"We've played for a whole day; it's time to talk about some serious business."
Taiga Fujimura had to go to school for work reasons, and at this moment, Fuyuki City was still not peaceful enough; police cars were patrolling the streets almost twenty-four hours a day.
The Holy Grail War was currently still in a state of stagnation, but it was only a matter of time before the system resumed operation. For this reason, Tohsaka Rin had to make plans early.
"Only Archer and Rider are left. Why don't you just have them fight, and whoever wins gets the Holy Grail?"
A bored Akatsuki was sitting by the TV watching the news. Since the Holy Grail War began, the news in Fuyuki City mostly consisted of reports on deaths here and gas leaks or explosions there. It was truly tedious.
Tohsaka Rin and Matou Sakura looked at each other, and Matou Sakura was the first to speak.
"I never wanted to participate in the Holy Grail War in the first place, so let's just give the Holy Grail to Sister."
"How can that be!"
Tohsaka Rin wanted to say more, but Akatsuki waved her hand, cutting her off. "Sakura wasn't a Magician to begin with and never thought about participating in the Holy Grail War. Her summoning of Rider was entirely manipulated by Matou Zouken behind the scenes."
"Among all the participants, only you are an orthodox Magician. It would be impolite to keep pushing it away at this point."
"Does that mean Archer and I must fight to the death?"
The silent Rider spoke up.
"That's how it was supposed to be."
Akatsuki replied while eating a tangerine and watching TV. "However, if the Masters on both sides don't intend to fight, it will be troublesome once the Holy Grail War restarts."
"Does one of us have to die between Archer and me?"
"You don't want to die anymore?" Wiping the stains off her hands, Akatsuki looked at the conflicted group. "It's understandable; it's only human nature."
"So, let me end this ridiculous ritual. Let us reach a world line where no one gets hurt!"
"How are you going to do that?" Tohsaka Rin looked at Akatsuki in confusion.
Akatsuki smiled slightly, stood up, and holding a remote control, gently pressed a button.
Instantly, the entire room plunged into darkness, save for a circular stage that had appeared at some point in the center, emitting a faint light.
"Is this... Projection Magic?" Archer and Shirou Emiya said in surprise.
"Exactly. This is another form of magic built upon the foundation of Projection Magic. Originally, as a True Ancestor, it would have been impossible for me to activate it. But the existence of Archer and Shirou, who have trained Projection Magic to new heights, has made this magic possible."
The light grew brighter, and a scene unfolded before everyone—a fierce battle, but not a duel between Rider and Archer. Instead, it was a chaotic melee involving other Servants.
"This is..." Tohsaka Rin's eyes widened.
"I used the greater grail beneath Fuyuki City as a core to create this one-time magic, using a massive amount of magical energy to project the path of the future. What you are about to see is the world after the conclusion of the Fifth Holy Grail War," Akatsuki explained.
"After the Fifth Holy Grail War ended, the aura of the root was observed by the Clock Tower. Those Magicians who once looked down on the Holy Grail War became utterly frenzied once they understood the value behind it."
"Magicians despairing over their own paths began frantically creating Holy Grails in an attempt to start Holy Grail Wars. Sub-species Holy Grail Wars began to appear all over the world. Although the Grails they made weren't as powerful as the greater grail in Fuyuki City and couldn't reach the Root, they were still very troublesome."
The battle in the image grew more intense. Countless Servants were summoned by incomplete rituals and began a frantic struggle for the Holy Grail.
"This is the future..."
"No, it's just one possibility for the future. However, if left unchecked, the world will eventually be destroyed."
Akatsuki said with a serious expression.
In the image, a city was burning fiercely, and people were crying out for help in the flames.
"Is this the future?"
Avenger stared blankly at the incredibly realistic images around her. In the next moment, the entire scene changed abruptly; the Earth was shrouded in white, and the human order was instantly reduced to zero.
Planetary Desiccation.
At this point, the image suddenly collapsed into countless particles emitting blue light. Akatsuki looked at everyone's complex expressions and smiled. "The future is not unchangeable, but to change it, one needs great power."
"And as it happens, I possess that power."
The premise of Akatsuki's creation was to prevent the depletion of the Earth's greater source. Although she didn't want to get involved in such things, the development of everything seemed to have been destined long ago. If she didn't enter the fray herself, nothing could ever be changed.
"So what do you plan to do? Direct destruction of the greater grail?"
Tohsaka Rin looked at Akatsuki and asked.
"To be honest, I don't know either." Akatsuki shook her head. "However, the method you mentioned of destroying the greater grail might be feasible. Let's talk about it in detail!"
Akatsuki felt helpless. After all, she didn't understand the magecraft systems of the Three Founding Families who initiated the Holy Grail War. Moreover, she hadn't been in contact with magecraft for long; she could only grasp many things superficially and could not achieve full understanding.
It was like being given the answer to a math problem but being unable to derive the process.
"But right now, the most important thing is to deal with your issue first, Illya."
"Eh? Me?"
Illya was stunned. She hadn't expected Akatsuki to mention her; she had thought Akatsuki's claim about making her live a long life was just talk.
"Despite many magical adjustments, there is no doubt that as a hybrid of a Homunculus and a human, you possess a soul. That's why I specifically contacted the highest-level puppeteer!"
"Hello everyone, I am Touko Aozaki."
As she spoke, the entrance door opened. Touko Aozaki, with long red hair tied in a ponytail and wearing a white shirt and an orange coat in a female office worker style, walked straight in.
"Wait! Touko Aozaki?!"
Tohsaka Rin bolted upright, looking at Touko Aozaki standing in the living room in disbelief. "That Grand Master Puppeteer, who has been listed for sealing designation several times, and in the Clock Tower is known as'Scarred'..."
Akatsuki was quick to cover Tohsaka Rin's mouth before she could utter that name. "Since you've heard of her, you must have heard the rumors. It wouldn't be good if someone ended up dead!"
"Oh my, it seems this little girl said something."
Touko Aozaki looked at Tohsaka Rin with a smile. That familiar face reminded her of a certain person who shared the same surname, Aozaki.
"It's nothing. You probably don't want to hear about such trivial matters anyway. After all, you're here for business; it wouldn't be good if someone died."
"True. Besides, the people in this room are quite interesting."
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