Author's note: given the growing number of Reviews, I decided not to respond individually. Especially since many of the questions asked by readers are identical or complementary. Please forgive me for this lack of courtesy but... the answers to the Reviews are longer and longer and take more and more time than I could spend writing the rest of the story and I think that you're more interested in the story itself.

I would like to point out that your Reviews make me very happy and encourage me to write. I appreciate your thanks and encouragement, and I take all of your comments into account, whether I answered directly or not.

To begin with, I have already answered about Shirou and Hakuno becoming Campiones or the arrival of other individuals from Fateverse.

I was slightly mistaken in the Campioneverse Timeline. In fact, Godou must be 16 years old and not 17. The origin of my mistake is that I rely mainly on the Anime and... Godou's appearance does not change between the first and last episode. By checking the Light Novel, Godou was 15 when he killed Verethragana, not 16 as I thought. Sorry, I wrote from memory and I was wrong. To clarify things, I chose to start this Fanfiction right after the events of the Anime. All the 7 Campiones are still alive. Sun Wukong has not been released from his prison, the King of the End has not woken up etc... Godou has only the Authorities of Verethragana and Ama no Murakumo.

Tracing abilities in the Campioneverse: I often see Shirou creating eternal weapons in Crossovers. Honestly, it annoys me. Just a reminder, this is the domain of True Magic in Fate (exactly the First magic: 'materialized nothing'). Yes, magic may be different in the Campioneverse, but Tracing remains a Magecraft, that is, a lower form of magic that cannot contradict the laws of physics. Have you ever heard of the "Second Principle of Thermodynamics" or "Carnot Principle"? I'm not going to give you the exact definition and the equations that go with it (search by yourself, be curious, that's how you learn). But, to summarize, it is the principle that the temperature of the coffee in a cup always ends up stabilizing at room temperature. Conversely, ice exposed to the scorching sun will always melt. If you throw a stone, it will always fall down. The Carnot principle is also called the "principle of non-energy conservation". Energy does not remain in place, it is transmitted. The energy (heat) of the coffee cup is diffused in the room. The heat of the sun is transmitted to the ice, which turns into water. The kinetic energy of a stone throw away is transformed into heat by the air friction.

The weapons made by Shirou are in prana, prana is a form of energy. We can say that he sculpts his weapons in prana which could be described as 'frozen' (to continue the analogy with temperature). To prevent the disappearance of his weapons that have begun to "evaporate', Shirou has to replace the escaping prana with even more prana.

Before protesting, remember this: without the Carnot principle, the universe would have stayed a small ball of hyperdense and hyper-burning energy because there would never have been a Big Bang. Conversely, because of the Carnot Principle, the stars will eventually die out in the icy void of the cosmos... The second principle of thermodynamics introduces the notion of Entropy into the universe, the notion that everything tends towards its completed state. That means... dying.

About Black Prince Alec: Yes, he will suffer and he will fail. It is obvious. However, you are very wrong about him. Do you know why I consider him one of the most dangerous Campiones? He does not have the most impressive Authorities, he is not some kind of super-fighter, and his mage's talents are almost useless against a Heretic God. So? He's a genius planner. When he prepares to face an opponent, he creates a situation in which his victory is assured... Obviously, he can only plan by taking into consideration the factors he knows. So, he's going to prepare to confront three goddesses... the humans that accompany them have no significance whatsoever, do they? But... Why do I feel that many readers have a sadistic grim on the face after reading this last sentence?

About Athena and her wisdom: So, Memory of the Void gives information only on what is known by the "world". Except that Hakuno, Ishtar and Ereshkigal are from Fateverse. The 'world' knows almost nothing since they just arrived (but as they are now part of the world, Memory of the Void learns about them). This explains that Athena's prediction was somewhat lacking.

Boyzilla: I'm going to make an exception and answer you personally, but after years of your constant support, it would have been rude to do otherwise. I admit that my way of introducing Alexander Gascoigne into the story is not very creative.

In fact, my first idea was that Godou would intercept the goddesses after they arrived. I rejected this idea for a number of reasons, the most important was Godou himself. He is not the kind of guy who would seek quarrels, on the contrary, he will do everything possible to seek a peaceful solution. And we know Ishtar and Ereshkigal, they are adorable (although a bit weird) so everything would have ended happily. Except that I WANT a clash between our quartet of Fateverse immigrants and the Campiones (and the readers too, I think).

So, I sent the story in another direction, to make them meet a Campione who will not be satisfied with a peaceful discussion. A manipulative type motivated by a treasure that literally makes him salivate and that is willing to manipulate other Campiones to attack Ishtar and Athena while he looks after Ereshkigal... In short, Black Prince Alec.

King of Thieves

Sitting in his bed, leaning against cushions, Shirou watched 'Rin' without being able to hide his stupefaction. But, at the same time, he wanted to make an ironic remark about his friend's behavior... yet until then he had never had a sharp tongue, or even the knack of repartee to make a mockery of what was happening to him.

But the explanation that 'Rin' was giving him was a real spectacle.

At one point, 'Rin' behaved like a shy teenager, playing with a lock of her hair and looking away... as if she had explained to him how she had organized her rescue.

And then, the next moment, she stood in front of him, a mischievous smile on the lips, pointing to him with her index finger, one hand on her hip, and gloating:

"I'm the Goddess Ishtar!"

Bored with Rin? Impossible... On the other hand, her rapid changes of mood would exhaust a regiment.

According to her explanations, Rin had one day awakened in Uruk, in the distant past of Mesopotamia, invoked by Ishtar priestesses to protect the city threatened by a 'Singularity'. She had become the avatar of the goddess of war and love.

The goddess occupied Rin's body and had her personality and memories but also the personality of the Mistress of Heaven and her own memories.

"I would say that I am 30% Rin and 70% Ishtar. But it is not as if Rin's personality was overwritten by that of the goddess. Nor is there some kind of boundary between Rin and Ishtar's personalities. The two personalities have blended harmoniously. I am the Rin Tohsaka who is your friend but with the powers and memories of the goddess Ishtar."

Listening to Rin, Shirou was divided between two impulses.

The first was to furiously scratch the back of his head while laughing awkwardly

The second was to spread his arms and smile ironically before saying:

"So you sacrificed your rank and position as a goddess to save an idiot? And now you're stuck in another universe? Tsk... Truly, your greed has no limits."

It was the reflexes of an idiot he had been... and of a man, he would never be.

Instead, he simply says:

"So I would never see Sakura again."

He sighed, suppressing a desire to cry. When he entered the Grail Cave, he knew that he would never see the girl he loved again. He had accepted it... but... he had a crazy thought... there must have been magic that could break through the barriers between the worlds. To return to Fuyuki, to find Sakura. But this hope lasted only a moment. He had not just traveled from one world to another... he was dead. His return would be an anomaly that would immediately provoke the intervention of the Counter Force. For the part of him, that was Archer, it was an absolute certainty.

"But at least she's free... no one will hurt her anymore."

Hearing these few words, Ishtar smiled timidly.

"My memories as 'Rin Tohsaka' stop after the end of the Grail War, three distinct versions of this 5th Yukuki's Grail War, in fact. But in the one you remember, Rider survived and looks after Sakura. No one will ever hurt her again, Rider will protect her at any cost."

Rider had initially terrified Shirou... but after she rescued him from Zouken Matou and sought to comfort him after Saber's 'death', he understood that the gorgon was not a monster.

Later, she had become his best ally to save Sakura. She had also become his friend. Rider... Medusa... an evil and cruel Servant? There was nothing further from the truth, behind a cold and expressionless outer shell she was a loving, dedicated woman who would do anything to protect the people she cared about. She could be relentless, ruthless and that had terrified the former Shirou... the one who had gone through hell to save Sakura and had received the memories of EMIYA approved Rider's behavior. If a rapist, a demented Magus, a vampire or any other danger approached Sakura... Rider would make sure his death would be on the front page of the next day's newspapers. The description of what had happened to the 'victim of a psychopath' was the kind of warning she liked to give.

Shirou was always sad but... there was no going back. Now Sakura was out of reach.

"Sakura... Rider... I wish you all the happiness in the world. I know no one who deserves more than you two to be happy."

She too was sad, but smiling softly, Ishtar nodded.

The conversation between Athena and Ereshkigal was almost incomprehensible to Hakuno.

It's not that she was stupid, far from it. In fact, because she was a Seraph NPC, Hakuno Kishinami had three abilities that had stunned the other Maters of the Moon Cell Grail War. First, her mind was working so fast that she could see the Servants' movements fighting... when ordinary humans only saw blurry shapes and after-images. Her analytical mind allowed her to break down movements, record repetitions, and predict actions. It was almost an ability to see the future, at least for a few seconds. Finally, Hakuno had an eidetic memory. She never forgot anything.

Literally, her mind worked like a computer.

Except... her experience was limited to seven weeks of confrontations in the Seven Lunar Chimeric Seas... she knew nothing of the world outside of the Seraph.

So she watched her friend Rin try to hide their origin from Athena while avoiding lying to her... a difficult exercise in normal times... impossible when facing the goddess of wisdom.

Hakuno had remained seemingly impassive, watching the conversation without saying a word.

Then the door that Ishtar had crossed reopened.

She supported the red-haired teenager with a white lock that she had saved. The Goddess of Venus was both lecturing him and encouraging him... her voice was a strange mixture of annoyance and affection:

"... it's normal, you've grown two or three centimeters. It doesn't seem like much, but it was enough to move your center of gravity."

'I understand, but it's annoying. I keep tripping. I'm sure if I tried to bow, I'd miss the center of the target by inches."

The redhead seemed particularly offended by this idea... as if making a perfect score in archery was as easy as scribbling a drawing for a three-year-old.

"In a few days, you'll be used to it."

On their arrival, Ereshkigal had stood up with dignity, she made a great movement of cloak and...

"I am Ereshkigal, goddess of...

—and the bottom of her cape overturned the cup of tea she had placed on the table.

Turned purple because of shame, ExtraRin turned sharply, hiding her face with their hands.

"One... two... one... two, it's all right... breathe..."

After a brief breathing exercise, she walked two steps away and restarted her presentation from scratch, including the large cloak movement.

"I am Ereshkigal, goddess of Netherworld, thank the mighty deity who saved you, mortal!"

Bug-eyed, mouth slightly open, Shirou suppressed his desire to laugh. In fact, apart from Athena and Hakuno, still as expressionless as always... even the Magi of the Circle looked at her in the same way. Ishtar facepalmed, slowly shaking her head, and sighed...

The first to recover, Shirou sneered with an embarrassed look and then bowed deeply.

"Thank you, goddess Ereshkigal."

"It was a special service, my sister asked for my help. I hope for you that you will be able to show your gratitude to the goddesses who saved your soul and gave you a new body."

"Technically, I gave a body to Hakuno as well as to Shirou, and I was also the one who saved Hakuno's soul... so I did three-quarters of the work," replied Ishtar, with her arms crossed on her chest.

As the two godless looked at each other with a challenging gaze, Shirou had an ironic smirk, spreading his arms in a gesture of exaggeration:

"Two Rin Tohsaka... it's too much for one man."

Hakuno tilted her head...

The teenager had the mannerisms of Archer. Moreover, towards the end of the Gail War, Hakuno's Servant had explained to her that he had abandoned the name he had carried in his lifetime... For the Moon Cell Automaton, his True Name was therefore Nameless. However, Archer had told her about his life. And Hakuno knew that his name was Shirou Emiya.

Wearing brown shorts, tights, walking shoes, and a blue jacket, Ereshkigal now looked like an ordinary Japanese teenager... except for her golden hair of course. Sitting in the grass, on the edge of the field of pink flowers, she barely moved, just to turn her head.

It felt like she was afraid to wake up.

Despite the simple clothes provided by Circle's Magi, Ereshkigal was even more beautiful in this environment than she had ever been dressed as a queen of the dead. Happiness made her even more beautiful.

The sky was grey, and cloudy, even if you could see a little blue sky.

The air was filled with the incessant buzz of bees foraging, mingling with butterflies. At first, the goddess had talked with Hakuno sitting next to her, but... the Sovereign of the Moon Cell only answered with a word or a short sentence.

Soon, Ereshkigal had lost the desire to speak, hypnotized by the field of flowers. It reminded her of the last day of Babylonia's Singularity when Merlin had turned the mud of the Grail into a sea of pink flowers.

For the first time, her Netherworld had known beauty.

This had been the happiest moment of her long life.

Then the Fate System allowed Ritsuka Fujimaru to invoke the Goddess. Her first vacation in six thousand years...

Now she was free of the laws that the Gods of Mesopotamia had imposed on her for millennia... If it was a dream, she didn't want to wake up.

Dressed like a teenager of her age, in jeans, sweatshirt, canvas jacket, Hakuno was perfectly anonymous.

Sitting next to Ereshkigal, the Sovereign of the Moon was at least as happy as her friend. Nevertheless, she was not of a contemplative nature. The young Master had never known anything but urgency. Hier life was dictated by the simplest imperatives: learn, train, prepare for the next fight...

After an hour, the vision of the flower field had ceased to fascinate her. Her mind was asking for something more stimulating... maybe she could borrow books from the Circle?

She got up, stretched...

Hakuno then saw two people she recognized.

First Ishtar, the goddess was dressed in a red turtleneck and a black skirt with long black stockings. Sitting on a bench, she looked at Shirou.

Dressed in jeans and a baseball sweatshirt, the young man had just reached out:

"Trace One."

In front of him, a shimmer of blue prana condensed into a circular target on a tripod. Still a little clumsy, Shirou retreated and, once again, he pronounced his magic formula.

Between his fingers was formed a large black bow of synthetic material, Hakuno immediately recognized this weapon. It was Archer's bow! If she wasn't already convinced that she had met a younger version of her Servant, the Victor of the Moon would have understood by now.

Slowly, with the calm and grace of a Kyudo practitioner, Shirou Traced an arrow. He shot... and had a smirk of discontent. The arrow was two centimeters to the right of the center of the target. He started again... again... again...

Hakuno turned to Ereshkigal, who had still not moved.

"I'm going to go talk to Ishtar."

The Queen of the Great below flinched, surprised, before turning in the direction indicated by her friend.. She smiled:

"Oh, excuse me, I'm completely neglecting you. Come on, I'll stay here."

In spite of everything, Hakuno hesitated for a moment... having the somewhat ridiculous impression of abandoning her friend. She justified herself:

"I want to ask her if Shirou is my servant."

That was a long sentence for someone like Hakuno.

"That's him," replied Ereshkigal. "... well, more or less. Say he could have become Archer, but he's the Shirou Emiya of a parallel universe. Plus, he made different choices. Think of him as a mirror image of your Archer-class Servant. A younger mirror-image."

"I see."

Ishtar was dressed exactly like the Rin Tohsaka of the 5th Grail War. In fact, she asked Shirou to Trace a copy of the clothes she was wearing at the time... of nostalgia, but also to test how Shirou's Tracing Magecraft behaved in the Campionverse. The degradation of her clothes was very slow, probably because here Alaya and Gaia did not exist, and they did not erode the creations of Shirou's Magecraft.

As a matter of fact, this universe was much less hostile to magic. If she could find enough gems, maybe she could experiment on the kaleidoscope.

From the corner of her eye, Ishtar had seen Hakuno approached the house which served as the headquarters of the Circle, arriving near the bench, she pointed to the free square.

"Can I sit down?"

Although she had only met the teenager two days earlier, Ishtar had already decided that she liked her. No doubt that her blank voice and her poker face gave her the appearance of an animated doll... but she was a pretty and sweet doll. And then, Ereshkigal had spoken at length about Hakuno (in fact far too long) and her sister understood that one could easily come to love this cute doll-like girl.

She smiles.

"Please, take a seat."

Hakuno nodded and began to look at Shirou who continued to shoot one arrow at another.

"How long?"

Ishtar blinked his eyes. She was not sure whether it was a question or even whether Hakuno was not thinking out loud, without speaking to her. Because she was talking monotonously, we couldn't hear the question marks.

"Sorry?"

"Shirou."

"How long"... "Shirou" Ishtar's forehead folded as she was trying to connect the dots.

"You want to know how long Shirou's going to keep shooting?"

Hakuno nodded.

An amused smile appeared on Ishtar's lips.

"When we were kids... well, when Rin was a kid, I saw this stubborn redhead pole vaulting for several hours when he set the bar so high that only an Olympian champion could have made it. This moronic idiot is a hopeless case."

Ishtar had shouted these last words in the direction of Shirou, the red-haired one with a white wick flinched and lowered his bow. But the teenager had felt the tenderness in his friend's voice. When Rin Tohsaka spoke of Shirou, 'moronic idiot' looked more like some of strange sweets nothings than an insult.

Ereshkigal, Ishtar, and Hakuno were happy to have arrived in this new universe. Shirou... his case was more complicated. He was unhappy... and it was a very weak term to express the pain that tore it from the inside out. Being separated from Sakura gave him withdrawal symptoms similar to that of a cocaine addict but... at the same time, he accepted it. He was here because of the choices he had made to save the girl he loved. He had succeeded. If not seeing her was the price, then he'd pay. The events of the Grail War, the sacrifices he had made, and Archer's stoicism allowed him to endure and persevere.

But what was he going to do with this new life? He no longer wanted to be a hero. He no longer had to protect Sakura.

Ishtar and Ereshkigal had paid to give him a new life.

Yes, the answer was obvious.

Rin was Sakura's sister. She was his friend. And Ishtar had sacrificed a lot to save him.

He would fight for her and protect her happiness.

After all, he was also Archer, and Archer was Rin's servant.

Osaka was a sprawling and messy city. The business district looked like a heap of glass and steel skyscrapers rising to the sky and forming a succession of smooth cliffs like mirrors.

On the contrary, the southern part of the Nakano-Shima district was a tourist attraction because of the ruins of the Shinmachi, a district of prostitutes where kabuki and bunraku (Japanese puppet theatre) were born. There were still traditional buildings... but most of the old houses had been bombed in World War II.

Among the crowd of Japanese, a European walked. He was dressed with class and good taste with a black tuxedo tailored by a great Italian designer, he also had an overcoat - also black- and patent leather shoes.

Nevertheless, the first impression was a bit spoilt by details, for example, his silk tie was badly adjusted. He was a handsome young man in his twenties. His hair reached the line of his jaw and was as black as his eyes.

Alexander Gascoigne walked fast, holding under his arm a flat package wrapped in kraft paper.

In an alley, there was a tiny Chinese restaurant. Despite the sign that the restaurant was exceptionally closed, Black Prince Alec pushed the door and entered. The interior was dimly lit by a few light bulbs and the decoration was flashy as one would expect from a second-rate Chinese restaurant. There were little more than four tables so tight that customers could not get up simultaneously.

A young Chinese man dressed in a Hanfu (traditional Chinese dress) stood up to greet him with courtesy, but Alec hardly paid attention to him. The second client of the restaurant had not risen... she considered herself above everyone else.

Luo Hao, the 3rd Campione.

It was relatively rare for two Campiones to meet. Generally, the Devil Kings were territorial. They considered a country, or even part or all of a continent, their kingdom. Nevertheless, it happened that the Campiones had to negotiate, or allied to fight a particularly powerful Heretic God.

But what the magical organizations feared more than anything was the confrontation of two Campiones... even if it was (relatively) infrequent. A Campione appreciated the challenges. And for them, more than a Heretic God, the greatest challenge of a King was another King.

Moreover, Luo Hao and Alexander Gascoigne had already clashed.

Fortunately, that was not the reason for their present meeting in Osaka's restaurant. Nevertheless, the situation remained tense. After all Luo Hao had entered the territory of King Godou without informing him. It was a violation of the code of good conduct between Campiones. But Lady Luo Hao did not recognize Godou Kusanagi as a king, having not tested his strength, and did not even consider Japan as a country, hardly a mere province of her kingdom.

In general, the Ruler of the Martial Art had no regard for human life. Since she was born, billions of human beings had been born, lived, and died without ever affecting the fate of the world, they were... unimportant. Just ants under her feet. In fact, the original purpose of her journey was to free the monkey god Sun Wukong because she was looking for a new challenge.

Fortunately, she had changed her mind after learning of the arrival of two Heretics Gods in Japan.

Behaving like a perfect gentleman, the Prince of Black Lightning bowed deeply.

"King Luo Hao, you're still beautiful. Your mere presence is enough to turn this wretched shop into a fairy-tale palace."

Alec could be particularly charming when he wanted to, and his smile made him an attractive man.

Her Eminence Luo Hao closed her fan in a snap and smiled at Alec.

And when she smiled back, her beauty brightened the room.

Dressed in a white Hanfu dress with a green upper and sash, she was the most beautiful Chinese late teen woman you could imagine. Her skin was pale silk, her hair was as dark as Chinese ink with a red flower ornament. Strangely, her eyes were green, suggesting that she was not pureblooded Asian.

Despite her delicate appearance, she was a woman as indestructible as a diamond.

Among the other Campiones, only Voban, Doni and Alec had managed to "put a little dust on her clothes"... a real feat. No opponent had managed to hurt her in the last eight decades.

"This Luo Hao kindly accepts your compliment, King Alec."

Without straightening up, Alexander Gascoigne handed over the package he had brought with him.

"Please accept this wretched gift, unworthy of your splendour, King Luo Hao."

The subordinate of the Ruler of the Martial Art, Luo Hao's principal pupil, seized the package and tore the paper. It was a jade Huang from the Warring States era (475-221 B.C.) mounted on wooden support engraved with an inscription of Emperor Qianlong (1736-1796).

"This Luo Hao thanks King Alec for this gift, and for his great taste. Jade is the preferred material for emblems destined to brave eternity. King Alec, did you know that Confucius attributed the main human qualities to jade: righteousness, humility, loyalty, benevolence, intelligence, and virtue?"

The latter kept smiling. He knew he had just won, his apparent humility favorably disposed Luo Hao towards him.

"It is only natural that I should come to you when I am lucky enough to stay in the lands of Your Eminence. But the reasons for my presence in Japan are the same as yours, I think."

"Does King Alec want to talk about the Heretics Goddess Ishtar and Ereshkigal?"

"As always, the very penetrating mind of the Honorable Ruler of the Martial Art has guessed right."

"King Alec, this is my prey!"

"Do you know where they are, Your Eminence?"

Luo Hao reopened her fan and waved it.

"This Luo Hao is still looking for those who dared to violate her territory."

"They have found refuge with the Fallen Goddess Athena."

The beautiful green eyes of the Chinese beauty narrowed.

"This Luo Hao must praise the quality of your intelligence services, Black Prince Alec."

"I am honored that Your Eminence considers me worthy of her compliments."

Half an hour later, Alexander Gascoigne climbed into the back of a superb limousine waiting for him. The driver, a member of the Royal Arsenal, turned to him:

"Everything went well?"

"Like clockwork."

Luo Hao was a freak. She spent her life training in martial arts and was also the greatest known specialist of Daoists Arts (a form of magic). Despite that, she was incredibly... naive.

Manipulating her was child's play.

She was unable to imagine that Alec's goal was not the goddesses and China's Freakishly Strong Girl was convinced by the acting of Black Prince Alec. He had pretended to give up the pursuit of "his" prey only after long negotiations... which had no other purpose than to hide his true objective.

Luo Hao had left Osaka immediately.

But sending the Ruler of the Martial Art to attack the three goddesses was only the first part of Alec's plan.

"At the airport," he ordered the driver.

A plane was waiting for him to take him to Tokyo. Now, he had to meet the youngest of the Campiones. King Godou was a 16-year-old boy... handling him would probably be as easy as stealing a candy bar from a 6-year-old. His agents described him as an idealist. He had to adapt his approach and pull that emotional chord.

Sitting on the steps leading to Yuri Mariya's altar, Godou Kusanagi could not hide his concern.

In front of him, Alexander Gascoigne was nervously pacing.

"... I asked Her Eminence Luo Hao to wait until I contacted you, King Godou. Together, we could have faced the three goddesses equally. Alas, she refused to listen to reason! I fear that She has already engaged in a fight against Ishtar, Ereshkigal, and Athena."

Behind Goudou, Erika Blandelli crossed her arms with a pout.

"But, that Her Eminence Luo Hao dared attack a triplet of Heretic God without informing the King of Japan worries me more than the three goddesses."

Godou nodded nervously.

"The important thing is to get to Kuroishi quickly."

Alexander Gascoigne did not have to feign enthusiasm:

"I was hoping you would react that way. Thank you, King Godou. I've already prepared a fast plane."

The two knights exchanged a suspicious glance. Knowing each other since childhood, they did not need words to communicate. Once again, they agreed, that they had to be wary. Erica Blandelli and Liliana Kranjcar knew the 'king of thieves'. Admittedly, he was not known for being cruel, he was even one of the Devil Kings most concerned about preserving human life. Nevertheless, this benevolence, this concern for others seemed... out of character?

There was something fishy about that story

Black Prince Alec was not the 'Ally of Justice Type' like John Pluto Smith or Godou himself. Normally, he would be kept away from the conflict... unless there's a powerful magic object to steal.

The members of the Royal Arsenal were of varied abilities. Some were mere thieves or unskilled mages, but King Alec's direct collaborators - like Sir Iceman - were efficient and well organized. When their king was interested in something, they had a virtually unlimited budget.

A private Dassault Falcon jet was waiting for them at the airport. With absolute priority in the air, they arrived two hours later over Kuroishi.

Yet... they were definitely late.

As they flew over the small town, an explosion occurred in the hills. They could see a rain of golden projectiles falling on the ground, generating further explosions.

As Gascoigne ordered the pilot to get closer, they discovered Ishtar flying next to the strange double Bow that they had already seen during their first encounter.

Suddenly, a young woman in a torn Chinese dress sprang from the ground.

Before the goddess had time to react, a fist as hard as the diamond was sinking into her belly. Breathless, Ishtar could not scream, projected from a distance, she broke several trees in her fall.

From the plane, we could see a vast field of rubble, craters, and a forest lying on the ground as if a hurricane was unlashed.

Author's note: Already the fourth chapter. With this chapter, the prologue ends. I am particularly pleased with the result. I find that I have succeeded in transcribing the personality of the characters, and the beginning of the plot seems promising.