Another Peaceful Night

Ereshkigal immediately retorted, "Of course, because, because we are... friends! Yes, friends!"

"Just because of that?"

"Isn't that enough?"

"You bastard, I can't be bothered talking to you! Ugh! Just get out of this body and go back to your Underworld, isn't that better? As a god, why are you still trying to respond to summons and such? What kind of behavior is that?"

Ishtar went into a frenzy.

Ereshkigal directly refuted her.

"You're out now, aren't you? I don't need you to lecture me! In short, I won't allow you to hurt Rovey!"

"Aaaaaah! I'll fight you to the death!"

"Come on then, who's afraid of you!"

Then, to the astonishment of Rovey and Maanna, Ishtar and her sister Ereshkigal, who were fighting over control of their bodies, demonstrated what true split personality meant in the Tohsaka Family's basement. The two began to hurt each other and fight fiercely, and they were using Rin Tohsaka's body.

Although he could see that Ereshkigal had been summoned and that she was now protecting him so fiercely, Rovey was also very happy.

However, it would be better without Ishtar.

Now, more than his own happiness, he was starting to worry about Kirei Kotomine and Rin Tohsaka.

Because he knew the sisters too well.

If they were alone, it would be fine, but they just happened to gather together.

The chemical reaction that would erupt when the two of them met would be far greater than that between Gilgamesh Enkidu, even more severe. Perhaps before the Holy Grail War even begins, these sisters would send the entire Fuyuki City flying.

Thinking this way--

Soon, Rin Tohsaka was still performing her second personality act in the room, rode the Stream of Light, performed a spiral ascent, crashed through the roof, and flew directly into the air.

Only a headache-ridden Rovey and an unsure of what to do remained Maanna in the basement.

Chapter 371 Another Night of Nuclear Peace

As night fell, a dazzling meteor suddenly streaked across the sky above Fuyuki City.

The fleeting light drew many pedestrians to stop and stare.

People looked up at the sky, their eyes fixed on the shooting star that streaked across the night.

They might have been filled with anticipation or curiosity, but most of them placed their hopes on it, silently clasping their hands and making a wish.

However, what no one knew was that the shooting star they were watching was actually --

Above the night sky.

The light of Venus and the energy of the Underworld are still colliding. Rin Tohsaka was originally directly spiraling up to heaven because of the two goddesses.

At this moment, they had fallen into a deep sleep, and Maanna, not knowing what to do, chose to play dead, transforming into a special-shaped electric scooter, carrying the two goddesses who were still vying for supremacy as they flew erratically through the sky.

Ishtar covered the left side of Rin Tohsaka's face, revealing her golden eye, and through gritted teeth, she screamed frantically at the other person inside her body:

"When are you going to stop causing trouble? Hand over control of your body to me now."

"I'm being unreasonable? It's all because you're always trying to cause trouble at the slightest disagreement."

The next moment, Ereshkigal regained control of half of the body, removed his left hand, covered the right half of his face, revealing his amber red eyes, and spoke to Ishtar inside him without backing down.

"Also, why aren't you the one handing over control? No matter how you look at it, I'm the one who should stay, right?"

"Are you more suitable than me? How ridiculous."

Upon hearing this, Ishtar spoke again, saying, "I am the strongest goddess in history, in charge of love and beauty. Without a doubt, the Servant summoned by the Holy Grail War should be me! How could it be a dark and worthless goddess like you? I can handle such a trivial trick as the Holy Grail War all by myself."

"Hmm... you just said I'm useless, right?"

Upon hearing Ishtar's slander, Ereshkigal's eyes immediately sharpened.

"That's right! What are you doing out here on your own, you useless goddess, instead of staying in the Underworld?"

Ishtar didn't mince words when she questioned him.

"I'm useless?"

Upon hearing Ishtar's words, Ereshkigal did not rush to refute them. Instead, he pondered for a moment before suddenly saying, "But I killed you, and I even stripped you naked and hung you up with my own hands."

"Ha?!"

Upon hearing Ereshkigal recount her ordeal of storming the Underworld and being strung up like skewers, Ishtar's previously smug expression suddenly froze. She immediately lowered her head and said in a low voice:

"That's only because you used the powers of the Underworld! Otherwise, how could I have been..."

"But whatever the reason, you were still defeated by me."

Before Ishtar could finish speaking, Ereshkigal's voice rang in her ears again.

"..."

"I possess immense wealth and talents that everyone envies," Ishtar continued, unwilling to give up.

"I defeated you before."

"I possess unparalleled beauty and the worship of countless believers who have built the greatest temple for me."

"I defeated you before."

"Father God, Grandpa Enki loves me the most!"

"I defeated you before."

"Can't you say anything else besides that?!"

After repeatedly hearing Ereshkigal mention that she had been killed by her, Ishtar finally broke down, her defenses crumbling, and she shouted.

"Oh... so you're the one I defeated."

"Aaaaaah! I'll fight you to the death! You gloomy, withdrawn goddess!!"

Upon hearing this, Ishtar, in a fit of rage, violently tugged at Rin Tohsaka's hair. Then, due to her loss of control, terrifying magical power erupted once again in the sky.

Meanwhile, Maanna, standing beneath her feet, recalled Rovey's instructions: no matter what, she absolutely could not allow Ishtar to erupt in the city, or else she would be imprisoned forever in the Gate of Babylon. Without hesitation, she accelerated and began to take off, flying away from Fuyuki City at top speed and heading straight for the outskirts.

On the other side, although Ishtar unleashed her power, Ereshkigal equally formidable.

Although Ishtar was arguably the most supreme deity in Mesopotamia, a benchmark of Sumerian and Canaan civilization, Ereshkigal was ultimately the ruler of the Underworld, a being of equal status to Hades in Greek Mythology. Even without the blessing of the Underworld, Ishtar's strength wouldn't guarantee a direct confrontation with Ereshkigal. After all, they were both currently in a special state of divided souls, and as the lord of the Underworld, Ishtar was far superior to Ishtar in the realm of the soul.

And so, that night, lights kept flashing above the clouds over Fuyuki City.

The light was sometimes golden, sometimes dark red.

And below it, gusts of cold wind constantly swept by, sending chills down one's spine.

Inside the church in Fuyuki City at this very moment.

"It's really started."

Kirei Kotomine looked at the changes in the sky and felt a headache coming on.

He knew this was what Rovey had told him; the Servant summoned by Rin Tohsaka had appeared.

Although he had anticipated how difficult the opponent would be, just feeling the divine power and the magical reaction that was in no way inferior to, and even surpassed, Gilgamesh's, gave Kirei Kotomine an immense headache. This scene was far larger than he had imagined. In terms of magical power and influence, this Servant was probably stronger than Emiya Kiritsugu, that black giant, and was at least on par with Gilgamesh, belonging to the strongest Servant.

He didn't know what was going on either.

Last time, Servant like Gilgamesh was considered the strongest and a trump card, but this time, it's only just begun, and Servant on the same level as Gilgamesh are already appearing one after another.

While it's true that times are changing, versions are being updated, and combat power is constantly increasing—these are all common occurrences—even if one becomes arrogant, it shouldn't be to this extent, right?

Fuyuki City is crying!

Is Gilgamesh the kind of being who can just casually revert to an older version?

"Master! Did you call me?"

Just as Kirei Kotomine was having a headache, Fujimaru Shirou, who had already changed his clothes and hurriedly left home, arrived at the church with his equipment.

"That's right."

Standing before the enormous cross, Kirei Kotomine glanced back at his disciple after hearing the sound, then sighed softly.

"You've arrived... Shirou."

"Yes, Master, what exactly happened...?"

Shirou had just arrived, was about to ask a question.

He had just felt the terrifying magical reaction above Fuyuki City and now wanted an answer from Kirei Kotomine.

However, Kirei Kotomine is also quite confused about this now.

He shook his head and said, "I don't know either. Maybe it was caused by some Servant."

"Servant?"

Upon hearing this, Shirou's eyes widened, clearly having already guessed what was going on. "You mean... Servant from the Holy Grail War?"

"That's right."

Kirei Kotomine nodded bitterly.

"Wouldn't that be dangerous? What if such magical reactions were to spread freely throughout Fuyuki City?"

More than anything else, Shirou was concerned about the safety of Fuyuki City.

His family and friends are here. Allowing such a terrifying guy to fight would undoubtedly put his loved ones at risk.

So he immediately asked Kirei Kotomine what he should do and how to stop it.

However, Kirei Kotomine simply shook his head and told him...

With their current strength, they simply cannot possibly fight against Servant of this level. Furthermore, as supervisors, not participants, they have no way to directly engage in combat. All they can do now is to ensure safety and maintain order as much as possible.

Other people will take care of the rest; Shirou doesn't need to worry. The reason he was called over was to have Shirou go with him to the crime scene to cover up their tracks.

Upon hearing this, Shirou's eyes showed a hint of doubt. He then looked back at the sky in the distance, which was still changing color, and began to ponder how to cover up this terrible situation.

Kirei Kotomine simply patted him on the shoulder and told him not to be too nervous. He said that it was just a gas leak, and if anyone investigated, they could just forget about it for now.

After saying this, Kirei Kotomine sighed, then pushed open the church doors and left with Shirou. He could imagine that many people would soon flock to the church to pray and seek refuge because of this unusual situation. Therefore, he didn't take Karen with him, but instead left her to fulfill her duties as a nun.

On the other side, at the residence of Emiya Kiritsugu.

After successfully putting his daughter to sleep, Emiya Kiritsugu's smile vanished, replaced by an indescribable solemnity.

He quickly left Illya's room, then looked up at the distant view of Fuyuki City.

The undisguised magical aura made him frown.

What an outrageous Servant...

He couldn't help but sigh inwardly.

Whether judging from the fact that the opponent was able to create such a commotion so quickly before the Holy Grail War even began, or from the terrifying magical reaction, Emiya Kiritsugu could guess the strength of that Servant.

Furthermore, based on the reactions above, the opponent is a Servant with extremely high mobility: Rider.

It should be Rider, no doubt.

Not only is her strength exceptionally high, but she also possesses incredible mobility. This Servant is undoubtedly the greatest enemy.

Thinking of this, Emiya Kiritsugu's expression grew increasingly serious.

He hadn't expected to encounter Servant of the same caliber as his Archer so soon, and this made him uneasy.

While he had great confidence in Archer's strength, he was more worried about the unpredictable changes that the appearance of this Rider might cause, such as the Rider killing other Servant and allowing their souls to enter his daughter's body. If that happened, Illya would undoubtedly follow in her mother's footsteps, something Emiya Kiritsugu had to prevent.

Therefore, when this magical power appeared, Emiya Kiritsugu had already dispatched Archer. Once it was confirmed that there were people fighting on the other side, Archer had to stop them. Under no circumstances could any Servant be allowed to die.

However, Archer soon returned.

The dark giant who had left not long ago reappeared before Emiya Kiritsugu, his aura as terrifying and powerful as ever. Upon seeing him return, Emiya Kiritsugu immediately asked anxiously, "What happened, Archer? Did you stop their battle?"

"No... there wasn't actually a battle taking place over there."

When Emiya Kiritsugu asked him, Archer shook his head slightly and said in a deep voice, "It was all caused by one Servant."

"But what exactly are those two different magical powers...?"

"That comes from a Servant, perhaps because they have different facets or personalities."

"Dual personality?"

"That's right." The dark giant nodded, then said, "Just now, I followed the aura all the way to the outskirts of the city. My eyes only saw the presence of one Servant; no other Servant appeared, which is why I returned so quickly."