Orario's morning brought no familiar bustle.
Instead, it carried a suffocating stillness.
Astraea Familia Residence — "Garden of Starlight."
Last night's heart-stopping "auntie inspection" incident (that is, Alfia's sudden visit) left scars that would not fade. The courtyard looked like it had been chewed up and spat out by a giant beast.
"Waaa… my flowerbed…""My training posts…""My secret stash spot…"
The girls stared at the wreckage and wailed. No one had died, but half their home had been torn apart. For a justice familia that was never wealthy to begin with, it was catastrophic.
"Stop crying. Old goes, new comes."
Emiya Shirou stood in the center of the rubble, hammer in hand, wearing a dust-caked apron like it was tactical equipment. His face was still pale from mana exhaustion, but his eyes were bright in a way that was borderline unsettling.
"Honestly, this is perfect timing," he said, glancing around. "If we're repairing the place anyway… we may as well push a full patch."
"A patch?" Alise tilted her head, red ponytail swaying. "Shirou, do you mean… turning this into a fortress?"
"No."
Shirou shook his head and swept his gaze over every one of them.
"I mean upgrading your equipment."
He pointed at the piles of materials at their feet—rare metals and magic stones gathered from the guild's stores, the black market, and a few "found items" he had conveniently acquired in the chaos.
"Against something like Alfia, your current gear might as well be paper.""It's harsh, but it's true."
He raised the hammer, and the corner of his mouth lifted into a grin that belonged to someone who could happily grind a thousand hours for a two-percent drop.
"If you want to survive the coming Great Feud…"
"I'm going to arm you… to the teeth."
And so, Astraea Familia's "magic-mod" session began.
"My demands are simple," Kaguya said, hugging her beloved blade, Fivefold Radiance, like it was her child. Her expression was proud, almost imperious.
"Sharper. Lighter. It must endure the burst output of my quick-draw.""And most importantly… it has to look cool."
"Of course," Shirou muttered, taking the sword with a sigh. "No pressure, my lady."
Structural Analysis ran in his mind. The material was decent. The craftsmanship was acceptable. But the internal fatigue lines were stacking up—hidden fractures that had reached the limit for a Level 4 swordswoman.
"I'm not going to reforge it," Shirou said. "I'm going to concept-enchant it."
He didn't melt it down. He carved an artificial circuit pattern into the blade—an imposed logic that emphasized "speed" and "severing." The reference wasn't the sword itself, but the idea: the moment of strike that arrives before the eye can confirm it.
The blade hummed.
A faint, pale-blue sheen spread along the edge.
"Here." He tossed it back to her. "Improved wind-element mana conduction and a 'hard-to-perceive blade' concept. When you swing, the blade vibrates at high speed and becomes visually indistinct for a split instant."
"Invisible…?" Kaguya drew and slashed.
The air tore with a hiss—and the sword truly vanished for a fraction of a second.
That fraction was enough. At high levels, it was the difference between life and death.
"Hmph. Passable," Kaguya said, sheathing it while desperately trying to suppress the curve of her lips."I'll wash the dishes tonight. Just this once."
"Me! Me! It's my turn!" Lylia the pallum charged in, hauling a shield bigger than her body.
"I want something that explodes! Or transforms! Or turns into a giant combat machine!"
"You're dreaming," Shirou said flatly. "I can't build you a giant combat machine. But I can absolutely give you explosions."
He took the shield and embedded seven specially treated magic stones into the face—arranged like layered petals, each positioned to trigger in sequence.
"This is reactive armor," Shirou explained. "When a heavy impact hits you, the stones detonate one after another outward, producing counterforce that cancels the incoming shock."
He paused.
"In simple terms, you defend against explosions with explosions."
"Wow! That sounds dangerous and awesome!" Lylia stroked the shield like it was a holy relic. "If anyone rams me, I'll blast them into orbit! This is the romance of the self-destruct infantry!"
"That is not romance," Shirou muttered. "That's a public safety nightmare."
Ryuu held her wooden sword with hesitant hands.
"Emiya… does mine really need to change? I don't kill."
"I know," Shirou said, meeting her clear blue eyes. "But 'not killing' doesn't mean 'being powerless.'"
He took the wooden sword and integrated the remaining piece of spirit wood he had acquired before. Then he inscribed two functions into it: Reinforcement and Weight Manipulation.
"This weapon stays light as a feather in normal use," Shirou said, swinging it once. The air popped with a dull, heavy sound that didn't match its appearance.
"But at the instant you make contact, you can inject mana and multiply its weight tenfold."
He looked at her.
"Like an invisible war hammer."
Ryuu accepted it and felt the quiet, natural resonance inside the wood—like a forest breathing.
"Blunt force," she murmured. "It suits me.""Thank you, Emiya."
"No need," he said softly.
"Shirou, Shirou! I have an idea!" Alise pointed at her sword, eyes sparkling with pure, incurable theatrics.
"Can you add a flame-thrower function? Or a laser? I've wanted to shout 'Excalibur' for ages!"
Shirou rubbed his forehead.
This captain was beyond saving.
Still… if she was the Red Flower of Justice, then he'd give her something red.
He sealed a high-purity fire-element magic stone into the blade, along with a sliver of concept from an ancient flame—an ignition logic that turned stored mana into a controlled blaze.
"This sword can store your mana and release it as flame during swings," Shirou said, handing it to her.
"You can't fire a beam, but you can absolutely set the battlefield on fire. Call it… the Crimson Lotus Blade."
"Yessss! That's so cool!" Alise waved the blazing sword and struck a pose so embarrassing it could kill by itself.
"Justice's flames shall burn all evil! Hahahaha!"
Shirou wiped sweat from his brow and smiled, satisfied.
"Good. With this, you at least have self-preservation capacity.""Loadouts complete.""Astraea Familia: Modified Edition—collaboration event active."
But that cheerful maintenance window didn't last.
Because the moment arrived.
Boom.
A dull, massive impact rolled through Orario like a drumbeat from the abyss. The ground trembled. A black pillar of smoke rose in the distance.
"That direction…" Kaguya stopped mid-test swing, her face tightening. "The west gate."
"Enemy attack?!" Alise's expression snapped into captain mode. "Everyone! Combat configuration! Move out!"
"Wait." Shirou raised a hand.
His True Eye was screaming.
This wasn't a normal raid.
The mana pressure—vast and oppressive—was coming like a storm front.
"It's here," Shirou said, voice low.
"The monster that wants to eat everything."
This had been the strongest defensive wall, staffed by Ganesha Familia's elite.
Now it was rubble.
The gate was smashed apart by raw violence. Debris littered the ground. Guards lay in pools of blood, unmoving.
In the center of the ruin stood a mountain.
Zard.
The Devourer.
He wore the same ragged coat. He held a cleaver as wide as a door—Ogre Slayer. He was chewing something, as if the world itself were an appetizer.
"Too brittle," Zard complained after swallowing. "This wall… is worse than a cracker."
Behind him, black-cloaked figures swarmed—Evils, controlled monsters, and organized units pouring through the breach like a tide.
"Advance," Zard said, lifting his cleaver.
The mere wind pressure of the motion toppled a row of nearby buildings.
"Turn this city…""…into our dining table."
A roar answered him as the horde surged inward.
The Great Feud had fully erupted.
Reports slammed into Astraea Familia's residence like snow in a blizzard:
"Frontline report! West gate lost! Zard is inside!""North district movement! Alfia is bombing the commercial street!""South district overrun by plant-type monsters! Guild headquarters requests support!"
Alise stared at the map, jaw clenched.
"A pincer attack… they're trying to swallow Orario in one bite."
"Where do we go?" Kaguya tightened her grip on her newly enhanced sword. "West gate, or north district?"
"Zard has Ottar on that side," Shirou said quickly. "And Alfia… the Loki Familia will move."
He tapped the center of the map.
"The industrial district."
"That's the main route for civilians moving to shelters. If it breaks, half the population is done.""And my instincts are telling me… something is off."
"Off?" Ryuu asked.
"The main assault is loud," Shirou said, eyes narrowing. "But an elite unit is missing.""They're either targeting the Babel Tower's base… or trying to release something from below."
Alise didn't hesitate.
"Industrial district. Astraea Familia, move!""We hold that line!"
"Yes!"
The district was a firestorm.
Not a single presence like Zard or Alfia.
But the enemies here were worse in a different way.
"Burn! Burn!"A pack of Evils ran wild, throwing torches and poison vials—not to occupy, but to destroy.
"Stop!" Ryuu dropped in like a green gale. Her wooden sword flipped into heavy mode, and a single strike knocked a firestarter unconscious without killing him.
"Justice familia? Tch. Annoying," the black-cloaked leader spat. "Fine. Bring out… that."
Several large iron cages were rolled forward.
The doors opened.
Twisted creatures stumbled out, dripping green sludge.
Self-Destruct Type: Toxic Slime.
"Careful!" Shirou shouted. "Don't let them get close! They explode!"
"I've got it!" Alise surged forward. The Crimson Lotus Blade flared.
"Flame Slash!"
Fire collided with poison. The slime burst—splattering corrosive vapor into the air.
"Cough… that stinks!" Lylia covered her nose. "They're using chemical warfare!"
"Don't breathe it in!" Shirou clapped his hands.
"Trace-On!"
He projected a wind-based tool—function over form—and a violent gust tore through the street, scattering the toxic cloud.
"This side is ours!" Shirou barked. "You evacuate civilians! Kaguya left! Lylia right! Ryuu take high ground and cover!"
Alise looked at him. "And you?"
Shirou's gaze locked onto a deeper shadow beyond the flames. His True Eye told him there was a bigger predator hiding behind this mess.
"I'm going to meet the one commanding from the rear."
He drew Kanshou and Bakuya—now tuned for battle—and ran into the fire.
"Slow."
A figure sat on the edge of a dead furnace, watching Shirou enter with bored amusement.
A white suit, stained with soot.A smiling mask.Several throwing knives spinning between fingers.
Valletta.
One of the masterminds.
"So you're the kid," Valletta said, head tilted. "The 'Muramasa' they're whispering about.""The one whose cooking makes monsters behave."
"I don't just cook," Shirou replied, voice cold. "I also do funeral services."
Valletta laughed.
"Interesting! I heard you caused a scene down on the twenty-fourth floor. Shame you don't have a 'big boom' this time."
Snap.
With a finger snap, the shadows moved.
A dozen hulking forms stepped out.
Killer Ants—modified variants.
Armored. Reinforced. Magic stone bombs embedded into their bodies.
A walking self-destruct unit.
"If these go off in here," Valletta said cheerfully, "the whole industrial district goes to the sky.""What will you do, 'ally of justice'?"
Shirou inhaled.
No wide-area attacks.No explosions.No chain reactions.
It had to be precision.
"What a disgusting exam," Shirou muttered.
Then his expression sharpened.
"But you forgot something."
He loosened his grip on the twin blades.
A long, black bow formed in his hands.
"I'm a smith."
"Trace."
Countless tiny needle-like magic blades appeared around him.
Not for killing.
For disarming.
"Unlimited Defuse Works," Shirou said, eyes narrowing to ice.
"Time to work."
The needle rain fell.
Each needle severed a trigger line, cut a mana feed, or sliced an ignition channel—microscopic control at combat speed. One after another, the bombs went dead without detonating.
Valletta's laughter choked off.
"W-what?! You cut the mana supply… instantly?!"
Shirou lowered the bow.
"Now you have no bombs."
He re-formed Kanshou and Bakuya and walked forward, step by step, wearing a gentle smile that looked inexplicably terrifying.
"Next comes the bill."
"For what you tried to pull on the twenty-fourth floor."
Valletta took a step back, fear crawling up his spine.
"You… what are you doing?!"
"Nothing," Shirou said, lifting the flat of his blade.
"I'm just going to serve you…""…a justice-flavored iron fist set meal."
"Clench your teeth."
Crash!
Valletta went flying—becoming the first executive to drop from the board tonight.
But Shirou didn't relax.
He could feel them.
Two pillars of horror rising elsewhere in the city.
Zard.Alfia.
Those were the true face of despair.
Shirou looked toward the Babel Tower.
"Wait for me," he whispered.
"Even if I have to burn my life down to the wick…"
"I'm not letting anyone take this home."
....
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