Xingyue, is Xiaokai also considered Kai?

Suddenly, with a "pop," she spat out the foam in her mouth.

There was clearly no one or anything else on the seabed.

However, Eri could sense 'something' awakening within her.

And so, around the struggling Eri, the scenery began to change, and mist began to slowly spread.

In that thin mist, the sea itself began to flow slowly.

Unbeknownst to her, the clamor of the crowd, the sound of the waves, and the anger stemming from someone's 'departure'—an anger rooted in the Izanami bloodline—brought Eri a brief recollection of the 'Tokyo memories' she had forgotten after drinking the waters of the River of Oblivion.

"I was you, and you will be me (Tu Fui, Ego Eris)".

On the seabed, the girl's pupils suddenly contracted into vertical lines, radiating divinity. Her waist-length black hair had fallen to her ankles, with pale phosphorescent flames swirling around the ends.

Just like his mother, Izanami.

“Young Master, your divine ship of the mortal and the present world remains at the bottom of that place. Therefore, I will borrow your ship that came riding on the tassel of the wave to set sail again, to create heaven and earth. Heaven is Rama’s ship.”

Eri's long-haired voice shook the seawater; that sonic wave, defying the laws of physics, might have been the exclusive language of the Grim Reaper in the Age of Gods.

Whether it's accusation or confession, just hearing it feels like the soul of a living being is about to be crushed.

This was the natural way for Eri to grow up. Her father made her drink the water of the River of Oblivion not only to make her forget her memories of Tokyo, but also to slowly make her lose the divinity that belonged to the god of the underworld. The remnants of divinity can be seen from the fact that Eri could not cry no matter what.

Based on the words of long-haired Eri.

And so, something impossible happened in the already silent Izumo region: the sand on the seabed was boiling, and then the waves surged. Tiny points of light were rising from the seabed in the deep blue water, like countless fireflies piercing through the abyss.

The sea parted.

The waves parted.

It was cleaved from the sea to the sky, just like the story of Suohiko-na in Japanese mythology who crossed the sea to assist the lord of Japan.

However, Shao Yanming did not appear; instead, the Tenno Rama ship he was traveling on appeared.

……

Time returns to morning, outside the city of Mosaic in Japan, in the old Izumo region.

This area is now submerged by rising sea levels.

The sun was shining brightly and the sky was clear.

The azure of the sea must also originate from reflecting such a bright sky, but the seemingly unchanging sky prohibits the existence of flying machines under the rules of the Holy Grail.

However, in this corner that no one would care about, a bound figure began to rapidly descend into the dark seabed.

"Fran, did I really run into a shady shipping route? How unlucky..."

Freed from his restraints, Fran gazed at the seascape and exclaimed, "That wretched Columbus! I'm never drawing from your lottery again! I'm going to give you a piece of my mind online!"

Why did you have to do that? All Fran did was ask Babbage's father to hack Columbus's website so that Fran could win the biggest prize for opening your website, the 'free one-year flight' service. Nobody has ever won it before, so isn't it great that Fran won it for you?

Fran, who was determined to get his revenge someday, reached out and twisted the horn on his forehead to escape the sea surface in a spiral shape.

But then she held her breath because of something that suddenly appeared.

Huge bubbles burst forth from the waves, carrying the bronze bow of the ship, and the mottled patterns on the hull glowed faintly in the air.

"Ah...eh?"

Marine animals have long been extinct; only drones remain on the seabed—a consensus shared by humans and their followers.

But Fran couldn't help but freeze for a moment.

"What a huge drone..."

Just passing by like this is probably comparable to a small town. There are sharp and steep peaks, as well as structures with walls hundreds of meters long. Wait, that looks like a ship... And what's that thing radiating brilliant light falling from the sky?

Fran had expected a violent collision with the ship, but instead, the ship simply passed right through her—

The next moment, she appeared inside the ship with a blank expression.

"Fran, have I encountered some major event...?"

Fran cautiously poked his head out the door. "Huh? The concentration of magic is so high?"

Although magic is now available even in cities, its concentration varies depending on the region, but such a high concentration is rare. Even houses in London, which are extremely rare and expensive, might only cost half as much as here.

“It was I who saved you, out of consideration for the fact that you are all dead, residents of the underworld in a foreign land.”

On the deck of the ancient ship that appeared out of nowhere, Eri, with her long hair reaching her ankles, looked down at her and said coldly.

"That's so, so wonderful, thank you..."

After regaining his senses, Fran asked with a hint of curiosity, "So, what's going on now?"

"'I' and that so-called Demon King have an inseparable relationship. However, now a new relationship should be formed. I believe that it is incomprehensible that 'I,' a descendant of the Yellow Springs, would treat a creature in this way. It is shameful, disgraceful, and utterly disgraceful."

"It's long-haired Eri," she said expressionlessly.

Her tone was as if she didn't care about giving up her own life when necessary. She had such a terrifying, almost inorganic quality, as if she were saying that foresight and speculation came first, and reality was just following behind, an attitude of seeing everything clearly.

But in truth, Erise felt a mixture of envy and jealousy towards this behavior, because to some extent, it was a realm she, as the daughter of the underworld, could never reach in her entire life, and such behavior was both foolish and endearing...

Although she couldn't bring herself to say it, she felt that she was still somewhat adorable in this way.

That incomprehensible demon king dared to treat his beloved self like this! It's unforgivable! What a joke! Huang Quan needs a servant to serve him wholeheartedly right now, and he'll be perfect for that.

Are all people in Japan like that? And this sounds so mystical; I didn't understand the explanation at all…

Just as Fran was thinking this.

Eri, with her long hair, opened her arms, and the last bullet appeared on her hands.

“‘I’ say that this last thing can completely fulfill ‘my’ desires, but it will be harmful to ‘me’. No, it is ‘I’ who is not ‘me’.”

After saying that, she raised the etheric bullet in her hand.

"How could the concept of a mere evil spirit possibly apply to 'me'—"

The moment the seventh bullet was fired, Eri, with her long hair, touched the hole in her chest, her whole body trembling involuntarily, causing the entire Tennorama ship to groan in pain. She tried to reach out her other hand to do something, but before she could succeed, she was slammed heavily onto the sea-soaked deck. At the same time, her long hair returned to its previous volume, and she frantically spat out the foam she had been spitting out while struggling in the sea.

The Tenerama ship followed the bullets fired by its current master straight toward the location, eventually crashing into Louis XVII's treasure.

This is what happened shortly before Novia, who had possessed Ayumi's body, woke up.

……

"Run!"

Taking advantage of this brief respite, Louis XVII, carrying his Master, began to flee towards Akihabara.

Silver-haired Yuzhu slowly shook her head at this, not chasing after him immediately, but turning around and walking to Fran, who looked like a curious child.

Fran became very nervous when faced with the woman who was different from others but had a strong grandfatherly aura.

Despite facing various formidable enemies and trials (referring to his addiction to electronic devices after his father Moriarty was imprisoned for attempting to harm the city), Fran perseveres through even the most difficult circumstances, gritting his teeth and maintaining his mental balance.

However, Fran had never seen a situation like today before.

Is this woman named Ms. Kuonji related to my grandfather, or is she a grandfather reincarnated in the new era? Can priests choose their later bodies like homunculus? So, should I call her Grandpa or Grandma?

"Don't think too much."

Silver-haired Yuzhu stroked Fran's forehead, "Now, take Eri and come with me."

Fran clenched his fist tightly and hoisted Eri onto his back.

"Fran, I guarantee I'll complete the mission!"

……

"Eh? Louis XVII? The child that Queen Marie Antoinette longed for, actually appeared here and did such a thing... I really hope that the several Maries in London don't know."

After learning the identity of the escaped Servant from the silver-haired girl, Juu, Fran sighed.

"Are there several Queen Marys in London...?"

The reason why Silver-haired Yuju didn't immediately capture Louis XVII and his master wasn't because she intended to let them go, but because she already had a plan.

After returning to Akihabara with Fran, the silver-haired Yuzu immediately reported a 'clue' about the Shinjuku murder case. Before the night police arrived, she went to the workshop where the leatherworker and Louis XVII kept their secret.

"Speaking of which, you seem to have a good relationship with that smuggled Servant named Fran."

Yuzhu said thoughtfully.

"It's alright. As long as you don't tell and I don't tell, no one will know that Fran is a stowaway Servant."

The term "smuggled Servant" refers to Servants who travel between cities on different continents via underground routes. Humans are no exception. However, as long as they do not affect the barriers of the major cities, no one will interfere.

"Are you asking me to lie?"

"Hmm... not really. If I say something using your body, then I'm naturally lying."

"But to ordinary people, it is me speaking."

Yuzhu shrugged. "But let's talk about something else now. When did you start following me? Did you already know they were going to target me?"

"It's neither true nor false. I just feel like you're being targeted. It might be because of 'The Demon King,' so children of contracts are very sensitive to danger. That should be it."

"What do I have to do with you? I don't think our agreement is worthwhile."

"That's true, after all, it was to save you from having your heart pierced by Longinus's projection."

Silver-haired Yuzhu nodded seriously, "If your heart is successfully healed, we might be able to unilaterally terminate the contract given our current situation. After that, our only connection will be when I possess Eri's body and talk to you."

"So, what's in it for you to do this to me?"

"Yes, I have."

Yuzhu's silver hair made her squint slightly at his answer.

There was definitely an ulterior motive, but that's normal; in fact, it would be abnormal if they didn't do it this way.

"What's the benefit?"

"You survived, I helped you, that's enough, besides it was just a small favor."

"..."

Kuonji Yuju fell silent, for about a minute.

"I understand. To put it simply, although you are called the Demon King, you are really an idiot."

However, the sobbing and cheerful French singing coming from the basement drowned out the witch's soft murmurs.

Silver-haired Yuzhu followed the sound of the song to the basement of the studio.

It was less a basement and more an underground prison.

The passageway was lined with cells with iron bars at fixed intervals on both sides, making it look nothing like the real world.

The place was as dark as a new moon night, and the air was filled with the sour, putrid smell of filth. But now another scent completely masked the stench and filled the space: the fragrance of freshly flowed, warm blood.

I don't know what happened, but it's clear that there were signs of a fierce fight that just took place here.

In the center of the crisscrossing passageways, the leatherworker's own remains lay scattered on the ground, while Louis XVII lay in a pool of the dead's blood.

His upper body was stained red with blood. He knelt helplessly on the ground, humming the French song in a hoarse voice.

Louis XVII was no longer the handsome young man he once was, like a porcelain doll. His cheeks were thin as if he hadn't eaten in a long time, and his hands and feet were as withered as an old man's.

"You killed your Master?"

Just as the silver-haired Yuuki sensed the presence of powerful magic, she also felt a massive flow of magical energy rapidly dissipating from the scene.

A Servant who has lost their Master-Contract.

The magic gained by sacrificing citizens and abusing life to the point of almost desecrating human values ​​is directly supplied to Louis to maintain this space, but the remaining time obtained in this way is also running out.

“You were just running away with him, and now this has happened. I think I understand why.”

Even when the silver-haired beaded man spoke to Louis, he did not react at all, because he could neither hear nor see anything.

Having broken free of the contract, he must return to the Throne of Heroes. The temporary life granted to Louis XVII by the Holy Grail is about to end, and this is how a Servant dies.

"Knowing that you couldn't kill Kuonji to be the last person to activate your Noble Phantasm, the cobbler suggested that you use himself as the last person to activate your Noble Phantasm. Is that right, the last Louis? However, the cobbler miscalculated. After losing him, and with you marked by the city, you were no longer able to use your Noble Phantasm."

The singing stopped abruptly.

"who are you……"

As the silver-haired beaded figure slowly approached, Louis, still able to discern the aura, asked in a low voice.

"So it was you... It's alright, take my life... I'm a little tired..."