In the blink of an eye, it was already dusk.
In an old, abandoned town in the Imperial Capital, deserted due to the war.
*SLAP!*
Slapping the last standing soldier, Naoki shook his hand. "How many groups is this, Okita?"
Wiping the blood from her blade, Okita sheathed her sword. "Sorry, Master. After the fifth group, I stopped counting. These pursuers are really… persistent."
Since defeating Okada that afternoon, Naoki and Okita had been relentlessly attacked by the Japanese military.
However, though it was called an attack, to the two of them, it was nothing short of suicide. None of the enemies they faced were Servants, not even Magi. They were all ordinary people with no special abilities, armed only with pistols.
"Is this a diversion?" Okita asked, looking at the pile of bodies she had created around them.
"No, they're most likely coming for me."
Naoki recalled his memories. "The one giving the orders is probably a Magus in the military. He's the Master of a Berserker, a pro-war extremist, a terrorist who wants to seize the Holy Grail and the world for Japan—you probably get the picture, right?"
"He wants to kill Master to win the Holy Grail War?" Okita said. "Indeed, with this many attackers, even if I let my guard down, I might not be able to protect Master properly…"
The number of attackers they had faced was already over a hundred, maybe more. Perhaps the enemy thought that no matter how many people were sacrificed, as long as one could kill Naoki, it would be considered a victory.
Were they playing a gacha game?
"Well, if it were another Master-Servant pair, they might've died. Even if they survived, they'd likely be injured. But the enemy doesn't know I'm not some weak novice. No matter how many soldiers they send, they can't even scratch me."
"If Master doesn't allow it, nothing can harm you, right?" Okita gave a wry smile. "More importantly, about the investigation of the Holy Grail bomb… It turns out there's nothing here either. This is the twenty-eighth one."
Twenty-eight.
That was the number of military bases Naoki and Okita had investigated throughout the afternoon. Not a single piece of information about the Holy Grail bomb was found.
"So, it's been reorganized… Hm, though it's a bit of a waste, reaching this conclusion isn't bad. It also confirms that just one strike can end it all."
If the Holy Grail was still split into eighty-one parts, Naoki would find it a bit troublesome. Repeating the same task eighty-one times was exhausting. He'd much rather settle it all in one strike.
"With this, we just need to find out which base the Holy Grail is in…"
As he spoke, Naoki walked toward one of the bodies. After observing it briefly, he removed his glasses. Suddenly, a mist rose above the corpse, forming a highly distorted spirit in the air. After swirling aimlessly, it made a motion that seemed like kneeling before Naoki.
Okita watched the scene with slight surprise. "Master, this is…"
"Spirit Summoning Magecraft, a spell that temporarily calls a dead person's soul back to the world. Since these people were sent under orders, they must have met the person giving the orders behind the scenes. By asking, we can find their location."
"Huh? But aren't your Mystic Eyes a form of Magecraft that erodes spirits?"
"Erode, then control. Isn't that pretty similar to summoning and controlling a spirit? At most, these Mystic Eyes are a bit more absurd." Naoki laughed. "Oh, Okita, be careful. Don't step into my line of sight, or you'll get damaged too."
Hearing that, Okita hurriedly moved behind Naoki.
After locking eyes with the soldier's soul for a moment, Naoki waved his hand to dismiss it and put his glasses back on. "Hmm, I've asked, Okita. Though I didn't get the location of the Holy Grail bomb, I've got the location of the mastermind behind the scenes."
"Then… as a thank-you for their 'hospitality' this afternoon, let's pay them a visit."
"Alright." Okita nodded. "But why didn't Master do this earlier when we encountered enemies?"
"…"
The sudden question made Naoki pause for a moment. After a few seconds, he spoke. "Because I forgot I had Spirit Summoning Magecraft."
"…"
◆━⊰✧⊱━◆
At the same time, in the Imperial Capital.
The Ministry of the Army.
"Failed again?"
Looking at the incoming report, a man with black-framed glasses and curly hair sighed with slight irritation.
The man's surname was Mawatsun—his first name wasn't important; what mattered was his surname. For someone from a magecraft family like him, the surname was a symbol far more significant than the given name.
He was a Magus hired by the military two years ago as a consultant for supernatural research. Now, he served as a special advisor in the army.
That was the official story.
As for what he truly was… "A fanatic who would do anything to obtain the Holy Grail and the world"—that description was sufficient. The reason Japan was still holding on despite the obvious situation was largely due to this man.
He used Magecraft to assassinate leaders of the pro-peace faction, employed Suggestion Magecraft and rhetoric to incite soldiers, and distributed potions that made them so euphoric they lost their sense of self… Though these were common Magecraft techniques for a Magus, when used in war, this was the result.
The soldiers relentlessly attacking Naoki and Okita had also been sent by him, under the pretext of "for the future of this country."
Truly despicable behavior.
Rubbing his temples, Mawatsun looked at someone standing in the corner of the room. "By the way, how's the information on the Saber side?"
The girl in a navy uniform trembled slightly upon hearing this. "About the Master's information… I'm sorry, it's still unclear. We only know his name is 'Natsukawa Naoki,' and he's supposedly a Magus."
Natsukawa.
A surname Mawatsun had never heard of. At least in his memory, there was no magecraft family in Japan with that surname.
"Also, regarding Saber's true name, the Magus named Naoki called her 'Okita,' so her true name might be… Okita Souji."
"Okita Souji. The Shinsengumi, huh?" Mawatsun sneered, adjusting his glasses. "I thought Saber would be a tough target, but she's just a mere executioner. The best class was given to a third-rate character."
"Continue the attacks on Saber's camp."
Hearing Mawatsun's words, the girl named "Kaname" immediately showed a fearful expression. "Huh? Continue?"
Mawatsun nodded. "You understand what I mean, right? In reality, no matter how many people are sent to attack, they'll never kill a Master protected by a Saber. But so what?"
"The goal isn't to kill but to wear them down. Imagine, even for a Magus, being constantly chased by a group of ordinary humans from morning to night would mentally exhaust them. As long as they're in the Imperial Capital, this situation will keep happening. To stay safe, the Servant has to remain in physical form, and that Mana consumption isn't small."
No matter how great a Magus was, they couldn't sustain a Servant's physical form for twenty-four hours a day. Even if they could manage it once, what about two days in a row? Three days? Or, more extremely… a week?
"Attacking the enemy's supply line is a common war tactic."
To the girl, Mawatsun, who spoke such inhumane words, was like a cold-blooded demon—such an operational plan was tantamount to throwing away soldiers' lives, treating human lives as disposable goods.
The girl clenched her fists slightly and spoke tremblingly. "But… that's…"
*SLAP!*
Before she could finish, a slap landed on her face.
Mawatsun shook his hand. "That's not good, Kaname. Are you trying to defy your superior's orders? Though you're the Master of that creature, I have the right to punish you—a foreign bastard, who gave you the right to stand here and serve the homeland?"
"I—"
*BOOM!*
At that moment, a loud noise suddenly echoed from outside the room!
Mawatsun pursed his lips, glanced at the girl, then hurriedly pushed the door open and stepped out. "What's going on?! Where did that sound come from?!"
"Major!"
Several soldiers gathered in the corridor quickly turned to report.
"We're under attack!"
"What? Who's attacking? Did enemy soldiers infiltrate the country?!"
"No!"
At the staircase nearby, a soldier missing one arm staggered up. "The enemy… the enemy… There are only two—Pfft!"
As soon as the words left his mouth, half the soldier's head was sliced off. Immediately after, a girl with sakura-colored hair in a pink kimono, holding a sword, appeared on the staircase. After glancing around both sides of the corridor—
"The first floor is cleared. Start clearing the second floor."