[Mass Update: 3/5]
After gaining the Thousand Wisdoms from the Holy Lord, Roland realized something about the old dragon: although the being called himself a demon sorcerer and he often relied on black magic, it wasn't out of limitation it was preference. In truth, even when it came to Positive magic, he was no less a master.
In other words, what people called "black energy" and "positive energy" magic were simply labels convenient distinctions born from the nature and alignment of the energy itself. Their true name was Core magic or more commonly Magic Qi.
The two could even be transformed into one another. And among those who stood at the very peak of Qi magic, the Holy Lord was one of the few. At least… before his descent into Hell.
Roland hadn't expected much from a demon who couldn't even recall the spells he had written in his prime. Yet, as it turned out, even scraps of what remained were far from useless.
Deployed in the right place, even fragments could yield astonishing results.
"…Truly useful."
To so effortlessly suppress the soul of a goddess even the most jaded of men would feel awe and temptation before such a feat.
The technique was nothing more than a single character imbued with magic, and yet it could suppress divinity itself. But Roland wasn't surprised.
After all, if it could subdue even the soul of the Holy Lord, why would it not restrain Ishtar, who was only a Servant at the moment?
It lacked the glittering flourishes of the thaumaturgy from the other world, and while deceptively simple in structure, it was near-impossible to master without talent. Many would remain beginners for life. But once attained, Qi magic was terrifying. Its methods were straightforward, its effects overwhelming. In the hands of one truly skilled, it was nothing short of godhood on earth.
No wonder the Holy Lord had spoken of his "demon sorcerer" identity with the same pride as his very race.
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"What do you want to do?"
Having realized she'd lost her final line of defense, Tohsaka Rin forced herself to swallow the chill in her chest and steady her breath.
"Don't be so tense. I've no intention of harming you," Roland said evenly. "I only wish to pay my respects to the goddess of Venus. I want to strike a deal."
"...A deal?"
Rin blinked in confusion. She couldn't fathom what Roland, a Master in the Grail War, could possibly want from her when he already had Ishtar and supposedly two Servants bound under his control.
"Of course. If it weren't voluntary, that goddess would sooner remain sealed than let me borrow her strength."
"...I see." Rin's shoulders loosened ever so slightly. His words didn't erase her unease, but at least he didn't sound like he meant to hurt her or Ishtar. Relief was short-lived, however. A thought flashed across her mind, and her eyes widened.
"Wait—Sakura. You said Sakura was in your hands just now…"
"She's safe. Completely unharmed. She hasn't stepped foot in the Matou worm pit," Roland reassured her. "If you're willing, I can even take you to see her later. Consider that a show of good faith. Now…" He set her gently back on her feet, then extended his hand to her with a calm smile.
"It's your turn, Tohsaka Rin. Give me back what's mine."
"…I knew it."
Her voice dropped to a murmur. Hand trembling, she reached into her coat pocket and produced an ornate gem, placing it carefully into Roland's palm.
One of the spoils she had just snatched.
"?"
Roland glanced down at it, bewildered. His mouth twitched. For a moment, he genuinely didn't know if he should pocket it… or hand it back.
Seeing his silent look, Rin winced, then, as though pulling teeth, dug out another gem and placed it into his palm.
His expression twisted even further. Was this really what it had come to? He was the Infernal Demon, the mastermind behind the Grail War laying traps with priceless treasures to ensnare a fallen goddess… all so he could repossess gems he had already tossed aside?
"N-no more! Really, not a single one left!"
Eyes squeezed shut, lips bitten, Rin finally dumped the rest of her gems into his hand all at once, unable to stand the farce of the moment.
"Who cares about these?" Roland groaned, dragging a hand down his face. "I want my talisman. If you want the gems, keep them."
With his free hand, he flung the pile of jewels down onto the ground like so much trash.
"Ahh! My gems! What a waste! If they're damaged, that's a huge loss! Wait… that talisman is yours? But I-I stole it from the Matous, no, found it! Yes, found it."
Rin crouched in agony, scrambling to gather the scattered gems. The talisman itself meant little to her; she'd only swiped it. With barely a thought, she handed it over to Roland, too focused on salvaging her "treasures."
Roland ignored the gem-obsessed girl, so unlike her little sister, and closed his fingers around the talisman.
"The first one I retrieve turns out to be the Dragon. Fitting. Almost like fate."
The gray talisman in his palm pulsed. The dragon etched on its surface stirred to life, glowing faintly before sinking into his hand, fusing into his flesh.
"…Tch."
Roland stiffened. Something wasn't right. The Dragon the source of energy itself was leeching his mana. Like a starving beast at last reunited with its master, it drank greedily.
The draw was so sudden, so ravenous, that even Roland's vast reserves felt strained.
Sensing this, the talisman gradually slowed, finally halting its feed.
But in that time, its form had transformed. The dull, stone-like texture gleamed like jade, glinting with a light that shimmered under the sun.
A façade. Roland knew the truth, it was still unsatisfied. Now, only he could wield it. In anyone else's hands, it would fall dormant, reduced to a mere trinket.
And that, in its way, was a problem. For while the talisman was indeed a fragment of his divine power, it now felt frayed, overdrawn, as though it had been run ragged for centuries without rest.
Even with his mana, restoring it would take decades.
What had these talismans been used for? To tear through dimensions?
"…That must be it."
When he'd first bound the Spirit of the Contract, he had confirmed that the Holy Lord was only a soul, without a body. By that logic, the talismans shouldn't exist here at all.
Unless… when the Spirit possessed him, something had gone awry. With the Holy Lord's wisdom guiding him, Roland pieced together the truth.
"Out of a blind instinct to reunite, you used the Grail's coordinates and mana to forcibly drag the talismans of that world here… but only the summoning. You never cared what state they arrived in, did you?"
Spirits had no will. They acted on instinct alone. Even carrying an object across worlds was perilous the energy backlash of crossing dimensions could easily obliterate the the things one wished to summon. Only talismans, forged with divine resilience, could endure. And even they… suffered.
No wonder they had fallen so silent, burned out from endless strain.
"And if the Dragon Talisman is this depleted, the others must be in even worse shape. Unless…" His eyes narrowed. "…I feed them vast stores of pure mana to hasten their recovery."
Of course. That was why those two had coveted the Holy Grail so desperately.
The strands of fate unwound in his mind Darnic, Matou Zouken, the "evil" lurking within the Grail, endless spells woven through history. Piece by piece, the larger picture revealed itself.
Once resurrection became his path, fate itself guided his every step, whether he realized it or not.
But this was no Kira Yoshikage's blind luck. No, this was different more deliberate. Black energy's favor was like a mother smoothing the road ahead, laying the stones for her child's journey. All Roland had to do was take the first step, and the way to heaven opened.
"…Greedy. That's what I've become." He smirked. "But it doesn't matter. What belongs to me will always be mine."
The dragon talisman pulsed in his hand, blazing with fierce light, and Roland's pupils flared crimson as its alien power surged through him.