"Wake up..."
"Hey, wake up...!"
Noel heard an unfamiliar boy's voice and slowly opened her eyes.
The first thing she saw was a boy's face.
His features were still youthful, and he looked no older than sixteen or seventeen, yet he possessed a reassuring presence that no ordinary high school student could have.
Beneath his slightly disheveled red bangs were iridescent golden eyes that seemed capable of drawing in her very soul.
Th-That's right!
I was caught in an attack from one of the Twenty-Seven Ancestors, and this boy saved me!
Noel jolted as the memories of what had just happened returned to her.
When some unknown force had hurled her into the sky and nearly torn her body in half, this red-haired boy had suddenly appeared and rescued her.
W-What is this...? It's like something out of a Hollywood movie. What era are we living in?!
When Noel realized that a young man had his arm around her shoulders, her heart inexplicably began to race.
Meanwhile, Shirou examined the woman who had suddenly entered the range of his attack, forcing him to stop his assault on the Dead Apostles.
Bulletproof church vestments. A golden cross pendant. Snow-white thighs and the tip of a weapon peeking out from beneath the hem of her nun's habit.
Is this woman... an Agent?
"I... I'm Noel!"
Just as Shirou was about to ask, the woman blushed and introduced herself first.
"Sister Noel?"
"Huh? How did you know what I do?"
"Because you're wearing a Church uniform..."
"Wah! So that's how you knew! What a blunder! Grr!"
Noel bit her lip in frustration. She had originally planned to introduce herself to Shirou as a high school teacher.
After all, a young and beautiful teacher was the subject of plenty of sexual fantasies, so it would be easier to get close to a boy his age, wouldn't it?
But a nun? Just hearing the word made her sound painfully dull! It was impossible to get excited about! This was the worst!
"...What is that idiot doing?"
Noel's companion and superior, Ciel, watched the blushing woman from a distance and pressed a hand to her forehead in exasperation.
She was currently concealed within a shattered landscape that looked as though it had been twisted by a giant's hand. There was no doubt that the boy who had rescued Noel was responsible for the astonishing destruction around them.
"...Has that idiot not even realized that?"
Who exactly was that boy?
Was he fighting the Twenty-Seven Ancestors? Was he affiliated with the Mage's Association?
With too many questions on her mind, Ciel decided to observe for the time being.
There!
The presence unique to the highest-ranking Dead Apostles had disappeared briefly, but now it had returned.
"Sister Noel."
"That sounds so distant. Could you just call me Noel?"
The chestnut-haired nun gave him an ingratiating smile.
"Noel-san, please hide for now... The enemy is coming."
Noel's face went pale. "E-Enemy? You don't mean... one of the Twenty-Seven Ancestors?!"
Shirou nodded. "Leave this to me. Go take shelter with your companion."
"My companion...?"
Noel followed Shirou's gaze and spotted Ciel hiding behind natural cover a hundred meters away.
"!!"
Ciel was even more shocked than Noel.
When?
When had he noticed her?
Unlike Noel, Ciel would never expose her position so easily during a reconnaissance mission.
She was also using a Church Mystic Code to conceal herself. Under normal circumstances, there should have been no way for anyone to detect her.
"No, I won't run."
Noel slowly rose to her feet and drew a massive weapon taller than she was.
Brandishing the halberd, she declared, "How could I abandon the person who saved my life and run away? I'll fight alongside you!"
Shirou paused, then looked at her.
"No, but... aren't you weak, Noel-san? You're the weakest Agent I've ever met. Even if you stay, you'll only slow me down."
"That's horrible!! What a horrible thing to say!"
"You have such a cute, harmless face, but you're unexpectedly sharp-tongued! Isn't that just wrong?!"
"And I'm not weak! I just have trouble fighting seriously! Even by Agent standards, I'm average!"
"I'm not weak! I'm not weak at all! Every Agent you've met before must have been some kind of monster!"
"Stop treating your own unusual experiences as if they were normal! Ahh, honestly!!"
"Is that so? Sorry. In that case, would you like to fight one of the Twenty-Seven Ancestors with me?"
"O-One of the Twenty-Seven Ancestors?!"
The moment she heard those words, Noel's legs began trembling so badly that she could barely remain standing.
"I-If you end up in danger... I'll come help you..."
Still trembling, Noel slowly backed away.
"All right. Leave this to me and get somewhere safe, Noel-san."
Shirou gave her a gentle smile, while Noel looked as though they were parting forever.
"Fighting one of the Twenty-Seven Ancestors" was synonymous with "throwing your life away."
This boy... He's willing to die to protect someone he only just met...
"A-At least tell me your name before the end!"
"Shirou."
"Shirou... Shirou... I'll never forget you!"
The nun repeated his name in her heart, then turned and fled to her companion as fast as her legs could carry her.
"You abandoned me and ran away on your own! That's horrible, Ciel!"
"...Keep your voice down."
Ciel fixed her gaze on the black-clad Dead Apostle and the aristocratic Dead Apostle emerging from the blizzard.
The Tenth of the Twenty-Seven Ancestors, Nrvnqsr Chaos.
Even among the Twenty-Seven Ancestors, he was a heavyweight. With no permanent territory or castle, his movements were difficult to track, making him a constant source of trouble for the Church.
And now someone like him had appeared here.
As for the other one...
Vlov Arkhangel, the newest of the Twenty-Seven Ancestors?
He had only attained the rank of Ancestor two hundred years ago, so very few people within the Holy Church knew of him.
Ciel only recognized him because she was a member of the Burial Agency.
The two Dead Apostles maintained a certain distance from the red-haired boy.
The Twenty-Seven Ancestors were arrogant loners. Unless a large-scale ritual was being held, it was almost impossible for them to act together.
What kind of person was this "Shirou" who had forced Nrvnqsr Chaos and Vlov Arkhangel to join forces?
Regardless of who he was, being surrounded by two Ancestors meant certain death.
Ciel had no intention of helping him.
As a member of the Burial Agency, Ciel's mission was not to "protect humans," but to "exterminate Dead Apostles."
She would only act when she was absolutely certain that she could kill her target.
Once, while hunting an Ancestor capable of sensing everything throughout an entire city, Ciel had swallowed the handle of a Black Key and waited in the local sewers for a full year.
Only after the Dead Apostle had completely taken over the city and lowered his guard while strolling through the town square did she emerge and destroy him in an instant.
Having already eliminated three Ancestors, including "Einnashe," Ciel understood better than most how powerful the Twenty-Seven Ancestors truly were.
That was especially true of an ancient Ancestor like Nrvnqsr Chaos. There was no reason to attack recklessly before understanding his "Principle."
And yet... why?
Strangely, Ciel was paying no attention to the two Ancestors.
Her entire focus was on the red-haired boy.
He might be the most dangerous one here.
...
"Didn't something just run past us?"
Nrvnqsr Chaos looked in the direction Noel had fled.
Shirou shrugged. "Is your eyesight failing with age? Would you like to borrow my glasses?"
"...Never mind. Once I have dealt with you, I will kill the nuisance as well."
As Nrvnqsr Chaos spoke, he released a vast number of pitch-black animals from within his body.
Shirou had just used his Mystic Eyes to annihilate Nrvnqsr Chaos's strongest legion of Beasts, but it had accomplished nothing.
The remains of the Beasts destroyed by the "Mystic Eyes of Distortion" returned to Nrvnqsr Chaos's body, where their physical forms were reconstructed in an instant.
Nrvnqsr Chaos's "Idea Blood" had transformed his very existence into a world, a universe unto itself.
As long as that world remained intact, destroying the Beasts was meaningless, no matter how many times they were killed.
Vlov also appeared completely unharmed.
Shirou clearly remembered twisting his body like a towel with Fujino's eyes, yet now it looked as though nothing had happened.
Regeneration that defied all reason was truly troublesome...
"I understand your eyes now..."
Nrvnqsr Chaos studied Shirou.
"I see. It is indeed an ingenious method."
"You know that your human body cannot fully control the eyes of the King of the Moon. Your brain would burn out, your mind would collapse, and you would gradually transform into a True Ancestor. "
"Therefore, you transformed the Mystic Eyes themselves into formulas for 'Reinforcement' and 'Projection.'"
"You use 'Reinforcement Magecraft' to awaken the dormant 'Mystic Eyes of the Crimson Moon' and briefly connect them to your brain. Then you use 'Projection Magecraft' to extract the specific Mystic Eye ability you require from those kaleidoscopic irises."
"That is how you obtained the 'Enchanting Mystic Eyes' and the power to distort space, correct?"
As expected of a genius from the Wandering Sea, Nrvnqsr Chaos had understood Shirou's current state after only two exchanges.
Shirou could now project Mystic Eyes just as he projected weapons.
Every Mystic Eye he had ever witnessed was recorded and replicated, allowing him to project and use it whenever he wished.
By doing so, he could reduce the mental burden imposed by Crimson Moon's eyes as much as possible.
Moments earlier, Shirou had used Yvette's "Mystic Eyes of Detection" to discover Ciel, who was concealed by a Church Mystic Code.
"This has gone somewhat beyond our plans, but there is no helping it... Let us join forces and end this quickly, Vlov."
Nrvnqsr Chaos proposed that they fight together, and Vlov Arkhangel nodded without expression.
"Things have become troublesome. Let's overwhelm him with numbers."
As Vlov spoke, more than a hundred flashes appeared in the space behind him.
They were diamond-shaped ice spikes created by Idea Blood No. 19. They glided through the atmosphere, transforming into spears aimed at Shirou's heart.
"BOOM——————!!!"
The empty air burst into flames.
The endless barrage of ice spears and the pitch-black Beasts attacking alongside them were swallowed by waves of orange-red fire.
The raging flames twisted with Shirou's gaze.
The ice spikes and Beasts alike melted beneath the eyes Shirou had projected, warping and crumbling into ash.
"This time, it is the 'Flame-Scorching Mystic Eyes'... How can they possess such power?!"
Nrvnqsr Chaos let out a low groan.
Shirou would have to thank Yvette properly when he returned.
Thanks to her, he had learned how to use several kinds of Mystic Eyes.
Had the young lady of the Lehrman family been present, she would undoubtedly have cried out in astonishment. The "Flame-Scorching Mystic Eyes" projected by Shirou surpassed even the expected firepower of the Noble Color.
After all, his Projection was based on "Rainbow"-class eyes.
Unlike his projected weapons, which dropped by one rank, every Mystic Eye Shirou projected produced power at the "Jewel-Class" level.
At "Gem-Class" output, the "Flame-Scorching Mystic Eyes" would qualify as an Anti-Army Noble Phantasm by Heroic Spirit standards.
That was also why Shirou's "Enchanting Mystic Eyes" could temporarily immobilize a great vampire like Nrvnqsr Chaos.
Even the Enchanting Mystic Eyes possessed by the Twenty-Seven Ancestors were only "Gold-Class," capable of controlling no more than humans.
"But what of it?"
Nrvnqsr Chaos had already sensed that Shirou's vitality and bodily functions were rapidly deteriorating.
Vlov might not have been especially powerful for an Ancestor, but his Principle of Freezing was the natural enemy of all living creatures.
If the battle continued, victory would belong to them.
Suddenly, Nrvnqsr Chaos sensed something.
A chill crawled up his spine.
There it is again! That repulsive feeling!
No matter how unwilling he was to admit it, he could not deny the truth.
Dead Apostles understood the source of that chill better than any other living creature.
Could this be... a premonition of death?
Nrvnqsr Chaos stared in shock. Ciel, who had been observing the battle, also widened her eyes.
The red-haired boy stood silently before them.
He held two curved blades connected by a chain, yet unlike usual, he had not ignited his Hellfire.
There was no longer any need.
His heart was perfectly calm.
To Ciel, the boy's posture seemed to merge his existence with nature itself. He resembled an immortal from an Eastern legend who had reached some transcendent state, or perhaps...
A serene god of death descended into the mortal world.
She noticed that the red-haired boy's eyes were now tinged with a faint, bewitching blue.
They were the ultimate and most powerful gaze Shirou Amamiya knew, the strongest eyes he could imagine.
"..."
Captivated by those beautiful eyes, Ciel lowered the hand gripping her Black Keys.
It seemed there was no place for her to intervene.
Two members of the Twenty-Seven Ancestors would be buried upon this frozen land.
...
"Heh..."
In a café on a street corner, the girl seated beside the window thoughtfully pressed a hand to her eye.
"Ryougi-san, is something wrong?"
The Reien student sitting across from her noticed the change in her friend.
The girl merely shook her head and offered a faint smile.
"It's nothing."
Fujino Asagami, dressed in her Reien uniform, studied her friend's reaction before frowning.
"Wait... Who are you?"
"...Hm?"
The girl looked up and saw Fujino Asagami staring at her with a serious expression.
"You aren't Shiki Ryougi, are you? Who are you?"
Her friend, who normally spoke in a somewhat rough manner, had suddenly begun radiating a gentle yet distant air, along with a trace of feminine charm that immediately put Fujino on guard.
"..."
"Shiki Ryougi" did not answer her question directly. Instead, she changed the subject.
"Asagami, have you spoken to Shirou recently?"
"We talked on the phone last weekend. I followed Shirou-kun's suggestion and bought a cell phone..."
Fujino Asagami's cheeks instinctively turned red, and she hurriedly protested, "W-Why are you suddenly bringing him up? Stop avoiding the question and answer me properly!"
"Shiki Ryougi" gazed gently out the window.
"During next month's vacation, why don't the three of us go somewhere together with Shirou?"
"Huh?"
Fujino Asagami froze.
Without the slightest change in expression, "Shiki Ryougi" continued, "Ahh, I really want to invite Fujino to a hot spring. I'm dying to see her wearing a yukata. That's what Shirou said."
"I-Is that true?"
Fujino happily covered her burning cheeks.
"Shiki Ryougi" nodded with a gentle expression. "Hehe. Of course it is."
"Hmm... A yukata... What kind should I choose? Something simple, perhaps? No, maybe something a little more elaborate?"
As she watched the girl become absorbed in her new dilemma, "Shiki Ryougi" thought to herself.
It has been a while. Perhaps I should go and see Shirou.
Setting this child, Shiki, aside, I have plenty of complaints of my own to make to him.
I will also have to collect the licensing fee for his use of "Death Perception."
He can pay with his body.