"Caules!"
"He seems to have sustained some kind of mental trauma..."
"Let's get him some rest first."
Fiore watched with a worried expression as her younger brother was carried away on a stretcher. Her heart throbbed with a protective ache.
Caules had suddenly collapsed the moment they returned to the castle in their modified vehicle. The absolute lack of any physical wounds made the situation even more distressing.
Finding out that he had been hit by a "mental attack" left Fiore baffled. There hadn't been an enemy in sight during their return trip. Why had Caules, of all people, been targeted?
"It might be linked to the damage Archer sustained," Bulma suggested, providing a partial explanation that Fiore could at least grasp.
"My previous body was destroyed by that intruder. It's possible the feedback affected the Master," Genos added.
"The Doctor mentioned that according to the telemetry from the observation drones, the numerical counter on that intruder's wrist device decreased the moment I was'destroyed'."
"When Saber (Siegfried) pulverized that dragon and I landed a shot with the pistol, the numbers dropped even further."
"She retreated once the counter hit 500, which leads me to suspect those numbers are directly tied to her life force,or perhaps the life force of whoever the 'Duel' logic is currently targeting."
"The 'bomb' used to destroy Archer seems to have been a double-edged sword," Bulma reflected, her scientific mind already piecing together the intruder's bizarre rules.
"But to be able to inflict mental trauma on a Master from across such a distance... is it...?"
Gored wiped a bead of sweat from his forehead, his breath hitching as a cold sense of dread settled over him. This wasn't the kind of war he was familiar with. This felt like being caught in a game where the rules were rigged against you from the start.
"You probably don't need to panic yet."
"I've analyzed the destructive output of that explosion. It was calibrated precisely to the amount required to destroy Archer's chassis. It's too coincidental to be random."
"If a Servant has a defensive Noble Phantasm or a high enough passive resistance, they might be able to soak that damage without issue."
"I'll begin working on a set of reinforced'mental-link dampeners' for the Masters."
Bulma glanced at Siegfried, who was standing nearby, and her words provided a visible surge of relief to Gored.
"Hmm."
Gored nodded, though he was still slightly annoyed. He had been forced to let Siegfried unleash his Noble Phantasm, potentially revealing his True Name to the world. If he had known that Genos would walk away from the explosion unscathed, he would have held back his trump card.
He had wasted a perfectly good tactical surprise!
"Alright, get these damaged Homunculi to the maintenance bays immediately!"
Turning his attention back to his "property," Gored began shouting orders at the workers. He didn't want to think about anything else for a while. These Homunculi represented his family's wealth and his own prestige; seeing them in pieces made his heart,and his wallet,ache.
"By the way... where is the Clan Head?"
"Darnic? I think he headed back to his private chambers a while ago."
***
WHOOSH.
Natsu stood next to Siegfried, his nose twitching as he sniffed the residual air.
He could still smell the lingering scent of "Dragon" magic in the area. It wasn't the diluted scent of the two "humanoid" dragons he had encountered earlier; this was the smell of the real thing.
"A guy who can summon dragons, huh?"
"Man, I really wanted to fight him."
For Natsu, dragons were a source of endless curiosity and excitement. In his world, they were almost extinct, with the only surviving specimen being the terrifying Acnologia.
"With your strength, defeating such a creature shouldn't be a problem," Siegfried noted, acknowledging Natsu's specialized legend.
The two of them were a study in contrasts. Siegfried was a man who had killed a dragon, while Natsu was a man designed to slay them.
"But that intruder used some very peculiar magecraft. It would be wise to stay on your guard."
"Heh! I'm not worried about that."
"Anyway, where are you going?" Natsu asked as the knight began walking toward the castle gates.
"I've been tagged by the Red Faction's Assassin. Staying inside the fortress would be a liability for everyone."
Siegfried pointed to the black geometric seal etched onto his chest.
"Is that the guy you said could 'flash' around?"
"Can't you just wipe it off?"
"Not with my own magical energy. It's too well-anchored."
Siegfried sat down on a patch of scorched earth just outside the main gate, folding his legs in a meditative posture.
"But the Black Faction's Caster (Bulma) said she might be able to analyze the formula using her'science.'I'll just wait here until she's ready."
"In that case, I'll wait with you. There's nothing to do inside anyway."
"Tell me more about those stories of yours!"
***
UUGH.
"It's happening again..."
Darnic clutched his face, his expression dark as a whisper echoed from the depths of his mind.
Ever since the encounter with that mysterious intruder, his mental state had been... unstable. He had assumed that driving her off would end the interference, but the corruption seemed to have taken root.
"Darnic."
A voice called out from the doorway, making him turn.
"I am going to use 'that'."
Madara stood there, his crimson eyes flashing with a predatory intensity.
"!"
Darnic's mind blurred for a split second, and when he came to, he realized he was already walking toward a specific door.
"Then... allow me to guide you."
He didn't,or perhaps couldn't,refuse.
The two men navigated the winding corridors of the fortress, descending into the deepest level of the subterranean vaults.
There, a massive structure of light and mana stood in the center of a cavernous hall, its scale and purity breathtaking.
"So this is the Great Holy Grail... an infinite source of mana, they say. I wonder how far it can actually reach."
Madara walked up to the artifact, his gaze clinical. In his world, the Nine-Tails was also said to have "limitless" chakra, but even that had its boundaries. To find a truly "infinite" source of power was a feat that transcended even his own understanding of the world.
"Well... if it's not enough, I'll deal with it when the time comes."
He had no intention of being a passive observer.
He bit his thumb, the copper scent of blood filling the air as his fingers flew through a series of hand-signs.
"Summoning Jutsu... [Gedo Mazo]!!"
He slammed his palm onto the stone floor. A colossal cloud of white smoke erupted, and a massive, withered husk of a creature manifested within the hall. Its skeletal, multi-eyed form loomed over the Great Holy Grail like a silent god of death.
"!"
Darnic looked up at the grotesque, alien entity, his brow furrowing in a mix of awe and repulsion.
So this was the Rider's mount.
It was a monstrosity that defied every biological and magical law of this age.
"Now... let the process begin."
Madara stated his command with a heavy, resonant tone.
WHOOSH!!
Spectral chains erupted from the [Gedo Mazo], coiling around the Great Holy Grail and beginning to draw the pure, white magical energy into its withered shell.
"That's enough, Darnic. You can leave now."
"I will be staying here."
"See to it that I am not disturbed."
Madara folded his arms, his posture one of absolute authority as he began to estimate the time required for the ritual.
"Understood."
Glancing one last time at the withered husk, Darnic turned and walked out of the vault.
CLACK.
The heavy doors sealed shut behind him. Madara looked at the swirling mana and narrowed his eyes.
"The conversion is happening... but it's slower than I expected."
"Is it because this 'mana' isn't pure Tailed Beast chakra?"
Realizing that the process wouldn't be finished in a few hours, Madara sat down to wait.
This war had proven that there were opponents worthy of his full attention. If that was the case, he would meet them with his own absolute strength.
He would resurrect the [Ten-Tails].
He would ascend beyond the realm of mortals.
He would become... [Six Paths].
[Translated and Rewritten by Shika_Kagura]
Hey, im back, as promised, 2 bonus chapter for you guys, im uploaded all these chapter rn js in case i dont forgot to do it tonight, last week and this week chapter already uploaded, as usual if u find any msitake, let me know, ill fix asap. if you want to leave review or two, please do so, dont be scared, write anything good or bad, but please make it makes sense, these review help a lot.
Oh yeah, i dont remember if i already mention this or not, but i genuinely thought this volume is a little more confusing to translate to than the rest (1-3), if u found mistake, like mixed up character name and whatnot, pls let me know, thank you in advance!