I, Ritsuka, Siscon Grand Hero

Ritsuka didn't retreat, but instead advanced, the Demonic Blade in their hand slashing down from above.

The short sword clashed with the blade's tip, and the short sword, not a Noble Phantasm, was knocked flying. The hooded man's forward momentum was also halted by the slash, his body lowering slightly as Ritsuka kicked him in the stomach.

Cracks spread, kicking up gravel, and a single kick drew blood. The hooded man, whose physical strength wasn't even that outstanding with the Class Card's enhancement, began to bleed from the corner of his mouth.

In this initial exchange, the hooded man started to try and create distance. The chain short sword in his hand was used for restraint, its powerful strikes even cutting down the last remaining trees in the park in half.

After dodging backward slightly, Ritsuka held the Demonic Blade in their right hand and caught the half-severed tree trunk with their free left hand.

With a powerful throw, the thick tree trunk flew like a cannonball, the displaced air preceding it as it hurtled directly towards the hooded man. While wielding the chain short sword in a dense, impenetrable flurry, he leaped high into the air, attempting to evade this strike that could significantly affect his movement speed.

Seizing the opportunity when he had no leverage in mid-air, Ritsuka rapidly closed the distance, shouting, "Pluto's Hound!"

A pitch-black demonic beast emerged from the shadows, three hellhounds snarling as they lunged at the hooded man. At the same time, Ritsuka grasped an exquisite bronze arrow.

"Arrow of the Strange Bird!"

Hades' three-headed hellhound and War God Ares' bred bronze strange bird – two formidable beasts surrounded the hooded man from all sides.

Except for one hellhound, the arrow disintegrated in mid-air, spawning dozens of bronze strange birds.

A net of heavenly nets and earthly nets – the hooded man became slightly flustered. Countless bronze strange birds surrounded him in the air, launching attacks with their extremely sharp beaks and feathers, which shot out like arrows.

The chain short sword swung rapidly, deflecting many of the bronze arrows, but the hooded man was still struck by a few.

Taking advantage of the moment he was about to land and hadn't stabilized himself, the three-headed dog pounced fiercely, accurately striking his waist from the blind spot behind him.

"——Ugh!"

Bitten by the three-headed dog, the intense pain caused the hooded man to reveal his trump card. He laboriously tore off the blindfold over his eyes, exposing a pair of bizarre eyes to the air. Everything within his gaze underwent a dramatic change!

In an instant, the bronze strange birds and the hellhounds all turned to stone, and a corner of the park was no exception.

"As expected, Heroic Spirits all have a trump card capable of turning the tide of battle. Your trump card... is a petrifying Mystic Eye."

"Goddess Medusa, or Gorgon Serpent?"

The petrifying Mystic Eye was powerful, the top-tier Rainbow Mystic Eyes among magic eye magecraft.

Ritsuka couldn't be sure if they would be petrified when stared at by those eyes, but fortunately, this method had been successfully forced out, and valuable time had been gained.

Everything within sight turned to stone, demonstrating the formidable power of the Mystic Eyes. As the hooded man looked down at the three-headed dog biting him, Ritsuka attacked from the side, precisely seizing the fleeting opportunity.

The Demonic Blade slashed upward from below, and Ritsuka's other hand formed a grip, another katana appearing in their hand. The two blades struck in succession.

One cut severed a hand, the other slit the throat, and blood began to pour from the hooded man's neck.

In just a few seconds, Ritsuka had landed over a dozen strikes. The Dual Hundred-Beast Slayer had all hit vital points, directly killing the hooded man on the spot, even severing his chain short sword used for defense.

Face, forehead, eyes, throat, shoulder, arm, leg, groin...

Unsure whether the opponent was using the power of Goddess Medusa or Gorgon Serpent, Ritsuka simply treated them as human, targeting vulnerable points with precise slashes.

Severely wounded, the hooded man collapsed to the ground, unable to move even an inch.

Unless they possessed Immortality like Ritsuka, they wouldn't be able to recover their mobility anytime soon.

"You..."

The hooded man's eyes were ruined, blood streaming down from his eye sockets. Ritsuka shattered the katana, which had been petrified by the strike against the Mystic Eyes, then backhanded the Demonic Blade into his chest.

Thwack—!

His body trembled violently, and the hooded man collapsed on the ground. Suddenly, as if regaining his senses, he slowly opened his blood-soaked mouth—

"Cough...! That form... you... what is that Heroic Spirit's name?"

"..."

Ritsuka remained silent, choosing not to answer the question.

The Demonic Blade dissipated into mana and slowly drifted away. The hooded man fell completely silent, the enemy dealt with cleanly and efficiently.

Ritsuka stepped forward a few paces, preparing to retrieve the card.

The next moment, they froze. "Puppet?"

Lying in the center of the ruins, a strange smoke rose from the dead hooded man's body, and he transformed into a puppet, the Class Card silently attached to it.

Ritsuka quickly moved forward, looking at the puppet on the ground, their brow furrowed tightly.

"——So that's what Replacement Magic is."

Besides having a monstrous effect of controlling space to a certain extent, it could even transfer the personality and soul of a deceased person to a puppet, allowing this individual, who bore the same name as the original, to act again.

This was Replacement Magic, and Ritsuka's mood soured at that moment.

What were the conditions for using Replacement Magic on a puppet?

Would people close to them be turned into puppets by Replacement Magic?

Ritsuka had likely guessed some of the answers in their heart. They silently collected the card and turned to walk out of the park.

The moment the self-hypnotic illusion was dispelled, Sakura was not far from withering. At that time, she had asked Sakura the reason for her injury, but Sakura hadn't answered directly.

Instead, she shook her head helplessly and said, "Brother is already dead."

"Shinji..."

My deceased father, my kidnapped sister, my junior who faded in my arms, my friend turned into a puppet—Enzō took everything from her.

At some point, I was alone.

"Hello, excuse me, do you know how to get to Miyamachi?"

A voice from an elderly person reached my ears. Ritsuka, who had been lost in thought, jolted and instantly became alert.

She now possessed the full power of two Servants, double Clairvoyance·True, and was covered in suggestion Magecraft to deal with ordinary people. Yet, someone had managed to approach her from behind without her noticing.

Turning around, Ritsuka saw an old man with a smiling face.

He had gray hair and red eyes, wore a dark robe, and held a sword that was utterly unbelievable, made entirely of jewels.

He exuded no presence at all, looking like an ordinary wealthy man, an elderly person with an outstanding aura compared to the average person, giving off a collector's vibe.

"Elderly sir, what can I do for you?" Ritsuka asked.

This old man was definitely not ordinary. How could an ordinary person get so close to her so easily, as if they weren't even afraid of Clairvoyance?

Moreover, she had a gut feeling that this person was dangerous.

"I've just arrived in Fuyuki City and I'm here to find someone. Could you please point me in the right direction, young lady?"

Frowning slightly, Ritsuka knew the person before her was unusual. However, she adhered to the principle of not getting involved in unnecessary trouble and pointed him in the direction.

Besides, this potentially powerful individual seemed to have no ill intentions towards her, so she didn't have any other thoughts.

It was more important to hurry and find the next opponent.

"Thank you, young lady... Oh, right, my name is Kishiya Zelretch Shuvain Oug. If you ever have the chance to visit London, you can mention my name."

The old man left. Listening to his introduction, he sounded like a kind London millionaire. Ritsuka pondered for a moment but didn't linger.

Watching Ritsuka depart, the old man abruptly vanished from his spot.

Chapter 39: Fierce Battle at the Docks

Ritsuka didn't pay much attention to the strange old man. He might be powerful, but he had no ill will towards her.

Her current priority was to win the Holy Grail War and then find a way to utilize the power of the Divine Child that might awaken within Miyu to make a wish.

Miyu herself was equivalent to the Holy Grail, capable of granting any wish indiscriminately. If that was the case, then such a wish could also be granted: to restart this regrettable and sorrowful world.

If she succeeded, Sakura would also be resurrected in another way...

"This should be it."

Standing on the rooftop of a building at the edge of the port, Ritsuka looked towards the loading dock a hundred meters away, a hint of reminiscence appearing in her eyes.

She remembered that she and Kiritsugu had landed in Fuyuki from here, beginning a new chapter in her life. Unfortunately, they had arrived in Fuyuki a bit early, and being tired and somewhat sleepy, she hadn't had the chance to observe the scenery. Now, looking at it, the sea was still beautiful.

She still owed Miyu a promise by the sea.

"—Lancer."

From a not-too-great distance, Ritsuka spotted the lemon-haired figure standing on a shipping container.

The crimson demonic spear was slung over his shoulder, and a murky liquid coiled around the golden-haired man's arm, exuding a beastly killing intent.

It was the man's arrogant aura that Ritsuka had sensed, leading her to head straight here. This guy had actively released his aura to invite her after sensing the presence of the Archer Class Card.

A barrier formed by magic. Even though it was the time for unloading at the docks, not a single worker could be seen.

"Magecraft to dispel ordinary people?"

Ritsuka narrowed her eyes, a faint blue glow flashing within them. She was quite interested in this barrier. If it hadn't been so early in the morning with few people around, and if she hadn't used suggestion Magecraft, she wouldn't have acted so decisively during her previous fight with that hooded Rider.

She wasn't a bloodthirsty butcher. It was better to be careful if she could avoid harming innocent people.

Therefore, she had developed an interest in this magical barrier. If she had the chance, she would like to learn it.

Without approaching the person wielding the Lancer Class Card, Ritsuka lowered her gaze slightly. The Bow of the Hydra was already raised, instantly locking onto the lemon-haired figure—

"Hundred-Beast Slayer (Nine Lives)!"

As a divine skill that could be called a style, Ritsuka did not use Pseudo-Spiral Sword this time, nor did she use arrows coated with snake venom. Instead, she drew the bowstring to its fullest and used a Noble Phantasm variation achievable with a bow as her weapon.

Nine city-destroying beams of light roared out. The ground beneath Ritsuka's feet cracked, and the surrounding air exploded.

A chaotic aura, a mixture of black and crimson, like a demonic serpent, surged towards the docks. The golden-haired, lemon-haired man, who had already noticed Ritsuka, smirked.

"Boil, My Blood (Fervor, mei Sanguis)!"

The chaotic silver liquid substance began to churn at the lemon-haired man's command, enveloping half of his body, causing him to become bloated.

With a stomp of his foot, he vanished from his spot. The man in the blue bodysuit rushed out of the docks, his gaze fixed on the nine beams of light in the sky. He dodged left and right with exaggerated speed, using the condensed mercury to strike the ground for leverage and leap.

A deafening roar blew away a corner of the docks, and countless shipping containers exploded. For a moment, a nuclear-blast-like scene engulfed the entire dock.

Rolling flames and gushing heatwaves obscured the man's figure. After drawing her bow, Ritsuka did not wait idly. It was clearly impossible to defeat a high-agility Lancer so easily.

While retreating to the rooftop behind her, she continuously drew her bow, firing dozens of arrows through the smoke.

"Wh...?!"

Ritsuka let out a gasp of astonishment.

All the arrows missed their mark. The divine-level, terrifying archery was successfully dodged. Mercury enveloped Ritsuka's body as they charged out of the explosion, a golden-haired lemon-like being. With a crimson demonic spear, they deflected several of the sure-to-hit arrows.

Realizing that ordinary arrows had little effect on the opponent, Ritsuka stopped abruptly, lowering their body while holding the bow in their left hand.

Clang—!

The man, who had leaped slightly, slammed his demonic spear downwards. The projected pseudo-Spiral Sword met it instantly, the clash of metal ringing sharply.

Closing the distance, Ritsuka delivered a side kick to the demonic spear. Amidst the roaring sound, they forcibly pushed their opponent back, then nocked an arrow and fired a single, incredibly powerful shot.

Fantasy Collapse!

The arrow landed on a rooftop, and the resulting explosion engulfed the man standing there, burying him in smoke and dust. A rising fireball consumed the entire building from the bottom up, and the shockwave carved several large craters into the ground.

Suddenly, a viscous liquid spewed from the smoke and dust, mercury spreading towards Ritsuka's feet.

"Tsk."

Ritsuka clicked their tongue and jumped back.

The opponent was troublesome. Their attacks, whether the light cannons that started at at least High-Tier Anti-City Noble Phantasms, or the arrows fired at close range, were ineffective. The opponent's strength was not much weaker than theirs.

Significantly stronger than the Caster and Rider encountered previously.

A crimson spear aura followed like a shadow. Ritsuka quickly turned their head away, the demonic spear grazing their face and drawing a trickle of blood.

"...Hahahahaha!"

As if sensing the taste of blood, the lemon-headed man burst into wild laughter, wielding his demonic spear with exceptional skill.

Feint, thrust, smash, whip... the man unleashed countless spear flourishes, attempting to continuously suppress Ritsuka, whose gaze slowly sharpened.