Ayame smiled brightly as she pulled out a heart-shaped arrow, kissed it lightly, and calmly nocked it onto her bowstring, aiming at him in the distance.
Ryou was immediately alarmed, feeling as if something terrifying had locked onto him. He quickly turned toward the threat and saw the arrow aimed directly at him. As he stared at the seemingly harmless arrow, a chill ran from his feet to the top of his head.
Danger! Extreme danger!
He couldn't dodge! He couldn't block it! He would die!
His sharp senses, like a computer crashing, overwhelmed him with frantic warnings. Cold sweat instantly soaked his back, and a peculiar premonition arose in his heart.
If Ayame released that arrow, he would surely die, and even the invincibility effect of Desperate Counterattack would be useless!
But waiting for death was not in his nature. However, with Ayame intentionally widening the distance, the gap between them had stretched to over a hundred meters.
With his speed, there was no way he could reach her before she fired the arrow. So, beams of solar light shot from his eyes toward Ayame, and he charged with all his might, continuously tracing primordial runes with his fingers.
In an instant, solar beams, fireballs, ice arrows, and wind blades filled the sky, all aimed at Ayame. She didn't even glance at the attacks, keeping her focus on him.
In reality, she didn't need to. The rules of Fate's Guidance and Causality Reversal attached to the arrow ensured that it would hit its target, even if she fired it with her back turned.
She was simply enjoying the process—the process of making him panic because of her, of seeing his entire focus fixed on her.
This was the twisted mind of someone corrupted by an evil god—completely abnormal.
Ryou's attacks soon reached Ayame. Massive amounts of iron sand gathered in front of her, forming an iron wall that blocked the oncoming projectiles. The solar beams, fireballs, ice arrows, and wind blades battered the iron wall, reducing it to a damaged state, but another wall immediately rose behind it.
Meanwhile, Ayame calmly continued to pour vast amounts of abyssal energy into the arrow. As it filled the heart-shaped arrowhead, it began to glow with an ambiguous pink light.
However, Ryou didn't underestimate it. As the arrowhead glowed, the sense of danger in his perception grew even more intense. It felt as if an invisible Grim Reaper had already placed a noose around his neck, ready to tighten it and end his life.
Now, Ryou was less than ten meters from Ayame. Yet this ten-meter distance felt like an insurmountable chasm.
"Father, accept my overflowing love!"
Ayame's face flushed, her eyes moist and glistening, as if she were on the verge of orgasm. She laughed maniacally, her fingers slowly releasing the bowstring.
Time seemed to slow down.
But just as her fingers were about to let go—
A figure suddenly emerged from the ice wall behind her. It was Anastasia, who had been fighting Medea!?
What Anastasia did next stunned Ryou. She gripped a sword made of black ice and mercilessly plunged it into Ayame's back.
Blood sprayed as the sharp ice sword pierced through Ayame's body and emerged from her chest.
Ayame coughed up a mouthful of black blood, and the bow and arrow in her hands fell to the ground.
"You wretch! Do you think this will stop me!?"
Ayame screamed, her face twisted in fury. What was even more terrifying was that despite the mortal wound to her heart, she seemed completely unfazed, desperately trying to turn around and reach for Anastasia behind her.
As she twisted, the wound in her chest tore open, revealing mangled organs.
"You can't kill me! And you can't stop me!"
Ayame shrieked, clawing toward Anastasia.
Anastasia's cold, frosty face showed no fear.
"I know I can't kill you with just this, which is why I've prepared a special gift for you."
Ten meters away, Ryou watched the sudden internal strife between the two with caution. Was this the chaotic faction's twisted sense of humor at play, or was it a trap?
But to his surprise, Anastasia suddenly looked up at him and smiled. Her smile was pure and gentle, like a white plum blossom blooming in winter.
"Ryou-sama, Ana never wavered in her heart."
These words of farewell left Ryou's heart feeling suddenly empty as if he had lost something profoundly important.
In the next second, Anastasia's ice sword bloomed like a sudden flower, piercing through her own heart.
Ayame seemed to realize what Anastasia was about to do, and for the first time, her face showed fear.
"No! You wretch! You can't do this!"
Blood continuously spilled from Anastasia's mouth, but her face was resolute.
"Let's go together!"
The next moment, pitch-black frost erupted from the ground, instantly enveloping them both.
Ryou, standing ten meters away, felt a bone-chilling cold that penetrated his very soul. Even the space around them seemed unable to withstand the terrifying cold, cracking like glass.
The horrifying black frost vanished as quickly as it had appeared, leaving only a pile of black snowflakes where the two had stood moments before.
Clink! Clink!
Two objects fell to the ground—a black lotus, shaped like it had been carved from black crystal, and the terrifying arrow that Ayame had been preparing to shoot.
It was as if these were the only traces left of their existence.
Ryou's body trembled slightly as he took heavy steps forward.
"Master!"
Medea ran toward him with a worried expression, trying to support him, but he stopped her.
All this time, he had considered himself a protector, but reality had dealt him a cruel blow. In the end, he had always been the weak one.
Anastasia...
Her profound feelings for him were deeply rooted, but to him, she was merely a beautiful, fallen princess whom he had casually saved. To put it bluntly, she was like a five-star gold card he had collected as an FGO player—satisfying his need to collect, and nothing more.
But today...
"How can I ever repay this kind of debt?"
A bitter smile appeared on his face.
He slowly walked to the spot where the two had once stood. By now, the black snowflakes had been carried away by the wind, leaving only the two relics behind.
Ryou picked up the arrow without a second glance and tossed it into his storage space. Then, he knelt on one knee and gently cradled the crystal flower in his hands.
"Ah!!!"
At that moment, a scream full of despair echoed as a small, trembling figure slowly approached from the temple gate.
Ryou silently watched as Sakura, her eyes hollow, slowly walked to the spot where Anastasia had vanished and sat down on the ground.
"Master..."
Medea glanced at the collapsed Sakura with concern.
Although she had only met Sakura ten years in the future, the moment Sakura appeared, she immediately recognized her. The madness of that future Sakura had left a deep impression on her.
Ryou shook his head. To him, all of this was already in the past. Moreover, from what he could see, Sakura was Anastasia's Master, so no matter the circumstances, he wouldn't attack her.
Seeing Sakura sitting on the ground like a soulless puppet, he let out a soft sigh. He placed the black crystal flower into Sakura's hands.
"This is what she left behind... If you want revenge, wait for the Holy Grail War ten years from now."
Upon hearing this, the emptiness in Sakura's eyes suddenly vanished, replaced by a burning hatred that slowly ignited in her young gaze like wildfire.
Sakura clutched the crystal flower tightly, gripping it so hard that her small hands turned white and were cut by the sharp edges of the crystal, causing blood to drip without her loosening her grip in the slightest.
Her pitch-black pupils stared straight at him, saying nothing as if she were engraving his appearance deep into her soul.
Ryou calmly met her gaze.
"I will kill you," Sakura murmured after a long moment as if speaking to herself or making a vow to him.
"Hmm, I'll be waiting," he replied, his expression calm.
Leaving her with those words, he turned and walked away. He exited the temple gate, took a small path, and entered a vast cavern. It was as if he had stepped into another world—no one could have imagined that such a massive space was hidden inside the small Mount Enzou.
Everywhere, there were traces of magical craftsmanship. Stalactites hanging from the ceiling absorbed magical energy from the faint ley lines through a large magical bounded field, emitting a dark red light that made the place look like the interior of a volcano.
In the center of the space sat the enormous form of the Holy Grail.
Ryou took in the familiar surroundings. This was the very place, ten years in the future, where he and Medea had broken the rules to claim the Grail early—the heart of Mount Enzou.
As he arrived, it seemed to trigger a hidden condition. The crystal box containing Irisviel's heart and the two Root Gems stored in his inventory began to emit a soft light.
As if responding to them, the giant Holy Grail also began to glow with a golden light.
[Ding!]
[Congratulations to the host for completing the main quest.]
The crystal box holding Irisviel's heart suddenly flew out of the storage space and into the Holy Grail. The Holy Grail shone brilliantly, and then a gemstone emitting a serene blue light was ejected from the center, landing gently in his hand.
At that moment, the space trembled slightly, and the surroundings became hazy, like frosted glass.
In the next second, Ryou and Medea found themselves in the Chaldea transfer room.
Ryou's face showed a trace of surprise. Usually, system transfers felt like a rollercoaster ride—if not for his body being far stronger than an ordinary person's, he would feel dizzy and nauseous after every transfer. But this time, the transfer had been as smooth as silk.
One word could describe it—smooth.
Or, more accurately—stable!
"Could it be that this Root Gem is related to space?"
A sense of urgency rose in his heart. He wanted to appraise all the Root Gems immediately. However, there was something more important to do right now.
A determined look appeared in his eyes.
...
After Ryou left, Sakura shakily stood up. At that moment, the crystal flower, having absorbed her blood, suddenly emitted a pure black light, as dark as the night sky. The light enveloped Sakura completely.
When the light faded...
Her once jet-black, shoulder-length hair had transformed into long, silver-white locks that reached her waist, and her eyes had turned the color of rubies. At that moment, Sakura looked exactly like a young Anastasia.
Sakura raised her small hand and lightly clenched her fist. Immediately, a black ice pillar shot up from the ground. Not only had her appearance changed, but she had also inherited Anastasia's abilities.
Just then, the sound of metal scraping against metal came from the distance. A figure clad in pitch-black armor, with blood-red markings, appeared before Sakura. It was a familiar face, though the usual ahoge was gone, and her eyes had turned into vertical, dragon-like slits of dark gold.
The fallen knight, having failed and lost everything, had crawled out of hell, filled with endless regret and anger, now standing before Sakura. Sakura felt an undeniable connection to the similar soul and aura and instinctively reached out her hand toward the knight.
A flicker of surprise crossed Saber's eyes. After a long moment, she knelt on one knee, gently lifting Sakura's hand and kissing the back of it. The Command Spells, which had disappeared with Anastasia, reappeared on the back of Sakura's hand.
"Ten years. Wait with me for another ten years," Sakura whispered.
"Understood," Saber replied.
...
At the same time, at the Fujimura residence.
Unlike the atmosphere of grief and despair at Ryuudou Temple, this large Japanese-style house still retained some semblance of warmth. Taiga Fujimura, carrying her schoolbag, cheerfully returned home.
At this time, Taiga was not yet the comedic teacher she would become. At 15 years old, she was like a blossoming flower—with her brown, shoulder-length hair tied into a single ponytail, she exuded a fresh and energetic charm, radiating a clean and vibrant aura.
Just as Taiga was about to head to her room, her grandfather called out to her. Sitting next to him was a silent, red-haired boy.
"Taiga, this is Shirou. I had a connection with his grandfather. His parents have passed away, so I've taken him in to be cared for by the Fujimura family. From today onward, he'll be your little brother, and you two should get along well."
"Oh! Leave it to me!"
Taiga immediately pounded her chest in assurance. She had always wanted a little brother, and Shirou's tragic situation awakened her motherly instincts.
She quickly adopted the role of big sister.
Her original plan was to cook a grand meal to welcome Shirou. However... ten minutes later, the kitchen looked like a battlefield.
Unable to watch any longer, Shirou took over and prepared a delicious meal himself.
That night, after dealing with an overly enthusiastic Taiga, Shirou lay on the tatami, staring at the ceiling in a daze. Even after a long time, he still didn't feel sleepy.
He sat up, left his room, and began wandering around. Unconsciously, he found himself in the Fujimura family's dojo.