Ailin wouldn't allow the abyssal sea monsters to taint the spirits of his Zanpakutō. He had plenty of blades capable of ranged attacks. With Sakura's ample magical energy, he didn't need to conserve his power like he had with Kariya.
A blackish-red spatial ripple appeared. Ailin drew a Zanpakutō. Raising it high, his spiritual pressure exploded.
"Bankai—Daiguren Hyōrinmaru!"
BOOM!
The Zanpakutō transformed, radiating an unbearable cold. Within seconds, dark clouds gathered above Fuyuki City. Ailin, now wielding the fully released Hyōrinmaru, sensed the city's moisture at his command. He could freeze the entire city if he wished. And the largest source of moisture was the Mion River before him.
SWISH!
With a single slash, the river froze solid, encasing the sea monsters in a thick layer of ice.
"Wow…" Rin Tohsaka gaped at the frozen river. This was a Servant's power? It seemed almost… excessive.
Rin, however, was still young, her experience limited. While Servants, bolstered by the legends surrounding them, were indeed powerful, this didn't mean human magi were helpless against them. The most powerful magi could rival, even surpass, Heroic Spirits. And a "Magus," a wielder of True Magic, was on par with even a Grand-class Servant.
While Rin remained awestruck, Ailin knew the battle wasn't over. Freezing the river had killed the lesser sea monsters, but the abyssal sea monster itself was far more resilient.
Crackle!
Cracks appeared on the ice. With a mighty roar, the monstrous creature burst through the frozen surface, towering over the riverbank, its hundreds of tentacles were flailing wildly, shattering the remaining ice. Green blood, spilling from the lesser sea monsters caught in the ice, began to corrode everything it touched.
Ailin raised his Zanpakutō. "Hyōten Hyakkasō!" (Ice Sky Hundred Flower Funeral)
Snow began to fall from the darkened sky. Each snowflake, landing on the abyssal sea monster, froze a small part of its flesh, transforming it into an ice flower.
The monster roared in pain, its regeneration working against it. As the ice flowers bloomed, they ripped away chunks of its flesh. The monster's regeneration quickly replaced the lost tissue, but more snowflakes fell, creating more ice flowers. The ice flowers accumulated, forming a massive pillar that rose from the river, growing taller with each passing second.
Finally, the pillar stopped growing. The abyssal sea monster was dead.
Hyōten Hyakkasō was a powerful technique. The snowflakes' chill infiltrated the enemy's body, freezing their fluids and forming ice flowers. As long as the enemy's body contained fluids, the ice flowers would continue to bloom. The only way to counter this technique was to control water, like Tier Halibel, the Tres Espada, who could transform her frozen blood and sweat back into liquid.
The abyssal sea monster, while possessing powerful corrosive blood and the ability to summon lesser sea monsters, lacked control over water. It was completely countered by Hyōrinmaru. The lesser sea monsters were frozen solid, and the abyssal sea monster itself, unable to stop the relentless blooming of ice flowers, succumbed to the cold, its body fluids completely frozen.
"Too weak…" Ailin shook his head. The monster hadn't even forced him to use Hyōrinmaru's true technique, "Shikai Hyōketsu." But this was expected. Prelati's Spellbook was only an A+ rank Noble Phantasm.
In the Soul Society, Ailin had categorized Zanpakutō by their equivalent Noble Phantasm rank. A D-rank Noble Phantasm was comparable to a low-level Zanpakutō. C-rank equated to a seated officer's Zanpakutō. B-rank matched a lieutenant's. A-rank was equivalent to a captain's Zanpakutō capable of Bankai. A+ rank surpassed an average captain's Bankai. Hyōrinmaru, however, was one of the strongest Zanpakutō, comparable to an A++ rank Noble Phantasm. Defeating the abyssal sea monster without resorting to his strongest techniques was… expected.
However, looking at the massive ice pillar, Ailin frowned. The monster's blood was highly corrosive. While frozen, it posed no threat. But once the ice melted, it would contaminate the river and the surrounding areas.
He pointed at the pillar. Red spiritual pressure gathered at his fingertip, transforming into a powerful torrent of energy.
"Cero!"
Summoned as Berserker, Ailin's spiritual pressure manifested as a Hollow's. He could naturally use Cero, a technique available to any Gillian-class Hollow and above. If the ice pillar was a painting created by Hyōrinmaru, Ailin's Cero was an eraser.
With a single swipe, the ice pillar vanished, along with the frozen river.
Rin, witnessing this display of power, felt a mixture of awe and apprehension. While happy for Sakura, who possessed such a powerful Servant, she worried for her father. Could he win this war? Would he regret sending Sakura to the Matou family if he lost to her?
Having dealt with Gilles de Rais and the sea monster, Ailin turned his attention to Ryūnosuke Uryū. After a brief glance, he scooped Rin into his arms and left the port warehouse.
Unohana, having inherited Retsu Unohana's knowledge of healing, also knew the art of inflicting pain. Coupled with Kyōka Suigetsu's amplified senses, Ryūnosuke Uryū was now experiencing tenfold the agony he'd inflicted on his victims. It wasn't a scene for children.
Landing in the city center, Ailin set Rin down. "Your little adventure is over, little girl. Go home now. And a word of advice: stay indoors at night. You won't always be so lucky." He ruffled her hair, then vanished with Sakura in his arms, heading back to their hideout. Dawn was approaching.
Ailin felt exhausted. He had frozen the Matou mansion, eliminating Zouken and his Crest Worms. He had dueled with Artoria and Diarmuid, a fight interrupted by Iskandar. His battle with Gilgamesh had been cut short by Kariya's death. He had acquired a new Master, rescued Rin Tohsaka, and eliminated the source of Fuyuki City's recent panic: Ryūnosuke Uryū and Gilles de Rais.
…
"Heh, it's that guy's scent."
Iskandar looked up from his seat in a secluded courtyard with a smile. While annoyed by Berserker's earlier insults, dismissing him as a mere town mayor, Iskandar's pride remained unshaken. He was Iskandar, King of Conquerors, a hero whose name echoed through history, a legend enshrined in the Throne of Heroes. And as his title suggested, conquest was his passion, whether of land or of powerful warriors. Berserker's disdain only fueled his desire to conquer him.
He would show him the true power of his Noble Phantasm: Ionioi Hetairoi (Army of the King). It was the ultimate proof of his kingship.
Iskandar had assumed Berserker's power would diminish after his Master's death. But sensing his now even stronger magical energy, Iskandar laughed. He would challenge Berserker. With Berserker's loyalty, victory in the Grail War, and the conquest of new worlds, was assured.
Ailin's unrestrained magical energy wasn't sensed only by Iskandar. Gilgamesh, Artoria, Diarmuid Ua Duibhne, even Assassin in the church, all felt it. It meant Berserker had acquired a new, stronger Master.
Speculation ran rampant. Who had killed Berserker's previous Master and formed a new contract? Suspicion fell on Kirei Kotomine, Assassin's Master, who had sought sanctuary in the church after his Servant's defeat by Archer. However, the church, as overseers of the Grail War, couldn't be openly accused without proof. While suspicion lingered, it remained unspoken. But trust in the church's neutrality had been irrevocably broken.
…
"He's still here?"
Kiritsugu Emiya with bandages all over his body, sat in a secluded safehouse, a cigarette dangling from his lips. He looked towards the Mion River. After killing Kariya, he'd used Time Alter at six times its normal speed to escape Berserker's attack, putting immense strain on his body. But compared to the hotel, now sliced in two, his injuries were insignificant.
A question gnawed at him: who was Berserker's new Master? The Einzberns had provided him with extensive intelligence on Fuyuki City. Their investment in his victory was immense. But he couldn't find any record of another magus. Had the Einzberns' intelligence network failed? Had another magus slipped into Fuyuki undetected?
Kiritsugu's suspicion wasn't unfounded. Berserker's magical energy had significantly increased.