The Decisive Battle's Location / The Interloper

The Aozaki Sisters began casually chatting about everyday matters as though they were old friends who had not seen each other in years.

How had work been lately?

Had she found a boyfriend?

Had anything been bothering her?

What movie had featured some idiotic plot?

This relaxed Fujimaru Kyoya, who had been highly guarded at first, somewhat. Time passed quickly as he silently ate his noodles, and he also discovered that these two slender women had stomach capacities no less impressive than his own.

Women. How terrifying.

For the first time, Fujimaru Kyoya sensed something called "purity" in women, and their purity was absurdly high.

"When was the last time we ate together?"

After the meal, Aozaki Touko spoke. Although it was still a question that sounded like casual small talk, her tone had changed. The earlier intimacy was replaced with distance and coldness.

At that moment, Aozaki Touko was a mage.

"Probably... last time."

Aozaki Aoko's reply became perfunctory as well. She immediately sensed the shift in her sister's role, so she too assumed the identity of a Magus.

"Is this young man a local mage?"

"Mm. The manager's apprentice. Though she's just a little girl, she's much stronger than I was back then."

Aozaki Aoko did not deny her own immaturity in the past. Tohsaka Rin, who had received a proper magecraft education, was indeed much stronger than she had been. Of course, if they truly fought, that was another matter.

"Kid, I'll be setting up a Barrier somewhere with few people around. It'll minimize the damage from our battle and keep it from causing too much disaster in Fuyuki City."

Aozaki Touko would set up the Barrier, while Aozaki Aoko would step into a battlefield that was absolutely disadvantageous to her. Especially in a battle where Magic could not be used, this was an absolute disadvantage for Aozaki Aoko.

But considering her abysmal magecraft abilities, she had spent all these years relying on nothing but a single Magic Bullet. She had no choice but to accept such unfavorable terms.

"Don't go out at night, and don't go anywhere remote. We'll set up a Bystander-Repelling Barrier, but if you deliberately enter that area, either of us may treat you as the other's accomplice."

This was an Aozaki Family matter. Neither Aoko nor Touko wanted outsiders interfering. Once that Barrier was completed, every living creature other than the two of them would be considered an enemy.

"The bill, please. I'll pay for the young man's meal too."

Aozaki Touko stood and paid the bill. Although Aoko was a Magus, Touko did not think she had much money. Besides, she had recently extorted a hefty sum from some rich second-generation heir, so there was no reason not to spend it.

"How generous. I heard you spent quite a bit getting your Sealing Designation lifted. You still have money to treat us?"

"Your sister has a job, unlike you unemployed bum."

That was the final exchange between the two sisters before their decisive battle. Once Aozaki Touko left, Aozaki Aoko slowly rose from her seat as well.

Only after both of them had left did Fujimaru Ritsuka, who had finally finished the ramen in front of her, look at the two empty seats and say:

"Didn't those two sisters get along pretty well?"

"Well?"

Fujimaru Kyoya suddenly felt that he did not understand women at all. Did that kind of tense, sword-drawn relationship really count as getting along?

This little girl Ritsuka had probably been fooled by their seemingly calm conversation earlier.

"Of course they did."

Fujimaru Ritsuka had the mindset of a child, but perhaps precisely because of that, she could tell that neither of the sisters was a bad person. In some ways, they even cared about each other more than usual.

It was a talent that Fujimaru Kyoya, who had been born with memories, could never possess.

Perhaps this was the "degeneration" humans had to experience after becoming adults.

"I hope so."

Fujimaru Kyoya was only a novice mage. Everything he knew about the power of Magi had come from Tohsaka Rin.

Now that a true Magus had appeared beside him, even though she bore him no ill will, he still felt pressure. It was the helplessness humans felt when facing a natural disaster.

Yet Fujimaru Kyoya had no intention of backing down. Even in the face of a natural disaster, he would find a way to survive.

Decisive Battle Location

"Sakura, go take care of Shirou for a while. His hand is injured, so things are very inconvenient for him."

After Matou Shinji returned home, he handed the task of caring for Emiya Shirou over to Sakura. Recently, he had things to do that he did not want her to know about.

"Yes."

Matou Sakura agreed. Or perhaps she still did not understand what "resistance" meant.

"If it gets too late, you can stay there overnight. Shirou's character is trustworthy, and Fuyuki City hasn't been peaceful at night lately."

It was far more than merely unrest.

When Matou Shinji learned that Aozaki Touko was going to fight a Magus, his mind went numb.

It was not that Matou Shinji had any feelings for Aozaki Touko. It was simply that if a Grand Puppeteer like her died, who knew when his plans could finally proceed.

"Yes."

Matou Sakura left the Matou Family and headed for the Emiya Residence. Once she was gone, the Old Man with the gloomy expression slowly emerged.

"Shinji, it seems you know something about those two?"

Matou Zouken was old, but he was not dead. Since these two terrifying figures had come to Fuyuki, he naturally wanted to avoid them at all costs.

Of course, he did not believe that Matou Shinji had invited them here. The Matou Family did not have that kind of ability.

"I've had some business with that Grand Puppeteer recently. I didn't expect it to get tangled up in something like this."

Matou Shinji did not know whether he was lucky or unlucky. However, that puppeteer seemed to have an absolutely reliable way of surviving, so research into Shinji's external Magic Circuits should not run into any major problems.

"Grand Puppeteer? Shinji, it seems you still can't behave yourself."

Matou Zouken chuckled sinisterly. Clearly, he did not believe that trash without even Magic Circuits could stir up much trouble.

"Don't worry. When the time comes, I'll definitely give you a surprise."

Matou Shinji returned the smile. He was confident that his surprise would make this old bastard feel so good his soul would scatter.

"Haah... Though we agreed not to use Magic, Aoko isn't who she used to be."

Within the Underground Great Cavern beneath Mount Enzou, Aozaki Touko looked at the underground Ley Line as she began constructing her Barrier.

Even if Aozaki Aoko would not use Magic in their duel, she was no longer the immature mage she had once been.

Now, relying solely on the technique known as Magic Bullet, she had become a powerhouse with terrifying destructive power. To defeat her, Aozaki Touko had to make use of every source of power available.

As one of the Clock Tower's top students, Aozaki Touko naturally knew about Fuyuki City's Holy Grail War. But she had no time to wait for a Holy Grail War that occurred only once every sixty years. Even if she truly wanted to inherit Magic, all she wanted was the Aozaki Family's "Blue." She had no interest in any other Magic.

"Fuyuki can support the descent of the Third Magic. The quality of the Ley Lines here isn't bad."

The Ley Lines were high quality, but that did not mean Aozaki Touko could use them freely.

One of Fuyuki City's Ley Lines belonged to the Tohsaka Family. They were Fuyuki's managers, and she neither wanted to seize their territory nor create unnecessary complications. The same applied to the Ley Line at Fuyuki Church.

Of the remaining two Ley Lines, one was close to the city, leaving only the Ley Line beneath Mount Enzou as an option.

This place was on the outskirts of Fuyuki City, where few people came to begin with. Underground, there was even enough space for the sisters to fight without restraint.

As one of the locations where the Holy Grail descended, the Underground Great Cavern had already been modified internally. That saved Aozaki Touko some time; all she needed to do was alter it.

With her occult knowledge and the Mana borrowed from the underground Ley Line, she could accomplish what her old classmate Araren Souya had done.

A small world under her control, and a Puppet powerful enough to match it.

"Brother Fujimaru, have you been thinking about something lately?"

Within Ryuudou Temple, Kishinami Hakuno looked at the somewhat absent-minded Fujimaru Kyoya. Recently, he had been studying basic occult knowledge even more diligently, but his impatience was making his efforts twice as hard for half the result.

The foundational magecraft theories of the Tohsaka Family could be forcibly memorized through the Ghost Brain and slowly considered later. But the knowledge contained in these Buddhist Sutras was not something that could be understood through memory alone.

"Nothing. I just think Buddhism really doesn't speak human language."

Fujimaru Kyoya spread open the Buddhist Sutra story in his hands. The High Monks inside seemed possessed by Riddlers. As long as they could avoid speaking normally, they would not say a single normal sentence.

For a moment, Fujimaru Kyoya wondered whether this Great Thunder Temple was some kind of Gotham City.

"These? They're Buddhist koans, so they're rather difficult to understand."

Kishinami Hakuno came from Buddhism herself and had been influenced by it from a young age, so she naturally understood these koans.

"Zen thought is mostly transmitted from mind to mind without relying on words. When teaching the Dharma, it usually doesn't clearly state what the 'Buddha' is. Instead, it says what the 'Buddha' is not, affirming one's own understanding through negating others."

Isn't that just being contrarian?

That was Fujimaru Kyoya's first reaction to Zen Buddhism. But after thinking it over, he realized that it was an extremely clever approach.

Because humans could not comprehend the realm of the "Buddha." If one used human thought and human language to contemplate and describe it, no matter what conclusion one reached, it would deviate from the original "Buddha."

Zen Buddhism understood this, which was why its teachings did not contain what the "Buddha" was, only what the "Buddha" was not.

It used dialectical thought to challenge enemies while confirming one's own understanding of the "Buddha."

That was one reason Zen Buddhism had flourished for so many years.

"Try looking at these stories from another angle. I believe you'll find a new train of thought too, Brother Fujimaru."

Kishinami Hakuno encouraged Fujimaru Kyoya from the side, while he once again focused on the Buddhist Sutras.

As his restless feeling faded and his perspective changed, the conversations once filled with Riddlers gradually began to take on a different kind of charm in Fujimaru Kyoya's eyes.

His Ghost Brain spun at high speed. Within his imagination, a figure slowly appeared before him.

This Ghost Brain simulation was not an enemy he had faced before, but a monk with indistinct features—the monk he had imagined from the story in his hands.

"May I ask, what was the Ancestor's intent in coming from the west?"

The so-called "Ancestor" was Bodhidharma. Bodhidharma had come from the west to pass on the scriptures, spread Buddhist teachings, and enlighten others. What the High Monk was truly asking was, "What is the Buddha?"

"The Cypress Tree in the Courtyard."

Fujimaru Kyoya answered exactly as he had in the story.

The "Buddha" was not something separate. Everything possessed Buddha-nature; even a Cypress Tree in the Courtyard mentioned in passing was no exception.

But Fujimaru Kyoya did not know that his words had drawn Kishinami Hakuno's attention.

This extraordinarily gifted girl sensed it... a transparent cypress tree stood behind Fujimaru Kyoya, visible only to her.

An Uninvited Person

What remarkable insight.

Kishinami Hakuno could not help but admire him. With only a few pointers, he had understood that meaning. At last, there was a second person besides her.

By then, Fujimaru Kyoya had clearly begun to enter the right state. Kishinami Hakuno did not interrupt him. The sky gradually darkened, and only at dusk did Fujimaru Kyoya finally come back to himself.

"Hm? What time is it?"

Fujimaru Kyoya stared at the sky outside in surprise. He had never experienced reading until he lost track of time before. It was quite a novel feeling.

"Around six. Fujimaru, why don't you stay here for dinner?"

Ryuudou Issei had come over as well. Naturally, he would not disturb this "demon" who was reading so seriously. After all, such a rare sight would become one glimpse fewer every moment.

"I don't have a habit of making my sister eat boxed lunches at home while I eat hot food outside. I'll definitely come mooch a meal next time, but I'll head back first today."

Normally, Fujimaru Kyoya would never turn down a free meal. But his parents were on a business trip recently. Although he kept some emergency food in the refrigerator, that was only in case something happened.

If he could go home and cook, he would still go home and cook.

"Is that so? Then next time."

The Ryuudou Family was quite wealthy and did not care in the least if a friend came over to freeload a meal or two. As Ryuudou Issei watched his friend leave, he suddenly remembered something.

"I heard that recently... Forget it. If this guy ran into a bear in the wild, it would be the bear whose life needed worrying about."

Ryuudou Issei had heard people say that strange things had been happening on Mount Enzou lately. The wild animals all seemed extremely restless, and there had even been disturbances late at night.

But in the end, they were only disturbances. No one had been injured or killed so far, and if a wild beast encountered Fujimaru Kyoya, it was hard to say who would get hurt.