[Mass Update: 2/5]
"Would anyone really fall for this trap? It feels like a waste of gems."
Medea's voice carried a note of doubt as she watched Roland casually scatter precious jewels from a golden jar, letting them clink across the pavement like bait for some wild creature.
Roland smiled faintly, eyes fixed on the street corner where shadows pooled unnaturally thick.
"If it were anyone else, I'd agree that they won't fall for it. But the one we're waiting for isn't just anyone. She's Ishtar and unfortunately for her, she's riding in the body of Tohsaka Rin. A goddess with pride, and a girl with greed for gems… Together, they're bound to take the bait. Look closely, she's already here."
The detector in his hand lit up brilliantly, confirming his words.
---
"Ishtar!"
Rin's voice was sharp, panicked. She had realized too late that someone had been waiting for them from the very start.
Shadows writhed, and her powerless human body was instantly swept aside. In her place rose the warlike form of a goddess, Ishtar's presence surging to the surface. In an instant, the helpless girl became a radiant Servant brimming with destructive might. Even Zouken Matou hadn't seen through her disguise so quickly.
But Rin's heart was heavy. This wasn't an ambush of chance, it was a carefully laid snare. From the beginning, this man had known she was a Servant. As a pseudo-servant of two in one, Ishtar also understood this, so she attacked the opponent immediately.
"Maanna!"
Her bow manifested above, energy surging as Ishtar summoned her treasured weapon. She hurled herself forward with a divine dagger, slashing against the arms of blue-gray shadow that reached for her.
In close combat, Ishtar, who can fly freely, is not inferior, but she must consider the condition of Toosaka Rin. Being entangled like this will be too disadvantageous for the subsequent battle.
Yet the shadows didn't shatter with her dagger. They melted, coiling like ropes of tar, binding her limbs with oppressive weight.
"Damn it!"
One wrong step leads to another. All the actions that caused her to lose the initiative due to greed have now come with their own price.
She crushed a gem in her palm, flooding herself with magical energy to burst the bindings apart. The backlash left her breath ragged, but the radiant barrier bought her a heartbeat of freedom.
Enough to retaliate.
The sky roared as the floating bow prepared to unleash judgment. If she had to repeat the bombardment that had obliterated the Matou mansion, so be it. Better to scorch the battlefield than be chained like prey.
But the mysterious enemy walked straight up to her without any concern for the attack from above.
The attack shot out from the spirit bow like a cannonball was blocked by the invisible barrier around it before it touched Roland's body.
Seeing caster suddenly appear and follow closely behind Roland, Ishtar finally understood the seriousness of the situation.
Ishtar gritted her teeth, not caring about the noise she might make, and channeled all her magical power into the spiritual outfit in the sky through an invisible connection. She wanted to replicate the bombardment that wiped out the Matou family, even if it would affect herself, it was better than falling into the hands of the enemy.
"...Berserker."
Roland's calm voice cut through the night.
From the shadows, a black blur surged upward like a predator. A knight clad in cursed armor seized the floating weapon, his corrupted aura gnawing at its divine framework. Maanna groaned under the pressure, its sacred form twisted by the knight's curse until it was nothing more than a makeshift bludgeon in his hands.
Ishtar's eyes widened.
"Lancelot…"
A treasure, reduced to prey.
Her fury exploded, divine power shaking the restraints, yet new chains replaced them. Purple bindings inscribed with eldritch runes snapped around her, humming with electric light. Unlike shadows, these were not so easily broken.
Medea's voice was cool, almost amused.
"How careless. To think a goddess could be trapped like this. Any other Servant would be powerless by now… yet even bound, your magical output still swells. Truly frightening."
Ishtar bared her teeth.
"Do not mock me, witch. I am Ishtar. goddess of Venus. Besides"
"Who cares about the Holy Grail? Although I am tempted, compared to the troubles associated with it this time, I would rather wait for the offerings of mortals!"
Roland stepped closer, unhurried.
"It doesn't matter whether you want it or not, goddess. The key is that you have the ability to fight for the Holy Grail, just like the Tohsaka family will seek the Church as an ally, right, Tohsaka Rin?"" his eyes flicked to Rin beneath.
Hearing her name spoken, Rin faltered. Her breath hitched as her eyes locked onto Roland's face.
"That voice… It's you… the big brother from the convenience store?"
Roland's lips curved in a humorless smile.
Perhaps because the memory of being caught buying chocolate was too deep, after a while, Toosaka Rin still had an impression of Roland. But because of this, Toosaka Rin felt even more uneasy. Although it was not a secret, the dangerous Master in front of her, whose purpose was unknown, had seen her and her mother and knew their identities very well.
Medea leaned closer, lowering her voice.
"Master, her bond runs deeper than possession. The girl's soul and the goddess' essence are layered like twin mirrors. If I shatter the contract outright, both could break loose. It will be… messy."
"Hmph, of course. I wasn't born from a formal summoning, but I chose Rin to form a contract because of my compatibility with the Holy Grail. Are you scared, human? In consideration of the offering you made earlier, if you could offer another of equal weight, I wouldn't mind pardoning your disrespect just now."
"What a greedy goddess!" Roland laughed dumbly, then slowly approached the bound Ishtar and raised his index finger.
"Hey, rude human, what do you want to do? I am a goddess, I cannot become a Servant. If it is not my own will, even if the contract is terminated, as long as I am unwilling, I will merge with Rin at a deeper level. No matter what conspiracy you have, it will not succeed..."
"Unless your body is destroyed as well?" Roland sneered. Such cruel words made Ishtar pale.
"It would have been more convenient to do it this way, but thankfully I have a simpler method. You should be thankful that there is something useful left in that worn-out wisdom."
"What do you want to do?"
Ignoring Ishtar's words, Roland looked at Ishtar and muttered to himself, "First, let the owner of this body regain the initiative...Tohsaka Rin, Sakura is in my hands now, do you want to see her?"
"Where is she!"
The anxiety and guilt accumulated throughout the night turned into eagerness, causing Toosaka Rin to switch into the main personality of this Servant's body. This was exactly the opportunity Roland had been waiting for.
The goddess froze as his finger traced a burning glyph across her forehead. Dark magic laced with unfamiliar precision sank into her vessel. The chains snapped open, yet with them, the spiritual outfit dissolved in shards of light.
Rin's cry split the night.
"Aah—!"
The divine form shattered. A moment later, the girl herself tumbled forward, red coat, twin ponytails, and all straight into Roland's waiting arms.
She clutched at his shirt instinctively.
"Ishtar…?!"
Her mind was silent. The goddess' voice, gone.
Roland smiled softly, his warmth chilling in contrast to the mark still burning on Rin's brow.
"Don't worry. She isn't gone. I've locked her soul inside you, she'll see, hear, and rage, but she won't interfere anymore. From now on, your body is yours alone."
Rin trembled, slowly raising a trembling hand to the roadside mirror.
On her forehead, stark and black against pale skin, a single ancient character burned.
——Anger.