Shirou channeled his prana.

The energy coursed through his circuits, pushing forth into the complex device that Zelretch gave to him. It was an instrument designed to help him train his ability to cast complex spells, developing both the formation and depth to another level. Using it for assistance, Shirou wove together a magic script in a circle around him. As more script was added, a dome started to form around him.

"Keep it steady."

Zelretch didn't need to say it, but Shirou understood that the old apostle was only doing it to help him focus.

A little reinforcement and support went a long way.

Pumping a constant supply of prana into the array was simple. The difficult part was perfecting the string of independent arrays that blended into the complete spell. Shirou needed to supply each part for a specified duration before cutting the stream off. Now repeat the same for the hundreds of small individual segments and the task becomes exponentially harder. Focus on one task too much and you risk another.

Destination locked.

Shirou had successfully established the exit coordinates of his fledgling gateway. With the first half complete, he could start on the next half- building the bridge.

This took a lot more energy than the first half.

Creating a traversable space in the middle of the void ate a lot of energy. It depended on the capability of each caster. Shirou was new to this, and needed to build a large bridge to make sure he didn't fall off accidentally while walking inside the void.

Zelretch?

He just needed to build a tightrope to balance across.

Such was the difference between a master and a student.

Trace on.

Shirou's mind sharpened as he chanted. The first line of his aria connected his reality marble and his projection, making it easier for him to manifest the construct. He pictured a solid bridge of brick connecting his reality marble and the Realm of Man. A composition half magical and half physical formed from a blueprint he prepared for this exact scenario, allowing the bridge to survive in the void for the duration of its use.

Brick by brick, the bridge was actualized. It was just as hard as Shirou attempting to trace a divine weapon. Throughout the assembly, he had to keep track of splitting his focus between the bridge, the formalcraft dome, and his dwindling prana supply. Beyond a certain threshold, Shirou wouldn't have enough energy to keep the bridge stable once he stepped on it. The risk of falling into the void in his physical body would destroy it, leaving him a spirit inside his own reality marble.

Not a great way to end after coming this far.

For a second, one line of the magical array didn't receive the specified amount of prana. The entire formalcraft dome wavered as the whiplash of the failed spell triggered a wave of failures on the surrounding area. In an instant, Shirou loses the exit anchor and the connection collapses.

Once again, Unlimited Blade Works was floating beside the Realm of Man without any between the two.

Shirou closed his eyes with a tired sigh.

"Rest and attempt again in an hour." Zelretch stated.

The Wizard Marshal didn't need to point out Shirou's mistake. The boy had repeated the error for a hundred times now and knew where and when he lost control.

Once again, he was back to square one.

The pitter patter of rain resounded across the streets.

The girl looked around her, watching the crowds jostle and move through packed streets, people moving about to attend their businesses at that moment.

How odd.

Such a scene was normal for a human settlement of this magnitude- if not for its actual state.

"Damn, you're fine looking! What's a hottie like you doing around here?" The holler was joined by a few whistles from his colleagues. They were workers hired to assist the numerous constructions in the recovering village, leaving from their posts after finishing the work for the day.

The lady rolled her eyes. Her beauty- while something to be prideful about- brought its own troubles at times.

It was late in the afternoon, just in time for those working the daily shift to be dismissed, replaced by their counterparts for the night shift. Normally, constructions at night were frowned upon in the land, but for this scenario it was of utmost priority. The village needed infrastructure to boost its recovery, and the people were willing to put up with the noise if it meant returning the settlement to its normal status.

Normal, except for a change in leadership.

But she wasn't here to sightsee, nor was she here to see the changes.

The attractive woman looked sideways- gave a wink and flashed a seductive smile. The group of workers paused at being given attention, enough for her to slip into the crowds unabated.

Really, it was almost like giving starving dogs a bone. Only, they were worthless rabble jumping at any sort of attention.

How pitiful, but such was the case when it came to humans. She couldn't help but want to grant their wish despite not being her main priority at the moment.

Seeing them just cling on to her like desperate little animals just stroked her ego in all the right ways.

Nothing felt as satisfying and fulfilling as putting humanity underneath her foot.

The wandering lady broke off from the masses, slipping away from the clogged street and into one of the bars lining the sides. The door opening jingled the bell nailed on top of it, announcing to the bar owner that a new customer had entered. The bartender looked up to see the seductive woman slink into one of the barstools.

Half mesmerized by what a woman of such alluring beauty, he stumbled on his words.

"W-what drink would you like, Ma'am?"

The woman smiled. She could see his effort to avoid the revealing cleavage her clothes flaunted. For a brief moment, his control wavered and his eyes darted down to take in the sight of her chest, before quickly returning to look at her face.

Obviously caught, the bartender stammered his apology.

"F-forgive me! I-I won't do it again!"

Her smile widened.

"I don't mind. Help yourself all you want…" She crossed her arms underneath her chest, pushing them up and winking at him. "But…I'll take a free drink for it."

"A-as you wish!" The boy's eager reply came as he surrendered to his lust and ogled at her.

"Give me your best mix please, and make it two of them. I promise to pay for the second."

The man rushed to prepare the beverage.

The pub wasn't special by any means, just another one of the regular businesses lining up the streets. Rather, the woman had picked it because it was empty. The only people being her and the bartender mixing the cocktail.

Not for long.

Behind her, the bell jingled as another customer entered the bar. The woman continued to watch the man work his art, not reacting as the second customer took the seat next to her.

"So…finally ready to meet me? You've been tailing me for a few days now. I've made sure to order you a drink too." She quipped at her guest.

"Yes. We believe it prudent to watch…important visitors to our village."

"Mmhmm." The woman fished out a small slip of paper from her pocket, handing it back to her shadow. "Here's your stuff back by the way."

The paper floated from her outstretched hand, returning to the person beside her.

"Thank you." Konan replied.

The two girls settled into a quiet silence as the bartender finished up his drink, placed both glasses in front of them, then walked to the front of the establishment. He flipped the sign closed, and the door was locked.

Konan didn't make any moves, preferring to watch silently as the bartender returned back to his position and started wiping on some glasses nonchalantly while openly staring at the girl's eyes seemed a bit unfocused, which alerted her that the man had been charmed.

He hadn't even reacted when the famed Angel of Ame walked into his establishment.

She assumed it was safe to continue. The man wouldn't remember anything of this encounter.

"Is there something you need in Ame?"

The woman sipped from her drink before replying.

"I'm looking for some people…three of them. A young boy, and two girls."

A sword, and two homunculi really.

"Any clues you could give us? We will happily help you find them."

"They had two beasts with them."

Konan nearly froze.

"They left some time ago, I can tell. But…I'm more interested in learning about them from you."

The woman grinned. Pristine teeth looking like sharp fangs as a little bit of her unique anatomy slipped through.

Konan knew exactly who the woman was after.

…or should she say…who the phantasmal beast was after.

"You were quite connected to them, yes? Their scent remains strong on you, just like the rest of this village."

Of course it would. Shirou, Lunea, Eugen and Heinrich all worked under Akatsuki for a few years. It was until recently that Shirou disappeared, and the remaining trio were released from duty.

"...and what would you like to know?"

Konan couldn't turn down the woman's wishes. She had seen what Lunulupae was capable of, and Pein stressed that this woman was far more powerful than her.

"First things first, who are they?"

Konan uttered a silent apology in the back of her head.

It seems that the beast didn't know that the capture of the two beasts were allowed because they aligned with Akatsuki's original goal at the time.

Now, she was laying the blame on them.

"The boy's name was Shirou. As for the girls, they were Prinz Heinrich and Prinz Eugen. The young beast's name is Lunea."

The lady held a finger to her lips. None of the names rang any bells. Still, having their identities was already the most important piece of information she could get her hands on.

"The boy…tell me everything you know."

Konan shared her knowledge. Shirou's abilities- including Excalibur, and more importantly, his world- as explained by both Lunea and Lunulupae.

The woman narrowed her eyes.

The boy has the mark of beasts?

Why would Lunulupae hand such a blessing to him?

She closed her eyes in thought. When she opened them, she had more questions than answers.

To begin with…

"Where did he go?"

Konan shook her head.

"He disappeared into the void, they said. We have no idea what has happened to him since then."

A small annoyance really. The woman could easily traverse the void if she wanted to. It just felt uncomfortable to travel in the space between worlds. But, that was her priority. Right now, her friend, Lunulupae, was safe. So she didn't need to search for her anymore. Rather, tracking down the boy piqued her interest more.

"Do you have anything…anything that is tied directly to the boy?"

Konan produced a small weapon from her robe, a traced copy of the Yondaime's signature weapon.

The woman took the weapon out of her hands. She didn't need to keep it, all she really needed was the exact scent of his energy.

Like a predator stalking her prey.

The beast sniffed the prana, heavily tainted with the scent of steel, of blood, of sacrifice.

The last one caught her off guard. Such a concept was rare to find in one's energy, but the sheer amount of it was nearly palpable, to the point it was noticeable despite the concept of sword oozing from the energy.

Shirou…just who are you?

Handing back the blade to Konan with a smile, the unknown lady gave her thanks.

"This is enough. I am quite satisfied with what I've learned."

Ignoring the nearly untouched drink at the table, she stood.

"You have nothing to worry about from me. I shall leave your village in peace. I never intended to scare you, nor did I plan to harm it."

Harming such a small village was pitiful. Not only was it still in recovery, but all those poor little pets called humans would be wiped out all for some information?

They were better off left alive and used as a threat to those who had information on her targets.

Konan stayed still as the woman left. Hopefully, the beast will be gone by tomorrow.

If Lunulupae was a beast, then Pein would call this one a Beast among beasts.

She could only hope that they never cross her.

Amegakure wouldn't survive.

.

.

.

The woman walked down the street deep in thought. She had spent a significant amount of time in the bar with Konan, and night had taken over. Streets lit up with light from Amegakure's technology- something called electricity, and was also interspersed by magical lights and mundane fires. But all these were ignored by the idea forming inside her mind.

Had she finally found it?

A ninth tail?

This Shirou fellow certainly sounded like he had the potential.

The ability to wield Excalibur.

A realm for a soul.

Numerous powers locked within.

She had yet to complete her collection of beasts from parallel universes where humanity did not exist.

…but to find such a promising candidate to fill her ninth tail? It was almost too easy.

No matter, she would happily take the free gift.

If the boy had potential, then it was her job to make him fall.

He was still young, and younglings are easy to mold.

Capture him.

Conquer him until he was her loyal pet.

Train him to his full potential.

Then?

Then she would kill him, and he would take his rightful place as her final tail.

The Beast IV candidate grinned.

Time to track down the boy.

A Predator vs Her Prey.

She couldn't wait to see him already.

"Let the hunt begin."

Author's Note

I know this was a long time coming, but screw me for being this lazy.

Shirou is busy learning to travel the multiverse, and powers are moving around him. Will he be strong enough once they catch up? (Definitely not leaking Volume 5 here)

ANYWAYYYYY VOLUME 3 CHAPTER NEXTTTT!