"You just said it—you dealt damage to my Life Points, didn't you?" Beast gazed calmly at the surge of crimson mana rushing toward her. A Trap Card, depicting an embarrassing scene where a certain Grand Rider misfired their Noble Phantasm on the wrong target, lit up from the Graveyard.
"I banish [Misfired Noble Phantasm] from my Graveyard and reflect the damage back at you! Farewell, King of Heroes!"
The torrent of red mana engulfed Tohsaka Tokiomi, and in his agonized screams, he spewed a mouthful of blood.
Due to the previous cost transfer, the penalty of the Shadow Games would now be borne by Gilgamesh.
"As my fourth tail, Gilgamesh, you really are a blessing in disguise. Otherwise, I wouldn't have known how to deal with that Grand Servant." Beast watched as a shadowed arm slowly pulled Gilgamesh toward her, expanding her magical influence once more.
Mana waves exploded outward from the heart of Mount Enzō. Soon, all of Fuyuki City would be fully assimilated into an alternate realm.
"Now, it's time to establish my temporary kingdom. Before that one returns, let's bring this story to its climax."
Gilgamesh, using the last of his strength, summoned Vimana. The expanding corruption allowed Tohsaka Tokiomi just enough time to escape from Mount Enzō. The golden vessel streaked through the sky, carrying Tokiomi away at high speed.
"Tohsaka Tokiomi, go find Lancer!"
"…Never mind, it makes no difference." Beast had intended to intercept them, but Gilgamesh's desperate final act caused her attack to miss.
Watching as Gilgamesh was consumed, forming the fourth tail, Beast began summoning pseudo-Servants en masse.
"It's time to prepare a welcome for the Grand Servant."
—
When Jiang You logged in, the first thing he saw was a random civilian being torn apart by a floating wolf's head. Entrails were strewn across the ground, and in the distance, desperate screams and inhuman howls filled the air.
The sky looked as if someone had splashed purple dye across it, irregular patches of color swirling within the clouds.
Jiang You even logged out momentarily to double-check—had he accidentally launched some kind of Call of Cthulhu-style game?
Unfortunately, no. This was still 1994's Fuyuki. And apparently…
"Wasn't the Holy Grail War supposed to be fought in secret? What the hell is going on?" Jiang You had initially been happy that his company let him off early for system maintenance. But logging in, he found the game's story had suddenly gone off the rails.
[Human Order Continuation: Fuyuki Defense War] event has begun. Players must protect as many surviving humans as possible before defeating the final boss. Rewards will be calculated based on the number of survivors at the event's conclusion.
Current remaining human population: [ ]
Jiang You immediately summoned every available character in his roster.
Illya, Matou Sakura, Lancelot, and Hundred-Faced Hassan materialized as Jiang You threw down his cards.
"There's an unsettling presence here… Caster, what happened?" As a Lesser Grail, Illya was deeply connected to the ley lines and immediately sensed the anomaly. "It feels like this space is rejecting humanity…"
Just as Jiang You was about to explain, the radio left behind by Emiya Kiritsugu crackled to life.
"Caster! Where the hell have you been?! Get to Fuyuki Civic Center NOW! Since you took Berserker, we're barely holding out here!" Kiritsugu's voice came through, urgent and accompanied by gunfire and explosions.
"Looks like there's no time to talk. We need to move!" Jiang You checked the rapidly decreasing survivor count and ordered his team to head toward the Civic Center.
—
The Fuyuki Civic Center—once a symbol of the city's urban development—had now been hastily converted into a fortress. The sudden surge of "monstrous beasts" had forced even the hidden magi of Fuyuki to unite in resistance.
The space available for human movement was shrinking under relentless attacks, forcing a large number of civilians and magi into this landmark structure. The ley lines provided some tactical advantage, but the situation remained dire.
Lancelot, with Illya in tow, plunged back into battle. Under the protection of the rampaging knight, his silver-woven longsword danced through the enemy ranks like a relentless reaper, cutting down waves of monsters. Meanwhile, multiple Assassins darted through the battlefield, providing support to all. Their efforts momentarily eased the pressure on the frontline defenders.
"Caster!" Emiya Kiritsugu, wielding an assault rifle, cleared a path for Jiang You. Seizing the opportunity, Jiang You rushed forward with Matou Sakura, pushing past the battle line.
Once Jiang You was safely inside, Kiritsugu picked up his radio.
"Maiya, detonate!"
Two deafening explosions rocked the area. A nearby building collapsed precisely as planned, burying a large swath of advancing monsters under tons of rubble. The newly-formed barrier of debris bought them some breathing room.
"You have no idea what's happened in reality, do you?" Kiritsugu had long since grown used to Jiang You's mysterious disappearances. Every time he logged in, he would ask for a plot update, which had given Kiritsugu some insight into his peculiar nature. "Two hours ago, these beasts—resembling normal animals but far more vicious—suddenly appeared all over Fuyuki. They're only slightly stronger than regular adults, but their sheer numbers are overwhelming. I gathered as many magi as I could and fortified this place."
As he spoke, Kiritsugu was wracked by a violent cough, blood trickling from the corner of his mouth. Overexerting his Time Alter and the relentless combat had pushed his body to its limit.
"Unfortunately, we could only save those nearby. We have about 20,000 survivors here at the Civic Center. Based on familiar reports, Lancer's Master is holed up at the Hyatt Hotel, and Fuyuki Church has also gathered some magi and refugees."
Jiang You checked the survivor count—it had already dropped to around 30,000. The other two survivor hubs had likely suffered heavy losses. If this continued, more would die from attrition. Passive defense was no longer an option. They had to go on the offensive.
"Do we know the source of this disaster?"
"The anomaly originated from a surge of mana at Mount Enzō," Kiritsugu explained. "Assassin's intel suggests that Gilgamesh's Saint Graph abruptly vanished from that location."
"Even Gilgamesh is out of the picture?" Jiang You pondered. What in Fate/Zero's setting could have caused this?
…Surely, Tiamat wasn't making an entrance, right?