The next morning.
"So that's why you brought these two back here?"
Angra Mainyu lounged idly on the edge of a sofa. Her gaze drifted to the small girl lying asleep, then to the sickly man known as Kariya Matou.
"Your family never changes. Sometimes I think the name 'All the World's Evil' suits that old man better than it does me."
"You are…?"
To the one he thought of as his savior—at least, that was how Kariya felt—his words came with reverence, even as the crest worms within him writhed uncontrollably and his condition worsened. Yet whenever his eyes fell upon the resting Sakura, a quiet happiness soothed his heart.
Angra Mainyu found it difficult to look at him. After hearing his story from Satsuki, she felt a tangle of emotions she could not quite name. To love so deeply, to endure so much—it was rare indeed.
Though the outcome mattered little to the process…
"Call me Iphis. For now, I'm posing as a Master in this Holy Grail War."
She had grown used to using the alias.
Leaving aside her arrangements for Kariya and the girl, Satsuki herself was at work on something greater. She was attempting to restore the power of Berserker using the Authority of Status Infusion.
It was not that she sought a powerful ally. From the rank of his spiritual foundation, Berserker clearly belonged to the realm of the divine. Yet even so, this was still far from his true might.
Though the Tenseigan could not fully pierce across to another parallel world, it revealed enough. She could glimpse fragments of his origin—the very concept of Lostbelts.
A Lostbelt was defined as a 'wrong' history. A path built upon mistaken choices, flourishing into false prosperity.
When Satsuki had first heard this definition, she asked Chaldea's people: who decides what is right, and what is wrong? What standard determines it?
The answer had been so shallow it was laughable. It was the thinking of a monotheistic creed. But the "One God" here was not divine—rather, it was the measure of humanity's survival itself.
In this framework, humanity's continued existence was the greatest Right, the greatest Good. Anything was acceptable if it served that end. Those within such a system naturally agreed, for they themselves benefited from it.
But what if those deemed a Lostbelt believed the same of themselves?
Then things became interesting. One claims "I am Right," the other insists the same. When reason fails, only force decides.
By this logic, what difference was there between Ritsuka Fujimaru and his Servants, and the beings of any Lostbelt they destroyed? Reality was not a game. There was no light without shadow.
Over time, when one convinces themselves that their way alone is Right, all else Wrong, they cease listening to any other voice. Extremity follows. Individuals, organizations, even nations are bound by this same law.
It was not a question of morality, but of inevitable trend under a certain worldview.
But Satsuki cared little for such philosophy. What she sought was the true cause behind the rift between "Proper Human History" and "Lostbelts."
"What standard declares one path Right, another Wrong? And who has the authority to declare it?"
Then it struck her. The answer was far simpler than she had imagined. She had been thinking too much all along.
So-called "Proper Human History" and "Lostbelts"—was it not obvious these were definitions made by humans themselves? Of course they were. It was the very essence of monotheistic thought.
"Lostbelts are nothing more than labels crafted by those who hold power, tailored to suit their collective interests. And I wasted time pondering them…"
Shaking her head, Satsuki set aside the question. It was only a label, not worth the effort. Instead, she turned to the next issue: why must different histories devour and attack one another?
"For profit, nothing more."
The answer came to her instantly. Yet what kind of profit was at stake?
Satsuki sank her consciousness deeper into her inner realm, where once again two reflections of herself stood before her. Without ceremony, she began her usual method—thought in place of question.
"They claim it is for humanity's survival. But what concern is it of theirs whether humanity in other histories continues or not? What is the true driving force? Before they had the means to observe parallel histories, why establish such an organization at all?"
—"Chaldea was founded to preserve human history, to prevent extinction. A research and observation institute that united magic and science, drawing experts from every field. The scale of manpower, resources, and international support involved could not have been mobilized for a hollow reason."
"In other words, Chaldea was born because humanity's continuation had already been found impossible. They must have grasped some looming crisis to act with such decisiveness. Yet here lies the flaw: before its founding, they supposedly lacked such observation methods. So how did they perceive this crisis and persuade nations to commit?"
—"Therefore, Chaldea's very creation is suspicious."
"El-Melloi once said seventy percent of Chaldea's funding came from the Animusphere family of the Clock Tower—one of its Twelve Lords."
—"Would the Mage's Association truly act out of noble sentiment? Would they sacrifice wealth for humanity's survival?"
"Impossible. While individuals might, as a class, magi serve only their own interests."
—"Then Chaldea's actions reflect the interests of magi as a class. But what are those interests?"
"This…"
—"Wrapped beneath lofty words of human salvation, what lies at the core? What do magi fear most as a collective? Think!"
"I… I cannot…"
—"The priests of the Church have long warned against exposing mysteries to the masses. The Clock Tower fears the leakage of mystery beyond its grasp. Why?"
In that instant, brilliance flashed through her mindscape.
Her true self spoke aloud: "Because once mysteries are known, they cease to be mysteries. Stripped of secrecy, they lose their power. And powerless magi would be cast down among ordinary men. That, they cannot accept."
At her words, the two reflections turned their faces to her as one, asking in unison:
"Then—what is Chaldea's true purpose?"
In that moment her inner selves dissolved, and reality returned around her.
The answer pressed at her lips, certain now.
"They seek the restoration of the Age of Gods."
At that same time, the Berserker wrapped in golden and blue Authority began to stir.
The changes in Berserker's body pulled Satsuki from her train of thought. She could clearly sense a divine power stirring within him, yet some force suppressed it, preventing its full return.
"Is my Authority not strong enough? Or is it something else?"
The Servant before her remained blank-faced, like an idle terminal awaiting input. Satsuki withdrew the Authority covering him.
This Berserker was utterly unlike the standard ones Angra Mainyu had described. Typically, Servants summoned into the Berserker class received the Madness Enhancement status. In exchange for rationality, they gained power beyond their usual limits. But the price was steep: the greater mana consumption placed enormous strain on the Master. That was why Kariya, despite his horrific modifications, still needed to sacrifice his life force to sustain his Servant.
Moreover, Madness Enhancement often impaired the performance of a Noble Phantasm and could nullify innate skills. Only in death would it fade, restoring the Servant's sanity.
In theory.
Yet after half a day of observing this one, Satsuki had realized his "Madness" was altogether different. His ability to think had been almost entirely stripped away. According to her Tenseigan, his Madness Enhancement ranked nearly at EX—meaning he could still think, but only along a single fixed line. He would pursue his one obsession relentlessly, heedless of orders or advice.
"Still, the Matou family never had the mana to sustain him. Otherwise, his first act as a Servant would likely have been to target someone other than Kariya himself."
With her Tenseigan and Angra Mainyu as her Master, Satsuki could afford to supply him with mana. Yet a Servant in such a state was of little use beyond serving as an anchor to his Lostbelt. Channeling so much Authority into him was not something she could continue indefinitely. There was no sense in pressing further.
Raising one hand, she summoned the black lines of death. They wove around the Servant's form, compressing into a black sphere that sealed him within. It severed all contact between him and the outside world, leaving only the barest mana to maintain his form. The sphere shrank until it was no larger than a thumbnail.
With a shift of gravity, she hung the orb as an ornament at the end of the fan manifested from her End's power.
For now, the priority was elsewhere.
When she returned to the hall, Satsuki found Angra Mainyu in discussion with Kariya about Caster.
"Do you care how Caster is dealt with?"
"Iphis" spoke with calm indifference. "Care or not, it makes no difference… The real question is how to respond to the new rules laid down by the Overseer. If you seek battle against another Servant now, it will count as a violation. That could make you the next target for all others. Even as a Saver, that would be reckless."
Satsuki waved it off, unconcerned. "I have my own plans. I will take part in hunting Caster. But the issue is—what do the other Masters intend?"
"You mean Saber's, Rider's, and Archer's Masters?"
"Of course. For now, since the Church openly holds Assassin, they will not move against the other Masters until Caster is destroyed," Satsuki analyzed calmly. "As for Rider and his Master, they do not seem to be deeply calculating. That leaves the real focus on Archer and Saber's Masters."
At that, Kariya finally spoke. "About Archer's Master… I have some information to offer…"
The bitterness and resentment in his voice told Satsuki enough about Tokiomi Tohsaka, the man in question. Kariya had clearly investigated him in detail, nearly to an obsessive degree. Unfortunately, his intelligence focused only on Tokiomi himself, not the Servant he had summoned.
That golden Servant who called all others "mongrels"—the King of Heroes, Gilgamesh.
Even with her Tenseigan, Satsuki could not fully pierce his mysteries. Some Noble Phantasm clearly shielded his identity. All she could glimpse were fragments of his past and spiritual foundation; the rest was obscured.
Thus, Kariya's knowledge held little value for her. Still, his loathing for Tokiomi was plain, and her insight into his past made that hatred understandable.
But in her eyes, Archer was not the true concern.
The real threats were Saber—and the enigmatic Assassin.
The latter was an unknown. If she could learn nothing of him, while he could watch her, then he was far from simple.
As for Saber…
The King of Knights herself was not overly powerful. In single combat, even Lancer could suppress her blade. Perhaps even Caster could beat her with martial skill. Yet her Noble Phantasm could overturn the tide of any battle. Once that sheath was revealed, even the son of the Sun God, Karna, or the Grand Caster Solomon might fall.
For the sheath's defensive power was simply too overwhelming. It had even resisted her own Golden Wheel Reincarnation Explosion—the first time in this war she had been surprised. The artifact was akin to an "invincible" buff from YGGDRASIL, complete with attack reflection and regeneration.
To oppose such a Noble Phantasm, Satsuki would have to release one of her own at full name.
"If necessary," she murmured, brushing her wrist across the spinning Wheel, "we will see whose treasure is stronger."
At that moment, Angra Mainyu—Iphis—suddenly clutched her chest, frowning at the violent pulse within. She had not spent her time at the inn idly; with knowledge Satsuki had given her, she had woven warning wards throughout the city. By morning, with Satsuki's aid, the network was linked to Fuyuki's very leylines. And now, the wards shuddered with repeated, intense tremors.
"Interesting. Have you found traces of Caster?"
Satsuki's senses were sharper than Angra Mainyu's. Through her Tenseigan, she saw something most intriguing. In the next instant, her figure vanished from the inn.
"Tch. Running off alone again. That infuriating woman."
"Is it safe?" Kariya's voice carried an uncharacteristic trace of worry for Satsuki.
"No need," Angra Mainyu replied. "Her strength long ago surpassed that of Servants."
She placed a crystal orb upon the glass table—a remote viewing device she had crafted over the past days.
"You poor fool, just sit back and enjoy the show. As entertainment, this will rival any blockbuster film."