A giant of the great bridge revealed itself.
With a torso made of water and limbs of heavy iron, the giant looked as if the Thames Bridge itself had been given life.
[◼︎◼︎◼︎◼︎◼︎◼︎◼︎◼︎!]
The giant's power was overwhelming.
In Alice's original worldview, the Thames Troll was a mere stone bridge belonging to the 'Second Stage of Activation.' However, due to Karma's modern perspective, it had transformed into a massive iron bridge. In an instant, it smashed through Kayneth's mercury shield and tore through his magical barriers.
"Gah...!"
"Kayneth!"
Sola-Ui, perhaps never imagining Kayneth could be bested, quickly fired Magic Bullets. However, the Thames Troll simply swallowed the spells and let out a guttural roar.
In that moment, Kayneth raised one hand and shouted.
"By my Command Spell, I order you—protect Sola-Ui, Lancer!"
Instantly, Lancer materialized, thrusting his twin spears toward me and the Thames Troll.
Rather than defending with Shinra Tensei, I retreated. Lancer seized Kayneth by his clothes and leaped back, positioning himself as a shield in front of Sola-Ui and Kayneth.
"What are you doing, Lancer? It is an order! Protect Sola-Ui!"
"I cannot, my Lord! While following your orders is my mission since manifestation, my primary concern must be my Lord's life!"
"You foolish familiar...!"
"That man already has an inkling of my Noble Phantasm. If that is the case, even with the support of a Command Spell, it is clear as day that I cannot defeat that Archer and the enemy Master!"
At that moment, the door burst open with a loud thud, and Tristan—sporting a minor wound on his shoulder—walked in slowly.
Looking closer, I noticed that Lancer also had a deep gouge on his left thigh.
While Lancer's wound showed signs of slow recovery, Tristan, despite being a Servant, showed no natural healing at all.
'Is that the ability of Gae Buidhe? A shoulder wound... drawing a bow will be impossible for now.'
The Golden Rose of Mortality wielded by Diarmuid is an ability that inflicts a type of incurable curse.
Furthermore, Tristan is a Servant who uses a bow. While the shoulder injury might not immediately stop him from pulling the string, it was clear that as time passed, it would put our faction at a significant disadvantage.
"Of course, that's only if I were incompetent."
I quickly placed a hand on Tristan's shoulder and began to absorb the cursed magical energy clinging to it.
Soon, the murky prana was completely cleansed and absorbed into my body. This helped replenish the energy I had drained by summoning two of the Great Three Ploys in succession.
However, the sight seemed incomprehensible to the two Magi and their Servant.
"Impossible... That was an attack that delivers an incurable curse. How can you heal it?"
"You seem to be mistaken, Vanguard of the Knights of Fianna. In this world, there are countless Mysteries that surpass you... or your Lord. For instance... True Magic."
"...True Magic?"
"Think logically, Lord Archibald. What kind of method could possibly heal an incurable curse placed upon a 'Servant'—a being composed of prana bound to a spiritual core?"
Actually, there is one: a technique called Seal Absorption.
Of course, many other methods came to mind. Servants with high regeneration like Spartacus or Heracles could simply cut off the cursed part of their body and regrow it. Then there's the Mystic Eyes of Death Perception which can 'kill' the curse itself, or Medea Lily's Pain Breaker... I wasn't sure about those, but the possibilities were endless.
Unfortunately for them, I wasn't just a Servant; I was the Master.
"Now... I suppose I should re-introduce myself? I am Karma Akabane, the Master of Archer in this Holy Grail War and the acting representative for Kischur Zelretch. I've been called the 'Third Magician.' I've heard quite a bit about your side."
"..."
Ah, deceiving people is truly delightful.
* * * * *
Persuading Kayneth was far simpler and more convenient than persuading Kiritsugu Emiya.
Unlike Kiritsugu, who doubted everything, this 'Professor' was swayed the moment he saw a fragment of the Third Magic. When he heard that the Fifth Magician was also involved, he moved from suspicion to cautious belief.
"Was it you who attacked the Einzbern estate?"
"The Einzberns are the most dangerous. In terms of raw output, the Caster faction is trouble; in terms of unpredictability, Berserker is the most difficult; but the skill of the Master is highest over there. To be blunt: in the parallel world observed by the Jewel Old Man, both you and Sola-Ui are destined to die."
"Hmm..."
"And you die in the worst possible way. Lancer is forced to commit suicide, and your Magic Crest is completely destroyed, leading to a wretched death. Then, the Fuyuki Holy Grail goes berserk—your bodies are never found, and the entirety of Japan is decimated."
"There is one point I cannot understand. While the destruction of this nation would be a crisis the Clock Tower would care about, would an Elder truly intervene personally for such a matter?"
"Of course not. But in Japan... well, there are simply too many 'irregular ability users.'"
Let's see...
"First, in Tokyo, there is 'Omnipotence.'"
"What? Surely not the Omnipotence I'm thinking of?"
"It's infinitely close to it, though perhaps not true Omnipotence in the theological sense. Still, it's enough. Even if all the Lords of the Clock Tower teamed up, they couldn't defeat her."
Of course, Lorelei Barthomeloi is an outlier. Maybe that woman could trade a few blows with a monster like Manaka Sajyou.
"Then there's the Mystic Eyes of Death Perception... or should I say the Pure Eyes? Anyway, there are three people with abnormal eyes, Aoko Aozaki who holds the Fifth Magic, and myself, the nominal Third Magician. Look at this—we already have five people connected to the Root. Plus, you know that linguist who fled the Clock Tower after being threatened with a Sealing Designation? He's in Japan, too."
"...It's a literal den of monsters."
Even just Shiki Ryougi has the munchkin-tier ability to manipulate the lineage of living beings.
A few years from now, the Moon Princess herself—the official munchkin of Tsukihime—will arrive, and while not yet confirmed in Tokyo, there's the 'Manaka-holic' to deal with.
"Now, imagine if the corrupted Holy Grail of Fuyuki explodes in this situation. What do you think would happen?"
"...The ones connected to the Root would go berserk."
"Exactly. Think about a rampaging Fifth Magician, whose specialty is borrowing power from the future using current energy like a Maxwell's Demon. It would be a catastrophe. I guarantee you, the conclusion of the Fourth Holy Grail War is Ruin."
In the original timeline, that insane Ally of Justice eventually smashed the Grail and barely bought ten years of peace by taking the curse onto himself. But if Kiritsugu had truly succumbed to the blackmail of Angra Mainyu mimicking Irisviel and Illya, it would have been a world-ending event.
"So, you intend to assemble the Masters to stop this. I only joined to further my career, so I don't mind cooperating, but the Tohsaka family—one of the founding three—will do anything for the sake of the Root."
"There's that. But the most important thing lies elsewhere."
"What is it?"
"First, your apprentice. We have to keep him alive."
"...I couldn't care less if that immature brat lives or dies."
Well, you might feel differently later. That man is the one who will eventually drag the failing El-Melloi classroom back from the brink of ruin by its collar.
"Second, the Tohsaka family has allied with the supervisor of this region. Therefore, we need the consent of at least three factions... or four if we count me as the arbitrator, to form a majority justice. This is because Assassin's Master is an associate of the Holy Church... the supervisor."
"...But wasn't Assassin eliminated?"
"Assassin is still alive. The Noble Phantasm of 'Hassan of the Hundred Faces' allows the user to split themselves into about eighty different personas."
I could see his mental state beginning to fracture.
He had also suspected that Assassin's elimination was a feint, but he never imagined a Noble Phantasm that could split one's own body!
"So, what is your plan? You've already secured the Einzberns; is that fool next?"
"...Most likely. It won't be hard. Waver Velvet doesn't have the guts to control his own Servant; he's the type to be dragged along. So, what's it going to be? Are you coming with us, or staying here?"
After a moment of deliberation, Kayneth spoke.
"Very well. It would be best to pack only the most essential items from this workshop and move."
"...I thought a Lord-class magus would have more attachment to their workshop."
"I am not foolish enough to let my pride stand against something as insane as 'All the World's Evil.' Besides, I doubt there is a place safer than the workshop of the Fifth Magician."
True to his word, Kayneth gathered expensive-looking prana reactors, intact Mystic Codes, and his Volumen Hydrargyrum. He then suddenly turned his head.
"Before we go, do you have proof that all of your words are true?"
"...The existence of your Mystic Code, the future I described, the participants of the war, and the Noble Phantasms of every Servant. Is that not enough?"
"If one understood the Holy Grail War's system... or used the Third Magic to somehow identify the Servants, those details aren't impossible to acquire. I want proof that you are an envoy sent by an Elder of the Clock Tower."
"Fine, I'll sign a Self-Enforcement Geas scroll or—"
Kayneth shook his head.
"Who do you take for a fool? A Self-Enforcement Geas is a curse engraved on the Magic Crest and the soul. If a Lord like myself doesn't recognize you, it implies you did not reach True Magic through traditional research, but through some irregular shortcut. Thus, a curse on a Magic Crest is meaningless. And a curse on the soul... I highly doubt such a thing means anything to a 'Third Magician.'"
"..."
"Hand over your Command Spells. I will be satisfied with two."
...Well, if giving up two Command Spells is the price for bringing the Lancer faction fully onto my side, it's a fair trade.
By the way, Professor Kayneth—I thought you were a bit of a pushover compared to Kiritsugu, but your head actually works quite well.
* * * * *
"Karma! These guys suddenly burst in..."
"...I apologize, Sir. But I believed this was the fastest way to resolve the matter you are concerned about."
No, even so...
"What exactly is this situation?"
Why are the King of Conquerors and the King of Knights having a drinking party in my workshop?