Just as the private jet lurched violently—as if it had flown straight into severe turbulence—Ren Kuroda reacted instantly.
Without hesitation, he released a surge of power, wrapping everyone around him in a dense cocoon of magic, forming a protective barrier constructed entirely from his own energy.
BOOOOOOM——!!
Almost at the exact same moment Ren finished casting the shield, several streaks of golden light tore down from high above, piercing straight through the aircraft's fuselage.
The private jet detonated in midair.
Fire and shrapnel erupted outward, scattering debris across the sky. And descending through the smoke and flames, cutting across the clouds with overwhelming presence, was a dazzling golden flying craft—ornate, arrogant, and impossibly extravagant.
The legendary golden sky vessel Vimana.
The unmistakable calling card of the self-styled King of Kings.
Those golden beams that had just obliterated the plane were none other than Noble Phantasms fired from the Vault of Kings.
What surprised Ren, however, was not the appearance of the golden tyrant himself—but the two figures standing beside him atop Vimana.
Kaneshiro Kenzō—formerly known as Kenneth—and his Servant, Dirumudo.
"Neither Assassin nor Saber has been confirmed eliminated," Kaneshiro muttered as he stared down at the expanding mushroom cloud below and the wreckage raining toward the earth. "Looks like that explosion wasn't enough to take them out."
Watching the aftermath, Kaneshiro couldn't help but feel a chill.
If an ordinary magus—no matter how powerful—had been caught in that blast, they would have been reduced to nothing more than dust.
Yet for Heroic Spirits… this level of destruction barely counted as more than routine.
"Tch. Obviously," the golden king scoffed, arms crossed, crimson eyes gleaming with disdain. "If that mongrel were so easily killed, do you really think I would deign to cooperate with the likes of you and personally intercept him here?"
Back at Ryūdō Temple, although the golden king had not clashed directly with Ren, the sheer magnitude of magical power he sensed from him had been enough to push Ren straight onto his list of individuals worth serious attention.
For Heroic Spirits, strength was not determined by Noble Phantasms alone.
Raw magical output was just as crucial.
And Ren's reserves were abnormal—even by Servant standards.
At that level, even if the individual claimed to be a nobody, the golden king would never believe it.
No—any existence capable of wielding such power could not possibly be insignificant. The "false" name revealed by the system was clearly nothing more than camouflage.
As for why the golden king and Kaneshiro were acting together—it had been a coincidence, born of necessity.
After Tōsaka Tokiomi's death, the golden king had lost his Master. Though his Independent Action skill allowed him to remain in the world temporarily, he still needed a replacement before his mana ran dry.
But the man originally chosen as a substitute—Kotomine—was already dead.
Emiya Kiritsugu had completely lost interest in the Holy Grail War due to Illya's situation.
And Matō Kariya's body had long since been wrung dry. Forget forming a new contract—he barely had any life left in him.
After wandering for some time, the golden king finally found a lone surviving Master.
Caster's former Master: Uryū Ryūnosuke.
By sheer chance, Kaneshiro arrived at the same location, intending to investigate—and possibly finish Ryūnosuke off.
Once Kaneshiro learned that nearly half of the Servants had already been eliminated at Ryūdō Temple, and that Assassin and Saber possessed such absurd power, he proposed an alliance.
He had no desire to become another Tōsaka Tokiomi—kneeling and calling a Servant "father."
But reputation and strength didn't lie.
With Assassin and Saber both operating far beyond standard parameters, relying on Lancer alone was a dead end.
So Kaneshiro used Ryūnosuke as leverage, forcing a contract between him and the golden king—and forming a temporary alliance to eliminate Assassin and Saber first.
In truth, the golden king despised Kaneshiro and Dirumudo equally.
His contempt was written plainly across his face.
But with the final Master's life in Kaneshiro's hands, the king had no choice but to endure—for now.
Threatening the King of Kings was unforgivable.
Kaneshiro's name had already been carved onto the golden king's death list.
Still, Kaneshiro was no fool.
Once he realized Ryūnosuke's importance, he placed him under absolute control—breaking all four of his limbs and submerging him entirely in mercury.
He even engraved a curse on Ryūnosuke's body.
Should the golden king step out of line, Kaneshiro could instantly flood Ryūnosuke's organs with mercury, killing him on the spot.
The hiding place itself was kept secret from the golden king.
Unlike Tōsaka Tokiomi, Kaneshiro believed one thing firmly:
A Master was a Master.A Servant was a Servant.
Only an idiot would treat a Servant like a god.
And Kaneshiro Kenzō—celebrated prodigy of the Clock Tower—was no idiot.
Even the so-called King of Heroes had to obey him now.
What Kaneshiro didn't know was that his every action had already driven the golden king's fury beyond its limit.
Tōsaka had merely used command seals—and now his grave was overgrown with weeds.
Yet this nameless magus dared to think he could control him?
Still, the golden king restrained himself.
Kaneshiro was already dead in his eyes.
And watching this clown dance a little longer had its own entertainment value.
If memory served, Kotomine once mentioned that summoning the Greater Grail required a vessel—a sacrifice.
Perfect.
A candidate already existed.
And this fool's target was Assassin and Saber?
Even better.
The Lesser Grail was currently in Assassin's possession.
Convinced he held the reins of fate itself, Kaneshiro felt as though he'd reached the peak of his life.
Yes, his pride had taken a hit—but so what?
A casual stroll had netted him the King of Heroes.
Just when he was worrying about how to force Assassin out of Japan, the man decided to leave the country on his own.
Kaneshiro laughed inwardly.
Who dared say his Luck stat was E-rank?
This luck was downright divine.
Lancer's bad luck wasn't his fault—it was all been siphoned straight into his Master.
Originally, Assassin and Saber leaving Fuyuki would have made Caster the ideal target.
But Kaneshiro suspected a trap.
And more importantly—Assassin and Mordred were far more dangerous.
Especially Assassin.
With territorial amplification, he was practically invincible in Fuyuki.
Whatever their objective abroad, Kaneshiro knew this was the moment.
Defeat Assassin outside Japan—or lose the war.
Once Assassin fell, the rest were irrelevant.
Saber might be formidable, but her Master was just a teenage girl.
Her father barely registered as a threat.
A high school magus had no business competing with him for the Grail.
Kaneshiro could already imagine it—his name resounding through the mage world, the Holy Grail in his grasp, and his fiancée kneeling at his feet in awe.
That was why Ren and the others were ambushed mid-flight.
Thanks to Ren's shield, everyone aboard survived the explosion unscathed.
As the golden king looked down from Vimana and saw Mordred landing below—one person tucked under each arm, Emiya Kiritsugu and the Einzbern family head—his brow furrowed.
Ren was nowhere in sight.
If even these "mongrels" survived, then the Assassin he had marked as dangerous certainly had as well.
Then—
A voice echoed from behind him, calm, amused, and edged with menace.
"Looking for me?"
Ren Kuroda stepped forward, smiling.
"Perfect timing. I was just about to come settle accounts with you myself."
He glanced skyward, eyes gleaming.
"I was actually quite satisfied with the 'mana replenishment package' that old man had prepared for me."
"But now?"
His smile sharpened.
"You've gone and ruined the whole thing."