Holy Grail War

Don't screw it up at the critical moment!

Kagome covered her face.

No...

There must be another reason...

Maybe Mr. Luo's competitors tampered with things, giving him a cognitive disorder.

The girl silently prayed in her heart.

[An instant later, a leisurely background BGM played, filled with a sense of sanctity.]

[The Hagoromo Boy's expression was calm. His fair right hand extended forward, and drops of silver liquid brimming with magic fell, seeping into the mysterious summoning array.]

[Countless motes of magic transformed into deep blue light sources, drifting out like fireflies under the night sky.]

[Luo Shu's lips moved slightly as he calmly chanted the profound, ethereal incantation.]

["The foundation is silver and iron."]

["The basis is stone and the great duke of the covenant."]

["The ancestor is my great teacher... Schweinorg!"]

["The gates open, all four directions are sealed."]

["From the crown forth, at the crossroads leading to the kingdom, cycle and serve!"]

[A dazzling green light surged from the ground, forming an eight-pointed star magic array.]

[The atmosphere was dim and deathly still, with only the spine-chilling prayer audible.]

[The silver liquid in his hand kept dripping, becoming the source of the magical ritual.]

["Fill, fill, fill, fill, fill..."]

["Cycle and repeat, the next is five."]

["Yet, the moment of fullness is the moment of abandonment!"]

[The magic array suddenly overflowed with golden-orange light, turning the basement a warm red!]

[Mysterious, sacred, solemn, vast...]

Was it about to succeed?

All over the world, countless people widened their eyes, holding their breath in tension.

23. Future Heroic Spirit Yukino, Warrior of the Flat, Despair of the Real Yukino!

["Set!"]

["Thy body shall heed my command, my fate shall rest upon thy sword!"]

["If thou dost obey the destination of the Holy Grail, obey this will, this reason... answer!"]

[The solemn prayer continued.]

[The chanting was resounding and forceful, a resolute will transmitted to every corner!]

[Countless golden-orange specks of light, like fireflies, rose up, flowing like a river.]

["Whoosh, whoosh, whoosh...!!"]

[Suddenly, a fierce wind howled, blowing open the boy's hair bun, as if the entire world revolved around him.]

[The Hagoromo Boy abruptly opened his eyelids, his eyes stern, and declared loudly.]

["I swear here!"]

["I am the one who achieves all good in the world, I am the one who slays all evil in the world!"]

[As the words fell, dense warm light converged, and blood-like lightning crackled and sizzled.]

[The basement felt like it had transformed into a furnace, instilling a hair-raising sense of anxiety.]

["Thou art clad in the three great words of power for seven days, descending here from the Wheel of Suppression!"]

[Beyond the world, the Hall of Heroes, which stood in the Void, trembled.]

[Countless great rays of light pierced the heavens and earth like pillars, each symbolizing a Heroic Spirit.]

[They left behind great achievements in life, and after death still bore endless legends, revered by the world, shining through pan-human history like a blazing sun in the void.]

[But...]

[Despite this, when facing this summoning, the Heroic Spirits collectively stirred.]

[They scrambled to respond, each trying to become the servant of "that person."]

[Yet, as a single pillar of light broke away and descended into the mortal world, everything ended.]

[Someone had gotten there first...]

[No!]

[To be precise, as long as that person chose to summon a Servant in Fuyuki City, he—as the "Holy Widow"—would inevitably summon that unique female Servant.]

[At the same time, the final incantation fell!]

["Guardian of the Scales!"]

["Boom...!!"]

[Thunder roared.]

[In an instant, brilliant light illuminated everything, making the basement shine brilliantly.]

[The wardrobe collapsed with a crash, the gale stirred up thick fog, and countless pages flew into the air.]

[If it weren't a powerful Servant, they absolutely couldn't have made such a commotion upon arrival.]

["Without a doubt, I'm going to draw the strongest card."]

[The Hagoromo Boy panted slightly, a faint smile on his face as he stared at the bright red Command Spells on his wrist.]

[He clenched his hands, almost gleefully about to spread them open.]

[Then...]

["Hm...?"]

[The thick smoke dissipated.]

[He looked around in bewilderment, but didn't see the figure he had imagined.]

["Thud!"]

[A strange crash suddenly came from the top floor, making the entire basement tremble.]

[Luo Shu came to his senses. He quickly climbed the dim stairs to the upper floor, cursing under his breath.]

["Damn... the door's broken..."]

[The boy frowned as he stopped at the entrance to the hall. No matter how he turned the lock, it wouldn't open.]

[Left with no choice, he used Reinforcement Magecraft to strengthen his body and suddenly kicked it.]

["Boom!"]

[With a violent roar, the force of several tons kicked the safety door open in an instant. The chandelier on the ceiling was emitting a faint white light, indicating that someone had been staying here.]

[He panted slightly, leaning on his knees.]

[Looking around, the hall was covered in dust, with broken furniture scattered everywhere.]

[He didn't know what kind of disaster had struck.]

[But the moment he shifted his gaze to the center of the hall, he was slightly startled.]

["Hm...?"]

[It was a white-haired lady with a ponytail, her brow slightly raised, sitting on the sofa with her left leg crossed over her right knee, as if resting with her eyes closed.]

[She was tall and slender, wearing stylish black leather pants and a matching jacket.]

[Under the light, a gem necklace could be seen at her collar, shimmering with strands of magnificent red light.]

[She gave off a very dashing vibe.]

[Could she be...]

[The boy was somewhat surprised.]

["Huh?!"]]

[Coincidentally, that white-haired woman also opened her eyes, slightly startled.]

[Then her lashes trembled, she closed her right eye, and the corners of her mouth curled up slightly. Her mature smile carried a hint of flirtatious confidence, and every gesture exuded a powerful personal charm.]

[It was like she was using a honey trap.]

[Their eyes met. The boy was momentarily dazed, and the atmosphere quickly fell into silence.]

The scene froze at this moment.

"Is this Luo Shu's Servant?"

"White hair, very modern outfit, descending as a Saber or Archer class... Could she be some modern European general?"

Inside the Observer Net, someone tentatively posted a comment.

Soon, a reply appeared below.

"Doesn't look like it. This Servant's facial features are clearly East Asian."

"So mysterious. She appeared in the PV, but even with more information, we still can't figure her out."

"However, since she can descend as a Saber or Archer class, she must have had corresponding glorious deeds in life. That narrows the search range."

"Putting that aside for now, she really looks good when she smiles!"

"Tch, shallow simp. She's a Servant. In terms of existence time, she's old enough to be your ancestor... No, she might even be your ancestor."

"That eye-opening moment was literally like being woken up by your own handsomeness, hahaha."

"Luo Shu wears Moon White Clothes, she's all in black—such great couple vibes."

"I remember in the PV Introduction, it said that without a Holy Relic, the Master automatically summons the Servant with the best compatibility. Sure enough..."

Heavenly Curtain World.

Compared to the lighthearted chatter on Observer Net, the atmosphere here was far more solemn.

But among the crowd, Shimo Yukino's brow was tightly furrowed, and she unconsciously bit her lip.

She hadn't forgotten at all—the scene of her parallel world self confronting and fighting this mysterious Servant. If that Servant's Master was Luo Shu...

Didn't that mean her parallel world self was Luo Shu's enemy?

Luo Shu was her lifesaver. Without that disaster-repelling, misfortune-blocking necklace, she might have been crushed by that truck.

And now she had to watch helplessly as her parallel world self was about to harm Luo Shu...

This feeling was absolutely terrible.

Yukino stared intently at the White-Haired Woman. When she examined the necklace around her neck, a strange sense of familiarity inexplicably arose, leaving her somewhat puzzled.

Then.

Her expression froze, as if struck by lightning.

That necklace...

Why did it look so much like the one Luo Shu gave me...

She silently returned to reality, reached into her pocket, and pulled out that dull, crack-filled Gem Necklace. She compared it piece by piece—size, outline...

In the end, she confirmed they were the same one.