Finland Airport.
Tohsaka Sakura, who had grown into a beautiful girl, put on her headphones.
Sitting in the departure lounge, she looked just like someone planning to travel elsewhere.
However—
If someone were lucky enough to get their hands on her headphones, they would find there was no sound at all inside.
This was a form of concealment for her.
After all, when communicating with Mr. Ghost, she would subconsciously look towards empty spaces.
That would inevitably make uninformed people feel strange.
If she could use headphones as a cover, the situation would naturally be much better.
"Mr. Ghost," Tohsaka Sakura gently covered her headphones, asking him beside her in a soft voice.
"So, that large-scale serial arson case from ten years ago was actually also a part of the Holy Grail War?" She inquired softly.
"That should be the case," the response came from Mr. Ghost.
"At least according to the existing records, there won't be much discrepancy," he added.
[You and Tohsaka Sakura were not just having a casual chat.]
[With Vivian's help, you had obtained some internal records from the Clock Tower regarding the Fourth Holy Grail War's past.]
[And that serial arson case was a part of it.]
Ten years ago, outside Fuyuki City.
A certain ancient castle hidden within a forest.
This was Irisviel's residence in Fuyuki.
Or, to be more accurate, it was the Einzbern family's property in this city.
Thanks to mysterious magecraft, its internal structure was almost completely identical to the old castle in Germany.
So, adapting to it was quite easy for both Artoria and Irisviel.
However, for Matou Kariya, who had also come here, things were not so simple.
Having been traveling for years, he had never lived in such a place.
Hence, upon entering, Matou Kariya was somewhat at a loss.
In contrast, his Servant, Berserker, was much calmer.
Or rather... not quite normal?
He swaggered forward, commenting on the decorations in the corridor.
"Golden!" He shouted with enthusiasm.
"This isn't golden enough! Let's add more golden!" He exclaimed.
"Without golden, all decorations seem meaningless!" He declared loudly.
However, although it sounded a bit noisy, in a situation like this, having such a strange Servant to change the atmosphere was actually quite a good thing.
In this subtly harmonious atmosphere, the group sat in the hall.
They began discussing the alliance plan mentioned earlier.
Irisviel and Matou Kariya, the Masters (at least on the surface), sat at opposite sides of the table.
And Artoria and Sakata Kintoki, the Servants, stood behind their respective Masters.
Of course, they still did not know each other's true names—exposing such information early in the Holy Grail War was a quite dangerous thing.
"How about it?" Matou Kariya initiated the topic from earlier.
"What have you decided about the alliance?" He asked, sounding direct.
"..." Irisviel did not immediately answer Matou Kariya; instead, she covered her ears, seemingly listening to something.
Soon, she replied.
"It's possible," she said thoughtfully.
"But—" She paused briefly.
"You know there will only be one winner in the Holy Grail War, right?" She stated calmly.
"Yes," Matou Kariya nodded.
"Although there can only be one winner, before that winner is decided, we can still choose to regard each other as allies." He reasoned logically.
"That way, both your chances and mine will increase, won't they?" He suggested.
"..." Irisviel still did not directly answer Matou Kariya.
She wasn't being impolite; she was transmitting this information to Emiya Kiritsugu, Artoria's true Master, through her thread familiars.
"Understood."
Having received a response, Irisviel looked at Matou Kariya.
"In that case, let us demonstrate our sincerity to each other through a joint subjugation," she proposed.
"Subjugation?" Matou Kariya was a little puzzled.
"What subjugation? Is there such a thing?" He asked, clearly surprised.
"Of course there is," Irisviel replied, using the words prepared by her husband, Emiya Kiritsugu.
"In this Holy Grail War, Caster's actions have crossed the reasonable boundaries." She explained the situation.
"Now the Church has issued a subjugation order—as long as Caster can be defeated, you can not only obtain the Command Spells his Master hasn't used yet, but also receive an additional Command Spell from the Church." She revealed the benefits.
"Matou Kariya, do you understand what I mean?" She inquired, seeking his comprehension.
[This was a situation you and Tohsaka Sakura were unaware of.]
[Although the Clock Tower had investigated the Fourth Holy Grail War, it wasn't as thorough as imagined.]
[What you and she understood were merely some superficial details.]
"So—" Tohsaka Sakura lowered her voice.
"That kind of serial arson case wasn't an accidental fire, but was caused by Caster?" She asked, seeking clarification.
"Yes," Mr. Ghost's reply came.
"His actions, along with his Master's, have exceeded the acceptable scope of the Holy Grail War." He explained the severity.
"Under such circumstances, Caster was designated as a target for all Masters to eliminate, and ultimately became the first Servant to be annihilated in the Fourth Holy Grail War," he stated grimly.
"Then—" Hearing this news, Tohsaka Sakura gasped.
"Who accomplished this subjugation?" She asked, her voice filled with curiosity and a hint of fear.
[Regarding the outcome of this subjugation battle, the Clock Tower's records are quite vague.]
[Many things were thus hidden away in the past, unknown to anyone.]
[Among them was the truth of the subjugation battle.]
[They silently bore witness to the past tragedies, yet were never discovered.]
Ten years ago, Fuyuki City, atop a certain tall building.
A Walther WA 2000 bullpup sniper rifle was set up and concealed at the edge of the building.
And its owner was none other than Emiya Kiritsugu, who had been hiding himself since the beginning of the Holy Grail War.
He was the first among all the Masters to know that the Church had issued the Caster encirclement order.
And his professionalism as a killer also allowed him to analyze Ryuunosuke Uryuu's location from the repeated fires.
That was the tall building across the street.
Emiya Kiritsugu was indeed well-hidden—Ryuunosuke Uryuu was completely unaware that a sniper rifle was aimed at him from the shadows.
However, this magus killer had no intention of acting immediately.
Because he knew that he wasn't the only one who knew about the encirclement order.
Aside from Matou Kariya and his Servant Berserker, with whom he had formed an alliance, the information on the remaining five Servants was very scarce.
Since that was the case—
He would use Ryuunosuke Uryuu as one of his baits.
He would use him to lure out the remaining Servants one by one and then obtain enough information.
Emiya Kiritsugu called this method efficient.
At the same moment, on the other side of the street.
According to the earlier agreement with Irisviel, Matou Kariya and his Servant Berserker Sakata Kintoki arrived near this area.
This was a street that was eerily quiet, but the man felt like he kept hearing strange footsteps.
He realized he was very nervous.
However, this was understandable.
Because he knew that the Caster and his Master, who might not be the strongest but were definitely the most psychologically twisted among the seven Servants of the Holy Grail War, were hidden nearby.
This was a terrifying serial killer who had orchestrated fifteen consecutive arson cases in Fuyuki, so much so that the police had to issue urgent broadcasts.
Under such circumstances, Matou Kariya naturally endured even heavier pressure than usual—especially since he didn't even have an absolutely trustworthy source of information.
"Berserker, be very careful!" He instructed his Servant cautiously.
"Understood, Boss," Sakata Kintoki replied.
The cautious pair did not know that their every move had long since been exposed to Emiya Kiritsugu's view.
Or rather—
His information network.
On another tall building, a woman with black hair and black eyes and a serious expression furrowed her brow in front of another set-up Walther WA 2000 bullpup sniper rifle.
That was Maiya Hisau, Emiya Kiritsugu's most trusted assistant.
His ability to obtain the encirclement order information immediately was inseparable from this assistant's diligent work.
Maiya Hisau lowered her voice and reported what she saw to Emiya Kiritsugu.
After receiving the answer "Don't act," she continued to wait.
Honestly, Maiya Hisau didn't actually know what she was doing.
But since Emiya Kiritsugu had given such an instruction, she would absolutely execute it diligently.
This man had saved her from the battlefield.
Naturally, the right to control her life should also belong to him.
However—
While Maiya Hisau was concentrating on observing the intersection, she forgot how dangerous the area behind her was.
Or rather, she didn't realize that someone could launch an attack across an entire building.
A dark red spear flew through the air, accurately piercing Maiya Hisau's body.
Feeling the intense pain, she widened her eyes, realizing that someone had the exact same idea as Emiya Kiritsugu—to use Ryuunosuke Uryuu as bait to lure out the remaining Masters.
She reached out, wanting to tell him about it through the transceiver, but it was too late.
She fell into a pool of blood and soon stopped moving.
"Not the Master?" Scathach said softly to herself, having completed the long-range sniping.
She withdrew her Gae Bolg Alternative. Silent, she also realized that someone else's ideas were astonishingly consistent with Kayneth's.
However—
There was no need to report this to him.
Otherwise, given his personality, he would most likely just call her back now.
Scathach leaped down, landing directly on the ground.
She was not afraid of being sniped from the shadows—because she was certain that she would avoid these meaningless attacks before they could hit her.
Since that was the case, she would just deal with the matter directly.
The Queen of the Land of Shadows began to advance towards her target.
Inside the room.
Ryuunosuke Uryuu was excitedly talking about something with his Servant Mephistopheles, looking as if they were friends gathering.
But as soon as anyone heard the content of their conversation, anyone's smile would instantly disappear.
Murder and arson.
These topics, which should be avoided, had become boring conversation for them.
They had newer discussion topics—how to make the victims suffer more and struggle more intensely.
This Master and Servant seemed to have completely forgotten the meaning of the Holy Grail War.
All they were doing was causing one disaster after another, leaving all of Fuyuki restless.
Watching the videos taken on-site, showing the victims writhing in pain in the flames, Ryuunosuke Uryuu felt immense pleasure.
"That's right! This is the feeling!" He shouted excitedly.
"Suffer! Wail!" He urged with glee.
"Struggle with all your might, and then realize it's completely useless!" He yelled ecstatically.
"Hey!"
"Mephisto!" Ryuunosuke Uryuu looked at his Servant with extreme excitement. "Where should we burn next?" He asked eagerly.
"..." Facing his Master's question, Mephistopheles did not answer directly, but revealed a polite smile.
"Please wait, Master," He said politely.
"I have already chosen a place you absolutely would not have thought of," he revealed with a hint of mischief.
"That is the most interesting opening act of our performance... you will definitely never forget it." He promised with a sinister grin.
"Oh—!" Ryuunosuke Uryuu completely did not doubt his Servant's words.
After all, up to this point, his performance had been simply perfect; there was nothing to criticize.
However, he did not realize that danger was approaching.
Pat-a.
Pat-a.
Pat-a.
Shoes scraped against the ground, making crisp sounds.
Crack!
The door separating the inside and outside was swept open by a dark red spear.
Scathach's figure appeared there.
"Who are you?!" Ryuunosuke Uryuu looked at the woman before him, his face full of confusion.
"..." Scathach did not answer Ryuunosuke Uryuu's question.
She instinctively disliked such scum who tormented others and made them struggle on the verge of death, so she wanted to finish it quickly.
Gae Bolg Alternative flickered with light—that was the sign that Ryuunosuke Uryuu was about to be put to death.
But just at this moment, his Servant Mephistopheles suddenly burst into laughter.
"Hahahahahahaha!" He roared with laughter.
"As expected, we have guests!" He exclaimed gleefully.
A cunning light flashed in the crazy Servant's eyes.
"Hmm... it seems there's more than just one," he added, noticing more.
"What?" Scathach was a little surprised.
But she wasn't surprised by what Mephistopheles had just said; instead, she noticed that the concentration of magical energy nearby was rapidly increasing.
"Welcome to my stage," Mephistopheles bowed politely towards Scathach, then revealed a devilishly fierce expression.
"I shall present a grand opening for all of you—!" He declared dramatically.
Boom—!
Boom—!
Earth-shattering explosions sounded one after another, engulfing a whole nearby area in murderous fireworks.
Ryuunosuke Uryuu's room also became a sea of red flames.
Standing amidst the raging fire, Mephistopheles revealed his true madness.
"Lancer, you didn't think I hadn't noticed anything, did you?" He mocked her.
"Foolish hunters, welcome to my laboratory!" He declared, his voice filled with twisted glee.