Everyone knew—Shimazaki Yuna and Van Gogh seemed bound by an invisible thread. Not exactly inseparable, but if it wasn't absolutely necessary, Yuna never let Van Gogh leave her side.
Kanoya Rui and the others also knew Van Gogh's fragile psyche. They understood Yuna's behavior. In fact, sometimes they worried too—what if Van Gogh, left alone, did something rash? They'd even hinted to Yuna about taking her to see a therapist.
So Rui was stunned, confused—why did he see Yuna here?
And more than that—Van Gogh was nowhere in sight. That alone nearly made him believe he'd mistaken her for someone else.
Shock. Confusion. Then curiosity. A crushing curiosity he couldn't hold back.
He hadn't planned to follow her. He just wanted to ask why she was here. But he saw Yuna, without a shred of hesitation, step into a dark alley.
By the time Rui reached the alley mouth, her figure was gone.
Now three choices stood before him.
Pretend he'd seen nothing.
Report to the others.
Or… follow her first, decide later.
He stared deep into the alley—reeking, rotted, shadows clinging to the walls. He knew he didn't have long to hesitate. Wait, and he'd lose her.
His precious models, just purchased, he set down by the trash bins at the alley entrance—discarded like garbage. Then, with a firm look, he ran into the deeper dark.
Of course he was worried for Yuna. Wasn't that natural? To see a frail schoolgirl sneaking alone into a place like this… an alley was the perfect soil for malice and crime. It called up images of bullying, gang fights, contraband deals.
For a girl her age—especially one like Yuna, already an assistant to a famous mangaka—envy was inevitable. And envy was one of the primal sins.
Rui's mind spun images he didn't want to see.
"Well, missy, you don't want these bad photos online, do you? Imagine—genius mangaka's assistant, Shimazaki Setsuna, exposed as a cheap—"
…It felt too much like something a Japanese thug might actually do. He didn't know why.
That was only one of dozens of scenarios flashing through Rui's mind. Don't ask how he had such imagination—some things needed no explanation.
Even if she had tricked him into FGO, he still cared for Yuna. He saw her as a friend.
The alley was stuffed with trash and junk, narrowing the space, stinking so strong Rui swore the stench clung to his clothes.
Need a bath when I get back. Good thing I didn't drag my models in here.
Though leaving them by a trash bin wasn't much better…
Turning a corner, Rui's vision opened up. Brighter. Wider. A straight path stretched ahead.
An alley like this inside the alley? He squinted, eyes adjusting—then froze.
That back. Familiar.
It was Yuna. No mistake.
He raised his hand, mouth opening to call—ask why she was here.
But in the next instant his pupils shrank, his heart skipped, and cold poured over him like ice water, freezing thought and soul.
Yuna turned her head.
Rui had already hidden—crouched, hugging his knees, smothering his mouth. His body trembled uncontrollably.
Even with only a glimpse, he was reduced to this.
Because what he'd seen was that terrifying.
Monsters. Aberrations. Nightmares.
Uncountable. Enough to drive the trypophobic insane. Numbers so vast you could feel the weight.
Hundreds? Thousands?
No. Hundreds of thousands. Millions.
A sea, endless, enough to drown a city in an instant. All the monsters they'd fought till now were a mere drop compared to this tide.
They weren't crammed in the alley. Rui saw clearly—they poured from Yuna's shadow. Crawling out one by one.
Shapes of writhing ink.
Maw like lampreys. Tangled with petals and roots.
These were the two Rui had seen most often—the shadow spawn, and the "Flower Grudge" things they turned into when killed once.
But there were more. So many more.
Humanoid with beast-like claws, gray skin rotted open to expose bone and organs, yet no blood. Ghouls, zombies, walking corpses.
Bipedal, but grotesque. Bloated bellies, skin dark blue-green, jaws split back to the shoulders.
Demon-like, with horns, tails, bat wings—but no face.
Spider-things, massive, wart-covered, bristled legs.
"Flower Grudge"-like, but stripped of plant traits, resembling sea anemones with endless tendrils.
Winged beasts with horse heads, bat wings, scales covering birdlike bodies.
Countless others—faces Rui barely caught before hiding.
And yet even from that fleeting glance, he remembered them vividly. As if carved into his brain.
His mind rang like a bell struck by a hammer. Thoughts slowed, doubled vision clouding. Consciousness slipping.
Monster aura. The psychic pollution. Before, the swarms they'd fought barely scratched Created. But those swarms had been dozens. Hundreds. Not this.
What are these things to Yuna?
And why do they feel familiar?
The memory hit him like lightning.
Fate/Grand Order side story—"Salem."
The horse-headed, bat-winged monster. The Shantak.
He remembered—Shantaks had attacked Alicetaria and Mamika. He and Meteora hadn't seen them, only heard second-hand. He'd read Salem, but never connected it.
The ghouls. Same.
The sea-anemone horrors—exactly like the sea demons summoned by Caster Gilles de Rais.
Then… Yuna is their master? The very calamity that destroys the world?!
The thought drained his face pale, his breath ragged.
FGO may have been drawn by Van Gogh, but Yuna was her assistant. And here were the very monsters that appeared in their manga. Too many coincidences.
His head spun heavier. Nausea rose. He felt like he was sinking into a dark, lightless sea, crushed by pressure on all sides. His breath grew shallow.
I have to warn them. Meteora, the others…
Rui was the most cowardly of their Created. He feared death. He hated battle. And yet—in this haze, his first thought was not survival. It was to get the truth out. To pass on the answer before the bell rang, like a student scribbling the last line of an exam.
Then—
A whoosh.
No time to react. The sound came—and Rui was already smashed into a wall. The impact dented stone, split it. His body screamed, bones and organs breaking.
He slid down into a heap of trash.
Blood filled his eyes. He could barely see.
But still—he didn't give up. He tried to move. Tried to do something.
Only half a body remained below his shoulders. Blood poured out in streams, steaming as it cooled in the winter air.
The one that struck him was blood-red, flayed like a skinned man. Insectoid body, bat wings, bird claws.
It was fast. Even slowed by earth's air, it was too fast.
"What flapped there was a horde of winged beasts, trained and tamed, unlike crows or moles or vultures or ants or rotting human flesh—I cannot recall, must not recall."
—H.P. Lovecraft, The Festival
Byakhee. Sea demons. Shantaks. The swarm closed in, their roars fraying reality itself.
They circled him. His blood made them restless. A banquet was about to begin.
Then, suddenly—they recoiled. Stepping back, growling low. As if afraid.
Not of Rui. Of the figure beside him.
Shimazaki Yuna stood there. Silent. Expressionless.
She crouched, picked up an object from the ground. Rui's phone.
Blood spattered the screen, the glass cracked from impact.
A message had been sent. Only two characters: "怪物." Monster.
Yuna looked at the phone. Then at Rui, crumpled in blood, his heat fading. Her glasses caught the light, hiding her eyes.
"■■■■—!!"
The monsters howled louder, the world itself twisting, infected, falling into madness.
...
Splurt!
Selesia's blade cleaved through the flower-like horror, scattering it to blood.
She wiped her brow, exhaling. "That should be the last one, right?"
The magic circle before Meteora faded. She nodded. "Yes. I sense no more of them nearby. Well done, Selesia."
Then she turned her gaze to another.
"And you as well, Rui-dono. We're fortunate you found them in time, before they caused casualties. Who would have thought they'd appear so close to civilians?"
Kanoya Rui stood at a safe distance, still clutching the model kits he'd bought, his face odd.
"If you'd come any later, I would've brought out my [Gigas Machina]."
"And caused a panic? Burdening Kikuchihara-san with more cleanup?" Selesia arched a brow.
"Better than someone dying! I'm sure Kikuchihara-san would understand!"
Rui laughed, then grumbled. "Besides—I nearly died! Without the Machina, I'm no tougher than any ordinary guy. When they rushed me, I was scared witless! That's why I keep saying—I need magic too! Or at least martial arts! Give me something—Eternal Arms Mastery,Chinese Martial Arts,Advice of the Strategist,Wisdom of Dún Scáith,Mind's Eye,Instinct—I'll take any one or two! I'm really not picky!"
…And if you had those, you'd only use them for self-defense?
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