"Ugh! I'm going to die from exhaustion! Fenrir, hurry up and give me a hand!"
In the massive cavern beneath Tokyo, Natsumi was still busy setting up the leyline system… well, not quite. She was actually just one step away from completion—
That final step being the reception and integration of the Greater Grail that Norton was preparing to teleport over, installing it at the precise core of the leyline's flow. Only then would the ultra-large-scale alchemical array covering all of Tokyo achieve complete operational circulation.
But this last step… was as difficult as an ant trying to leap the Grand Canyon, as absurd as John F. Kennedy surviving seven bullets to the back and a headshot while riding in a convertible, or Odin giving up Valhalla to become a wandering playboy until Ragnarök ended the world...
Natsumi knew that if this kept up, she'd be worked to death alone, so through Norton, she called for backup—summoning Fenrir, who had been wasting away in the old subway station "Nibelungen" in Shenzhou, watching TV and munching chips for who knows how long.
Natsumi felt heartache for her brother's slacking!
That's right! True heartache!
She was out here, fighting, struggling, while her dumb brother was playing bottlecap poker with weasel spirits in Nibelungen. She felt nothing but deep pain and regret.
She had forgotten one very important thing all along: she never forced Fenrir out of his shut-in lifestyle, never made him go out and face the world, become a useful dragon. Now he was so mixed up that he still called his little sister "Nee-chan"!
So what if he was slow-witted? Every being is born with a purpose. Even if you squander everything, you can earn it back. Helping your own sister lighten her burden—what's wrong with that?
But Fenrir, upon hearing Natsumi's shout—
This massive dragon, dozens of meters long, taller than buildings when upright, was curled up in the cave. He flexed his powerful body and extended claws capable of shredding steel, occupying a significant chunk of the hollow. He opened his abyssal maw—wide enough to swallow a delivery truck—and spoke with a voice that thundered like the sky to mortal ears:
"Reporting, Nee-chan! I can't read this!"
His tone was low and a little wronged. His giant amber eyes blinked like lanterns, filled with a clear and dopey light. At that moment, Fenrir didn't seem like a mighty dragon, but more like a giant puppy trying to win its master's affection.
Fenrir delicately held a tiny human-sized booklet between the tips of his massive claws, staring at it with clueless intensity. It was filled with Norton's densely packed notes: "Greater Grail Alchemical Array Preparation, Activation, and Operational Guidelines."
It might've looked like a pamphlet, but it was an encyclopedic tome—completely unreadable to someone with elementary school intelligence like Fenrir.
The text merely brushed across his fresh, unused brain and was immediately forgotten.
"You don't understand? That's fine!" Natsumi barked.
"Ah?"
"Just watch carefully and learn! Fenrir, can't you see how hard your little sister is working? Can't you feel my painstaking effort? This is all for your good! It's okay if you don't get it—what matters is that you strive to improve! You'll be tested on this someday! Suffer now, be a true dragon later!"
Natsumi thought about how chaotic things might get during the upcoming Holy Grail War. She wouldn't be able to watch everything alone. Fenrir had to be useful, even just a little.
"Yes! If Nee-chan says go east, I will never go west!"
Fenrir might not understand the "heavenly text," but he was sharp enough to sense that Natsumi was in a foul mood lately. And he knew that if he didn't immediately show obedience, he'd be subjected to one of her signature thunderstorm-style lectures—headache guaranteed.
So right now, no matter what Nee-chan said, agreeing was always the safest choice.
"Very good!"
No one knew how much time passed before Natsumi finally spoke again—her setup was complete.
The moment she did, Fenrir was thrilled, ready to slink back to his corner and turn on his beloved Panasonic mini-TV—
The TV, bought by Natsumi with her hard-earned money, only played pre-recorded tapes due to poor reception underground. Fenrir used it to watch the trendy Japanese drama Beautiful Life, and as soon as the screen lit up, Takuya Kimura's handsome face filled it—
Nice! Fenrir nodded in approval. This guy's charm rivaled Chow Yun-fat's performance in God of Gamblers, which he'd rewatched countless times!
"I wasn't talking about you! Turn it off and get back here!"
The little TV's glow was mercilessly extinguished. Fenrir drooped his dragon face, returning reluctantly to watch Natsumi conduct a remote call with Norton, who was thousands of miles away.
On the other end of the mercury curtain, Norton ignored the depressed Fenrir and got straight to the point:
"I'm about to send over the Greater Grail. Is your array complete?"
"All done. Hurry up already! We still need to summon 'Attila' next!"
Natsumi stepped aside. The area next to Fenrir was covered in intricate sigils and lines. These markings weren't static—they flowed and shimmered, forming energy circuits channeling the earth's elements into a massive, living alchemical matrix.
At the center of this network—the spot reserved for the Greater Grail—was the heart of the leyline system, a pulsing node within the magic loop that enveloped Tokyo like a city-wide circulatory system.
This was essentially a giant magic circuit, an adapted alchemical array where Norton had scaled the concept of a "human alchemical circuit" into a natural setting—capable of storing mana while maintaining ecological balance.
"Well done. Seems like you're finally living up to your job as Lord of the Earth and Mountains," Norton commented blandly. "Now, the key part is the Greater Grail. Listen, once I send it over, you'll need to be extra cautious."
"What?"
"Freya Prototype Zero—the White King's soul vessel—has been further modified. To make you a proper cover identity and prepare for the Holy Grail War, the Throne of Heroes has become increasingly active. We're drawing out more and more of the White King's soul. As a result, the vessel's seal might become unstable... I've done my best, but I can't guarantee no accidents."
"…So?" Natsumi's heart sank. Is he seriously leaving this headache to us!?
Norton anticipated that. "Relying on just you and Fenrir won't be enough. So here's a simple solution: find someone reliable to guard the Greater Grail 24/7. No breaks."
"Oh! That's easy!" Natsumi agreed cheerfully. But no way was she going to take that job. And as for Fenrir… well, he had nothing better to do, so he could just be the watchdog.
Only then did Norton finally begin the transfer. A shimmering wave of light flickered through space, embedding a gemstone-like object into the core of the leyline network. The whole process took over ten minutes...
Natsumi was about to lose her mind from impatience. She wanted to throw on the cool "Attila" persona and make a dazzling debut—give the world a taste of some proper Heroic Spirit-level shock and awe!
Once Norton confirmed completion, Natsumi couldn't help but ask eagerly, "Done?"
"No. One more thing," Norton's slow tone was absolutely infuriating.
"…What now?!"
"Remember when Melusine was first summoned? That incident with the human girl 'Nono'—the White King vessel who snatched the Heroic Spirit first."
"What!" Natsumi's eyes widened in disbelief. Are you saying my identity could be hijacked again? Twice!? How shameless can you be!?
"No, I've implemented specific safeguards. The Heroic Spirit can't be preemptively summoned anymore, even if another 'Nono' appears."
"Then what the hell are you worried about?"
"If another 'Nono' does show up, they won't be able to hijack the summon—but if the Greater Grail's seal weakens, she could still break free, find a new vessel, and stir up chaos during the war. Maybe even attempt revival."
"Hah? Where would a 'new Nono' come from in this country? Out of thin air?" Natsumi found Norton's caution hard to comprehend.
"…Technically, I personally seized Freya Zero. I confirmed that all other Freya prototypes besides Nono were destroyed. So no, there shouldn't be any others."
Then Norton added ominously, "But considering Odin and the others managed to capture a fully awakened White King soul, they're bound to keep an eye on this territory. Who knows—what if they have a backup vessel hidden away?"
"Well then, let them come! We'll deal with it when it happens."
Natsumi sighed. With Norton's logic, he might as well delete all alternate futures until only his preferred timeline remained.
But obviously, even Norton couldn't pull that off. If he could, they wouldn't be so paranoid about the Black King to begin with.
(End of Chapter)
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