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A torrent of lightning tore open the night sky, surging like a mighty river through the darkness.
Look closer—it wasn't just one bolt. Countless threads of lightning surged together like a storm pouring from the heavens.
"Oh no—we've been spotted!"
Maiya Hisau's face went pale. "Run, Kiritsugu!"
She didn't even need to say it.
Kiritsugu was already bolting, leaving his sniper rifle behind as he ran for his life.
His magecraft—Innate Time Control—was a technique passed down through the Emiya family. A kind of time-manipulating barrier.
To make it combat-usable, he'd condensed the spell within his own body, allowing him to briefly accelerate his internal time.
In an instant—
His blood rushed faster. Hemoglobin burned. His speed skyrocketed.
For a short moment—
He was moving faster than any normal human possibly could, leaving afterimages as he dashed away.
But even that…
Wasn't faster than lightning.
In just a blink, the sky split open as a mountain of lightning came crashing down like a tidal wave.
Kiritsugu didn't even have time to scream. He—and everything around him—was reduced to smoldering rubble.
"He's... dead?"
The link was severed, and Artoria's eyes flickered with a complicated expression.
She hadn't exactly liked Kiritsugu…
But still, now that he was dead—did that mean she'd be forced to disappear too?
"Hey, Artoria. If you don't want to vanish, how about becoming my Servant?"
Artoria looked at Minato in surprise. "Are you kidding? You're a Servant too..."
She stopped mid-sentence.
Because on Minato's left hand—there it was. A Master's Command Seal, glowing faintly.
Her eyes widened. "You're not a Servant… you're a Master?!"
"Yep."
Minato replied calmly, "I never said I was a Servant, did I? You guys just assumed I was."
"This is..."
Artoria's ahoge stood straight up.
She was completely, utterly dumbfounded.
Can a demon even be a Master?
Isn't that just a little too crazy?
But with her existence on the verge of fading away, Artoria had no time to second-guess herself. In a moment of desperation, she spoke:
"Then… I leave everything to you."
"As you wish."
Minato raised his left hand and chanted a spell.
Buzz!
A flash of light burst from the Command Seal—Artoria was now fully contracted as Minato's Servant.
"How does it feel?"
Minato grinned. "Pretty impressive magic power, right?"
Artoria gave him a complicated look, then nodded. "Yeah… I've never felt anything so powerful before."
"Honestly, that's not even the only impressive thing about me."
"Master, don't say stuff that can be so easily misunderstood."
"Alright, alright, I'm just kidding."
Artoria sighed. "Well, it didn't sound like a joke to me."
She wasn't sure if becoming this man's Servant to keep competing in the Holy Grail War was the right decision or not…
Minato didn't respond directly. Instead, he said, "Alright, it's getting late. Let's head back and rest. We'll figure out everything else tomorrow."
Artoria nodded.
Seeing that, Minato turned and grabbed Medusa's hand as they started walking out.
Medusa pulled her hand back a little, muttering, "You just finished flirting with another woman in front of me, and now you're holding my hand?"
Minato turned back, looking sincere. "Don't worry—you were my first Servant. That means something special."
"That's not the point!"
Ever since she met Minato, Medusa felt like she'd started talking way more than usual.
But… special?
Her lips curled into a tiny smile at the thought.
Wait a second!
Something feels off here!
She shook her head, staring hard at Minato.
This guy… is such a shameless flirt.
Minato chuckled awkwardly. "How about this—when we get back, let's take our relationship to the next level."
Medusa raised a suspicious brow. "You're not thinking anything dirty, are you?"
They had only known each other for two days.
Isn't this a bit too fast?
"Relax. I just mean making sure you completely belong to me—together forever. Don't overthink it."
"Forever… together?"
Medusa's cheeks went red, and her pupils behind the blindfold started to tremble slightly.
Could she… really be with Minato forever?
She had to admit—
She had fallen for him. Otherwise, she wouldn't have agreed to date him.
But she was still just a Heroic Spirit—she could only stay in this world for a short time.
If she could really change that…
That would be… amazing.
"…What the hell is even going on here?"Behind them, Artoria twitched at the corner of her mouth.
She couldn't shake the feeling… that she'd just walked into a huge mess.
"....."