Like a incandescent bulb suddenly flicking on, invisible ripples of prana radiated outward from beneath Kirei's feet.
A visual-deception bounded field.
It was the responsibility of the Holy Church's Overseer to manage any potential public outcry caused by the Holy Grail War.
"Is that... Lancer?"
Kirei Kotomine whispered to himself, his voice a low rasp. "The sixth Servant. His Master must be from the Clock Tower, the one who replaced Bazett."
After a momentary silence, he added, "I suppose I won't be able to use 'gas explosion' as an excuse for this one."
***
Under the moonlight, Shirou Emiya felt a sudden, inexplicable chill. He stopped in his tracks and looked back over his shoulder.
Miyama was as peaceful as ever.
The standard modern skyscraper stood silently on the edge of the district, its windows reflecting the cold stars.
Shirou pressed his hand against his right shoulder.
For some reason, it felt unusually sore.
'Is it just because I've been working too hard lately?'
"Hm?"
For a split second, Shirou genuinely thought his exhaustion was causing him to hallucinate. A figure had suddenly appeared on the slope leading up to his house.
As she drew closer, he found himself unconsciously holding his breath.
She was a silver-haired girl with the porcelain-like perfection of a doll. She gave him a playful, cheerful smile as she passed him.
"If you don't call it out soon, you're going to die, Onii-chan."
What a strange thing to say.
His shoulder felt like it was beginning to burn.
He needed to get home and figure out what was going on.
Shirou quickened his pace, climbing the slope until his house came into view.
The lights were already on.
As he entered the living room, he was greeted by the delicious aroma of food and a gentle, familiar voice.
"Welcome back, Senpai! Sorry, we started without you."
***
"Aren't you worried?"
Archer's lips curled into a slight smirk. "As far as Masters go, Rin is practically at the top of the hierarchy of modern magi."
Wayland raised an eyebrow. 'Is this guy seriously bragging about his Master right now?'
In truth, Archer wasn't exaggerating.
With Rin Tohsaka's natural aptitude, she was easily within the top hundred magi in the history of the Association. She was a genuine prodigy.
But she wasn't facing a normal magus.
Of course, Ereshkigal wasn't going to seriously hurt her; otherwise, Rin wouldn't have even been able to sense her presence.
Servants had a specialized sense for one another,or rather, a sense for extraordinary concentrations of prana, with the exception of the Assassin class.
But Ereshkigal didn't fall into the category of 'ordinary' Servants.
Originally, Archer had sensed Wayland's own presence.
That had been his own mistake.
He had grown too accustomed to London, where you could run into a magus around every corner without any need to hide. But in Fuyuki, the appearance of a strange magus almost certainly meant they were a participant in the Holy Grail War.
Meeting a lone Master was an opportunity no one would let pass.
Archer hadn't expected the Master to possess the combat strength of a Servant, which had led to his miscalculation.
But there was likely another reason: Wayland had been walking with Shirou Emiya.
With Archer's 'Clairvoyance', he must have seen them together long ago.
"There's no point in talking about this. You trust your Master, and I trust mine."
Wayland's spear suddenly leveled, transforming into a series of crimson-red shadows that swept through the night air. The weapon whistled as it lunged toward Archer with lethal intent.
A flurry of high-speed collisions followed.
The low hum of the wind was replaced by a roar like a localized thunderstorm.
The two figures moved with staggering speed, the force of their exchange shattering the bone-chilling cold of the winter night.
Between the flashes of white and red, they were moving faster than the eye could follow.
Wayland raised his left hand.
In an instant, he was gripping a second crimson spear.
"A second one?"
Archer parried the strike and immediately leapt back. "In my memory, there are virtually no Lancers who wield dual spears."
Wayland held the two weapons in a loose cross. He didn't say a word.
His magic circuits surged.
A massive amount of prana flooded into the spears.
Blood-red flames erupted from the weapons.
The surrounding air distorted, forming layers of pressure waves.
With a roar of wind, Wayland leapt into the air. His white armor was illuminated by the flickering flames, making him look like a massive fireball descending from the sky.
Archer looked up, his red coat snapping violently in the wind.
[Translated and Rewritten by Shika_Kagura]