Both Synchronization Values had greatly improved, and her strength had undergone a qualitative change, but it was still far from enough.
Ritsuka clenched her fists. Whether it was the bloodthirsty red-haired little girl following Julian or the presence hidden in the shadows, casually throwing weapons around, neither was someone she could handle now.
"Wait."
Kirei Kotomine called out to Ritsuka as she was about to leave. Lowering his gaze slightly, he slowly said, "Don't act impulsively. You still don't even know what Enzō truly is, do you?"
"Gather information, consider the clues, understand the goal, then make your choice."
Under Ritsuka's gaze, Kirei Kotomine turned sideways, his eyes dark and distant.
He spread his arms as though embracing something, a faintly intoxicated expression appearing on his face. Then he looked at Emiya Ritsuka with a slightly mocking gaze.
"Your adoptive father, Kiritsugu Emiya, chose to believe. He believed in the choice you would make... If this continues, you will probably become someone who disappoints him greatly."
"You knew Kiritsugu?"
That single sentence caught the key point, the one Ritsuka could never overlook. Kirei Kotomine was quite the extraordinary man; he deeply understood what Ritsuka cared about.
Pinching the cross on his chest between his index finger and thumb, the priest of Fuyuki spoke in an unhurried, cold tone.
"I am the priest responsible for abolishing heretical mysteries in this place, or managing them. But now, this is an era where even faith has vanished—an era of Cold Tranquility."
"The world will inevitably reach its end. Yet even so, many people still seek a way to save it."
Ritsuka understood. At this moment, she truly began to understand this world—and she also knew that among the people Kirei Kotomine spoke of was someone she cared about more than anyone else.
Kiritsugu Emiya.
"Sit down and let us talk slowly. Not only the secrets of this world, but perhaps you yourself may need my help as well."
Kirei Kotomine took out a paper ball and tossed it to Ritsuka, who caught it instinctively.
When the paper ball unfolded, it revealed a not particularly difficult magecraft formula. Its effect made Ritsuka's heart tighten, and she fell silent for a moment.
This would be very helpful in suppressing the intense pain within her.
Choice: The World or Her Little Sister?
Ritsuka sat on a church pew, gently pressing her left arm with her right hand as she listened to the information Kirei Kotomine provided.
Having taken off his ramen chef's clothes, Kirei Kotomine seemed to have returned, after a long time, to the work of guiding the Lord's lambs. He was extremely earnest, telling Emiya Ritsuka, who needed to know everything, every detail about Enzō and the Holy Grail War.
"Enzō is a magecraft family that has endured for over a thousand years. Though their magecraft characteristic is nothing but the useless 'Replacement Magic,' their abilities are quite outstanding."
"As long as they are within a magecraft workshop they constructed themselves, they can make Replacement Magic produce effects that transcend conventional laws."
Kirei Kotomine tapped the blackboard, taking the opportunity to teach Ritsuka some of the magecraft fundamentals she lacked.
Ritsuka listened intently to the matters concerning Enzō. At the same time, she used the magecraft formula Kirei Kotomine had given her, engraving it onto herself to test its effects.
The agony eased. Mainly, under the influence of magical power, she became less sensitive to the pain on a mental level. The effect met Ritsuka's expectations perfectly; after all, if her ability severely affected her, the pain would make her collapse even while walking.
She did not believe her willpower could be stronger than that of the mythical Chiron.
"Enzō's wisdom and characteristics have not changed for thousands of years, which is truly astonishing."
As he said this, a smile appeared on Kirei Kotomine's face.
In Ritsuka's eyes, that smile was not one of surprise at all. Instead, it carried a mocking flavor. Clearly, he knew some embarrassing secret about the Enzō family.
Yet after a brief hesitation, Kirei Kotomine did not reveal that secret and continued explaining information related to Enzō.
"Julian Enzō—the former classmate you knew as Ichiyoshi Julian—is the current head of Enzō."
"For over a thousand years, they have pursued a single goal without pause. Do you know what it is?"
Kirei Kotomine handed Ritsuka a bottle of water. Ritsuka quickly thanked him and accepted it.
Then, amid Ritsuka's astonished expression, Kirei Kotomine curled his lips and laughed in delight. "It is a wish both grand and incredibly childish, yet worthy of respect—"
"As Kiritsugu Emiya's adopted daughter, you should understand... the continuation of Human History. What Enzō seeks is to save humanity, which is destined to perish!"
Ritsuka stared blankly at Kirei Kotomine's "strange smile," his "delighted" voice echoing by her ears.
"—That is also Kiritsugu Emiya's justice."
The enormous flood of information left Ritsuka speechless. Kirei Kotomine's words seemed to turn into blades that pierced her chest.
In a sense, after she had abandoned Kiritsugu's justice, the one who inherited that justice had instead become Julian Enzō...
"Unable to create anything valuable from nothing and only capable of making imitations through replacement, Enzō has always been mocked as a dealer in fakes."
Replacing humans with Servants possessing Heroic Spirit power through objects called Class Cards was, in a sense, another kind of imitation, wasn't it?
Ritsuka clenched her hand, thin strands of light spilling between her fingers.
But she was hardly qualified to criticize Enzō over that. She herself was probably an imitation now, using the power of Servants. Moreover, one of her main abilities, Projection Magic, was also an advanced technique for producing imitations.
The kind capable of perfectly replicating Noble Phantasms!
"Let's continue. Starting over two hundred years ago, Enzō suddenly began pursuing the miracles that existed in the world, attempting to save humanity from inevitable extinction."
"Therefore, they needed a miracle beyond humanity—the Holy Grail!"
A miracle—the thing Kiritsugu Emiya and Ritsuka had spent five long years searching for.
Sakutsuki Miyu had been their ultimate gain, but Ritsuka's existence made Kiritsugu ultimately give up. He chose to leave everything to her and let her make the choice.
From the very beginning, she had possessed what might have been the only miracle in this world, yet she had never considered using it. Because that was her little sister, not some so-called Cauldron of All Wishes.
The Holy Grail was a sacred object from Christian legend, but in Ritsuka's view, the Holy Grail Kirei Kotomine spoke of was probably not the same thing as Christ's.
"The Holy Grail War is a Grand Magecraft ritual established to seize the power of that miracle. Enzō joined forces with two magecraft families to create this ritual. One has already perished, while the other exists in name only." Kirei Kotomine narrowed his eyes. "A vessel capable of becoming the Holy Grail, the system needed to summon Heroic Spirits, and land rich in enormous Spirit Veins were each provided by one of the three families."
"Using rare Noble Phantasms or flesh as mediums, they inscribe the power of Heroic Spirits and turn themselves into existences similar to Heroic Spirits."
"It was held four times, and all four ended in failure. The result of the fourth was the worst: a small town swallowed by endless darkness."
Through his words, Kirei Kotomine stirred Ritsuka's memories. That had been when she met Miyu.
That darkness had been created by the Holy Grail War, a product made by Julian. The Tsukishiro family's magecraft defenses had been destroyed because of it, and she and Kiritsugu had obtained the vessel of the miracle... Miyu.
It was also because of that darkness that her adoptive father, Kiritsugu Emiya, suffered a rapid decline in his physical functions and eventually died.
Ritsuka sank into thought, her expression somewhat gloomy. Kirei Kotomine, who had been staring at her, suddenly laughed. "Oh, and one more thing. The massive fire that swallowed the New Capital ten years ago was also the result of a Holy Grail War. Your father was a participant in that one."
"Kiritsugu? I see... Kiritsugu was there because he participated in the Holy Grail War."
A hollow feeling suddenly filled her heart. So everything in her life had been related to the Holy Grail War—everything had been taken from her by the Holy Grail War.
Damn it.
Ritsuka clenched her fists, lowering her head so her hair covered her eyes.
She did not have many thoughts about Kiritsugu participating in the Holy Grail War. It simply felt natural.
After all, the Holy Grail was a miracle. It was understandable that Kiritsugu, who had always pursued a miracle that could save humanity, would participate.
"After the four Holy Grail Wars, Julian Enzō, one of the few survivors, took up the banner of the Holy Grail War of his own accord. Now, he has successfully gathered the Spirit Veins, the Heroic Spirit system, and the object of miracle. This is for all humanity."
"Are you prepared to bear the consequences that will kill all of humanity?"
Sacrificing a small number of people in exchange for humanity's survival—if such a choice were placed before Kiritsugu, it was surely the justice of "sacrifice the few to save the many" that he would choose.
Ritsuka gripped the Crystal Dice. Kirei Kotomine could not see it; he could only see the astonishing magical power rising from Ritsuka. That vast quantity of magical power, as though it belonged to tens of thousands of people, crashed down like an overwhelming tide, pinning Fuyuki's priest firmly in place.
She had suddenly discovered one way to use the Crystal Dice.
Under extreme conviction, she would burn away her own existence and completely replace what lay within her—an ultimate technique.
Kirei Kotomine's mouth kept curling upward. Watching Ritsuka become enveloped in dense magical power, crimson mixed with chaotic black, he saw a massive bow and a long strip of cloth appear beside her.
The cloth wrapped around her neck, and she hoisted the great bow over her shoulder. Ritsuka's eyes became a murky gold.
"Kiritsugu... Father gave the choice to me. This is a choice only I can make. I promised him... I will protect Miyu."
Her own existence would surely collapse, wouldn't it?
After all, what was being replaced was her inner self. The Synchronization Value in the Alcides section of the Crystal Dice rapidly rose, advancing toward 100%!
The agony inside her body intensified instantly. The pain of her sense of self collapsing mixed with the agony brought by immortality, making the magecraft's effect subtle. Ritsuka simply increased her magic power, fully suppressing her pain.
"Whew... Thank you for your help, Father. If I get the chance, I'll definitely come back and repay your kindness." Ritsuka smiled brightly, though there was a hint of emptiness in her beautiful eyes. "Judging by your apron, you must be a ramen chef who likes spicy food. I've picked up some cooking skills, so if there's a chance, I'll treat you to a meal."
Turning around, Ritsuka walked out of the church. The pressure around her began to recede, and her gaze turned cold.
She would participate in the Holy Grail War!
As Ritsuka walked farther away, Kirei Kotomine came to the church entrance and watched her leave. Suddenly seeming to remember something, he called out loudly.
"Oh, one more thing. Remember this: using that formula too much has side effects. It can cause hallucinations."
Ritsuka waved her hand and disappeared from sight.
A World That Suddenly Fell Silent
From that day onward, Ritsuka's entire world quietly changed. Everything became unfamiliar and silent.
Julian, the Student Council President of Homurahara, never appeared at school again after that day. After all, both the miracle itself and the one who had stolen the miracle had already been found.
There was no need to waste time blending in among ordinary people anymore...
After taking a long leave from Taiga, Ritsuka began wandering through Fuyuki City, searching for Enzō's location.
Kirei Kotomine had said they had always been in this city, merely using Replacement Magic to conceal their castle—magecraft workshop.
Standing atop a skyscraper under construction in the New Capital, Ritsuka narrowed her eyes. Her murky golden eyes were filled with lifeless silence.
Clairvoyance.
It was not an ability Alcides explicitly possessed, yet Ritsuka could see everything within twenty kilometers. Her eyesight was so absurdly good that she could even clearly see the details of snowflakes falling from the sky.
Ritsuka gently exhaled a breath of warm air, which turned into white mist before her eyes. The scarf-like Divine Beast's Fur fluttered freely in the cold wind.
"Miyu..."
She could not find her. Even after adjusting herself to a state where she could unleash most of the Demigod's power as an Avenger, she had spent nearly a month without finding any trace of Miyu.
Enzō seemed to have vanished from Fuyuki City as though they had evaporated from the world.
Kirei Kotomine definitely knew something else, but that damned pleasure-seeker would not say a thing.
Watching her run around like a headless fly, he was surely hiding in some corner and enjoying himself, wasn't he?
Recalling the Mapo Tofu Ramen she had occasionally tasted, that feeling of her body seeming to burn from within was even more stimulating than burning herself through the Crystal Dice. It was truly unforgettable.
Ritsuka felt that Kirei Kotomine must have something wrong with his head. He was a complete psychopath.
Patting the snowflakes that had settled on her hair, Ritsuka leaped down from above and landed steadily in a secluded alley. She tugged her hood over her head.
Her father, little sister, friends—everything around her had vanished...
Enzō had taken everything from her, turning the entire world gray again, like that place she had lived in from birth in her previous life, the place she could never forget even in death: a room that was practically hell itself.
—White Room
Unfortunately, she would always be defective, no matter when it was.
"...Senpai?"
Huh.
Ritsuka stopped walking. A familiar voice sounded beside her, and she instinctively looked to the side while keeping her head lowered.
A streak of purple entered her vision. The Maiden, smiling in delighted surprise, held her umbrella over Ritsuka's head, shielding her from the heavy snow falling from above.
Her slightly sinister dark-gold eyes met Sakura's jewel-like purple ones. Ritsuka was somewhat surprised. "Sakura, why are you here?"
"Because you haven't come to school for a long time, Senpai, so I came to check on you."
Sakura's cheeks turned slightly red, and her bashful expression was adorable.
After hesitating for a moment, Ritsuka sighed, took out her keys, and opened the door. Then she glanced back slightly.
"...Come in first."
Before you continue