste is absolutely... extraordinary."
Kirei looked down, staring at the handwriting on the paper with slightly furrowed eyebrows.
"Mapo... Tofu?"