Seated not far beside Kirei, on the same rooftop edge, a man dressed entirely in blue rested his body casually.
His dark blue hair swayed gently in the night wind.
His sharp red eyes reflected the distant explosions, giving off the impression of a wild predator.
On his shoulder, a long red spear rested lazily.
Yet his gaze was clearly not as relaxed as his posture suggested.
Cu Chulainn observed the battlefield in the distance with an expression that was difficult to define—a mixture of awe, disbelief, and a slight sense of relief that he was not in the middle of that chaos.
Explosions continued to light up the sky.
Ancient weapons clashed mid-air, triggering magical impacts that turned the church area into what looked like a battlefield of gods.
"…Yeah. Screw this."
Another golden flash filled the sky.
BOOM.
"Forget the fact that he's human," Cu said flatly. "Whoever gave a human access to that kind of nonsense should have their sanity checked."
Beside him, Kirei stood motionless.
"An interesting opinion."
Cu scoffed lightly.
"It's not an opinion. It's a survival instinct."
He gestured vaguely toward the church.
"If I go in there, best case scenario I end up as a porcupine."
Kirei looked at the destruction in the distance.
"An accurate analysis."
Cu glanced at him.
"You're too calm for someone whose church is being torn apart."
"Buildings can be repaired."
Kirei's answer remained flat, as if what was being destroyed was not even his operational base in the Holy Grail War.
Cu fell silent for a few seconds.
Then he let out a small laugh.
"…Yeah. That's a psychopath's answer."
Kirei did not respond.
Or perhaps he simply did not feel the need to deny it.
Another explosion shook the air.
Golden light reflected in Cu's eyes as he looked back at the battle.
"Who do you think will win?"
A brief silence.
Kirei answered without looking away.
"It cannot yet be determined."
Cu sighed.
"A boring answer."
"But correct."
Cu paused, then shrugged.
"…Fair."
His gaze returned to the sky, now filled with Gate of Babylon.
His expression grew slightly more complex.
"Still," he murmured, "I'm starting to feel like this Holy Grail War is a bit off-track."
Kirei stared straight ahead.
"That has been clear from the beginning."
Cu clicked his tongue.
"Heh. At least something interesting is happening."
He leaned back slightly, still watching the absurd duel with a faint smile.
"Even if I still don't want to get involved."
***
Meanwhile, at the Tohsaka residence, the atmosphere was far from calm.
In the neatly arranged living room, Rin Tohsaka paced back and forth with her arms crossed.
Her steps were quick and controlled, yet clearly filled with anxiety.
Some time earlier, through her Jewel Magic familiar, Rin had managed to obtain information about the massive disturbance occurring near the church.
And what she learned was enough to make her head feel heavier.
Her current expression was complicated.
Shock.
Confusion.
Worry.
And oddly… a hint of satisfaction.
The first feelings came from the fact that Kuro was far more dangerous than she had originally thought.
From the beginning, Rin already considered Kuro a highly suspicious Magus.
Too many strange things surrounded him.
His way of thinking was unusual.
His abilities were completely unreasonable for a normal Magus.
Not to mention, there were still too many mysteries she had yet to understand.
But still, what she witnessed tonight was beyond expectations.
"Seriously?"
Rin stopped walking.
One hand rose to press her temple.
"How can he be that strong?"
The image of massive explosions and rain of weapons was still vividly etched in her mind.
And Kuro's opponent was clearly no ordinary individual.
Even if Rin did not know the opponent's exact identity, one thing was obvious—whoever it was, they were just as insane.
Or perhaps worse.
Rin resumed pacing.
"No, wait."
Her brows furrowed.
"Why are they fighting so loudly?"
That was the most disturbing part.
The battle was too conspicuous.
Too destructive.
And too open.
Magical explosions.
Public area damage.
Supernatural phenomena that would be nearly impossible to conceal with ordinary explanations.
This was no longer a Holy Grail War conflict operating in the shadows.
It looked almost like an open declaration.
And that was a huge problem.
A very big one.
Not only for the participants, but for the entire mage world.
Rin sighed deeply.
"This is really bad…"
Yet beneath all that concern, there was one fact that secretly gave her a strange sense of satisfaction.
Kuro was her student.
Or at least, technically speaking.
Rin stopped again.
Her gaze went blank as she stared ahead.
"If I think about it…"
Her tone shifted slightly.
Lighter.
"Doesn't that mean I have a connection to such an absurd Magus?"
A brief pause.
Rin immediately turned red.
"What am I thinking?!"
She quickly grabbed her hair in frustration.
"This is not the time to feel proud!"
The Holy Grail War was never safe.
Rin had understood that from the beginning.
She was born into a Magus family.
The concept of a secret war filled with betrayal and murder was nothing new to her.
However, the scale of tonight's chaos had already far exceeded normal limits.
At least from a typical Magus's perspective.
"This is too much!"
She muttered while pacing again.
"Normally this war is conducted much more secretly!"
Not like this—destroying public areas as if competing to see who cared least about secrecy.
Rin finally stopped again.
She took a long breath.
Then slowly exhaled, trying her best to calm herself.
"Looks like I really need to perform the summoning ritual soon."
Her tone was now much more serious.
"To be safe."
She paused.
Originally, Rin had planned to wait a little longer.
Prepare the ritual more carefully, and also open her father's legacy box first.
But after seeing the current situation, delaying felt like a very bad decision.
If such a massive conflict had already erupted this early in the Holy Grail War, having a Servant as soon as possible was clearly much safer.
Rin rubbed her face lightly.
"…Alright."
Her gaze sharpened.
The decision was made.
Without hesitation, she turned and headed toward the Tohsaka basement.
Her steps were now much firmer.
Faster.
More focused.
If the war had already turned into absurd chaos, then she needed a battle partner immediately.
"And hopefully," as she descended the stairs into the basement, Rin murmured softly, "…I'll get a normal Servant, even without a catalyst."
That sentence somehow sounded like a rather naive hope tonight.
***
Almost at the same time, far from the center of Fuyuki's chaos, stood the magnificent Einzbern castle in the silent forest area.
In one dimly lit room, the atmosphere was far calmer—warm, comfortable, and completely opposite to the destruction unfolding outside.
On a large bed, a small white-haired girl lay on her stomach, resting her chin on both hands.
Her white sleeping gown almost blended with the sheets and pillows around her. Her skin was pale and delicate, while her ruby-red eyes stared forward with full attention.
Overall, her appearance was so small and neat that she resembled a white rabbit too adorable to be involved in something as cruel as the Holy Grail War.
The girl was the Lesser Grail of the Fifth Holy Grail War.
Illyasviel von Einzbern.
In front of her, a crystal ball rested on the bed sheets, its surface reflecting the scene near the church.
Explosions, golden flashes, and rain of Noble Phantasms filled the night sky.
Illya watched it all with her head slightly tilted, her expression filled with curiosity.
"That…"
Her voice was soft, almost like a small murmur.
"…Gate of Babylon?"
She blinked slowly.
The crystal ball zoomed in on the golden-haired figure standing proudly on the church ruins.
Illya narrowed her eyes slightly.
"That Goldie…" she thought for a few seconds before speaking again, "Gilgamesh?"
Her tone now carried clearer confusion.
"How is that possible?"
Her brows furrowed slightly.
The information she had did not match what she was seeing.
Or rather—too many things did not match.
The crystal ball shifted focus again.
Now a long black-haired man appeared under the rain of Noble Phantasms, fighting back using the same phenomenon.
Illya fell silent.
Longer this time.
Her eyes were fixed entirely on the figure.
"…This man also has Gate of Babylon?"
Her voice was much softer now, almost like she was talking to herself.
She observed him for several seconds without blinking, fully focused.
The longer she watched, the clearer one conclusion formed in her mind.
This Holy Grail War had completely gone off-script.
Too many foreign variables, too many wild factors, and too few things that still made sense.
In theory, such a situation should be worrying.
Perhaps even alarming.
However, the corners of Illya's lips slowly lifted.
A small smile formed on her face—sweet and full of curiosity.
"Hehe…"
A small laugh escaped her lips.
Instead of being worried, she actually seemed to enjoy the situation.
"Interesting."
Her gaze returned to Kuro.
This time longer.
More focused.
Her red pupils narrowed slightly, as if her body was instinctively responding to something that sparked intense curiosity.
Or perhaps another instinct that was difficult to explain.
"I want to meet this strange person."
Her voice was light, almost like a child who had just found a new and fascinating toy.
Illya then rolled slightly on the bed, still hugging her pillow, without taking her eyes off the crystal ball.
"This Holy Grail War…"
She smiled again, this time wider.
"…is not boring after all."
Outside the room, the night remained silent.
But inside the Einzbern castle, someone had just found a new source of entertainment—something that would likely become very troublesome for Kuro in the future.
_____
Author's Note:
Creating something, even a fanfic, is not easy! Please support me! Leave comments, reviews, and some (or all) of your Power Stones! 😎
Hei. Don't ignore meh! Plz notice me senpai~
It seems like I forgot to update the latest chapter yesterday, sorry 😅