The government had just finalized protective measures for Ritsuka, aiming to prevent her from being harmed by Illyasviel.
Meanwhile, Ritsuka herself was… lying in bed, fast asleep, snoring softly.
In another room, Monte Cristo sat on his bed with his eyes closed, seemingly meditating.
Robin Hood was at a computer, idly gaming.
Illya and Mash were in the room next door.
Suddenly, Monte Cristo's eyes snapped open.
Without moving from his seat, he told Robin Hood:
"There's an intruder—hostile intent."
The sudden warning startled Robin Hood so much he made a fatal mistake in his game—his character was instantly killed, the screen turning black-and-white.
Slamming the laptop shut, Robin Hood got up to wake their Master.
"No need to wake her. Let her sleep—she was up all night,"
Monte Cristo stopped him.
"Go call those two next door to the living room. And be quiet—we don't want to wake Master."
Not long after, all four Servants had gathered in the living room.
"Mr. Edmond, is there really an intruder?"
Mash asked anxiously.
"Don't call me Ed—… Never mind. Yes, there is. And they're hostile. They've reached the floor below us,"
Monte Cristo sighed, answering her reluctantly.
Robin Hood scratched his chin.
"Who would come at us with hostility? Master hasn't offended anyone. And last time, during the Mahou Shoujo incident, I had No Face May King with me. There's no way we were exposed."
"Who knows," Monte Cristo shrugged.
"The point is—they're almost at our hallway. The question is: how do we drive them back?"
Illya timidly raised her hand.
"Um… if Master grants me access to the hallway's systems, I can activate them."
"That works," Robin Hood nodded.
"I've got plenty of traps set there. I'll have Lupin trigger them."
And with that, he ran out the door.
"Lupin… who?"
Illya asked, unfamiliar with the name.
Mash helpfully explained:
"That little blue bird usually perched on Robin Hood's shoulder. It helps him set up traps."
Illya had seen Robin Hood's traps before—they were clever, intricate, and completely incomprehensible to her.
Learning that even a bird could help set them up left her stunned.
"So that bird's smarter than me…? What is it, some kind of Phantasmal Beast? Or—wait… was that the swallow Kojiro once cut down?!"
— Traps and defensive wards, fully activated —
"Okay, all traps set," Robin Hood said, wiping nonexistent sweat from his forehead.
"Defensive wards are ready too," Illya added.
"Now we wait. Though… our guest is being very cautious. They still haven't come up. I doubt they can bypass all this, but let's stay sharp."
Everyone nodded, then dispersed to hide—just in case the intruder actually broke through.
---
Downstairs – Same time
Emiya stood hesitating for a long while, his thoughts tangled.
Originally, his Holy Grail War had been going fine—until that white-haired Military Uniform Princess appeared, forcibly dragging him, Illya, Saber, and Berserker into this world.
Then she showed them a manga titled FATE/stay night.
From that moment, his worldview shattered. (Berserker was the only one unaffected.)
Was everything I've believed in… just someone else's fiction?
Am I… fake?
Learning that his world was fictional drove Emiya to the edge of collapse.
Then he read ahead in the "script."
Illya—dead.
Her heart torn out by that damn golden King.
That was the final straw.
And then, the Military Uniform Princess whispered to him like a devil:
"Capture your Creator, and you can change your tragic fate."
Even if only Illya's fate could be changed—that was enough. He would reject this cursed destiny.
And then, for good measure, he'd punch that "Creator" right in the face.
(That last part… he abandoned once he learned his Creator was a woman.)
"Still… better be careful. Creator's probably just an ordinary person, but who knows,"
Emiya muttered, creeping toward Ritsuka's floor.
Nothing suspicious in sight. He exhaled in relief.
"I'm an Archer—why do I feel like I'm sneaking around like an Assassin…"
As he stepped into the hallway in front of Ritsuka's apartment, magic activated.
[Hostility Detection – Red]
[Mobius Loop – Activated]
The detection spell sensed his hostility, triggering the Mobius Loop.
In an instant—Emiya was gone.
Inside the Mobius Loop space
"…What?"
Emiya blinked, momentarily thrown off.
A kind of magic he'd never seen—completely undetectable.
Only one way forward.
He walked for what felt like forever until finally—something new came into view.
A massive labyrinth.
Even with his Clairvoyance, Emiya couldn't see its end.
"What the hell… Is this the Minotaur's labyrinth from legend?"
He was, in fact, correct.
Ritsuka had specifically asked Asterios to unleash his Noble Phantasm here for defense.
The labyrinth contained its own traps, plus extra ones Robin Hood had installed.
If space allowed, Ritsuka would've also added Ozymandias' pyramid and Semiramis' Hanging Gardens.
Within minutes, Emiya realized Theseus had it easy.
Pitfalls, paralysis traps, gem snares, falling rocks, arrows, spike maces… everything imaginable.
After dodging yet another poisoned arrow, Emiya was fed up.
He began tracing weapons.
A fire pillar—more annoyance.
He summoned Hrunting and began unleashing Broken Phantasms on the walls.
Every time he destroyed part of the maze, it rebuilt itself in a new configuration—making it even harder to find the exit.
Eventually, after yet another explosion, he suddenly found himself outside the labyrinth.
"…Did I escape…?"
No. He'd been let out.
Inside, Illya quietly closed the labyrinth.
"We couldn't see inside, but we kept hearing explosions. At this rate, the maze would keep healing, he'd keep blowing it up, and no one would sleep tonight,"
she muttered.
"Might as well let him reach the final line of defense."
Robin Hood and Mash agreed—they were sick of the noise.
Monte Cristo had already set up a soundproof barrier at the door
---
Hallway – Outside Ritsuka's door
Emiya reappeared, still shaken.
"The Princess said one of their creations was a mage… must've been her labyrinth. Guess they're guarding the Creator—working with the government already?"
He reached for the door.
In that instant, a wave of pure malice burst forth.
Yes—Ritsuka had actually summoned Angra Mainyu and Tiamat just to coat the walls in black mud.
And don't forget—Ritsuka had placed an Auto-Counter spell on the door.
The black mud surged toward Emiya.
He tried to pull back, but some seeped into his arm, sending pain through his body.
It wasn't enough to corrupt him—but enough to take him out of the fight.
Gritting his teeth, he burned a portion of his magical core to expel it, then fled in spirit form—returning to the Princess' base.
— Emiya had a bad day —
Illya sensed the hostile presence vanish.
"It's gone—he's retreated,"
she told the others.
Monte Cristo frowned.
"Not dead?"
"No. He abandoned the infected part immediately and escaped. But he's out of commission for a while,"
Illya explained.
Robin Hood glanced at the black mud wall.
"Can't believe we actually drove someone off with that thing… Not that it isn't effective."
Mash was about to speak when Illya suddenly tensed.
"Wait—someone else is coming!"
The Servants went on high alert.
"Same group as before?"
Monte Cristo asked darkly.
"Doesn't seem like it. Their hostility is… green. Friendly, even,"
Illya replied.
Monte Cristo eased slightly.
"Still—let's be cautious. Mash, wake Master. Don't open the door until she does. And don't let them see us."
Robin Hood vanished into spirit form.
Illya couldn't, so she ran to hide in her own room.
A short while later, a still-groggy Ritsuka sat in the living room.
Mash had filled her in, then slipped away.
Knock knock knock.
"Who is it?"
Ritsuka called, unlocking the door.
Outside stood a short-haired, white-haired girl in an unusual mage's robe, flanked by several men in black suits.
"Good day, Fujimaru Ritsuka. We are from Japan's Special Emergency Response Council. Would you come with us?"