The enormous monster was about to crash down from above. Of the people at the impact point, only Jizi, with her exceptionally high Agility, might have been able to escape the blast radius. The others, Masters and Servants alike, had no time to evade.
Could the final outcome of this banquet for kings really be the deaths of all three kings? That was far too ironic.
How could the glory of Heroic Spirits tolerate such an ending? But what else could they do? Both the Golden King and the Knight King possessed holy swords capable of vaporizing that monster in a single blow, but there was no time to prepare them now.
Unless—
"Saber! Fully release your Noble Phantasm!"
Unless there was another transcendent power that could ignore the circumstances and forcibly activate a Servant's Noble Phantasm—such as the three privileges belonging to a Master: the power of Command Seals.
At such a critical moment, Kiritsugu Emiya, who had always treated Saber with indifference, finally could not sit still.
He used his first Command Seal, allowing Saber to skip all preparation and immediately draw that Anti-Fortress holy sword.
The immense Mana gathered upon the blade slammed head-on into Eva-01 as it came crashing down. Its A.T. Field instantly shattered into fragments, and its body lasted only a few moments within the high-intensity Mana torrent before vanishing into the air without leaving behind even a speck of ash.
Meanwhile...
"Saber's holy sword actually has that much power? Even Archer's sword is probably no stronger in terms of destructive force, is it?" Listening to Kirei's live report, Tokiomi revealed a surprised expression once more.
The Heroic Spirits summoned in this Holy Grail War all seemed to be existences beyond normal standards. His initial belief that having Archer meant he was invincible now seemed rather laughable.
Fortunately, their side had two Servants. If they made proper use of Assassin's abilities, the Tohsaka Family still had the greatest chance of victory.
"Ahh, this is disgusting."
Jizi was currently moving through Fuyuki City's sewers. While enduring the pungent stench, she also had to take care not to touch anything filthy. Working in such an environment naturally invited complaints.
"Why did I have to come here?"
The banquet of kings had been interrupted by "a familiar summoned by Caster," ultimately ending on a sour note. Saber had not yet spoken of her ideals. It was somewhat regrettable, but it also spared her from Rider's mockery and Archer's teasing. Whether that counted as good or bad was hard to say. In any case, that was how things had turned out.
After returning, Jizi received a summons from Tokiomi Tohsaka. To her surprise, Tokiomi's attitude toward her had become noticeably friendlier. Aside from asking about the details of each Master and Servant, he even consulted her on strategic policy.
Previously, she had always reported to Kirei, who then relayed everything to Tokiomi. She could offer opinions regarding operational arrangements, but Tokiomi had never proactively sought her advice.
Her flattered feeling lasted only briefly before Jizi quickly understood. The strength displayed by Rider, Saber, and even "Caster" had given Tokiomi a sense of crisis. He no longer believed that summoning Archer meant everything was settled.
For the sake of his victory, Assassin's value had steadily risen. Naturally, it became necessary for him to make an effort to get along with her.
Even if her identity was merely that of an assassin, she was still a Heroic Spirit acknowledged by the world. She was someone worthy of the proper courtesies from the head of the Tohsaka Family.
Thus, in that basement where Tokiomi and Kirei usually spent time alone together, Jizi spent a very pleasant while with this source of all disasters. Tokiomi might have loved emphasizing etiquette—or rather, acting pretentious—but he had enough presence to avoid being obnoxious.
Influenced by his attitude, Jizi was unusually kind-hearted and offered him a few reminders.
For example, Archer and Kirei seemed to have some inexplicable little interactions between them. Of course, she did not say much more. After all, one did not interfere in the affairs of those close to each other. Unless Kirei truly stabbed Tokiomi in the back, Tokiomi would never believe that his Servant and disciple were plotting betrayal.
Afterward, relying on her knowledge of the original work, Jizi gave Tokiomi a fairly detailed introduction to the other competing groups, including information about their assistants. She even dropped a few minor spoilers—though naturally, she presented them as her own deductions.
Caster seemed to be planning something huge, Rider seemed to be staying with an ordinary family somewhere, Berserker seemed to belong to the same mythological system as Saber and Lancer, and so on.
That was the limit of what she could do. Saying too much would only arouse suspicion and destroy the small amount of trust she had painstakingly built.
Anyway, since Tokiomi had treated her well, at worst she would find a way to save his life later. That would also count as keeping her promise to Rin.
Speaking of Rin, she could call her later and chat for a while.
Just as Jizi emerged from the basement, happily considering that thought, Kirei suddenly called her away and ordered her to track Caster. If possible, she was to directly assassinate his Master.
Because of last night's Eva incident, Caster had become everyone's greatest concern. His whereabouts were elusive and unpredictable, and Assassin was the most suitable person to deal with him.
Thus, Jizi had no choice but to abandon the wonderful undertaking of teasing a little girl and crawl into Fuyuki City's sewer system.
Because she was already very familiar with Caster's Mana signature, Jizi did not need much effort to find the Caster pair hiding in a certain underground reservoir.
While in stealth, she could not possibly be detected unless she took the initiative to expose herself. So even though this was Caster's workshop, he had no idea that an uninvited guest had arrived.
Then again, judging by his current state, she probably would not have been discovered even if she were not Jizi.
"Ryunosuke. You have yet to understand the true ugliness hidden in the deepest depths of the human soul, so your sorrow is understandable... You must know, Ryunosuke, that only a very small portion of humanity can truly understand beauty and harmony. The greater number are vulgar people, and when they encounter holy objects with artistic value, jealousy drives them into a bestial frenzy. To such people, beautiful things are merely objects to be destroyed."
Not long ago, Weber had found Caster's lair by analyzing the residual Mana in the river. He and Rider then thoroughly cleared out the so-called "artworks" piled up here.
That made those two lunatics deeply sorrowful. At this moment, Caster was using his unique theories of artistic appreciation to cultivate Ryunosuke's sensibilities.
"You must know that our artistic creations are often destroyed by ignorant fools... That is why we must not become too emotionally attached to what we create. Works that are created will one day have to face destruction. Therefore, for us creators, the only thing we should enjoy is the joy of the creative process itself."
"You mean that even if it gets destroyed, we just have to create it again?"
"Precisely! Ryunosuke, your keen comprehension is truly your greatest strength!"
After being comforted by the cheerfully smiling Caster, Ryunosuke wiped the tears from the corners of his eyes, deeply sighed, glanced around, and muttered.
"Because we pursued our own happiness too much... could this be divine punishment?"
Upon hearing Ryunosuke's words, Caster's attitude suddenly changed.
He forcefully grabbed Ryunosuke by both shoulders and turned him toward himself. Then, with sharp light flickering in his eyes, he stared at Ryunosuke's expression and said,
"I will say this only once, Ryunosuke... God never punishes humanity. God merely toys with humanity."
Bluebeard's eyes seemed to burn, yet his face showed no expression at all. Compared with the emotional excitement he had displayed before, he seemed like an entirely different person.
"M-Master?"
"Once, I committed what was perhaps the most vicious and grievous act of blasphemy possible in this world. Ryunosuke, the evil you have committed is child's play compared with mine.
"But no matter how much I killed, no matter how much I desecrated, I received no punishment from any god. By the time I realized it, I had spent eight years advancing down the path of evil. The wails and screams of thousands upon thousands of children all vanished into the darkness of the void!"
"..."
"In the end, it was not God who destroyed me, but humans with desires as boundless as mine. The Church and the king declared me guilty, captured me, and executed me only because they coveted my wealth and territory and wished to claim them for themselves...
"Their actions were less a punishment for my evil than naked plunder!"
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"Hey, how is it, Master? Do you want me to act now?" As she listened to the madman's confession, Jizi contacted Kirei. "I am one hundred percent certain I can kill that Master in a single strike. Then you only need to use a Command Seal to summon me back, and all that remains is to wait for Caster to disappear on his own."
"Not yet. Continue observing." Such instructions came from the other end of the mental connection. Jizi understood that Caster and Ryunosuke had caught Kirei Kotomine's interest. Rather than eliminating them, Kirei wanted to understand their motives.
"As you command."
Jizi put away her scythe, chose a better angle for observation, and hid herself once more, enjoying the confession of these two artists.
"But, Master... even so, God still exists, right?"
Hearing Ryunosuke's quiet murmur, Caster could not help holding his breath. He carefully observed the expression of this simple and loyal Master.
"...Why, Ryunosuke? You have no faith and know nothing of miracles, so why would you think such a thing?"
"Because this world seems to be full of nothing but boredom... So I kept searching, but the more I searched, the more interesting and strange things I found."
As Ryunosuke spoke, he spread his arms as though he wished to embrace everything between heaven and earth.
"I have thought this way for a long time. A world filled with so much joy is simply too extravagant for us individuals. If you only change your perspective slightly, you will find that it is full of countless setups. If one wishes to seek true happiness, I do not think there is anything more thrilling than conquering this world.
"Someone must be writing it. Writing this world's script. Someone must be writing this lengthy novel with five billion characters... That person, perhaps, could be called God."
Caster silently blinked, gazing blankly into empty space as though considering Ryunosuke's words. After a while, Caster looked at his Master again and asked in a low, solemn voice.
"Then, Ryunosuke. Do you believe God loves humanity?"
"Of course. With all his heart."
Without hesitation, the serial killer answered cheerfully.
"A god who can keep writing this world's script for thousands, tens of thousands of years without stopping must truly love humanity. Yes, I think God must be working very hard on it. At the same time, he is immersed in the joy of creating his work.
"He is moved by the love and courage within his own work, sheds tears at its sad moments, and feels fear at its horror and despair."
As though pausing to confirm his own thoughts, Ryunosuke added another conclusion.
"God loves hymns to humanity such as courage and hope, but he also loves blood-splattered screams and despair. Otherwise... the hymn of life could never possess such vivid colors.
"So, Master, this world must surely be filled with God's love."
Like a devout believer praying before a sacred painting, Caster quietly and solemnly listened to Ryunosuke's words. Then he slowly raised his head, his face overflowing with bliss.
"In this age, the people have lost faith, and the government has long since abandoned divine will. I thought this was a world on the brink of destruction... Yet at such a time, to have a new believer such as yourself appear has utterly convinced me. Ryunosuke, my Master!"
"Oh, not at all. You are making me embarrassed."
Although he did not understand why, Ryunosuke at least knew that Caster was praising him, so he bashfully declined.
"But—if we look at it from your religious perspective, the acts I committed to blaspheme against God were nothing more than trivial tricks."
"No. Everything you have done can be called a first-rate performance. Master, your splendid comic routine will surely please the gods, and the gods will gladly play the straight man for you as well."
Hearing Ryunosuke's words, Bluebeard seemed delighted beyond measure and burst into laughter, clutching his stomach.
"Blasphemy or praise! In your eyes, they are both the same form of worship toward God, are they? Ah, Ryunosuke! You truly possess profound philosophical thought.
"The God who toys with countless humans as though they were playthings is himself merely a fool whose role is to entertain others... I see! Then such vile taste can be understood."
After laughing for a while, Caster's eyes once more revealed a desolate gleam. It was like the emotion of an artist driven mad by art just before reaching the height of his frenzy.
"Excellent. Then let us use even more vividly colored despair and wailing to paint God's court in dazzling hues. I will let those gods in heaven know that they are not the only ones who understand true entertainment."
"Have you come up with another wonderful idea, Master?"
Seeing Bluebeard display unprecedented excitement, Ryunosuke also showed a somewhat expectant expression.
"Since we have decided, let us hold a celebration. Ryunosuke, today's feast will be special. Let your new faith begin the proceedings."
"Understood. I will do my utmost to make it the coolest possible!"
"Oh my, as a religious man, Master, what do you think of the gods they believe in?" Jizi deliberately asked Kirei in a mischievous tone.
"Follow them. Make sure everything remains under control." The priest's voice was calm and steady, with no hint of emotion.
"As you wish."
PS1. This counted as next Tuesday's update. I released it early because there was some strange problem with my account, and it kept working and failing at random. Since I could use it now, I updated first.
PS2. Qidian customer service said it would be resolved within two business days... I reported the issue on Thursday. Well, Saturday and Sunday are not business days, so does that mean I have to wait until Monday? I had always thought that internet companies considered all seven days of the week business days...
PS3. Should I continue updating whenever I feel like it, or should I first focus on fully finishing one route?
Before you continue