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

the other side.

In the Prime Minister's official residence in Japan, three hundred meters underground, in a meeting room.

Masao Sakamoto, head of the "Holy Grail War Countermeasures Headquarters," stands in front of a giant projection.

The projected image showed Joan of Arc bathed in golden light, slowly descending onto the dome of St. Peter's Basilica.

Even after being transcribed by equipment, the sacred choir's voice still carries a strange power that can soothe the soul.

None of the dozen or so cabinet members and senior Self-Defense Force officers present spoke.

"Gentlemen, this is an incident that just happened in the Vatican," Masao Sakamoto's voice broke the silence.

"Jeanne, the judge, is the third confirmed 'Servant'."

At this moment, a high-ranking intelligence official stood up.

"Report! Following the incident, we intercepted the highest-level encrypted communications of major powers including the United States, China, Russia, and the United Kingdom. Based on the analysis of some of the deciphered keywords, they have raised the threat level of the 'Holy Grail War' to the highest level, equivalent to 'total nuclear war'."

This conclusion caused the temperature in the conference room to drop even further.

Masao Sakamoto turned off Joan of Arc's image and switched to a world map.

In Shanghai, China, a red sword-shaped symbol representing Saber lights up.

In the Vatican, a golden flag symbolizing Ruler is lit up.

Finally, a hideous demonic symbol representing Berserker flickers with an ominous blood-red light in the location of Tokyo, the land of cherry blossoms.

"Saber of China, Ruler of Europe, and..." Masao Sakamoto's finger emphasized the demon mask symbol in Tokyo. "...the Berserker, who entrenched themselves in our capital."

"This proves that the so-called 'Holy Grail War' is global in scale, and Tokyo is undoubtedly one of the 'war zones'."

He turned to face the silent Prime Minister seated at the head of the table.

"Your Excellency the Prime Minister, I propose that the National Emergency Law be invoked immediately to impose a de facto state of martial law over the entire Tokyo metropolitan area!"

As soon as he finished speaking, everyone in the room was astonished.

"Sakamoto-kun! Are you insane?!" The Finance Minister was the first to jump up. "Martial law in the capital? What kind of social panic would that cause! Our economy would completely collapse within a day!"

"That's right, the stock market will evaporate instantly! International capital will flee in a frenzy! This is suicidal!"

"What will the public think? How should we explain this to the world?"

The officials were talking amongst themselves, their faces filled with resistance and fear.

Sakamoto Masao ignored these voices and pulled up another document, projecting it in front of everyone.

It was a transcript of an interrogation video, along with several hand-drawn illustrations.

"This information about the Command Seals came from those two creators."

Masao Sakamoto pointed to one of the patterns, a mark consisting of three twisted red strokes.

"Command Seals are proof of the contract between a Master and a Servant, and also the authority of a Master to issue absolute commands to a Servant. Every Master will have such a mark on their body."

Sakamoto Masao paused for a moment, giving everyone present time to process what he had said.

"Berserker is uncontrollable, a pure embodiment of destruction, but his Master must be human. Once we find this Master, we will have found the only way to intervene in this monster."

Masao Sakamoto put forward a specific plan.

"I propose that, under the guise of 'joint counter-terrorism investigation' and 'novel coronavirus variant screening,' military-grade high-precision image recognition equipment be deployed at all key transportation hubs, large public places, and office building entrances in Tokyo."

"Mandatory scanning of all citizens' hands, necks, and all other exposed skin areas."

"Our only goal is to find the person who carries the Command Seal!"

The meeting room fell silent once again.

The Prime Minister remained silent for a long time, his fingers tapping unconsciously on the table. After a long while, he slowly raised his head.

"Sakamoto-kun, I approve of your plan."

"From this moment forward, temporary command of all security forces of the Metropolitan Police Department and the 1st Division of the Ground Self-Defense Force is transferred to you."

"I only want one result."

Masao Sakamoto suddenly lowered his head.

"yes!"

End of the meeting.

Sakamoto Masao walked out of the conference room and gave brief orders to his subordinates who were waiting outside.

"Operation 'Demon Hunt' has officially begun."

……

At the same time, at the highest observation deck of Tokyo Tower.

Shuten-dōji sat on the outer metal railing, his feet dangling in the air. Countless city lights below reflected bored spots of light in his golden beast eyes.

……

The third day after the start of Operation "Demon Hunt".

Tens of thousands of temporary checkpoints and high-precision cameras are spread throughout every corner of Tokyo.

From subway stations to convenience stores, from office buildings to residential areas, security personnel in protective suits and carrying scanners can be seen everywhere.

The atmosphere in the city became tense and oppressive.

The lives of citizens have been severely affected, and there is widespread discontent online, with various conspiracy theories swirling around.

Inside the underground data center of the countermeasures headquarters, Masao Sakamoto stared intently at the central screen, his eyes bloodshot.

On the screen, hundreds of millions of scan data poured in like a waterfall, but the AI ​​system could not find a match for the target pattern.

Got nothing.

At night, Shinjuku, Kabukicho.

The city was brightly lit and bustling with people.

Shuten-dōji grew tired of the tedious waiting.

He decided to actively seek out some "fun" for himself.

He changed into a modern black trendy outfit and blended into the bustling crowd. His strangely handsome appearance attracted the attention of many passersby.

A drunken office worker staggered past Shuten-dōji.

The next second, the office worker suddenly let out a shrill scream, his body stiffened, and he fell straight backward, foaming at the mouth, and completely lost consciousness.

No one saw what happened.

Shuten-dōji continued walking forward.

A male escort soliciting customers tried to stop him.

Just as his fingers were about to touch Shuten-dōji's shoulder, the host stopped in his tracks.

The smile on his face froze, then was replaced by extreme fear. He crouched on the ground, clutching his head, letting out a beast-like howl, and then fainted.

Chaos began to spread.

Wherever Shuten-dōji went, everyone within three meters of him was plunged into the most terrifying illusion.

Screams and cries rose and fell.

The surveillance footage from the entire street showed a bizarre scene: people screamed and collapsed to the ground one after another without any external contact.

The scene was engulfed in stampedes and panic.

Shuten-dōji paid no attention to his surroundings; he simply walked slowly, as if strolling in his own courtyard.

……

On the other side of the city, in Toshima Ward, in a cramped rental room with a monthly rent of only 50,000 yen.

A young man named Shota Takahashi is huddled in front of his computer.

On the screen is a heated discussion about the "Holy Grail War" on an online forum.

"Saber Li Bai is so cool! He cleaved the river in two with a single sword strike! That's true strength!"

"Berserkers are terrifying! They actually burned down that place; it's so satisfying!"

"Juliet is the eternal goddess! It's faith!"

...

Shota Takahashi looked at these posts, his eyes filled with disgust and disdain for the real world.

A bunch of idiots.

Still troubled by this boring job, mortgage, and interpersonal relationships.

This world should have been destroyed long ago.

Shota Takahashi, 26 years old, is a former programmer.

Three months ago, I resigned because I could no longer tolerate my boss's long-term workplace bullying, and I have been unemployed ever since.

He harbored deep resentment towards this society.

Just then.

In the heart of Kabukicho, Shuten-dōji stopped in his tracks.

Amidst a jumble of negative emotions, he sensed a pure and resonant aura that perfectly matched his own.

It was a destructive urge... a desire to reduce everything to nothingness.

A pure malice that wants to completely shatter this boring world.

Shuten-dōji grinned, revealing a bloodthirsty and satisfied smile.

found it.

His figure transformed into an invisible black wind and vanished instantly from the chaotic scene.

A few minutes later.

The emergency response team from the countermeasures headquarters rushed to Kabukicho.

They faced hundreds of people lying on the ground in a deep coma, and a street that had fallen into a deathly silence.

Helpless.