The following morning, Kazuya was up before the sun, which was already a clear sign that the world was conspiring against him. Worse still: he was in a bad mood.
The mansion's kitchen was silent, with the pale light of dawn streaming through the high windows. Kazuya prepared his breakfast on autopilot—slightly burnt toast, scrambled eggs done the way only he could make them (and that Ishtar was always trying to steal), and a strong black coffee.
He plopped the plate onto the counter, his gaze distant as he stirred the coffee. A floating screen appeared in the corner of his vision, translucent and annoyingly colorful.
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[Fate Gacha] Last Roll Results:
Nobunaga Oda's Pipe (Male Charm Bonus +1)
Chaldea Uniform (No bonus)
Semiramis' Panties (Increases poison resistance. Warning: Highly questionable)
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He had discovered he could view the history of his rewards from his unique skill, but it was painful when luck wasn't on his side and he saw what he'd pulled about ten minutes ago during his daily gacha roll ritual.
"Man… you've gotta be kidding me."
In recent days, he'd gotten good stuff. No, absurd stuff. It felt like his Luck Rank had been blessed by some cosmic GM, and he was almost starting to think he was the chosen protagonist of some lazy author.
But then… this happened.
Kazuya let out a slow sigh.
"Nobu-chan's pipe? Chaldea uniform? And… Semiramis' panties? I didn't even deserve this on New Year's, man…"
He took another sip of coffee, just to pretend it would fix things.
The interface flickered, as if even it was embarrassed by the result.
"You know what? Fine. E-Rank Luck, welcome back. Took you long enough."
Kazuya closed the [Fate Gacha] window with an impatient wave of his hand. He knew complaining too much was pointless—gacha was cruel, gacha was treacherous, and the universe loved to dangle hope before dropping the bomb. He grabbed his cup and headed to the living room, slumping into the armchair as if the furniture itself had personally wronged him.
It was Saturday. No classes, no duties. Just him, the silence, and the bitter taste of another miserable roll.
He turned on the TV, flipping through channels without really looking until he landed on an old '90s martial arts show, where a poorly dressed guy faced off against a group of ninjas as convincing as extras at a neighborhood festival.
Perfect.
He took a sip of coffee, letting the caffeine bite his tongue. That strong, burnt taste was kind of a signature of his mornings. And for some reason, it made the sting of bad luck a little more bearable.
He stayed there, sprawled in the armchair, the bluish-white glow of the TV flickering across his face as the coffee slowly lost its warmth in the cup in his hand. The cheesy scene of a ninja doing a slow-motion spinning kick on a bleach-haired villain almost made him laugh. Almost.
But the truth was, his mind was elsewhere.
He stood up with a crack of his neck, leaving the empty cup on the coffee table. His blue eyes, sharp and piercing like freshly cut glass, shifted to the window. Outside, the sky was still a grayish blanket, with just a sliver of orange light squeezing through the horizon. Even the birds hadn't woken up yet.
Perfect.
He knew that at this hour, his Servants would still be sleeping like rocks.
Although none of them needed to sleep or eat, they could still do so to convert it into magical energy to sustain themselves, giving their Master a break. He always found this mechanism somewhat fascinating. He also recalled that they could enter spirit form whenever they wanted to pass through objects and such, which helped conserve the magical energy that increased the Master's energy expenditure. Not that he needed it, given his infinite [Magical Energy]…
Now it was more like they did it out of habit from when they were alive or because they enjoyed it. Ishtar, who had taken Rin Tohsaka as her host, wasn't exactly a morning person. The same applied to Ereshkigal. Scáthach was the only one with a habit of waking before sunrise, but she was probably exhausted from yesterday. The same could be said of Skadi, who sometimes woke up in the middle of the night to eat ice cream. Shuten was an atypical drunk who might be awake at this hour drinking, but thankfully, she wasn't.
It was the perfect cue.
He passed through the kitchen again, grabbed a bottle of water, and slipped out through the mansion's back door.
The early morning breeze nipped lightly at his skin, but it wasn't bothersome. The property he lived in was far from the city, and the estate was vast, surrounded by tall trees and trails that looked like they belonged in a medieval game setting.
Kazuya let out a sigh and activated his teleportation spell, inherited from Medea. His body began to dissolve into bluish particles of light, like mist touched by the morning. A discreet, gentle, almost beautiful effect. And in an instant, he was gone.
The scenery changed.
The area where he reappeared was an isolated clearing, part of his own private domain. Surrounded by thick, ancient trees, the place was quiet, untouched. The only sounds were the lazy rustling of leaves and the whisper of the wind through the branches.
The sky remained that pale gray, and the sun still hadn't risen, but here, in this reserved pocket of the world, it was as if time had deliberately slowed down.
Kazuya took a deep breath, the scent of damp earth and fresh grass filling his senses.
"Well… nothing better than starting the day training, I guess. First time I've done this in my life…"
He raised his hand, fingers spread against the gray sky of the clearing.
In his palm, golden particles of light began to condense, swirling silently until they formed a small, metallic, perfectly molded object: a screw. Not an ordinary screw, of course. It glowed with an almost imperceptible aura, charged with the power of his [Longinus], a Sacred Gear he was still learning to master.
In recent days, he had discovered that his Sacred Gear operated in two distinct stages. The first, which he already used with almost instinctive ease, was through his nails, like a certain JoJo in another universe. By shooting his nails at someone, he could rewrite their personality, as he had done with Hyoudou Issei and his friends, altering their personalities so naturally that no one even suspected.
It only worked on humans and, apparently, Sacred Gear users, as it had worked on Issei, who had the [Boosted Gear] within his soul. This put him on the same level as the woman who was supposed to have his Sacred Gear, if this world followed the original story. But unlike her, he had better development.
It had what he called a second stage.
The screws he materialized carried the same power to rewrite things, but on a much larger scale. He was still testing the limits, but he was certain they were almost nonexistent.
In the previous day's training with Scáthach, he had put this into practice.
His [Sacred Screws] were so durable that even the legendary Gáe Bolg, the cursed spear of the Lancer's master, had difficulty breaking them. Even more impressive, he discovered he could shape the screws according to his will, adding effects like greater sharpness or turning them into spinning drills that pierced with devastating force. And this came with the confirmation that his Sacred Gear was treading a different path from the norm. Sacred Gears evolved based on the feelings and desires of their wielders. When those desires were intense enough to break the world's balance, the Sacred Gear reached [Balance Breaker], a transformation that amplified its power to absurd levels. Normally, the [Balance Breaker] followed a pattern defined by the Sacred Gear's nature.
But his… everything pointed to it becoming a subspecies.
A [Subspecies Balance Breaker] was something rare, a unique manifestation that reflected the wielder's personality and desires.
Unlike the standard [Balance Breaker], which followed a predictable formula, the subspecies created entirely new abilities and forms, molded by the user. Although he hadn't reached the [Balance Breaker] stage, the way his Sacred Gear was adapting to his desires made it clear he was close to achieving it. He just needed to train more.
He recalled that in the original story, certain Sacred Gear users, like Cao Cao, could direct the development of their subspecies, choosing abilities that aligned with their goals. Cao Cao, for example, transformed his orb of destruction into something new, though limited by the original essence of his Sacred Gear. Kazuya felt he was on the same path, but with even greater freedom.
His [Longinus] seemed to have no clear limits, as if the very concept of "rewriting" was malleable enough to bend to any of his desires.
Thinking of some ideas on how to use it, his blue eyes, sharp as crystal blades, gleamed with a mix of curiosity and determination.
He flicked his wrist, and the screw shot forward, cutting through the air with a low hum.
Bam!
It hit a tree about ten meters away, piercing the trunk like it was paper, leaving a perfect, smoldering hole.
The tree groaned, tilting slightly before stabilizing.
"Damn, that never gets old," Kazuya muttered, a crooked smile creeping onto the corner of his mouth.
He opened his hand, and three more screws materialized, floating above his palm like small golden stars. He furrowed his brow, focused. He had an idea. A really cool idea, if he did say so himself. Inspired by the stories he'd read about Holy Power and, of course, a marathon of anime about messiahs and miracles, he wanted to test something new.
Something that mixed what he knew about the divine system with his ability to rewrite rules.
"Alright, let's try giving it a… biblical touch…" he said, chuckling to himself. "Like, Christ vibes, you know?"
He closed his eyes for a moment, visualizing what he wanted. Holy Power, as he had learned, was the energy of miracles, divine protection, and justice. It was what gave strength to crosses, holy water, and exorcisms. But it could also be channeled in more… creative ways, like the legendary Vasco Strada did with his [Holy Fist], punching demons with the force of a blessed freight train. Kazuya wasn't exactly a devout believer, but his [Longinus] didn't seem to care.
It responded to his desires, not his prayers.
He pointed to the first screw, floating to his left.
"You're gonna be… the [Screw of Purification]."
He injected a clear intention: to purify anything it touched, like a concentrated dose of holy water in projectile form.
The screw glowed brightly, its golden light taking on a silvery, almost ethereal hue.
The second screw, to his right, he shaped with another idea.
"You're gonna be the [Screw of Redemption]."
This one would be more subtle, designed to "rewrite" the state of something, restoring it to its best moment. Like healing damage, undoing corruption, or maybe even bringing a bit of peace to something chaotic.
The screw vibrated, its surface gaining a faint reddish glow, as if it carried warmth.
The third, in the center, was the most ambitious.
"And you… [Screw of Miracle]."
Kazuya grinned, feeling a shiver of excitement. This was the wild card. He wanted this screw to manifest an unpredictable effect, something that bent the rules of what was possible, like the miracles described in scriptures.
The screw spun slowly, its light pulsing in shades of gold, white, and blue, as if it couldn't decide what form to take.
"Okay, showtime," he said, extending his hand.
The three screws shot out, each in a different direction. The [Screw of Purification] hit a moss- and dirt-covered rock.
Zssst!
The rock glowed, and when the light faded, it was impeccably clean, as if it had been polished for years.
Kazuya raised an eyebrow.
"Okay, that was more… domestic than I expected."
The [Screw of Redemption] struck a half-dead tree, with broken branches and wilted leaves. A warm glow enveloped the trunk, and in seconds, the tree looked rejuvenated: green leaves sprouted, branches straightened, and even the scent of fresh wood filled the air.
"Okay, that was awesome," Kazuya admitted, scratching the back of his neck.
As for the [Screw of Miracle]… well, that was the problem. It hit the ground, and for a moment, nothing happened. Then, the earth began to tremble.
Trem-trem-trem.
Kazuya took a step back, frowning.
"Whoa, whoa, whoa, hold on—" Before he could finish, a fountain of crystal-clear water erupted from the impact point, shooting two meters into the air before falling in shimmering droplets. Small white flowers began to sprout around the fountain, and a tiny rainbow appeared in the mist.
Kazuya stood there, mouth agape.
"Man… did I just create an oasis? Seriously?" He grinned, shaking his head. "Alright, my [Longinus] is officially ridiculous. Subspecies, you're my favorite child."
His blue eyes sparkled with a mix of curiosity and excitement that was hard to describe, and a crooked smile danced on his lips. Recalling what he'd learned the previous night during his training with Scáthach, above his head, the golden diadem of the [Iron Crown of Lombardy] materialized, its white band glowing like angelic wings.
From what he'd learned, physically materializing his Sacred Gear made it much easier to control its power, and its appearance had changed quite a bit since the last time. Instead of the previous silver, it was now white.
He kept repeating the process, screw after screw, materializing them with an almost lazy gesture but with clinical precision. Some he shaped into drills, others into needle-thin blades, testing their durability, range, and control. He tried creating screws that multiplied on contact or, when piercing the ground, altered the soil, making the surrounding vegetation wither or bloom. Each experiment came with mental notes. He wanted to measure the speed of materialization, the magical energy consumption—though his reserve was infinite, efficiency was a matter of pride. On his fifteenth attempt, he created a larger screw, the size of a short spear, and hurled it at a two-ton boulder. The impact generated an explosion of dust and golden light, reducing the solid block to rubble.
Kazuya let out a low whistle, satisfied.
The next half hour unfolded in a constant cycle of creation, throwing, and observation.
The sun was already rising when he paused for a moment, satisfied.
The ability to "rewrite" wasn't limited to personalities or mind control—at least, his version of the Longinus wasn't. It could convert magical energy into [Light Power], the same holy energy of angels, which made sense considering it was a Sacred Relic. Affinity with light was the basics. After adding the light element to the [Screws], he could feel that he had gained a new ability in his [Longinus]: the capacity to add elemental effects to his [Screws].
He made a mental note of all his Longinus' abilities: mind control, rewriting the concepts governing someone's personality (so far limited to humans), creating screws capable of mimicking Christ's miraculous powers on a smaller scale, creating screws, nails, or bladed weapons of any size or shape on any surface within a radius of hundreds of meters, plus the ability to turn his nails into holy energy and shoot them like bullets, and finally, creating screws with elemental effects.
When he learned about the last one, he was ready to play with something more… explosive. After all, if angels like Baraqiel and Uriel could mix light with elements to create things like [Holy Lightning] and [Holy Fire], why couldn't he do something even more absurd?
He raised his hand, and three new [Sacred Screws] formed, floating above his palm.
Each pulsed with golden light, but now he felt the angelic energy coursing through them, hot and vibrant.
One thing he discovered during this half hour was that his [Magecraft: Ex] skill came with all elemental affinities and ignored [Origin] limitations, which made total sense since many spells require affinity and sometimes even origin to be used.
He injected [Light Power], mixing it with his fire affinity and a dash of raw energy. The idea was to create an explosion of light so intense it could reduce a mountain to ashes. The screw glowed, its golden light turning into a blinding white, with flames dancing on its surface like a star about to collapse. He called it [Supernova Screw].
The second screw he wanted to make more… dynamic.
Inspired by Baraqiel's [Holy Lightning], he combined [Light Power] with his wind and electricity affinities. The screw vibrated, its light taking on shades of blue and silver, with small lightning bolts crackling around it. He envisioned an explosion that would release a wave of sacred electrical energy, capable of frying anything within a kilometers-wide radius. He called it [Storm Screw].
The third screw was the boldest.
He mixed [Light Power] with his space affinity, an idea sparked by a teleportation spell he had studied. The goal was to create a screw that, upon exploding, would distort the space around it, swallowing everything in a sphere of light before erasing it from existence. The screw glowed with a black and golden light, pulsing like a miniature black hole. He called it [Singularity Screw].
"Alright, time to test," he said, conjuring a magical barrier around the forest to prevent any noise or destruction from escaping. The barrier glowed with blue runes, strong enough to withstand the impact.
The three screws shot out, each targeting a different point in the clearing. KazACK! Kazuya held his breath, eyes wide with anticipation.
The [Supernova Screw] hit a rocky hill about fifty meters away.
BOOM!
The explosion was deafening, a sphere of white light that swallowed the entire hill. The ground shook, and a wave of heat passed through Kazuya's barrier, making the air ripple. When the light faded, the hill was gone, leaving only a smoldering crater with the ground vitrified by the heat.
"Man… that was like a holy nuke," he muttered, whistling.
The [Storm Screw] hit a group of trees.
CRACK!
An explosion of blue and silver light erupted, followed by a storm of lightning that danced through the air. The trees were reduced to ashes, and the ground around was covered in scorch marks, as if a divine thunderbolt had struck.
The [Singularity Screw] was the strangest. It hit the ground, and for a second, nothing happened. Then, a sphere of black and golden light formed, sucking in the surrounding air like a vacuum. The sphere grew, swallowing dirt, rocks, and even the dawn's light, before collapsing with a silent pop.
When Kazuya looked, there was a perfectly spherical hole in the ground, as if reality itself had been erased.
"Okay, that was… kinda scary. Was that my Purple Void?" he admitted, scratching the back of his neck. "But super cool."
He took a deep breath and decided to focus on creating his own combat style with his [Longinus], since just standing still and shooting screws was a pretty amateur idea. Fortunately, he had the combat experience of [Ritsuka Fujimaru], who trained with Scáthach, and [Senju Muramasa], who, while more adept with swords, could still hold his own in hand-to-hand combat. He also had the fighting skills of [Karna (Santa)] to help him figure out how to move.
To assist him further, he programmed his brain with two Magecraft spells: [Memory Partition] and [Thought Acceleration].
[Memory Partition] was the ability to divide thoughts to form multiple independent thought processes. While normal people could only have one "room" in their brain and focus on one thought, this magic added partitions to create multiple rooms. It was different from having multiple independent machines in the head because, while there were multiple processes, they worked toward a single goal. They managed different sets of problems but collaborated to generate an overall solution. Though the machines could calculate at the same level, nothing compared when used for problem-solving. He managed to form six of them, giving him over forty thousand "thought processes." His computational capacity surpassed any cutting-edge computer from his old world. And all six rooms were boosted by [Thought Acceleration], which sped up mental processing by five times, though it was quite mentally taxing.
With all this to aid him, creating and refining a combat style became quite easy. It took only an hour to formulate the foundation.
It wasn't just a set of techniques but a concept of combat supremacy where control and lethality coexisted. He kept six screws orbiting around him in irregular, random patterns, creating a mobile field of death. Each screw could move at supersonic speeds or higher if he wanted, and their trajectories could be altered instantly by Kazuya's will, allowing them to attack from unpredictable angles. A flick of his finger, and a screw would pierce an enemy's skull before they even noticed it approaching.
His style combined direct, brutal assaults with manipulation of space and rhythm. He used the screws as extensions of his body—a backward spin, and the projectiles spiraled through the air, cutting everything in their path while he advanced for the final blow. But the true essence of his new combat style was the ability to deny space. He projected the screws to encircle the enemy, restricting their movements and forcing them into kill zones. No escape was possible. Every attempt to retreat, jump, or advance was punished with precise, devastating perforations.
When he finished creating this style, it was almost seven in the morning, and he needed to head back. Letting out a sigh, he started walking toward his house, dissolving into golden particles and reappearing in front of the mansion, smiling as he casually walked inside.