Fate's Choice: Livestream at the Start Summoning Billions of Ravens

The global internet has been in complete turmoil these past few days.

Twitter, TikTok, Weibo, Reddit—all the servers are screaming.

The argument that "science is dead, magic must rise" is rampant.

Amid this fervent binary opposition, a post titled "Global Servant Combat Power Ranking (Unofficial Ranking)" quietly climbed to the top of the trending search lists on various forums.

This is more than just a list.

This is a powder keg that ignites the vanity and jealousy of netizens from all countries.

[T0 Tier (God-tier): Rider Newton, Assassin Uchiha Madara]

[Tier 1 (National Level): Saber Li Bai, Archer Roosevelt, Ruler Jeanne d'Arc, Raven God (China)]

[T2 Tier (Tactical): Berserker Shuten-dōji (discontinued), Caster Fynne]

The release of this list immediately went viral on the global internet.

Where some are happy, others are sad.

South Korean netizens, who had been holding back their anger for a long time, instantly lost their temper and flooded the comments section of the post with messages.

Seoul, South Korea.

On the Naver forum, a sour smell suddenly rose up, and you could almost smell the fermenting kimchi through the screen.

"Damn it! Why? Why doesn't our Republic of Korea have any Servants?"

"This is unfair! We have a five-thousand-year history! We have Admiral Yi Sun-sin! We have Dangun! Why doesn't the Holy Grail answer our call?"

"This is unfair! This is absolutely racist! The Holy Grail War is discriminating against us!"

"There must be a bug in the system! I'm going to petition the Blue House!"

"I envy China! It's so enviable! One Li Bai isn't enough, there's also Fu Ningna, and even a Raven God! They have three!"

Among countless posts of impotent rage, one comment was upvoted to the top of the list.

"Actually, I think Caster Funina would be a good fit for us."

"Look closely, everyone. Ms. Funina is a superstar who loves the spotlight and the stage. Isn't that the perfect embodiment of our K-pop culture?"

"That's right! That so-called 'Shanghai, China' has no idea how to appreciate Ms. Fu Ningna's art! Only in Seoul, in Gangnam, can she receive true superstar treatment!"

"I suggest starting a global petition to invite Ms. Fu Ningna to tour Seoul! Once she comes, we have a way to keep her here! After all, she seems to love desserts, and we have the best cafes!"

These shameless remarks quickly attracted the attention and ridicule of netizens around the world.

"Has the theft of the country begun again?"

"Last time they stole from the Dragon Boat Festival, this time they want to steal from the Water God? Aren't they afraid of drowning?"

"Fufu: Thanks for the invitation, but I'm in Shanghai, so please don't mention me, or I might get robbed."

And on the banks of the Ganges.

Indian netizens displayed a completely different kind of mysterious self-confidence.

They scoffed at the list.

"Ha, a bunch of mortals."

"Meteorites? Gravity? What are those?"

"When our great Shiva descends and opens his third eye, the entire universe will be rebooted!"

"Once the avatar of Lord Vishnu appears, these so-called heroic spirits will be nothing but dust!"

"The Holy Grail hasn't descended yet simply because it deems its current opponent too weak to warrant the intervention of our great deity!"

This kind of self-deception made the onlookers give a thumbs up and say, "Drinking too much Ganges water really does make you drunk."

……

Nagata-cho, Tokyo, the land of cherry blossoms.

"Holy Grail War Countermeasures Headquarters".

Inside the huge circular conference room, Masao Sakamoto stood in front of the main screen, his expression stern.

"Reporting to His Excellency the Prime Minister."

Masao Sakamoto bowed slightly, but his back remained ramrod straight.

"We have used all available technical means in the past 72 hours."

"Satellites, high-altitude drones, ground sensor networks, and all the intelligence resources we can mobilize."

"The conclusion is that we cannot find him."

Defense Minister Matsumoto couldn't help but speak up.

"Minister Sakamoto, are you saying we can only passively take the hits?"

Masao Sakamoto turned around, his sharp gaze sweeping over Matsumoto.

"Yes, Minister Matsumoto."

"Until we find his Master, or rather, until he finds his Master, we can only passively endure all his actions."

"How can this be!"

Matsumoto slammed his hand on the table.

"We are a nation! Not lambs to the slaughter!"

Masao Sakamoto's lips curled into a cold smile.

"Then, Your Excellency, what are your thoughts?"

"I……"

Matsumoto was speechless for a moment.

A suffocating silence fell over the meeting room.

The prime minister, seated at the head of the table, picked up his teacup, gently blew on the steam, but didn't drink a drop.

His gaze never left Masao Sakamoto's face.

"Sakamoto-kun."

The Prime Minister's aged voice rang out.

"You must have your own ideas."

Masao Sakamoto turned back to face the Prime Minister and bowed his head deeply.

"Yes."

"I do have a solution."

"An unconventional solution."

All eyes were on him.

Sakamoto Masao raised his head and said, word by word.

"Since we can't find him."

"Then let him come to us."

"What do you mean?"

"Uchiha Madara was an extremely arrogant individual. He craved the stage, the audience, and the whole world to witness his 'peace' ideals."

A kind of mad light gleamed in Masao Sakamoto's eyes.

"The Hiroshima attack is the best proof of that."

"Instead of letting the meteorite fall directly, he kept it suspended in the air, announcing his plan to the world."

"What he needs is not just destruction, but the fear and attention that accompany it from all over the world."

"So, my solution is..."

He paused, then emphasized his words.

"Use global media to publicly address him."

"What?!"

The meeting room erupted in uproar.

"Sakamoto! Are you crazy? Publicly addressing a terrorist? This will make us a laughingstock worldwide!"

"This is an admission of our incompetence! It's surrendering to him!"

"Where is the dignity of the nation?!"

Despite the public's outrageous opposition, Masao Sakamoto remained unfazed.

"Everyone, dignity is not given by others, but earned through strength."

"Do we have the strength now?"

He asked rhetorically.

"Our military forces are no match for him, and our intelligence system is practically useless."

"The only thing we can do now is to exploit the weaknesses in his character."

"We'll give him the biggest stage in the world and invite him to step into the spotlight."

"Is this what you call surrendering?"

Masao Sakamoto sneered.

"No."

"This is called 'luring the snake out of its hole'."

The Prime Minister put down his teacup, which made a soft sound as it touched the table.

The meeting room immediately fell silent.

"In whose name?"

The Prime Minister asked.

"Masashi Kishimoto".

Masao Sakamoto answered without hesitation.

"He is the author of Naruto and the originator of the 'concept' of Madara Uchiha, although we have ruled out his involvement as a Master."

"But having him handle it is the most suitable thing to do."

The Prime Minister closed his eyes and tapped his fingers lightly on the table.

Finally, he opened his eyes.

"approve."

"We'll do as you say."

Three hours later.

A windowless interrogation room in the Cabinet Intelligence and Research Office.

Manga artist Masashi Kishimoto, who had been under close surveillance for several days, was "invited" to a chair by two men in black.

His face was haggard, his eyes were sunken, and he had completely lost the demeanor of a top cartoonist.

Masao Sakamoto placed a printed document on the table in front of him.

"Mr. Kishimoto."

"Next, you need to face the camera and read this statement aloud in its entirety."

As Masashi Kishimoto looked at the manuscript, his hands began to tremble uncontrollably.

"Why...why did I do this?"

"I know nothing!"

Masao Sakamoto leaned down, put his ear close, and spoke in a voice only the two of them could hear.

"Because this is for the future of the land of cherry blossoms."

"And for your own future."

Half an hour later.

An emergency live broadcast, without any prior notice, was suddenly interrupted on the news channels of all major media outlets worldwide.

In the footage, Masashi Kishimoto sits behind a podium, his face pale, and speaks to the camera in a completely emotionless tone, reciting from a prepared script.

"I, as the creator of the character Uchiha Madara..."

"We express our deepest regret regarding... Mr. Uchiha Madara's recent actions in the Hiroshima area."

"We believe that Madara Uchiha's original intention was also to pursue peace."

"It's just that the method... is a bit extreme."

"On behalf of myself and at the request of the relevant parties, I would like to have a friendly dialogue with Mr. Uchiha Madara."

"To jointly explore the possibilities of maintaining world peace."

The live stream ended abruptly there.

The screen went black instantly.

After a three-second silence, global public opinion exploded.

[The Japanese government has yielded to terrorists!]

[Unprecedented! A nation publicly pleads for dialogue with extraordinary criminals!]

Is this a diplomatic disgrace or a pragmatic strategy?

[Hilarious! Kishimoto Masashi has become Madara's spokesperson? What kind of hellish joke is this?]

On the internet, mockery, anger, confusion, and schadenfreude intertwine to form a sea of ​​information.

Japan's image in the international community has plummeted.

……

Shinjuku area.

This is one of Tokyo's most bustling areas, but now, half of the area remains in ruins.

The cordon was stretched out in layers, strictly prohibiting any civilians from entering.

But in the heart of the ruins, atop a skyscraper that is now only half intact.

A figure was silently suspended in the air.

He wore dark red layered armor, and his long black hair danced wildly in the night wind.

It was Uchiha Madara.

But his current state is quite peculiar.

The body takes on a semi-transparent, spiritualized state, invisible to the naked eye of ordinary people.

He crossed his arms and coldly looked down at the city lights below.

Directly in front of him, a surviving giant LED screen was playing Masashi Kishimoto's speech on a loop.

Looking at the middle-aged man trembling in front of the camera, Ban's lips curled into a disdainful smile.

"The creator?"

The deep, hoarse voice echoed in the night sky, but no one could hear it.

In Madara's scarlet Sharingan eyes, the three tomoe slowly rotated.

He does indeed possess memories of this "author".

That is worldly knowledge bestowed by the Holy Grail.

But he doesn't care.

For him, neither the plot of the comics nor the so-called "setting" are anything more than footnotes on the path to that ultimate goal.