There was a woman.
A woman who embodied the best of both Eastern and Western femininity.
She had the fair skin of Western women and the delicate features of Eastern women; the voluptuousness of Western women and the slenderness of Eastern women; the wildness of Western women and the refinement of Eastern women—all these could be found in her.
Her sweet voice alone could make men's hearts flutter.
Just a hint of melancholy on her face could make men fall for her.
Undoubtedly, she was a very charming woman.
There was a man.
A man who also embodied the best of both Eastern and Western masculinity.
He had the height of Western men and the elegance of Eastern men; the sturdiness of Western men and the handsomeness of Eastern men; the unruliness of Western men and the grace of Eastern men—all these were present in him.
A casual glance could easily captivate a young girl's heart.
The decadence he exuded with every gesture could make mature women's hearts skip a beat.
There was no doubt that he was a very charming man.
Such a pair of man and woman, coupled with a dimly lit room, with the woman, undressed and the man having blonde hair—what might one think of?
Any normal adult might think of certain things not suitable for children.
Indeed, something unsuitable for children did happen between the man and the woman, but not in the way one might think. What transpired in the secluded villa had nothing to do with erotica but was instead bloody and grotesque, a different form of content forbidden for minors.
The woman's body was cut open, fresh blood gushing onto the floor, sketching out an ancient magic circle.
The man stood at the edge of the magic circle, watching everything unfold with unwavering attention. His handsome face was filled with excitement and anticipation, and he muttered incomprehensible words from time to time.
Because his voice was too low, and the woman was in a weakened state from excessive blood loss, she couldn't make out what he was saying, only catching a few words vaguely.
"Almost."
"Holy Grail War."
"Jack the Ripper."
"Assassin."
"Victory, Yggdmillennia, wish."
As her consciousness began to fade and her mind started to blur, the woman heard the man's final words.
"Feel honored, Reika Rikudou. You will become the sacrifice for me and the Yggdmillennia family to reach the pinnacle. The moment you die will be the moment my Servant descends."
"Close, close, close, close, close."
"However, the moment of overflow must break."
"——Proclaim."
"You who are under me, entrust your fate to my sword."
"By the Holy Grail's summons, if you comply with this will and reason, answer me at once."
The woman known as Reika Rikudou saw a light, a light filled with mystery, unrelated to technology.
Along with the light came a warm current rising from the ground. This warmth seeped through her delicate skin, warming her body which was growing colder as her blood flowed out.
Is this what death feels like? It doesn't seem that scary.
But she didn't want to die.
Even though she had little attachment to this world and didn't really like her muddled life, being kept and living aimlessly.
She still didn't want to die; she wanted to live.
Even knowing she had lost the ability to resist and could only silently await death.
She still did not give up her desire for life.
I don't want to die, I don't want to die, I don't want to die!
Someone save me, someone, someone save me!
I want to live!
I want to live!
Her blood was draining away, and the warmth from the floor was increasing, becoming scorching hot.
Reika Rikudou knew that death was drawing nearer.
In her final moments, amidst the man's poetic chanting, she heard a vague voice.
"Do you want to live?"
Barely conscious and driven by a will to survive, Reika Rikudouo moved her lips, struggling to say, "I... I want to live."
"No matter the cost?"
"No matter the cost!" She couldn't make any sound, but her will was stronger than ever. "Save me."
"Very well, then your remaining life is mine!"
The vague voice suddenly became clear, causing even the chanting man to pause.
A dazzling light erupted from the magic circle.
Wind and lightning forced everyone in the room to squint.
In the pressure of the wind, at the heart of the blinding sea of light, a gray silhouette emerged.
"Servant Assassin, the assassin from the other side, answer me. You are—oh, no need to answer, you aren't my master!"
In the wake of the lightning and wind, a crescent of silver light flashed, severing the man's left arm at the elbow, the one marked with dark red patterns, and extended towards the magic circle.
Simultaneously, a gentle white light descended from the sky, enveloping Reika Rikudou in a pool of blood.
Only at this moment did the blond man realize what had happened, letting out a scream of agony.
"Impossible, I... I was attacked by my Servant?"
"Why did you attack me? I am your Master! If I die, you will disappear too!"
Clutching his severed arm, the man looked at the cloaked Assassin that had appeared in the magic circle, half in fear and half in confusion.
In the Assassin's left hand was a long-handled scythe dripping with fresh blood—the very weapon that had cut off the man's arm.
In the right hand, the Assassin held a peculiar staff, from which ancient mystic energy not of the modern era flowed into Reika Rikudou's body, infusing new vitality into her flickering life.
After confirming that Reika Rikudou's condition had improved, the Assassin finally turned to face the blond man.
Though the Assassin's face was hidden by the cloak, the man could still feel the mocking gaze.
"You lost an arm, not your eyes. Can't you see that I am not your Servant but have merely intervened in your summoning using special means? Or is your intelligence insufficient to comprehend the current situation?"
The man was neither blind nor lacking intelligence. He couldn't see through it because he had not yet summoned a Servant to become an official Master. He couldn't understand it because he had never heard of a summoning being disrupted.
Through the confusion on the man's face, the Assassin understood that he couldn't grasp the situation. The Assassin had no intention of explaining either. Raising the long-handled scythe again, the Assassin said:
"Ask the god of death in hell—oh right, this is Japan, so it should be Yomi and Izanami."
Before the man could react, the scythe swung down, severing the man's head and taking his final consciousness with it—"What on earth happened?"
Blood spurted upward under pressure and then dripped down.
He who kills will be killed, and he who sacrifices others will eventually become a sacrifice himself.
"Farewell, last Master of the Yggdmillennia clan, Sagara Hyouma. With or without my intervention, you could not escape your fate of death."