Before we start the new chapter, I just want to say that I've fixed that part where I mentioned Mash. She's actually a Demi-Servant, not a Pseudo-Servant. The Fate Classes are really hard to remember, but I've corrected it already. I hope everyone can forgive that mistake.
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Japan, Fuyuki – Singularity F
"Sate sate sate~, Mash… you go deal with that skeleton mob. As for things here, I'll babysit Bossu and Ritsuka." Kagami casually raised an OK sign, like assigning tasks in a company meeting.
"Understood, Kagami-san!" Mash nodded, eyes gleaming with resolve. She tightened her grip on her shield, heels grinding against the scorched earth, then charged straight into the skeleton horde.
A barrage of impacts rang out:
"GRAAAAH–!!"
Mash's round shield smashed into a skeleton, shattering the bones like glass. She spun, parried a slash from the flank, flung the attacker into the air, then followed up by slamming the shield down, crushing both skeletons at once. Every step she took drilled deeper into the enemy formation, cutting through like a hot knife, sweeping the horde clean.
"Hey, are you okay… eh? Director?!" Ritsuka called out as she ran, but froze on the spot the moment she saw that familiar face, unable to believe her eyes.
"You are… that one, the 48 reserve Master?" Olga Marie—her white hair disheveled, her voice hoarse from panic—stared hard at Ritsuka.
In the distance, the last of the skeletons were being driven back by Mash. With a loud cry, she swung her shield like a hammer, scattering spears, swords, and arrows flying in all directions, before knocking down skeleton after skeleton until only fading motes of spirit particles remained.
Mash exhaled softly, lowered her shield, and turned back, her eyes softening as they met Olga Marie's:
"Are you alright, Director?"
"What… what does this mean…" Olga was still trembling, struggling to catch her breath.
Mash began to answer slowly: "This is Singularity F. We're in Fuyuki, year 2004. Hard as it may be to believe, I—"
"—became a Demi-Servant, isn't that right?" Olga cut her off, brushing the dust from her dress before standing up, her voice sharp. "What I want to know is why it still hasn't fully succeeded until now!"
Kagami shrugged, scratching his head helplessly.
"Now, now, success or failure isn't the point right now. What's more important…" He pointed straight at the back of Ritsuka's hand. "…why the hell did some weird tattoo suddenly pop up there? I don't remember seeing that earlier…"
Olga glanced over, her tone dripping with annoyance, like scolding someone for messing up a report:
"Hmph, that's called a Command Seal. This civilian, completely out of expectation, has just become Mash's Master."
"Eh?! M-M-Mash's Master? Me?!" Ritsuka stammered, panicking as she stared at the back of her hand, where three crimson sigils glowed brightly, making her even more flustered.
Kagami tilted his head, curiosity plain:
"Yeah, sounds cool and all, but what does it actually do? Looks more like some doodle someone scrawled half-asleep."
Olga Marie folded her arms, her tone cold as she explained:
"Listen carefully. That isn't some ordinary tattoo. A Command Seal is the absolute proof that you are a Master. Each Master possesses three sigils on the back of their hand. Its main functions fall into three categories:
First, it allows you to issue an absolute order to your Servant. Even if Mash resists or refuses, once you invoke a Command Seal, she is compelled to obey.
Second, it can unleash a massive surge of magical energy in an instant, letting the Servant display power far beyond their normal limits. Think of it like a limited-use 'power-up card'—extremely effective, but scarce.
Third, it can be used for grand directives: summoning your Servant back to your side from afar, or altering the flow of battle. But remember well: each sigil can only be used once. When all three are gone, you lose your rights as a Master."
Ritsuka gaped in awe:
"That's… incredible! It's basically three extra lives!"
Kagami chuckled, waving his hand dismissively:
"Extra lives, huh? More like an overtime slip to force employees into crunch. Mash, better be careful—if Ritsuka flails her hand around, you might get dragged into something shady."
Mash flushed red, flustered:
"I-I'll… I'll be careful, Kagami-san."
Just as Ritsuka was still staring at the bright red sigils on the back of her hand, the bracelet on her left wrist vibrated. A pale blue light flashed and an electronic chime sounded.
"Eh?! A signal?" Ritsuka panicked and quickly tapped it open.
A holographic blue projection formed, revealing a slightly disheveled middle-aged man with strawberry-blond hair wearing a lab coat standing before them.
"Finally got a connection… Hello, is anyone there?" he said.
"Dr. Romani?!" Ritsuka cried out in surprise.
"Fujimaru, Mash, Kagami… thank God you're alive. So you really got caught in a Rayshift… this is a grave failure! You must try to preserve—"
"What the hell are you ordering us around for, Romani?" Olga cut in, each word clipped.
"A-AGHH!!" Romani nearly toppled over, eyes bulging like he'd seen a ghost. He stammered, "D-Director?! You… you're alive?! I can't believe it!"
"Say something?" Olga snapped, face purple with anger, veins standing out on her forehead. "Romani, you! How did the guy who just lies around in the medical wing get command?! Where's Lev?"
At that name, Romani briefly lowered his head; his expression fell. His voice was heavy: "Professor Lev… was at the epicenter of the blast. The chance of survival… is nearly zero."
Olga Marie went pale as if struck by lightning; she trembled and mouthed, "Impossible… Lev…"
Romani took a deep breath and forced himself steady: "That's why command of the operation has been transferred to me. Right now I hold the highest rank in Chaldea."
"And… what about the other potential Masters?!" Olga shouted, suddenly awake with desperation. "Seventeen people in the Coffin… what happened to them?!"
Romani hesitated for a moment, then answered in a much quieter tone: "—They're all in critical condition. If this continues much longer, I'm afraid—"
"Don't you dare say that!!" Olga barked, resolve flashing in her eyes. Her whole body trembled, but her voice rang out like steel: "Get them all into the Cryo Chambers immediately! I don't need reasons or excuses—our top priority is to keep them alive! That's an order!"
The air froze for a moment. Both Ritsuka and Mash stared in shock at Olga—
the arrogant director they knew now radiated an undeniable aura of leadership.
Romani was shaken, then nodded rapidly:
"Understood! I'll do it right away!"
The hologram flickered and vanished as Romani hurried off to carry out the order.
Off to the side, Kagami crossed his arms and let out a low whistle:
"Oya? Didn't expect Bossu to look this badass giving orders… feels just like a manager screaming deadlines at their employees."
Olga Marie snapped her head toward him, eyes blazing:
"You insolent bastard—shut your mouth!!"
Kagami only shrugged, flashing her a look that was half-taunt, half-challenge, before casually squatting down and poking at a dying flame with a charred stick.
"Director…" Ritsuka murmured anxiously.
Olga turned back, her face pale, fingers biting into her nails as if she wanted to crush them. Her voice trembled, yet she forced the words out:
"At the very least… at least they can still be saved. As long as they're not dead yet, I'll still have a way to explain it later… I… I can't shoulder the weight of 47 lives…"
At that, Kagami's head snapped up. His sharp blue eyes glinted in the firelight. He raised the burning stick, pointing it straight at Olga. The usual mocking tone was gone—replaced with a blade-like sternness:
"Bossu… snap out of it. What good is it if you crush yourself under that mountain of responsibility? The harder you grip it, the more it breaks you. Loosen your hold, take a breath, and deal with things one step at a time… at least then, you'll still be standing to carry the weight."
"I… I know that! But—" Olga tried to protest, her voice shaking, on the verge of tears.
"No 'but'!" Kagami cut her off, voice cold and sharp, the crackle of burning wood making his words even heavier. He stood tall, pointing straight at her:
"Listen well, Olga Marie! Sitting there whining, wallowing in guilt—does that save anyone? Nobody gives a damn whether you can handle it or not. In the end, it's the results that define what kind of 'Director' you are!"
Both Mash and Ritsuka held their breath—this was the first time they had seen Kagami drop the jokes and push Olga so hard, so bluntly.
Olga clenched her fists, shoulders trembling. For a brief moment, she wasn't the proud director anymore, but just a young girl thrown into a burden far beyond her strength.
Just as the heavy air between Kagami and Olga lingered, Kagami's wrist device suddenly flared with light. A faint beep echoed.
He raised a brow, pressing the button. Instantly, a blue hologram shimmered into view, projecting the familiar face of Romani.
"Osu~! Romani, calling again? What's up this time?" Kagami greeted with a lazy salute and a toothy grin, as if he had tossed the tense mood aside entirely.
"No time for jokes!! Get out of there immediately!" Romani shouted, his voice breaking with panic.
The whole group froze in shock. Olga frowned in irritation, Ritsuka blinked in confusion, and Kagami was just about to crack another joke when—
—shfft!
Mash suddenly spun around, shield raised high, eyes gleaming sharp like steel. Her voice dropped low, tense and urgent:
"Enemy presence! Detecting an abnormal surge of mana… this is—" She gritted her teeth, growling:
"…a Servant!"
---
Within the crimson blaze that devoured the ruined skies of Fuyuki, Kagami and the others rushed forward—toward the source of that ferocious Servant aura pressing against them. Ash and dust swirled around their steps, scorching winds howling through the wreckage as though the city itself was gasping beneath this new calamity.
Ritsuka ran while panting heavily, her voice breaking in a choked complaint:
"What the hell… Why is there a Servant here of all places?!"
Kagami jogged easily at her side, lips curved in a faint grin. He reached over and ruffled her tangled orange hair, his tone casual as if making small talk:
"Because this is what they call the Holy Grail War. From what I recall… seven magi summon seven Servants here in Fuyuki, then fight to the death until only one remains. As for what the Grail actually is? No idea. But you can think of it as a battlefield for magi to gamble their lives."
"Stop messing with my hair!!" Ritsuka puffed her cheeks and swatted his hand away, glaring at him with annoyance.
Just then, the group halted in unison.
Before them lay a section of ruins bound tightly in silver chains, coiling and slithering like living serpents. Under the flickering firelight, they gleamed with a cold, sinister luster that made the sight all the more eerie.
"Are those… chains?" Ritsuka muttered, frowning as she stepped forward. She extended a small hand, reaching toward one of the closest links.
In that instant, Kagami's blue eyes flashed sharply. A killing intent stabbed straight down his spine.
"Don't touch it!!"
He lunged forward, seizing Ritsuka by the collar and yanking her backward.
Clang—!
The black chain suddenly snapped tight like a predator striking prey, whipping through the air right where Ritsuka had been standing. Sparks flew as it scraped against the broken stone, leaving behind a scorched, acrid mark.
Had Kagami been even a beat slower, Ritsuka would've been wrapped tight in those freezing coils.
"Senpai!!" Mash cried out in alarm, her violet eyes trembling as she watched Ritsuka nearly get devoured.
"Too bad…"
A woman's voice—cold, husky, like a snake slithering into their ears—echoed through the burning air.
The group all turned at once. From the haze of smoke and cinders, a slender figure emerged. Her long pink hair fluttered in the death-scented wind, and in her hand gleamed a massive scythe, curved like the talons of death itself. Her eyes locked on them, shining with the predatory gleam of a hunter savoring fresh prey.
"A Master I don't know… and a Servant I don't know. Hehh… so tender, so sweet."
"Hold up, doesn't that sound way too wrong?" Kagami folded his arms, glancing back with a deadpan look. "You're saying it like I'm some rookie about to get taken out here."
The pink-haired Servant didn't answer. Instead, she let a cold smile curl her lips. Slowly, she approached a nearby stone statue, laying her hand on it as though caressing fine art. The sharp scrape of her nails across the stone rang out, grating and chilling. Her gaze never left Kagami's group for an instant.
"Those statues…?" Ritsuka whispered, her voice trembling.
"…They were once humans." Olga Marie clenched her fist tight, her eyes darkening as she spoke gravely. "She turns people into stone."
"Turns people into stone?!" Ritsuka staggered back, heart pounding wildly. "Why… why would she do that?!"
"Why?" The Servant tilted her head, her hoarse voice dripping with mockery. "You dared step into the hunting ground of a predator. Isn't it only natural that your fate is mine to decide?"
"OK, full-on twisted psyche. Definitely the villain," Kagami sneered, pulling the Lost Driver and snapping it firmly onto his waist. The sharp clack echoed through the tense air.
The Servant's eyes flared with a hint of caution. Without hesitation, she lunged, her massive scythe sweeping wide, trailing icy wind and murderous intent.
Kagami bent back at the last second, dodging the strike by a hair. He kicked his boot high, caught it midair, then hurled it straight at the Servant.
"Don't interrupt when a guy's about to Henshin!!"
"Henshin!"
[Eternal!]
A storm of azure erupted—electric arcs ripping the crimson night apart, scattering ash and flame. When the tempest calmed, Kagami's casual figure was gone. In his place stood a Rider clad head-to-toe in gleaming white armor, a black cloak billowing like the shroud of death behind him.
Twin golden Visors blazed like stars, locking onto the pink-haired Servant.
Kagami spun the Eternal Edge lightly in his grip, the blade gleaming with flickering azure fire. His free hand stretched outward, thumb slowly pointing down to the earth. His voice, low and gravelly, resounded like a verdict:
"Now… enjoy your hell."