I, Ritsuka, Siscon Grand Hero

Unexpectedly, the small figure charged forward instead of retreating, preparing to rush headlong into the Origin Bullet.

Kiritsugu frowned slightly, sensing something was wrong. He used both sword and gun, along with his trump card, the Origin Bullet. With Reinforcement Magic covering his feet and lower legs, he dodged the sweeping arm and then kicked out at the opponent's head.

Bang—!!

The sound of air exploding startled Kiritsugu. The opponent's strength exceeded his expectations; his surprise kick was completely ineffective.

"Yaaah!"

A sharp cry came from under the cloak. It was clearly a little girl who leaped high into the air and stomped down with unnatural strength, creating a large crater in the ground.

Kiritsugu, unable to dodge in time, was sent flying by the kicked-up debris and shockwave...

Kiritsugu was repelled by an unknown, powerful girl. Judging by her height, the figure hidden under the cloak couldn't be older than six. Her strength astonished Ritsuka.

Is this world full of hidden talents?

Taking a deep breath, Ritsuka followed his body's instincts. He clasped his hands together, and azure electricity erupted.

A pair of black and white twin blades materialized and were then thrown fiercely, spinning towards the unknown person behind the Divine Child girl. With empty hands, Ritsuka clenched them again, projecting the pair of twin blades once more as the Magic Circuits on his cheeks lit up.

[Crane Wing, Ketsuraku Fu]

[Mind Skill, Taizan Shi]

Enduring the slight stinging pain in his body, Ritsuka rushed to the side of the old mansion. At this moment, the dodged Gan Jiang Mo Ye had already flown back, striking the mysterious person from behind like two arcs of light.

Ritsuka immediately threw his weapons in a coordinated manner, then leaped forward. Surrounded by the surprise Origin Bullets, the mysterious person, who seemed to lack combat experience, became flustered.

Kiritsugu's ability to provide support even when facing a strong enemy was truly formidable.

Without further hesitation, even though this opponent appeared to be a girl of similar age to himself, the killing intent emanating from her was undeniable. The two sides, likely in opposition, harbored absolute murderous intent towards each other from the start.

For the sake of the Divine Child!

The blade turned, and Ritsuka's eyes widened—

[Mind Skill, Yellow River Crossing]

[Unique Name, Bettenna]

The Origin Bullet failed to hit its target. Suddenly, glass-like layers appeared in front of the person hiding in the shadows, deflecting all the bullets. However, four Gan Jiang Mo Ye were already approaching, aiming for the mysterious person's head from four directions.

With one arm, Ritsuka scooped up the girl who was being attacked and gently pushed her back. Simultaneously, he condensed another pair of Gan Jiang Mo Ye in his hands.

Stepping forward, Ritsuka's eyes were now tinged with a strange color, and his strength and speed were pushed to the safe limit of his current body. He swung the twin blades down, aiming at the mysterious person's exposed form.

[Two Heroes, Shared Fate Separation]

A great crisis loomed over the concealed person. The sharp blade light tore through her disguise, revealing a girl with golden twin tails who appeared in Ritsuka's sight. The Gan Jiang Mo Ye then pierced through.

As they passed, the golden-haired girl glanced at Ritsuka, her entire body enveloped in glass-like layers, and then she vanished.

From a normal perspective, it looked as if the person had truly been cut in half by the twin blades...

However, Ritsuka was certain that his opponent had not been injured but had used an ability similar to spatial transference to evade an attack that most opponents couldn't dodge. He wondered where she had gone.

!!

Startled, the Clairvoyance ability he had just awakened issued a warning. Ritsuka quickly lowered his body as a sharp blade sliced past his head.

Holding Miyu with one hand, the golden-haired, twin-tailed girl with a cold expression on her face unhesitatingly thrust her sword towards Ritsuka. Although her movements were awkward, clearly indicating she wasn't used to using a sword as a weapon.

He blocked the thrust with his right hand holding Mo Ye, and a strand of Ritsuka's hair was severed, drawing a few drops of blood.

Warm blood dripped onto Miyu Sakutsuki's face. For the first time, a ripple appeared in her usually placid eyes. Her lifeless gaze gradually brightened, like a startled small animal, finally stirring a hint of curiosity and fear of the outside world in her heart.

Ritsuka pursed his lips slightly—

"Ngh."

The azure Magic Circuits on his body squeezed out mana. Ritsuka slashed back with his sword, cutting the golden-haired, twin-tailed girl's fingers. The pain caused her to drop the sword she had been pointing at Ritsuka.

Six Gan Jiang Mo Ye were thrown out without hesitation. Ritsuka, advancing decisively, snatched the hostage back, then immediately accelerated backward, his eyes narrowing as he activated a move that could change the tide of battle.

"Illusion... Collapse!"

The air suddenly fell silent, and then the six projected Noble Phantasms lit up, erupting in a massive explosion.

Dust flew, and flames engulfed half the mansion, collapsing it. Ritsuka, shielding the little girl, was also caught in the blast, his body lifted slightly.

"...Nnngh."

The attack missed. The golden-haired, twin-tailed girl was enveloped in mirror-like magical effects. As the girl and her weapon vanished into the air, Ritsuka tumbled towards the large crater behind the old mansion, disappearing into it.

Not far away, Kiritsugu, who had just taken out his shotgun to continue fighting, was stunned. He abandoned the little girl who was pestering him and chased after Ritsuka.

Lying on his back in the large crater, Ritsuka's face was pale, and he couldn't even lift his hand. He had gotten too carried away, and his mana was depleted. The backlash from the Magic Circuits left him on the verge of fainting.

PS: To avoid it feeling abrupt, I'll mention it.

Ritsuka's 'sudden' and 'significant' increase in strength, as stated in the previous chapter's title, is related to a miracle named 'Sakutsuki' and is also linked to Ritsuka's special circumstances. It is the product of the combination of two people's abilities.

Section 11 Chapter 11 Miyu Sakutsuki

—Miyu Sakutsuki.

A child just over five years old, a divine infant.

The Divine Child, who has secretly passed down the Sakutsuki clan's secrets to this day. Sakutsuki Miyu is the descendant of this generation's Sakutsuki.

A barrier was set up within the house, and even childbirth and child-rearing were completed inside. Only when the Divine Child completely lost her powers at the age of six was she able to escape her isolation from the world.

The Sakutsuki family's power, that is, 'indiscriminately realizing people's wishes,' is a miracle comparable to the Cauldron of All Creation.

The barrier can shield the thoughts carrying people's innermost desires, thus ensuring the Sakutsuki clan's power is not misused. The mother, under strict information control, was responsible for raising the Sakutsuki children until they turned six.

Six years is enough time for the Divine Child to shed her divine aura and become an ordinary child of humankind.

What did the adults of the Sakutsuki clan do with such immense power?

They made the wishes that parents should have—

The light falling on her face was a bit too harsh. Ritsuka slowly opened her eyes. Something slightly damp on her forehead made her head feel heavy; it was cool and quite comfortable.

Looking around, the place she was lying in was clearly not the ruins of the Sakutsuki home from before. The familiar ceiling came into view.

She was back at the Emiya Residence.

"What happened to me?" Feeling a bit thirsty, Ritsuka licked her dry lips and struggled to get up.

Ouch, ouch, ouch... so painful!

She wailed inwardly, feeling pain all over her body, even her face. She almost rolled on the ground, her eyes rolling back, completely unable to stay calm.

With a thump, the sound of a book closing came from beside her. Kiritsugu, holding the Sakutsuki family's ancient texts, walked over. "Don't move around."

"You used your Magic Circuits too violently, causing severe damage to your body. It's a miracle you didn't die on the spot."

With almost no understanding of healing magecraft, Kiritsugu could only use the most basic healing magecraft to alleviate Ritsuka's pain, waiting by her side for her to recover on her own. Overdrawing Magic Circuits is no simple matter.

Fortunately, Ritsuka pulled through. Her Magic Circuits, as a first-generation magus, were also exceptional.

Kiritsugu sat down on the floor and poked the bandage on Ritsuka's cheek with his finger. Due to overusing the magic in her body, Ritsuka had been severely injured by the backlash. The bandages were all applied by him casually.

After all, besides him, the only adult here, if he wanted to ask the other little one for help, she seemed unable to understand him.

"Don't touch! ...I'll wipe, wipe, wipe, wipe, wipe..."

Awooo—!!

Ritsuka, whose cheek was 'accidentally' poked hard, felt an incredibly sharp pain and couldn't help but open her mouth and bite at Kiritsugu's annoying finger. Her sharp canine teeth showed no mercy to Uncle Kiritsugu, exhibiting a 'fast, accurate, and ruthless' attack.

Incidentally, even though her Magic Circuits were in extreme pain, Ritsuka still applied a Reinforcement Magic buff to her teeth...

For a moment, the room was filled with the sounds of a large and a small person hurting each other as they rolled around. Kiritsugu's finger was bitten until it bled.

Ritsuka showed a triumphant smile, baring her sharp little canine teeth.

You want to bully me while I'm injured? No way!

—Ah, my face hurts when I smile!

'When will my body recover?' Ritsuka closed her eyes, lying quietly on the futon, like a salted fish.

In the room, Kiritsugu was burning the midnight oil, poring over the ancient texts found in the Sakutsuki home, analyzing the mysteries belonging to the Sakutsuki clan. The sky outside had already turned dark.

Sniffle.

Ritsuka suddenly felt her nose tickle. She opened her eyes and looked at the field of vision before her. Miyu, whom she and Kiritsugu had found and rescued from the Sakutsuki ruins, was using a feather to tickle the tip of her nose.

Abruptly, as if hearing something, Miyu paused slightly, and the feather in her hand fell to the ground.

"You guys..."

Kiritsugu was stunned by the terrifying wave of magical energy that erupted, enveloping the small room. Pure white, sacred light blew Kiritsugu and everything around him away, leaving only the 'salted fish' Ritsuka lying in front of Miyu.

That was Miyu's power, the power of the surname Sakutsuki, the power to indiscriminately fulfill all wishes.

"Miyu?"

Ritsuka's eyes widened. She felt warm all over, and her body no longer hurt at all, as if all her injuries had been miraculously healed in an instant.

—'When will my body recover?'

She seemed to have made such a complaint in her heart...

"A miracle, this is undoubtedly a miracle, a miracle named Sakutsuki, named Miyu."

Her body went limp, and Miyu, who looked exhausted, leaned towards Ritsuka. Kiritsugu, lying on his back not far away, also hurried to get up and run over.

Manually breaking free from the hastily tied bandages on her arms, Ritsuka, with her arms outstretched, caught Miyu, who had inexplicably fallen asleep after performing the miracle. The little one fell directly into her arms, wrapping her arms around her neck and hanging onto her like a koala.

Kiritsugu walked over and sat on the floor beside Ritsuka, just like her. The two of them silently looked at Miyu, the little girl who had fallen asleep.

"Kiritsugu, I think I've figured out how to make wishes now."

Ritsuka's tone was somewhat complex. She used her hand to support Miyu's body, which could slide off at any moment, letting her lean completely relaxed against her. Her gaze was fixed on Kiritsugu's face.

The book Kiritsugu had been reading was an ancient text left behind by the Sakutsuki family. Kiritsugu's goal was to find a way to make wishes.

It turned out to be revealed in such a coincidental manner.

Kiritsugu, with a cigarette dangling from his lips as if by habit, gazed blankly, a hint of hesitation in his eyes. He, who was accustomed to weighing all of humanity on a scale, had found himself hesitating twice in the span of a single day…

"There's still a month left. I will be the one to wield this power…"

Finally making up his mind, the old man, on the verge of retirement, looked somewhat frail. He stood up to leave the room, his retreating back carrying a sense of melancholy.

Perhaps he wouldn't be understood. After all, he and Ritsuka were completely different people. His goal was to save the world (everyone), while Ritsuka's gaze was always fixed solely on the person in front of them.

"I will save humanity, right here."

"We have one month left."

Kiritsugu's voice gradually faded, leaving only a faint echo, as if informing her that Miyu's life as a human had at most one month remaining.

With a sigh, Ritsuka's left hand clenched, and a black short sword materialized in her grasp.

Gan Jiang Mo Ye, a famous sword passed down in China.

These twin swords, one male and one female, based on Yin and Yang derived from Onmyōdō. The black one is the Yang sword, Gan Jiang, and the white one is the Yin sword, Mo Ye. They are close-combat weapons that Emiya the Heroic Spirit most favored projecting as an Archer.

At least, her body's instincts told her so.

Though she didn't quite understand what an Archer was…

With a synchronization rate already at 30%, she could now wield a projection Magecraft that had been significantly weakened. She could project this armament most frequently used by Emiya the Heroic Spirit, though the downside was a rather large mana consumption.

"Well, why isn't it a longer weapon? I don't really like this."

It was just too short. She felt like she might not be able to reach an enemy in a fight, which would be rather comical. It was only a tiny bit longer than the daggers she usually used.

Shrugging, Ritsuka dissolved the black sword Gan Jiang in her hand back into mana, waving her hand to scatter it.

Putting all her strength into her arms, Ritsuka scooped Miyu up. While marveling at how light Miyu's body was, Ritsuka walked towards her own room.