Zero

Heroic Spirit foundation-Bai Mo-in progress.

Warning: subject is not deceased. Establishing a foundation for the original body is impossible. Attempting to record an impression from the era.

Recording subject-Bai Ermo. Analyzing Spirit Origin...

Analysis failed. This Spirit Origin cannot be recorded in a conventional form. Confirmed as an Extra existence.

Class-Foreigner

Warning: multiple aspects are possible.

Recording impression, collecting life history... Recorded using ancient Greek legend. Impression complete. Class confirmed-Saber

Jackpot, jackpot! A Heroic Spirit with Electric Current Push as his normal state, a limit of 250,000 horsepower, and a theoretical peak of 500,000 horsepower! What a War God employee, jackpot! Letting Zeus have a go really was the right choice!

Alaya, the collective consciousness of humanity, cheered in a very human manner.

A rare trace of emotion appeared in Alaya's voice, though no being could know it. In the end, whether it could even be called a voice remained uncertain.

Bai Mo, who had never died, could not have become a Heroic Spirit. The Heroic Spirit obtained now was Bai Ermo, who existed in myth and history.

Earth-the Clock Tower

In a history class, the students were sharply divided into two camps. Those in the front rows wrote furiously. The blackboard was packed with notes, and even with writing speeds honed over years of practice, they could barely keep up. Meanwhile, the students in the back rows did nothing at all. Some had already mastered the material, while others had accepted reality.

In short-they had given up.

"In summary, Earth's magical energy gradually disappeared. Deprived of the Greater Source, magi could only rely on the Lesser Source to use Magecraft. There were also several key turning points in the disappearance of magical energy."

Several students raised their hands.

"Karodi."

"Um... Gilgamesh of Ancient Babylon refused to become the Wedge of Heaven, King Arthur of Britain died, and..."

A student on the other side interrupted. "Bai Ermo of ancient Greece killed Poseidon, god of the sea, and Solomon's death proclaimed the end of Magecraft."

The teacher nodded. "Correct, but speaking out of turn earns you a violation. Of these, Bai Ermo of ancient Greece was a rather special case. His killing of a deity could be said to have stepped on the gas for mythology, which was already in decline. After Bai Ermo, faith in the gods reached an all-time low for a time."

"Oh, right, right! There were lots of artworks about Bai Ermo during the Renaissance! I even saw Professor Kayneth trying to buy a flag related to Bai Ermo before!"

"Please stop interrupting my lecture. And as a reminder, Ron, your participation grade is already in jeopardy."

Ron promptly lowered his head, looking utterly dejected.

The lecturer continued the lesson. After it ended, he walked through the Clock Tower, weighing the matter in his mind.

Is that guy Kayneth really preparing to take part in that Holy Grail War in the Far East? After failing to buy the flag, did he choose the cloak of Iskandar, King of Conquerors?

"What's the point of a Magecraft ritual in such a remote place?"

The lecturer muttered one last remark before returning to his residence.

Wandering through the strange space, Bai Mo recovered while searching for a possible way out. He seemed in no hurry at all. Stroking the nonexistent beard on his chin, he surveyed the space with great interest.

"Hey, system... do you think I could have..."

"Don't even think about it. Zhutian was an exception among exceptions. His very existence was a miracle."

"Really? There's no way? Sigh, if I had something like that, it would make things a lot more convenient for me."

"Wait, do you have some misunderstanding about 250,000 horsepower? There aren't any Magnetic Field powerhouses in this world. There are some special existences, but shouldn't you be able to handle them all easily?"

But that wasn't what Bai Mo was thinking about. He felt the entirely different power within him. If his Electric Current Push realm back then had been a stream flowing through a forest, his power now was on the scale of the Nile River or the Yellow River. If he went back now, he was confident he could tear all those gods apart.

"Tsk, I need to focus on training my Complete Realm. Two hundred and fifty thousand horsepower is enough already. Next, I'll push my Complete Realm as hard as I can. Otherwise, if the aftermath of a fight turns the ordinary people of this world into bloodthirsty spectators, that would be terrible."

Bai Mo muttered to himself, then picked up his blade blank again. The system's voice sounded once more.

"You're not planning to train here, are you? Shouldn't you be figuring out how to leave first? This isn't some public rest area."

"That's true, but searching blindly would just make me run around like a headless fly. I'd be better off making the most of my time and training some more. I shouldn't need sleep anymore, so I need to make even better use of my time."

"Something about the logic there doesn't feel quite right..."

The system fell silent for a short while, then spoke again. "In that case, why not go to the training space? That'll also help me pin down an anchor point."

Delight immediately appeared on his face. "I can go there again? Great! I haven't seen Master in a long time. I wonder how he's doing."

Bai Mo closed his eyes and began to meditate. This time, his perception was much clearer; he should only need a few minutes to enter.

But just as he was about to enter, a sharp light suddenly flashed in Bai Mo's eyes. He looked up in a certain direction. There was no concept of direction in the space-time passage, yet Bai Mo seemed to sense something keenly.

"Hm? What's wrong?"

"Nothing, it's just that..."

Bai Mo closed his eyes again and fully entered a meditative state.

Was it my imagination? Why did I just feel someone watching me?

Suppressing the doubt in his heart, Bai Mo vanished.

"That's ridiculous. He could sense it even across different times and spaces?"

In a corner of space-time, a place no one could reach, a lively-looking old man clicked his tongue and muttered to himself. As one of the few True Magic users left in the world, he rarely encountered anything that surprised him like this anymore.

"I can't obtain information from other parallel worlds. Sigh, what a nuisance."

For a moment, he seemed to sense something. He stopped paying attention to where Bai Mo was and turned to look in another direction, toward a parallel world. Judging by his furrowed brow, things there were less than ideal.

"Forget it. Although I can't see any future related to him at all, he probably won't make any mistakes. There's no need to bother with him. If anything, he might offer another possibility."

The True Magic user stopped dwelling on Bai Mo. As an anomalous existence, Bai Mo should have been expelled or eliminated outright for the peace of the world. But in his current state, he seemed to lean toward good, so he would leave him be for now. Perhaps there would be a pleasant surprise.

Einzbern Castle-

"So this is what Einzbern has prepared this time?"

Kiritsugu Emiya looked at the photograph in his hand. It showed a golden scabbard.

"I thought it would be that flag."

"Another family won the flag at auction. According to our information, it was probably the Tohsaka Family. They really spared no expense."

Kiritsugu Emiya lit a cigarette. His deeply furrowed brow showed that he was less than satisfied with this card, but at this point he could only steel himself and go through with it. Irisviel, beside him, took his hand, bringing him a little warmth.

"It's all right. Bai Ermo probably doesn't have a class other than Saber. A lot of obstacles were secretly put in the way of that flag. As long as Saber is summoned first, the flag won't be of any use."

Kiritsugu offered the reassurance, but just then, someone knocked on the door.

Two homunculus maids then entered Kiritsugu's room.

"Excuse us. I am Sella of the Einzbern Family, and this is Leyritt."

"Homunculi. Did Ahadon send you?"

"Yes. While you are in Fuyuki taking part in the Holy Grail War, we will be responsible for attending to Lady Illya's daily needs."

Attending to her needs. That's a nice way to put it. Kiritsugu could tell that both of them were combat-oriented. They had probably been sent because the family feared he would choose to fight his way into Einzbern and take Illya by force. Under someone else's roof, Kiritsugu had little choice. He could only abandon the idea he had buried in his heart of escaping with Irisviel and Illya.

"When will the scabbard arrive?"

"After tonight."

Although Kiritsugu understood the pair's intentions, he was under someone else's roof and could do nothing about it. Unexpectedly, however, the two maids seemed to have more emotions than the other homunculi, and Illya seemed to like them very much.

That's only a facade they were ordered to put on, Kiritsugu Emiya thought.

A flash of white light passed, and Bai Mo appeared in another place.

Whoosh. A somewhat noisy wind blew past, bringing a peculiar feeling: a sense of tranquility.

Bamboo leaves rustled. Looking around carefully, he saw that he was on a mountain cliff, with the sound of waves coming from afar. An eagle flew through the sky and landed on a huge stone statue. He did not know which master craftsman had created the lifelike statue, or which Buddha it depicted.

Feeling the strange tranquility in his heart, Bai Mo walked forward, step by step. This was not where the Great Blade Martial God had been before. Though Bai Mo felt calm, he also had a strange feeling.

This place was very familiar to him. In that case, the owner of this training space should be him...

Bai Mo left the bamboo grove and came to the edge of a cliff. There was only a meditation cushion here. Presumably... he was supposed to sit on it and meditate.

Bai Mo had no experience with this at all, so he could only sit on it and begin meditating. But he immediately noticed something was wrong. Although he could enter a meditative state, there seemed to be a part of his mind he could not control, from which faint stray thoughts flowed without end.

How is that possible? I never noticed it before. Is it because of this cushion?

Bai Mo closed his eyes and began to control his mind.

The sun sank in the west, and night quietly arrived. Fortunately, he no longer needed shelter, so he would continue meditating here.

Bai Mo considered it briefly, then immediately wanted to slap himself.

Distracted again.

The sun rose once more, and the cycle repeated, day after day...

Three months later.

A thick layer of dust had accumulated on Bai Mo's clothes, and his lips seemed to have stuck together. Although Magnetic Field Power had allowed him to go without food for those three months, the meditation had put him under tremendous pressure.

He struggled to open his eyes and pull his lips apart. A gust of wind blew past.

He had failed. Not only had he been unable to make his mind completely calm in three months, he had even grown more and more restless. That small part of his mind gradually seemed to be expanding.

Bai Mo stood up. He could not find what he sought here. Now he wanted to try relaxing and go somewhere he had always wanted to visit but had not gone to for a long time.

Bai Mo flew straight up, leaped, and plunged into the sea.

The tranquil sea should let him meditate properly. It was a place he had longed to explore since he was in the Great Blade Martial God's world, but with only Electric Current Push, he had been entirely unqualified to enter it. Now, with the power of 250,000 horsepower, he could explore and swim freely.

Meditate? Like hell I will. With such a beautiful sight right in front of me, why would I still be thinking about meditating? It'd be one thing if I gained anything from it, but I don't. My current state isn't even as good as when I started. I should balance work and rest.

The beautiful sea was the origin of life. Bai Mo swam freely, seeing countless interesting creatures in the water. After swimming for he knew not how long, he finally encountered a group of beautiful creatures.

Orcas, also known as killer whales. Despite their fearsome name, there were few records of them attacking people. Instead, they often showed a friendly attitude toward humans.

They're so beautiful. They were creatures he had once seen only in documentaries. Bai Mo wanted to reach out and touch them, but he was afraid his actions would trouble them. If the orcas picked up his scent, their pod might not accept them. That was also why diving enthusiasts rarely came into contact with these creatures.

But the next moment, the orcas actually approached Bai Mo of their own accord, gently nudging him with their snouts, as if greeting him. It wasn't just one; every orca brushed against Bai Mo with its fins, tail, and so on, just as a human might pet a kitten.

They could sense the goodness in this man.

After swimming with the group for who knew how long, Bai Mo finally left them reluctantly. Once ashore, he felt something he hadn't felt in a long time: an ordinary beauty he had never noticed before.

The leisure of listening to the wind in the bamboo grove, the grandeur of the towering divine statues, and even the eagle, which landed on his shoulder. There was no longer hostility in its eyes, but curiosity.

After walking like this for a day and a night, he returned to the cushion. This time, he sat down to meditate again, no longer fixating on the flaw in his mind. Heaven and earth were incomplete to begin with, so why insist on perfection? His thoughts began to wander as he felt the sea, the bamboo grove, and the divine statues. His mind became utterly calm.

"Six months? Barely passable, I suppose."

Suddenly, a man appeared beside Bai Mo, exuding an aura of terrifying menace that made Bai Mo feel death. Bai Mo reacted instinctively, unleashing an attack in a completely unconscious instant. Yet that attack, powered only by Electric Current Push, erupted with force Bai Mo could normally achieve only by using his Magnetic Field Power to its utmost.

Boom! A vast swath of bamboo grove turned to powder, but Bai Mo had no mind to pay attention to the bamboo now. All his attention was focused on the giant-like figure before him.

He had a head of smooth, long black hair and wore a pitch-black trench coat. A restrained yet terrifying power emanated from his entire body.

Bai Mo knew exactly who stood before him. Though he had somewhat expected it, he still couldn't suppress his shock when the man actually appeared.

"Nag... Nagging Whale?"

After saying that, Bai Mo lost his balance for some reason and suddenly fell off the cliff.

Oga watched it all with a dark expression. When it came to speaking, this brat was just like a certain bastard who opened his mouth whenever Oga felt like showing him a little respect.