Shout out to Colin Crossan for the pledge. Enjoy your stay... 2 bonus chapters next week, just for you!!!
*****
Natalia couldn't find the words.
Floating just behind Akiyama Ren, she looked down at the fallen homunculi of the Einzbern household—each one knocked unconscious by an illusionary field that had been cast with alarming ease. No incantation. No ritual circle. Just a single clap and the entire castle's defensive force collapsed like puppets with cut strings.
Flying. Dimensional Phasing. Barrier Techniques. Reality-Altering Illusions.
Each spell he used was top-tier sorcery in its own right, but Ren executed them as casually as breathing.
To dismantle the entire Einzbern estate's defenses in one move… it felt less like sorcery and more like divine judgment.
Natalia exhaled and muttered to herself, "Just what kind of monster am I following…"
Ren paid her no mind and strode deeper into the ancient stone halls of the castle, his steps echoing like the toll of a funeral bell. Natalia quickly followed, boots clicking against cold tile.
They arrived at a towering set of oak doors. Inside was a well-furnished study—ornate shelves, relics of forgotten ages, and at its center, a heavy desk. Slumped in a leather armchair was a white-haired old man, fast asleep.
Jubstacheit von Einzbern. Also known as Ahaad—the eighth-generation overseer of the Einzbern lineage. Technically immortal, artificially created, and loyal only to the Einzbern agenda.
Ren stepped beside the desk and casually picked up a document resting on its surface. His crimson eyes scanned the contents.
"The Fourth Holy Grail War…" he murmured.
Natalia peeked over his shoulder.
The files detailed the collaboration between the Three Founding Families—Einzbern, Tohsaka, and Makiri—and their preparations to commence the next ritual. Jubstacheit had already begun developing the Lesser Grail vessel: Irisviel.
Ren tossed the document back onto the desk and placed a hand atop the old man's head. Cursed energy, infused with binding ofuda from Onmyoji lore, pulsed quietly from his fingertips. It wasn't a direct soul read—Ren was above that. He delicately mapped and unraveled the man's memories like peeling away layers of paper talismans.
Meanwhile, Natalia continued reading the document, her expression darkening.
"…So this is the truth behind the Holy Grail War?" she said coldly. "A holy ritual built on human sacrifice and political posturing. Disgusting."
Ren chuckled softly. "So? Interested in joining me for this 'sacred' bloodbath?"
Natalia sighed and pulled out a cigarette, lighting it with a faint flick of a magus' charm. "Do I really have a choice? I already promised to follow you for twenty years."
She took a long drag, exhaling the smoke slowly. "Gods help me."
Ren didn't respond. His fingers glowed briefly, and then he rewrote Ahaad's memories with swift precision. The new identity took hold seamlessly:
Ahaad was no longer the patriarch. He was now just a high-functioning artificial construct—an obedient retainer created by Akiyama Ren, the true head of the Einzbern Family.
With the illusion field lifted, Ahaad's eyes fluttered open. For a moment, they were hazy. Then—clarity.
He stood up instantly and bowed.
"Jubstacheit, at your service, Patriarch."
Ren waved a hand. "Begin construction of the Lesser Grail. I want Irisviel ready before the next alignment. Move fast."
"Yes, Patriarch!" Ahaad bowed once more and hurried out of the room.
Natalia stared, frozen mid-puff, her cigarette almost falling from her lips.
"What the hell did you do to him?" she asked, stunned. "He's calling you Patriarch now!"
"I edited his memories. As of today, I am the head of the Einzbern family," Ren said smoothly, striking a pose that oozed effortless arrogance. "Simple as that."
Natalia could only utter one word: "Madman."
But deep down, she knew there was no better term for him.
Seizing control of one of the oldest and most feared magical bloodlines in Europe—with memory manipulation alone—was insanity. If the Mage's Association or the Clock Tower caught wind of this, they would undoubtedly mobilize an entire response team.
But what could they really do?
Ren could teleport across continents, override magical contracts, and shatter barriers built by archmages. Even a Grand Enforcer wouldn't last five minutes.
You didn't make enemies with people like him.
You prayed you were useful enough to survive by his side.
Akiyama Ren had no idea what Natalia was thinking. If he had, he might've been offended. Him? A divine godslayer, lurking in the shadows to slit throats in the night?
Ridiculous.
His philosophy was simple: Crush any enemy. Suppress any opposition. Stand atop the world with overwhelming force. As for the Clock Tower? Let them come. Their arcane titles and ancestral prestige meant nothing in the face of true power.
"You'll be living here from now on," Ren instructed Natalia as he casually flicked away a speck of dust from his cloak. "No more bounty missions. Manage the Einzbern Family in my absence. Oversee the development of the Lesser Holy Grail vessels."
Natalia raised an eyebrow. "And where exactly are you going?"
Ren's gaze sharpened. With a wave of his hand, he released a trace of divine pressure—not enough to harm her, but potent enough to force her to one knee.
"Don't ask questions you don't need answers to," he said coldly. "Just follow my instructions."
"I understand," Natalia replied quickly, her head lowered, the air around her crackling with residual divine energy.
"One more thing," Ren added. "There's someone I want you to locate—Claudia Hortensia. She has a Spirit Medium constitution. Once you find her, bring her back here."
"A Spirit Medium?" Natalia looked up slightly. "Got it. I'll find her."
"Good. While I'm away, you have full access to the Einzbern's personnel, funds, and magical archives. Use them however you see fit." With that, Ren exited the study, his presence vanishing like smoke on the wind.
He quickly found Ahaad and gave him strict instructions to obey Natalia's orders in his absence—no exceptions.
Once everything was set, Ren left the Type-Moon World behind.
The Fourth Holy Grail War was nearly a decade away. He had no intention of idling here, wasting precious time. Instead, he adjusted the temporal flow—accelerating the timeline of the Type-Moon World relative to his own. Ten-to-one time dilation. Ten years in the Type-Moon World would pass in just one year in his home reality.
A perfect synchronization for his return.
......
Back in the Main World, Ren rested for a night in his secluded mountain villa. The next morning, as sunlight filtered through the paper screens, he resumed training Maki Zen'in and Kurahashi Kyōko in Magic.
He had already taught Maki the basics of Magecraft, tuning it to her Heavenly Restriction physique, enhancing her physicality and weapon mastery beyond even cursed energy reinforcement. Kurahashi Kyōko, being naturally gifted in spiritual sensitivity, had adapted quickly to elemental Magecraft—particularly wind and light affinity spells.
But before the lesson could begin, unexpected visitors began arriving one after another.
The first to appear were representatives from Kyoto Jujutsu High: Kamo Noritoshi's cousin Utahime Iori, Miwa Kasumi, Nishimiya Momo, and Zen'in Mai.
(There's no connection whatsoever between Utahime Iori and Kamo Noritoshi thus, this is the author using his creative indeppendence. Also, in the raws it said Kaohime not Utahime but after reading ahead, I find Utahime to be the one described.)
The second group hailed from the Onmyo Agency: Tsuchimikado Natsume and Dairenji Suzuka, one of the current Twelve Divine Generals. Both prodigies of modern Onmyōdō, their arrival stirred the ambient spiritual energy of the estate.
The third group caught him slightly off-guard—Yotsuya Miko, the young shrine maiden with latent divine sight, had come along with her close friends Yurikawa Hana and Niguredou Yuria, each with their own supernatural quirks.
(Wow, my boy decided to go all out with the lolis...)
Within moments, the once-serene courtyard was overflowing with spiritual pressure, jujutsu energy, and awkward tension.
Maki Zen'in and Kurahashi Kyōko stood stiffly by the veranda, clearly annoyed.
Especially Maki.
Her expression darkened the instant she saw her sister.
"What the hell is Mai doing here?" she muttered under her breath, fists clenched. "Don't tell me she's here to steal my man."
Zen'in Mai scoffed as soon as she locked eyes with Maki. "Tch. This place reeks of sweat and self-righteousness."
She turned away dismissively, pretending her sister didn't exist.
Meanwhile, Miwa Kasumi's eyes widened in disbelief as she spotted Ren standing near the koi pond, radiating his usual quiet intensity.
"You...!" she blurted out, rushing toward him with uncharacteristic enthusiasm.
Ren blinked. "Huh?"
"It was you! That night—you were the civilian I saved! I was so worried when I passed out... but you were the one who handled the Night Parade in Shinjuku and Kyoto?" Her eyes sparkled with admiration. "You're that guy? The one who beat Geto Suguru?"
Before Ren could even respond, she pulled out a notebook and pen from her bag.
"Please! I need your autograph! No—wait, two autographs! One for me, and one for my little brother!"
Ren raised an eyebrow. "You're sure you're not confusing awe with obsession?"
Miwa smiled brightly. "Maybe. But I don't care!"
Off to the side, Maki looked ready to explode.
Kurahashi Kyōko leaned over and whispered with a grin, "This might be more entertaining than today's training."