A trace of disdain flashed across Kischur Zelretch's face. After hearing Sakura's words, he immediately put on a sour expression again.
Marisbury, meanwhile, gently shook his head before asking Sakura.
"Miss Sakura Matou, may I ask whether every participant has this information?"
"Of course not. The other participants gathered their own information. Only you two are exceptions."
"Oh? I would like to know why..."
"An investment, or perhaps currying favor... Anyway, that is roughly what it means."
Tilting her head like an innocent little girl as she spoke, Sakura gave that reply.
"Then I must tell you, Miss Sakura Matou, that your investment has failed..."
There was no regret, no remorse. As though it did not matter to Sakura at all, upon hearing Marisbury say that her investment had failed, she merely nodded calmly and softly said,
"What a pity..."
The two Clock Tower Lords whom she had personally sent invitations to Fuyuki City did not continue their conversation with her for long.
After Marisbury declared that Sakura's investment had failed, the atmosphere between the three gradually grew stifling.
In the end, after Sakura used the excuse that she might study at the Clock Tower later to learn a little about it from Kischur Zelretch and Marisbury, the meeting naturally came to an end.
Just as Sakura left the Matou Grand Hotel and rode in Tsuruno's car back to the mountain villa they had acquired around the same time as the seaside villa,
the final Master of the Holy Grail War and the corpse of another Master arrived at Fuyuki City's airport at the same time.
Tightly holding his wife's hand, Kiritsugu Emiya quickly disembarked with his assistant, Hisau Maya. He looked over the unfamiliar city before turning and stuffing the briefcase in his hand into Maya's hands.
"Maiya, leave first. Return to the castle after you receive the signal."
"Yes."
Taking the briefcase Kiritsugu handed her, the capable-looking Maiya quickly picked up her pace and vanished from Kiritsugu's sight before long.
"Kiritsugu... Maiya will not be in danger, will she?"
"Iri, do not worry. Nothing will go wrong."
"Mm."
Just as Kiritsugu finished comforting Irisviel and leisurely led her off the tarmac,
a piercing scream suddenly rang out from the plane Kiritsugu had just disembarked from.
Before a flight attendant who had collapsed onto the ground lay a corpse, its entire left arm severed at the elbow, blood flowing across the floor.
One plane, two Masters who happened to meet, an inadvertent discovery, a husband and wife launching an attack together, one simple Suggestion Magecraft...
This was how the corpse on the plane had come to be.
Whether it was luck or an omen that this Holy Grail War would be far bloodier and crueler than any before it was unknown.
In any case, during the few days since the Pseudo-Holy Grail had been completed, two original Masters had already died before the Holy Grail War even began...
Yet none of this could stop the countdown to the Holy Grail War from reaching zero.
In the mountain villa far from Fuyuki City's urban district, purchased with the Matou Family's last liquid funds,
aside from Sakura, who had been gazing out over Fuyuki City ever since returning, none of the others living there seemed to feel any of the bloodshed the Holy Grail War would bring...
Shinji trained as always, Aoi Tohsaka continued playing the role of a virtuous wife and loving mother, Tsuruno Matou seized the rare chance to relax... As for Rin... she remained as lively as ever...
"Sakura, Sakura, what are you looking at?"
"The calm before the storm..."
"The calm before the storm? The storm... is the Holy Grail War?"
"Mm. The opening begins tonight."
"It is starting tonight... What a shame Sakura and I are still too young, otherwise we could both help Father... But Father will definitely win, right, Sakura?"
Sakura turned to look at Rin, whose face was filled with anticipation.
Under Rin's childish gaze, Sakura, unwilling to tell a lie, could not help shaking her head.
Win? What could Tokiomi Tohsaka possibly use to win? Though Sakura did not know whether Marisbury could still summon Solomon as his Servant ten years early, she was certain that Marisbury would be the final victor.
After all, if he lost, Chaldea would cease to exist. If he did not summon Solomon or lost, then Goetia would not exist either.
For their own existence, neither side would allow an outcome where Marisbury lost to come into being.
Those two groups were like the will of heaven for this Timeline. Sakura might make small changes without drawing their attention for the time being, but once she changed the greater course of events, Chaldea and Goetia's Demon Pillars would surely emerge.
This Holy Grail War could be called a test initiated by Sakura—a test of how much she could accomplish and how much she could change over the coming years.
Of course, even for Rin's sake, Sakura would not let Tokiomi Tohsaka die.
And although Sakura would not participate in this Holy Grail War as a Master, that did not mean she truly intended to watch it from the sidelines until the end.
After all, testing was something that would often require Sakura to step in and make fine adjustments herself.
"Sakura, you do not believe Father can win... Hmph, Father will not lose. Once Father comes back with the Holy Grail, Sakura will see just how amazing Father is..."
The First Battle of the Holy Grail...
A huge bright moon hung high in the sky, its deathly pale light blanketing Fuyuki.
Under the enormous full moon in the sky, Fuyuki City seemed especially cold and gloomy tonight.
The Holy Grail War had begun...
On the rooftop of an abandoned warehouse somewhere in Fuyuki City's outskirts, a brilliantly patterned venomous snake stared with eyes utterly disproportionate to any normal creature at the fiercely battling figures below.
As though a mythological legend had come to life, the red and blue figures reflected in the serpent's eyes were fighting with an intensity beyond anything ordinary people could imagine.
Wielding a golden Greatshield, the red Servant easily blocked the invisible blade slashing toward him. The scarlet cape behind him flicked, and in the instant it obscured his opponent's vision, he thrust out with all his strength, a strike powerful enough to split mountains and shatter stone.
With a clang...
The invisible sword collided with the spear.
Rather than retreating, the blue knight advanced. As he deflected the spear, he swung the invisible sword again like a tiger lunging with lightning speed.
Through the snake's vision,
Sakura sat at home, eagerly watching the mythical battle displayed in the projection before her as though she were watching a movie.
However, the others sitting beside Sakura did not share her expression.
"Mother... Is this the kind of war Father is taking part in?"
Seeing was believing; hearing was not.
Before a scene where every collision resembled the legendary battles of heroes from myth, all past promises and words seemed incomparably pale.
Even Rin, who had always believed Tokiomi Tohsaka was the strongest,
became far less confident at this moment.
Unlike Rin, who felt fear and confusion at the clash of Servants in the projection, Shinji, seated behind the sisters, wore an expression of yearning.
It was as though he wished he could replace one of them himself.
Perhaps this was the ambition Orochimaru had given him, or perhaps it was the confidence Shinji had regained after obtaining supernatural power.
In any case, Orochimaru, leaning silently against a wall not far away, was quite satisfied with Shinji's expression at this moment.
Hehehe... I truly look forward to the day you spread your wings and soar, Shinji.
Perhaps Shinji's talent had attracted Orochimaru, or perhaps Orochimaru and Shinji were simply particularly compatible. In any case, after carefully teaching Shinji for several months, Orochimaru had formally acknowledged him as his disciple... another disciple after Sasuke Uchiha, the reincarnation of Indra.
"Mother..."
Seeing that Aoi Tohsaka had not responded for a long while, Rin, her heart full of worry and her face plainly showing anxiety, could not help tugging on Aoi's sleeve.
As Tokiomi Tohsaka's wife, how could she not feel worried and afraid before such a scene, one that made every word seem pale?
But whether as a mother or a wife... Aoi Tohsaka had long made her resolve and knew she could not lose her composure.
Gently embracing Rin, though her own heart was pounding in alarm, Aoi saw Rin's pleading gaze. Strength glimmered deep in her eyes as she immediately revealed the same gentle, motherly smile she always wore.
"Do not worry, Rin... Tokiomi is very strong..."
"Right... Father is very strong."
Just as Rin regained her spirits in Aoi's embrace,
the two Servants locked in fierce combat suddenly stopped swinging their weapons.
Lowering his invisible sword, the blue knight, with dazzling golden hair, a gentle yet heroic face, and an otherworldly aura surrounding him, smiled and spoke.
"Your martial arts are truly remarkable. In your era, you must have been a warrior renowned throughout the world."
Compared to the blue knight, the Servant in a red cape and a typical Greek Corinthian helmet of brass seemed much quieter. Nearly every other part of his body was exposed, revealing muscles like a marble sculpture.
In response to the blue knight's praise, he merely nodded silently and answered simply in a deep voice.
"You as well..."
Perhaps heroes admired heroes. Perhaps, because it was the first night of the Holy Grail War, neither wished to fight to the death. Or perhaps there were other reasons...
After those brief exchanges, neither chose to cross blades again. Instead, they both remained where they stood and used mana to issue a declaration of war to all of Fuyuki City.
Inside the study of the Tohsaka Residence, Tokiomi Tohsaka watched the first battle of the Holy Grail War through a natural crystal, using the vision of a familiar. He remained as confident and elegant as ever.
Watching the two Servants issue their declarations of war simultaneously, Tokiomi held his wineglass elegantly, contempt in his eyes.
In the dark study, Kirei Kotomine, a participant in this Holy Grail War, stood quietly behind Tokiomi.
Perhaps due to the angle of his gaze or the lighting, Kirei Kotomine did not notice the contempt in Tokiomi's eyes.
Under Tokiomi's guidance, Kirei Kotomine, lost within his heart, had chosen to uphold "justice." After witnessing this scene and pondering for a moment, he suddenly spoke, breaking the silence in the Tohsaka Family's study.
"Master... should I go deal with them..."
Tokiomi slowly shook his head as he set down his glass of red wine.
"Kirei, you are too straightforward... This is a trap."
"A trap...!"
"That is right, a trap. Kirei, do you remember the airplane murder case from not long ago..."
"I investigated it. The deceased was a mercenary who often operated in Northern Europe."
"Kirei, he was a participant in the Holy Grail War... And his left arm vanished without a trace..."
Yes, just as Tokiomi Tohsaka had analyzed.
This first battle on the first night of the Holy Grail War... was entirely a performance.
The blue knight and the red warrior... were allies.
Although their battle had appeared fierce, an exchange of this level was no more than a warm-up for most Servants.
Naturally, Tokiomi Tohsaka was not the only one who recognized it as a trap.
The other Masters watching this first battle through various means also understood exactly what kind of trick this was.
But there was never any shortage of people in this world who were highly skilled and bold.
And so, despite knowing it was a trap,
a Master still appeared with his Servant.
"Hahahaha, my dear Father King~ Even after becoming a Servant, you still could not find release?"
"Oh? Father King, Mordred... It seems I heard some rather remarkable words from your mouth."
Dressed in vivid scarlet and cool attire, with gorgeous golden hair tied into a ponytail and a face seventy percent similar to the blue knight's, the Servant known as Mordred appeared boldly on the battlefield with her Master, Kischur Zelretch, following behind her.
The Rebellious Knight and King Arthur... Irisviel's Abduction
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