Tonight, Alice joins the hunt.

“Yes.” Akuta nodded. “This is Saber.”

She didn't mention Lanling Wang's name, then immediately changed the subject, asking, "Are you a magician?"

“My sister and I are both magicians, from the Matou family, from the Machiri family who went to the East—our names should be in Chaldea’s archives.” The boy smiled, easily understanding Hinako Akuta’s unspoken meaning. He gently patted the armrest of his wheelchair, and the girl behind him pushed him slowly toward the open school gates.

"If you don't believe me, you should be able to find the relevant information in Seraphine, but I suggest you don't stay outside for too long. The monsters in the dark are not easy to deal with."

He moved forward, and Akuta and Lanling Wang exchanged a glance before following closely behind. Behind them, the dark chaos writhed silently, then abruptly stopped before touching the outer wall of the academy.

This is a stronghold, a magician's stronghold. And this stronghold is extremely powerful and complex in its construction. In terms of defensive capabilities alone, its strength even surpasses that of Chaldea's outer barrier.

..............................

Over the next half hour, Akuta and the spirit-formed Lanling Wang, led by Matou Shinji, explored the entire Seraphine-Homurahara Academy complex. She had to admit she was genuinely shocked, as she saw nearly a thousand surviving students and almost a hundred Seraphine staff members inside the complex. She also roughly understood the events that had led to this area becoming what it is today.

First, the incineration of humanity is not a process that is completed in an instant—it has a narrow duration of about one hundred seconds. And when the incineration begins, flames burst forth from all surrounding material structures, transforming everything into rising ribbons of light—

The specific principles are complex, and Hinako Akuta couldn't articulate them perfectly, but according to Chaldea, it should be a denial of reality caused by the collapse of history. Just as if the bricks of a castle were suddenly removed, even the most magnificent building would inevitably collapse and be destroyed. The Magic King only burned history; the destruction of reality is a natural phenomenon caused by the removal of history.

Since the collapse of reality is merely a consequence, a side effect rather than the primary target closely guarded by the Magic King, some powerful magicians can naturally take appropriate measures at the moment of incineration. They can either create a barrier using their workshops or temporarily rewrite their life forms. In short, as long as they can redefine order within the chaos, they can continue to exist.

However, achieving this requires a very high level of skill from the magician. It's difficult for Akuta to pinpoint exactly how high, but she believes the magician must be at least a level above the rulers of the Time Tower to have any chance of survival. In Akuta's judgment, the Matou siblings, who control this complex organization, possess an unimaginably superior level of magic.

"Even if I drink blood and use the Holy Grail, I might still not win." —Gua Xin thought.

She knew this wasn't just wishful thinking; at the very least, she and her brother had the ability to drive away those chaotic monsters they dared not even look at. And the massive protective barrier currently covering Homurahara Academy and Seraphine was also the work of the siblings—they had saved the academy during the Human Order Burning, and then, finding the academy lacking sufficient food supplies, they controlled its movement to search for resources or survivors. This process didn't last long. Because soon, the poorly protected but well-resourced Seraphine came into their view.

Why is he so strong? No one knows. But all secrets related to power are firmly guarded, and those who dare to pry will likely pay a heavy price.

Strength – Strength is a very important thing.

Because of the power possessed by the brother and sister, Akuta wisely abandoned her plan to uncover their secrets and would absolutely not interfere with the decision-making of this complex organization. At the same time, she decided to completely ignore the fanatical atmosphere permeating the organization—she knew from seeing the Seraphines employees that they had become fanatical followers of the brother and sister. This enormous complex organization, which once belonged to Chaldea, now belonged entirely to the brother and sister.

She was worried because she didn't know what the consequences would be if these people joined forces with Chaldea.

This could be considered both a deterrent and a test. Jie knew she wasn't very shrewd; even with a deadpan expression, she might have revealed a lot of important information—or perhaps not, but she still gave up the option of using force here.

Fighting against overwhelming odds would be a foolish choice, so Jie didn't intend to do anything unnecessary. After the siblings had shown her around the huge complex and she had a thorough understanding of the area, she continued the conversation with them in a place that used to be the principal's office.

"Let's get straight to the point." The student council president, who called himself Shinji Matou, sat at one side of the long table, his ten fingers clasped together. His gaze was fixed on Akuta's neck and above. A smile played on his lips, and his tone was gentle, yet filled with an undeniable authority. "I'm very interested in your Chaldea headquarters. I will be controlling Seraphix to move towards Antarctica. And this is a proposal that benefits both sides—"

"Seraphix's resources are running low, but they can still provide sufficient protection. I know that Chaldea possesses the technology of spirit particle transfer, so even if resources are lacking, you can replenish them by collecting them from singularities. But you have no way to deal with that pile of stuff outside."

“Chaldea can solve this problem,” Hinako Akuta said earnestly, trying to bluff her way out of a discussion whose outcome was almost certainly predetermined, hoping to gain some advantage for Chaldea.

—She really did something that was very inconsistent with her public image.

"Then what are you doing here? Out for a stroll? Gathering inspiration?" The negotiator sitting opposite her bluntly pointed out the flaws in her words. He then presented more information as evidence. "As far as I know, Chaldea's headquarters are in Antarctica, so you couldn't possibly have obtained additional manpower. Moreover, I can tell that you deliberately provoked those strange things in the darkness, and coupled with the 'Servants,' Chaldea's exclusive combat force, you have them by your side. The true situation of Chaldea is self-evident."

His body leaned slightly forward, and the mere movement conveyed a sense of oppression.

"I suspect that Chaldea is currently in a critical situation, which is why you, an important combat force, have been dispatched to such a chaotic environment in the wilderness to try to scout out the enemy or find allies. You may deny it, but I will still control Seraphine to head towards Antarctica. You can choose to become the link between the two sides, or you can stand aside and let me and your young director handle this matter."

Mustard was speechless.

What else could she say? She had barely uttered a single sentence, and the other party had already guessed her entire situation. More importantly, the other party knew exactly what words to use to persuade a living being like her.

If Ritsuka were here, a few kind words would be more effective than anything... No, he wouldn't even need to say a word; Ritsuka would take him to Chaldea. Because that's the kind of person Ritsuka is...

[But I'm different from Ritsuka. Convincing Ritsuka requires a gentle approach. Convincing me, however, only requires outlining the pros and cons… After all, I am Gaia's spirit, and the survival of humanity is none of my concern. I only need to know that Mother Gaia brought me here, and that this place offers the means to solve the problems outside. So, wouldn't taking the entire Seraphines with me be the perfect proposal that aligns with my position?]

[Ugh, this is terrible! If Flora were still here, she could definitely handle this kind of situation perfectly!]

Mustard rubbed his head vigorously and took a deep breath.

There was no other way. Although the current situation was extremely unfavorable to her, she still had to put up a desperate struggle, even if the outcome was probably irreversible. But simply admitting defeat was not in her style.

She thought to herself, and then carefully opened her mouth...

....................................

A few minutes later, Jie left the room. She had arrived preoccupied and left dejected. Clearly, she had been completely outmaneuvered in the negotiations within the room. In the end, she could only slink away from the negotiating table in disgrace.

“A stupid girl.” Shinji Matou chuckled, watching her figure disappear at the end of the corridor. “Unnecessary emotions have made her weak; she really has no need to waste her time here with us.”

“Brother, you were too hasty,” the girl behind him said softly, her slender, fair hands moving up the handles of the wheelchair and gently pressing on his shoulder. “You could have chosen to use a gentle tone, a soft attitude, and the pressing facts to persuade her to ask for cooperation, instead of using this method that almost puts you on the opposite side. After all, her purpose in coming here was to seek cooperation.”

“I know.” The boy with the seaweed-like hair nodded slightly. “But it’s not necessary. Before we find another saint, there’s no need for us to be too close to Chaldea. This ambiguous stance is actually quite advantageous for us. If the situation changes, it’s easy to switch sides. Besides…”

He made a gesture, and the space walls that had been erected long ago inside and outside the room became even thicker.

"...The so-called struggle over the Dao is a struggle over the Dao, not force or emotion. Whether we can ultimately gain benefits depends on what we do on this stage, not on how good our relationship is with the representatives. The problem now is that we have not yet been able to discover the essence of the paths of these two sages, so choosing a side is naturally extremely difficult."

"Perhaps we can find something with Sister Xilin?"

“Not necessarily.” The young man shook his head slightly. “As someone who is very close to the one who is idealistic, even if she is not directly corrupted by the Dao, she is destined to be affected by that person. In other words, she has a kind of subordinate relationship with the one who is idealistic in a broad sense, which means that she may become that person’s weakness.”

He paused, then added, "It could also be bait."

"...Brother, do you mean that the sage who influenced Sister Xilin's decision is actually more likely the one from the primordial era?" The girl's eyes widened slightly. "Then Sister Xilin wouldn't be..."

“She’ll be fine.” The boy shook his head confidently. “She’s very clear about her position and goes with the flow, but she doesn’t use that ‘flow’ to its fullest extent. After all, you see—” He flicked his fingers.

The next moment, a mutated, corrupted Honkai beast, tens of thousands of meters long, that had been coiled outside Seraphines silently crumbled into dust. Spatial rifts, like a spiderweb, erupted from its body and spread to a fan-shaped spatial region hundreds of kilometers away from Seraphines. A terrible storm immediately swept up, and then a dark landmass equivalent to a province in the Central Plains was flattened into a mirror-like plain.

Rules were re-established amidst the chaos. However, the next moment, numerous distortions and twists reappeared on the mirror-like plain. Starlight from distant lands descended, and the earth bulged up like festering sores, giving birth to countless deformed and grotesque beasts.

This is a phenomenon of eclipse, indicating that the distant battlefield, which is gradually moving away from the solar system, still regards Earth as a target for attack.

"—Look, she protects humanity in history. But she still sees the surviving humans of today as targets for attack. In this way, she can switch sides at any time, instead of being confined from the beginning by a path that may not even be right."

"That being said, Sister Sirin's Dao Erosion phenomenon hasn't killed a single person yet, has it? The Dao Erosion phenomenon she deployed in Antarctica has always been at a level that can maintain a stalemate with Captain Moriu's team. And apart from Antarctica, this place is the last human settlement... Won't this pretentious protective stance really cause her to shift her allegiance?"

“Perhaps, but Celine knows what’s important, and I believe she can handle this. And…” The boy tried to shrug, but ultimately gave up. He sighed, his voice becoming somewhat dejected.

"Sakura, could you... please take your hand off my shoulder?"

Chapter 43 - First Cycle - Moon's Restraint

At the same time, in Mesopotamia.

The chase between Bartholomew and Merlin had finally come to an end. The path to the Underworld was blocked from their view like a gaping maw of abyss. With several swift and powerful clashes of force, the nearby land was shattered as if plowed by a barrage of bullets. However, Merlin, a master of escape, managed to evade Bartholomew's attacks and successfully reached his destination before annihilation arrived.

Flames and petals traversed the eerie atmosphere of Kusa City, which resembled the opening of the gates of hell. The fugitives and pursuers, one after the other, stepped through the rift in spacetime and arrived in the Underworld. The instant they stepped into the Underworld, Merlin and his ally vanished like phantoms. The next moment, Ba sensed her Spirit Origin being rapidly worn down, yet immediately afterward, new power surged from the depths of her Spirit Core.

As far as the eye could see, there was a dark continent, gloomy and somber, with the faint outlines of mountains in the distance. Around her were jagged rocks, each forming a towering pillar, while dark miasma flowed between the pillars, causing immense magical abrasion the moment it touched her skin.

The underworld has a master who is aware of their arrival, but the master of the underworld does not welcome her.

She knew why, or rather, she guessed part of the reason. Because her master, the god Mangotrund, the ruler of the Old Order, had plundered countless souls destined for death from the land of Mesopotamia and summoned them all. Thus, the goddess who ruled over death was naturally in opposition to her.

This situation is not good, but the power of the Lord of the Underworld is relatively limited. At least Ba is very clear that the power of the master he serves is definitely above that of the Goddess of the Underworld, and it is probably for this reason that he is able to possess a certain amount of strength while in the Underworld.

She took a deep breath, and sparks flew around her. Visible signs of flame appeared in the seams of her armor and battle skirt. The flames replaced her blood, coursing through her limbs and bones. The dark miasma surrounding her silently dissipated, restoring her to the combat power befitting a top-tier Spirit Origin Servant.

[But this level of combat power isn't enough... I can't possibly defeat the Goddess of the Underworld in the Underworld. And since Merlin dared to enter the Underworld carrying that stone tablet, it means he's at least somewhat confident that the Goddess won't see him as a target, and might even grant him some degree of protection. So...]

What should I do?

Her mind was filled with doubt, and this doubt led her into deep thought. She felt she should try to find a suitable strategy to take the stone tablet away without conflicting with the Lord of the Underworld. But no matter how hard she racked her brains, she couldn't come up with a proper solution.

—Speaking of which, why was she so obsessed with that stone slab?

The flame-shaped bird on her shoulder cooed a few times, and she suddenly woke up—ah, that's right, she didn't come here alone. The goddess gave her such a powerful blessing while issuing the command. Perhaps the reason was that the goddess had foreseen her encounter and had given her the means to deal with the enemy in advance.

She reached out to touch the flame bird perched on her shoulder, but the strange bird hopped away before her fingertips could touch it—she couldn't help but chuckle.

Although she always seems aloof, this goddess is actually surprisingly thoughtful in some small ways. If I'm not mistaken, she... must be very lonely.

Fragments of memories flickered in her eyes, from the moment she was recruited to Flora's service, everything Flora had done for her and everything she had done under Flora's guidance. She was somewhat surprised to find that in this past month, she had never been forced to do anything against her will, because the goddess's commands were either for salvation or for protection, which was quite different from what she knew of the Holy Grail War.

Masters possess Command Seals, and the original purpose of Command Seals was to allow Servants to obey commands at appropriate times—ultimately, a Servant is nothing more than a high-level familiar. Like shikigami or kaiju, the reason why magicians suffer defeats due to the betrayal of their Servants is essentially because of their own weakness. Trying to control a stronger enemy with a weaker one is bound to backfire, but this goddess who is Tomoe's Master is different.

Servants are familiars who manifest in response to requests. Because they possess great power, they should not be treated as tools when commanded by the weak. However, in essence, the so-called Servants, the so-called Boundary Recording Belt, are still tools.

[But my master didn't treat me as a tool. Even though all the Servants of this era combined couldn't compare to her, she still treated me like a real person. She spoke very little, but did a lot—even Fujimaru Ritsuka, whom I admired greatly, didn't value me as much as she did.]

Is it because the goddess trusts me?

Ba slowly closed his eyes, then opened them again.

Then, I made up my mind.

Ah… my goddess believes in me, and I absolutely cannot let her down. It's just an ancient underworld, but even if I become a ghost, I will take that stone tablet back from Merlin's hands!

The next moment, flames erupted from every part of her body, instantly igniting a towering pillar of fire within the dark underworld. Boundless light and heat spread outwards, startling countless wandering spirits on the dark earth, and simultaneously unleashing her resolute and triumphant cry!

"The messenger of the god Mangotrend, Ba, has come to pay homage to the lord of the underworld!"

Her voice echoed in the dark underworld, and immediately afterward, a pale blue flame suddenly ignited at the foot of a black mountain not far before her—it was a vertical cage within which hundreds of dead souls burned silently. The next moment, more pale blue flames ignited from every corner of the mountain, spreading from there into every corner of the darkness.

A sound, like a bell or a chime, rang out. The seemingly endless cage opened with the sound. The soul fires sealed within were now freed and instinctively rushed towards the only living thing remaining on this dark land!

The soul fire surged like a tide, sweeping towards her.

Ah, it seems the Lord of the Underworld's reply was—'Get out!'

Therefore, the possibility of a peaceful resolution can be disregarded.

She sighed, and sparks flew from the naginata.

..........................................

Flora had a dream, a long, distant dream from which she could wake at any time, but one from which she did not wish to wake up too soon.

A dream of the past, a dream of history.

A follower's dream.

In her dream, she was an observer, witnessing a period of history from the purest, most detached perspective. That history originated in Japan's Genpei period, and at its core was a girl named Tomoe who came from the Central Plains.

She witnessed everything the girl experienced, from the moment the girl was born. She was by the girl's side from the moment the girl cried out. She watched the girl learn to walk, learn to talk, pick up the bow and sword—symbols of martial arts—for the first time, tie her hair up, go on her first outing, and finally participate in the first war.

As a hardworking magician, Flora actually knows quite a bit about the history of the Genpei War. Long ago, she also dreamed that she summoned an ancient hero from the East. However, when the dream became reality, and she stepped into the dream, she held a disdainful attitude towards everything except for the girl named Tomoe.

She doesn't need them, just as they don't need her.

But once someone extends a hand to her, she will definitely grab that hand firmly.

She examined it closely, she gazed intently—in the history she knew, Nakahara Tomoe had married Minamoto no Yoshinaka, the most famous hero of the time, at a very young age. And when history became a dream, and reality presented itself before her eyes, she witnessed firsthand the fate of this renowned couple who would be remembered in history.

From their first meeting to their parting on the battlefield, she could clearly perceive the burning passion surging within the young girl's heart. She could clearly understand all the love and sorrow the girl held, and then—

—She also knew that all of this was a fake.

Tomoe, as a Servant, is not actually the spirit of the deceased Tomoe Gozen. She is a message, a lingering image, a trace, a record of boundaries. She is the living embodiment of all the history experienced by the individual 'Nakahara Tomoe', and the sum of ordinary people's understanding of her at that time and in the past. She is an 'object' that is like a history book come to life, rather than a soul that actually walked on the earth and once possessed life.

Everything about Tomoe is actually a lie. As a Servant, she never had a romantic relationship with 'Minamoto no Yoshinaka', nor did she ever fight on the battlefield of the Genpei War. Her demon bloodline and her martial arts skills that control fire are actually just the influence of later legends that distorted information and manifested on her. In reality, Tomoe Gozen, who truly dominated the battlefield of the Genpei War, was just an ordinary mortal warrior. In terms of actual combat power, she was probably not as strong as Tomoe when she was first summoned to the world and possessed an ordinary Servant Spirit Origin.