After leaving Irisviel at his home, Allen went to observe the ongoing war directly. At this moment he was near a hotel where Kayneth was staying. The hotel was located in the center of Fuyuki city and was the tallest building in the city. The view offered by the hotel was indeed magnificent, showing the entire area of Fuyuki city with all its luxurious facilities. It seemed that Kayneth, who was used to living in luxury, deliberately chose this place as his base.
"Well, I'm not surprised. Most nobles prefer to live like this," I muttered softly. Rider, who was not far from me, just sat casually, apparently also waiting for the show that was about to happen.
Inside the hotel where Kayneth was staying, he had installed more than 24 different bounded fields and various kinds of traps. Apparently, he felt confident that not a single Master or Servant would dare attack him there. After a tiring battle, Kayneth seemed to be simply relaxing in the hotel with his fiancée.
However, not long after, the fire alarm went off, giving a warning as if an incident had occurred inside the building. I knew it was Kiritsugu's doing, the goal was clear: to evacuate the guests so they would leave the hotel.
From a distance, through binoculars, Allen saw Kiritsugu in the hotel evacuation area, while his partner was ready in a construction building with a sniper, waiting for the chance to ambush Kayneth if he left. But of course, Kayneth was not easily deceived by such a simple trap. He chose to remain inside the hotel.
Kayneth only smiled arrogantly while looking out through the hotel glass. But soon after, an explosion was heard from inside the building. The sound shook, shattering some of the glass until it broke apart.
As a traditional magus, Kayneth never paid attention to physics or science, so he underestimated the physical durability of the building he lived in. Before long, he began to feel a tremendous vibration—as if the world was shaking and the ground beneath him shifting.
And finally, the 155-meter-tall hotel collapsed, falling flat to the ground. The sound of the collapse echoed, thick dust and smoke filled the entire surrounding area, swallowing the sunlight in a gray haze.
"Such an extraordinary skill of bringing down a building. Not even the sound of a bomb explosion was heard from outside. Now this is what you call a work of art," I said while narrowing my eyes.
Kiritsugu, yes… he was the only character who truly mastered the art of explosives. Not only in battle, but in almost every line of warfare culture. The title 'art is an explosion' was indeed fitting for him.
"Isn't this amazing, Rider? You don't even need magecraft to bring down a building that big, just a well-planned explosion."
"Yes, Master… but it seems Kayneth survived," Rider replied, folding her arms, her eyes still fixed on the ruins.
"Well, if he could be defeated that easily, then his status as a Lord in the Clock Tower should be questioned," I answered calmly.
Allen then redirected his gaze through the binoculars, observing. From behind the clouds of dust and smoke that engulfed the hotel, a silhouette slowly floated down. A faint blue light enveloped Kayneth and his fiancée, Sola-Ui, whom he protected with Volumen Hydragyrum. His mercury fluid spun like a living shield, blocking rubble, steel, and shards of glass that rained down on them.
With a tense face, Kayneth landed on the ruins, gritting his teeth. "Kiritsugu Emiya… lowly magus. You dare humiliate Lord El-Melloi with such a cheap trick?"
Sola-Ui clutched her fiancé's arm, her face pale but her eyes burning with anger. "Kayneth, don't be provoked. What matters now is survival. They're clearly still targeting us."
From afar, through his binoculars, Allen saw that the two had survived. I only smiled faintly.
On the other hand, Kiritsugu, far from knowing that Kayneth had survived the explosion, was just standing among the crowd of evacuees, showing no expression at all. His cold eyes stared at the ruins with full calculation. Through a small radio in his ear, he gave brief instructions.
"Maya, what's the status there, do you see Kayneth?"
"I can't see anything from here, do you think they could have survived the collapse of the building?" Maya answered briefly from the construction building, her finger already ready on the sniper's trigger.
But Kayneth was not reckless. He remained in the middle of the ruins, letting Volumen Hydragyrum spin to protect their bodies. He knew, out there, the sharp eyes of a hunter were waiting for even the smallest opening, so he decided to escape from that place and not try to search for Kiritsugu.
"The chances are small, Maya, you can withdraw~"
Bang… Bang… the sound of gunfire rang out through their radio.
"Maya, do you hear me?" Kiritsugu said with concern, but there was no answer from Maiya, so Kiritsugu decided to go after her.
.....
Meanwhile, at Maiya's position who was currently hiding behind a wall, her breath sounded heavy yet steady as she tried to calm herself down.
"It seems you're quite perceptive, Miss." The voice was calm yet full of pressure. A small bat suddenly flew to her side. At its feet was attached a camera—it was one of Kiritsugu's familiars.
"Kirei Kotomine…" Maiya muttered, mentioning the name of the man in black who appeared silently behind her. The killing intent radiating from that man made her hair stand on end.
"Oh? So you know me." Kirei's deep voice echoed through the entire room, making the atmosphere even more tense.
Maiya didn't answer. She immediately pulled a 9mm pistol from her pocket and aimed it. For her, everyone was an enemy except Kiritsugu Emiya. Mercy never existed in her mind.
"So, you choose to fight."
Maiya's body moved quickly, rolling toward another pillar while firing two bullets. Bang! Bang!
But the bullets were easily deflected. The flash of Black Keys shot out, striking Maiya's weapon and knocking the pistol from her grip.
"Argh…" her hand was wounded from the impact.
Kirei stood tall, as if exposing many openings, like he had no defense at all. But Maiya's instincts knew that was just a trick. Her gaze was sharp, full of vigilance.
"Why is a member of the Church here…? No, something is definitely wrong with this War," Maiya thought. A bad premonition gnawed at her heart—that something even more terrifying awaited. She began to plan her escape.
"Miss, you are not the one I'm looking for. I only want to ask one thing. Do you know where Kiritsugu Emiya is?"
Instead of answering, Maiya threw a smoke bomb onto the floor. The room was instantly filled with thick fog. Swiftly, she leapt toward the elevator to escape.
Kirei rushed to Maiya's last position, but the woman had already vanished without a trace. Not long after, from the shadows, Assassin appeared.
"Master, will you pursue her?"
"No need. For now, I'm satisfied enough. Just follow her from a distance. She is the key to finding Kiritsugu," Kirei replied coldly.
His gaze then shifted to Assassin.
"What about Rider's Master? Did you find his whereabouts?"
"Forgive me, Master. It seems difficult to track him. However… I found many familiars wandering around, quite a number of them. I'm certain they belong to Rider's Master," Assassin answered cautiously.
"I see…" Kirei closed his eyes for a moment, then turned around. "In that case, let's return. I must report this immediately to Father and Tokiomi."
It seemed, for them, the existence of a foreign Master with an unclear origin was far more troubling than Kiritsugu himself.
.....
Meanwhile, from Allen's point of view as he watched from a distance, he sensed something unusual.
"Ohhh, it seems something interesting is happening at the Matou residence. Could it be that they're summoning an eighth Servant?"
Well, the Matou family was one of the three founders who created the Holy Grail War system in this city, so it's not surprising that they could hack into the system. The summoning site of the eighth Servant was located at Ryuudou Temple.
"Rider, do you feel it?"
"Yes, Master, I can sense that a new Servant has been summoned."
And of course, the other Servants would be able to feel it as well. It wouldn't be long before the news about the eighth Servant reached the other Masters.
....
Meanwhile, at the Ryuudou Temple, Zouken Matou stood before the magic circle he had just activated. A gloomy light filled the room, and soon the summoning process was complete. From the swirling magical energy, the figure of a Servant emerged—a Caster, and as if fate itself was repeating, the one he summoned was Gilles de Rais.
"Hahaha… it seems today is my lucky day," muttered Zouken with a raspy laugh that pierced the air. "To have summoned a Caster… with this Servant, victory in the Holy Grail War shall be mine."
The Caster gazed at Zouken with curious eyes, as though sensing a strange compatibility between himself and the old man. "Are you… my Master?" he asked in a low yet intrigued tone.
"Yes," Zouken replied shortly but firmly, his face curling into a sly smile.
Wasting no time, Zouken quickly led his new Servant to a secure hiding place. He knew well that the appearance of a new Servant in this city could easily draw the attention of other Masters. And while Zouken was confident, he had no intention of becoming a target before the time was right.
A few days after the summoning, a series of mysterious disappearances began to haunt the city. Most of the missing were innocent children, and the news quickly spread, stirring unease among the populace.
The police investigation uncovered strange traces at the crime scenes—rituals resembling sacrificial rites performed by a cult. Panic soon gripped the city, and this chaos clearly threatened the balance of the Holy Grail War.
The suspicion was soon confirmed. Assassin, tasked with monitoring the movements of other Masters, reported directly to Kotomine Kirei about the appearance of an eighth Servant that had just been summoned. From there, the report was passed on to his teacher, Tokiomi Tohsaka. The prana residue left behind at each disappearance revealed the undeniable truth—the culprit was indeed a Servant.
"It seems the Matou family has betrayed the agreement of this Holy War," Tokiomi remarked coldly.
For him, hiding the existence of magecraft to the world should be a major priority but for Zouken, he seems to think this is a minor matter.
He then approached Father Risei, presenting his thoughts with calculated precision. "Father, for the time being, I propose we call for a ceasefire. We must persuade the other Masters to cooperate in eliminating this eighth Servant. I will not allow a new obstacle to disrupt the Holy Grail War."
Confident in the might of Archer, Tokiomi was certain he could pressure the other Masters into accepting his plan.
Father Resei finally agreed to use his authority as the overseer of this Holy Grail War and began preparing for the upcoming meeting.
.....
Meanwhile, Allen was still engrossed in observing Irisviel's body. Well… Irisviel was nothing more than an ordinary homunculus, not a true human, so he didn't feel burdened by this. The only real difference was that she had already developed a human-like sense of self and ego. And besides, Irisviel wouldn't die just because he dissected her body.
"Hmmm… it seems this magic circuit is what allows her to give birth to a child. Maybe I should kidnap Illya too for research," he muttered.
Hearing that, Irisviel lay weakly on the operating table, trembling at the thought of her daughter becoming Allen's next target. But she was powerless to move, left only to remain still.
"Alright… it's done."
Allen finally finished analyzing the structure of Irisviel's magic circuits and could now apply the same system to Justeaze. With this, Justeaze would be able to bear children like a normal human. He also modified several parts of Irisviel's body, turning her form closer to that of a human, though her circuits remained those of a homunculus.
'Well, this also helps me better understand the First and Third Magic. Even though I can access both, my comprehension of True Magic itself still isn't that deep.'
"Master, it seems the Church is preparing a meeting for all the Masters participating in this Holy Grail War," Rider reported.
"Oh? What's going on? I haven't really been keeping up with the news these past few days."
Rider then explained about the Eighth Servant, who had been abducting people and leaving traces everywhere, throwing the entire city into a panic.
"Yeah… looks like the fate of this world really isn't easy to change," Allen sighed. "I guess it's because Alaya intervened and allowed the Matou family to summon the Eighth Servant."
'The Counter Force of this world really is troublesome, especially Alaya. Still, Gaia doesn't seem too hostile toward me. Maybe that's because of Medusa… she's the closest to nature, so it's likely Gaia can observe me through her.'
*****
I need coffee here, do you want to buy it for me?.
👉 suport me to buy me a ☕ link at: Patreon.com/RRam784
You can also support this FF by throwing your power stone at me.
Every bit of support means so much and helps me keep creating consistently. ❤️