Here is the new chapter, sorry for the wait! We thank Old Man of the Mountain for the translation.
So...still not even a shadow of a beta reader. On qq, they advised me to look for other methods, like Chat GPT, but that in particular did not work for reasons that I can't explain. The only thing it says is that the text violates the rules of use so it cannot respond.
So I am open to new suggestions for those who have them, any idea is a start.
But now, let's move on to the reviews:
- UnseenUrge: adulthood appeared about ten chapters ago. Sapphire asked Jack about it since it was not shaped to house a human, and the MC explained that it was a standalone unit that he experimented with the 'sentry mode' added to all the armor he owns. It has never been used until now.
And to answer your review below: no, I don't think that will happen. The MC agreed to help Kariya and Sakura only because he had no reason not to. After all, his job is to help others with his creations.
- IsekaiFanBoi: you underestimate my power XD
- Azai Jin: For your first request...I'm sorry but no. The MC will not go with married women, not now or ever. As for Sakura instead...read the chapter to know how the story will end.
That said, happy reading and leave a review to let me know what you think!
Miyu and I worked on many projects together, and sometimes Ajuka would also join us when he got tired of dealing with politicians, aristocrats with mile-high poles shoved up their asses, problems with other factions, and a long list of annoyances that I do not feel like listing. Normally happened once or twice a month, so much to Serafall's shock that he was having 'social interactions' outside of the literal three people or escapades, which amuse him or which he is the one to look for first.
Extremis serum is one of those improbable inventions born out of the collaboration of the three of us.
It was also an unofficial request on behalf of Sizerchs, who complained that they were not able to simply get rid of his sister's marriage now that he is a Maou and must turn out to be impartial, and so we had the task of creating an alternative cure to the phoenix tear or a way to distill it without the Phoenix's contribution. Ajuka simply used it as an excuse to take a few trips to my house when things got particularly stressful or annoying at his workplace, for one reason or another.
Extremis harnesses the bioelectric potential of the human body using nanotechnology. It grants the human body the ability to heal and regenerate from physical damage, deformity, and even psychological damage. This also includes the regrowth of severed limbs in a very short period, and that is what I have done with Kariya, after sedating him and using Rule Breaker to steal his command seals and make suicide Berseker, leaving two for later use when needed.
Making it a permanent physical enhancement was still beyond our capacity since we haven't been working on it long and so we can't artificially reconstruct a Phoenix yet, but was not our goal anyway. What we needed to do was a one-time use, as a phoenix tear for the vast majority of the world's population who cannot afford one, in addition to its use in the human world.
Extremis harnesses the body's bioelectricity and uses it to activate parts of the brain that govern the repair and chemically recode them. This allows them to hack the basic operating system of living organisms, enabling the healing of all wounds, including limbs previously amputees or even physiological damage.
The only reason it is not yet in commerce on earth (and in the rest of the kingdoms) is because the serious recognizes quirks as a disease to be eradicated and so using it on those who have one would erase it. I've had several hardships from people trying for the umpteenth time to appropriate my research, also by pharmaceutical companies because if Extremis can cure most of the diseases with a vial then I'm going to bankrupt a whole bunch of them, as well as by the government for that little backlash.
I still managed to get the permissions, one way or another, to be able to test it on consenting human subjects once the problem that could have caused the explosion was solved by the subject. However, those who came to me to test the treatment were mainly without a quirk, terminally ill who do not want to die prematurely, homeless, or other people in need of health treatment that they cannot afford.
In addition to this, it needs to be adapted to the patient's race, as it was created to be used as a base on humans. There is still a lot of work to be done before it is ready for the supernatural.
Once Extremis was administered to Berseker's former master, the worms with which Zouken had infested Kariya were burned by his own body to initiate regeneration, literally, because of the body temperature he had reached, and then began to repair all the damage he had received from them. Unfortunately, its lifespan is short anyway. With worms, if he had continued the Grail War, he would have survived another month at most if his servant did not have freaked out as he did at the port (which is highly unlikely) or had not done impulsive bullshit like directly attacking Gilgamesh's master in a one-on-one confrontation. That month became ten years since he no longer ages prematurely, but for that, there was little I could do in the end. Extremis is still unable to restore the vitality of someone at the moment, whether lost to disease or by supernatural means.
After curing Kariya dumped him in a hiding place I had improvised, guarded from Astrea type F.
"Oh? The extra servant knocks on my door. But what an honor" a mocking voice greets me when I arrive in front of the gates Matou "That idiot son of mine got fooled like the incompetent who was. A disgrace on our name, I mean it"
A flood of insects pile up in one place, forming a humanoid body in the likeness of the Old Zouken.
I released a GN burst, simply because I could, with a lazy swing of my sword. His body is instantly vaporized, along with the gate, and soon the blade whitish-green slices the manor in half. The air displacement also raises a large dust cloud.
I walked leisurely, entering the property without making too much of a fuss when other insects piled up to make a body.
"Heh, I must say it was really fun to see you break the spirit of that inept Kariya, promising him salvation and then killing him like that," the old wraith applauds me, "Indeed, it was so much fun that I will let you go without repercussions if you leave now."
I raised an eyebrow upon hearing that according to him I killed him, but I wasted no time in correcting him since I didn't have a reason. I didn't care what he had to say and I had a rescue mission to complete, however, this confirms that the dendrotoxin I used to paralyze him and put him in a state of apparent death has rendered unusable even his famils, blocking his detection/espionage capabilities through the subject haunted.
I scanned the place, finding Sakura on the second floor, in her room. She seems to have hiding under his desk, thinking that my arrival was an earthquake or something like that.
"Heh, never mind," Zouken simply says when "Kill him, Berserker!"
"GRAAAAAAAAAAH!"
I jump away when an unknown servant crashes where I was standing a moment before.
'Berserker' is a woman 166 centimeters tall, has pale, almost ashen skin, and greenish eyes with slit pupils. Her hair is long to below her butt, messy, white with purplish shades at the end of the locks. Her clothes are made of black fur, white on the chest that leaves some cleavage on the modest breasts, with purple lines on the upper torso and the legs. On the left shoulder, there is a kind of drooling boar's head.
"Atalanta, huh? A pathetic servant I didn't expect to answer you, of all people" I speak for the first time "The only reason he would do such a thing is-"
He pulls back the string of his bow and fires several arrows together that crash into the NG field of my armor, without being able to go through it even once.
Seeing that it wasn't working, he threw himself at me like a mad beast, but I fought back quickly and interrupted his run before he could pick up speed, using GN burst to pound the ground and create enough air displacement to hurl it away, causing it to roll for several meters.
"Tauropolos-" I swing my weapon, releasing a third GN Burst before he could activate his noble phantasm runs over her, severing her left arm and burning off a large part of its side of the body "Graaaaaaa-!?"
"Knock it off," I say simply as the blackened servant falls to his knees, holding his stump leaking blood. His body glows with a dim greenish light for a few moments, as he returns to his 'archer' state when the black boar's fur is erased.
I jumped away ignoring Atalanta's screams of pain and Zouken's empty threats, entering the mansion by breaking through Sakura's bedroom window. The little girl hiding under the desk gasps at the abrupt entrance, yet does not move from his seat.
I scanned it, to avoid any misunderstanding and make sure it was human, not a decoy construct made of crest worms. While doing so, I also identified the location of all the familiars, including the one close to the heart. There were too many, really too many in that little body. I felt sorry for telling the truth. Death would be preferable to something like that.
"Sakura, I've come to take you away from here," I inform her, kneeling in front of the desk to have a line of sight of her, who was hugging her legs to her chest and hiding her face on the knees, practically curling up on herself against the wall, "Look at me"
She gasps when I order him to do so, but after a moment's hesitation, he obeys.
And I don't like what I see.
You have shoulder-length purple hair with a red-pink ribbon tied on the left side. You are wearing a lilac pajamas. All normal so far, but the dead, empty eyes? They were not much different from those of a corpse, were it not for the fact that she is still alive physically speaking.
"..."
"Matou Kariya asked me to save you," I briefly explain my presence here, hoping to get a reaction.
His head tilted to the side, showing his perplexity and...almost sad resignation?
"But...ojii-sama said he died," she retorts, puzzled.
"He was lying. I just broke the control he had over him, so he couldn't ascertain his status, but Kariya is alive and safe," I reply, trying to motivate her to follow me of her own free will, "I have to take you to him."
"...Ojii-sama will not be happy" There was a moment of hesitation as he informed me, but not it matter. She was afraid, but she had not yet resigned herself to the idea of running away from here and away from his control, fortunately.
Perhaps it is because the only person who treats her as a human being, rather than a toy for mistreatment, had she not died before his eyes? It would have helped his mental health later on I guess.
"It doesn't matter. He will die tonight, and you will be free," I inform her, causing her to open wide slightly incredulous eyes.
Using my noble phantasm (it's still weird to think of Celestial Being head like that, or even the idea of having my own) I pulled out the second of the five Extremis vials I had prepared with the materials the Einzbern had brought to our base for me and taking Sakura, still a little hesitant in my arms, pokes the back of her neck.
"Aah?!"
She lets out a surprised and choked cry, definitely pained when the fluorescent orange liquid enters the bloodstream and goes to work, but then passes out from shock.
From outside I hear a second scream, this time more inhuman, which within thirty seconds becomes more distorted and then slowly fades away.
I flew out the window, got hit by some throwing knives, and observed from below Atalanta, above a pool of her blood with one hand outstretched toward me, staring fiercely.
An idea makes its way into my head, which I may find useful, and I land next to her.
"Let that child go...or else-"
"Otherwise nothing" I interrupt her impassively "I came here at uncle's request to save her from that worm, so now you have two choices"
She does not respond, nor does she believe me, merely staring at me as dangerously as a puppy of a wounded and helpless lioness.
"You try to get in my way, I'll kill you here and go on my way" My 'proposal' is accepted with her almost growling in my direction "Or you come with me and take care of Sakura until when she does not become an adult and independent. Choose."
My second idea makes him blink.
"What...?"
"I did what I could for Kariya Matou, but she will not live long enough to watch over Sakura for more than a decade if all goes well," I inform her, only increasing her confusion "Not to mention that she will need a reliable mother figure, and, as much as you disgust me, you are still fit to take care of children. So I will leave you live if you agree to watch over her even after Kariya is dead. What is your answer?"
"I...how do I know...that you don't lie?" she asks breathlessly, tired by the loss of blood.
Or is mana loss more apt? After all, the 'blood' of a servant is mana condensed and takes a physical form, like the rest of our temporary bodies. The danger of our 'bleeding' is dripping mana until we disappear to have exhausted it if we can't close our wounds, and considering how much he lost Atalanta and the injuries that he sustained, he must not be very well now, given also the damage that I have done with a blow amid his madness.
She did not disappear because of her 'independent action' at grade A. No, maybe it wasn't Zouken the master in reality, but Sakura? Also because I highly doubt that she would have answered her call, and the child in my arms still longs for salvation, so that may be the reason for his appearance, but he has no command seals. This makes me think that Zouken brought out bullshit similar to what he did with Cursed Arm during the fifth war, conjuring up a servant even though all seven were present, or something like that.
At this point I don't know, I don't have enough information to speculate and frankly, I don't even care that much. I just want to solve this problem, send these three away, and then stop this useless war.
"Make a temporary contract with me and I'll show you that I'm serious," I say, depositing my weapon to extend my hand toward her as I approach.
Atalanta stares at my hand. She is reluctant, but also aware that she has no choice but to do what I say if you want to make sure I keep my word and bring Sakura to safety as I have promised.
Resignedly she accepts my hand and then I feel a trana feeling invade me.
Like when I implanted the Alaya-Vijnana and felt it work its way into my spine up to the brain to create the new set of nerves. A similar sensation went up the arm.
"With my two command seals, I command you-" her eyes widened in surprise when two red lights somehow filtered through my armored hand. Betrayal, anger, helplessness, and a bunch of other things, when he thinks I won't keep my word. But I have ignored it. I don't care what you think of me as long as you do your job "Atalanta, incarnate!"
If Gilgamesh was able to do this with only his magical power and a minor grail, even if he does not know not even use the most basic thaumaturgical formulas, why can't I do the same? If I don't
I remember wrongly I had read something somewhere about a similar precedent earlier in my life that previous, but I wouldn't bet on it. The Grail is still handling the presence of the woman Greek with the third true sorcery, doing such a thing should be possible, but in the worst-case scenario, I just wasted two command seals and lost a servant. Nothing to worry too much.
Instead, Atalanta howls and writhes on the ground as pain and grief invade her body.
"We interrupt the broadcasts for a breaking news story" the newsman informs "It has been verified a mysterious explosion in the construction site area toward the Shizuoka pier. We now travel to the place-"
Kayneth turns off the television with an indignant snort before turning to the servant standing at her flank.
"Why didn't you eliminate that delusional servant? You didn't have one chance, but two," goes note the magus, extremely annoyed.
"There was no opening" retorts Lancer impassively, contradicting the master, which he did contracting his eye "Foreigner was waiting for the exact moment when I would use Vasavi Shakti to counterattack."
"And you believe the talk of a madman?" the magus asks almost incredulously, looking at Karna as if it were stupid "Plus you made me waste a command spell too! It was so much fun fighting that quack?"
"He was not a charlatan or a madman at all; in fact, he is the exact opposite," Lancer seriously warns him, staring straight into his eyes without blinking "Among the servants I met this evening, he is undoubtedly the most dangerous of all."
The warning if possible only irritated the proud wizard more.
"What do you mean?" he almost growls, if he had not had his decorum as the most illustrious prodigy of the conjuring faculty of the clock tower.
"Now that we are out of his reach for a while I have the assurance even though I am not a magician I same: Foreigner has an unknown ability that erodes mystery," the Indian hero informs him, causing the blond man to freeze "I didn't notice it immediately, but gradually I started to slow down and my attacks became less and less effective as time went on. This not was derived only from the fact that he quickly adapted to my fighting style and found countermeasures, but also a slow and steady lowering of my abilities, reaching the point of also influencing my noble phantasm"
"This is impossible!" denies Kayneth immediately "Noble phantasm is the pinnacle of the mystery! Crystallized miracles! A mere machine cannot-"
"The cause of the phenomenon is probably the green particles that its armor releases," he interrupts Karna before his summoner can continue his pride-driven rant "Although, in the current era, technology cannot go that far, we have practically ascertained that servant was conjured up from the future, even though we do not know how distant his era is; therefore, it is more than likely that he is capable of it instead."
Kayneth grits his teeth, infuriated by the disrespectful behavior of his summoning, but he is not even stupid enough to discard that possibility at that point, no matter how much his wounded pride does not want to acknowledge that he may have made a mistake and that his servant is right.
"Also, there is another thing that worries me," Karna informed him, completely ignoring the anger of the contractor.
The Lord takes a deep breath to avoid snapping again, which is not at all befitting a Lord of his stature and regains some semblance of control.
"What is it this time?" he asks, already tired of hearing about the fiasco of an evening that night.
"Foreigner, throughout the fight, did not use any noble phantasm."
"!"
"At first it was not obvious given the power of his armor and sword, but a servant for release all the power of a noble phantasm must necessarily call its real name unless there are no special conditions or a command seal is not used," continues the hero of the charity before his master could challenge his statement "The only thing he did is been saying 'trans-am' before his armor glowed red and his performance increased, so it had to be some kind of voice command to activate the enhancement to the maximum capacity instead of a short burst like his strongest blows, somewhat like I've seen magicians do in London before they leave when they activate their magic circuits. He did not say any other names not even when I used Brahmastra Kundala."
"That...that means he can match you, of all servants, without using his weapons better?!" finally asks scandalized Kayneth, starting to break out in a cold sweat at the idea of a being of the kind was on the loose.
"He called himself a craftsman, so he may have one or more non-inherent noble phantasm to combat per se," Karna points out, "But with his martial skill that he has learned from a well-known god-killer like Scathach, I doubt that this is the case. Even then, it means that his skill in creating the objects he uses is so high that he can easily match some real Noble phantasm, with a defensive capability equal to that and perhaps greater than my armor, a divine construct"
Kayneth remains silent, leaning against the back of the luxury hotel chair, definitely troubled by the recent reflection.
"If so, why didn't you take the chance to eliminate him when Berserker attacked? As he charged like a rabid dog, you could have used Vasavi Shakti and finished him off," notes the blond with a frown.
"Unfortunately, even if it had the command seal to use my Noble phantasm faster instead of ordering me to assist Berseker, it would not have worked," he informed him, still impassive Karna "Somehow he found out my identity before we met tonight; therefore, it also knows about the weakness of my strongest weapon. With its ability to erode mystery, I would have taken at least five seconds to use Vasavi Shakti even with the command seal, more than enough seconds to use trans-am and fly away while charging his attack in just half the time, since it does not need to stand still during the process and can fire at repetition. With the injury he had previously suffered, Berseker would not have been able to stop him and would have killed me, and then fired the second shot and finished him off as well. Even if he had fired first against Berseker, my noble phantasm at that time had lost a whole degree, so I would have been at a disadvantage in a contest of strength."
"...and Raider noticed, so he got in our way," Kayneth concludes, horrified, realizing the egregious mess he had made.
After all, willy-nilly, the magus knew perfectly well that, however irritating, the king of the conquerors was also an extremely capable tactician for a reason. He certainly had observed the confrontation and noted at least what Karna had just reported to him, but he wanted more information in case he had to face it so he had to have stopped the fight so he wouldn't find himself nasty surprises without warning.
"Yes. If he was able to eliminate me and Berseker, he would then fight Raider since the servant gold announced that he would take part in the fight only after most of the participants had been eliminated," confirmed the albino "Raider seemed to me to be a guy who calculates well his moves before acting, despite his attitude suggesting otherwise, otherwise would not have achieved the results and fame he had in life. He probably did not want to fight Foreigner without any other information, given how dangerous he was. And under those conditions, I doubt his master would not use a command seal to help him eliminate all three of us. Here's the guy of threat that is. I suggest a more tactical approach than a confrontation, as far as I would like to conclude my duel with him."
With the in-depth report on the Battle of Karna finished, Kayneth pinches his eyes, not understanding how he had not recognized that kind of threat before. It may have been because of his talk about the Grail. He wanted to get under his skin to make him make such an error of judgment, to then eliminate half the participants at once. How had he missed such a trap? In addition to fighting and creating items that are the ultimate insult to any magus worthy of such a title, is it also an esper of psychological warfare? Not to mention that if Karna's assumptions are right and he is from the future, because of his evocation he enjoys no privilege coming from the fame or antiquity of his legend in this era, but he had nevertheless been able to match a hero as famous as his servant.
What kind of monster had the Einzbern conjured up this time?
Sola-Ui, who had been resting until recently because Karna had put a strain on her magic circuits, had come out of her room hearing the discussion and stared at the couple in the background waiting for an opening so he could join the conversation. He approaches to say something but the fire alarm interrupts her before she can open her mouth, and the phone starts ringing.
She picks up the phone to answer it.
"Yes?"
"Ma'am, there is a fire on the lower floors, please evacuate with the other customers immediately."
"that's fine," he simply replies before hanging up, "There is a fire on the lower floors."
"Arson," commented Kayneth confoundedly to his wife, barely holding back an annoyed sigh "They probably want to evacuate the building to get us out."
"but why?" the woman asks confused.
"Emiya Kiritsugu is not below dirty means like this, and he was hired by the Einzbern. He will surely target me to eliminate Lancer and keep the Einzbern's servant aces hidden longer," the Lord informs her, having studied in advance the participants' modus operandi and the known affiliates "Lancer, go downstairs and check it out."
"Copy"
And with that single word, it disappears into blue particles, switching to its astral form to go into ADVANCE.
"We allow our guests to experience on their skin the effects of a magical base prepared by Kaynet El-Meloi," the blond bragged, distracting himself from the fear he had begun to have of Foreigner.
"The preparations are completed. How is the situation at your place?"
"Everything is regular. Ready when you are," Maiya replied from her seat, observing the building with the PSR storm.
Several explosions go off inside the thirty-story hotel, glowing almost like fire fireworks, before the roar of multiple detonations resounded loudly in the night, sending the neighborhood into a blackout as the structure began to collapse in on itself.
Civilians panicked as a dust cloud even larger than the hotel and flames burst skyward, hitting anyone too close to the collapse site.
"Maiya"
"There was no reaction from the lens," warns the woman, observing from the viewfinder and with the functions of the nano suit the event takes place all the time "He did not leave the Hotel"
"With a 150-meter fall, no magic barrier could save his skin" Kirtsugu concluded "Maiya, retreat-"
The suit's alarms sound, warning her of an incoming shot, and she immediately dodges from his position, just in time to see a black key impale his radio. Activate immediately concealment and hide behind a pillar, while a man emerges from the darkness and looks out to see the view.
"I find it quite unusual that a magus can even go so far as to detonate an entire building" declares Kirei looking impassively at the burning rubble "Actually, I guess it's practical for taking the magicians unawares."
"Kotomine Kirei..." the woman murmurs nervously, seeing that her employer's nemesis has presented without her noticing.
"Oh? I don't remember that we met before, or is it for another reason that you already know me?" rhetorically asked the church's enforcer, "In that case, I can guess who you are"
"tsk" Maiya grits her teeth as she realizes her mistake, and inadvertently confirms that the attack was conceived by Kiritsugu.
"Don't let me do all the talking, woman" the priest intimates to her, throwing a dead bat with a camera attached to the ankle-the familiar he had sent to the church-in his direction "Answer me: where is the man who should be here instead of you?"
Not wanting to make any more mistakes and without a reason to fight on the enemy's terms, who had foreseen Kiritsugu's plans with great precision, and that he was therefore aware even of their mode of operation, Maiya decides to retreat rather than confront it by taking full advantage of the
Stealth of the nanosuit and disappearing into the night without making a sound or leaving a trace, leaving themselves behind a very dissatisfied and annoyed priest.
"After a detailed investigation of Assasin, we learned that Caster and his Master have abducted children in various districts throughout Shizuoka. Arriving at dawn, the amount arrived at fifty" Kirei reports to his father and mentors through the mistycode "I assume they are the multi-murderers much discussed at the time. In doing so, they use magic without any hesitation and without hiding the traces of what happened. At this point, I highly doubt that they are interested in the Holy Grail War"
Despite the annoyance at losing track of the magus killer's accomplice, the church's enforcer was still tasked to help oversee the war and make sure that the Grail would eventually go to the Thosaka, as had been agreed upon before the conflict began when the current clan leader had taken him as a disciple.
"A delusional servant in the grip of madness, and a master incapable of drawing judgment" sums up Tokiomi, whose frown could also be perceived through long-distance communication, despite trying to maintain a neutral attitude, "Why on earth are these rabble participating in the War of the Holy Grail?"
A question Kirei is quite interested in actually. Even two years later, he could not understand by what criteria he had been chosen, since he had no wish to express, no matter how much he had thought about it up to that point, to no avail.
His teacher's assumption that he had received seals to assist him during the war, given the long-standing relationship between the church and the Thosaka sounded far-fetched at best.
The certified lack of the servant Saber was replaced by an extra class never heard of before.
The brief appearance of an eighth master-servant pair, eliminated shortly thereafter by the same Foreigner, with the second Berserker never reaching the Grail despite having been ascertained to be dead.
And now two assassins who are causing too much fuss and endangering the secrecy of the supernatural, and of that pair, the master was unaware until Caster's appearance.
Not even two full days had passed, but irregularities upon irregularities were emerging that risk disrupting the ritual if left unchecked.
He had to wonder if that extra servant was right, because from the way they were going on, it wouldn't be too long before the Yokai faction, or heaven forbid, the Shinto faction knocked on their door to ask for explanations. Dealing with them was like asking an exorcist to get along with a devil from the old Maou faction.
Wasn't it ironic to go to so much trouble to get the rules maintained, when those who were supposed to be impartial were playing favorites to push one of the participants to victory with deals under the table?
"We cannot allow them to go any further, Tokiomi," warns the not-at-all-all impartial referee of the church "Their behavior violates the regulations, going too far beyond the allowed limits."
"Obviously," agrees the magus, "In the amount of responsibility for keeping the secrets of the magic, I cannot tolerate them"
"Caster and his master must be eliminated" Risei concludes in a tone of finality.
"The problem is that to defeat a servant requires another servant," Kirei points out to his father, "And I can't send Assassin."
Risei thinks about the situation for a moment before nodding.
"It is within my authority to make minor changes to the regulations should there be any need," says the corrupt priest, "We will entice other masters to defeat casters"
"What on earth are you up to this time?"
This is probably the first time Kiritsugu has spoken to me live. He entered almost by running from the door and came straight to question me.
"Mn? What do you mean?" confused as I put down the fork with which I was eating a Prinzregententorte after a night of hard work.
I went back to Castle Einzbern the next morning because I had to put Sakura and the newly reincarnated Atalanta, both of whom were unconscious, to bed while Veda looked for Caster and I made sure there were no were complications in the three patients who briefly came under my care. Beyond that, I have prepared passports with new identities for the two Matou and the Greek slayer, funds that will enable them to live for the next decades without worries (funds appropriately stolen from corrupt politicians and various criminals), and tickets to Hawaii leaving in 48 hours.
In addition to my best wishes for a good recovery, I warned them never to go anywhere close to Greece, as Hades is a bloodthirsty warmonger and would surely give the hunt in Atalanta for his resurrection considering how jealous he is of his souls. The news of its appearance would split the Greek pantheon in two, which would undermine its stability and perhaps even the delicate balance of the rest of the world, which they had to avoid.
Otherwise, they can do whatever they want, they are no longer my responsibility. I have to focus on the war and finding a way to stop it before everything goes down because at this point I am sure will happen. I can feel it in my bones.
As for the Matou mansion, I had also left several Jegans scouring the library after that to have fumigated the worm-filled basement. Not that there was an urgent need. Without a master to keep them in check, they began cannibalizing themselves in desperation search for mana; so, what I did was to set fire to the remaining ones before they left the area and caused problems in Shizuoka.
As for Matou - Kariya's brother, whose name I didn't bother to ask, I found out that he had been castrated and then brutally mutilated by Atalanta when she caught him dealing with Sakura's altered libido, judging by the lack of clothes on her corpse in putrefaction, probably just for some amusement or sick joke of the worm against Kariya, and probably to show Atalanta that there was no limit to his depravity. Zouken had not even deigned to throw him into the worm pit or bury him, no matter how little he cared; therefore, I had free access to the family library during my research of information about the Grail, which unfortunately proved fruitless.
I found a wealth of experiments and research on everything that went into the creation of the seals of command, Tantric rituals, Makiri specialization, and then all the junk that Zouken did when he became a parasite in the manner of a Dead Apostle.
There was also a lot of other stuff that I set on fire along with the Matou mansion about magecaft, I did not care about it in any case, however. That knowledge had been saved anyway and added to Veda's records, in case it is needed at some point in the future.
The official version for the mundane world, however, is that due to some gas leaks, there were explosions that set the house on fire and killed all the residents before help arrived.
On the supernatural side, I didn't particularly care what people thought actually. I simply made sure that no one found out about the magical bullshit behind the scenes. Nothing more, no less.
"Last night it was announced that Berseker had died, that his master's degree had been withdrawn, and that an eighth master-servant couple who were killed not even an hour after the Matou retreat," Kiritsugu accuses me bluntly, glaring at me"Practically everyone who knows what is happening they will understand that you attacked their mansion last night!"
"And?" I ask completely indifferent "Now there are two fewer servants to fight. Not you should be happy? I'm going to kill caster today anyway. He is causing too many civilian casualties and a this pace it will only be a matter of time before an official statement also comes from the fake referee"
My snide comment only irritated him more, even though he was trying not to show it.
"No, you have to"
"Kiritsugu, an official communication has arrived from the local church," Irisviel interrupted him as he entered from the dining room door, with a crystal ball in his hand.
I could practically see veins contracting at his temples when, for the umpteenth time, I was right.
"The secrecy of the Holy Grail War is in danger.
It has been confirmed that the Caster master is the culprit behind the recent kidnappings in
Shizuoka.
Therefore, as the arbiter of this war, I will use my powers to alter its
momentarily the rules.
All masters should cease ongoing hostilities and eliminate casters.
The master who kills it will be awarded an additional command seal, left unused by the master's
deceased from previous wars. They are invaluable to all of you.
Once the elimination of casters is confirmed, the war will go back to taking place according to the normal regulations."
"I'm not interested in command seals, but eliminating casters is my priority now," I inform him absent-mindedly, not caring what his plans were anyway "If he keeps this up. Will attract additional attention from law enforcement, and they will probably begin to meddle even with local supernatural factions at this rate. And when more factions are met in one territory, it never ends well."
Kiritsugu clenches his fists.
"Needless to say, despite the situation, surely the church will try to support the Thosaka this time as well, especially since Tokiomi has already used a command seal to have the Gilgamesh" I kept talking to myself, even though I knew he had already thought about it, before finishing my dessert and place the fork on the saucer "Even with their machinations, I think that we should get a move on to take him out before he takes more victims before some other faction attacks the church and foolishly initiates hostilities greater than they are worth."
"..."
Kiritsugu's non-response made Irisviel a little worried, she looked uncertain between me and her husband.
"Kiritsugu?"
"Ah, he's probably thinking about how to attack other masters while chasing casters" I inform her, causing the person directly concerned to turn toward me with a frown, while the albino woman seems even more concerned "Not a bad plan. Eliminate as many enemies as possible while are too distracted by the hook would be ideal, as it would prevent us from unnecessary confrontations and wasted resources, but in this case, there are too many external factors that make it difficult to do so...in addition to Kotomine Kirei, who expects exactly that kind of move from Kiritsugu and will move of consequence, as when he used El-Meloi as bait to lure him."
The killer magus stares at me for almost a minute without saying a word and then walks away, leaving behind a distraught wife and the mistress who seems undecided whether to give me dirty looks or welcome my warning with favor.
Not that I care either way as long as he stays out of the way.
Veda, despite Caster's far greater elusiveness than initially anticipated, managed to find some places that he may have used as shelters or otherwise visited recently.
Because of the very nature of servants, it is easy for Astrea's systems to perceive changes in the environmental mana when they are around, so I followed the trail he left behind.
It was not good.
A tide of starfish-shaped creatures, with a toothed mouth and tiny tentacles that are extended on their structures, have invaded the city's sewage system and I had to send quite a bit of Jegan cleaning that crap for the sewers of Shizuoka, while I headed for the alleged caster workshops.
I wish I could say that I found his rituals disgusting, but it was obvious that what they did here was simple and barbaric torture.
The bodies of several dozen children were cut up and reattached to make various shapes grotesque, others that were supposed to have a vague animal shape, some that were almost geometric or resembled the furniture of a house made from human remains. Many fail to even describe them because of how unnatural they are. There are also children skinned alive and kept in life through curses, crucifixes to pillars, and their skins hanging aside for who knows what should have been their use.
The level of disgust I feel is higher than even what I felt for All for One and Garaki when they threw high-end Noumu at me.
However, unlike those two whom I did not have the power to stop immediately when I arrived in this world, I consciously let Ryuunosuke Uryuu and Gilles de Reis run this time because I could not be sure what abomination the defiled grail would call back to their place.
So I let innocent children die to prevent more victims in case it was another servant of the caliber of Gilgamesh or Karna was summoned. One is completely intent on using the Grail as it is, perhaps out of spite toward someone or because it resembles distorted individuals such as Kirei.
From that point of view, I was as pathetic a hypocrite as Kiritsugu. Perhaps even more so, because unlike her I had the power to do something, but I decided to put aside feelings and morals to make a rational choice with the highest probability of success, ignoring everything else.
The fact that I could not feel remorse, or even know what was going to happen I made that choice anyway, and I would be willing to make it again if necessary because I could see the scene before my eyes as 'acceptable collateral damage' makes me seriously question my sanity.
Then again, what did it mean to be sane? I knew I was distorted and abnormal. I sensed from the depths of my soul when I first opened my circuits.
And now, a part of me was beginning to be afraid of the measures I would take to prevent the Grail from destroying the world because I knew that even then I would have chosen the most rational decision rather than a 'just' or morally acceptable one.
Simply before I was in this place, I didn't realize how much that distortion could be dangerous to those around me.
Merlin had said that by holding Excalibur I would cease to be human, but perhaps I lost that part of me a long time before that day.
"I wonder what the girls would think of me if they saw this..."
That brief moment of weakness was crushed when I felt several presences go through the tunnel, charged with murderous instinct even if cleverly concealed, knowing that my priorities at the time were other.
A dagger flies toward me, but it does not reach me.
The thin layer of the GN field, although it had been affected, still does not become visible as far as ineffective that attack.
I watch impassively as four figures emerge from the shadows, ignoring the blood and corpses that they smear floors and walls.
"You caught me at a bad time, you know?" I ask deathly calmly despite what I had seen coming here ""Because until now, I had almost forgotten what it feels like to feel angry"
It was an impulse of the moment. The annoyance toward myself for not being able to to control an ingrained instinct that I thought I had under control, but which was inadvertently slipped without my noticing. A slight jerk in my magic circuits had triggered the GN condenser in my chest, which in turn released a deadly amount of mana into the air through me, which would probably have killed most humans instantly without a high resistance simply by being nearby, or that they did not come from the era of the gods.
The floor, columns, and walls crack as if an unseen force is pushing them away from me, sending Hassan's four faces flying away, crushing them against the walls.
It was only a second though.
I regained control of myself quickly since it is improper to lose my temper in a conflict as the Grail War, although I must admit that the weight I felt on my stomach was lightened even if only marginally, to my great mortification, for that instant shot of wrath.
I looked around, seeing all the caster victims, some still alive despite their status.
Since I could not yet control my mutation into Innovertor, I felt that even though I was not experiencing fear, pain, anger, hatred, betrayal, and a flood of other dark emotions that would probably have overwhelmed me if I were not used to perceiving them by most of the people around me since I was reincarnated in this world, then, despite the weight on the stomach returned even worse than before knowing that this time the people experiencing them were not insidious bastards, but innocent victims that had nothing to do with the horror they were dragged into, I simply decided of burning this place down.
Both to prevent my target from returning and to end the suffering of all those trapped there, no matter whether it was because of curses or negative feelings that would be transformed into ghosts of various kinds.
I continued to wander, destroying shelter after shelter as I hunted for the blood of Gilles de Reis.
During the night, while Jack was hunting his target, Irisviel finally decided to go to find her husband who had gone out to clear his head but had not returned to discuss what to do, even after the heroic spirit had left the house.
She found him overlooking one face of the castle observing the forest.
"Kiri-"
She freezes when she sees how much her gaze is so...tried. Distressed he would also say. And he reeked of smoke. Or maybe it was gunpowder? How long had it been since he had smelled like that? That look tired and resigned reminded him too much of what he had before they began their relationship. Without saying anything he walks up to her and embraces her, holding her close to him as if she were his anchor of salvation.
'He is trembling...' Irisviel notes distractedly as she returns the hug, massaging his back as he usually does to calm him down.
"If I...if I decided to abandon the grail war here and now" At the end, the broken man under the cold mask speaks, his throat almost dry "Would you come with me, Iri?"
That question had put her on the spot and also caught her off guard.
"...and Illya?" she asks weakly, not knowing what to answer him.
"Foreigner said he took her to a safe place, away from prying eyes. We can go from her and live like a normal family," the man quickly replied, still trembling, "If someone tries to attack us I will protect you with everything I have, even if it costs me my life!"
His words, instead of reassuring the albino woman, only saddened her, because she knew her husband very well. She knows that he was 'strong' before because he had nothing to lose, so he tried to save as many people as possible both from the horrors of the supernatural and from worldly ones, by any means necessary, no matter how extreme the measure was or who had to sacrifice to do so.
But now? She and Illya are his greatest weakness. The reason he lost his 'strength'. Not would be able to protect them at all as he says in his current state, because he would no longer be able to choose options he would not have hesitated for a second before.
"Would you come with me?" asks Kiritsugu again, given his lack of response.
His desperate demand is also caused by the Foreigner himself. He does not fear enemy servants too much, but everything else. He was not so naive as to believe that any of his plans would survive without problems dealing with the situations in front of him, but he was pretty sure that with proper research and the right preparation, he would have been able to kill all enemy masters relatively easily. He believes that even now.
The problem was the unexpected caster situation. With the mess he made, he was attracting all the wrong attention and it won't be too long before the supernatural factions decide to intervene. If things get even more derailed and they start intervening in the five clans or other entities far beyond their reach, not only will obtaining the grail become impossible, but he would also risk losing his wife for nothing and could do nothing to prevent it. The war between the factions could reignite because of the church's friction with Shinto, and at that point nowhere would be safer.
"...Liar," Irisviel accuses him at the end "You could never escape. Once you leave the war, you could never forgive yourself for not using the grail to protect the world" The grip of the woman on her husband tightens, at the mere thought of what she might have done at that point, but the knew perfectly well "You would end up taking your own life, your first and last accuser."
"I am afraid," Kiritsugu finally admitted, sighing, "After reviewing the events with Maiya, we concluded that Foreigner was right. He used Kayneth as bait to get me out at the discovery, and if he figured out how to do it, then he probably also found a way to beat me. The most dangerous enemy is hunting me, and I don't know if I can defeat him..."
Irisviel could fully understand her husband's fear.
She will die to become the lesser grail, but if Kiritsugu is also killed, who will take care of Illya, now that the Einzbern have been slaughtered? Are the two maids guarding them?
"It's okay," Iri tries to reassure him, "Foreigner and I will protect you. Maiya will also be there. Also, you have weapons that came directly from the future!"
As much as he hated to admit it, the person he needed most right now was Maiya. Unlike her, Maiya had assisted him even before his retirement in the Einzbern. They had worked together so at long that she would know perfectly well how to calm him down, unlike him.
"And Chloe. She would hardly like to be sidelined for her sister again"
Irisviel blinked when, by chance, that phrase from Foreigner came back to his mind. For one reason or another, they had not been able to finish their conversation.
"Kiritsugu, if we had another daughter, what would you name her?" asks the curious albino woman.
He blinks, unprepared for such an unexpected question.
"I...don't know? Why this question so suddenly?" he asks skeptically.
"Oh, emh...this might be silly, but yesterday Foreigner told me that we're going to have a second daughter," Iri rather insecurely admits, "I didn't get a chance to ask after all that is a success, but from the way he spoke, he seemed to know Chloe and Illya quite well, so maybe he did meet in the future? Maybe they will be classmates!?"
That statement makes the killer magus blink, definitely not expecting how the conversation is derailed.
"He...said that?" he asks skeptically, looking at the empty armor he usually leaves to guard his wife when he moves alone.
And not without reason. After all, when most of the servants are absorbed into the container, Irisviel will no longer be able to maintain a humanoid form and will become the Grail Minor. It is estimated that it will happen upon the death of the fifth servant. It should be impossible for her to get to the end of the war, much less have a second daughter.
So once again, what the hell was Foreigner up to?
Rin, despite her pride, could admit that perhaps running away at night to look for her friend Kotone, may not have been the brightest of ideas.
She had been taught to have an elegant attitude at all times of the day, as a proud sorceress and heir to the Thosaka family, so obviously she was not lost to the Shizuoka streets at night, he was afraid of it! Not! Her friend was in danger and what kind of heir would he be if he did not help a friend in her time of need!?
Guided by the compass that her father had given her before sending her to her maternal grandparents, Rin continued to wander the streets and alleys, looking for any clue that might lead her from her classmate.
"Come on, keep walking," complains a decidedly adult male voice as he walks, followed by a series of smaller steps.
The tip of the compass clicks in the direction of the voice, causing it to stiffen as it slowly turns its gaze toward the indicated point.
There is a man with orange hair, he wears a purple jacket, has two piercings, and a chain around his waist.
Nothing about this man would attract attention if it weren't for the fact that he was dragging children behind him, without anyone saying anything despite his strange attitude.
At least until he saw the bracelet he was wearing. Without even trying to use one of the basic detection spells, it could feel such a malevolent and sickening presence in it which makes her wince in extreme discomfort. She needed a few moments to recover, but taking advantage of his heightened senses and training on the fundamentals of magecraft that his father had taught him, he sensed more mana in the bracelet (even though it gave him goosebumps). Enough to understand that he was undoubtedly enchanted by someone other than those who wear.
She stood still in that alley, not moving a muscle out of fear and indecision, until could no longer hear the footsteps of the kidnapper and his victims. At that point, she was finally able to let out a sigh of relief, happy that he had not discovered her.
That happiness did not last long, however, when she realized that she had let herself escape probably Kotone's kidnapper.
So, after gathering his resolve, he used his compass to try to track down the man, unaware of the consequences his decision would bring.
"!"
"An enemy attack?" asks Kiritsugu, recovering when idle chatter with his wife was abruptly interrupted "Fortunately, Maiya has not yet left. Together we can organize an attack."
"Shall I get the crystal ball?"
"Yes-"
"None necessary" warns Foreigner, using command core to communicate with the two adults, making them gasp, "Stay here and don't get in the way of my Jegans. This armor will remain here to guard you, in case someone somehow manages to reach the castle"
"Jegan?" asked Irisviel not understanding what he meant.
Explosions resound through the forest around the castle, causing it to tremble slightly from its violence.
"What's going on?" the woman asked, as her husband turned his head sharply to look at the columns of smoke.
"I eliminate all remaining assassins. You stay out of the way"
"F-foreigner?" the albino woman asks uncertainly, hearing the unusually cold and distant tone.
He never showed who knows what expressiveness, although during the field trip on the first day, he joked a little with her to humor him, that level of coldness put her extremely discomfort, considering that he had shown some care for them despite the friction.
Kirei looked at the forest shaken by the explosions with a frown.
Although he was told by his teacher to stay at the church for the time being, he eventually, could not hold back his curiosity when he followed the advice that the king of heroes had given him given to entertain himself. He had investigated the masters of the war and their motives.
Matou Kariya had run away from his family and duties but had returned to participate in the war to snatch the adopted child from the Thosaka. Foreigner for some reason had eliminated the survivors and took away both the former master and Matou Sakura. He had tried to find them through an assassin, but the abnormal servant proved to be extremely cautious and any investigation ended in an inconclusive way, much to his bewilderment.
Tokiomi and Kayneth are extremely predictable. The only thing they care about is the prestige that comes from participating in such a ritual, and the possibility of reaching the root.
Waver Velvet is so insignificant that he wonders why he even wasted time investigating him.
The caster master did not even know about the supernatural until he summoned the caster. The only thing he cares about is his killings.
The only two individuals who intrigue him are Emiya Kiritsugu and the servant Einzbern.
He cannot in the least understand the motivations that drive the infamous magus killer to do what he does. He never thought of doing anything for his interests. His way of acting is completely deviated from someone who takes risks for a reward. It is safe for him to do the mercenary simply for the money, so he tries to dig deeper into him.
Nine years before the war, the curtain came down on his incessant struggles, when he happened to run into the Einzbern when he had probably found an answer to the battles. However, for his life, he could not understand what he was looking for in all the events that involved him, nor what he found at the end.
That's why he had decided to attack the Einzbern castle while Foreigner was hunting down the Caster. He had to take advantage of the fact that the monster the German family had conjured up was out hunting because he was dying to finally come face to face with his greatest opponent in that war. Was he an empty man like himself, or did he have a purpose that drove him to fight? If so, why had he stopped? What had he found in the Einzbern that had prompted him to retire? Why did he decide to come back now? He wanted answers.
He abruptly halted his plan as soon as it began, however. Why?
Because Foreigner had a similar ability as his servant to control multiple bodies, and in just three minutes, he had killed all the fragments of his servant before he had even traveled more than a hundred meters in Einzbern territory.
It wasn't even a fight, it was a one-way massacre.
Foreigner's metal bodies were more numerous, stronger, faster, more durable, could fly, and had equipment that couldn't even be compared to his servant's without looking ridiculously over the top.
And now one of those bodies was right in front of him and staring at him, making him break out in a cold sweat after being shot down with ruthless efficiency. If he had not been trained as he was, and without all his experiences as a performer, he would have been killed with the first attack. If he had decided to shoot him instead of using blunt weapons, since one of his assassins had tried to grab him to get him out of there, bringing the enemy servant into his vicinity, it wouldn't have even lasted those short (or very long) fifteen seconds.
However, just before he could finish it, RGM-89De Jegan (ECOAS Type) fires up the thrusters and jumps away, avoiding for a millisecond being impaled by half a dozen noble phantasms.
"Such an insulting mistake I didn't expect it from you, Kirei"
The priest lifts his head and sees the king of heroes, dressed in casual clothes that, however, seem to cost still a fortune. She wears a black T-shirt with considerable cleavage over which she lays a gold necklace, a white jacket long to below the butt with a fur coat on top, black shorts with a wide black belt, black mid-thigh length stockings, and black one-heel shoes with a red sole. She wears a few other accessories such as gold earrings and a bracelet, as well as a gold-plated wallet in his hand.
Judging from his frown and the small bags in his other hand, in all likelihood the escapade of Kirei had interrupted the blond woman's round of pleasure.
"G-"
"Don't talk," he orders coldly, "We'll discuss your dubious life choices later, and it's best for you to have something funny to report to me, otherwise I will finish myself what the wreckage he's not finished over there."
The priest's mouth shuts tightly, not wanting to try to push his luck any further for that evening.
The Jegan made no further attempts to try to kill Kirei since trying would have forced Foreigner to return to face Gilgamesh without proper preparation or the right state of mind, so Veda unceremoniously withdrew the troops.
Gilgamesh, however, irritated as a result of the action he did not authorize, wastes no time in giving the hunt for the car since he knew the owner was not nearby and did not want to waste time with a toy.
She will punish the trespasser who has set foot in her garden whenever she feels like it, or if he is stupid enough to annoy her first and further shorten her time in this world.