The collapsing fragments of the Reality Marble finally shattered.
The desert sky broke apart like glass, dissolving into countless fading fragments of mana.
For a brief moment—
Everything went dark.
Then Ren stepped forward.
The world returned.
Cold night air brushed against his face as he emerged back into reality.
"…Hm."
Ren glanced around.
He had expected the outside to be quiet.
After all, the Reality Marble battle had lasted quite a while.
But the scene before him was anything but peaceful.
The riverside had returned into complete chaos.
In the distance, high above the city skyline—
Golden light streaked across the night sky.
Floating arrogantly atop his divine craft, Gilgamesh stood on the shining hull of the Vimana, beside his Master Tokiomi Tohsaka.
Behind him, countless golden portals shimmered in the air.
Treasures fired like meteors.
But their target was no ordinary opponent.
Roaring engines tore through the sky.
A black fighter jet twisted violently through the barrage of Noble Phantasms, moving with impossible precision.
Perched on its fuselage like a dark knight of the sky—
Berserker - Lancelot.
Berserker had turned the jet itself into a weapon, black mana wrapping around the aircraft as it screamed through the air toward the King of Heroes.
Explosions lit up the night sky as the two clashed above the city.
"…Well," Ren muttered.
"That escalated quickly."
Elsewhere—
Steel clashed violently.
On the ground not far away, Artoria Pendragon and Diarmuid Ua Duibhne were locked in another brutal duel.
The golden-haired King of Knights swung her invisible blade with precise power.
Diarmuid countered with his twin spears, crimson and golden light flashing as the cursed weapons clashed against Saber's strikes.
Their battle had resumed the moment the Reality Marble collapsed.
And not far from them—
Gunfire echoed.
In the shadows of a nearby building, Kiritsugu Emiya and his partner Maiya Hisau were engaged in a brutal firefight.
Their opponents were none other than the aristocratic magus Kayneth El-Melloi Archibald and his fiancée Sola-Ui Nuada-Re Sophia-Ri.
Mystic codes clashed with modern firearms.
Mercury flowed like liquid blades through the air while Kiritsugu's bullets tore through the battlefield.
Ren blinked slowly.
"…Huh."
For a moment he simply stood there, watching the battlefield unfold like some massive crossover episode.
Then he turned his head.
At the edge of the battlefield—
Two familiar figures were sitting quietly.
Aesc sat calmly on a bench.
Beside her, Sakura was happily sipping juice from a small carton Aesc had apparently given her.
The two of them looked completely out of place compared to the chaos surrounding them.
They were basically spectators.
Ren approached the two calmly while the battlefield behind him continued to erupt with explosions and flashes of magecraft.
Aesc looked up at him.
"…You're back."
Her eyes briefly scanned him from head to toe, as if confirming he was still the same person who had stepped into Rider's Reality Marble earlier.
Ren shrugged lightly.
"More or less."
Sakura ran up immediately and grabbed his sleeve.
"Onii-san! You're okay!"
Ren patted her head absentmindedly.
"Of course."
Aesc spoke again.
"…Ren."
Her voice carried a rare hint of hesitation.
"I want to ask something."
Ren tilted his head slightly.
"Go ahead."
Aesc's gaze hardened.
"The things I read in your library."
"The SCP files."
Her fingers tightened slightly.
"…Are they real?"
For a brief moment, Ren simply looked at her.
Then he nodded.
"Yes."
Just a simple answer.
"They're real."
Silence fell between them.
Aesc's pupils shrank slightly.
The last fragment of doubt inside her mind disappeared.
If those things truly existed…
Then the world she once believed she understood was only a tiny fragment of something far larger.
Her gaze changed slightly.
Sharper.
For what kind of change had occurred within her—
Only she fully understand.
Ren, however, simply watched quietly.
He didn't bother explaining the missing detail.
The truth was...The SCPs weren't native to this world.
Their existence here was linked to him.
Without Ren—
This world would never have known about them.
In a way, Aesc had unknowingly stepped into Pandora box the moment she opened his library.
But Ren didn't bother explaining that.
Behind them, the battle between Servants continued to rage.
Artoria Pendragon and Diarmuid Ua Duibhne clashed once more.
Gunfire echoed between Kiritsugu Emiya and Kayneth El-Melloi Archibald.
And high above the city, golden weapons continued to rain down from Gilgamesh's portals.
Ren glanced at the chaos.
"…Yeah."
"Not my problem tonight."
Right now, he had something more important to deal with.
To calm his mind.
Ren crouched down slightly and pulled out a small stack of paper.
Each one was covered in complex runic symbols and thaumaturgical scripts.
He scattered them across the ground.
The papers ignited with faint blue light.
Runic circles formed instantly.
A soft barrier spread around their location.
Then another layer followed.
And another.
Concealment.
Isolation.
Within seconds, their little corner of the battlefield became completely hidden from outside detection.
Ren exhaled slowly.
"…That should do it."
Then Ren reached into his pocket then take a sit beside Sakura.
And pulled out his phone.
"…Huh."
It had been quite a while since the last time he checked it.
The screen lit up.
And immediately—
A flood of notifications appeared.
Dozens of unread messages.
"…Huh."
Ren blinked at the screen.
Right… he hadn't checked his phone for days.
No wonder the notifications had piled up like this.
He tapped the first conversation.
It was from Marin Kitagawa.
The messages stretched over several days.
2 Days ago
Marin: Ren! Where did you go??
Marin: Are you busy?
A few hours later—
Marin: Oh! I finished the sleeve design for the costume!
Marin: I think it looks super good!!
Ren scrolled further down.
Yesterday
Marin: Ren? You haven't replied…
Marin: Are you okay?
Then—
Marin: Also the wig arrived today!!
Marin: I tried it on and it actually looks amazing!!
Ren rubbed his temple slightly.
"…She's really dedicated to that cosplay."
Then he scrolled to the latest messages.
Today
Marin: Ren…?
Marin: Please tell me you didn't disappear…
Ren typed a short reply.
Ren: I'm fine. Just picking up my Niece.
Then he attached a photo.
At the ferris wheel picture. Ren sitting beside Sakura, who was smiling brightly at the camera.
Message sent.
Ren moved to the next conversation.
Megumi Kato.
Compared to Marin, her messages were much calmer.
2 days ago
Kato: Ren-kun, where are you?
Yesterday
Kato: You haven't replied.
Today
Kato: Ren-kun?
Ren typed the same response.
Ren: I'm fine. Just picking up my niece.
He attached the same ferris wheel photo.
Message sent.
But before he could open the next notification—
His phone vibrated again.
A reply from Kato appeared almost immediately.
Kato: I see, I'm glad you are doing fine
Kato: Ren-kun, can I ask something?
Ren leaned back slightly.
Ren: Sure.
The next message arrived.
Kato: Can I use one of the rune papers you gave me?
Kato: My friend might be in danger.
Ren raised an eyebrow slightly.
"…Oh?"
He didn't hesitate long.
After all, he had given Kato quite a few of those rune papers.
One more wouldn't matter.
Ren: Go ahead.
Ren: Use it if it helps.
Ren lowered the phone slightly.
"…Friend, huh."
He thought about it for a moment.
As far as Ren knew, Kato's friends were mostly people from the same class. And if we were talking about someone being in danger…
Then only one name came to mind.
A girl who could see things that most people couldn't.
Miko Yotsuya.
"I guess, it might be her"
Ren glanced back at his phone and opened the next conversation.
The name on the screen was Utaha Kasumigaoka.
Several unread messages appeared.
Ren scrolled up to the first one.
2 days ago
Utaha: Your novel passed the preliminary screening.
Ren raised an eyebrow slightly.
He kept reading.
Utaha: It successfully entered the Spring Contest.
Another message followed shortly after.
Utaha: My editor read it earlier today. Her evaluation was surprisingly high.
Then another line appeared.
Utaha: Even if you don't win the contest, there's a good chance you'll still receive an offer to publish it through her company.
Ren blinked once.
"…Oh."
That was faster than he expected.
He scrolled further down.
Yesterday
Utaha: Congratulations.
Ren tilted his head.
Another message followed.
Utaha: Your novel's current voting rank has entered the Top 10.
A faint smile appeared on Ren's face.
"…Well, That was fast."
He scrolled to the newest message.
Today
Utaha: Junior.
Utaha: Why haven't you replied to my messages?
Another one arrived shortly after.
Utaha: And why didn't you come to school today?
Ren scratched his cheek then quickly typed a reply.
Ren: Sorry, I've been busy these past few days.
Then he added another line.
Ren: I'm fine though. Just picking up my niece.
He attached the same ferris wheel photo of himself and Sakura.
Then he typed one more message.
Ren: Also, thanks for helping with the novel.
Ren: I owe you lunch.
Ren: I'll treat you when I get back.
Ren was about to check another message when—
BOOM!
A deafening explosion suddenly tore across the battlefield.
The ground trembled slightly beneath their feet as a blinding flash lit up the night sky.
For a brief moment, the entire area was swallowed by the roar of the blast.
Then—
Silence.
The battlefield fell completely quiet.
Even the distant roar of the fighter jet had vanished.
"…Hm?"
Ren slowly lowered his phone and looked toward the source of the explosion.
In the distance, two figures now stood facing each other across the ruined ground.
Artoria Pendragon stood with her invisible sword raised, golden hair fluttering in the night wind.
Opposite her—
Standing arrogantly with arms crossed—
Gilgamesh.
The King of Heroes.
He stood atop the golden hull of the Vimana, looking down at Saber like a king observing a lesser rival.
Even from this distance, Ren could see the mocking smile on his face.
Gilgamesh was speaking.
Taunting her.
Ren blinked once.
"…Did I miss something?"
He glanced sideways at Aesc.
"So what happened while I was busy with my phone?"
Aesc leaned slightly forward, her eyes still fixed on the battlefield.
"Oh, you missed quite the fireworks show."
Ren glanced up from his phone.
"…Do I even want to know?"
She hummed lightly.
"Archer defeated Berserker."
Ren raised an eyebrow.
"That was fast."
"Mm-hmm." Aesc tilted her head thoughtfully. "Though I suppose that's what happens when one side starts throwing divine antiques like artillery shells."
She pointed toward gilgamesh.
"He fired a Noble Phantasm through the Gate of Babylon. A rather large one."
Ren squinted.
"…Define 'large.'"
"A cone-shaped sword," Aesc said casually.
Ren blinked.
"…That sounds manageable."
Aesc continued, almost cheerfully.
"It exploded."
Ren paused.
"How big?"
Aesc finally glanced at him.
"…Imagine a small nuclear weapon."
Ren slowly lowered his phone.
"…Okay, that sounds significantly less manageable."
He looked toward the empty sky where the fighter jet had been moments earlier.
Nothing remained.
Not even smoke.
Ren whistled softly.
"Well… that certainly explains the sudden silence."
Then Ren glanced back toward the battlefield.
"What about Saber and Lancer?"
"Oh, they were still having their dramatic knight duel," Aesc replied lightly.
Her eyes shifted toward another part of the battlefield.
"But it ended rather abruptly."
Ren tilted his head.
"…Don't tell me."
Aesc gave a small smile.
"Yes. Master problems."
Ren blinked.
"Already?"
Aesc nodded.
"Lancer's Master is dead."
She didn't sound particularly surprised.
"The aristocratic magus."
She meant Kayneth El-Melloi Archibald.
"He underestimated modern weaponry."
Her gaze drifted briefly toward a nearby building.
"And that tends to shorten one's lifespan."
Ren immediately understood.
Kiritsugu Emiya.
The Magus Killer.
Ren scratched his cheek.
"…Man."
"Imagine spending decades mastering magecraft only to lose to a guy with a gun."
Aesc smiled faintly.
"To be fair, it wasn't just a gun."
Ren shrugged.
"Still counts."
Then he looked back toward the battlefield where Gilgamesh and Artoria Pendragon now faced each other.
The atmosphere between them was heavy.
Gilgamesh's voice carried across the battlefield, dripping with arrogance.
Ren watched for a moment.
"…Alright."
He slipped his phone back into his pocket.
Ren looked toward Sakura and saw her rubbing her eyes sleepily. It wasn't surprising—today had been a long day for her. They had gone to the amusement park, Went on shopping, and even watched Servants fighting like characters from an anime. For a child, it would be strange if she wasn't tired.
Ren gently patted her head. "Are you tired? Do you want to go home and sleep?"
"Un…" Sakura nodded softly.
Ren smiled. "Well then, you can go back first. I'll stay here a little longer."
After a short pause, he added casually, "Oh, and tomorrow I'll take you to meet your mother and sister."
The moment Sakura heard that, her eyes widened, but instead of excitement, her expression dimmed.
"…Onii-san… does Onii-san not want Sakura anymore?"
Ren froze for a moment.
"What? Why would you think that?"
Sakura lowered her head.
"But… you said you want to bring Sakura home…"
Ren blinked before realizing what she meant.
"…Ah."
He sighed and gently pinched her chubby cheeks.
"You silly girl. You already chose to become my family—my little sister. I just want to let your mother and sister know that you'll be living with me from now on instead of that Matou guy."
Sakura slowly looked up at him.
Her misunderstanding wasn't strange. After all, her own family had already given her away once, and the Matou family had turned out to be a nightmare.
She was afraid, very afraid, the moment she was at home with her family, her dad will send her back to the Wormhole
Ren gently placed his hand on her head.
"Don't worry, Sakura. No matter what happens, I'll always be with you and protect you. You can treat me like family—the kind you can rely on no matter what."
Sakura didn't say anything, but her face brightened. She suddenly stepped forward and hugged him tightly.
Ren blinked in surprise before gently patting her head again.
Not far away, Aesc watched the scene quietly with a faint smile.
When she first met Ren and Sakura, they already looked like siblings, but something had felt slightly off. Ren had treated Sakura kindly, yet it seemed more like responsibility than genuine emotion.
But now it was different.
Aesc could clearly feel the warmth in his actions and the sincerity behind his words. The way Ren looked at Sakura felt as if, should the world ever harm her again, he would simply flip the table and tear the whole world apart.
No kidding.
As the President of the Foundation, Aesc believed it wouldn't be something particularly difficult for him to accomplish.
After all, the things written inside that library were more than enough to bring the world to its knees.
Her gaze shifted toward him again.
Now she was wondering.
What exactly had happened inside that Reality Marble earlier?
Because when Ren stepped out of it—
Something about him had changed.
Not outwardly.
Then she saw Ren open a portal.
"Aesc, do me a favor," Ren said while carefully handing the sleepy Sakura over to her. "Bring Sakura back first. You can return after she falls asleep."
Aesc didn't reply.
She simply adjusted Sakura in her arms, the little girl already half asleep against her shoulder.
Without another word, Aesc stepped toward the portal.
The two figures disappeared into the light.
The portal quietly closed behind them.
After seeing them off, Ren stood up.
Then he stepped out of the barrier.
The faint concealment runes behind him faded as he walked forward in his caster disguise, heading toward the two Servants facing each other across the battlefield.
Gilgamesh.
And Artoria Pendragon.
Ren arrived just in time to hear Gilgamesh's voice echo across the riverside.
The King of Heroes was speaking with open contempt.
And the target of that contempt—
Was the unconscious woman lying nearby.
Irisviel von Einzbern.
She remained motionless on the ground, her breathing faint, her body barely responding.
Why was she unconscious?
The answer was simple.
Irisviel wasn't just a Master.
She was a specially designed homunculus created by the Einzbern family.
The vessel of the Lesser Grail.
You see, Whenever a Servant died, their spirit did not immediately return to the Throne of Heroes.
Instead, the heroic spirits were temporarily gathered within Lesser Grail which is Irisviel's body.
One by one.
Until every Servants were collected.
However, As a homunculus, Irisviel herself was not strong enough to contain the spirits of all seven Servants.
Four Heroic Spirits were already her limit.
Once the fifth spirit was absorbed, her body would begin to collapse, causing her to fall unconscious.
If a sixth Servant's spirit were added, her body would no longer be able to maintain its form.
At that point, Irisviel would return to the Holy Grail, dissolving as the gathered mana and the souls of the Servants were transferred to the Greater Grail. Thus completing the ritual.
Of course, that led to another question.
Why The Holy Grail need spirits of all seven Servants? Isn't Six servants enough to Grant them a wish?
Most people believed it was a miracle device capable of granting any wish.
But the truth was more complicated.
The three magus families who created the system—the Einzbern, Tohsaka, and Matou—should have known that from the beginning.
The wish-granting part was merely a side effect when there was only six Heroic spirits within the Holy Grail.
The real purpose of the Holy Grail War was different.
By gathering the mana and the spirits of seven Heroic Spirits, the ritual created enough energy to pierce through the barrier of the world.
A hole leading to something far more valuable.
The Root.
The origin of all phenomena.
The ultimate truth every magus spent their life chasing.
Reaching the Root meant reaching the source of magic itself.
And for a magus—
There was no greater goal.
Now, if the winner of the Holy Grail War happened to be one of the three founding families, the outcome would be rather predictable.
They would simply betray their own Servant.
By using their remaining Command Spells, they could force the Servant to commit suicide.
This also one of the reason why Command spells existed.
After all, a Servant's death meant their spirit would be absorbed into the Grail system.
Which was exactly what the ritual needed.
More mana.
More heroic spirits.
More fuel to open the path to the Root.
In other words—
The so-called Holy Grail War had never truly been about granting wishes.
It was merely a ritual disguised as one.
A ritual designed to gather seven Heroic Spirits and enough magical energy to break through the barrier of the world.
So yes.
Calling the Holy Grail a miracle that grants wishes was technically correct.
But in reality—
The entire thing was nothing more than an elaborate scam.
So what Ren was witnessing right now was actually quite simple.
Gilgamesh, the King of Heroes, possessed the Sha Naqba Imuru—the omniscient star.
With it, he could perceive truths that others could not.
The structure of the Holy Grail War.
The nature of the Grail itself.
To Gilgamesh, the entire system was painfully obvious.
A ritual disguised as a wish-granting miracle.
A scam.
Which was exactly why he was currently mocking the unconscious Irisviel von Einzbern and the Einzbern family without the slightest restraint.
In his eyes, the entire ritual was nothing more than a farce created by desperate magus chasing the Root.
But that raised another question.
If Gilgamesh already knew the truth—
Why did he answer the summoning of the Holy Grail War in the first place?
The answer was actually quite simple.
Because he was bored at the Throne of heroes
Beside, he also curious about the cup.
After all The Holy Grail itself can be considered a treasure.
And to Gilgamesh, every treasure in the world ultimately belonged to him.
So when a cup capable of collecting the power of seven Heroic Spirits appeared in the modern era…
Of course the King of Heroes would come to claim it.
If not for that reason, did anyone really think Tokiomi Tohsaka could have successfully summoned him?
The answer was obvious.
Of course not.
In fact, Tokiomi was incredibly lucky the summoning even succeeded.
After all, the catalyst he used was the shed skin of the Serpent of Immortality.
The very creature that stole Gilgamesh's chance at eternal life.
Using that as a catalyst to summon the King of Heroes was a simply insulting him.
The fact that Gilgamesh merely treated Tokiomi with contempt was already fortunate.
If Gilgamesh had not needed a Master to anchor him in the world then—
Just as Ren began walking toward them, the first to react was Gilgamesh.
The King of Heroes narrowed his eyes.
"It's you… thief."
Ren waved casually.
"Hello, Gilgamesh."
He paused for a brief second.
"Goodbye, Gilgamesh."
Before anyone could react—
A dark portal suddenly opened behind the King of Heroes.
Ren had already activated the power of SCP-001 – Keter Duty.
The space distorted violently as the portal expanded.
In the next instant, both Gilgamesh and his master, Tokiomi, were swallowed whole and dragged into the Containment Zone.
The portal snapped shut.
Silence returned to the battlefield.
Ren brushed imaginary dust off his sleeve.
"I'll deal with him later."
Right now, he had something else to take care of.
Ren walked toward Saber.
Artoria Pendragon immediately stepped forward, positioning herself between him and the unconscious Irisviel von Einzbern.
Her invisible sword remained raised.
Ren lifted both of his hands in a gesture of peace.
"King of Knights, no need to be so wary. I'm not here to cause trouble."
He nodded toward Irisviel.
"Besides, I'm planning to help the woman beside you."
Saber hesitated.
Slowly, she lowered her blade slightly—but the caution in her eyes never faded.
"…What do you want?"
Ren tilted his head.
"Tell me something first."
His gaze shifted briefly toward Irisviel.
"Do you know the real reason she came here with you and your Master in this war?"
He raised a finger.
"And please don't say something like 'decoy' or 'fake Master.'"
Saber remained silent.
Ren sighed lightly.
"You see, the woman beside you is a special homunculus created by the Einzbern family."
"She was never meant to be just a Master."
He gestured toward Irisviel.
"Her real role is to serve as the vessel for the Lesser Grail."
Ren's voice remained calm as he continued.
"When Servants die, their spirits don't immediately return to the Throne of Heroes."
"Instead…"
"They gather inside the Lesser Grail."
He pointed gently toward Irisviel.
"Which, in this war, happens to be her."
Ren crossed his arms.
"As more Servants fall, more Heroic Spirits accumulate inside the vessel."
"But Irisviel is still a homunculus."
"She doesn't have a body—or mind—strong enough to contain that kind of power."
He nodded toward her unconscious form.
"And that's exactly why she ended up like this."
Hearing this, Saber was clearly shaken.
She had long considered Irisviel not only her Master's partner, but also her friend. Now hearing that her friend's existence had been nothing more than a vessel… her expression hardened.
For a brief moment, agitation flashed across her face.
However, she didn't immediately accept Ren's words.
Instead, she closed her eyes slightly.
Through the connection between Master and Servant, she spoke to Kiritsugu Emiya.
The answer she received was enough.
Saber slowly opened her eyes again.
Now she knew the truth.
To obtain a miracle…
There would always be sacrifice.
Her gaze returned to Ren.
"What do you mean," Saber asked quietly, "when you say you want to help?"
Ren shrugged lightly.
"Well…"
"You see, what I hate the most is tragedy."
He glanced briefly at Irisviel's unconscious figure.
"And I really can't sit still when a tragedy is happening right in front of me."
Ren placed a hand on his chest and gave a small bow.
"So please forgive my selfishness… and grant me permission to help her."
Saber was about to agree immediately.
However—
'Stop it!'
Kiritsugu's voice suddenly came through the spiritual link.
Saber's expression stiffened.
It wasn't that Kiritsugu didn't want to save Irisviel.
But the moment Ren interfered…
Everything could change.
If Irisviel was saved, what would happen to the Lesser Grail?
What would happen to the ritual?
What would happen to the reward at the end of the war?
For Kiritsugu, sacrificing one person—even someone close—was a price worth paying if it meant achieving his dream of saving the world.
That was the cruel logic he had chosen to live by.
Meanwhile, Ren simply watched Saber quietly.
Then he smiled faintly.
As if he had already guessed the question being asked on the other side of the link.
"Don't worry."
"Nothing will happen to the Lesser Grail."
Ren spread his hands casually.
"I'm not here to break the system."
His eyes shifted slightly toward Saber.
"But…"
"If you're willing to gamble…"
"If you're willing to trust me…"
Ren smiled.
"Then things might turn out better than you expect."
For Ren, helping Irisviel was actually quite simple.
With SCP-2295, he could easily solve the problem.
Using the traits of Patchwork, he could remove the Lesser Grail embedded within Irisviel's body—the artificial core that acted as her heart.
Then he could replace it with another one.
Sure, the replacement would technically be made of fabric.
But this was an SCP anomaly they were talking about.
Normal logic didn't exactly apply.
In fact, a patchwork heart created by SCP-2295 could function perfectly well.
Keeping Irisviel alive while removing the Grail vessel would not be difficult at all.
Ren folded his arms and looked at Saber.
Then he glanced toward the unseen presence of Kiritsugu listening through their connection.
"So, King of Knights… and her Master."
Ren gave a small smile.
"What will you choose?"
"To trust me…"
"…or not?"