Kai walked out of vortex, and a snowstorm blasted his face, making his breath freeze.
He was wearing pure white clothes — a white jacket over white pants and shoes, with a long, yellow cloak fluttering like a banner behind him.
His short, white hair danced wildly against the cold gusts of wind.
He looked at the blurry image of a castle in the distance, making his slitted, hazel pupils, donning purple rings, narrow slightly.
He was here, Kai realized.
In a Key Fate timeline!
Only one between Kai and Black could use the Cloak of Disguise to actively hide their signature of being a Contestant from Timeline, Deep Ones, and the in-world Characters.
So, for now, Black was in his Inventory, waiting to be called out at the most appropriate time.
Most appropriate time… Kai tasted the words, bringing out the Side Mission he had assigned himself.
…
[
Main Mission: Not Applicable
Side Mission: Win the Holy Grail War
Side Mission Summary: It's the Fifth Holy Grail War, Type Mercury Unlimited Blade Works Route.
Illyasviel von Einzbern is the current living vessel for the Grail.
The Einzberns have cheated by gathering materials from the Greater Grail, allowing Illya to successfully summon Berserker a full two months in advance.
To keep the Berserker within the world, Illya's Magic Circuits generate Magical Energy, draining her life away and causing her great pain.
Even though Illya has been modified to maximize the Magic Circuits in her body, making her the ultimate homunculus and a refined vessel for the Holy Grail, her frail body cannot fully manifest the Holy Grail.
Side Mission Objective: Replace Illya as the new Vessel and win the Holy Grail War
Side Mission Time Limit: Not Applicable
WARNING: Currently, the Side Mission has a C+ Grade. However, because of the heavy influence of Type Mercury on the Great Old Contract,the Side Mission's Grade can fluctuate randomly between C+ and B+.
Contestant is strongly advised to be prepared for enormous jumps in storyline Characters' strength.
Also, because of the involvement of Root, the System, and the abilities granted by the System, might not work as intended.
Furthermore, the Contestant is advised not to explore anything regarding the Ancestors.
Keep in mind that if, by any means, the Contestant loses the System's access outside the purview of the Primordial Tower, your existence will be eradicated to preserve the Tower's secrets.
Do you accept the mission?
]
…
Kai looked at the Warning… and the corners of his mouth twitched.
But he couldn't find fault in the System's precautions, either.
Type Mercury, otherwise known to many Contestants as ORT, was just one of the Deep Ones of the Fate Bubble.
Kai had no intention of even remotely letting His gaze fall on him.
So, he would need to be extra careful in this Side Mission.
That's why he had assigned such a Mission to himself.
Kai knew the moment he was to force his way into the Holy Grail War, both the Timeline and the Deep One would actively reject him, killing him on the spot.
This wasn't the traditional route that Contestants used to take part in the war, anyway.
In almost all cases, a 4th or 5th Set Contestant would get a Main Mission from the Systems, letting them become a Servant or Master in the Holy Grail War.
Even then, depending on which Deep One's timeline they had teleported to, the result could change hideously.
That's why Fate Bubble was one of the most dangerous in the Multiverse for even the 5th Set's monsters.
For Kai, it was nothing short of one way to true death because he had Switched Worlds.
To conquer this timeline, Kai had two ways, as Death and the Harry Potter Timeline had told him.
The first way meant sure death.
Leave Harry Potter Random World. Traverse Void. Reach the Fate Bubble. Tear off a Key timeline using his authority as Outer One.
Of course, that would end up in full retaliation from all Timelines and Deep Ones.
It didn't come as a surprise to Kai after listening to this that the Half Deep-One — Soul King — had ended up being sealed by many Bubble Entities.
The second way was more complex, direct, but almost equally treacherous, too.
Win the Holy Grail War. Ask for authority over the Key timeline as a wish. Combine it with his authority of the Outer One. Promise the Key timeline a Pillar Status in Nyarlathotep's Bubble Paradox.
It differed from the first way because Kai would be doing all this from inside, limiting the retaliation to only one Deep One… unless he went nuts and attracted all Deep Ones' gazes…
Again, many things could go wrong in the second way as well.
But the most important thing that could go wrong, and was bound to go wrong for sure, was Kai's entrance into the Holy Grail War.
There was no way for Kai to hide this from Timeline, even if he somehow used Death's help to keep ORT in check.
That's where the Side Mission's Objective came into the picture.
What if he didn't give Timeline a choice in the matter? What if Timeline had no choice but to let him go on as — both Servant and Master in the Holy Grail War?
Yes.
Kai wanted to replace not only Illya, but even Berserker as the participants in this timeline.
In the third stage of the Tournament of Worth, Kai had already contemplated the idea. But, without the Ad Infinitum, and later the Lucky Intuitions, it had only lingered on the surface, never really taking shape.
Now, though, Kai not only had the strength but also the means to go ahead and attempt something so ridiculous.
[Go ahead, my Scion.]Death hissed through the Cloak of Disguise. [I am already here.]
Kai smirked. Taking a deep, cold breath, he walked forward, hoping Death would keep ORT busy for some time outside the Bubble. His feet plunging deep into the snow, he neared the castle little by little.
Soon, his eyes landed on a white-haired girl… a towering beast of pure Mana standing next to her.
Illya… Kai took a final step. Forgive me, but… I will be borrowing your fate…
*********************
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