Powerful Figures Gathered

Then, as if she had suddenly remembered something, she turned around and fed the remaining few pieces into Fujino's adorably blank mouth one by one.

As for Kiritsugu and Kariya—ah! They couldn't reach them!

Master, you wouldn't blame me, would you?

I-I really just... simply didn't want to feed you!

As for Maiya, Irisviel was taking care of her. Why wasn't she taking care of Kiritsugu?

Because if she only took care of Kiritsugu and Maiya, Kariya Matou would be very embarrassed. As for selectively not taking care of someone, Irisviel probably thought about it for a second.

In the end, she chose to take care of Maiya.

The half of Kariya Matou's body that had already been repaired began to hurt again. Though he knew it was only phantom pain, he was... scared!

What kind of existence was this?! How could such a thing exist in the world?! And even if it did, why was there a whole table of it?!

Kiritsugu Emiya stared blankly at the ceiling, muttering something under his breath.

"I'm such a fool. Truly."

"I only knew that Irisviel's cooking couldn't be eaten."

"I'm such a fool. Truly."

"..."

Kirei Kotomine sat helplessly in the hospital lobby's waiting room. He couldn't understand it. Did he truly not deserve to have emotions?!

As she was scanned by all sorts of equipment, Kallen felt disgust toward these novel things for the first time.

For the first time, she experienced the happiness other children spoke of. But this damned body!

Spirit-Abusing Medium Constitution: close to demons, receive demons. (Demons referred to a conceptual category. As for what exactly they were, even I still didn't understand.)

And the doctors helplessly watched purple patterns gradually emerge across the little girl's body.

Yet their pride as doctors would not allow them to give up like this. One machine after another began operating, attempting to analyze the cause of this condition.

"Um, Father." Fu Yuan waved a hand before Kirei Kotomine, trying to get his attention. He was about to cry!

What was going on? Feeling the Honkai energy emanating from inside the room, he completely couldn't understand it!

Ever since he had been summoned, every time he used Honkai energy in battle, Divine Grace would clear it away afterward. But what was this inside?!

Using the bathroom as an excuse to leave, he had paid no attention at all to Irisviel and the others' astonished looks.

Then he followed the direction he sensed all the way here, only to find Kirei Kotomine wearing a look of utter despair.

Don't despair yet! I'm even more desperate!

What was this?! I was joking before! If I brought Honkai here, I'd feel guilty even after I died!

Magus were awful, but at least they wouldn't involve ordinary people on a massive scale. Honkai was different. It judged over a vast range! If it decided you died, you died.

Kirei Kotomine pulled himself together slightly. Looking at Saber before him, he tried hard to force out a professional smile, but failed.

"Um... Father, can I go inside?" Fu Yuan pointed awkwardly at the door that so often separated life from death.

He silently made up his mind. If they wouldn't allow it, he would force his way in. No matter what, he couldn't let Honkai invade.

This was a huge matter!

At the mildest estimate, Honkai invasion would lead to a massive Honkai outbreak. Ordinary people with absolutely no resistance would certainly die. This wasn't the Honkai World; there was nothing related to it in their genes at all.

And of the ones who might luckily survive, at least nine out of ten would be unscrupulous magus. If that happened, this world would be finished!

And considering an even more alarming possibility: if the branches and leaves of the Imaginary Tree, Honkai's superior, touched Type-Moon, how could there possibly be only one such case? Type-Moon was a multiverse!

There were countless parallel worlds. Once the Imaginary Tree and the Sea of Quanta obtained a new system, could they still remain balanced?

When that happened, who knew what a being capable of endlessly giving its subordinate worlds trials for its own growth—trials that meant the death of an entire era—would do.

"! ...You know what happened inside!"

"Saber, please. My daughter is in there. Please..."

Kirei Kotomine had never imagined that his voice could become so humble one day. But at this moment, he had no other thoughts. He only wanted a little more hope...

"I... should... I can!" Hearing his tone, Fu Yuan's voice suddenly became resolute.

So, let's gamble!

Gamble that this was merely Honkai he had unconsciously drawn here.

And not Its gaze!

"Good! Do you need anything? I'll prepare it right away! No, you need no people, right..."

"No ordinary people."

Fu Yuan suddenly interrupted the anxious priest.

So children really are angels.

And angels themselves are miracles.

Chapter 36: Powerful Figures Gathered

"So I'll have to trouble you next, Father." Fu Yuan became completely serious, though he didn't hold much hope in his heart.

"Leave it to me!" Kirei Kotomine looked at the room with a headache. He had just discovered that his magecraft methods were useless. To ensure Kallen's safety, these were the best doctors he could find on short notice.

Likewise, under the persona he had established in the past, the friends he made were all people of excellent character, and the doctors among them had even better character!

But no matter how difficult it was, he had to go!

Kirei Kotomine had yet to realize that, like an ordinary person, he could feel irritation, sorrow, and...

Just as Kirei Kotomine was about to pull open the door, it opened on its own, and the doctors all wore unpleasant expressions.

"Kallen, she..."

"I'm sorry, Mr. Kotomine. We... did our best." The doctor decisively interrupted him, then spoke with deep guilt. Everyone lowered their heads, not even daring to look at Kirei Kotomine.

"...Then can you move aside?!" Fu Yuan stood before them with little courtesy. It wasn't that he couldn't control his emotions; this was simply the fastest method.

Though the doctors were somewhat surprised by Fu Yuan's words, none of them became angry. Instead, they all moved to either side in perfect unison.

Seeing this, Fu Yuan said nothing more. He strode inside and slammed the door shut... just in case something went wrong!

"...A Pseudo Herrscher." Su Mei spoke in surprise. After all, even she had not succeeded in creating one back then.

Though later on, she had watched Fu Yuan kill quite a few of them!

Fu Yuan's expression was extremely ugly as he looked at the little girl lying quietly on the bed. She was no longer even suffering from Honkai corrosion, and he felt utterly powerless.

Constraint was not a god! It had no way to turn back time.

And the appearance of a Pseudo Herrscher meant he had lost the gamble.

He couldn't beat It. No matter how he thought about it, he couldn't beat It. It had already looked over here.

Before evolution, what rules would a living being follow?

"Saber, how is the situation?!"

After completely clearing all the ordinary people away from the door, Kirei Kotomine anxiously pushed it open.

"...Y-yes, of course she can?" Fu Yuan was silent for a long time before finally speaking as optimistically as he could.

"But Father, I'll still have to trouble you to go outside for a while. The problem is rather troublesome!"

Fu Yuan tried his best to make his tone sound normal. At least in the worst-case scenario, it would be best not to let an utterly immature father see it. He would completely lose his mind.

Perhaps he could try something regarding Honkai.

Let's gamble again! Gamble that the Root of this Type-Moon had an instinctive reaction rather than instinctive greed! Gamble that it was only the God of Honkai, rather than Him personally arriving.

Fu Yuan smiled bitterly. A Root with only instincts, and an equal existence that had possessed intelligence for who knew how long... Gamble. He would gamble!

Fu Yuan walked to the bed and saw the purple patterns disappearing—or rather, the Honkai energy was completely merging.

Senior Sister, I'll have to trouble you, Fu Yuan said softly in his heart. After all, the soul was Honkai's primary means of infiltrating high-level targets.

"...Actually, you can..."

"Senior Sister, I'll have to trouble you!" Fu Yuan did not let her finish. He repeated himself, speaking calmly without any emotion.

"...Sigh." Seeing Fu Yuan's resolute attitude, Su Mei did not try to persuade him further.

Instead, she suddenly smiled, brilliantly.

"As you wish, Junior Disciple Brother."

He was a Herrscher, an absolute high-end combat force on Honkai's side. A Honkai invasion was actually most beneficial to him now.

But if Junior Disciple Brother wanted it, then so be it!

After all, wasn't a Junior Disciple Brother meant to be doted on?

Stigma: Su Mei (Top) · Thousand Mechanisms

Stigma: Su Mei (Middle) · Awakening

Stigma: Su Mei (Bottom) · Atonement

This was the first set of artificial Stigmata of this era. Though there were many flaws due to insufficient technology, its original goal—eternal preservation of the soul—had succeeded.

Likewise, these Stigmata could only affect the soul. They provided no boost to Honkai energy resistance, so by the original standards of other Stigmata, they could also be considered failures.

Outside, after Fu Yuan's small hand completely covered Kallen's face.

Chains of Constraint spread through the air, layer upon layer enclosing the area. This was both a measure to prevent Honkai from leaking out and a final means of self-destruction.

He could clearly feel that the consumption of magical energy had decreased considerably. This wasn't merely the effect of Honkai energy. There were powerful figures gathered here now!

Faint bell tolls and hoofbeats sounded...

It was no exaggeration to say that Jeweled Sword Indigo had the least presence here.

Yet outwardly, nothing changed, as if nothing had happened.

Gloomy. Everywhere carried an unpleasant aura, and the oppression here was unmistakable.

Fu Yuan looked at his Senior Sister beside him with some surprise. Then, as though they were taking a stroll, he extended his hand. Unlike his previous unserious self, Fu Yuan now appeared exceptionally elegant. After all, this might be the end!

A simple glance around was enough to tell where the oppressive feeling was strongest. Su Mei naturally took Fu Yuan's hand, as if it were a bright and sunny day, and the two of them walked over with ease.

They took it lightly. Although Fu Yuan often liked to meddle in others' affairs, once someone had experienced things more terrifying than death often enough, death was simply that.

"What astonishing receptivity!" Watching the little girl accept Its power, It was somewhat surprised. Under a different system, she could actually accept so much.

Though she was not a Herrscher, a Pseudo Herrscher was the first step of invasion. This beginning was far easier than It had imagined.

"! They're here so quickly!" It soon noticed the two people strolling over from afar and sensed familiar Honkai energy.

"! Who are you?!" Feeling that familiar authority, the God of Honkai fell into a brief bout of self-doubt.

"...What a joke, Lord God!" Fu Yuan froze for an instant upon hearing the question, then said with a soft laugh.

What followed was a crimson great bird—or rather, Jingwei!

Though they were clearly within a mental space, it truly felt as though scorching heat were rushing straight at them. And when It tried to dodge, It discovered that this sword seemed to fill the entire mental space.

Void Sword God!

Divine Grace Barrier!

Fu Yuan's thinking was simple: unleash the ultimate move upon meeting, as a gesture of friendship!

It had to be said that this was humanity's first time truly injuring the Honkai God. After all, Otto, Kevin, and the others... couldn't find It! They couldn't touch It!

"To borrow Master's words:"

"Gods are the ultimate of transformation, wondrously giving form to all things. They cannot be questioned by form—this is Void Sword Qi, Divine Essence!"

"Formless and bodiless, present everywhere, unstoppable everywhere! This sword is space itself!"

"As a meeting gift, it isn't too bad, is it, Lord God?"