"The negotiations have broken down… is that it?"
The Thought Magus, Ye Sizhen, blinked blankly.
She was, in truth, a little surprised.
According to the intelligence she had gathered beforehand, as one of the Three Founding Families of the Holy Grail War, the Tohsaka family should have hated Shirou Amamiya to the bone for ruining the ritual and disgracing the previous family head.
They might maintain peace on the surface, but the moment an opportunity appeared, they would bite back. That was the kind of creature a Magus was.
Ye Sizhen toyed with her earring and asked, "May I ask why? Even if you don't want to work with me, there's no need to treat me as an enemy, is there?"
"There's no special reason."
Rin Tohsaka looked unimpressed. "Sorry, but even if the Tohsaka Family has fallen on hard times, we haven't sunk so low that we'd hand someone over just because an outside Magus came asking. That guy may be hopeless, but for now, he's still a decent citizen of Fuyuki. Since I'm the Land Manager here, there's no way I'm just going to hand him over to you."
"You call the winner of the Holy Grail War a decent citizen?"
Ye Sizhen smiled faintly.
Shirou Amamiya… So he really was as strange a man as the rumors said. Strange enough that even his own enemy would go this far to shield him?
Interesting.
Rin Tohsaka felt that Ye Sizhen would never understand.
But after experiencing the atmosphere at the Amamiya family dinner, Rin understood that Shirou longed for an ordinary, peaceful life more than anyone.
I have to protect his and that child's (Sakura's) everyday life, the girl thought.
Rin Tohsaka stared at the beautiful Magus in the cheongsam and said, "If you're not planning to leave, then I'll continue that 'greeting' from earlier."
Ye Sizhen raised an eyebrow.
She could indeed sense resolve from the girl with twin tails, but she misunderstood it slightly.
She mistook Rin Tohsaka's resolve for a sense of responsibility as the Land Manager.
"I see. Then allow me to apologize… I underestimated you earlier, Miss Tohsaka."
"No need. You're about to get beaten black and blue anyway."
Rin Tohsaka wondered whether she should call today lucky or unlucky.
When she left home that morning, she had brought a few extra gems on impulse. She had not expected them to actually come in handy.
Had she not been well supplied with ammunition, Rin truly would not have been confident about fighting an outside Magus whose abilities were unknown.
Ye Sizhen, on the other hand, was in the exact opposite situation.
Before this, she had already converted an abandoned factory on the outskirts of Fuyuki into her Magical Workshop and stored all of her Mystic Codes there.
The true purpose of her visit to Japan was Shirou Amamiya. Tonight was only supposed to be a courtesy call to the local Land Manager.
Establishing cooperation would naturally have been ideal.
If the other party refused, then she would simply intimidate her a little and warn her not to meddle in the matter between herself and Shirou Amamiya.
She had not expected the other party to not only refuse to stand with her, but even try to protect Shirou Amamiya.
Ye Sizhen sighed softly. Honestly… what even is this situation?
If she had known they would end up fighting tonight, she would have brought more dolls (Mystic Codes) with her.
She would settle this quietly before the Mage's Association got word of it.
Before she could begin suppressing her opponent, Rin Tohsaka moved first.
"Anfang (Setup)!"
The girl cried out the Chant.
The Gandr fired from Rin Tohsaka's fingers split again and again, drawing spiral-like trajectories through the air.
"Pseudo-Edelsteine (Pseudo-Gems). Sieben (Seven), Sechs (Six), Funf (Five), Spiegel (Mirror), Blume (Flower), blühen und stolz sein (Bloom and be proud)!"
The Magecraft, beautiful as a brilliant Kaleidoscope, surrounded the enemy from every direction. Each shot was infused with a compressed Curse powerful enough to leave someone unconscious for days from the slightest graze, and now they flew straight toward her.
But every spell the girl had unleashed with all her strength was repelled the instant before it could pierce the woman in the cheongsam.
The moment Rin Tohsaka activated her Magecraft, Ye Sizhen reached for the doll tucked inside her clothing.
No incantation (Spell) was needed.
In Western Magecraft, this was called a Single Action.
The Thought Magus released the spell embedded in the doll at overwhelming speed, causing the lethal Curse bullets to vanish into thin air.
"I believe I already told you. Magecraft of that level is useless against me. Don't use imitation gems. Show me your true brilliance, Tohsaka."
"Oh, I know perfectly well that it wouldn't work on you!"
Unexpectedly, Rin's offensive did not stop.
With footwork even faster than before, combined with Magecraft-enhanced physical ability, she closed the distance between herself and Ye Sizhen in an instant.
The sharp movement, completely at odds with the petite girl's build, made Ye Sizhen's expression shift as she took a step back.
Martial arts… no, Chinese boxing!?
Although she had been born and raised in China, as a top student of Spiral Academy, she had no interest in techniques outside Magecraft.
The corners of Rin Tohsaka's mouth lifted. "You're Chinese, but you don't know a thing about boxing?"
"Tch…!"
The Thought Magus leapt backward, her ultramarine cheongsam fluttering like the wings of a strange bird.
"It's not too late to learn! Experience it for yourself. Here I come!"
As Rin Tohsaka drove into Ye Sizhen's guard, she naturally lowered her shoulder.
The technique about to explode head-on into the Thought Magus's body was called "Bajiquan: Iron Mountain Collapse."
Her skill was still in training, but by using Magecraft to strengthen her body to its absolute limit, she could produce speed and power on par with an expert.
Rin Tohsaka stomped down hard enough to seem as if she would crack the concrete beneath her feet.
She amplified her force by rotating her entire body, drove refined Mana through herself, and released all of it in a burst, striking her opponent with her back. It was truly a "finishing move" worthy of evoking an iron mountain.
"…You're Japanese. Does that mean you can use ninjutsu?"
The woman in the cheongsam smiled bewitchingly.
Rin Tohsaka's killing blow, released with the full force of her body's Mana and power, came to a dead stop the instant it was about to touch Ye Sizhen. It was forcibly halted.
Ye Sizhen's beautiful eyes, lined with blue-purple eye shadow, began to glow with a demonic light.
A projection spell that could be activated with a Single Action and held a place in the Magecraft of every country in the world. Mystic Eyes.
Ye Sizhen's gaze, enhanced through "makeup," was powerful enough to rival high-rank Mystic Eyes.
No matter what kind of Magecraft it was, as long as it was modern, it would be dispelled before her eyes. Naturally, that included Mana-based "physical enhancement."
Not only that, the more force the dispelled Magecraft had been using, the more the user would be shaken by the backlash.
For a technique like "Iron Mountain Collapse," meant to decide the outcome in a single strike, having all Mana enhancement stripped from the body would inevitably deal a blow to the mind.
Rin Tohsaka tried to take another step forward, but she could no longer move.
Her consciousness had been suppressed the moment her Magecraft was dispelled, and now her entire body was under the control of the enemy's Mystic Eyes.
To respond in that situation not by dodging, but by countering with Mystic Eyes, even Rin Tohsaka had to acknowledge the enemy's strength.
A spell that countered all modern Magecraft, combined with sharp, swift control over Mystic Eyes. In every respect, Ye Sizhen surpassed Rin Tohsaka.
She must have poured all her passion into the study of Magecraft during her limited years to obtain skill like this.
It was frustrating, but as Rin was now, she could not defeat this enemy.
Even so, Rin Tohsaka had noticed one thing during their exchange.
"This… isn't just ordinary modern Thought Magecraft, is it?"
The girl asked while staring at her own immobilized body.
"..."
Ye Sizhen's expression remained cold, and she did not answer.
She had heard that the daughter of the Tohsaka Family was a remarkable prodigy, but she had not imagined it would be to this extent.
To notice something abnormal in my spell after only a few glances… What an infuriatingly enviable talent.
Ye Sizhen was a Magus rated as a "Scholar" by Spiral Academy, but before a true "Genius," she could feel the gap in their talent.
If she wasn't dealt with here, this girl would surely grow to unimaginable heights in the future.
"...!"
In that instant, an unbelievable chill ran through Rin Tohsaka.
It was the killing intent radiating from Ye Sizhen.
"Are you… going to kill me?"
Rin Tohsaka's small body trembled.
No matter how defiant a genius might be, everyone was equal in the face of death.
"Of course not. I have no intention of doing anything that would get me expelled from Spiral Manor."
The beautiful woman in the cheongsam held the doll with one arm and reached toward Rin's forehead with her free hand.
"This is just a little lesson for a genius who's never experienced a setback~"
"...As you wish."
Rin Tohsaka murmured with her head lowered. Ye Sizhen's fine brows drew together slightly. "Sorry, what did you say… hm?"
By the time the Thought Magus noticed the gemstone held between the girl's fingers, it was already too late.
"Anfang (Set)!"
The gemstone released a beautiful rainbow light.
Magic Crest, activate.
On the girl's arm, the family Magic Crest inherited from her father, Tokiomi Tohsaka, surfaced in a glow of deep blue.
Following the Magecraft formula engraved in the shape of the Crest, the Mana stored within the gemstone was steadily drawn out.
Only then did Ye Sizhen realize her mistake and step back.
My gaze had no effect?
No, this is…
When my dispelling spell caught her, she shut down the flow of Mana herself and minimized the mental shock? Just how much of a genius is she?
"As you wished, I'll show you what the real Tohsaka looks like!"
Rin Tohsaka whispered and shaped the Chant.
"Vierzehn (Fourteen), neun (Nine), acht (Eight). Drei Schwerter (Three Swords), Synergie (Synergy), eine Mulde (Shatter)!"
From Rin Tohsaka's outstretched hand, spiraling layers of light shot toward Ye Sizhen.
In terms of raw power alone, this was already the limit modern Magecraft could reach.
The stacked gemstones themselves had reached the domain of a forbidden spell, but Rin Tohsaka's control was more than enough to handle them completely.
The brilliant gemstones first lit up the night like the sun, then compressed into a single point in the next instant.
There was no way to dodge. The Thought Magus was swallowed by the scorching radiance of the gems.
"Haa… haa… haa…"
Rin Tohsaka braced her hands on her knees and gasped for breath.
Her body and mind had both reached their limits.
But at the very end, she had won.
Rin Tohsaka was certain that the strike just now could have defeated even a Servant in the Holy Grail War.
A human, a modern Magus, could not possibly still be standing after taking an attack like that.
"How… is that possible… That was a strike that could even kill a great hero of Greek mythology…!?"
Rin Tohsaka's mouth fell open in disbelief.
In the night, after the light faded, the black-haired woman stood there with perfect grace.
Her full, elegant figure was not stained by even a speck of dirt.
Her delicate face, snow-white skin, the cheongsam adorned with glittering ornaments, and the alluring red spider lily tattoo were all completely untouched.
"Why…"
Rin Tohsaka murmured.
Ye Sizhen brushed dust from the hem of her skirt and spoke with a tense expression.
"It isn't as though I wasn't hurt at all. That child was destroyed by you…"
"…Ah."
Rin Tohsaka realized that the doll Ye Sizhen had been holding so preciously had disappeared.
Had it taken the blow in her place?
That method was almost like the craft of a witch from the Age of Myths, "that" which surpassed modern Magecraft…
"It's a 'Privilege,'" Ye Sizhen explained coldly.
"Privilege… a 'Thought Key'!?"
The most widespread Thought Magecraft on the continent across the sea was formed from the "Thought Disk," a pseudo-artificial Root.
It was a Mystic Code fused with this planet, created by the mysterious Sages of the East in pursuit of the "Root," the ultimate goal of Magi.
A colossal Mystic Code united with the Earth. That was the "Thought Disk."
Deep within the "Thought Disk" lay a highly secret space known as the "Privilege Domain."
If the "Thought Disk" was a great library open to every citizen, then the "Privilege Domain" was a VIP section reserved only for academicians.
At the instant she endured the Gem Magecraft, Ye Sizhen had interfered with and manipulated the Privilege Domain within the artificial Root fused with the Earth, the Thought Disk.
Modern Magecraft, which had to deceive the world to produce supernatural phenomena, was nothing before it.
This was Age of Gods Thought Magecraft, now permitted only to the immortals of the "Spiral Manor."
Why could Ye Sizhen, merely a student of Spiral Manor, use the arts of immortals?
Rin Tohsaka could no longer learn the answer to that question.
"You really are troublesome, Miss Tohsaka."
Ye Sizhen's slender finger touched her forehead, and Rin Tohsaka's pupils widened slightly.
"Until I'm done with Shirou Amamiya, you can stay quiet for a while."
With a paralyzing pain like an electric shock, Rin Tohsaka's thoughts snapped, and she fell completely unconscious.
The girl's collapsing body was wrapped in a mass of black shadow, then sank into the concrete ground.
A few seconds later, she was transported to the temporary prison (Magical Workshop) Ye Sizhen had established on the outskirts of Fuyuki.
"..."
Ye Sizhen let out a long breath, and the rise and fall of her proud, full chest gradually settled.
A mistake.
She had consumed far more energy than expected.
She had never imagined that the young lady of the Tohsaka Family would be such a difficult opponent.
So this was Fuyuki. Ye Sizhen gained a new understanding of this seemingly peaceful city.
No wonder even that genius Lord of the Clock Tower, Kayneth, had been defeated here.
"But I'm different…"
Ye Sizhen wiped the crimson glaze left by the "Makeup Magecraft" from her lips with a handkerchief.
"Shirou Amamiya, I will definitely... Ngh!?"
The woman in the cheongsam felt her chest tighten, and her body swayed unnaturally.
She looked down in disbelief and saw crimson blood spreading from the red spider lily tattoo on her chest.
The gem Rin Tohsaka had released at the very end flashed, only now revealing its true power.
My… heart was destroyed?
Tch! Even if it was used by my immature self, it was still a "Thought Key."
An immortal's privilege, and it was broken through head-on!?
Ye Sizhen bit down on her bloodless lips. While driving her healing Daoist spells, she staggered into the night.
But she had not gone far before she could no longer support herself. She leaned against a streetlight and sat down.
No good. The healing spell can't keep up with the spread of the damage. If only my Mystic Codes were still with me…
Ye Sizhen possessed many doll-based Mystic Codes, but they had all been left in her workshop. Otherwise, she would never have ended up in such a miserable state tonight.
"Maybe…"
Ye Sizhen looked up at the foreign night sky, curving her full lips, now stained red with blood.
"That strike really could kill Heracles…"
That was her final thought before she lost consciousness.
...
...
"..."
Shirou stared at the scene before him and couldn't help questioning his entire life.
All he had done was take a spontaneous night run after sending Sakura back to the Matou family residence, so why had he run into something like this?
Beneath the streetlight, a stunningly beautiful, dangerously alluring woman in a blue cheongsam sat silently. Her chest and lips were stained red with blood.
No matter how he looked at her, she seemed like seriously bad news. She even had a tattoo… Yikes.
Could she be the boss lady of some yakuza group… someone in the same line of work as the Ryougi family or the Fujimura Group!?
He really did not want to get dragged into unnecessary trouble, but in the end, his conscience won out.
"Um… Ni Hao? Do you need help?"
Shirou nudged her shoulder, but she did not respond.
After thinking it over, Shirou crouched down in front of the woman, leaned her against his back, and set off for home with her on his back.