I, Ritsuka, Siscon Grand Hero

That child, Erika, possesses a true divine aura, a vast difference from the divine energy she can obtain through her Noble Phantasm, the War God's Belt.

After exhausting all her strength to save Miyu, who was taken by Enzō, she would then figure out how to arrange future matters. After that, she could go find Sakura. Whether it was reincarnation or the underworld, it didn't matter, but the most likely outcome would be complete annihilation.

"Seven participants, four remain."

Ritsuka tucked away the three Class Cards in her hand and stood on the rooftop, gazing into the distance, searching for her prey.

Her gaze was like a fierce beast released from its cage!

The murky gold flickered slightly as Ritsuka looked towards Mountbos, the location of the famous Ryūdō-ji Temple in Fuyuki City.

Over there, she sensed the aura and presence of a Servant.

Drawing her bow and nocking an arrow, Projection Magic unfolded. Ritsuka twisted a spiraling sword to be long and thin, then nocked it onto the Hydra Bow.

A murky golden light flickered in her eyes as Ritsuka slowly drew the bowstring full.

"Magecraft workshop? It should be Caster..."

An extremely dangerous atmosphere emanated from Ritsuka, a swirling, eerie magical energy of crimson mixed with a touch of black.

"Hundred-Beast Slayer (Nine Lives)!"

Like black mud entwined with disaster, devouring flames, frost, and lightning, a colossal nine-headed venomous serpent, its pressure akin to a Hydra, crushed the air. The supersonic shot flew out.

Putting away her bow, Ritsuka leaped from the rooftop and hurried towards Ryūdō-ji Temple.

While traveling at slightly over the speed of sound, Ritsuka narrowed her eyes and softly chanted—

"Broken Phantasm!"

Inside Ryūdō-ji Temple, the magus who had arrived at the ley line point beforehand began constructing a magecraft workshop with the aid of the Caster card's abilities.

It was known that the combat power of a magus with a magecraft workshop was vastly different from one without.

A magecraft workshop was essentially a battlefield that provided a huge boost to oneself. This led most magi to rely too heavily on it, and the user of the Caster card was no exception. In a sense, he was quite similar to a certain Director this time.

Both were blown away directly.

The magecraft workshop was initially constructed, and all that remained was to further refine it and wait for the enemy to arrive.

The magus, who had let out a sigh of relief, suddenly saw a meteor approaching from the sky. An absurd sense of crisis surged within him as nine meteor-like ranged attacks descended instantly.

Eight gold and one blue, a total of nine attacks that rained down.

It was a Noble Phantasm!

The thought flashed through his mind, and then Caster lost consciousness.

A deafening roar spread throughout Fuyuki City, the tremor waking countless people from their sleep, and the flames illuminated the night.

A scene like a nuclear explosion, a massive fireball rose from the center of the blast, the storm snapping countless trees.

The exploding arrows, transformed into pure fireballs, melted everything from the inside out. Both the temple and the walls turned to dust. The eight simultaneous energy cannons, along with a pseudo-spiral sword of Broken Phantasm, elevated the entire temple.

The magical barrier was no match, and even a complete magecraft workshop would struggle to withstand an attack comparable to a top-tier anti-city Noble Phantasm.

And this actually didn't consume much magical energy...

The sound of explosions continued unabated, crumbling rocks slid down, and subsequent noises followed one after another.

The entire Fuyuki City descended into chaos, as if the fire and black mud of the past had reappeared. Fuyuki City had always been a city plagued by disaster.

Kirei Kotomine stood on a distant bridge, admiring the scene. He couldn't help but scratch his head, wondering how he could cover up the explosion.

Gas leak?

Good heavens, dear God, he'd bet his life that no fool would believe such a reason.

Feeling as though his hair might continue to thin, Kirei Kotomine sighed softly, turned, and left. He had to act quickly to deal with this incident, as allowing it to escalate risked exposing the supernatural.

Moreover, he had a premonition that such things might happen a few more times.

The rolling flames surged towards the sky, making Mount bland appear a little shorter.

The monks of Ryūdō-ji Temple had been driven away by Caster beforehand due to suggestive magecraft, so there were no casualties. Caster, amidst the glory and flames, saw 'God'.

The ground was a black and red scorched earth. A slender figure walked slowly closer. The traces of Ryūdō-ji Temple were no longer present.

Ritsuka's gaze swept over the area. She walked to a certain spot and picked up the Class Card belonging to an unknown magus. The cloaked Caster had been successfully captured, and the number of Class Cards in her possession reached three.

She needed at least seven.

Her nostrils filled with a choking, strange odor, Ritsuka turned and left, abandoning the "nuked" Ryūdō-ji Temple.

Descending the mountain and returning to the city, Ritsuka, wearing a hat, walked along the street, preparing to go home and rest for a while. She wouldn't have time to sit and rest after this.

Chapter 37 Chapter Thirty-Six: The Hooded Man with a Greek Flavor

The cold morning wind seeped through the gaps in her clothes. Ritsuka sat by the corridor, hugging her knees, her face showing signs of fatigue.

She couldn't sleep.

Ritsuka rubbed their head hard.

They had intended to rest for a night to adjust themselves before going to find other Holy Grail War participants, but as expected, they couldn't sleep.

The gate of the Emiya Residence swayed in the cold wind. Ritsuka's thick winter clothes had disappeared, replaced by a set of practical combat gear.

A combination of a guardian from the future and a vengeful spirit rebelling against the gods.

Dressed in black and red, Ritsuka stepped over the threshold of the Emiya Residence. The War God Ares's belt appeared at their waist, and the Divine Beast's Fur hung around their neck like a scarf.

Their boots made a faint crunching sound on the snow, easily missed if one wasn't paying attention.

Basic Suggestion Magecraft was cast upon them, ensuring that their unusual attire wouldn't be noticed by ordinary people. Ritsuka headed towards the Fuyuki Bridge.

The Holy Grail War had just begun, and two participants were already eliminated. They had also obtained three Class Cards. The next step was to find other prey.

New Capital was a high-tech, modern area far more developed than Miyamachi. The buildings there were generally taller than those on this side.

With their excellent eyesight and a sufficiently high vantage point, Ritsuka could even snipe from any corner in the center of Fuyuki City, and casually unleash a top-tier anti-city Noble Phantasm.

As they got closer to New Capital, Ritsuka suddenly heard a news report about the massive explosion the previous night that destroyed Ryudōji Temple—

"Regarding the massive explosion last night that led to the destruction of Ryudōji Temple on Mount Enzou."

"After investigation, it was found to be a gas pipeline leak that affected the gas pipelines near Mount Enzou, causing a chain reaction explosion."

"For unknown reasons, fortunately, the monks of Ryudōji Temple were not present at the temple last night, and there were no casualties."

"Behind this incident are the severe consequences of a gas transportation company losing inferior materials and stealing profits. We will continue to follow up on the investigation and await the punishment results for them..."

Gas leak, gas explosion.

Alright, this is so Fuyuki!

If they remembered correctly, the official records of the disasters caused by the previous two Holy Grail Wars were also covered up as gas explosions.

Ritsuka listened to the nonsensical statement on the news and couldn't help but scratch their head. Wasn't this just fooling idiots?

However, ordinary people couldn't sense mana. Perhaps under the influence of the official statement, they would still choose to believe it. Only those involved with Magecraft would certainly not think so.

The Crystal Dice glowed, and Ritsuka drew out a card: the Class Card of Heroic Spirit EMIYA!

At that time, they had essentially used themselves as a catalyst.

Subconsciously feeling that no one around supported their choice, Emiya Shirou (Archer) on the Throne of Heroes responded to them through the Class Card.

Although Ritsuka couldn't use the Class Card due to the Crystal Dice, and the Heroic Spirit's power could no longer be inscribed on their body, they indirectly learned a lot of information through EMIYA's Class Card, greatly expanding their understanding of the world.

In the distant future of this different world, a man named Emiya Shirou, roughly equivalent to them, had achieved the status of a Heroic Spirit.

The guardian of humanity who made a contract with the world, the ideal form of justice Kiritsugu pursued!

This was a power that should have been used for all of humanity...

"Sorry, this power cannot be used to protect all of humanity."

Heroic Spirit Emiya was a guardian on humanity's side, and fighting for all of humanity was his duty. In this conflict, Julian Enzō stood on humanity's side, while she was the villain who would endanger everyone.

Looking down at the clothes on their body, which resembled those in the card, Ritsuka placed a hand on their chest.

They were gradually transforming, shifting towards the direction of Alcides and EMIYA, becoming a Heroic Spirit in human form, and then burning themselves out completely at the final moment of completion.

How could an ordinary mortal body possibly bear the full power of a Heroic Spirit?

"Will anyone be drawn here?"

About ten seconds later, Ritsuka stood at the top of a building, fully releasing the aura of the Class Card while completely concealing themselves.

Both the others who held Class Cards and magi would sense this power. If anyone was interested, they would come looking directly.

Of course, Ritsuka wouldn't be surprised if no one showed up.

Magi were mostly reclusive beings. Unless they set up a proper mage workshop for others to stumble into, no fool would come looking to die.

Standing at the edge of the rooftop, Ritsuka held their breath, running their Dual Clairvoyance to its maximum. If anyone were looking at them at this moment, they would be captured within a twenty-kilometer radius.

Suddenly, a gaze appeared in the nearby Fuyuki Park.

A hooded youth trembled, looking up at Ritsuka's position. The demonic aura emanating from him was completely unrestrained.

This was someone who possessed a Class Card and was already in a state of use. The Heroic Spirit's power they possessed came from a demonic Heroic Spirit.

"That's... there are actually fools in this world." Ritsuka narrowed their eyes, staring intently at the hooded man below. "And this aura, it feels familiar. Greek again?"

There were quite a few Greeks.

Among the people who had appeared before her so far, Beatrice, Erika, and the hooded man all possessed an aura that the Alcides part within her found familiar.

The only difference was the concentration of divinity.

They were all beings related to Greek gods, and one of them even felt like a god itself.

"Hoo~"

Letting out a soft breath, Ritsuka looked at the still early sky. There were also many pedestrians below, but their eyes showed no hesitation.

With a step, they leaped directly off the edge of the rooftop. A golden bow was drawn to its full extent by delicate fingers, and an arrow coated in Hydra poison was placed on the string.

The swelling mana directly surged in the air as a tentative arrow was shot.

Boom—!!

The arrow vibrated the air, a supersonic projectile covering an exaggerated distance of over a hundred meters in an instant, landing inside Fuyuki Park.

With a series of rumbles, half the park was blasted into the sky, the ground completely uphevelled, and debris swept up the hooded man, sending him crashing deep into the park.

Having confirmed no one was in the park beforehand, Ritsuka fired a probing shot, ensuring no ordinary people were caught in the blast. It was early morning, long before students would be heading to school, with only a few early-rising office workers hurrying past.

Coupled with news of a gas leak on the street, Ritsuka, who had just landed, shouted, "Gas explosion!"

Immediately, the onlookers vanished. The suggestion magic had taken effect, and all ordinary people present fled in panic.

Putting away her large bow, a long sword formed within the azure magical electricity. Ritsuka projected a Demonic Blade of no small quality, its tip pointed at the hooded man who had revealed himself in the ruins.

He was at least 1.7 meters tall, with silver hair reaching his hips, and a strange cloth covering his eyes.

His weapon was a pair of chain swords, a simple armament of short swords wrapped in chains.

"I have to take it back... I have to take it back..."

Ritsuka frowned at the hooded man's strange mumbling. She sensed he was a pitiable fellow, but unfortunately, she had no reason to lose.

With her Demonic Blade held horizontally, Ritsuka charged forward.

Chapter 38: Chapter Thirty-Seven: Petrifying Demonic Eyes

Beneath his tattered sweater was a man on the verge of madness. After his irrational muttering, he charged at Ritsuka like a madman.

The two short swords, linked by chains, were thrown by the hooded man. Their astonishing speed made Ritsuka even more wary; this guy was no slower than her.

This was a contest of top-tier agility.