Have you ever heard of the Butterfly Effect?
It is the idea that a butterfly flapping its wings in the Amazon rainforest can cause a storm and turbulent waves on the other side of the ocean.
This is the scientific theory mentioned in almost every unscientific cross-world transmigration story: the Butterfly Effect.
Originally, Souya felt that since he hadn't transmigrated during the Third Holy Grail War, nor was he born into the Yggdmillennia clan, his presence—a butterfly seemingly completely unrelated to the Fate/Apocrypha plot—couldn't possibly affect this Holy Grail Great War.
But when he was astonished to find that the Red Faction's Berserker wasn't his familiar "Ai-chan" Spartacus, but another Servant entirely, Souya suddenly realized that the Butterfly Effect had indeed occurred.
Because of his appearance, this Holy Grail War was very likely to trend differently from the original work.
Whether it was new Servants, a new story direction, or unknown dangers deviating from the plot in his mind.
"Oh, my Lord. This is truly beyond my expectations."
Involuntarily, Souya let out a wry smile.
When he initially saw that Amakusa's Servant was still the Empress, he had felt relieved, thinking the plot should still be as he knew it.
But fortunately, apart from the Caster he himself controlled, the Red Faction remained unchanged except for Berserker. Inferring from this, it was highly likely that the Black Faction had also only changed one or two Servants. Extremely important figures like Uncle Vlad and Siegfried should still be there.
Thinking this, Souya quickly accepted the fact that the plot had deviated.
After all, he was a qualified Executor. Adapting rapidly when changes occurred during the pursuit of heretics was a basic professional quality.
Soon, Souya focused his attention on the name "Kriemhild."
Although he didn't react immediately, based on the familiarity of the name and the mythological and historical knowledge of various countries he had forcefully absorbed under his old man's supervision...
Souya quickly found this person and information about her from his memories.
"Kriemhild. The heroine of the Nibelungenlied and the protagonist of its second half..."
He instinctively outlined in his mind a dark, Gothic-dress-wearing, demonic-sword-wielding beauty who, despite her dignified and elegant appearance, was actually a yandere with tsundere traits.
Souya couldn't help but sigh.
"Isn't this Siegfried's wife? Looking at this, she's here specifically to hack Siegfried to pieces."
But to be honest, counting Empress Semiramis and the Morgan he was about to summon, adding this yandere princess Kriemhild into the mix...
Things just got interesting. A Holy Grail War with three dark-themed 'bad women'.
Hmm, feels like it's going to be very entertaining to watch.
Sighing like this, Souya noted it was still 2:00 PM. With seven hours left until the designated optimal summoning time, he would spend the remaining time studying the Black Faction's Masters and preparing to welcome the Queen's arrival.
Having arranged his plans, Souya suppressed his restless heart and quietly waited for nine o'clock.
While Souya was waiting for his summon, the Fortress of Millennia, not far from Sighisoara, was also preparing for the final batch of Servant summonings.
"Gordes, have all the preparations been made?"
Walking through the underground magical matrix of the Millennia Fortress, Darnic—dressed in the characteristic Yggdmillennia uniform and leaning on a cane—looked at the homunculi soaking in culture tanks forming a giant magical battery, and spoke to the fat man beside him.
"Of course. With me supervising them, things are absolutely foolproof."
Gordes Musik, the head of the Musik family, who believed his contributions to the Yggdmillennia clan far exceeded Darnic's, spoke with a tone entirely devoid of respect for Darnic as the clan head, instead filled with smugness.
And in fact, this was true.
Although Darnic held the noble position of Clan Head, held the highest rank of "Grand" in the Clock Tower, and concurrently taught the subject of "Elemental Conversion" as a Second-Tier Lecturer, his actual reputation and contributions were extremely poor.
After all, the magi who could attend the Clock Tower all had some family background. Having them listen to lectures from an "old man" who relied on devouring infants' souls to achieve "immortality," whose life's achievements mostly came from showing off politically, and who even schemed for his Grand title through political power struggles... that was truly unacceptable to them.
But Gordes was completely different.
He was a first-rate magus himself, and his family was once a great magus lineage in alchemy that could rival the Einzberns. Although they had to join Yggdmillennia due to their decline, by relying on the Einzbern technical data he obtained to create high-grade homunculi, Gordes's contribution to Yggdmillennia was truly far above Darnic's.
Therefore, even hearing the offense and complacency in Gordes's words, Darnic showed no care.
Although Yggdmillennia claimed to be a united great magus family, sharing a name but not a heart was very normal.
After all, their Magic Circuits were still inherited according to the rules of their respective families.
"Then, what about the status of the others? And how goes the collective summoning ritual for the final batch of Servants tonight?"
Having briefly evaluated the homunculi and lost interest in them, Darnic turned to look at Gordes.
"Well, there's no problem with the collective summoning ritual, and the catalysts are all prepared, but..."
Hearing this, Gordes's words became somewhat unnatural, and his expression was full of helplessness.
"But what?"
Darnic raised an eyebrow, his expression unchanged.
"It's nothing about the others, but Roche still seems a bit dissatisfied regarding the matter of Caster."
"Is that all?"
Hearing this, Darnic's brow furrowed.
"Does Roche not know how important Caster is to our strategy and defense? On the eve of the impending war, everything must prioritize the big picture. Does he not understand this awareness as the head of the Frain family?"
"Well, you're not wrong, but after all, we didn't get his consent beforehand. We broke our promise and snatched his right to summon Caster. It's inevitable for a child to throw a tantrum over this."
Gordes's tone sounded like he had a headache. He indeed felt they were somewhat in the wrong on this matter. Plus, he wasn't good at dealing with children, and Roche was the kind of neurotic child who didn't treat humans as human at all, viewing his golems as everything.
Gordes kept a respectful distance from him because of this.
"Then tell him that after this is over, I will bring him a sufficient quantity of Octuplet Crystals as compensation. Have him focus his energy on the mass production of golems these next few days."
Darnic was clearly uninterested in such matters and casually made a decision to brush Roche off.
"Besides that, there is one more thing."
Seeing that Darnic didn't want to talk about Roche anymore, Gordes didn't push it, instead bringing up another matter.
"What is it now?"
This time, Darnic's expression clearly became somewhat annoyed.
As a politician, he inherently disliked the emergence of such troublesome matters. He wanted everything in his grasp, proceeding methodically.
Not a pile of messy problems on the eve of a great war like now.
"It's still about Caster."
Mentioning this, Gordes's expression became somewhat strange.
"...What happened?"
Hearing it was because of Caster again, Darnic's face darkened slightly.
He couldn't quite understand it. According to history, she was renowned for her wisdom and guidance. Why had so many messy things happened on their end since summoning her?
"It's Reika. She apparently wanted to toy with Caster but ended up getting covered in injuries by Caster instead. Even... even her mind seems to have developed problems..."
After he finished speaking, both Gordes and Darnic fell silent.
The massive underground workshop instantly became deathly quiet.
"Are you saying Reika was reverse-abused and toyed with by Caster?"
After a long while, Darnic said, feeling a toothache.
"Yes, and she also seems to be under the influence of an illusion. She's currently receiving treatment."
As he spoke, a look of incomprehension flowed in Gordes's eyes.
As a noble magus, he had always felt that Servants were just slightly stronger familiars with higher intelligence.
Therefore, even knowing that their Caster was a highly renowned Grand Magus in life, Gordes still couldn't understand why Reika would be reverse-killed by a mere familiar.
It was simply a humiliating disgrace.
But Darnic didn't share this mindset. He merely pondered silently: Did Caster have a history of abusing people in life?
According to records, her personality wasn't like this, was it?
Could it be that I summoned the wrong person? But whether it was the information Reika obtained after a successful summon, or the verification of her abilities, everything proves she is that person. There's no mistake, right?
Harboring such thoughts, Darnic inexplicably felt that things seemed to be starting to slip beyond his control.
But with the Great War about to commence, there was no time for him to think carefully or investigate slowly about many things.
***
Sighisoara, in a cemetery on the outskirts. At this moment, a burly man was smoking a cigarette, sitting on a tombstone.
At his hand sat a black briefcase. Through the smoke he exhaled, one could see a palm-sized black fragment of indistinguishable material inside, along with a jar of formalin solution containing a bizarre nine-headed snake.
"Phew..."
The burly man gently blew a smoke ring, then picked up that weird jar of solution and played with it.
"The juvenile embryo of the Hydra, huh... To think they'd even be willing to give me this for this Holy Grail Great War. I only mentioned it casually, you know."
Tossing the jar containing the Hydra up and catching it as if he didn't care at all.
The burly uncle named Kairi Sisigou muttered to himself. Though he looked rough and fierce on the outside, his inner mind was actually very cautious and meticulous.
Clearly, this extraordinary move by the Mage's Association determined that this Holy Grail War was absolutely not as simple on the surface as fighting the Yggdmillennia clan and bringing back the Holy Grail.
"To be able to pluck a feather from that cheapskate Bram... Tch, it feels like this so-called war has a risk of death."
Thinking this, Sisigou showed no intention of shrinking back or wavering. He merely lit another cigarette, put the Hydra juvenile away safely, and turned to pick up the catalyst the Mage's Association had given him to examine it.
After all, that was the Greater Grail.
As a vicissitude-filled uncle whose family had declined, who had to drop out of the Clock Tower in his youth to struggle and fight for his family, yet ultimately couldn't hide the fact that the entire Sisigou family only had him left without an heir.
Such a person as him, for the survival and continuation of his family, certainly had to entrust this hope to the Holy Grail.
However, relying on his identity as a Necromancer and magical energy that reeked like rotting corpses, who exactly could he summon from the holy Knights of the Round Table?
Looking at the Round Table fragment lying quietly in his hand, Sisigou couldn't help but sigh, yet he couldn't resist speculating and guessing.
The sun-like knight Gawain? Hmm, someone that scorching definitely wouldn't answer me.
The Knight of the Lake, Lancelot? Oh, his main trait is being immaculate like the lake's reflection; I have even less of a chance.
Tristan? I don't seem to have any poetic potential, do I? Percival? Would a knight favored by the Lance of Longinus really take a liking to me?
Galahad? That one is even more impossible...
Then what about Mordred?
Thinking this, Sisigou smiled wryly and shook his head.
How could that be possible? That's the final Knight of the Round Table, the powerful knight who single-handedly defeated tens of thousands of troops and rebelled against the destiny of Britain's destruction. Could a gloomy Necromancer like me truly summon him?
Then, the only one left, a sufficiently powerful knight...
Alright, the one left is paradoxically the strongest and the most impossible.
The Lion of Britain, the Knight of Radiance, Lamorak. Holding the Holy Lance, known as a knight as clear and loyal as flowing water. If I could draw him, my name would definitely be recorded in the annals of the Mage's Association, right?
After all, this guy, just like his master Morgan, is one of the most famous Servants in the world, yet has never been successfully summoned.
Hmm... maybe Lamorak, as the Lion of Britain, might feel I'm a kindred spirit because my name also contains the word 'Lion' and answer the summon? Haha.
Harboring these self-entertaining thoughts, Sisigou finally waited until night fell and the moonlight descended.
Without letting his mind wander any further, he swiftly pulled out the summoning ritual manual and materials given by the Mage's Association from his pocket and began drawing.
In a short while, a summoning circle drawn with blood brimming with magical energy appeared in the cemetery.
At this moment, the moon rose to its zenith. The final summoning time for this war had arrived.
Without hesitation, several parties located in different places set up their catalysts and began chanting the incantation.
"I hereby declare!"
"Your body shall serve under me. My fate shall be your sword."
"Submit to the beckoning of the Holy Grail If you will submit to this will and this reason…Then answer!"
Sisigou chanted according to the spell in the book. In front of him, the Heroic Spirit summoning magic circle began emitting dazzling white light, yet after his magical energy flowed in, it turned into a blinding red light.
"An oath shall be sworn here!"
"I shall attain all virtues of all of Heaven. I shall have dominion over all evils of all of Hell!"
In the fortress hall of the Black Faction's Yggdmillennia clan, a massive linked magic circle occupied almost the entire center.
In front of it stood four designated Masters with raised arms, magical energy surging within them, their Command Spells radiating a piercing blue light.
And following the chanting of the incantation, the figures of two male and two female Servants began to surface within the magic circle.
This scene was also reflected in the eyes of the black-robed man sitting upon the throne, looking down at all this.
In the shadows beneath the throne, a white-haired beauty looked at the summoning circle with a strange smile on her lips, muttering something to herself, her grayish-white eyes filled with unconcealable excitement and joy.
"From the Seventh Heaven, attended to by three greet words of power,"
Far away in a dark basement somewhere in the Eastern island nation of Japan, amidst the blood covering the floor and the miserable screams of a magus, a figure rapidly switching between the outlines of an adult woman and a petite young girl gradually solidified.
To the side, the naked Reika Rikudou watched this scene blankly, while the dagger that was just in her hand was already plunged into the back of the heart of the magus, Hyouma Sagara.
"Come forth from the ring of restraints, Protector of the Holy Balance!"
Standing in the garden of the villa under the moonlight, Souya looked with fervent expectation at the graceful figure gradually manifesting within the black light.
Crossing hundreds of years to meet you again in the garden under the full moon, my fervently beloved person...
"I ask of you."
"Are you Lamorak."
"Or are you a despicable thing usurping his identity, delusionally attempting to deceive me?"
Before Souya could react, a black staff jutted out from the light, its sharp tip pointing straight at Souya's throat.