Whether for magi who understood the mysteries, or for ordinary people who remained ignorant of them, Fuyuki City tonight felt unusually restless...
In the eyes of the mystical side, the Fifth Holy Grail War of Fuyuki had officially entered its climax as elite magi from various factions arrived—along with even a Lord of the Clock Tower.
Summoned into the present by the Greater Grail, heroes from the legends of human history had already left behind traces of their own extraordinary power in this era that did not belong to them.
Only, those traces were somewhat too exaggerated.
This was the sole sentiment shared by the magi and priests dispatched by the Mage's Association and the Church to observe and clean up after the Holy Grail War in Fuyuki.
Through observation-type Mystic Code instruments, they could see the rolling smoke, the shockwave rings visible to the naked eye, and the massive pillars of light erupting outward in overlapping waves, as if intent on burning everything to ashes.
Under the night sky, that crimson radiance shooting straight into the heavens could be clearly seen from dozens of kilometers away.
Even if it was only a fleeting afterimage within their vision, it did nothing to prevent the instinctive fear rising from the depths of their being.
That was a mythical creature at the very limits of human imagination—its might synonymous with apocalyptic disaster.
Clean-up? Clean up my ass!
Why the hell hasn't this damned war been canceled yet?!
Among them, a veteran executor who had handled the aftermath of the previous Holy Grail War felt utterly exhausted both physically and mentally.
Everyone knows the Holy Grail War is supposed to be conducted in secret.
But do you have any idea how much effort people like us—unnoticed, overworked, treated like livestock—have to put in just to maintain that so-called "secrecy"?!!
These Servants just open their mouths, chant a few words, twitch their bodies, wave their hands—and once they've had their fun, we're the ones stuck cleaning up their mess for half the night.
Ten years ago, during the last Holy Grail War—"gang firefight at the harbor container terminal," "Fuyuki serial killer cult ritual incident," "Mion River sea monster incident,"... "Fuyuki Station fire disaster."
Ten years later, with rapid technological advancement and the information age of the 21st century, the number of factors they needed to account for during cleanup had only increased, and so had the workload.
And this time, right from the start, trouble kept piling up one after another—first, the mass deaths and coma incidents across the city; then the cemetery of the Church at Shinto Station was attacked and reduced to ruins; followed by the explosion at Shinto Central Park...
Then just one day later, several districts in the southwest of Fuyuki City were blown into ruins. What the hell is this massive crater with a diameter of several hundred meters?
Can the excuse of a gas pipeline leak really cover this up anymore?
No choice. Report it—and grit your teeth and deal with it.
...
Miyama Town, Mount Enzou, within the barrier of Ryuudou Temple. Separated by a river, no matter how turbulent things became over in Shinto, this place remained as calm as ever.
Standing before the crystalline forest grown from the underground ley lines, Selene—currently in her half-human, half-serpent form—remained motionless. Though her outward expression was calm, only she knew what thoughts were running through her mind.
Hummm—
"El-Melloi II, and Jeanne... an interesting combination."
A buzzing hum, like an electric pulse, sounded. Beneath those faintly furrowed brows, her large, alluring yet terrifying diamond-shaped eyes slowly opened.
Selene straightened her upper body, her slender, snake-like waist—covered only in fine scales—twisting gently. Her divine beast form, growing ever larger through conversion via the ley lines, instantly caused the ground to tremble beneath her weight. Even the entire Mount Enzou shook as a result.
"Waver Velvet... interesting, interesting. Perhaps you, this so-called 'queen consort,' might even benefit from me and reunite with Iskandar once more."
"Huff... Huff... Your Majesty... please wait a moment. Forget that for now—I, I can't go on. I've been completely drained. Not a drop left... I need to rest for a bit..."
"Meow... have I been drained of all my blood essence...?"
At that moment, the trembling, breathless voices of the girls beneath her pulled Selene's attention back to the present.
Li Sushang, who had appeared so imposing before Jeanne earlier, was now sprawled on the ground like a puddle of mud. The ends of her hair were slightly damp, her beautiful eyes half-open and unfocused as she gasped heavily.
Beside her, Pardo lay flat on her back, limbs splayed out, tongue sticking out. Her fluffy, energetic beast ears drooped weakly against her head, completely flattened.
Despite how domineering Selene had seemed when projecting and using her Mystic Eyes earlier, the magical energy she used had not been her own.
Borrowing Li Sushang as a medium for projection, the magical energy expenditure was naturally borne by her. During that near-instantaneous burst of overwhelming magical output, even with real-time replenishment from Lev and the underground ley lines, the supply simply could not keep up with Selene's consumption.
The magical energy stored within Li Sushang was drained completely in an instant, pushing her spiritual body to the brink of exhaustion.
The sensation was... indescribable.
If Selene hadn't transferred her back into the ley line barrier of Ryuudou Temple in time, she would have likely "crashed" on the spot.
"Your Majesty, I beg you—next time, please give me a heads-up so I can prepare..."
"Mm-hm... ahem... I'll be more careful next time." Selene chuckled awkwardly as she replenished magical energy for Li Sushang and Pardo.
Because this was not her true body—not even a complete Saint Graph from the Throne of Heroes, but rather a descended, composite divine form—Selene in her current state was an enormous drain on magical energy.
In an ordinary Holy Grail War, it would be extremely difficult for most magi to even sustain her consumption.
Although this hybrid Saint Graph—combining Avenger Gorgon and Beast Tiamat—far surpassed her former Rider-class self in base parameters, magical output, and authorities against humanity and civilization, there were gains and losses.
Setting aside the terrifying increase in magical consumption, one clear drawback was that the Noble Phantasms recorded in the Throne of Heroes had not been brought over.
As a Servant, Selene no longer possessed Complete Book Of The World · Rongo Rongo. Her ability to foresee and monitor everything without blind spots had been significantly weakened.
After all, she was not her true body. Servants always came with limitations.
But it didn't matter much. She could just enjoy herself.
If she was going to act, she might as well act convincingly. Otherwise, how would she deceive the Root? Before the confrontation between the false King of Magecraft and the true one, she needed to properly fulfill her role and positioning.
"The Temple of Time of Solomon..."
Raising her head, Selene's crimson eyes shimmered with prismatic light, as if piercing through the barrier of Ryuudou Temple, her gaze locking directly onto the sky above.
"Not bad speed."
It could already be observed—within the Imaginary gap beyond this timeline's world, a temple radiating eternal brilliance was drawing closer to this world.
In the eyes of those capable of perceiving it, the decaying and destructive magical power permeating it nearly dimmed the very radiance of human history itself, as though something had enveloped the entire world—oppressive, on the verge of extinction.
Goetia, your performance had better not disappoint me...
Just as Selene was contemplating how to scheme against both the false and true King of Magecraft, a voice that made one's bones go weak sounded from behind her.
"Your Majesty, it seems something has occurred on Master Fu Hua's side."
"A situation?"
Selene's delicate brows furrowed slightly. For this entire operation, she had deliberately refrained from direct involvement, leaving everything to Kiana and the others to decide and adapt on their own.
According to Durandal's arrangements, the area assigned to Fu Hua and Senti was the Church. Thinking of this, Selene's brows relaxed—it must be that pleasure-seeking priest. No wonder.
As for Lancer Cú Chulainn, that was manageable. Even with the heavy weakening caused by becoming Servants, Fu Hua and Senti could still handle a blue lancer who specialized in charging thrusts without much trouble.
But if that enthusiastic "golden gentleman" was present, then for the current Fu Hua, it would indeed be a difficult fight. If the opponent did not underestimate her, there was even a real chance she could lose.
Once the Gate of Babylon opened—whether for attack, interference, or suppression—and after sensing the divinity on Fu Hua and Senti, Enkidu would be deployed for binding, followed immediately by a clean, decisive Enuma Elish...
Based on Selene's projected sequence, if that golden king fought seriously with full force, even Fu Hua would have to avoid direct confrontation. Taking it head-on was out of the question.
Without a Grand-level Saint Graph, without a divine spirit Saint Graph, and without the Beast authorities representing the evils of humanity, the difference between Servant Saint Graphs was not actually that large. The same applied even to the Foreigner class—it did not create a qualitative gap compared to the standard Archer class.
Gilgamesh's overwhelming advantage against Heroic Spirits placed him among the very top even within the Throne of Heroes.
"Ran into a golden show-off?"
Selene turned around. Rita stood gracefully not far away, on the balcony of a shrine structure that had not been destroyed by Selene's serpent tail. Her fair, delicate face carried its usual perfectly measured smile as she bowed.
"A golden show-off?"
Rita was briefly stunned, but after thinking about it, it did seem fitting.
"Yes, Your Majesty. Due to the interference of an individual who refers to himself as 'this king,' Master Fu Hua's side has currently fallen into a stalemate. The battle is unlikely to end anytime soon."
"Then that's settled. Rita, Sushang... and Pardo—you three should go take a trip. Give Gilgamesh something memorable as my greeting."
"A pincer attack or ambush—anything goes. Kill him if you can. If not, it doesn't matter. Withdraw before dawn. Cut off that priest's right arm and level the Church. Just a 'greeting' will suffice."
"Understood."
At the same time, Rita noticed Selene's apparent intention to leave the ley line barrier of Ryuudou Temple and asked with slight surprise, "Your Majesty, you are...?"
"Since I've descended, it's only fair to give Chaldea a bit of pressure, don't you think?"
Hearing Rita's question, Selene—possessing the Saint Graphs and authorities of Gorgon and Tiamat—curved her lips into an eerie smile.
...
At this moment, the battle at Homurahara Academy had also entered a heated stage.
The tremors transmitted from the southwest of Shinto across the Mion River had already weakened considerably by the time they reached Tohsaka Rin and the others. After all, the roaring here had never ceased.
Amid the ruins of the half-collapsed school building—
"King!"
A massive, pure blue spectral entity appeared behind Durandal. It resembled the King piece in chess, wielding a greatsword for offense like the most loyal knight under her command.
Clang!
The silver-white blade, swung by the entity known as King, traced a wide arc through the air, meeting the invisible slash that came diagonally upward from below.
Clang—!
The collision between the massive blade and the invisible strike caused Saber's entire body to tremble. A sickly flush spread across her pale face as the overwhelming force sent a piercing pain through her left arm. Blood burst out from between her muscle fibers.
With a thunderous crash, the petite blonde swordswoman was smashed into the ruins of a building twenty steps away. Her boots scraped violently across the ground, producing a string of sharp sounds as they carved a furrow like a plow through the repeatedly compacted earth.
"Saber!"
Using her holy shield as a point of contact against the ground, carving out a deep trench, Saber slid nearly ten meters through the rubble before finally being stopped by Mash, who stabilized her.
"Thank you, Mash."
After expressing her gratitude, Saber did not pause for even a moment before charging toward Durandal once more.
"ROAR—!"
Berserker bellowed as he swung his massive axe blade—like a slab of a door—with a ferocious, defense-abandoning strike.
"Queen."
Durandal calmly uttered a single word. Instantly, the shield-bearing spectral entity appeared before her.
Boom!!
The collision between black and silver, like two massive beasts crashing into each other, produced a thunderous roar. The sheer force even displaced the surrounding air, and the resulting shockwave scattered the dust into a visible expanding ring.
A sword and a shield stood guard at Durandal's sides.
This was Durandal's Bright Knight · Excelsis—Phantom Module.
A Honkai particle-driven tactical projection derived from the original battlesuit—self-driven phantoms.
She could summon two autonomous combat constructs, one wielding a sword and the other a shield, named King and Queen by Bianka.
"Archer."
With a crisp sound, a lethal strike aimed straight at Durandal's throat slammed heavily into her lance, sending sparks flying as the two weapons ground violently against each other.
Whenever Durandal tried to target the one firing cold arrows from afar, 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 compensate.
It left Durandal feeling extremely constrained.
This sensation of being unable to fully exert her strength was deeply frustrating.
"Then I'll eliminate you first, Berserker. I refuse to believe you can revive infinitely!"
Meanwhile, amid the thunderous clash of heroes—
"Miss Illya?! Are you alright?"
Shirou Emiya hurried to Illya's side. Seeing her flushed face emitting visible steam due to the intense activity of her magic circuits, he was immediately at a loss.
He wanted to help, but as someone inexperienced in magecraft, he feared making things worse.
"Fujimaru, quickly have your doctor check on her! What's wrong with her?" Rin Tohsaka said anxiously.
In their current situation, Illyasviel's Berserker was both their main source of damage and their primary shield. They could not afford for her to fail now.
Illyasviel von Einzbern knelt on the ground, drenched in sweat, clutching her chest as her body trembled uncontrollably. Her violently beating heart forced her to gasp for breath.
"It hurts... it's swelling... it's unbearable..."
At the moment Selene completed her descent using Gorgon's body, the massive tide of magical energy had also activated the Greater Grail within the underground cavern beneath Ryuudou Temple.
As the vessel of the Lesser Grail, Illya was affected by the fluctuations of the Greater Grail. The crimson magic circuits across her entire body began to manifest uncontrollably, swelling and heating up.
"Doctor Romani—"
Ritsuka Fujimaru, who had been directing Mash in resisting Durandal's assault, quickly rushed over. The moment he noticed Illya's condition and prepared to contact Romani for advice, panicked voices from Chaldea burst through the communication channel—nearly shouting.
"Ritsuka! Watch out! A Divine Spirit-level Saint Graph reaction!!"
"What?!"