Don't let me down at the critical moment, damn it!
Kagome covered her face.
No...
There had to be another reason...
Maybe Mr. Luo's competitor had tampered with something, causing him to develop a cognitive impairment.
The girl muttered inwardly.
A moment later, leisurely background music began to play, filled with a sacred feeling.
The Hagoromo Boy looked calm. His fair right hand extended forward as drops of silver liquid brimming with magical power fell and seeped into the mysterious summoning circle.
Countless particles of magical power drifted out as dark-blue lights, like fireflies beneath the night sky.
Luo Shu's lips moved as he calmly chanted the mysterious incantation.
"Let silver and iron be the foundation."
"Let stone and the Archduke of Contracts be the foundation."
"Let my ancestor be my great master... Schweinorg!"
"Let the gates of the four directions be closed."
"Come forth from the crown, and follow the cycle at the crossroads leading to the kingdom!"
Dazzling green light surged up from the ground, forming an eight-pointed magic circle.
The atmosphere was dark and deathly silent, with only the chilling prayer echoing through the air.
The silver liquid in his hand continued to drip, becoming the source of the magecraft ritual.
"Fill, fill, fill, fill, fill..."
"Repeat the cycle, and let it be five."
"Yet when filled, it shall be cast aside!"
The magic circle suddenly overflowed with golden-orange radiance, bathing the basement in a warm crimson glow!
Mysterious, sacred, solemn, immense...
Was it going to succeed?
Across the world, countless people widened their eyes and held their breath in nervous anticipation.
Future Heroic Spirit Yukino, a Flat Warrior, Reality Yukino's Despair!
"Set!"
"Let your body heed my command, and let my fate rest upon your sword!"
"If you obey the Holy Grail's call, if you obey this will and this principle... answer me!"
The grand prayer continued.
The chant was forceful and resonant, its unwavering will reaching every corner!
Countless golden-orange glimmers rose like fireflies, flowing like a river.
"Whoosh, whoosh, whoosh...!!"
A violent gale suddenly erupted, scattering the boy's tied-up hair as though the entire world revolved around him.
The Hagoromo Boy abruptly opened his eyes, his gaze stern as he declared loudly.
"I swear here!"
"I am the one who accomplishes all good in this world. I am the one who eradicates all evil in this world!"
As his words fell, dense warm light converged, and blood-red lightning crackled.
The basement seemed to transform into a furnace, filling everyone with a hair-raising sense of dread.
"You, wrapped in the Seven Heavens of the Three Great Words of Power, descend here upon the Wheel of Restraint!"
Beyond the world, the Hall of Heroes descending upon the Void trembled.
Countless great pillars of light pierced heaven and earth, each representing a Heroic Spirit.
They had achieved great deeds in life and carried endless legends after death. Revered by the world, they shone throughout the history of mankind like suspended suns.
But...
Even so, when faced with this summoning, the Heroic Spirits stirred as one.
They raced to answer, hoping to become that person's Servant.
Yet as one pillar of light broke away and fell into the human world, everything came to an end.
Someone had gotten there first...
No!
More accurately, as long as that person chose to summon a Heroic Spirit in Fuyuki City, as the "Holy Widow," he was destined to summon that unique female Heroic Spirit.
At the same time, the final line of the prayer fell!
"Guardian of the Scales!"
"Rumble...!!"
Thunder exploded.
In an instant, brilliant light illuminated everything, making even the basement seem resplendent.
The wardrobe crashed down, the wild wind stirred up thick fog, and countless pages were sent flying.
If she had not been among the strongest Heroic Spirits, there was no way her descent could have caused such a commotion.
"Without a doubt, I drew the strongest card."
The Hagoromo Boy panted lightly, smiling as he stared at the scarlet Command Spells on his wrist.
He clenched both hands, about to spread them with a hint of delight.
Then...
"Hmm...?"
The thick smoke dispersed.
He looked around in confusion, but did not see the figure he had imagined.
"Boom!"
A strange crash suddenly rang out from the top floor, making the entire basement tremble.
Luo Shu suddenly understood. He quickly climbed the dark stairs, cursing under his breath.
"Damn it... the door's broken..."
The boy stopped at the entrance to the hall with a frown. No matter how he turned the lock, it would not open.
Left with no choice, he used Reinforcement magecraft to strengthen his body and kicked out fiercely.
"Boom!"
With a thunderous crash, a kick carrying several tons of force blasted open the security door. The chandelier hanging from the ceiling emitted a soft white glow, indicating that someone living was here.
He panted lightly and rested his hands on his knees.
At a glance, the hall was covered in dust, with broken furniture scattered everywhere.
Who knew what kind of sin had been committed here.
But the instant he shifted his gaze toward the center of the hall, he froze in mild surprise.
"Hmm...?"
There sat a White-Haired Lady with a ponytail. Her brows were slightly raised as she rested on the sofa with her left leg crossed over her right knee, seemingly meditating with her eyes closed.
She was tall and wore fashionable black leather pants with a short jacket.
Under the lights, a Gem Necklace could be seen at her collar, glimmering with gorgeous red light.
She gave off an easy, carefree air.
Could she be...
The boy was somewhat surprised.
"Hmm?!"
As it happened, the White-Haired Woman opened her eyes as well, looking slightly surprised.
Then her eyelashes fluttered. She closed her right eye, her lips curving upward. Her mature smile carried a teasing confidence, and every gesture overflowed with powerful personal charm.
It was as if she were using seduction.
Their gazes met, and the boy was briefly dazed as silence quickly settled over them.
The image froze at that moment.
"Is this Luo Shu-kun's Servant?"
"White hair, a distinctly modern style of dress, and she descended in either the Saber or Archer class... could she be some modern European general?"
Someone on Observer Net posted a tentative comment.
Replies immediately flooded in beneath it.
"Doesn't look like it. This Heroic Spirit's facial features are clearly East Asian."
"So mysterious. She appeared in the PV, but even with more information, it's still impossible to identify her."
"Still, if she can descend as a Saber or Archer, she must have had corresponding glorious achievements in life. That narrows the search."
"Forget everything else for now, she looks really beautiful when she smiles!"
"Damn, face fanatic. She's a Heroic Spirit—she's old enough to be your ancestor... no, she might literally be your ancestor."
"That eye-opening just now was like she woke up because she was too handsome, hahaha."
"Luo-kun is wearing Moon White Clothes, while she's dressed all in black. They have such couple vibes."
"I remember the PV Introduction said that without a Holy Relic, a Master automatically summons the Heroic Spirit with the best compatibility. Looks like that's exactly what happened..."
Heavenly Curtain World.
Compared to the laughter and chatter on Observer Net, the atmosphere here was much more solemn.
Yet amid the crowd, Shimo Yukino frowned tightly and unconsciously bit her lip.
She had not forgotten the scene where her Parallel World self fought this mysterious Heroic Spirit. If Luo Shu was the other party's Master...
Didn't that mean her Parallel World self was Luo-kun's enemy?
Luo-kun was her savior. Without that disaster-averting necklace, she might have been run over and killed by a truck.
And now she had to watch helplessly as her Parallel World self was about to hurt Luo-kun...
The feeling was awful.
Yukino stared fixedly at the White-Haired Woman. As she examined the necklace around her neck, an inexplicable yet familiar feeling arose within her, leaving her puzzled.
Then...
Her face stiffened as though she had been struck by lightning.
That necklace...
Why did it look so much like the one Luo-kun had given her...
She silently returned to reality, reached into her pocket, and took out the dull Gem Necklace covered in cracks. She compared their size and contours one by one...
In the end, she confirmed that they were the same necklace.
Before you continue