It was Tuesday morning. The sun shone over the roofs of Kuoh Academy, and students walked carelessly to class... all except Daniel, who, ever since he entered the campus, had been sensing an abnormal vibration through his Observation Haki. It wasn't common magic, but a slow, constant, insidious accumulation.
His eyes instantly focused on Shinji Matou, who was walking through the hallways with an arrogant smile and a rolled-up scroll in his back pocket.
—What are you plotting, Matou...? —murmured Daniel, hidden among the students. Tamamo, in her spiritual form, had already noticed it too.
"Master... those seals he's planting... are drain-type. They aim to extract the life energy of the students."
Daniel gritted his teeth. If activated, hundreds would fall unconscious. Maybe worse.
Without another thought, he intercepted Shinji just as he entered an empty classroom.
—What are you doing, Matou?
Shinji startled. He took a step back as if he had seen a ghost. Then he frowned, trying to act superior.
—None of your business, meddler.
—You're placing absorption seals all over the school. If you don't remove them right now...
—And what are you going to do? Yell? Report me to the teachers? You're just a human!
Daniel approached, his aura of power pressing down like an unrelenting wave.
—The last person who underestimated me... ended up on their knees.
Shinji paled, sweating. His hand trembled as he raised his arm and shouted:
—Rider, protect me!
And in an instant, Medusa appeared. Her violet hair flowing like serpents in the wind, her gaze cold, distant. She wore her classic dark outfit, elegant and lethal.
—Orders, Master?
—Get rid of him! —Shinji shouted from behind her.
Daniel took a step back, activating his Boosted Gear. The red gauntlet appeared with a crimson flash and Ddraig's voice roared:
—BOOST!
—1...
—Tamamo, deal with Shinji —ordered Daniel.
—Hee~. With pleasure~. I have a spell with his name on it~ —Tamamo replied, appearing with a mischievous smile and vanishing with Shinji in a magical leap.
Now it was just Daniel and Medusa.
Medusa didn't hesitate. She lunged into the attack with brutal speed, her chain projecting from her arm like a steel serpent. Daniel dodged it by mere centimeters, his Observation Haki screaming warnings with every movement.
—She's fast... but not as fast as Shiranui —he murmured, smiling.
BOOST!
—2...
The fight was a symphony of chains and fists. Medusa was swift, but Daniel, with his Haki and the Boosts from the Boosted Gear, read her movements like an open book. He fought her without trying to kill, aiming to exhaust her and avoid damaging the building.
When Boost number 7 resonated, Daniel felt the energy burning in his muscles.
—Time to put you to sleep!
With a powerful shout, Daniel blocked the chain with his left arm hardened by Haki and struck Medusa's abdomen with a straight punch, sending her flying into a wall reinforced by magic.
Rider got up with difficulty. She looked at him with analytical, not furious, eyes.
—You're stronger than you appear...
Daniel prepared for more, but Tamamo appeared beside him, holding Shinji with a magical rope that kept him floating upside down.
—Your yappy little dog won't be a problem anymore~ Shall we turn him into a piggy, my lord?
Daniel sighed. —Not for now. First, we destroy all the seals.
Rider, still struggling to stand, simply closed her eyes.
—As long as my Master is safe, I won't fight... not now.
Shinji, humiliated, shouted from his floating confinement.
—This isn't over, damn you...!
—No, of course not —Daniel retorted—. This is just beginning.
The student council office was silent... or at least it was before Shinji Matou, magically bound and with a bruise on his forehead courtesy of Tamamo, began shouting incoherently.
—Why did you bring me to this woman?! Do you know who I am?! I'm a mage of the Matou family, you can't treat me like this!
Sona Shitori, sitting with her fingers interlaced on her desk, watched him in complete silence. Her gaze was a dangerous mix of analytical curiosity and contempt.
Daniel stood by her side, arms crossed and expression firm. Tamamo remained in spiritual form, invisible to all but him.
—Well then, Matou? —Sona finally spoke—. Daniel told me you were performing a dangerous ritual, and you were caught red-handed using seals to drain life energy. Talk. Now.
Shinji, still believing himself to be in a position of superiority, puffed out his chest.
—Ha! You don't understand anything! This is a centuries-old ritual among mages, not something a schoolgirl like you can understand! The Holy Grail War is about to begin, and I, Shinji Matou, will be the one to conquer the Grail with my Servant Rider!
Sona frowned, mentally noting each term. "Grail," "Servant," "Mages"... these were concepts that didn't belong to standard devilish knowledge. She glanced sideways at Daniel, who simply nodded. Everything Shinji had said was true.
—Holy Grail War... —she repeated—. A conflict between seven mages and their... heroic spirits?
—Yes! We'll fight until only one is left standing! And then the Grail will grant any wish!
Daniel intervened.
—And they're doing all this without permission, on devil territory. Using high-level magic, forbidden rituals, and putting hundreds of civilians at risk. The worst part is this idiot had no clue what he was getting into.
—Devil territory?! —Shinji exclaimed, confused—. What are you talking about? Devils? Don't make me laugh!
Sona sighed... and then released her devilish aura.
The room's temperature dropped, the air vibrated with a dense, dark energy. The windows trembled and a magical seal floated above her forehead. Her hair stirred slightly from the magical pressure.
Shinji fell on his back, eyes wide with terror.
—W-W-What... what are you?!
—I am Sona Shitori, also known as Sona Sitri, a high-class devil and current co-supervisor of this sector along with another person on behalf of the Maous Serafall Leviathan and Sirzechs Lucifer —she replied with an icy voice—. And you, little Matou, have just revealed the existence of an unauthorized magical conflict within our domain.
Shinji trembled. He said nothing more.
Sona leaned back slightly in her seat, spinning her chair.
—Daniel, this matter is not minor. What you said seems to have deep implications. Mages summoning heroic spirits... high-level ritual magic... and all in Kuoh.
—That's why I brought him —Daniel affirmed—. We need a higher authority to take action. This can't be contained with school measures.
Sona nodded gravely.
—Then there's only one step left.
She took her magical communication phone and calmly dialed.
—Onee-sama, it's Sona... yes... we have an urgent matter. One involving magical rituals from another era... Yes... it's best if you come yourself.
She hung up.
Daniel sighed.
—How long?
—Half an hour. At most. Serafall-sama will come in person.
Shinji, still on the floor, muttered fearfully:
—...What the hell did I do?
Tamamo, from her spiritual form, let out a mischievous giggle.
—Now *this* tournament has real judges~.
The night in Kuoh was especially silent... but in an abandoned industrial area east of the city, the sound of steel clashing against steel, savage roars, and swift footsteps violently shattered the quiet.
Two figures faced each other with deadly fury.
On one side, a fleeting shadow slid through the debris with movements almost impossible to follow. Its slender silhouette, traditional attire, and the katana on its back revealed its identity: the Assassin-class Servant.
On the other side, a monster nearly two meters tall, with red eyes burning with madness. Tense muscles, inhuman roars, and a huge improvised sword made of rusted industrial steel: the Berserker-class Servant.
—GRUUUAAAAAH! —Berserker bellowed, shattering a container with a single blow.
Assassin flashed behind him, cutting a precise line across his side. It wasn't enough. Berserker's regeneration was brutal.
—Tsk... what an annoying monster —murmured Assassin, retreating with an acrobatic leap as his breathing began to quicken.
Berserker saw it. He didn't think, he didn't hesitate. He just attacked.
A charge.
An explosion of dust.
Assassin barely evaded with a somersault, leaving his cloak shredded by the brutal impact.
—I can't match his strength... or his endurance... I only have one option left —he thought, closing his eyes for a moment.
When he opened them again, the surroundings changed: an illusory field filled with fog. His Noble Phantasm.
Berserker roared in confusion.
—Where are you?! SHOW YOURSELF, COWARD!
But the field didn't respond.
Assassin moved among the shadows, leaving no trace. Every strike he made was aimed at a vital point. Every cut was filled with lethal intent. But even with that advantage, Berserker's strength didn't wane.
After a battle that seemed an eternity in seconds, Assassin achieved the unthinkable. With one final, desperate movement, he slid behind Berserker, channeling all his energy into a single strike aimed at the giant's nape.
Absolute silence fell after the impact.
Berserker staggered...
...and finally, fell to his knees, dissolving into particles of light.
The illusory field dissipated, and Assassin, panting, also fell to his knees, bleeding from several wounds.
—Hmph... victory at a cost... too high —he murmured before disappearing into the darkness.
With this battle, two Servants were eliminated in two consecutive nights.
The pace of the Holy Grail War was accelerating, and the survivors would find out very soon.
Just over half an hour had passed since Sona Shitori, student council president and acting Satan, had requested her sister's presence. In the spacious and elegant student council room, only three people remained: Sona, Daniel, and Tamamo-no-Mae, who still maintained an elegant yet playful presence in her physical form to stay close to her Master.
Then, a strong magical gust manifested in the center of the room, leaving a trail of ice and shining particles in its wake. In her characteristic blue dress with her twin-tails bouncing from the energy of her entrance, Serafall Leviathan appeared.
—Sona-chan~! Did you call me to play~? —she said in a playful tone... but upon seeing the atmosphere, her expression changed immediately.
Daniel was standing firm but clearly tired. At his feet, unconscious and neutralized, lay Medusa, the Rider-class Servant, while to one side, Shinji Matou, with minor bruises but no permanent damage, trembled upon seeing Serafall.
—Explain. Now —Serafall ordered in a cold, dry tone, uncharacteristic of her usual image.
Sona nodded, adjusting her glasses with composure:
—The young Daniel informed me of a ritual event known as "the Holy Grail War." Upon verifying the information with this individual —she said, pointing at Shinji— we discovered that this ritual is being carried out without permission on devil territory, which represents a direct threat to the magical security of our jurisdiction.
Serafall narrowed her eyes and slowly turned towards Shinji. Her mere gaze made the cowardly Matou start sweating profusely.
—Who else is involved? Which families? Which magus organizations are behind this?
—T-The ritual! My grandfather, Matou Zouken, planned it! And the Tohsakas are also involved! And someone else, a weird student who summoned a Servant without a clue! I didn't know everything, I swear!
The magical atmosphere grew heavy. Daniel felt the air was as dense as lead. Tamamo took his arm, tenderly, but with the same calculating spark as a Heian courtesan.
—Good job, husband~... this could have killed us if we hadn't acted earlier.
Daniel sighed with an anime-style sweat drop rolling down his temple.
Serafall, still with a serious face, raised a hand and uttered a magical command. An ice seal trapped Shinji, leaving him immobile, unable to move or speak.
—This boy will be handed over to the Interdimensional Affairs Department to be judged. The Servant will be treated as a prisoner of war under observation, but will not be punished, as she was acting under a Master's orders.
Then, she turned to Daniel and Tamamo.
—You not only cooperated, Daniel, but you stopped an attack against civilians. In the name of Leviathan, I thank you for your cooperation. You are not under suspicion.
Tamamo hugged Daniel's arm and looked at him with a sparkle in her eyes.
—Mou~ Daniel-sama~ you're so manly when you do the right thing~. So gallant and so worthy of being a feudal lord!
Daniel took a deep breath, resigned, while feeling a kind of spiritual pressure from the school.
Hikari, Hibiki, and Alya were still in class... but their reactions were immediate.
—...Tamamo —Hibiki whispered, eyes trembling.
—...She's hugging Daniel —Hikari replied, gripping her pencil until it snapped.
Alya simply closed her notebook and murmured with dangerous calm:
—We talked about the rules... didn't we?
A magical energy of feminine jealousy began to form in the air like a storm.
Meanwhile, Sona looked at Serafall:
—What actions will you take?
—I'll gather the Satans and discuss with the Magus Association if this originated from their side. Meanwhile —she said, looking at Daniel with a small smile—, you'd better keep reporting. This ritual has only just begun.
In the heart of Kuoh, where the city lights began to twinkle like urban fireflies, the Tohsaka Rin household maintained a tense calm. In the living room, among magical diagrams, ancient books, and half-drunk cups of tea, Rin and Archer reviewed their situation.
—We're lucky that Berserker and Lancer were eliminated —commented Archer, arms crossed, looking at the map marked with runes.
—Yes... but there are still many Servants active —Rin replied, frowning—. And the boy with the fox servant... hasn't made any offensive moves. The smartest thing would be to try and locate him and see if he's willing to form a temporary alliance. At least while we eliminate greater threats.
Archer observed her for a second and nodded.
—Solid strategy. Also... I'm curious about him.
—Curious?
—He has an anomalous presence... and his Servant has an energy that feels familiar to me.
Rin raised an eyebrow but decided not to press. That night, they would both go out to find Saber, or rather, the unknown young man who had summoned Muramasa. But even more importantly: to find out how Daniel fit into this war.
---
Meanwhile, on the other side of town, at Daniel's house, the atmosphere was far from calm.
Tamamo-no-Mae was seated on the cushions like an imperial courtesan, while Hikari and Hibiki were arguing animatedly among themselves, and Alya with her arms crossed tried to stay calm, but her furrowed brow said otherwise.
In the middle of it all, Daniel sighed.
—What's at stake isn't just winning... it's who uses the Grail —he said seriously—. What that object can do, what it can bring to this world, simply isn't worth the risk.
The girls looked at him attentively.
—What do you propose? —asked Tamamo, with an inquisitive glint in her eyes.
—Destroy it. That's the only solution —Daniel affirmed—. It's no longer about winning a war. If we allow the Grail to be completed, we could open a path to Hell, to another beast, to a tragedy like the one that destroyed Fuyuki in another timeline. I won't allow it.
Hikari nodded slowly.
—So, we'll work for Serafall while searching for a way to neutralize the Grail?
—Exactly —Daniel confirmed—. Capture the Masters, prevent them from continuing to fight, but above all, prevent anyone from reaching the final phase of the ritual.
Tamamo, with a proud smile, approached her Master and gently stroked his cheek.
—My, my~ how responsible, Daniel-sama. See why you're worthy of a goddess like me?
Alya rolled her eyes.
—We get it, flirtatious kitsune.
Hibiki chuckled softly, while Hikari shook her head with a resigned smile.
Daniel looked towards the window, with the reflection of the moon illuminating his determined gaze. He knew destroying the Grail wouldn't be that simple... but it was the path he had to follow.
What he didn't know was that, at that very moment, Rin and Archer were preparing to approach him... and that a strange figure in the shadows was beginning to move.