[T/N: Mass Update: 1/5]
"I didn't expect to waste three gems here, but it was worth it to wipe out that disgusting mansion."
Ishtar slowly descended, admiring her handiwork. She gave a satisfied nod, but when she heard no response in her mind, she sighed helplessly.
"Rin, don't be so anxious. You've inherited excellent talent, if she's your twin, then she can't be far behind. That grotesque old monster wouldn't kill her so easily. She's probably still waiting for you to rescue her."
"…Thanks, Ishtar."
Rin's voice was still heavy, but her mood had lifted somewhat, which brought Ishtar a trace of relief.
"But that old man is utterly revolting. Shouldn't we track down his true body?"
"He's not dead yet?"
Rin frowned at the cavern before her, unable to believe it. A strike that obliterated the entire workshop would have reduced even the Tōsaka household to rubble, how could that worm still be alive?
"The body you saw is certainly gone, but a creature that's turned its whole existence into insects won't show its true form so easily."
"Then, Ishtar… while you're in my body these few days, can I ask you to search for Sakura, and for that old bug's true form?"
"Of course. It's no trouble. And who knows he may even come crawling to us without needing to be hunted."
Ishtar descended into the pit's center, her great bow floating like a siege cannon at her side. She loosed a shot toward a particular spot, as though certain of what lay there.
"Why there?"
Rin blinked in confusion, but Ishtar didn't answer immediately. She simply maintained her control over her divine garb.
Soon, a charred black sphere encased in insect husks, hard as iron split open, revealing what had been protected within.
"When that wretch faced judgment from a goddess, his first reaction wasn't to preserve his swarm and escape. No, he had the insects burrow away with this instead. That alone tells us how valuable it is. Perhaps not above his own life, but close."
Ishtar gestured, pulling the item into her grasp.
It was an octagonal rune stone, etched with the image of a crimson Eastern dragon at its heart.
"With this in our hands, he'll have no choice but to crawl out and die before us. Truly, that monster underestimated the eyes of Ishtar."
She pinched the relic between two fingers, raising it to the moonlight. Her eyes glimmered, growing brighter the longer she studied it.
"What a marvelous discovery. Who would think a magus like that possessed such a treasure? …A pity it seems long overused, its divine energy all but sealed. But even dormant, its power is extraordinary. Could this be the remnant of a god?"
"What do you mean, unusable?"
"In modern terms… imagine a phone that's been dead for ages. No power left to switch it on."
"Then what's the point…"
Rin's earlier excitement dimmed to disappointment.
"Hmph. A relic that I, the goddess of Venus, deem precious even dulled, its worth surpasses the trinkets of mortals. If you doubt me, try it yourself."
To prove her words, Ishtar relinquished control. Rin took the dragon-engraved talisman, puzzled
"Huh?"
The moment she gripped it, Rin gasped.
A surge of magic poured into her, as if an external reservoir had latched onto her circuits. Her reserves swelled far beyond their usual capacity, and the energy she'd spent earlier on her curse bullets was replenished in the span of a breath.
"Amazing! It's this powerful even sealed… Father's heirlooms may not compare! Truly, you weren't exaggerating, Ishtar."
"Of course I wasn't! Go on, praise me more," Ishtar crowed, her voice giddy. "And don't forget it also amplifies energy output."
"Amplifies… Then gems should make that clear. Let's test it."
Rin's eyes lit up as she pressed a charged gem against the talisman and activated her circuits.
"Wait, don't—!"
Ishtar's warning came too late.
The talisman flared with blinding radiance. Magic cascaded in a second surge, compressing into a cannon of pure light that blasted outward, eradicating the last remnants of the Matō estate.
The torrent was so immense that Rin staggered, unable to control the sweep of the beam. It scorched across the ruins until Ishtar seized control back.
"You reckless girl! Had I not cut off the flow, the nearby city might have suffered for your folly!"
"…Sorry. I didn't expect that." Rin steadied her breathing, calmer now despite the mistake.
Ishtar was about to lecture her further when her head snapped skyward. Flames roared across the night, thunderous and brilliant as day.
"…Tch."
Her expression twisted as though she'd just spotted trouble.
"Maanna!"
Her bow transformed into a gleaming motorcycle, and she kicked it into full speed away from the Matō grounds.
"What was that light?!" Rin demanded.
"The Holy Grail War's clash… likely between two of the others. We're not going anywhere near it. If we do, we'll be crushed in the crossfire."
Her rare seriousness silenced Rin. Exhausted by the night's ordeal, she slipped into sleep, leaving Ishtar in control.
When she woke at dawn, groggy, she found her body still not returned.
"Hey, stupid goddess! What are you doing?! I'm already late!"
"Wait, wait I admit this is my fault! But I need to finish something first!"
Ishtar's tone was apologetic, but she still held on. Rin's frustration was about to boil over when her eyes froze on the scene before her.
The empty road glittered with gems laid in a neat line, leading toward a street corner.
And Ishtar was happily scooping them up.
"One by one…"
It was no different from bait for a bird trap, and Ishtar was the bird.
"What the hell are you doing?! It's obviously a trap!"
"I can't help it!" Ishtar declared shamelessly, pocketing more jewels. "Since I've been bound to you, my divine energy degrades into ordinary mana. Without gems to channel it, my strength falters. And thanks to you, our stockpile's nearly gone! This is a rare chance to replenish!"
She held up her prizes proudly. "And besides these are higher quality than anything you had!"
"…Really?"
Rin swallowed. "Then let's wait, no! We need to be careful. Who just leaves treasures like this lying around?"
"Exactly! Which is why only a fool would assume it's bait. No one would waste gems this fine to snare an idiot. Clearly, this is divine reward for my deeds last night!"
Her smug reasoning left Rin speechless. At last, she snapped:
"Fine, then switch with me. I'll pick them up!"
"Eh?! That's cheating!"
"This is my body! If I do it, at least it'll draw less suspicion."
Rin crouched, scooping up the gems. She couldn't suppress a laugh as she admired their brilliance, though her free hand still gripped the magical meter her father had given her.
When she reached the final gem at the street corner, the device in her hand began to spin violently then burst into black smoke from the overload.
"—Found you."
The voice was cold.
Rin's head snapped up and she froze.
Standing there was a young man with eyes like rubies, a strange artifact in his grasp. Carved with four dragon heads, the one aimed at her glowed with a scarlet light.