Chapter 240: The Second Holy Grail
Tokyo felt closer to the heavens than Fuyuki.
Perhaps it was only an illusion born from height and steel, from a city that refused to sleep, but the night sky above Tokyo held more stars. They looked sharper here, more numerous, more insistent, as if the firmament itself had been polished by neon and ambition.
Starlight spilled across the garden window and scattered in pale reflections.
A girl stood before that window, her gaze fixed on the brilliance blooming in the sky.
Her name was Manaka Sajyou.
Loose strands of golden hair stirred against her cheeks, and the wind made the short cut sway as if it were trying to remind her that she was still alive, still bound to a body. She looked thirteen, perhaps fourteen at most. A long green dress draped her small frame, and white stockinged legs extended from beneath the hem, shifting slightly as she leaned closer to the glass.
Her eyes held the stars.
Blue irises, and something else beneath them, something that did not belong to a child. A slow turning vortex, quiet and patient, like a sea that had learned to swallow screams.
To ordinary people, the light in the sky was nothing more than a meteor. A bright streak, a rare spectacle, the sort of thing that would make people point and smile and make wishes they did not deserve.
But Manaka saw the world behind the world.
That radiance was the Holy Lance, Rhongomyniad.
Not the weapon in a king's hands, not the Noble Phantasm made manifest in battle, but the anchor itself, one of the stakes that fixed the texture of the current world in place. Even if Artoria's lance was only a projection, the connection was intimate enough to make the sky scream with meaning.
A mystery most magi would never directly perceive.
A mystery that held no mystery for her.
"All things have no secrets before the Root," Manaka murmured, exhaling as if she were bored of breathing.
The vortex in her eyes widened, like a door opening deeper.
Behind her, within the house, footsteps approached with caution. A servant, dressed as a maid, came to a stop at a careful distance. Her voice was deferential, yet it shook as though each word cost her blood.
"Young Lady… it is time to rest."
"Understood." Manaka tilted her head and smiled, bright and harmless. "I will go to rest. Do not worry. I will not cause trouble."
The maid trembled anyway.
It was not the posture of a servant before her master. It was the instinctive terror of someone standing in front of a calamity that wore a human shape.
As the maid retreated, Manaka's lips pushed into a small pout.
"Boring people. A boring world…"
They feared her.
Of course they did.
Everyone, in her eyes, had no secrets. And because they had no secrets, they also had no novelty.
Just like the Tohsaka family in Fuyuki, the Sajou family in Tokyo was a local power in the world of Mystery, guarding one of the city's many ley lines. Their lineage was old. Their Magic Crest had never been broken. Their influence was quiet, steady, and undeniable.
And yet even in such a family, Manaka was an aberration.
From birth, she had been linked to the ultimate truth countless magi pursued.
The Root of the World.
Akasha.
Through it, she could know any knowledge she desired, instantly, without process, without effort, without the dignity of struggle.
All people, all things, laid bare before her. The world became a book she had already finished reading.
This was power on the level of a Magician.
This was also why everyone feared her.
Manaka had always found everything dull.
But today, for the first time in a long time, something pricked at her interest.
Not the lance in the sky.
Not the meteor wearing a sacred name.
It was something else.
She had found the unknown.
An existence the Root could not perceive. A figure she could not grasp.
The Holy Grail War.
Rowe.
"I really want to try…" Manaka whispered, the words soft as a lullaby.
"To kill him."
The smile on her small face remained pure and innocent.
The delight in her eyes was not.
Born with innate knowledge, she had never learned ordinary human values the hard way. Innocence remained, untouched by guilt, and so it became something terrifying. A demon that did not understand why it should stop.
"But before that," she continued, voice light, almost playful.
"The second Holy Grail… should be appearing soon."
A change in the world she had already seen.
A prophecy that would become inevitable simply because it existed.
…
A fox's pained cries echoed across the wilderness, carried by the evening breeze like a curse no one wanted to admit was funny.
Tamamo no Mae was miserable.
Her true identity had been exposed by Consort Yu, and the arrogance she had worn moments ago had been peeled away as easily as paper.
Tamamo no Mae was, indeed, an avatar of Amaterasu. On this land, she received a genuine boost. Mystery recognized its own, and the Divine Land did not refuse its children.
However, Eastern Japan was also a vassal state under the Divine Land's shadow.
That meant Servants tied to the Divine Land could receive a local boost here as well.
And Consort Yu did not merely receive a boost.
She was simply stronger.
Worse still, it was close range. No distance to hide in. No room to reframe the fight into a ritual or a game.
"Stupid, right? Stupid, right!?" Consort Yu's voice was sharp, each word a strike. "How dare you deceive me!"
"You damn fox!"
Machina god armor enveloped her body, the silhouette of a ruler built out of steel and wrath. One forged arm clamped down on Tamamo no Mae's form, pinning her in place with inhuman pressure. The other hand rose and slid along Tamamo no Mae's tail.
Then came a crisp, brutal sound.
Pluck.
Fur scattered.
"Migu, help!" Tamamo no Mae cried, and the scream was so undignified that it almost felt like justice.
Instant karma, perhaps.
It was also at this moment that Tamamo no Mae realized the truth.
This was not simply Consort Yu manifesting.
This was the Hegemon King of Western Chu.
Xiang Yu.
Nearby, Rowe pushed himself upright, swaying slightly, and turned toward Xu Fu as she rushed back at the commotion. The small, shy girl tugged on Rowe's sleeve, her voice low.
"Lord Rowe… are you alright?"
"I am fine. Nothing will happen." Rowe clapped his hands, unconcerned. "I will not die."
He meant it.
They were all Servants. Tamamo no Mae would not die here. Consort Yu would not truly kill her. Even if she wanted to, the system of the War was not so generous.
The armor's presence faded. The oppressive outline of the Hegemon King dissolved, and black hair fell loose as Consort Yu returned to her original form. She clapped her hands, staring down at the fox sprawled on the ground, smoke still drifting from Tamamo no Mae's mouth.
"Are you still arrogant?"
"Migu… I am not anymore…" The fox ears atop Tamamo no Mae's head drooped. She hugged her tail, now embarrassingly bare in spots, and stared at the mess of fur on the ground with tears hovering at the edges of her eyes.
Consort Yu lifted an eyebrow.
"I only plucked your fur, not your tail. That is already quite merciful."
So should this concubine say thank you?
Tamamo no Mae seethed inwardly.
"Exactly. Hurry up and say thank you loudly."
…Crap. I forgot she can read the changes in a person's heart.
"Hmph." Consort Yu clapped her hands again, clearly satisfied that the fox had been properly punished. Then her expression sharpened, because there was something more important.
She reached out.
"Where do you think you are going?"
"Nowhere. I am just looking around." Rowe chuckled as her hand closed around his arm.
The grip was delicate.
The strength was not.
Consort Yu pulled him as if daring him to try escaping. He did not.
He could not anyway.
So why not test something else?
Why not see whether a cleaver could harm him?
"I am not running." Rowe stepped forward instead of back, and wrapped his arms around her, hands settling at her slim waist, fingers tracing the line as though memorizing it.
"Oh?" Consort Yu froze, eyes widening.
After her transformation receded, she wore her original attire again. Flowing black robes covered what must be covered, but left her sides exposed, and the shape beneath was unmistakable. Slender waist, graceful curves, legs held together in a way that outlined delicate lines. Her hips, rounded and faintly visible through the drape, carried the quiet beauty that had once birthed the legend: Hegemon King Bids Farewell to His Concubine.
Now that beauty was held firmly in Rowe's arms.
Warmth at her waist.
Then lower.
A flush bloomed across her face. The arrogance she had just displayed evaporated as if it had never existed.
Rowe leaned in, voice a whisper against her ear.
"It seems… you have not changed much?"
You hateful fellow…
Consort Yu's body almost softened into him.
Nearby, Tamamo no Mae stared, eyes wide.
Could it be done this way?
"You…" Consort Yu forced her voice into steadiness, though the physical contact made her feel strangely breathless. "Where have you been all this time?"
Rowe loosened his hold slightly, just enough to speak.
"I went to…"
Boom.
A storm split the sky.
Dazzling light tore through the ceiling, and Rhongomyniad's radiance carved the banquet hall open like a wound.
Consort Yu snapped her gaze upward.
Through dust and smoke, beneath the star crowded night, a magnificent warhorse stood upon broken stone as if it belonged there. Silver white armor caught the moonlight. Sky blue eyes looked down with the calm of a king who had already decided the ending.
Artoria Pendragon.
Consort Yu's fangs showed as her lips curled, crimson eyes bright and sharp.
"Another stray cat?"
Artoria's breath was steady.
"Another competitor."
She lifted the Holy Lance, belief hardening into something nearly physical.
"It does not matter. The ultimate victory will only be in my hands."
"Finally found you." A crisp voice came from another direction.
Under the moonlight, from a building even taller than the banquet hall, a shining arrow pierced the air and crossed the distance in an instant.
It shot toward Rowe.
The second Noble Phantasm, Hunt My Love, activated without hesitation.
The arrow stopped inches from Rowe.
Consort Yu caught it with her bare hand.
Then bit it apart.
"…?"
Atalanta choked.
She had not expected to drag Rowe back so cleanly, but she had also not expected this.
That was my arrow.
Why did you eat it?
"Tch. That tastes terrible." Consort Yu spat, disgust clear on her face.
Atalanta's hand twitched on her bow.
Mistress Artemis, please do not stop me. I am going up there to duel her.
"I am not stopping you… oh!"
Atalanta remembered the arm strength that had just crushed a Noble Phantasm like food. Her pride screamed for violence. Her survival instincts suggested restraint.
Artoria's gaze tightened as she watched.
"Caught a Noble Phantasm with bare hands…"
"Surprised?" Consort Yu waved dismissively, as if the feat were beneath mention. "This body is a manifestation of the side of heaven. Such things are commonplace."
She turned her vermilion eyes to Rowe, lashes lowering with a dangerous sweetness. Her lips looked bright, faintly moist in the light.
"Do you not agree, my dear?"
She took Rowe's hand.
Then placed it against her own body, guiding it with deliberate intimacy.
She embraced him from behind.
Tamamo no Mae blinked, still clutching her tail.
Why does this scene look familiar?
Rowe stiffened for a moment, caught between surprise and an unwilling fascination as Consort Yu's eyes met his.
"Release Lord Rowe." Artoria's voice cut through the heat like steel. "Otherwise, do not blame me for taking action!"
The Holy Lance rose, radiance gathering.
Atalanta's bowstring pulled taut again, moonlight pooling around her as magical energy surged.
Compared to Artoria, who carried a dragon's heart and could function as an enormous reservoir of prana, Atalanta's natural parameters were not overwhelming. Her strength lay in her lower limit, a top tier baseline.
But her Master was the Moon.
Under moonlight, her magical energy did not run dry.
Support compensated for raw force.
And it was not only them.
From the collapsed edges of the hall, figures stepped into the opening, silhouettes forming against smoke and starlight.
"Bad guy.."
"The bad guy that stole mine."
"Must be punished!"
A three colored interwoven blade, the Sword of the War God, lifted slightly. Tanned skin, healthy and strong, caught the wind. Pale hair fluttered. Golden eyes were cold and sharp.
Until she saw Rowe.
Then gentleness surfaced, sudden and sincere.
Altera, the Scourge of God.
She had come chasing her God.
"Hm hm. Is everyone here?"
A woman stood on a wall, spreading her arms as though the night itself were her stage.
The Emperor of Rome.
Nero's red gown unfurled like a flower under moonlight as she declared, voice ringing with theatrical certainty.
"The opening of this grand ceremony!"
"A ceremony to celebrate the bond between me and the Adjutant!"
"No." Atalanta snapped instantly.
"I am the Emperor, the King of the World. What I say is truth." Nero's smile burned with absolute self assurance.
Artoria.
Atalanta.
Nero.
Altera.
And Tamamo no Mae, blowing gently on her tail as her fur began to grow back, still too humiliated to leave.
"Are all the stray cats here?" Consort Yu looked around, smiling. "Then let us finish this in one go."
Finish this in one go?
Did she deliberately provoke everyone?
Rowe, held in Consort Yu's graceful embrace, stared at her in surprise.
And then, despite himself, with expectation.
Her eyes turned to him, beautiful and bright, and she spoke softly, almost as if she were asking for praise.
"I have been the Mistress of Heaven of the Divine Land for so long. I can grow too, Lord Rowe."
The smile she showed him was radiant.
The others did not relax.
They grew wary.
This was a trap.
They knew it.
But no one stepped away.
No one was willing to give up the fight for Rowe.
"Hm hm. An ambush that works against the perfect King of the World? Such a thing does not exist!"
"Artemis sama above. All obstacles will be revealed before me!"
"Bad guy must be eliminated."
"An ambush designed to strike us effectively… huh?"
Tension tightened the air. Servants held their ground.
Rowe's voice was calm, almost curious.
"So, what is your strategy?"
He looked forward to her growth.
He looked forward to her scheme.
"It is simple," Consort Yu said, confidence overflowing, as if the answer were obvious.
"Gather everyone together. Although we are outnumbered, the advantage is mine."
"So?" Rowe prompted.
"We combine the right time, the right place, and the right people."
"Not bad."
"Next comes the most crucial point!" Consort Yu lifted her hand, pride practically glittering.
"I will self destruct."
"And blow them all up."
…
And blow me up too, right?
Rowe felt the last of his expectations quietly die.
He did not stop her.
To die together might break the deadlock.
After all, they were all Servants.
None of them would truly die.
And Rowe, dying as a Servant, could then invade the Throne of Heroes.
Achieve his goal.
So…
A sudden alarm of sensation cut through the moment.
"An extremely strong magical energy reaction detected in the direction of Tokyo."
"The ley lines are shifting!"
"What is that!?"
Consort Yu's motion froze mid gesture. Her expression changed as she looked toward the highest point in Tokyo.
Tokyo Tower.
The other Servants followed her gaze.
At the top of the tower, light gathered.
It compressed, tighter and tighter, condensing into a single brilliant point.
A Holy Grail.
A second Holy Grail.
"How can there be a second Holy Grail!?"
A man who had just arrived in the Tokyo area by train stood abruptly, shock plain on his face.
Kiritsugu Emiya.
.....
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