"Heh, getting angry already huh?"
Tomoya Aki scoffed disdainfully, folding his arms across his chest as he looked down at Caster.
Facing Medea's furious expression, he remained calm and unafraid. After all, a Servant was nothing more than a form of familiar understood by humans—a vessel for a heroic spirit, drawing mana from the earth, restrained by the Command Seals.
If it were the heroic spirit in person, Tomoya Aki would, of course, be deferential and reserved, not daring to be so brazen.
But a mere Servant…
Hmph.
"Heh—"
Suddenly.
A sharp sound tore through the air as the Rule Breaker cut down, slicing cleanly through his right arm, which now floated mid-air, blood spilling.
Tomoya Aki's pupils contracted, his mind blanked for an instant. Terror, horror, unease, despair—countless emotions surged through him all at once.
He clutched his empty sleeve in disbelief, blood staining his hand. As his nerves jolted back to life, the pain crashed into him.
"—Aaaah, ahhhh, AAAHHHHHHHHH-!!"
Abruptly, the feeble Master's agonized screams echoed into the void.
His teeth chattered as he grasped the situation, his desperate cries reaching the heavens.
"My hand…"
"My power…!"
"What's going on, why aren't you dead, why did the Command Seal fail?!"
"Oh?"
Medea tilted her head playfully, her lips curling into an alluring smile.
"What a foolish Master you are, to have known I'm the Witch of Betrayal and yet still dares to do something like this."
"The Noble Phantasm born from my legend, naturally, is capable of slaying my master."
"The Rule Breaker…?!"
Tomoya Aki was struck with dread—this Servant was actually able to dissolve the Holy Grail contract with her Noble Phantasm.
This was practically impossible, something that defied causality itself…
Besides, once the contract was severed, the Servant would soon disappear without a supply of mana, a suicidal act for any Servant.
How could this be…?
"Heh~ hahahahaha…!"
The Witch of Betrayal laughed wildly, her laughter resounding across the heavens and the earth.
It was filled with the satisfaction of releasing hatred, but also threaded with a few strands of sorrow.
No one in this world knows me,
Nor does anyone believe in me.
The past is nothing but a dream, yesterday events buried in the river of time.
A lonely, sorrowful soul drifting in a foreign land, rootless as duckweed.
Only sorrow lingers, clinging to me with nothing but despair.
Suddenly, a somber tune began to play, a haunting melody drifting over the world.
She hummed, a quiet lament...
Singing an unknown song, filled with sorrow and anguish.
"The pain lodged in my heart compels me to surrender~"
"The dark flower blooms in the cycle of betrayal~"
"Sin sinks silently, sweetly, into the depths~"
"A heart marked with Everlasting flames~"
"Chains enticing the darkness~"
"I am bound tightly by this same and cruel fate~"
"In the place watched by deceitful eyes~"
"Falling into sorrow, yet saved by tenderness~"
"Tearing the tangled strings, manipulated by my will~"
"A punishing smile upon this red lips~"
"A wish, as if praying, cries in the distant sky~"
"The covenant that entices darkness~"
"I am bound by endless pain~"
"From the moment I discovered the truth~"
"The chains that entice darkness~"
"I am bound tightly by this same fate~"
"In the place watched by deceitful eyes~"
…
The world fell silent under the stirring sorrow of the song.
Beautiful notes nearly materialized, as though played by an ancient, unknown instrument. The melody was laced with an archaic charm unique to Greek mythology, woven with the tears of delicate flowers and the sobs of a sorrowful witch, forming a ballad of despair.
Listening closely, the song seemed to recount the tragic life of the Colchian princess.
In the sky, the Witch of Betrayal's face bloomed with a smile, though her heart wept in despair.
People couldn't bear to watch, covering their faces, shuddering each time they looked.
"Medea's life… it's truly heartbreaking."
A white-haired girl, eyes looking burdened as though weighted with lead by her mother, murmuring sadly, bowing her head in sorrow.
"Her past is endless, her future unseen, only a dreamlike sorrow is left to wound her," the great writer Osamu Dazai sighed heavily.
"Tomoya Aki deserves to die!!"
The famous actress Asuka Saito stomped her feet furiously.
In a wave of shared condemnation, Tomoya Aki found himself opposed by the entire world.
And the scene continued…
From the heavens came a furious roar of defiance from the man.
"No, I cannot die here; my grand ambitions are not yet fulfilled!"
With a harsh glint in his eyes, Tomoya Aki pulled out a button capable of detonating the entire magical array.
"Boom!!"
A deafening roar, as if from a nuclear blast, erupted, and flames soared into the sky, illuminating the heavens and earth.
Dust rolled, stones scattered, and the majestic, grandiose grounds collapsed in an instant.
The magical array that had once held its own against the power of the three knight classes was now obliterated in a heartbeat.
Taking advantage of the ensuing chaos, he clenched his teeth, clutching the bleeding stump of his sleeve, and bolted toward the cellar, enhancing his body with Enhancement magic.
Survival brings hope...
After all, he was Tomoyo Aki, a mage of the ancient and renowned Aki family.
Although the family had fallen from its former glory, there remained a strong foundation of magical heritage.
A grand life — at worst, he could start anew!
(Note: Aki Province, or Akinokuni (あきのくに), was one of the ancient provinces of Japan under the Yamato court, also known as Gishu, roughly corresponding to the western part of modern Hiroshima Prefecture.)
"Well, well… a noble family," remarked Yan Shuangying, stroking his chin in thought.
If the Aki family hadn't fallen from grace, would Tomoyo Aki still persecute others for profit?
After a moment's reflection, he shook his head.
Someone like Tomoyo Aki would never change.
The only path left for him — was death.
---
Medea watched the gradually retreating figure, a faint smile curling on her lips.
She remained calm and composed.
Between humans and Heroic Spirits, the difference was like that between Heaven and Earth — An insurmountable divide.
Even if Tomoyo Aki had numerous tricks for survival, he couldn't escape her grasp.
"Click—."
Tomoyo Aki slipped into the pitch-black underground sanctuary, Desperation washed over his entire being, and his face shows massive Fear, breath coming in rapid gasps as he ran.
This was a sealed space, maze-like with countless tunnel openings.
In the glow of the flame, ancient murals appeared on the walls, depicting tales of Greek heroes, exuding an aura of timelessness and ancient majesty, sending chills down one's spine.
"Damn it…"
"The Holy Grail War hasn't even begun. I haven't fought a single battle…"
"How could I be so unlucky, summoning such a treacherous servant?"
Running through the crypt, Tomoya Aki muttered curses, clinging stubbornly to his grievances.
He deeply regretted summoning Caster.
If he had gone to the Church sooner and signed a contract with that noble King of Heroes, he might already be ruling the world!
It was all Medea's fault; if she had obediently accepted her fate, he wouldn't be in such a sorry state.
Suddenly, a slight breeze wafted through.
The flame he used to light his path went out, plunging the crypt back into darkness.
With his Heart pounding intensely, Tomoya Aki leaned against the wall, panting heavily.
"Click… click, click…"
After a panicked series of strikes, the flame flickered to life again, illuminating a chilling sight — behind him, an ancient Greek mural depicted a blood-stained witch holding a dagger, her gaze containts darkness and foreboding.
The scene was disturbingly lifelike, evoking a suffocating sense of being trapped in a cycle, as if an ancient witch from a distant past was passing judgment on him.
The end of all things — was as if dictated by an icy, silent "fatalism."
A figure draped in violet robes approached, every step graceful and timeless.
Tomoya Aki was filled with terror, as though confronted by the Grim Reaper wielding a scythe.
"No… No, please!!"
"My life shouldn't end here…!!"
"Medea… have mercy on me, Medea…"
Tomoya Aki screamed in desperation, his cries pitiful and frantic.
"This is perhaps the most fitting conclusion for someone like you," Medea said, elegant and poised, her beautiful face carrying a serene smile.
In Tomoya Aki's horrified gaze, she placed her pale hand gently on his head, the cold touch seemingly ready to crack open his skull.
And then—
"—Aaaahhhh!!"
The underground sanctuary echoed with his agonizing scream as endless blood gushed forth.
The stench of blood filled the air, making the onlookers shudder.
Tomoya Aki's head was severed with ease, ripped from his body along with his spine, his terrified eyes still rolling, the twisted agony on his face horrifyingly vivid… he could still think, if only for a moment.
"You… cruel witch…"
He felt despair washing over him, and, struggling, forced his lips to form trembling words.
As magic power surged, glowing with Caster's cold smile, a radiant light coalesced around Tomoya Aki's severed head, merging with magical circuits and forming a powerful magical artifact.
Medea, though a bit weakened, regarded the staff in her hand with satisfaction.
It was rare, an item imbued with the "Imaginary Number" attribute.
Let's call it 'Aki's Skull and Spine Staff'…
People worldwide were stunned, their emotions a mixture of shock and elation, yet tinged with unease.
Some felt fear.
Countless Earthlings, harboring mixed emotions, flooded the Observer's network with comments.
"Tomoya Aki got what he deserved! Champagne, anyone?"
"Brutal. What a torturous way to go."
"Damn, isn't this just karma?"
"Trash like that should die like trash! Only then can I get rid of this anger in my heart!"
"True, but shouldn't we at least consider human rights…?"
"Human rights? Tell that to the tens of thousands who died at Aki's hands!"
"Turning into a fan here—I just like a bad woman with a hint of kindness."
"Tomoya Aki really showed no remorse…"
"If he'd treated Medea with kindness, he might have actually won the Holy Grail War."
"Agreed. The effect of 'Rule Breaker' was far too sinister—several Masters might've fallen under its influence, losing their servants and magic grounds in utter confusion…"
"Such a waste, really."
…
Time passed, and the camera turned to a rainy night deep within a hidden forest.
Due to losing the magical energy from her Master, Medea was so weakened she was nearly fading away.
It seemed that only she existed in this entire world, utterly alone.
"Plop."
The ancient witch collapsed onto the damp soil. Cold raindrops struck her delicate face, washing away the confusion and sadness in her beautiful eyes.
She suddenly laughed, full of self-mockery.
"Ahahaha, ha… So this is how it ends."
"To be discarded, used, scorned as a traitor…"
"I… I just wanted to return to my homeland…"
Weakly, she stretched out her hand toward the gloomy sky above, grasping at nothing—just as she had never managed to grasp her own happiness.
Raindrops splattered across her face, blending so seamlessly that it was hard to tell which were raindrops and which were tears.
Suddenly, she turned her head in surprise, spotting a pair of small, adorable shoes.
"Uuuh… uuuh…"
A girl with long, flaxen hair looked down at her with anxious eyes, squatting as if wanting to help.
Yet, unable to hear or make a sound, she was powerless.
"This is…"
Medea's bewildered gaze softened, and she lifted her pale fingers gently to caress the girl's cheek.
The scene gradually faded into darkness, and in the silence that followed, the sky became an endless black curtain.
Was this girl the Master with whom Caster would later form a contract?
It seemed she was a pitiful, mute girl.
Could someone like that truly survive being drawn into the Holy Grail War?
…
Back in the real world, Tokyo, Japan.
In a modest residence, a sigh that sounded distinctly youthful echoed.
"So, it really is Shoko…"
Yuzuru Nishimiya bit her thumb, a worried expression clouding her face.
Even if it was an alternate-world version of her sister, she couldn't help but feel concern for Shoko Nishimiya's safety.
She had a nagging feeling that the scenes to come would show her sister's death.
What a hard thought to bear…
…
Amidst the world's tense speculations and discussions, the sky once again filled with a kaleidoscope of colors.
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