I, Ritsuka, Siscon Grand Hero

With complete focus, Ritsuka prepared a table full of dishes before it got completely dark, serving them to the dining table. There were many dishes, but each portion was small to avoid waste.

After arranging them according to table etiquette, Ritsuka washed their hands and sat down with Kiritsugu, placing their hands together. "I'm starting."

The sumptuous dinner whetted their appetites. Kiritsugu and Ritsuka, who had been drifting around the world for a long time, began to eat. Although their movements appeared refined and their etiquette impeccable, their eating speed was somewhat exaggerated.

Sauced Kichiji fish, sushi, hamburger steak, pan-fried dumplings, and pork soup—the food disappeared at a visible rate.

Of course, after one person finished the entire sauced Kichiji fish, Uncle Kiritsugu's expression became somewhat unnatural.

The morning breeze brushed against their cheeks, and gentle sunlight streamed onto the road. A car drove along a wide road, with Ritsuka, who had opened the car window, enjoying the relatively pleasant early morning.

Yesterday, after the housewarming celebration and a delicious dinner, Ritsuka had gone to bed early at Kiritsugu's request.

After all, today was the day to investigate the Tsukishiro family, so even though they had just moved, they couldn't sleep in. Ritsuka, who went to bed and woke up early, got up early, cleaned the house, and set off with Kiritsugu.

Taking out a Pocky stick and putting it in their mouth, Ritsuka glanced at Kiritsugu, who was focused on driving, and mumbled, "Kiritsugu, how much longer until we get to the Tsukishiro family?"

"Soon, about ten more minutes."

Kiritsugu, also with a Pocky stick in his mouth, adjusted his sunglasses.

Actually, he personally wanted to smoke a cigarette. He could just roll down the window, smoke it, and throw it out. But it had been confiscated just now, with Ritsuka lecturing him severely about it being harmful to health and littering being shameful.

Perhaps as revenge for not answering his question about the Matou family last night, he didn't give a reply. He personally didn't want Ritsuka to get involved in the Matou family's mess.

Besides, he didn't know much himself, mostly just hearsay, so it wasn't appropriate to just blurt it out...

The car sped along the road. Ritsuka, lost in thought, gradually began to see towns in the distance. This was a rural area still within Fuyuki City, appearing much more backward than Miyamachi.

The mysterious Tsukishiro clan hid here. They had a long history but little public mystery, seeming like a completely ordinary family. However, numerous doubts had drawn suspicion to them, and it was here that Kiritsugu's last resort would be revealed to be useful or not.

"Ah... what, what is that?!"

Kiritsugu suddenly exclaimed in shock, followed by the screech of the car's brakes. Ritsuka, restrained by the seatbelt, was dazed and almost hit their head on the edge of the car window.

The car stopped abruptly at an angle on the roadside, the tires emitting a piercing screech against the asphalt, causing Ritsuka to instinctively cover their ears.

"Kiritsugu, what are you doing?"

Ritsuka bit off the Pocky stick, almost hitting their head, and complained. Then, they looked up and saw an unimaginable sight.

A swirling mass of black soil formed a semicircle upside down on the ground. Anything it touched was swept into it. Houses shattered in a violent tearing motion, cars floated as if weightless, and pedestrians nearby vanished in an instant.

Leaving the car, Ritsuka faced a steep downhill slope, their eyes wide with disbelief as they looked at the hellish scene not far away.

Was that hell before them?

Chapter 9: A Miracle Called 'Tsukishiro'

A slight throbbing pain in their head, a vision of flames engulfing their surroundings flashed before their eyes. A chill ran down Ritsuka's spine, and their body went weak, almost collapsing to their knees. They quickly leaned against the car.

"Hoo, hoo, hoo... What was that?!"

Panting heavily, Ritsuka's forehead and cheeks were covered in cold sweat.

Kiritsugu's eyes widened as he questioned the air, "What's happening...?"

"This phenomenon is beyond human capabilities."

Everything was swept up and torn apart before that thing. The black mud tornado, like a concentration of malice, made Ritsuka dizzy just by looking at it, and a feeling of nausea surged up.

Kiritsugu quickly rushed to the other side of the car to support Ritsuka and led them back inside, preparing to drive away and escape the immense disaster.

Faced with this unknown danger, he had betrayed his justice; there was nothing he could do but flee...

"Kiritsugu..."

Ritsuka felt inexplicably unwell, their face slightly pale. Kiritsugu helped them fasten their seatbelt.

In the chaos, Ritsuka closed their eyes, which felt inexplicably sore for some reason.

The storm of black mud wantonly ravaged the rural town before them. Ritsuka, their face a little pale, clutched their forehead and collapsed onto the passenger seat, panting heavily, their body feeling feverish.

"Kiritsugu..."

The car turned around to leave. Ritsuka's gaze shifted slightly, looking at Kiritsugu, who had chosen to flee.

Kiritsugu should have known what that thing was. It had awakened an unknown fear in Kiritsugu's heart, a substance that likely haunted him like a nightmare.

This inaction and abandonment showed that Kiritsugu truly no longer wanted to be a 'hero of justice.' This somewhat hollow ideal had been shattered by reality, by the fact that Ritsuka's importance to Kiritsugu was extremely high.

After all, the town was beyond saving. If he were to endanger the people beside him for some vague possibility, Kiritsugu, who had already abandoned justice, would never forgive himself.

The 'hero of justice' had run away.

As the car turned and began its escape, Kiritsugu's gaze, etched with a grim expression, did not notice the faint blue patterns appearing on Ritsuka's left cheek.

Left cheek—collarbone—ribs. Something like a pulse was awakening. As their body temperature rose, their blood began to boil. In Ritsuka's narrowed eyes, the magic surging to the corners of their eyes revealed a sinister hue.

The dim colors flickered in their eyes. Ritsuka pursed their lips and managed to speak with difficulty, "No... Kiritsugu... don't just abandon the people you can save right in front of you..."

She wasn't a saint, just someone who couldn't bear to abandon those crying out for help before her. The countless cries for help flooded her ears, and immense sorrow struck her soul—

'Someone, please save us...'

"What in the world was that?!"

"I don't want to die yet!"

"God, please save us!"

[Emiya Shirou (Archer)]

[Bond Level 15%]

The wind and snow blurred my vision. Countless sword mounds stood before me in a colorless, lonely, and frigid world...

One illusory scene after another, countless phenomena assaulted Ritsuka's consciousness, and everything before their eyes began to blur.

Just as Ritsuka was being overwhelmed by the illusions, a holy light blinded them.

The surging light swallowed the black mud entirely. The black mud, like a concentrated mass of malice, writhed and tried to break free, but was ultimately suppressed by a divine majesty and vanished from sight.

It was something sacred and pure, dispelling the darkness and protecting those who should have fallen into the abyss.

Ritsuka's head snapped back, and they gasped for air, completely bewildered, like someone delirious from a fever of 40°C.

What had they just seen?

The sound of a car door closing and footsteps echoed from the side. Kiritsugu got out of the car once his vision cleared, staring in shock at the receding divine spectacle.

Recovering his senses, he hurried to check on Ritsuka, "Are you alright?!"

"I'm okay, just a little strange."

The vision disappeared when their eyes were closed again, as if it had never happened. The ice and snow had all melted, but they had definitely seen, and even seemed to understand, something just now.

This was truly a baffling situation, Ritsuka grumbled inwardly.

Back in the car, Kiritsugu drove towards the town, but the road was blocked by people fleeing from the area, slowing their progress to a crawl.

The sky was a heavy gray, and the layers of dark clouds made the air feel oppressive. Kiritsugu, feeling a bit agitated, pulled out a cigarette and lit it. This time, Ritsuka didn't say anything about it being bad for his health.

Kiritsugu needed to calm down. So much had happened in such a short time that the man who fought for justice hadn't yet sorted everything out.

Ritsuka also needed to think calmly.

"A town not far from Miyamachi—the Tsukishiro family... Kiritsugu, I think we need to hurry."

Ritsuka pulled out a notebook from their pocket and tossed it to Kiritsugu, who was smoking, and then opened the car door and jumped out again.

Kiritsugu moved to shield Ritsuka, and they pushed against the flow of people, making their way through more than half the town to a bamboo forest that was out of place with the town's atmosphere.

Gasping for breath after their mad dash, Ritsuka grabbed Kiritsugu's coat hem and looked ahead at the giant crater formed by the black mud storm, and the ruined ancient mansion by its edge. Only half of the house remained, not yet swallowed by the strange black substance.

"That's..."

Kiritsugu stopped in his tracks, his eyes filled with shock. The extraordinary mystery before him made him hesitant to approach, and his body screamed in protest.

The Divine Child!

A small girl sat in the half-collapsed house, gazing at a toy in her hands with an inorganic, clear-eyed stare, as if everything happening outside was irrelevant to her. The atmosphere of isolation was separated by the boundary between the ruins and the house, existing only within that small dwelling.

As if sensing the arrival of outsiders, the little girl finally looked up, her gaze falling on Ritsuka's direction. For a moment, their eyes met.

Ritsuka's heart trembled for some reason. That sacred, faint majesty almost crushed them, but thankfully, as their eyes met, the magic within Ritsuka's body began to resist, preventing them from falling to their knees with astonishing willpower.

The little girl, who had just indiscriminately granted people's wishes to live, was enveloped in a terrifyingly eerie aura.

"Kiritsugu, is that the 'Divine Child'?"

Ritsuka clicked their tongue slightly and looked at Uncle Kiritsugu, who was blocking their path. That divine aura had gradually disappeared, for reasons unknown.

In response to Ritsuka's question, with the facts laid bare, a flicker of anticipation flashed in Kiritsugu's eyes. "That's right. She's the one who cleared away that irresistible black mud. She probably granted the wishes of the townspeople."

"The torrent of black mud swallowed the Tsukishiro clan's barrier. Countless wishes surged towards the Divine Child all at once. Because they were facing a crisis that could lead to countless deaths, everyone's wishes were probably the same."

Kiritsugu exhaled deeply, a smile forming on his lips. "Help me, the wishes people made to the Divine Child were all to survive."

"The power to grant people's wishes indiscriminately. Truly worthy of being called the Divine Child."

Gazing from afar, Ritsuka met the gaze of the fearless girl. The little girl with black hair and red eyes seemed curious about them, but made no move, simply watching quietly.

Crack—!

A cracking sound rang out, and Ritsuka's eyes widened.

The remaining half of the room, with a deep, vast pit behind it, had its supporting pillars starting to crumble. The entire room was on the verge of collapse.

Kiritsugu was still lost in the excitement of finding the supernatural, but Ritsuka instinctively rushed forward. Runes of reinforcement magic wrapped around their legs, and in an instant, they erupted with astonishing speed, unfitting for their age.

"Careful, Ritsuka!"

Swiftly pulling out a Mystic Code and gripping his gun, Kiritsugu decisively fired at Ritsuka's retreating figure. Several bullets whizzed past them.

A black, humanoid shadow appeared behind the little girl. Its raised arm held something, and a cold glint flashed...

Chapter 10: Mirror Effect Magic

The Origin Bullet whizzed out, grazing Ritsuka as it flew towards the figure stealthily attacking the little girl, knocking the object from its hand.

Ritsuka sensed the presence of others and pushed off the ground, fully amplifying her body with reinforcement magic.

Seeing the oblivious little girl, Ritsuka shouted directly, "Get down!!"

The Crystal Dice materialized and floated beside Ritsuka, while a strange energy surged into her body. She raised her head in astonishment and met the Divine Child's gaze.

It was that little girl... what did she just do?

[Emiya Shirou (Archer)]

[Synchronization Value: 30%]

Kiritsugu was faster than Ritsuka. After all, he was a battle-hardened magus killer. Upon sensing the presence of a suspected magus, he became instantly wary.

"Time Control: Quadruple Speed!"

Under the "without hesitation" of quadruple speed, Kiritsugu also rushed to the side of the half-collapsed residence, but his pupils contracted slightly.

A black shadow entered his vision. A small figure clad in a hooded cloak approached from the side with such speed that even Kiritsugu, who was using quadruple speed, couldn't help but be surprised.

Gritting his teeth, Kiritsugu decisively activated his current limit of six times speed, significantly boosting his own velocity.

He drew a short sword from his waist with his left hand, reinforcement magic runes covering it. Kiritsugu first leaped back to dodge the unknown individual's sneak attack, then slashed out with his sword towards the opponent's arm.

The blade tore through clothing, but upon contact with the arm, it emitted a metallic clang, like metal hitting metal. The small figure swung its arm violently, and immense strength sent Kiritsugu flying. Kiritsugu could only use a technique to redirect the force to avoid injury.

Temporarily repelled, Kiritsugu wasn't too flustered. He aimed his gun with his left hand and fired at the small figure. The Origin Bullet, specialized against magi, shot out.