"Should we clear the surrounding area again?"
The lingering heat from the aftermath flames brushed past hair as smooth as silk. A gentle warmth spread across her body, pulling Durandal out of her thoughts as she looked around and spoke.
"No need. Judging by the time, it should be around the fifth watch now (roughly 4:48 a.m. local time). The noisy first encounter is over. Bianka, let's go. Time to head back. Daytime is the universally acknowledged truce period among magi."
Sensing the prying gazes of more than dozens of familiars nearby, as well as the faint fear emanating from various sources of magical power, Selene paid them no mind.
"Your Majesty, what about Kiana and the others...?"
"Kiana? She and Raiden Mei should be the smoothest group. Sushang ran into the emergency Servant summoned by the Greater Grail—Ruler, the adjudicator, Jeanne d'Arc of France. As for Fu Hua's side..."
Selene let out a light chuckle. "Mm-hm, Senti is probably having a great time. Enough to satisfy her craving for a good fight..."
"..."
As the tremors shaking the earth gradually subsided, atop the devastated ruins riddled with destruction, the terrifying giant goddess slowly faded into the chaotic night.
At this moment, this once lively and peaceful place finally regained its silence. Yet with the departure of those responsible, it seemed that even its last trace of value had vanished.
The area where Homurahara Academy once stood—no, it could hardly even be called ruins anymore. From now on, it could only be described as a 'crater.'
Looking as far as the eye could see, from near to far, everything was lava and flames. Trees had either been uprooted or reduced to charred sticks. Houses rose and fell like drifting feathers, tilting and collapsing, as if a hurricane, earthquake, and volcanic eruption had all taken turns ravaging this unfortunate land.
The atmosphere was filled with lingering magical particles and ash, choking the air with a suffocating, acrid stench.
"Has that Servant left?"
"Probably..."
"It's fine now. That monster is gone."
Once it was truly confirmed that the terrifying giant goddess had departed, it wasn't long before a rustling sound emerged. From the scorched ruins at the edges, various strange objects pushed aside debris, and suspicious human figures cautiously poked their heads out.
Clearly, they were magi and priests—executors sent by the Mage's Association and the Holy Church to clean up the aftermath of the Holy Grail War.
Faced with magical power carrying the traits of a 'Beast,' ordinary people would have long fled without hesitation. Who would dare linger?
This wasn't about courage. Even journalists—renowned for their recklessness and shameless pursuit of sensational stories—had no intention of attending what would otherwise be a grand spectacle for the mundane news world.
This was not a natural disaster, nor was it a domain ordinary people could touch. Without magic circuits or magical energy, they didn't even have the ticket to approach.
Ordinary humans simply could not muster the courage to face such a terrifying calamity—one of the Seven Evils of Humanity.
"How many casualties?"
"Still being counted. So far, we know that Jack and five others were unlucky. They were caught in the aftermath of that Servant's magical cannon blast..."
"Oh shit! Fuck you!"
At this moment, they truly understood a saying: when gods fight, mortals suffer.
"What does the supervisor from the Holy Church say? Have we contacted the Lord?"
"Father Kirei Kotomine's church at the Fuyuki New City Station also seems to have been attacked..."
"What the fuck?!"
...
At dawn, Fuyuki New City Station.
The sun finally rose, daylight dispelling the night. Civilians emerged from underground earthquake shelters scattered across the city and returned to their homes, survivors checking their property losses.
The southwestern district had suffered the worst damage. Vast numbers of building windows had shattered from the shockwaves. The asphalt roads had buckled and warped, and thick smoke still rose from the streets.
Various pipelines buried deep underground were now fully exposed in the morning sunlight.
Sewage, tap water, the city's electrical grid, and internet lines tangled together. Although supply stations had already cut off service in time, residual liquids continued to seep from ruptured pipes, pooling across the roads.
The air was filled with a nauseating, pungent stench.
However, this time, City Hall could proudly announce—this destruction was indeed caused by a gas explosion!
A transfer station at a major transportation hub had been damaged by external force. The resulting sparks ignited the gas within the pipelines...
On the streets, municipal workers cleaned up the aftermath with exhausted expressions. Police and firefighters hurried about, while heavily armed officers patrolled the area vigilantly.
"At approximately 2:20 a.m. last night, an undersea earthquake occurred in the offshore region near our city..."
Early in the morning, diligent experts and professors appeared on the news, addressing the strange phenomena that had occurred overnight and providing explanations to reassure viewers.
The authorities were clearly cooperating with the Mage's Association and the Holy Church. One side continuously set up suggestion barriers throughout Fuyuki City, while the other attributed the disaster to a chain reaction caused by offshore seismic activity, storms, and aftershocks.
"Sigh, we've really had terrible luck lately. Everything's been awful."
"Could it be like Grandpa said... that this city is cursed...?"
Naturally, some believed it, while others did not. After all, given Selene's sheer size, even in their fear-induced panic, quite a few ordinary people had still glimpsed her faintly.
To them, the authorities' obvious attempt at deception was insulting. Gas explosion, gas explosion—same old garbage excuse. If you're going to lie, at least make it convincing.
You're telling me that a crater hundreds of meters wide was caused by a gas leak? What kind of gas station is that?!
And what about the large-scale destruction in Miyama Town that looked like it had been bombarded? Still a gas explosion?!
Why not just say Fuyuki City has a natural gas field underground? That last night was just a gas eruption? Maybe we'll become a resource-based city now, with cheaper gas bills every month?!
The whole city was in an uproar!!
"They're lying! Earthquake, gas explosion—ha! Those damn politicians are hiding something. My friend told me he saw a battle straight out of a shonen manga last night."
"Shonen manga my ass! Are you blind?! Didn't you see that massive crimson shadow across the Mion River? It was like a monster from a tokusatsu show! Even the Mion River Bridge was melted by its breath!"
"You're the blind one—I think you've lost your mind..."
Although many questioned the authorities, the asymmetry of information led to severe disagreements even among the civilians who had been lucky enough to witness something.
Of course, disagreement was one thing—protests still had to happen. Angry citizens held banners and posters, some even clutching the blurry photos they had managed to take the night before, as they surged toward City Hall demanding the truth.
"An undersea earthquake... a hurricane, aftershocks compressing and damaging the underground pipelines, and the 'giant goddess' seen by residents of Miyama Town was a kind of mirage... a hallucinatory effect accidentally produced by the mixing of various gases and liquids?"
"Tch... that fake priest really has it rough."
"These excuses are ridiculously far-fetched. He must be overwhelmed right now."
Inside a high-end property owned by the Tohsaka family in the northwest district of the New City Station, the freshly bathed and changed young lady of the Tohsaka family listened to the broadcast on television, a hint of her mischievous nature surfacing.
The Mage's Association, the Holy Church, and Kirei Kotomine—who, as a disciple, had taken over from Tokiomi Tohsaka the responsibility of managing Fuyuki's leylines and the world of mystery (nominally acting as Rin Tohsaka's guardian until she came of age)—would likely have to pay a considerable price to suppress these events.
As a participant in the Holy Grail War—and one who had seen the true form of the 'giant goddess'—Rin Tohsaka naturally had no intention of agonizing over the city government's explanations like ordinary civilians.
"Tohsaka, you shouldn't say that. Father Kirei is already working hard to clean up our mess."
"Yeah, yeah, just joking."
Turning aside, Rin Tohsaka looked toward the kitchen area, where a red-haired boy in an apron held freshly washed vegetables. She spread her hands helplessly. "So? Do we have enough supplies here?"
"Thank you very much, Tohsaka. It's more than enough. Please wait a bit—the meal will be ready soon."
That's right—Shirou Emiya was cooking.
There was no helping it. They weren't Servants. With so many mouths to feed, if they didn't eat, they wouldn't even need Selene to defeat them—they'd starve to the point of losing their ability to fight.
People are like iron, and food is like steel.
Only after eating their fill would they have the energy to deal with a great evil god like Selene.
At the same time, just like Homurahara Academy in Miyama Town, both the Tohsaka residence and the Emiya residence were located in that area. They didn't dare return there for now—Selene was still in that region. Thus, Rin Tohsaka had brought everyone to the New City Station area.
Fortunately, the Tohsaka family's wealth was substantial. Otherwise, they would truly have had nowhere to stay.
Although Rin often appeared financially strained due to the costs of using jewel magecraft, the Tohsaka family actually possessed considerable assets, including numerous magical patents (magecraft theories and formulas used within the Clock Tower, similar to real-world patents).
Their income was quite significant. Even doing nothing, they earned tens of millions of yen annually. As such, the Tohsaka family owned many properties throughout Fuyuki City.
This particular property was located in a high-end residential area in the northwest district of the New City Station. It had suffered minimal damage from the disaster and, due to being connected to special supply lines, had not experienced water or power outages like the southern districts.
Previously, they hadn't used it and had appeared poor because these assets were accumulated by generations of family heads, from Tokiomi back to their ancestors. To Rin, relying on them felt somewhat unbecoming.
Moreover, the magecraft formulas created by Tokiomi had gradually become outdated in modern times, causing the Tohsaka family's finances to grow increasingly strained.
And most importantly—Rin Tohsaka's expenses were even greater!
Especially in battle, the jewels she used cost around 500,000 yen each on average. Jewel magecraft was, at its core, a money-burning art.
"Phew..."
Turning off the television, Rin Tohsaka stood up and walked into the kitchen. Picking up utensils, she began helping Shirou Emiya prepare the ingredients as she asked—
"Tohsaka, you..."
"What? You don't think I can cook? Come on, Emiya-kun, what kind of misunderstanding do you have about me? I'm not some delicate young lady who's never touched kitchen work."
After a moment of silence, while continuing to handle the ingredients, Shirou Emiya asked, "Tohsaka, how were you so confident in judging that she..."
"I wasn't confident." Without even lifting her head, Rin efficiently chopped onions and tomatoes as she replied.
"Then..."
"What else could we do? Wait to die? If we want to live, we have to gamble."
Rin let out a deep breath and looked at Shirou Emiya beside her, who had paused, still hesitating.
"Emiya, beings like gods are, for the most part, extremely proud. As long as her divine authority isn't centered on lies and deceit, I can be sure she won't target ordinary people just to force us out. From what we've seen, our gamble paid off."
As she spoke, Rin revealed a wry smile.
"To put it bluntly, gods don't care about human lives. But at the same time, because of that pride, they won't go back on their word or break promises. As for the destruction caused by battle aftershocks..."
"Emiya, would you care if you stepped on an ant, or wiped out a swarm of mayflies?"
"..."
Shirou Emiya stood there in silence, his expression heavy.
"Alright, the most urgent matter now..." she said, "So, how's that Einzbern girl doing?"
"...Not good."
Opening the rice cooker, Shirou sighed regretfully and walked over.
"I'll go call them..."
On the bed in the bedroom, based on the auxiliary analysis provided by Doctor Romani Archaman from Chaldea, Ritsuka Fujimaru was carefully guiding Illya's rampaging magical circuits with focused intensity.
Ritsuka Fujimaru was no longer the clueless novice from Singularity F. After that incident, he had trained relentlessly in magecraft, and through the trials of seven singularities, under the guidance of masters such as Scáthach, Cú Chulainn, and Medea, his abilities had improved by leaps and bounds.
Under his healing magecraft, the instability in Illya's heart was quickly brought under control.
At the very least, it would no longer affect her magical circuits and cause them to run wild. The dense, crimson circuits gradually faded, revealing the girl's smooth, pale skin.
"Ritsuka, I regret to inform you—she is not a pure human."
Inside Chaldea, Romani's expression was grave as he stared at the harsh reality displayed on the screen.
"This girl is practically an alchemical creation made of magical circuits. Both the quantity and quality of her circuits are overwhelming compared to a normal magus."
"But this approach undoubtedly drains her lifespan. Even if we stabilize her condition now, at best... she might have less than three years to live. And that's the most optimistic estimate..."
"Moreover, her heart... is made from the Holy Grail. Once the Grail is filled, the personality known as 'Illya' will completely disappear, becoming a fully realized Lesser Grail."
As he spoke, Romani closed his eyes in pain. "This is the cruelty of what it means to be a magus..."
"Berserker..."
"Berserker..."
Even in her unconscious, half-aware state, as Ritsuka's healing magecraft guided her, Illya had improved somewhat. Yet she seemed to be having a nightmare, her brows tightly knit as she murmured the name of her Servant.
It was heartbreaking.
Knock! Knock! Knock!
"Fujimaru, Saber, time to ea— Mm! Who's there?!"
As Shirou Emiya approached the bedroom, the sudden knocking at the entrance instantly put him on guard.
"Emiya."
"Shirou."
Rin Tohsaka and Saber also rushed over upon hearing the noise. The magic crest on Rin's wrist appeared as she spoke in a low voice, "It shouldn't be a Servant. The magical reaction... is relatively weak. Most likely a magus."
"Possibly one of that fake priest's people... but it's strange. If he had business, why didn't he contact me through a Mystic Code..."
"Yeah."
Nodding, Shirou Emiya assumed a guarded stance and carefully opened the door. Standing before him was a tall, thin man in a black suit.
"Who are you?"
The man spoke calmly, "Our first meeting, I believe. As the current head of the Tohsaka family, you may address me as El-Melloi II."
"Regrettably, I must inform you of some unfortunate news—by the time I arrived, the Church had already been reduced to ruins."