That child named Erika possessed the aura of a true god, vastly different from the divine aura she could obtain through the Noble Phantasm War God's Belt.
She would give everything to save Miyu, who had been taken by Enzō. Then she would find a way to arrange what came afterward. Once that was done, she could go find Sakura. Whether it was the cycle of reincarnation or the underworld did not matter, though the most likely outcome was probably utter annihilation of body and soul.
"Of the seven participants, four remain."
Putting away the three Class Cards in her hand, Ritsuka stood on the rooftop and gazed into the distance, searching for her prey.
Her gaze was like that of a ferocious beast unleashed from its cage!
A murky gold glimmered faintly as Ritsuka looked towards distant Mt. Enzou, where the famous Ryuudou Temple stood in Fuyuki City.
A Servant's presence and figure had appeared over there.
Drawing her bow and nocking an arrow, she activated Projection Magic. She twisted a spiral sword into a long, slender shape, then set it upon the Hydra bow.
A murky golden gleam flickered in her eyes as Ritsuka slowly drew the bow to its full extent.
"A magic workshop? It should be Caster..."
An extremely dangerous aura rose from Ritsuka. Strange magical energy, streaked with a hint of black amid crimson, churned around her.
"Hundred-Beast Slayer (Nine Lives)!"
Like Black Mud entwined with calamity, a gigantic nine-headed venomous serpent that devoured flames, frost, and lightning crushed the air with pressure akin to Hydra's. The supersonic shot streaked forth.
Putting away her bow, Ritsuka leaped down from the rooftop and rushed toward Ryuudou Temple.
While traveling at slightly over the speed of sound, Ritsuka narrowed her eyes and softly uttered—
"Broken Phantasm!"
Inside Ryuudou Temple, the Magus who had arrived first at the dragon vein node began constructing a magic workshop with the abilities of the Caster Card.
A Magus supported by a magic workshop and one without such support had vastly different combat capabilities.
A magic workshop was equivalent to territory that granted enormous buffs to its owner. This had caused most Magi to become overly dependent on such things, and the user of the Caster Card was no exception. In a sense, he was rather like a certain Lord El-Melloi this time.
They were both the ones who got blown away outright.
The magic workshop's initial construction was complete. All that remained was to refine it further and wait for the enemy to come knocking.
The Magus had just breathed a sigh of relief when he suddenly saw a meteor approaching from the sky. An absurd sense of danger surged through him as nine meteor-like long-range strikes descended in an instant.
Eight gold and one blue—nine attacks in total came one after another.
A Noble Phantasm!
The thought flashed through his mind, and then Caster lost consciousness.
The deafening boom spread throughout Fuyuki City. The tremors jolted countless people awake from their sleep, and firelight illuminated the night.
Like a nuclear explosion, a massive fireball rose from the blast's center, while the storm snapped countless trees.
The exploding arrows became pure balls of fire, melting everything from within. Temples and walls alike turned directly to dust. The eight beams of light that arrived alongside the Fake Caladbolg enhanced by a Broken Phantasm utterly obliterated the entire temple.
The magical barrier was utterly incapable of withstanding it. Even a completed magic workshop would have struggled to resist an attack comparable to the highest-ranked Anti-Fortress Noble Phantasm.
And this did not actually consume much magical energy...
The explosions continued without end. Collapsing rocks tumbled down, followed by an unceasing series of further sounds.
All of Fuyuki City descended into chaos, as though the old fire and Black Mud had returned. Fuyuki City had always been a disaster-prone city.
Kirei Kotomine stood on a distant bridge, admiring the scene. He could not help scratching his head as he considered how to cover up the explosion.
A gas leak?
Good heavens, dear God. He would bet even an idiot would not believe that excuse.
Kirei Kotomine, who felt as though he might soon have even less hair, let out a faint sigh and turned away. He needed to act quickly to handle this incident. If it were allowed to develop freely, Mystery might be exposed.
Besides, he had a feeling this sort of thing might happen several more times afterward.
Surging waves of flame shot into the sky, and Mt. Enzou had been shaved down by a noticeable amount.
Because of suggestion magecraft, Ryuudou Temple's monks had all been driven away by Caster in advance, so there were no casualties. Caster, meanwhile, saw "God" amid glory and fire.
The ground was scorched black and crimson. A slender figure slowly approached, and no trace of Ryuudou Temple remained in the surroundings.
Her gaze swept over the area. Ritsuka walked to a certain spot and picked up the Class Card belonging to some unknown Magus. The hooded Caster had been successfully captured, bringing the number of Class Cards in her possession to three.
She needed at least seven.
Her nostrils filled with a choking, strange smell. Ritsuka turned and left the nuclear-flattened Ryuudou Temple.
Returning to the city after descending the mountain, Ritsuka walked along the street in a hat, planning to go home and rest for a while. After this, she would not have time to sit down and rest.
The Greek-Flavored Hooded Man
The cold morning wind slipped through the gaps in her clothing. Ritsuka sat by the corridor, hugging her knees, her face showing faint exhaustion.
She had insomnia.
Ritsuka vigorously rubbed her head.
She had intended to rest for the night, adjust herself properly, and then search for the other Holy Grail War participants. Yet, unsurprisingly, she had ended up unable to sleep.
The gates of the Emiya Residence swayed in the cold wind. Ritsuka's thick winter clothes vanished, replaced by a neat set of combat gear.
A combination of a guardian from the future and an avenger who had rebelled against gods.
Dressed in black and red, Ritsuka stepped over the threshold of the Emiya Residence. War God Ares's belt appeared around her waist, while Divine Beast's Fur hung around her neck like a scarf.
Her boots made a series of faint sounds in the snow, easily missed without careful listening.
She cast basic suggestion magecraft on herself. That way, ordinary people would not notice her strange attire. Ritsuka headed in the direction of Fuyuki Bridge.
The Holy Grail War had only just begun, yet two people had already been eliminated, and she had obtained three Class Cards. Her next step was to search for more prey.
The New Capital was a high-tech modern district far more developed than Miyamachi, and its buildings were generally taller than those here.
With her excellent eyesight and a sufficiently elevated position, Ritsuka could even snipe any corner of Fuyuki City from its center at will. She could also casually unleash the firepower of a highest-ranked Anti-Fortress Noble Phantasm.
As she drew closer to the New Capital, Ritsuka suddenly heard news about last night's massive explosion that had destroyed Ryuudou Temple—
"Regarding last night's massive explosion, which destroyed Ryuudou Temple on Mt. Enzou."
"Following an investigation, it was discovered that a gas pipeline leak had affected gas pipelines near Mt. Enzou, causing a chain of explosions."
"For unknown reasons, fortunately, the monks of Ryuudou Temple were not in the temple last night, and there were no casualties."
"Behind this incident lies the severe consequences of the gas transportation company using inferior materials to pocket profits. We will continue to follow the investigation and await the results of their punishment..."
Gas leak. Gas explosion.
Sure, that was very Fuyuki!
If she remembered correctly, the official records had also brushed over the disasters caused by the previous two Holy Grail Wars as gas explosions.
Listening to the nonsense on the news, Ritsuka could not help raising a hand to scratch her head. Wasn't this just fooling idiots?
Still, ordinary people could not sense magical energy. Perhaps under the influence of the word "official," they would choose to believe the explanation. But those connected to magecraft certainly would not think so.
The Crystal Dice glowed, and Ritsuka took out a card from within—the Class Card of the Heroic Spirit EMIYA!
At the time, she had essentially used herself as a Holy Relic.
When she had instinctively felt that no one around her supported her choice anymore, Emiya Shirou (Archer), seated upon the Throne of Heroes, had responded to her through the Class Card.
Though she could not use Class Cards because of the Crystal Dice, and the power of Heroic Spirits could no longer be engraved upon her body, she had indirectly learned much information through EMIYA's Class Card. Her understanding of the world had improved by leaps and bounds.
In the distant future of this different world, a man named Emiya Shirou, approximately equivalent to her, had achieved the status of a Heroic Spirit.
A Counter Guardian who had made a contract with the World—the ideal form of justice Kiritsugu had pursued!
This was power that should have been used for all humanity...
"Sorry. This power can no longer be used to protect all humanity."
Emiya the Heroic Spirit was a guardian on humanity's side, and fighting for all humanity was his duty. Yet in this conflict, Julian Enzō was the one truly standing on humanity's side. She, on the other hand, was the villain who would endanger everyone.
Lowering her gaze to the clothing on her body, which resembled the attire shown on the card, Ritsuka raised a hand and pressed it against her chest.
She was gradually changing, becoming more like Alcides and EMIYA. She would achieve the status of a Heroic Spirit while still human, then burn herself out completely at the final moment of completion.
How could an ordinary mortal body possibly fully bear a Heroic Spirit's power?
"Will anyone be drawn here?"
A dozen seconds later, Ritsuka stood atop a building and fully released the aura of her Class Card while completely concealing herself.
Whether they were others holding Class Cards or Magi, they would sense this power. If they had the nerve, they would come straight to her.
Of course, even if no one came, Ritsuka would not find it surprising.
Most Magi were the cautious sort. Unless they had established a magic workshop and waited for someone to step into it, no fool would come looking to die.
Standing at the edge of the rooftop, Ritsuka held her breath and focused. Her Dual Clairvoyance operated at maximum capacity. If anyone looked at her now, she would definitely catch their gaze within twenty kilometers.
Suddenly, a gaze appeared in Fuyuki Park not far away.
The hooded young man's body trembled. He raised his head high and looked toward Ritsuka's position, unable to suppress the demonic aura around him.
This was someone holding a Class Card and already using it. The Heroic Spirit power he possessed came from a demonic Heroic Spirit.
"So... there really are idiots in this world." Ritsuka narrowed her eyes, staring at the hooded man below. "And this aura feels familiar. Another Greek one?"
There were certainly plenty of Greek figures.
Among those who had appeared before her so far, Beatrice, Erika, and the hooded man all possessed an aura that made the Alcides part within her feel very familiar.
The only difference was the density of their Divinity.
They were all beings connected to Greek gods, and one of them even felt like a god itself.
"Whew."
Letting out a soft breath, Ritsuka looked at the still-early sky. There were also quite a few pedestrians below, yet there was not the slightest hesitation in her eyes.
With a stomp, she leaped directly off the rooftop's edge. Her pale fingers drew the golden greatbow to its full extent, and she set an arrow coated in Hydra venom upon the string.
Surging magical energy swelled explosively in midair as she fired a probing arrow.
Boom—!!
The arrow detonated the atmosphere. The supersonic projectile crossed an exaggerated distance of over a hundred meters in an instant and landed inside Fuyuki Park.
Amid rumbling sounds, half the park was blasted into the air. The ground was completely overturned, and shattered earth and stone swept the hooded man away, hurling him brutally into the depths of the park.
No ordinary people had been caught in it. Ritsuka had confirmed in advance that no one was in the park before firing that probing arrow. After all, it was still early in the morning, long before students went to school, and only a few early-rising office workers hurried past.
Matching the gas leak news by the roadside, Ritsuka, having just landed, shouted, "Gas explosion!"
At once, all the onlookers vanished. Her suggestion magecraft took effect, and every ordinary person present fled in panic.
Putting away the greatbow, a long blade formed amid azure arcs of magical energy. Ritsuka projected a Demonic Blade of considerable quality, its tip pointing straight at the hooded man in the ruins, whose true appearance had been exposed.
He was at least 1.7 meters tall, with silver hair reaching his hips. He also wore strange cloth over his face, concealing his eyes.
His weapons were two chained swords—simple short swords connected by chains.
"I'll take it back... I'll take it back..."
The hooded man's strange muttering rang in her ears. Ritsuka frowned. The other side gave her the impression of someone deeply pitiful, but unfortunately, she had reasons she could not afford to lose.
Holding the Demonic Blade horizontally, Ritsuka charged forward.
The Petrifying Mystic Eyes
Beneath the tattered pullover was a man nearly driven mad. After his irrational muttering, he charged at Ritsuka like a lunatic.
The hooded man flung out the two short swords linked by chains. Their astonishing speed made Ritsuka even more wary. This man was no slower than her.
This was a contest of the highest rank of Agility.
Before you continue