Black flames burned fiercely, and a deep blue sword blade sliced through the sweltering heat waves. The sea breeze, mixed with fine rain, fell, turning the sky over Fuyuki City a dull gray. The drizzling rain evaporated into steam above the flames or flowed back toward the river along the asphalt road.
The black flames burning on the Fuyuki City Bridge carried the anger of the Avenger, and they certainly wouldn't be extinguished by such light rain.
However, surprisingly, even as the entire bridge fell into flames, the city's fire alarms did not sound. In fact, no one seemed to have noticed the situation here, allowing the flames to continue spreading across the bridge. It was as if the residents of the entire city had fallen asleep, completely oblivious to the unusual happenings outside.
"Ugh, that damned Archer actually pushed me to this kind of place, cough cough cough…"
Kayneth, who had just crawled out from the riverbank of Fuyuki City, appeared extremely disheveled. His hair, once filled with noble charm, now hung down wetly, and his expensive clothes were soaked from being submerged in the river.
This was not the worst of it; all the mystic codes and defensive spells he had prepared had been rendered useless in the deluge unleashed by Enki. If Fionn hadn't carried him away to the best of his ability, he too would have been swallowed by this apocalyptic flood, just like the soldiers in Ionioi Hetairoi.
Now, not only were Waver and Rider missing, but his Lancer had also been separated from him at the moment Ionioi Hetairoi collapsed, and it seemed likely that he had been washed away to another location.
"Gilgamesh… this terrifying power truly lives up to the legend of the King of Heroes."
"But how can that guy release such a level of Noble Phantasm even without a Master? What's going on here?"
"Right… and then there are those two fools, Waver and Rider. Facing such a level of Noble Phantasm at such close range will definitely lead to big problems. I need to find them quickly."
Thinking of those two reckless guys, Kayneth immediately gathered his spirits and stood up, glancing at the Command Seal on the back of his hand, preparing to issue a direct command.
"In the name of the Command Seal, I command you, Lancer, return to me immediately…"
"Hold on a moment, El-Melloi. Before you call for your Servant, this old man has a few things he would like to discuss with you first."
"What?"
A voice, old yet filled with power, appeared in Kayneth's ear. It felt as if a foreign object had mixed into syrup, casting an extreme sense of dissonance over Kayneth's heart. He abruptly turned to see a tall old man standing behind him, whose appearance he hadn't noticed before.
Upon recognizing the old man's face, his tone immediately turned urgent.
"Y-You… how did you get here?"
With a head full of white hair and a tall, refined physique, the elderly man was observing him and even smiled politely.
Kayneth certainly recognized this old man.
There were countless titles and legends surrounding him in the moonlit world... The Wizard Marshal, the Master of the Second Magic - Kischur Zelretch Schweinorg.
In the modern world of magus, he was an absolute pinnacle existence.
If Kayneth had still been terrified about being approached without notice, seeing the appearance of Zelretch was no longer strange.
Approaching a Lord of the Clock Tower without anyone noticing seemed incredible in the moonlit world, but since it was Zelretch, it was entirely reasonable. After all, he was Zelretch. An existence that required no explanation or boasting, simply mentioning his name could shake the moonlit world.
"Um…"
"El-Melloi, as an unexpected candidate who shouldn't have lived to this point, having died many times at different moments, it's quite a surprise to see you here."
Zelretch's words made Kayneth's heart chill. Without having the time to ponder the meaning of his words, he was trying hard to calm himself.
Facing Zelretch alone made it difficult for Kayneth to maintain his emotions. Even though this old man appeared harmless, he still felt fear toward such a high-ranking mystery.
This feeling was akin to facing Gilgamesh's Noble Phantasm... feeling extremely dangerous, with every part of his body in deep unease. This wasn't because Zelretch bore any killing intent or malice toward him, but rather, his body instinctively perceived him as a natural enemy.
After all, he was one of the 27 Dead Apostle Ancestors…
Noticing Kayneth's unease, the old man smiled slightly and then greeted him.
"There's no need to worry so much. Even though I'm a Dead Apostle Ancestor, suppressing my instincts is still easy for me."
Kayneth said nothing, and Zelretch had no objections. He didn't require Kayneth to show any respect or respond; he just needed Kayneth to listen while he finished speaking.
"Let me think… where should I begin with this matter?"
"Oh right, let's start with your unexpected survival up to now. As for the reason, it might be due to my indirect influence causing you to be more cautious in the Holy Grail War, or it could be interference caused by the Foreigner; it's hard to say."
"However, this Holy Grail War... or rather, this entire space that has become a Singularity... is now on the brink of complete chaos. Regarding the future direction of you all, I find it increasingly difficult to understand."
He spoke lightly, but the implications of his words made Kayneth's scalp tingle because Zelretch was casually discussing his fate.
Yet, facing this old man, Kayneth, despite a thousand doubts, did not dare to show any offense, just like Waver did when he faced him, respectfully listening to Zelretch's endless narration.
"By the way, El-Melloi, aside from that, I have some information prepared to tell you."
As he spoke, a glimmer of excitement appeared in Zelretch's eyes.
"What... is it?"
"Hehe... don't be anxious just yet."
"Sorry, I was rude." Kayneth nodded.
"According to my observations, this should have ended with your death and that of Tohsaka Tokiomi, resulting in the Holy Grail being corrupted and turning into a corrupted black cup. However, the future has changed. Do you know what happened?"
"Then... may I ask what exactly has changed?"
As this shocking information entered his ears, Kayneth could no longer restrain his questions.
"To put it simply, due to the sudden emergence of certain special factors that even I cannot determine, this Holy Grail War unexpectedly included the existence of Foreniger, Ruler, and A·venger, causing the development of the world line to deviate from the original history."
Three special-class Servants, and the world line deviating from history...
"Then... may I ask what Foreniger is? Are there other special Servants hidden within the Holy Grail War?"
"Hehe, that's a good question."
"What is called Foreniger can be understood as an invader from beyond the world, and is ultimately the culprit that incited the Holy Grail War to spiral out of control. That fellow has been by your side all along, hasn't he?"
At this point, a hint of delight appeared on the old man's face. "You could say he's your apprentice? That's actually inaccurate; he's only your apprentice for now, and what will happen in the future is uncertain. In previous restarts, you've been stabbed to death by him several times."
"However, this time is your only chance to survive, and it's the most hopeful opportunity to break the cycle. Time and the world are still constantly resetting, and the world you find yourself in may not necessarily be real."
"That Holy Grail, once a corrupted black cup, has now been transformed into a true Holy Grail by that pathetic saint."
"However, like in the previous dozens of times, although the Holy Grail has been purified, it has also been contaminated again by the obsessions within his soul."
"He is already in the process of turning this place into the Singularity he desires."
"Just like in the previous dozens of times! You mean..."
Kayneth quickly grasped the key point of the old man's words, and cold sweat began to form on his forehead.
"Exactly, as you guessed, you've undergone dozens of restarts. In the past, the Holy Grail was polluted by Foreniger's soul, inscribing his desire not to die. The area you are in has undergone multiple resets under the influence of the Holy Grail, and the resets will not stop until the outcome becomes what he desires."
"Until this time, many transformations have occurred, adding new possibilities to this patterned restart process."
The so-called change this time is that the soul entering the core of the Holy Grail is not Roy, but Amakusa Shirou Tokisada.
The Holy Grail has not yet been polluted by Foreniger.
It has not yet been inscribed with the reset program.
"New possibilities?"
Gradually adapting to the pressure brought by Zelretch, Kayneth finally calmed down and began analyzing the enormous amount of information in the old man's words, gradually dissecting the key parts of what he said.
[Holy Grail]
[Singularity]
[Foreigner]
[Restart]
When he realized what the old man meant by restart, he felt a wave of unease wash over him.
"You mean we have repeatedly gone through the Holy Grail War like puppets without realizing it. This is because of the power of the Holy Grail; someone has already taken control of it and is using its power to manipulate our fate and future. Am I understanding this correctly?"
"Hmm, that's pretty close. You truly are a Lord; some things don't need much explanation, just a hint will suffice."
Hearing this, a hint of satisfaction appeared on the old man's face.
"It was worth it for me to go to the Clock Tower to hint at your impending death."
"According to the normal course of events, the Servant you summoned should be the radiant Celtic warrior Diarmuid, and your fiancée would fall in love with the Servant you summoned, ultimately betrayed by her lover and dying under the origin bullet of the magus killer."
For this development, which had happened countless times, Zelretch had long lost interest, which is why he made some slightly more interesting changes.
"I... will be betrayed by Sola?!"
Kayneth's pupils dilated slightly, and a sense of urgency flickered in his eyes and words. Compared to his own death, he cared more about the fact that he would suffer betrayal from his beloved.
"Impossible! Absolutely impossible!! Sola would never betray me!!!"
As he recalled such an ending, Kayneth began to lose control and shouted angrily at Zelretch.
If other Lords had seen this uncharacteristic behavior, they would have been shocked.
After all, the other party was the strongest magus who could squash you with a single slap.
"Hehe, El-Melloi, sometimes blind love may not lead to a good ending."
"Whether you are willing to believe it or not, in all the previous restarted world lines, you have been betrayed without exception, and that is why you met your death."
Zelretch turned away, not wanting to continue this topic with Kayneth.
"I have more important matters to discuss with you; it's best to stop this tedious conversation.
Simply put, because I indirectly saved your life, in exchange, you need to help me do something.
From now on, remember my words well and act according to my arrangements."
After a slight pause, Zelretch instructed in a low voice.
"Immediately take Lancer to the Fuyuki City Gymnasium; it will be the place where the Holy Grail will descend, and the core and node of the Holy Grail will be completely exposed. Using my Second Magic to completely banish that Holy Grail will resolve this incident."
"In the past processes, you did not survive to the end. Now, you are an additional variable, a possibility to break the cycle."
"Do not continue to dawdle; compared to trivial matters, this is what you should be doing."
After saying this, Zelretch raised his hand to put on his hood and took out a sword emitting colorful light from his pocket, handing it to Kayneth.
The moment he held the sword, Kayneth's eyes widened in surprise.
He recognized this mystic code.
The Jeweled Sword Zelretch!
This short sword, made of colorful jewels, was wielded by the Wizard Marshall Kischur Zelretch Schweinorg and was the pinnacle of mystic codes with a limited function of Second Magic.
It could share and utilize unlimited Operation of Parallel Worlds magic.
Without a doubt, this is the top-tier mystic code in the moonlit world, a legendary mystic code that can be compared to the Seven Superweapons of Atlas revered by the Atlas Institute.
But why was it being handed to him?
Kayneth looked up but found that Zelretch's figure had already vanished without a trace as if he had never appeared.
The gray sky continued to rain.
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