---o---
[Eriri Spencer Sawamura: Disgusting. That's absolutely disgusting. How can a being like that even exist among Heroic Spirits?]
[Madara Uchiha: Hmph. This time, not only the Master but the Servant as well is such a dark and repulsive insect.]
[Kyojuro Rengoku: Attacking ordinary people... This man's heart is more evil than any demon!]
[Conan Edogawa: Tokiomi Tohsaka, didn't you say the Holy Grail War would never involve ordinary people? How do you explain this situation?]
[Tokiomi Tohsaka: This... is impossible. How could the Holy Grail choose an ordinary person to be a Master, let alone one so wicked?]
In the Tohsaka mansion, Tokiomi Tohsaka's expression was one of pure shock, his usual elegance completely gone. He had just claimed that magi kept the Mystery well hidden and that ordinary people would never come into contact with their world, and now he had been thoroughly slapped in the face.
Generally speaking, only magi could participate in the Holy Grail War and summon Servants. The summoning of a Heroic Spirit was a miracle, requiring an extremely complex preparation process. An ordinary person, even if they knew of the Holy Grail War's existence, would have absolutely no way of performing a summoning.
And yet, Ryuunosuke Uryuu had summoned a Heroic Spirit through such a crude and laughable method. This was nothing short of a desecration of the Holy Grail War.
This won't do. I must eliminate Ryuunosuke Uryuu before he summons Caster...
Tokiomi thought to himself. Of course, besides him, one other person was thinking the exact same thing. That's right—the ally of justice, Emiya Kiritsugu. His reasoning was not only based on Ryuunosuke's character but also on the tactical advantage of eliminating Team Caster ahead of time.
---o---
In the light screen projection, following Caster's appearance, the camera zoomed in for a close-up on his face. Even through the screen, the viewers were startled by his grotesque appearance, instinctively recoiling.
Hearing Caster's question, Ryuunosuke Uryuu looked confused for a moment, then scratched his head with a hint of bashfulness. "Um, well... my name is Ryuunosuke Uryuu. I'm a freelancer, and my hobbies include all methods of murder. I like children and young women..."
Listening to Ryuunosuke's words, countless people across the multiverse roasted him internally. Is he giving a self-introduction? Does he think this is a blind date? And what the hell is with the shy act?!
Despite their sarcastic thoughts, Ryuunosuke's words still sent a chill down countless spines. After all, he had just said his hobby was murder; his subsequent claim of "liking" children and young women could in no way be interpreted as a normal affection.
It was more likely that he had left a few words out... such as liking to kill children and young women.
In response to Ryuunosuke's introduction, the newly summoned Caster showed no doubt or skepticism. He simply nodded calmly and stated, "Very well. The contract is formed. The Holy Grail you seek is my wish as well. That Pot of Paradise shall surely fall into our hands."
Hearing Caster's words, Ryuunosuke Uryuu blinked, his face a mask of confusion. "The Holy... Grail?"
But he quickly adopted an expression of 'I don't get it, but it's no big deal'. His cheerful smile returned. "Anyway, let's have a party first to get to know each other!"
He then turned around and pushed the only survivor of the household—a bound child who looked to be less than ten years old—in front of Caster, as if presenting a gift. "Here, would you like to eat him?"
Caster silently glanced at the child. Hearing Ryuunosuke's offer to let him have the last one, he did not strike. Instead, he stepped forward and removed the ropes binding the child and the cloth stuffed in his mouth.
Then, he closed his eyes and offered what seemed to be a gentle smile. "Do not be afraid, little one. Can you stand?" He then pointed towards the exit. "Alright, child. Go through that door and you can leave this room. You can do that on your own, can't you?"
The little boy was stunned and still afraid, but the instinct for survival made him nod slightly.
Seeing this, Caster gave an encouraging nod, gesturing for the child to run. The boy, seeing his chance, immediately mustered his courage and dashed for the door.
Witnessing this, Ryuunosuke wore an expression of deep dissatisfaction, while the people of the multiverse were stunned. They couldn't believe it. This Caster, despite his terrifying appearance, was unexpectedly a good person?
Was it true that you couldn't judge a book by its cover? Was the era of judging heroes and villains by their looks over?
For a moment, the comment section exploded. Many people's perception of Heroic Spirits returned to what it was before. As expected, no truly evil person could be a Heroic Spirit.
However, a few people frowned deeply, feeling that the situation was not so simple. They voiced their opposition to those who believed Caster was a righteous Servant, and a heated argument broke out between the two sides.
But soon, the comment section fell silent. What the light screen showed next filled the vast majority of the multiverse with profound disgust and revulsion.
Just as Ryuunosuke Uryuu was about to protest Caster's actions, Caster raised his right hand, with its long, sharp fingernails, signaling Ryuunosuke to be quiet and indicating that a great show was about to begin.
The camera shifted to the little boy. He was standing in the entryway, where the light was on. In stark contrast to the pitch-black house behind him, the framing was deliberate, as if the light was a path to salvation.
The boy looked towards that light, the joy of survival and the pain of losing his family mingling together, and shed tears filled with emotion.
Then, the boy stepped forward, ready to leave.
But in that instant, Caster uttered an incomprehensible syllable, some kind of incantation. Then, from the darkness behind the boy, purple tentacles, like those of a squid, suddenly shot out.
A dozen of them wrapped around the boy in an instant, dragging him from the land of light into the darkness of despair.
The boy's bloodcurdling screams erupted in the next moment, echoing ceaselessly. The pain, despair, and terror contained within them were palpable to the viewers, even without seeing the gruesome act itself.
Simultaneously, the sounds of tearing flesh, splintering bones, the sickening chewing of a monster, and the squelching of crushed muscle and bone filled the air.
The entire process was shown without any visuals. The light screen only displayed the backs of Ryuunosuke and Caster, while the terrible sounds of the boy's suffering dominated the audio, forcing the audience to imagine the unseen horror.
On screen, Caster was listening to the boy's screams, his eyes closed in an expression of pure bliss. Beside him, Ryuunosuke was dumbfounded, watching in disbelief.
When the boy's desperate screams ended abruptly with a final, wet tear, the scene fell silent. Caster's voice then rang out once more.
"Fear has a 'freshness' to it. The more one is afraid, the more thoroughly that emotion fades. True fear is not a static state, but a dynamic of change. It is the very moment hope turns to despair!"
He revealed a brilliant yet terrifying smile as he turned to Ryuunosuke. "How was it? The taste of fresh fear and death."
After a brief moment of shock, Ryuunosuke became ecstatic. An extremely euphoric grin spread across his face. He clenched his fists like an overexcited child, his eyes shining as he stared at Caster. "Cool~~~ That was amazing! You're so cool!!! OK! I don't know what this Holy Grail is, but I'm with you! So, let's kill! Let's kill in even cooler ways! Mesmerize me!"
As he spoke, an unnatural flush appeared on his face, which even left Caster momentarily stunned. Then, a delighted smile bloomed on his own face. "Your name is Ryuunosuke, is it not? To have obtained a Master like you, who understands me so well, is a wonderful omen! It seems my dearest wish may finally be within reach!"
By the end of his sentence, his voice was distorted with excessive glee. He and Ryuunosuke shook hands firmly, having reached a mutual understanding.
Then, Ryuunosuke asked for Caster's name. After a moment's thought, the latter gave an identity that was clearly an alias—
"By the name I am called in this era... Hmm, for now, let's just say you can call me Bluebeard!"