Chapter 90
The reflection of a gliding bird on the glass, seen through the eyes of the silver-haired youth, was something Novia understood. These past few days, whenever they stepped into Snowfield City, they inevitably faced surveillance by Faldeus, one of the masterminds behind the Holy Grail War, using Familiar and monitoring techniques that blended Magecraft and science. To avoid this, he had used Rune Magecraft to conceal them, thus preventing the situation.
At this moment, Melusine clung to Novia without a care for her image, ignoring the murderous look on Sajyou Manaka's face.
As for Typhon, he sat on the bed, looking like he wanted to say something but was too embarrassed to speak.
Overall, things were fairly harmonious.
"Novia, there's really no need to summon anything, since you have me, the strongest one."
What Melusine said was true. Even in today's world where mystery is extremely scarce, her strength is far beyond what ordinary Servant and Magecraft can contend with.
However, the main reason she said this was because Novia planned to summon Nero. How should I put it? The Strongest Dragon was extremely wary of the Rome. In her opinion, Nero was much more troublesome than insignificant challengers like Typhon, Sajyou Manaka.
If she really comes, I might not be able to go and sleep with Novia every day anymore. After all, she seems to have the biggest boobs among us.
"Me too! I'm extremely strong too! Absolutely no problem!"
Typhon raised her hand to indicate that she was the same, and that her mecha could be summoned at any time.
"Me too, pretty much, yeah, pretty strong..."
Given the significant difference in strength between herself and these two Primordial Dragon Kind, Sajyou Manaka lacked confidence.
Novia couldn't help but laugh at the three people's answers, and then said:
"It's alright, let's wait until tonight, it'll be ready soon."
If nothing unexpected happens, the Holy Grail has already begun, and all Six Servants of the False Holy Grail War have appeared.
And because of the Rune's effect, even Gilgamesh and Enkidu's initial battle wouldn't have any impact here.
Even if they found out, given Melusine and Typhon's abilities, they probably wouldn't care too much.
Novia understood that once night fell and the blonde Ayaka officially made contact with Richard the Lionheart Ayaka, the only Saber in this Holy Grail War, the true Holy Grail War would begin. She would then see if she could successfully summon Nero.
However, as time passed, Novia, who was quietly waiting for Richard the Lionheart to appear on television that night because he had accidentally destroyed the opera house, met an unexpected person.
A local cable television reporter in Snowfield City was broadcasting live from in front of the opera house, which was Perfection intact yet was now radiating a dazzling array of colors.
Especially the man standing next to the reporter, with black hair dyed white and dressed like a cosplay character.
"It's so lively and nice here! It reminds me of the big camp we had before. It's really nice, but I'm like this... Could it be because of my sister and Brother-in-Law?"
Presumably, any Magecraft, upon witnessing the figures projected onto the screen, would first wonder if they had fallen into an illusion created by an unknown Magecraft.
The more familiar Magecraft is with the Holy Grail War, the more likely they are to have the same question.
In any case, although it was a cable TV station limited to broadcasting within the city, the live Livestream footage showed genuine 'heroic Heroic Spirit '.
"Oops! Sorry, sorry, it looks like an emergency! Ladies and gentlemen, I'll show you the legendary... no, the true hero!"
The man's voice was so powerful it seemed to shake one's head; the meaning of his words effortlessly penetrated the listener's soul.
Who exactly is this man?
Which Servant will it be this time?
Countless people and Magecraft must have questions about it.
But Novia, of course, knew the identity of this man who was not Richard the Lionheart.
The progenitor of Western Europe, Carl the Great, or as Charlemagne.
Meanwhile, in a certain area of Tokyo, Japan, inside a certain house.
The red-haired girl, browsing a short video that had quickly risen to the top of the video website's recommendations, stared at Charlemagne in the video. A senior in high school, in her second semester, felt a sense of unease. She couldn't help but feel that if this person were of a different gender, he might look somewhat like her.
But she quickly stopped looking at it; after all, she was about to graduate and hadn't decided whether to go straight to work or continue university...
The red-haired girl had not yet made up her mind about this matter that concerned her life and Fate.
172: Supreme Mystic Code that provides infinite Od (4k)
Earlier in time, before Charlemagne was summoned, after Enkidu and Gilgamesh went to war.
The two great 'Creation Epic' intertwined, imprinting this evidence on the world. The impact of their battle in the desert region of Snowfield City not only instilled fear of the Heroic Spirit's power in the hearts of many observing Magecraft, but also substantially changed the weather in Snowfield City.
The sky over there flickered between light and shadow, followed by what seemed like a faint sound as if the earth were being torn apart.
"I'm sorry, I'm so sorry..."
In a ward at the Central Hospital of Snowfield City, a child who was clearly in a vegetative state opened his mouth and murmured words of apology to the sudden 'thunder'.
Her name is Tsubaki Kuruoka, and she is a pitiful girl who took the place of her parents as their Master.
Because he was modified by his parents from a young age using 'Bacteria' obtained from South America, he has a large number of Magic Circuits, but this has also made him a vegetable.
Because she was used to the 'Magecraft experiments' her parents put on her since childhood, she was not afraid of spirits that lacked hostility, but natural phenomena such as thunder or earthquakes became objects of her fear.
"Thunder, how scary..."
"No, there's absolutely no need to be afraid."
At this moment, in the ward that should have been occupied by only one person, there was a Black-Haired Girl of similar age.
"It's just a normal situation, Xiaochun, don't be afraid. There's no need to apologize. I'll make it disappear in a bit."
The Black-Haired Girl revealed a gentle smile that was completely out of character for her age, and gently patted Tsubaki Kuruoka's back, displaying an air of Saint grace.
Perhaps it was these comforting words that improved Tsubaki Kuruoka's spirits considerably, and she fell asleep again. Before falling asleep, she softly murmured, "... Thank you... Kihara Tsubaki Kuruoka..."
This Black-Haired Girl is none other than Killer, no, I mean Kichijo-in Kihara.
She discovered while 'studying' at the Roman Curia that Francesca was still alive and had somehow ended up in United States, so she decided to deal with this being, whom she considered a 'bug,' herself.
As for how to find a reason?
Kihara wasn't worried at all, because logically speaking, she wasn't as strong as she was two years ago, so running for a while would be quite easy for her.
Even so, before leaving, she told Ciel, who was in charge of 'monitoring' her, that she had something very important to do. However, perhaps because she saw the Divine Image in Kihara's eyes as when she had previously wiped out the Cult in Japan, this time Ciel surprisingly agreed directly.
After arriving in the United States, Kihara followed the scent to Snowfield City. Since there was no Church in Snowfield City and the nearest Church was in Las Vegas, Kihara, who was too old to stay in a hotel, could only wander around aimlessly. It was then that she passed by the Central Hospital and unexpectedly noticed something inside the hospital that seemed different from the Present World. Driven by curiosity, she saw Tsubaki Kuruoka, who was in a vegetative state.
And, that 'black mist' next to it--
In this Holy Grail, the False Rider and the Pale Rider are the embodiment of the Calamity of "Plague".
"In that case, I'll trouble you. This is Xiaochun's wish."
As Kihara finished speaking, another 'darkness' separated from behind the black mist, slipped out through the window crack, and leaped out of the hospital.
The Pale Rider is devoid of emotion and has no expectations of the Holy Grail. He is merely a system that calmly fulfills the Master's wishes. For example, right now, he is simply protecting Tsubaki Kuruoka and taking action to avert her misfortune.
As for Kihara, she is currently thinking about how to treat the adverse effects caused by the mixture of South American Bacteria in Tsubaki Kuruoka's body.
Having gained access to and understanding of Tsubaki Kuruoka's spiritual world, she naturally understood that this was what Tsubaki Kuruoka's parents wanted to mold Tsubaki Kuruoka into a 'Inherited Bacteria Carrier'.
The so-called Inherited Bacteria Carrier have been passed down from the mythological era to the present day. The Magecraft characteristics that differ from the Magic Circuits are less about bloodline inheritance and more about being etched into their blood through generations of transmission of pathogens. The mystery of the mythological era is said to be able to be transmitted to the present day in the form of a virus.
Bazett is such an existence; as Inherited Bacteria Carrier, she is an executor who can use the 'Fragarach' Inheritance from the Age of Gods. Gray is also such an existence.
Tsubaki Kuruoka's parents intentionally created this situation, which is why Bacteria from South America were mixed in with Tsubaki Kuruoka body.
"... I really want to just kill him."
"Savior," he couldn't help but exclaim once again.
Nighttime, inside the opera house in Snowfield City.
Since Hassan of the Zealot was with Altrouge Brunestud, she naturally couldn't hunt down participants in the Holy Grail War.
This also resulted in Ayaka, with her blonde hair, being completely powerless against a Magecraft participating in the Holy Grail War.
"A mark resembling Command Spell... So you're the guy Faldeus mentioned? What's your purpose?"
"... Who knows? I only came here because of the strange white woman's directions."
The blonde Ayaka spoke in a cold tone, but her eyes revealed a sense of resignation to everything in the world, as well as Wrath at the unreasonable situation.
Because she realized that her Fate had been decided by others years ago.
Seeing her like this, the Magecraft grunted and fell into deep thought, then listlessly uttered some words:
"I see. So you're the pathetic, lost Magecraft abandoned by Einzbern's 'flesh puppet'... Well, if you're here to interfere with the Ritual, it'll give me a headache too. Sorry, let me deal with you first."
Although the Magecraft channeled Od power through his entire body's Magic Circuits, he showed no murderous intent whatsoever; he simply intended to kill Ayaka, the Ayaka, as if it were an assembly line operation. However—
"... Hmm."
He suddenly stopped moving and pressed his fingers against the earring that resembled a spell.
"Okay... take this woman? Why?"
The person communicating with the Magecraft is Francesca, one of the masterminds behind this Holy Grail Ritual.
"I see, I understand now. Although it was just a game I started playing on a whim, I'm really interested in it."
After the call ended, the Magecraft sighed deeply and then turned to the blonde Ayaka, who was bound by a cursed artifact.
"What?"
"It's nothing, just confirming how much loyalty the summoned Heroic Spirit can swear to me."
The Magecraft's lips twisted slightly as he chuckled and continued:
"Honored as a noble hero among the Knights of the Round Table, would he follow orders to 'kill the defenseless woman'? However, in my opinion, it's really unnecessary, after all—"
The Magecraft went directly to the Sacrificial Altar set up on the stage.
"This noble hero was also the King of the Wild Hunt, who brought death."
Then, the Magecraft began chanting incantations.
" Its Root are silver and iron, its foundation is stone and the Grand Duchess of contracts, and its ancestors are my forefathers."
For Ayaka, the incantation was nothing more than a meaningless jumble of words, a countdown to her execution.
"Sorry, Little Red Riding Hood."
The Ayaka listened to the Magecraft's incantation as if it were none of her business, while murmuring softly.
"The descending winds are blocked by walls, the four gates tightly shut—"
The Magecraft's incantation resounded all around, and a strange power surged through Ayaka's body, making her feel as if her blood vessels had turned to iron and were being drawn to an external magnet.
"Arise from the Wheel of Restraint, Protection of Libra...?"
"Hmm? Is it someone from the El-Melloi Family? Summon me... cough cough, summon me to do --"
The man who walked out of the light was not the King of the Wild Hunt that the magician had expected. The man in armor saw the restrained blond Ayaka beside him, then looked at the ferocious-looking magician in front of him, and said slowly:
"This isn't cool at all... I made a special trip to get here before Richard."
Then a flash of sword light dazzled Ayaka, the Ayaka hair gleaming. When she cautiously opened her eyes, what greeted her was—
Magecraft has already lost his breath and an opera house that suddenly bursts into colorful light.
The man said to the bewildered and lost young girl:
"Are you a member of the El-Melloi Family?"
Upon hearing this, Ayaka, couldn't keep up with the rapidly changing situation. Her mind finally started to function normally, and then, upon hearing the words "El-Melloi," she seemed to realize something and burst into tears.
"I... no... I'm not Sajyou Ayaka, I remember now... I remember everything..."
It was as if it were a sudden confession, a denial of everything from the past.
"That person... I killed him."
The blonde Ayaka the person who was transformed from the El-Melloi Family's secret treasure, the Supreme Mystic Code: The Three-Foundation Mana Furnace. As for why she chose to take the form of Sajyou Ayaka, it goes back ten years. After the Fuyuki Holy Grail War ended, Sajyou Ayaka and Ciel dealt with the Fuyuki Holy Grail together.
At that time, due to Kayneth's tragic death, the family treasure he carried, the Three-Foundation Mana Furnace, was buried under the hotel, which aroused a fight among Magecraft and evolved into the Fuyuki murder case. In the end, it was stolen by a Magecraft couple. For the convenience of their research, they transformed the Three-Foundation Mana Furnace into a human form, which is the 'Little Red Riding Hood' in Fuyuki's City legend.
Later, Sajyou Ayaka was dealing with the Fuyuki Holy Grail, naturally came into contact with Little Red Riding Hood. In order to take care of her, Ayaka used Magecraft to hint to a college student who was her neighbor. However, she did not consider that the college student was very withdrawn, afraid of entering society, and even had a suicidal personality, which led to today's trouble.
The college student simply couldn't understand why he kept hearing the voice of Sajyou Ayaka, whom he had only met once, and assumed that he had fallen in love with her at first sight.
On the day the Magecraft and his wife had a falling out and both died, Little Red Riding Hood, covered in blood, knocked on the college student's door.
Because of Ayaka's hint, the college student did not immediately call the police, but instead let Little Red Riding Hood into his house. Once inside, Little Red Riding Hood saw the college student's drawing of Ayaka. Due to the simplified Holy Grail effect, Little Red Riding Hood responded to the college student's inner desires and began to gradually change in the direction of Ayaka.