Cat-and-Mouse Game

"Kirei, do you think those two will wreck Fuyuki City's ley lines?"

Tohsaka Rin asked worriedly.

A battle between a Grand rank and a Magus—forget the ley lines, they could potentially wipe Fuyuki City straight off the map. How could Rin not be concerned?

"Not likely. The fact that they did not start fighting the moment they met shows that they do not intend to fight to the death. Even if something like that really happens..."

Kirei Kotomine paused there. Could it be that this Church executioner's agent had some sort of trump card?

"Then all we can do is leave our hometown. The Church will not concern itself with a Magus's affairs."

"Could you at least be useful for once, Kirei?"

Rin felt that ever since she had started hanging around Fujimaru Kyoya, she had been drifting more and more toward the role of straight man.

Could her future character trait possibly be that of a comedic woman?

She did not want a future like that.

"Rather than worrying about that, why not worry about your disciple? If he accidentally wanders into the site of their duel, he will definitely be killed without question."

Although the Aozaki Sisters were not the sort to slaughter innocents, this matter concerned the legitimacy of the Aozaki Family's most important inheritance.

The two sisters had bottled up their grievances for so many years. At this point, no one would be able to stop them even if they tried.

"That will not happen. Although he has strong Magic Resistance, we can roughly deduce where the Aozaki Sisters will duel."

Rin glanced at the map of Fuyuki City and marked the locations of four ley lines on it.

"Although Aozaki Touko has reached Grand rank, at the Clock Tower, Grand rank is more a symbol of one's accomplishments in magecraft. It cannot be equated with combat ability. To defeat a Magus... even one who does not use Magic will not be easy. She must borrow the power of the ley lines."

Using the terrain to close the gap between herself and a Magus was not particularly clever. The key was what kind of "Otherworld" Aozaki Touko could create.

"It is not a place one can enter just by relying on Magic Resistance. Mount Enzou is remote, and the Aozaki Sisters will likely make their move at night, when there is hardly anyone around. If he still plunges headfirst into a place like that, then he can only blame his bad luck."

To keep Fujimaru Kyoya from getting curious and courting death, Rin had deliberately not told him that Mount Enzou was highly likely to be the Aozaki Sisters' final battleground. She had merely instructed him not to leave the house at night.

After all, Rin could no longer figure out her own disciple.

"True. As long as he does not go out at night, he will not run into those two. That is indeed one solution."

Kirei Kotomine was not worried either. With Gilgamesh protecting him, even if he encountered a Magus, he should still be able to retreat safely.

The only question was how much that brat would court death this time.

Kirei Kotomine had a feeling that Fujimaru Kyoya would definitely be drawn into some inexplicable mess. That would be... utterly delightful.

Fujimaru Kyoya was obviously not someone who sought death. Even with a Cheat, he was not about to charge at the final boss before leaving the beginner zone. At the very least... let me master the skill "Sword God" while I'm still at Ten Mile Slope.

The sky gradually darkened. Fujimaru Kyoya was certain that he had not gotten lost, but why had he still not reached the foot of the mountain?

"I can't see the way back."

Fujimaru Kyoya turned to look at the road behind him. It was as though, at some inexplicable moment, he had stepped into another world.

Or perhaps Mount Enzou at night had become another Otherworld. Just a few steps had sent Fujimaru Kyoya through a "transmigration."

"Ritsuka is still waiting for me to go back and cook."

Fujimaru Kyoya muttered to himself. Although he had prepared a lunchbox, making a child eat that would be somewhat lacking in nutrition.

No matter what, he had to return.

Thud~

A muffled sound echoed out, like the footsteps of a colossal beast. Yet the source of that sound was not around him, but...

"Under my feet?"

The instant Fujimaru Kyoya realized it, the solid ground beneath him split apart. The once-flat earth instantly collapsed.

What the hell?

Though he had lost his footing, Fujimaru Kyoya had not forgotten the techniques he had learned in the simulations. Even if he fell from a ten-thousand-foot cliff, as long as he shattered any dangerous sharp protrusions, with his ability to break a fall, he could land safely without a scratch... right?

"Aoko, is this the helper you brought?"

"Do you think I need help? I think this is your helper, isn't it?"

Two equally hostile voices rang out. Fujimaru Kyoya silently cursed his trouble. Running into these two in a place like this could no longer be explained by mere bad luck.

"What if I said I came in by accident?"

Fujimaru Kyoya asked tentatively.

"Then you are far too unfortunate."

Yeah. Far too unfortunate.

Magus Egg

Aozaki Touko had once been a highly acclaimed genius.

Of course, that was not to say she was not one now. Aozaki Touko was still a genius, and she had even received the evaluation of Grand rank. But for the former "Magus Egg," the so-called Grand rank was nothing but bitter irony.

"Aoko, our relationship used to be very good. Do you remember?"

Aozaki Touko fiddled with the boxes beside her as she asked without turning around.

After meeting Matou Shinji, she had begun arranging the underground cavern beneath Mount Enzou. This was her world, and she knew every intruder inside it like the back of her hand.

Even if the intruder was a Magus.

"I remember. Back then, I was an ordinary person, and I often went up the mountain to visit you. I told you about what happened at school, while you told me about your training on the mountain. To inherit the title of Magus, your eyesight was damaged around that time. I saw all of it."

Aozaki Aoko did not hide. In this small world occupied only by the two of them, words that had once been too embarrassing to say could now be spoken without restraint.

Aoko had seen clearly just how much effort her sister had put in to inherit the position of Magus.

If that incident had not happened back then, the sisters might have remained harmonious forever.

"Indeed, it would be better to let Aoko inherit the Aozaki Family."

An aged voice came from Aozaki Touko's mouth. It was the voice that had changed both their destinies, a voice neither of them would ever forget for the rest of their lives.

It was a voice Aozaki Touko had imitated. It was their grandfather's voice.

"Aoko, what I feel toward you is not jealousy. You should understand that."

Jealousy?

If Aoko, her younger sister, had originally been chosen as the Magus Egg, Aozaki Touko would only have offered her blessings. She would never have harbored such a petty emotion as jealousy.

"I understand."

Aozaki Aoko understood. Since childhood, her sister had been burdened with immense expectations. As the "Magus Egg," she had met all sorts of people, and at the time, nearly everyone knew that the Aozaki Family's eldest daughter would inherit the Magic known as "Blue."

And what was the final result?

The Magic was passed to the younger sister. The elder sister was burdened with the accusation of murdering their grandfather and fled to the Clock Tower. To make a living, she incurred countless debts, and without a Magic Crest, she was looked down upon by all kinds of people.

What kind of torment had that been for the proud Aozaki Touko?

"But now it is fine. Everything will end today. After today, the matter between us will be settled once and for all. Everything... will be wiped clean."

The boxes lying beside Aozaki Touko began to tremble. A powerful surge of mana erupted from the ley lines. Even though the underground cavern had been remodeled and reinforced by Aozaki Touko, it still shook violently under that power.

Kirei Kotomine had misjudged one thing.

He had indeed inferred from the sisters' earlier actions that this was not a duel meant to kill the other. But that did not mean the sisters would not strike with lethal force.

Aozaki Aoko, the current user of the Fifth Magic, possessed the Magic of "Blue." She herself would not die so easily.

Aozaki Touko, the Grand Puppeteer, possessed superb puppet-making techniques capable of creating bodies identical to herself. She could even copy her memories. Once she died, a "backup" somewhere in the world would awaken and live as the new Touko.

In a sense, both of them had achieved "Immortality." In other words, from the very beginning, this duel had almost no restrictions beyond the ban on using Magic.

"So this is what you prepared? As expected, that whole stone tablet thing was just a rumor."

Aozaki Aoko did not understand why her sister had spread such an unreliable rumor. It could not be that she simply wanted to disgust whoever annoyed her, could it?

Still, she could not let her guard down. The last time they met, this woman had produced a Fantasy Species that had lived for two thousand years. Who knew what she would bring out this time?

"Aoko, answer me one question. Are you a match for a Servant?"

Servants were degraded versions of Heroic Spirits, Familiars that magi could command through special methods. But anyone who truly treated those people whose names had been recorded in history as mere Familiars would definitely meet an ugly end.

"If I use Magic, I should be able to beat one."

Aozaki Aoko considered the question seriously before giving her answer.

"Then without using Magic, the outcome would be uncertain, correct?"

"True, but can you even summon one?"

Aozaki Aoko was no longer the apprentice magus she had once been. Even in a Holy Grail War, summoning a Servant required sixty years of preparation, not to mention figuring out how to control it after summoning it.

There was no way Aozaki Touko could complete a Servant summoning in such a short time.

"I cannot. But making an inferior imitation is not impossible."

Mercury flowed out from the boxes, and a clear Holy Sword slowly rose from within. The sight looked strangely familiar to Aozaki Aoko.

"El-Melloi's?"

"Moon Dew Liquid. A very interesting little toy. I did not perfectly replicate the El-Melloi Family's technology, but mercury's characteristics are still enough for me to make good use of."

The mercury formed into the shape of a tall Knight before Aozaki Touko. It grasped the Holy Sword in its hand, as though a Knight of ancient times had once again set foot upon this world.

Whatever had existed would leave traces behind.

This Holy Sword had once been wielded by Blade of Vortigern. After that final rainy night, after that battle in which power, skill, and will had surpassed their peak, Lloyd's "trace" had inevitably remained upon the blade.

"A thousand years have passed, yet that trace of will on the blade has not completely dissipated. I truly wonder who used what method to preserve this sword. But I extracted it properly and created a Pseudo-Personality, an inferior imitation of a Servant Fragment."

It had no self-awareness, could not unleash a Noble Phantasm, and was affected by the battlefield.

Taken together, it was indeed something that could not even be called a Servant. But for Aozaki Touko right now, it was enough.

Having no self-awareness meant it was easy to control. Being unable to unleash a Noble Phantasm meant its destructive power remained manageable. As for being unable to leave this enormous cavern?

If Aozaki Aoko fled, that would mean Touko's victory. If Aoko wished to run, Touko would absolutely not stop her. Instead, she would thoroughly mock her younger sister.

"So, Aoko, are you ready?"

Sets of Mystic Codes were swallowed into the "Knight's" body, and its presence rose once more. For this battle, Aozaki Touko had staked all her assets.

As for Aozaki Aoko?

She said nothing. The powerful, restless mana was the best answer. They had waited a long time for this moment.

Cat-and-Mouse Game

Using mercury to form a body, relying on the liquid's flexibility to reduce the Puppet's damage, and thereby fully unleashing the combat techniques within the Holy Sword—this was the Puppet Aozaki Touko had prepared: Moon Blade Edge.

"I never expected you to still have so much wealth after having your Sealing Designation lifted. Those Mystic Codes just now were all quite expensive, weren't they?"

Aozaki Aoko became serious as well. The items that had been absorbed into the Puppet were all extremely costly Mystic Codes. They would grant special functions to this Puppet that only knew how to cut people down, such as... spatial adaptability.

In almost the blink of an eye, Moon Blade Edge appeared behind Aozaki Aoko, its Holy Sword slashing toward the back of her neck. If this strike landed, this young Magus would likely die here today.

Bang~

The Magic Bullet already clenched in her hand fired out. One magic circle after another appeared around Aozaki Aoko's arm, and empowered by them, that strike blasted Moon Blade Edge backward.

Aozaki Aoko was not a traditional magus, but a "combat-oriented" magus.

She was already formidable in close combat. Once the distance widened, her favored Magic Bullets would blast her opponent away—not to mention the Magic backing her up.

"Attacking from behind again? After all these years, did you think I had made no progress at all?"

Memories surfaced in Aozaki Aoko's mind: the battle between the two sisters at Mirror House.

Back then, Aozaki Aoko had still been an apprentice magus. She had been chased around like a mouse by one of Aozaki Touko's Puppets, and her Magic Circuits had even been disrupted by an extremely crude technique.

That battle had practically displayed Aozaki Aoko's immaturity for all to ridicule.

"Mirror House was a battlefield I chose, so this time, I will let you choose the battlefield. Let me see how much you have changed over these years."

The light in Aozaki Aoko's hand took on the color of destruction. A casual strike blew apart the ground where Aozaki Touko stood, but it could not kill her.