4
The sky in Fuyuki was a permanent, bruised purple, making the passage of time a guessing game. Cu Chulainn led the group through the skeletal remains of a shopping district, his staff resting on his shoulders.
"Listen up, kid," Cu said, his eyes scanning the rooftops. "This started as the 5th Holy Grail War. Standard stuff: seven mages, seven servants, one cup of infinite wishes. But the Grail got sick—filled with black mud, primordial malice, you name it. Artoria, the King of Knights, touched it. Now she's the anchor of this mess, sitting in a cave and turning the city into a slow-cooked rotisserie of souls."
Ritsuka stopped walking, his brain finally hitting the "Overload" switch.
"Nani the... Heck! No, I can't say the 'F' word, Mama would hear it from across the dimensions," Ritsuka stammered, his English getting faster and more frantic. "And Arthur is a girl? What is this, a historical fanfic? What's next, you're going to tell me Nero Claudius is a diva obsessed with being an idol like a typical Japanese teenager?"
The Christ-Servant, who had been quietly observing a burnt-out storefront, turned His head. "The heart of a king is often misunderstood, Ritsuka. But as for the Roman... let's just say she has a very loud soul. You'll see."
"Oh, great," Ritsuka groaned. "The Lord just gave me a 'to be continued' on Nero. This day is officially weird."
The Assassin Ambush
"Down!" Mash commanded, her shield slamming into the pavement as a dozen silver daggers whistled through the air.
From the shadows of the collapsed buildings, figures in bone-white masks and dark cloaks materialized. Then more. And more.
"Wait! Why are there like dozens of them?!" Ritsuka shrieked, ducking behind Mash's greaves. "Isn't it like one per class like you guys said? That's cheating, and I want my refund! Is Kage Bunshin real? Where do I learn it? I could have been Naruto! Are you going to tell me Soul Society is real too, Lord?"
The Christ-Servant didn't flinch as an Assassin lunged at Him. He simply stepped to the side with the grace of a man walking through a garden.
"Ritsuka, focus," the Lord said, his voice a calm anchor in the chaos. "The 'Soul Society' is a bit more... organized than this. As for the boy in orange, I believe he's still in the printing press. These are the Hassan-i-Sabbah. Many bodies, one shadow."
"They're a hive mind, kid!" Cu yelled, his staff glowing red as he batted away an Assassin like a baseball. "Don't ask for a refund yet, we're still in the prologue!"
The Shelter
After a frantic skirmish that involved Mash bash-boarding through a wall and Cu setting half a street on fire, the group finally found a basement level of an old library that still had its structural integrity.
"We're not ending this tonight," Ritsuka panted, leaning against a bookshelf filled with charred classics. He checked his watch, which was cracked. "Or is it day? I can't tell if I need a nap or a very late breakfast."
"It's 03:00 local time," Olga Marie snapped, trying to fix her hair with a broken comb. "And we are currently hiding in a basement while a corrupted King of Knights prepares to erase us. This is the worst field trip in the history of the Animusphere family."
The Christ-Servant walked to the center of the room. He didn't look tired. He looked at Ritsuka, who was currently sharing a single, squashed protein bar with Fou.
"A Master must rest," the Lord said gently. He sat down on the dusty floor, leaning His back against a shelf of poetry. "Sleep, Ritsuka. I will keep the watch. The shadows of the Hassans cannot enter where the Light is invited."
The "Kuya" Moment
Ritsuka looked at the Man. Despite the "High Lord" status, there was something so fundamentally Filipino about the way He sat there—like a Kuya (big brother) watching over the younger siblings during a brownout back home.
"Lord?" Ritsuka whispered, his snark fading into exhaustion. "If I wake up and this was all a dream... I'm going to be really annoyed that I didn't get to try the Chulainn's spear."
"If you wake up, Ritsuka," the Lord replied with a smile, "I'll still be there. Now, pray your act of contrition and close your eyes. You have a King to meet tomorrow."
Ritsuka mumbled his prayers, his thumb tracing the beads of the Vatican Rosary. As he drifted off, the last thing he saw was the "Counselor" patting Fou's head, the Beast purring in the presence of its Creator.
The Status Check
The Party: Battered but alive.
The Mystery: Cu Chulainn is still trying to figure out why his "Instinct" tells him to ask the Counselor for a blessing on his staff.
The Mission: Tomorrow, they head for the Great Fire's center—the Cave of the Unholy Grail.
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