Whether to magi aware of the mystery or to ordinary people clueless about mystery, the city of Fuyuki was anything but peaceful tonight....
From the perspective of the magical world, the Fifth Holy Grail War in Fuyuki had reached its climax with the arrival of elite magi from various factions and even a Lord from the Clock Tower.
Responding to the Greater Grail's summons, heroes from the legends of human history had already left their extraordinary imprints—traces of their power that did not belong to this age.
Only, those traces were a little too exaggerated.
That was the only thought running through the minds of the magi and clergy dispatched by the Mage's Association and the Holy Church to monitor and handle the aftermath of the Holy Grail War.
Through observation-type magecraft equipment, they could clearly see the billowing dust, visible shockwave rings, and massive beams of light radiating outward as if to burn everything away.
Under the night sky, the crimson light shooting straight up could be seen from dozens of kilometers away.
Even if it was just a fleeting blur in the distance, it still invoked primal fear.
It was like a mythical creature born of humanity's wildest imagination—a walking apocalypse.
Cleanup? What cleanup?!
Why is this damn war still being held?!
So thought a veteran executor who had handled the aftermath of the previous Holy Grail War, now utterly drained.
Everyone knew the Holy Grail War was supposed to be secret.
But do you realize how much effort we expend just to maintain that "secret"? We, the unseen, overworked, treated like livestock—how much we've sacrificed?!
These Servants chant a few lines, shake their bodies, wave their little hands, fight to their hearts' content, and we end up cleaning up their mess all night.
Ten years ago, it was the 'Gang Turf War at the Port Container Terminal,' the 'Fuyuki Serial Killer Cult Ritual,' the 'Mysterious Monster in the Mion River,' and the 'Great Fuyuki Station Fire.'
Now, ten years later, with advanced technology and a highly connected society in the 21st century, there are even more factors to consider and the workload has exploded.
And this is only the beginning. Mass death and coma incidents in the city, the graveyard at Shinto Church turned to rubble, an explosion at Shinto Central Park....
Then just one day later, several blocks in the southwest district of Fuyuki were reduced to ruins. What's a crater several hundred meters wide supposed to be?
Can we really still use the "gas leak explosion" excuse to cover this up?
No choice. Report it and bite the bullet.
....
In the depths of the mountains, Mount Enzou, within the barrier of Ryuudou Temple—a river away from the raging storm in Shinto, this place remained calm as ever.
Standing before a crystalline forest born from the underground leyline, Selene, in her half-human, half-serpent form, remained motionless. Though she appeared calm on the outside, only she knew what she was truly contemplating within.
Buzz~
"El-Melloi II and Jeanne.... an interesting pair."
A soft electric pulse-like hum echoed. Beneath brows that seemed to frown yet not, two large, alluring, and terrifying slitted eyes slowly opened.
Selene straightened her upper body, her slender waist, covered only in fine scales, swaying as her form expanded with the leyline's transformation. Her massive divine beast-like form caused the ground to tremble, and even Mount Enzou itself began to shake.
"Waver Velvet, how amusing... Perhaps your 'Queen' might benefit from my favor and reunite with Iskandar once again."
"Fufu~ Your Majesty... Please wait a little longer. But seriously, I... I can't anymore, I've been completely drained, not a drop left in me... I need a moment to recover...."
"Mew~ Have I been drained of all my lifeblood...?"
The soft, trembling breath beneath her brought Selene's attention back to the present.
In front of Jeanne, the once valiant Li Sushang now lay sprawled on the ground like a pile of mush. Her hair tips were slightly damp, her beautiful eyes listless, and she gasped heavily for breath.
Next to the girl, the cat-headed creature lay completely limp on its back, tongue hanging out, its fluffy, lively beast ears now drooping against its head—airplane ears.
Don't be fooled by how smug Selene had been earlier when projecting her Mystic Eyes. That power hadn't come from her own mana.
Borrowing Li Sushang for the projection, all the magical energy consumed was shouldered by her. During that brief moment of frenzied output, the mana supplied by Lev and the underground leyline hadn't been nearly enough to keep up.
Li Sushang's internal reserves were utterly drained, bringing her spirit body to the brink of collapse.
It was a sensation not easily forgotten....
Had she not been promptly returned to the leyline barrier of Ryuudou Temple, she likely would've "crashed" on the spot.
"Your Majesty, please... next time, just give me a heads-up so I can prepare...."
"Ahem, ahem... I'll definitely be more mindful next time," Selene chuckled as she casually brushed it off while replenishing mana for Li Sushang and Pardo.
Since this wasn't her true body, nor even a proper descent of her incomplete Spirit Origin from the Throne of Heroes, this hybrid-divine version of Selene was a voracious mana glutton. Honestly, in an ordinary Holy Grail War, no magus could keep up with her consumption.
Although she was now a blend of Avenger Gorgon and Beast Tiamat—a counter-heroic, beast-type Spirit Origin—and vastly surpassed her former Rider-class self in base stats, mana output, and anti-humanity/civilization authority, it came with its own price.
Namely, terrifying mana consumption. Not to mention, she didn't bring her recorded Noble Phantasms from the Throne of Heroes.
As a Servant, Selene lacked the World Chronicle: [Rongo Rongo], severely limiting her precognition and full-spectrum surveillance.
After all, she wasn't her true self. Servants always came with restrictions.
Still, it didn't matter—this was all just a game.
If you're going to put on a show, make it convincing. That's the only way to deceive the Root. Before the final showdown between true and false Solomon, she had to fully play her assigned role.
"Solomon's Time Temple...."
Raising her head, rainbow light flickered in Selene's crimson eyes. It was as if her gaze pierced through Ryuudou Temple's barrier, staring straight into the sky above.
"The pace is acceptable."
It was now observable: within the imaginary number gap beyond this timeline's world, a temple radiating eternal brilliance was drawing closer.
To a keen observer, the decayed and destructive magical energy surrounding it nearly dimmed the luminous splendor of human history itself, as though the entire world were being blanketed and suffocated.
'Goetia, your performance better not disappoint me....'
Just as Selene plotted and schemed over the clash of true and false Solomons, a charming voice called out from behind her.
"Your Majesty, it seems Lady Fu Hua has encountered a situation."
"A situation?"
Selene raised a delicate brow. She had entrusted all operational decisions this time to Kiana and the others, leaving them to adapt freely.
According to Durandal's deployment, Fu Hua and Senti had been assigned to the Holy Church sector. Realizing that, Selene's expression relaxed.
Ah, that cheerful priest—no wonder.
If it were Lancer Cú Chulainn, that was manageable. Even if Fu Hua and Senti were significantly weakened due to becoming pseudo-Servants, dealing with a spinning blue spearman shouldn't be a problem.
But if a certain enthusiastic citizen named Mr. Gil was involved... well, that would be tough. Without catching him off guard, Fu Hua might actually lose.
Once the Gate of Babylon opened, whether to attack, disrupt, or slow down the enemy—followed by detecting the divine aura from Fu Hua and Senti, then summoning the Chains of Heaven to bind them, and finally, without pause, launching an "Enuma Elish"—
According to Selene's expectations, if that golden fool took things seriously and went all out, even Fu Hua would have to retreat. There was no way she could take it head-on.
Not a Grand-class Spirit Origin, not a deified one, and lacking any Beast Authority representing the Evils of Humanity—even with a pseudo-Servant transformation, the gap wasn't insurmountable. This was true even under the Foreigner class, which didn't differ drastically in quality from the standard seven Servant classes.
Gilgamesh's overwhelming edge against other Heroic Spirits remained among the top within the entire Throne of Heroes.
"Ran into that flashy gold guy?"
Selene turned around. Rita was standing elegantly on the balcony of a shrine building that had somehow survived Selene's serpentine destruction. A refined smile rested as always on her porcelain cheeks as she bowed toward Selene.
"Flashy gold guy?"
Rita blinked, then nodded in agreement. "Yes, Your Majesty. Lady Fu Hua's side has encountered interference from someone who calls himself 'This King.' They're currently deadlocked. The fight is unlikely to end soon."
"Then I guessed right. Rita, Li Sushang... and Pardo, head over there. Give Gilgamesh a proper greeting from me."
"Ambush, swarm, whatever works. If you can kill him, do it. If not, no matter. Just be sure to retreat before dawn. Cut off that priest's right arm and raze the Holy Church to the ground. Consider it a... message."
"As you command."
At the same time, Rita noticed Selene seemed about to step beyond the Ryuudou Temple leyline barrier and asked with slight surprise, "Your Majesty, are you leaving?"
"Since I've descended, isn't it time to give Chaldea a little pressure too?"
Selene gave a crooked, eerie grin. With the merged Spirit Origins and Authorities of Gorgon and Tiamat, her smile was laced with a beastly menace.
...
Meanwhile, at the private Homurahara Academy, the battle had entered its most intense phase.
Though tremors from the southwest New Shinto station had reached them across the Mion River, for Rin Tohsaka and the others, the quakes here never truly stopped.
Amidst the ruins of a half-collapsed school building—
"King!"
A massive phantom familiar appeared behind Durandal. Its form resembled the King piece in chess, holding a large sword, serving as Durandal's most loyal knight.
Clang!
The giant silver blade, swung by the phantom King, traced a wide arc through the air, meeting an invisible sword slashing diagonally from below.
CLANG—!
The clash sent a tremor through Saber's whole body. A flush rose on her pale face as the sheer force made her left arm throb in pain. Blood spurted out from between the fibers of her muscles.
With a deafening crash, the petite, blonde swordswoman was thrown into rubble twenty paces away. Her boots scraped across the ground with a series of sharp screeches, leaving a long furrow in the reinforced floor.
"Saber!"
She slid over ten meters, carving a deep trench with her sword as an anchor, before Mash braced her and steadied her retreat.
"Thank you, Mash."
Saber gave her thanks quickly and charged straight back toward Durandal without hesitation.
"ROAR—!"
Berserker bellowed, wildly swinging his massive axe-blade like a slab of metal, fully abandoning any notion of defense.
"Queen!"
To this, Durandal simply uttered one word, "Queen," and the shield-bearing phantom instantly appeared in front of her—BOOM!!
Black and silver clashed as two massive beasts collided, producing a thunderous impact like rolling thunder. The force of the collision displaced the very air, creating a shockwave that blasted away the dust, leaving a clearly defined blast radius.
One sword, one shield—flanking Durandal.
This was Durandal's glory: [Excelsis] — the Phantom Construct Module.
Derived from the Valkyrie armor Bright Knight: Excelsis, it was a tactical illusion system driven by Honkai particles, formally known as Particulate Honkai ANimated Tactical Occult Mirage, or simply autonomous phantom constructs.
She could summon two unmanned combat phantoms wielding sword and shield respectively, named King and Queen by Bianka.
"Archer."
With a crisp sound, a lethal strike aimed at Durandal's throat smashed against her lance, erupting in sparks and constant friction.
Every time Durandal tried to chase down the hidden archer, Berserker and Saber would desperately hold her back. Conversely, whenever Durandal found an opening in the coordination between Berserker, Saber, and Mash, the distant Archer would immediately fill the gap.
It was incredibly frustrating for her.
This inability to unleash her full strength was maddening.
"Then I'll eliminate you first, Berserker. I refuse to believe you can revive endlessly!"
Meanwhile, in the midst of the chaotic symphony of battle—
"Illya!? Are you alright?"
Shirou Emiya rushed to Illyasviel's side, her flushed face steaming from magical circuit overload. He was at a loss for what to do.
He wanted to help, but with his limited knowledge of magecraft, he feared making things worse.
"Fujimaru! Get your doctor to look at her, quickly! What's happening to this girl?" Rin Tohsaka said anxiously.
Right now, Illya's Berserker was both their damage dealer and tank. He couldn't be lost.
Illyasviel von Einzbern was kneeling on the ground, clutching her chest, drenched in sweat, her body trembling uncontrollably. Her heart pounded violently, forcing her to gasp for breath.
"It hurts... It's swelling... I can't take it..."
At the moment Selene completed her descent using Gorgon's body, the massive surge of mana simultaneously reactivated the Great Grail in the underground cavern beneath Ryuudou Temple.
As the container for the Lesser Grail, Illya's body was directly affected by the ripple effect. Her red magic circuits began manifesting uncontrollably, swelling and heating up.
"Dr. Roman..."
Fujimaru Ritsuka, who had been coordinating with Mash to fend off Durandal's onslaught, quickly arrived and noticed the change in Illya's condition. Just as he prepared to contact Dr. Roman, a shout erupted from the Chaldea comms, their voices nearly hoarse with urgency.
"Ritsuka! Watch out! A divine-class Spirit Origin is reacting!!"
"What?!"
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