As Fujimaru Ritsuka recited the summoning incantation in a clear, ringing voice, a Spirit Origin slowly took shape at the center of the summoning circle.
Lawrence narrowed his eyes, keeping constant watch over the situation within the circle.
"Now, Master, increase your magical energy output!" Lawrence said to Fujimaru Ritsuka, seizing the moment.
Fujimaru Ritsuka's pupils contracted, and his voice rose as he continued the incantation.
"Let the three great spirit incantations bind you for seven days—"
Everyone watched tensely as Fujimaru Ritsuka's eyes and Command Spells began to glow.
"Pass beyond the wheel of restraint and appear!"
"Guardian of the Scales!!"
Buzz—
Suddenly, a powerful presence formed within the summoning circle alongside the Spirit Origin. The gusts it kicked up made everyone raise their arms to shield themselves—even Roman, all the way in Chaldea.
By the time everyone came back to their senses, the Servant was already standing within the summoning circle.
He was an exceptionally tall Servant.
Hijikata Toshizo was already quite tall, but this Servant seemed to stand a head taller than him—and he was more than three times as broad.
He wore a heavy suit of Chinese armor, draped in a dark-red cloak that looked as though it had been dyed in blood. A longsword hung at his waist, but what drew the eye most was the vicious mask covering his face.
A dark aura spread from his body into the surroundings, chilling everyone to the bone like the cold of the underworld. Fujimaru Ritsuka, who stood closest to him, even felt as if his bones had been frostbitten. Behind that savage mask, he could sense a sharp, scrutinizing gaze, as though the man were assessing him.
Even though he felt as if he had fallen into an ice pit, Fujimaru Ritsuka did not take a