Shinji Matou was in serious trouble.
As usual, after school he had taken a few girls out—shopping, karaoke, and finally a love hotel. Being from a prestigious family in Miyama Town with no shortage of wealth, Shinji had no problem attracting attention from the opposite sex.
But on his way ho, walking through the night, he was ambushed by a Servant.
Overconfident in his abilities, Shinji had completely overlooked the fact that the Holy Grail War had already begun, with several Masters and Servants yet to show themselves. He'd even left the house without bringing his own Servant along.
It was a basic rule that battles in the Holy Grail War took place at night.
When he left school, it was still daylight—but now, it was fully dark.
"You're... Assassin..."
Clutching his bleeding shoulder, Shinji glared hatefully at the Servant who had attacked him with throwing knives.
A black figure wrapped in a loose cloak, a white mask covering its face.
There was no doubt. Assassin.
The true na was Hassan-i-Sabbah—but it was unclear which iteration of the legendary na this was.
Until he revealed himself and attacked, not even the magical familiars—Shinji's surveillance insects—had detected his presence.
Assassin stepped forward slowly, dagger in hand, ready to finish the job.
"Don't you dare!"
With a furious roar, veins bulged on Shinji's face—marks of the crest worms writhing beneath his skin.
He had no natural magical aptitude. His transformation into a Magus was a forced one, done by his grandfather, Zouken Matou, as a last resort. After ten years of grueling training, he could finally manage as a Magus.
The cost? Every ti he used magic, his life span shortened.
But Shinji, obsessed with the Matou family's legacy of Magecraft, couldn't care less.
Dozens of bladed insects surged from the surrounding greenery, swarming toward Assassin.
"What—!"
Assassin, having mistaken him for an ordinary human, was caught off guard. Facing a Magus changed everything.
If left unchecked, those bugs could seriously injure even a Servant.
He backflipped to avoid the swarm and slashed with his dagger, cleaving through the approaching insects.
But then, a fireball burst through the air, splitting midflight into several smaller orbs that exploded within the insect swarm, setting off a chain of blasts.
"So you're a Magus after all. I thought you were just so pathetic nobody." A mocking voice rang out. "If that's the case, your heart and soul might actually be useful to my Servant."
Shinji staggered to his feet, glaring at the man erging from the shadows.
He wore a black suit with a red collar, had an unshaven face, glasses, and a smug grin. The look in his eyes was uncomfortable—like a wolf sizing up its prey.
"You're... Assassin's Master?" Shinji asked, holding his arm, the bleeding slowing.
"Oh? You figured that out? Then you must be a Master too." The man smiled lazily. "Na's Beryl Gut. I'll be the one killing you. If you don't want to die, better use your Command Spell and summon your Servant."
Despite the seemingly casual words, his tone was unmistakably that of a predator savoring the hunt.
With Beryl's signal, Assassin flung three black throwing knives, their slender forms nearly invisible in the darkness.
But just before they struck Shinji's head, sothing unseen deflected them away.
Rider erged from the shadows.
Like an Assassin, she wore a black cloak, her face hidden behind a mask painted with a black serpentine pattern.
"Master, I apologize for being late," said Rider.
"You trying to get
killed or what?" Shinji snapped, showing no gratitude at all as he scolded her.
Rider held a long, slender weapon with a curved blade—more like a sickle than a spear.
"Hey hey, so that's your Servant? And she's masked too." Beryl stroked his chin. "Now that's got
curious. What kind of background could she have?"
Shinji glared at Beryl, gritting his teeth through the pain. "Letting your Servant hunt civilians in the city... You—are you the bastard behind the recent murders?"
"Oho, figured it out that fast? As expected of a Magus in the Holy Grail War. Sharp one," Beryl said, tilting his head slightly. The moonlight reflected off his glasses, hiding his eyes behind a ghostly white gleam.
"Master," Rider said calmly, "he's an evil that needs to be dealt with here and now. We can't let the damage from the Holy Grail War spread further through the city."
But Shinji showed no intention of agreeing.
If anything, he liked Beryl's thods. That's how the Holy Grail War should be, in his mind. Ignorant civilians should just quietly beco fodder for the Servants.
If only his own Servant weren't so self-righteous—and if he didn't mind wasting a Command Spell—he would've ordered Rider to do the sa a long ti ago.
"So? What now, Rider's Master? Gonna take
on?" Beryl was still grinning, though he made no effort to conceal his bloodlust.
Shinji glanced at his wounded arm, then flicked his hand. Another swarm of bladed insects burst forth.
By the ti Beryl and Assassin cut down the last of them, Rider and Shinji were already gone.
"Tch. Took the injury as an excuse and ran off, huh?" Beryl kept laughing. "Not quite what I planned, but that's the Holy Grail War for you. As long as I get to kill my way, I don't really care how."
"Shall we pursue them, Magus?" Assassin asked respectfully.
"No need. Take your ti. Keep hunting civilians and devouring souls. You're too weak—at this rate, you'll never beat the other Servants."
Beryl turned on his heel and left the scene without hesitation.
Neither he nor Shinji noticed the eyes watching from above.
"As expected... The serial killings in Fuyuki are the work of the participants." Perched atop a utility pole, Ciel muttered to herself.
Since the fighting began last night, she had been patrolling the city and cleaning up the aftermath.
She had just finished reviewing the destruction at the seaside park and was on her way back to the church when she ca upon this scene—and overheard enough to understand what was happening.
As the Overseer for the Holy Church, she couldn't intervene directly. Otherwise, she would've taken advantage of Rider's retreat to strike.
After a brief mont of thought, the young Overseer made her decision.
"I need to find a way to handle this."
...
(100 Chapters Ahead)
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