Chapter 9

Although the consumption had only decreased by 1%, one must not forget that the novel Steel Land had only been fermenting for a single day.

As its fame continued to rise, the consumption required to manifest an Angel Species would also decrease. Perhaps it could even reduce consumption by 99% at most—at that point, the ten Divine Authority Jades could create a powerful and reliable bodyguard.

Therefore, he had to be very careful when fabricating stories, as they would affect his future path.

If he actually made a Parasyte movie and got all of humanity to believe it was real, but the entire film contained nothing valuable to manifest...

That would be somewhat ridiculous.

When producing the movie, he absolutely had to take the role of the male lead, or at least a powerful supporting character.

Once the video became widely known, strengthening himself would cost far less consumption.

Weighing all the pros and cons, Luo Shu decided to continue leeching off Nasu Kinoko.

He planned to use Fate/stay night as the blueprint to produce his own modified live-action film.

This work was also known as the Holy Grail War.

The Holy Grail was a legendary treasure said to fulfill any wish its holder desired, and the ritual to obtain it was called the Holy Grail War.

The reason he chose it also had to do with Steel Land.

Both were works by Nasu Kinoko. The Jeweled Swordmaster, who had appeared in Steel Land, would also leave a few traces in the Holy Grail War. Once Fate/stay night aired, people would connect it to Steel Land.

At that time, people would exclaim, "Wow, so the Holy Grail War and Steel Land are parallel worlds!"

Moreover, since the Holy Grail carried the gimmick of a universal wish-granting device, it could greatly increase people's trust.

Everything was ready.

Then, let's first produce a two-minute movie trailer.

Luo Shu manipulated the Void, his overclocked brain continuously radiating thoughts.

[Beginning construction of the movie world...]

[Setting: Year 2006, Kansai region, Japan, Fuyuki City.]

[World Level: Mid-Magic.]

[Main Plot: Under the selection of the Holy Grail, seven mages (those with mystical power) obtained Command Spells. To vie for the "Holy Grail," a treasure said to fulfill any wish, the mages summoned ancient Heroic Spirits buried in the river of history, formed contracts with them, and turned them into Servants to fight, igniting a bloody and brutal slaughter!]

[Under normal circumstances, a Holy Grail War only has seven Servants.]

[Heroic Spirits descend according to their respective classes. Each class has its own strengths and weaknesses, with no inherent superiority or inferiority.]

12. Fuyuki City, Battle of the Eternal Heroes, Yukino Faces Her Calamity!

[They are: Saber!]

[Lancer!]

[Archer!]

[Rider!]

[Caster!]

[Assassin!]

[And finally, Berserker!]

[The story begins at what seems to be an ordinary high school...]

[The grudges and entanglements of the Three Families of Fuyuki also slowly unfold from here.]

[Yet, no one knows that the Golden Grail, said to fulfill all wishes, had already been corrupted since the Third Holy Grail War, bearing All the World's Evil. Endless hatred twisted the Holy Grail...]

[What kind of terrifying end awaits?]

The Divine Authority Jades rapidly depleted, and the framework of a supernatural world gradually took shape.

A passionate BGM began to play. Countless figures, the fates of billions of lives, all intertwined.

Magnificent and grand images emerged, an epic stage unfolding.

From ancient times to the present, one by one, renowned Heroic Spirits who had left immortal monuments in history answered the call.

Some were composed, some sneered—all were confident they could claim the Holy Grail.

All were favored children of heaven, each having suppressed an era in life. Who would admit to being inferior to another?

How to determine strength?

Only by killing!

Kill them all, and I am the strongest!

Heroes from different eras gathered in Fuyuki City, the magnificent scene leaving people stunned.

The Witch of Betrayal once again killed her master, sneering coldly as the Crimson Flame had already burned everything away...

The Dragon-Slaying Great Swordsman faded into the sunset, a dashing smile hiding a trace of regret...

The Great Hero of Ancient Greece died countless times, only to protect a fragile dream in his heart...

The Mysterious Female Heroic Spirit stood coldly atop the Graveyard of Swords, striking down her own younger self from the past...

Countless corpses fell from the high heavens, their faces bearing the look of eternal grievance...

It was as if one could hear a resolute cry, giving a vivid sense of being there.

"In the name of the Command Spells, Saber, destroy the Holy Grail!"

A dazzling golden light seemed to split the world apart.

Black, polluted water flowed backward from the sky, the corrupted Greater Grail on the verge of shattering.

A young man walked forward, his gaze complex, as if trying to hold onto something.

But the graceful silhouette with an indistinct face maintained her final pride, choosing to refuse, walking into the polluted Holy Grail.

And with that, everything came to an end.

Luo Shu lifted his head slightly, a dark gleam flickering in his eyes.

These fragmented images were the entirety of the "Fate/stay night" PV he had created.

The production was seamless, the storyboarding perfect, the character designs full, the visuals exquisite, the battle scenes grand and atmospheric, the details godlike—every aspect was polished to perfection, with no room for any flaw.

The clash of the Heroic Spirits was explosive, every frame burning through the budget.

A mere two-minute PV had already surpassed every fantasy film in the world.

Because every scene was "real."

It made one feel as if they were there, sharing the joys and sorrows of the characters in the [film].

Even Luo Shu himself couldn't construct a video superior to this.

Unless he manifested a drug stronger than a double dose of NTZ-48, elevating his mind to a higher level, or used the Divine Authority Jade to strengthen himself to an inhuman degree, surpassing human brainpower.

...Well then, time to release it.

Luo Shu rubbed his chin.

Speaking of which, he had not only altered the plot and added plenty of scenes for himself, but also replaced the original Masters with the boys and girls of this world.

When they saw their Parallel World counterparts, these kids would definitely be dumbfounded!

But it didn't matter—they were all just tools to earn him Divine Authority Jades.

Once the entire Holy Grail War finished airing, this Luo could consider showing some kindness, manifesting their Parallel World abilities for them, and guiding them to expose themselves before the public.

Then the masses would have no choice but to believe, contributing even more Divine Authority Jades to him.

Absolutely thrilling!

A moment later, an account named [World Observer] was created on the video site.

Inside the Observer Net, the once-empty ivory-white background was gone, replaced by a PV video titled "Fate/stay night" hanging on the site's front page, its two-minute runtime hinting at something extraordinary.

Remaining Divine Authority Jades: 5.41.

"Void, are these Divine Authority Jades enough to plaster annoying ads on all the websites worldwide?"

Luo Shu pondered for a moment, then asked softly.

This was part of his plan—to stick his ad links on every website, glued to the bottom right corner of the screen, impossible to delete, and clicking them would automatically redirect to the Observer Net. Truly infuriating.

But he had no choice; with his pockets empty, this was the only way until the Heavenly Curtain came out.

"Buzz buzz~ (At least 9.62 Divine Authority Jades are needed.)"

Then, silver ripples gently stirred, giving an answer without hesitation.

"I see. Then let the bullet fly for a while."

Luo Shu chuckled softly.

Steel Land was still trending on Twitter, continuously supplying him with Divine Authority Jades. Waiting half an hour should be enough.

But the next moment, a notification left Luo Shu stunned.

[From the Yukino Sisters' conviction, Divine Authority Jades +4.52.]

"Bloody Disaster... has it already come to pass?"

The boy scratched his head, then suddenly revealed a gentle smile.

Looking at the sufficient Divine Authority Jades in the silver ripples, he smiled and began to act.

Meanwhile, at the entrance of General Affairs High School.

Since class was about to start, the students on the street had thinned out.

Not far away, a beautiful black-haired girl put down the cat in her arms, still shaken.

Just moments ago, as a cat lover, she had tried to save this foolish little kitten and nearly got hit by an out-of-control truck carrying dozens of tons of cargo. Even a graze would have killed her on the spot.

But at the critical moment of impact, it felt as if an invisible force had pushed her.

This allowed her to take two extra steps forward at the edge of life and death, brushing past the gates of hell.

"...Thank you, Mr. Luo Shu."

Shimo Yukino murmured to herself, her tone brimming with gratitude.

Rays of sunlight fell, casting a metallic sheen across her pale neck.

The red Gem Necklace had turned dull and lusterless, the central gem covered in cracks, as if it might crumble to dust at any moment.

This degree of severe damage looked as though it had taken a blow or warded off some calamity for someone.

Of that, Miss Yukino was well aware.

If the chance arose, she would definitely pay a visit to thank him in person!

Turbulence surged beneath the surface.

In an instant, countless websites were simultaneously breached by a mysterious hacker.

From Amazon, Google, Blogger, YouTube, Wikipedia, Facebook... every site fell, alarming no small number of those in high positions.

Countless apps also fell victim, sinking into a quagmire of rogue advertisements.

No matter which site you entered, a yellow ad hung in the bottom-right corner.

The ad appeared to have an X in its top-right corner, but clicking it didn't close it—instead, it redirected to another mysterious site. That site alone had no rogue ads in the corner, making it obvious who the culprit was.

For a time, wails and curses erupted worldwide.

But that didn't stop some from curiously peeking into what the site contained.

Inside the classroom, Utaha Kasumigaoka brushed a strand of hair aside, pondering the outline of her light novel.