"Should we sweep the surrounding area one more time?"
The hot wind from the residual flames brushed against silky strands of hair, spreading warmth across her body. Durandal emerged from her thoughts and looked around as she asked.
"No need. If I had to guess, it's already the fifth watch. The noisy first encounter is over. Bianka, let's go. Time to head back. Daylight, after all, is the universally accepted truce time among magi."
Selene felt the gazes of more than a dozen familiars observing from the shadows, along with faint magical presences steeped in fear. She paid them no mind.
"Your Majesty, what about Kiana and the others...?"
"Kiana? She and Raiden Mei should be the most successful pair. Li Sushang encountered a Servant summoned by the Greater Grail's emergency measures—a Ruler-class arbitrator, Jeanne d'Arc. As for Fu Hua's team..."
Selene chuckled. "Hmmhm, Senti should be having the time of her life. A real satisfying fight..."
...
The tremors that shook the land gradually faded. On the scarred, battle-torn ruins, the massive figure of the terrifying deity slowly vanished into the darkness.
At last, this battered land fell into silence. But with the departure of those who caused the chaos, even the final traces of peace seemed to have been erased.
The area where Homurahara Academy once stood... or rather, what used to be the academy, couldn't even be called ruins now. It could only be called a "crater."
As far as the eye could see, near and far alike: molten rock and flames, uprooted trees or scorched sticks, buildings scattered like feathers—tilted, broken—like a hurricane, earthquake, and volcanic eruption had ravaged the land in sequence.
The air was thick with magical residues and ash, choking with a stifling stench.
"Has that Servant left?"
"Probably...."
"It's over. That monster is gone."
Once they confirmed the terrifying giant had truly departed, clatter clatter—from the scorched edges of the battlefield, odd objects were pushed aside as some suspicious human figures began to peek out and emerge.
It was obvious—they were magi or church agents. The clean-up crew dispatched by the Mage's Association and the Holy Church to deal with the aftermath of the Holy Grail War.
Faced with magical energy containing the traits of a "Beast-class" threat, ordinary people would've fled long ago. Courage had nothing to do with it. Even the news reporters—normally bloodhound-like in their pursuit of chaos and scandal—had no desire to attend what could've been the scoop of the century.
This was no natural disaster. This wasn't something mundane people could even approach. Without a magic circuit or mana, they didn't even have the right to buy a ticket.
Regular people simply couldn't muster the courage to face a calamity born of one of humanity's seven evils.
"Casualties?"
"Still tallying. So far, we've confirmed that Jack and six others were caught by the shockwaves from that Servant's magical bombardment...."
"Oh merde! Fucking hell!"
Now they truly understood the old saying: When gods fight, mortals suffer.
"What about the Holy Church's overseer? Any word from the Lords?"
"Father Kirei Kotomine's New Fuyuki Church seems to have been hit too...."
"What the fuck?!"
...
Early dawn—New Fuyuki Station.
The sun finally rose, daylight dispelling the night. Civilians emerged from the city's earthquake shelters and underground evacuation tunnels, returning to their homes to inspect the damage.
The first act after surviving disaster: assess your losses.
The southwestern districts were hit the hardest. Large swaths of glass windows had been shattered by the shockwaves, and the asphalt roads of the city buckled and warped. Smoke still billowed from the streets.
Underground pipelines and systems were exposed to the morning light—sewage, water mains, electrical wiring, internet lines... even though the utility companies had cut off the supplies in time, various residual liquids still seeped from the cracked pipes, soaking the roads.
The stench of mixed chemicals in the air was enough to make one retch.
But this time, the city hall could proudly proclaim—it really was a gas explosion!
One of the main pipeline transfer stations located at a transport hub had been struck by external force, and the resulting spark ignited the natural gas within the pipes....
On the streets, city workers with long faces labored to clear the damage, while police, firefighters, and even riot-control units patrolled cautiously.
"At approximately 2:20 AM last night, an undersea earthquake occurred near the coastal area of Fuyuki City...."
Early in the morning, in response to the bizarre events of the previous night, devoted experts and professors appeared on the morning news channels to debunk rumors and offer plausible explanations to the public.
It was clear that the government was cooperating with the Mage's Association and the Holy Church. One side deployed illusion barriers across the city, while the other pushed a narrative of undersea earthquakes, hurricanes, and aftershock-induced disasters.
"Ugh, things have been going so badly lately. It's just one awful event after another."
"My grandpa always said this city is cursed... maybe he was right."
Naturally, not everyone bought into the official story. After all, despite the fear and panic, quite a few ordinary people had glimpsed Selene's monstrous form.
To them, the excuse of a gas explosion felt like a blatant lie—like the authorities were treating them like fools. Gas explosion? Again? How lazy.
You expect us to believe that a crater several hundred meters wide was caused by a gas leak?! What was it, a whole gas plant?!
And what about the devastation in the mountain town? It looked like it had been bombed! Gas explosion, really?!
Why not say Fuyuki has a hidden natural gas field underground, and last night was just a spontaneous eruption? Maybe now we'll become a resource-exporting city with cheaper fuel prices!
The city was in an uproar!!
"Who are they trying to fool?! Earthquakes and gas leaks—hah! Those damn politicians are clearly hiding something. My friend swears he saw a battle straight out of a shonen manga last night!"
"Shonen manga my ass! Were you blind?! You didn't see that huge crimson shadow across the Mion River? It looked like a kaiju from a tokusatsu movie—it even melted the Mion River Bridge with its breath!"
"You're the blind one! Sounds like you've got hysteria...."
While many distrusted the official story, the lack of information led to wildly conflicting accounts among eyewitnesses.
Still, disagreements aside, protests were inevitable. Outraged citizens gathered outside city hall, waving signs, holding up blurry photos taken the night before, demanding the truth.
"Undersea earthquake... hurricane, aftershocks damaging underground pipes... and that 'giant god statue' seen by mountain town residents? A mirage—caused by mixed gases and liquids inducing hallucinogenic effects?"
"Tsk... poor fake priest."
"What a ridiculous cover story. He must be in a real mess right now."
In an upscale property in Fuyuki's northwest district, purchased by the Tohsaka family, a freshly bathed and changed Rin Tohsaka listened to the broadcast with a mischievous glint in her eye, the devilish side of her personality emerging.
The Mage's Association, the Holy Church, and Kirei Kotomine—who had inherited the role of overseeing Fuyuki's leyline and the mystical affairs of the city from Tohsaka Tokiomi—would surely have to pay a hefty price to cover all of this up. (Technically, Kotomine was managing things as Rin's guardian until she came of age.)
As a Holy Grail War participant and someone who had directly faced the giant god, Rin Tohsaka had no illusions or concerns about the city's official explanation.
"Come now, Rin. You shouldn't be so harsh. Father Kotomine's probably already worked himself to the bone trying to clean up our mess."
"Yeah, yeah. I'm just kidding."
Rin turned toward the kitchen area where a red-haired boy, apron-clad and carrying a basket of freshly washed vegetables, was busy at work. She crossed her arms and asked with a touch of exasperation, "So? Do we have enough supplies?"
"Thank you, Rin. Yes, there's plenty. Just give me a bit and dinner will be ready."
Yes, you heard that right—Shirou Emiya was cooking.
They weren't Servants, after all. And with so many mouths to feed, if they didn't eat, it wouldn't take Selene to kill them—they'd collapse from hunger on their own.
Food is strength, after all.
A full belly meant energy to deal with that monstrous god, Selene.
Like Homurahara Academy, the Tohsaka and Emiya residences were located in the mountain town sector—now completely off-limits due to Selene's presence. So Rin had led the group to a property near New Fuyuki Station.
Thankfully, the Tohsaka family had some assets to fall back on. Otherwise, they'd be homeless.
Despite Rin's constant financial struggles due to her jewel magecraft, the Tohsaka clan actually owned several properties and held multiple magic-related patents (magical theories and formulas used by the Clock Tower), earning substantial passive income. Even doing nothing, they brought in tens of millions of yen annually.
This particular house was in a luxury complex in the city's northwest—one of the least affected areas, and thanks to a special supply line, hadn't suffered power or water outages like the southern districts.
They hadn't used it before due to Rin's pride. The property and income were inherited from her father, Tokiomi, and generations of ancestors. To Rin, relying on them felt like a blow to her pride.
Besides, Tokiomi's magecraft had fallen out of fashion, and the family's finances were already tightening.
And then there was Rin's extravagant spending.
Especially in combat—each jewel she used cost around 500,000 yen. Jewel magecraft was essentially burning money to cast spells.
"Whew...."
Rin switched off the TV and walked over to the kitchen. She picked up a knife and began helping Shirou prepare the ingredients.
"Rin, you..."
"What? Surprised I know how to cook? Come on, Emiya-kun, how many misconceptions do you have about me? I'm not some delicate heiress who's never touched dishwater."
There was a pause. As he chopped, Shirou asked, "How were you so sure she wouldn't..."
"I wasn't."
Still slicing onions and tomatoes with practiced hands, Rin replied without even lifting her head.
"Then...?"
"What else could we do? Sit and wait to die? If we want to survive, we have to gamble."
She let out a deep breath and looked at Shirou, who had paused uncertainly beside her.
"Shirou, divine beings are almost always arrogant. As long as her divine domain doesn't include lies or deceit, I was confident she wouldn't target civilians to force us out. And so far—it looks like we were right."
Rin offered a faint, bitter smile.
"The harsh truth is, gods don't care about human life. But by that same pride, they also won't break their word or go back on a deal. As for the collateral damage...."
"Shirou, would you feel anything if you stepped on an ant? Or crushed a swarm of mayflies?"
"...."
Faced with her blunt analogy, Shirou Emiya stood in silence, a heavy look on his face.
"Alright, back to the present..." Rin asked, "So, how's that Einzbern girl doing?"
"...Not great."
Shirou sighed and turned off the rice cooker before walking over.
"I'll go check on them...."
In one of the bedrooms, following Dr. Romani Archaman's guidance from Chaldea, Ritsuka Fujimaru was carefully channeling mana to stabilize Illyasviel's out-of-control magical circuits.
This wasn't the clueless Ritsuka of Fuyuki's first singularity. Since then, he had trained relentlessly in magecraft, weathered seven major singularities, and been mentored by legends like Scáthach, Cú Chulainn, and Medea.
His skills had grown by leaps and bounds. Under his healing spellwork, Illyasviel's erratic heartbeat quickly calmed, and her dangerously glowing circuits slowly faded, revealing her soft, delicate skin.
"Ritsuka, I'm afraid I have bad news. She isn't fully human."
In Chaldea's control room, Romani's face turned grave as he stared at the screen.
"This girl is essentially an alchemical construct made entirely of magical circuits. Both the quantity and quality of her circuits vastly exceed those of any normal mage."
"But this also means her lifespan is being drained at an accelerated rate. Even if we stabilize her for now... she may only have three years left at most. And that's the optimistic estimate...."
"Worse—her heart is a Holy Grail. Once it's filled, the personality of the girl known as 'Illyasviel' will disappear entirely. She'll become nothing more than a Lesser Grail."
Romani shut his eyes in anguish. "Such is the cruelty of mages...."
"Berserker...."
"Berserker...."
Even unconscious, still half-lost in a feverish dream, Illya clutched at the empty air and whimpered her Servant's name. It was heart-wrenching.
Knock knock knock!
"Ritsuka, Saber—dinner's... huh?! Who's that?!"
Shirou had been approaching the bedroom when someone knocked at the front door, startling him into a defensive stance.
"Shirou."
Rin and Saber had also heard the knock. Rin's Command Spell lit up faintly as she muttered, "It's not a Servant—the mana signature's too weak. Probably a mage."
"Could be someone from that fake priest's faction... but strange. If it were important, why not contact me via magical channel?"
Shirou nodded and cautiously opened the door—only to be greeted by a tall, thin man in a black suit.
"And you are...?"
The man spoke calmly. "We haven't met before, current head of the Tohsaka family. You may call me Lord El-Melloi II."
"Unfortunately, I come bearing ill news: by the time I arrived, the Holy Church had already been reduced to rubble."
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