The dim stone chamber was sparsely lit, with a homunculus lying on the bed.
Merely from bumping into someone in the hallway, the homunculus with a boyish face had been brought here. He had no right to refuse, and the magi showed no mercy to homunculi, who were mere slaves.
To go further, consumption was considered a virtue among magi—and if something could be gained from it, all the better.
Thus, the boy's clothes were torn open at the chest, exposing his delicate collarbones and snow-white skin—a truly provocative sight.
The Black Magus, Celenike Icecolle, the Master of Black Rider, pressed down on him, her face flushed, her eyes glazed with desire as she kissed his eyes, his lips, his skin.
But the homunculus boy could not respond to Celenike's passion. His body had long gone cold, his eyes hollowed out by tools, his arms sawn apart, his tongue ripped out, his chest cavity pried open. His pitiful state resembled that of a butchered animal, ready to be skewered and roasted over flames.
No—the boy had already reached the final step. Celenike's scorching flames of desire were slowly burning away the last embers of his life.
Soon, the final trace of warmth left the homunculus, and the boy found solace in death.
"Ah…" Celenike, still draped over the corpse, finally let out a satisfied moan after lingering for a long while. She rose unsteadily to her feet, her legs weak beneath her.
Humiliation, torment, slaughter—to the Black Magus, these were all mundane affairs.
But when dismembering a living sacrifice without hesitation, one must never allow reason to collapse. To revel in the pleasure of killing would be a disgrace to the title of Black Magus.
The reason Celenike had risen to become a first-class magus within her declining family was precisely because she could suppress her passions completely—whether it was the joy of inflicting pain or the ecstasy of cruelty.
Yet, when she shed the mantle of the Black Magus, Celenike indulged her excessive lust without restraint. Not a single person had ever spent a night with her and emerged unscathed.
—Especially after she had accumulated too much frustration and resentment.
With the fleeting pleasure over, the Black Magus's cold restraint returned to Celenike. She glanced at the mutilated homunculus, snorted, and casually disposed of it before sitting on the bloodstained bed, brooding irritably.
Her anxiety was not unfounded. In the original Yggdmillennia, even if her Servant proved unworthy, her status as a first-class magus would have remained unshaken. She was the sole Black Magus bloodline in Yggdmillennia, and unless she committed an unforgivable crime, Darnic would never punish her.
But now, the Osarei family—once driven out of Yggdmillennia—had returned like vengeful spirits.
This was a secret known only to Darnic and the Icecolle family, to which Celenike belonged—the Osarei, masters of formidable black magecraft, had been expelled from Yggdmillennia by their joint efforts.
The one who replaced the Osarei family's position was none other than Celenike, the Icecolle family.
In other words, she and Osarei were natural enemies. If the faction war was won and the Holy Grail War entered its second phase, Celenike would undoubtedly turn her spearhead toward Reika Rikudou.
The problem lay here.
The Rider she summoned, Astolfo, was completely incomparable in strength to Reika's Black Assassin—that mysterious woman in black robes. If it came to that, the one who would surely meet defeat was Celenike herself.
Especially now that something like this had happened—her Rider had actually defected for the sake of a homunculus...
"Tch."
Thinking this, Celenike bit down hard, breaking her own fingernail. Blood dripped from her fingertips as she, disheveled like a vengeful spirit, vented her frustration wildly in the secret chamber.
"Damn it, damn it, damn it!"
Suddenly, a bolt of lightning struck her mind, freezing Celenike in place.
Under Darnic's orders, Assassin and Saber had set out together to pursue the runaway Rider and homunculus.
In other words, both she and Reika were currently without their Servants.
Compared to the Black Assassin, who could contend with top-tier Servants, Reika Rikudou, with only second-rate strength, seemed far more vulnerable.
If she could kill that woman before she used her Command Spells and seize them for herself...
By then, even if Darnic was displeased, he wouldn't be able to abandon her, who would control two Servants.
If she wanted to survive the coming conflict, this was the only way—
Before long, Celenike emerged from the secret chamber, neatly dressed, a delicate smile on her face as she headed toward Reika's room. Soon, she knocked on the door.
Knock, knock, knock.
"The door's unlocked. Come in," came a soft woman's voice from inside.
————
The door opened, and Reika, who had been playing with little Jack, looked up and recognized the visitor.
"Master of the Black Rider, Miss Celenike?"
Even if Sakatsuki had memories of the original work, he wouldn't know about the feud between Osarei and Icecolle. Thus, Reika simply treated this as a normal visit between Masters, standing up with a smile and walking to the tea table.
"Let me pour you some tea."
To dare turn her back so carelessly on a black magi—it seemed the Osarei family had truly fallen.
Behind Reika, Celenike revealed a cold smile. She subtly slipped her hand into her pocket and uncorked a vial.
It was a paralyzing poison—old-fashioned, but effective.
Before entering, she had already confirmed that aside from Reika, the only other person in the room was a rather young silver-haired girl.
Detecting no trace of magical energy or mystery, Celenike didn't understand why Reika would keep such a burden around, assuming it was just the black magi's peculiar taste.
As the poison vaporized, colorless gas began to disperse. The beautiful black magi gazed at the adorable silver-haired girl, malice spreading in her heart.
If she gouged out the girl's eyes, severed her limbs, and made her eat her own organs right in front of Reika—what kind of twisted expression would appear on that woman's face?
Ahh, just the thought of it sent shivers of excitement down her spine—
Lost in her delusions, Celenike didn't notice the gray mist rising in the room. As her vision blurred, the girl's ice-blue eyes became the only color in the dimming darkness.
Noble Phantasm · The Mist, activated.
The bounded field enveloped the entire room. The paralyzing gas crafted from black magic was no match for the sulfuric mist. Celenike suddenly coughed violently, horrified to feel an intense burning in her chest. Blood trickled from her lips as she covered her mouth.
When—when had this—?
Tap, tap, tap.
The small, silver-haired killer approached her, each step making her presence more ethereal and ghostly.
Time: Night, condition met.
Target: Female, condition met.
London's Mist fully manifested, condition met.
Noble Phantasm rank increased, D→B.
Within the mist-covered bounded field, not even a trace of a Servant's Noble Phantasm could leak out.
"From here on, it is hell. We are the fire, the rain, the power—Maria the Ripper!"
Before the abruptly activated Noble Phantasm, Celenike couldn't even scream. All she felt was a series of losses. From her torn abdomen, something that should never have fallen out spilled onto the floor.
What… what just happened…?
The next moment, the black magus's consciousness was severed from this world. Never in her wildest dreams could she have imagined that the seemingly ordinary child would become her killer.
Meanwhile, the true Black Assassin, Jack the Ripper, skillfully pried open the dead magus's abdomen after executing her for harboring murderous intent toward her mother. She retrieved the still-beating heart, presenting it to Reika like a prized offering.
"Mommy, Mommy, look! What a beautiful heart (food)!"
After a brief moment of shock, Reika set down the now-unnecessary teapot and calmly accepted the human heart, sealing it with magecraft. Then, she lovingly embraced little Jack.
"Thank you, Jack. You've saved Mommy's life again."
"Ehehe~~"
Amid the blood-soaked hellscape, mother and child held each other tightly. Meanwhile, the black magus—Celenike, Rider's Master—met her end in utter confusion.
After a brief moment of warmth, little Jack began cleaning up the room while Reika knelt beside the corpse, picking up Celenike's arm.
"As I thought… the Command Spells are gone."
Without hesitation, Reika took out her communication card and connected to Sakatsuki, far away.
"Mr. Sakatsuki, Celenike has been killed by Jack."