In fact, the Counter Force truly gave her plenty of face.
Xia Yu didn't even have to say a word; as soon as she connected to the Holy Grail, the Third Magic was sent over.
As for the Root or whatever, they wouldn't let her in even if it killed them, which Xia Yu found quite normal.
After all, her goal was only the Third Magic; she just wanted to see if the effect of the Materialization of the Soul could cure Entropy Loss.
"Where is Miss Firefly?" At noon the next day, Fujimaru Ritsuka knocked on the gate of the Einzbern Castle, but failed to see Firefly herself.
"She is still in seclusion," Sella said very politely. "After all, both she and the Young Mistress need time to comprehend the Third Magic."
Actually, it wasn't necessary... Abilities obtained through the Holy Grail are naturally mastered immediately. She was currently researching the functions of the Third Magic.
"You may go to the living room; everyone is waiting there."
"Then we shall intrude," Fujimaru Ritsuka said, heading toward the living room.
Just as she entered, she heard the news broadcasting.
"It is reported that the United Nations has launched an inquiry into the Japanese government. Just last night, a ballistic missile carrying a hundred-megaton-class nuclear bomb was launched from Fuyuki City and detonated in outer space. This violates various agreements signed by Japan after World War II."
"The power of this nuclear bomb is the greatest in the world!" the host said passionately on the television. "Before this, the world's most powerful Tsar Bomba had a yield of approximately fifty million tons. The nuclear bomb detonated by our country this time is a full double the maximum yield of the former Soviet Union!"
"This signifies that our country has completely overtaken others on the path of nuclear power, becoming one of the world's major nuclear powers in one fell swoop, and possesses the delivery capabilities to match!"
"Meanwhile, the US government has dispatched a carrier fleet to conduct an inspection. Right now, we are in front of a crowd of marchers on the streets of Tokyo. Let's interview the public on their views regarding this."
"Hello, may I ask your thoughts on this incident?"
"Me?" A business elite dressed in a suit said, "Since our strength is already this great, there shouldn't be any problem with us becoming a Permanent Member of the Security Council, right?"
"Alright, thank you for your statement." The host smiled and bowed, then turned to another conservatively dressed middle-aged man. "And how do you view this..."
"View it?" The man raised an eyebrow disdainfully. "Since we have such powerful strength, certain matters naturally need to be renegotiated. For instance, the various forms of unequal treatment our country has faced since World War II, and those treaties should be abolished! The current government is just too weak, actually letting the American fleet sail over!"
"They must commit seppuku before the Imperial Palace to apologize!"
The reporter interviewed a string of people after that, but their statements were surprisingly consistent.
Japan is going to rise!
"I think Japan is doomed," Fujimaru Ritsuka's mouth twitched as she watched, complaining, "Where on earth would this place get a nuclear bomb..."
"Those are all right-wingers marching," Emiya Shirou explained. "This TV station also has right-wing leanings, so naturally, what they say is mostly the same."
"A bunch of fools," Fujimaru Ritsuka didn't leave them any face at all. "What era is this? Still trying that old routine without looking at how much they actually weigh."
"I don't know if Japan has ballistic missiles, but I do know that the missiles from across the sea can cover Japan at any time. Where do they get their confidence? Based on a so-called 'nuclear bomb' that isn't even theirs?"
Ritsuka felt annoyed watching it and directly changed the channel.
Then she saw the current Japanese Prime Minister bowing to the people below.
"Hontoni gomen nasai!"
The balding Prime Minister, covered in sweat, said, "The so-called Fuyuki City nuclear bomb is fake news! We simply do not have such weapons!"
Dad, I've been wronged! I really didn't do anything treasonous!
In his heart, the Prime Minister had already cursed those right-wingers countless times. Was it because he liked being subservient to the Americans? If he truly had such a strategic weapon in his hands, he could be more right-wing than anyone!
But he didn't!
Where did they expect him to conjure one from?
"Last night's explosion may have been some kind of unidentified natural phenomenon. We are currently working overtime to investigate the true cause."
This really wasn't us!
He simply didn't understand. He had only slept for half the night, and then the sky had fallen.
"Please believe that Japan has absolutely no intention of touching nuclear power!"
Mainly because they couldn't; the moment they tried, they'd be beaten.
"Well..." Emiya Shirou was also left speechless by the sight.
"The current government will lose a layer of skin even if they don't die," Fujimaru Ritsuka said with little interest. "After such a huge incident, how could the United States feel at ease? After all, from their perspective, they almost ate a nuclear bomb."
Hearing this, Matou Sakura looked worriedly at her sister, who was lying like a corpse on the table beside her.
She didn't care if the current government collapsed, but although Tohsaka Rin's chest was still heaving, her soul had effectively been gone for a while.
"Sister..." She gently pulled the other's hand. "I will help share your burden."
"Me too," Emiya Shirou volunteered, grabbing Matou Sakura's hand.
"What are you meddling for?" Illya was displeased. "You are my younger brother, a member of the Einzbern family. This kind of thing should naturally be handled by the local Manager of the Spiritual Land. Don't overstep your authority!"
Don't misunderstand; she simply found Tohsaka Rin annoying.
"Illya, I just..." Shirou wanted to talk back, but Illya slapped her own thigh.
"Call me Sister!" she said with a fierce, cute look.
"Illya-nee," Emiya Shirou said, sounding like he'd lost his soul. "Tohsaka-san helped me a lot. I can't just watch her..."
"No, Emiya-kun," Tohsaka Rin finally managed to lift her head, speaking in a voice as thin as a thread, "Miss Illya is right. You can't help me. If you really want to do something, just help me take care of Sakura."
"As for me? I might have to go die a bit..."
She buried her head back into her arms, her voice drifting out muffled, "After such a massive incident, the Mages' Association will definitely kill me!"
"Miss Fujimaru," Matou Sakura looked worriedly at Fujimaru Ritsuka, "Don't you come from a subordinate organization of the United Nations and the Mages' Association? Do you have any ideas?"
"Me?" Fujimaru Ritsuka shrugged. "I'm just a Master who was forced into this. How would I know how to settle this? You have to ask the Doctor."
"Ahem, that's right," the Doctor's voice came through the Chaldea communication device. "This is where we reliable adults step onto the stage."
"If you ask me, you guys don't need to worry about being held accountable by the Mages' Association at all."
"Huh?!" Tohsaka Rin snapped her head up, her eyes full of hope. "Does the Master have any guidance for me?"
"Simple," the Doctor said with a smile. "The falling star and the explosion in outer space have nothing to do with you at all. After all, you've only studied magecraft for a few years; how could you cause such a huge commotion?"
"Then that's..." Tohsaka Rin caught on immediately and asked.
"Aliens, of course," the Doctor said in a matter-of-fact tone. "A Holy Grail War ritual was attacked by aliens, which catalyzed one of the Evils of Humanity, which was then taken to outer space and killed. Isn't that the truth?"
"But my responsibility as the local Manager of the Spiritual Land..." Tohsaka Rin gulped.
"Aren't you doing a great job?" Da Vinci-chan took over the conversation. "Let me ask you, after such a huge event where even aliens and Evils of Humanity appeared, has Fuyuki City suffered any unacceptable losses?"
"Umm... at most, a hole was opened in Mount Enzou?" Rin thought uncertainly.
"Exactly. Facing such a massive event, you risked your life to mediate," Da Vinci said. "In the end, you successfully prevented Fuyuki City from being destroyed, and used public opinion to cleverly transform the battle scene into a secular dispute, muddying the waters and thus avoiding the exposure of the Magecraft World."
"You haven't just committed no fault; you've actually performed a great service, Miss Tohsaka!" she said emphatically. "That was a Beast, a disaster capable of destroying the world, plus a super alien who could beat a Beast to death. In such a desperate situation, you actually held your ground and designed a way for them to kill each other, resolving two major troubles in one go."
"When the people from the Mages' Association arrive, if they don't kowtow to you, they'll be ungrateful for you saving their lives!"
"Chest out, head up, be confident. Don't lose your nerve," Da Vinci-chan said loudly. "You are a well-deserved Savior. Others only have the right to salute you; how could they make you bow your head?"
"This..." Hearing this, the three high school students, encountering the despicable world of adults for the first time, had their eyes opened. "Can it really be explained that way?"
"Otherwise, you can tell the whole story exactly as it happened," Fujimaru Ritsuka spread her hands, "and then wait for the Mages' Association to take you all away?"
"Sister!" Matou Sakura had no hesitation, turning to grasp Tohsaka Rin's hand. "You are a Savior. At least for me, that's what you are!"
"Is... is that so?" Rin was still a bit dazed. Was it... that easy?
"Of course it's not that simple," as if seeing her lack of confidence, Da Vinci-chan said confidently, "I shouldn't need to remind you what kind of group magi are."
"So even if you say you saved the world, they will still come to conduct a cold inquiry. Those people don't care about heroes."
"So at a time like this, you need your backer to appear!"
"Huh? Backer?" Rin opened her mouth, recalling for a few seconds. "Do I really have such a thing?"
"How can you refer to your grandmaster as a thing?" Da Vinci-chan winked and said, "Don't forget, your Tohsaka Family inherited the magecraft of Kischur Zelretch Schweinorg!"
"Go have your Servant and Emiya-kun make another Jeweled Sword Zelretch for you. When the people from the Clock Tower come, show this to them. They won't dare touch you then."
"The Tohsaka Family has no face in the Clock Tower, but Zelretch is different. His face carries a lot of weight; no one in the Clock Tower dares to risk angering him by touching you."
"The investment wouldn't be proportional to the gain, after all, since that omnipotent cauldron didn't fall into your hands."
"But, wouldn't this be too offensive to him..." Rin was still a bit hesitant.
"No, no," Da Vinci-chan waved her hand dismissively. "He won't care about such trifles. Plus, since such a huge incident happened in Fuyuki City and the world wasn't destroyed, he might even look at you in a new light."
"Miss Tohsaka, you have no other choice," Fujimaru Ritsuka said, looking at the hesitant Rin. "If you want to preserve the Tohsaka Family's heritage, you must do this."
"I understand," Rin finally cheered up. "Alright, I have a plan. Thank you all!"
On the other side, Xia Yu opened her eyes in her room.
How should she put it... this Third Magic was very subtle.
Was it useful?
It was quite useful. Entropy Loss was no longer a problem, and she had even completely mastered the essence of the Third Magic. When there was a chance in the future, she could even give her darling Firefly a massive upgrade.
The Counter Force really wasn't stingy.
Entropy Loss was a defect specifically designed into the genes, and the Third Magic allowed the soul to be completely materialized, using the soul to compensate for the imperfections of the physical body, truly reaching a state of immortality.
It also came with infinite Magical Energy.
Of course, the former had flaws. Eternal youth was certainly no problem, but as for immortality... as long as you faced an opponent of the same level, if he couldn't kill you instantly, you could recover quickly.
But if you ran into a massive gap, the kind where someone could insta-kill you until not even dregs remained... then you'd be finished.
The infinite Magical Energy of the latter also had limitations; the amount of mana you could mobilize at one time was fixed. Even if your mana was infinite, the casting efficiency was stuck there.
But even so, the Third Magic was enough to make almost everyone in the world flock to it.
These weren't really major drawbacks.
If you died because you provoked a super powerhouse to the point where even the Third Magic couldn't save you, we wouldn't say it was because of the Third Magic; we would usually call your cause of death suicide.
The latter was even less of a problem. The instantaneous mana output of an ordinary magus is also fixed; otherwise, why must magi build a Magecraft Workshop?
It's precisely to rely on the mana stored in the workshop to bypass physical limitations and manipulate various large-scale magecraft.
And the Third Magic's method of facing Entropy Loss was also very simple: use the materialized soul to transform the body that had been specifically designed with genetic defects.
Directly overturn those designs from the bottom logic, completely integrating the soul and the physical body. In this way, Entropy Loss naturally ceased to exist.
"Alright, a perfect conclusion!" Xia Yu stood up while feeling the lightness of her body, leaving the room.
"Hmm? What are you chatting about?" She pushed open the door and looked at the crowded, lively room, asking casually.
"Oh, we're talking about the trouble Miss Tohsaka has to face next," Fujimaru Ritsuka replied casually.
"Hmm? What trouble?" Xia Yu thought for a few seconds. "Oh, the Mages' Association, right?"
"Do you want me to go take a stroll around the Clock Tower right now?" She raised her fair little fist with a serious expression. "I guarantee they won't dare to babble anymore."
"No!" Tohsaka Rin's body jolted, and she rushed over to hug Xia Yu's waist. "Please just let me go!"