[FMMISM] Chapter 48: After the Giant Monster Incident

Half past eight in the morning.

At this moment, the entire world was engulfed in the aftermath of the Gigantic Horror attack.

An unidentified giant monster appeared in Tokyo Bay off the coast of Japan, immediately encountering resistance from the joint Japanese-American military forces.

However, the giant monster effortlessly shot down several squadrons of fighter jets and disabled three Arleigh Burke-class destroyers.

On top of that, the Forrestal-class aircraft carrier, USS Independence, lost all combat capability and sank after the monster attacked it while it was docked at Yokosuka Port.

Surprisingly, after causing extensive destruction, the giant monster disappeared into the morning fog.

It was reported that neither the Japanese nor the American governments disclosed the casualties from this incident.

Until this day, no organization had claimed responsibility for the event.

At this moment, no one knew that the brief appearance of the Gigantic Horror would usher in a monster craze lasting half a century in this world.

Giant squids and sea anemones surpassed nuclear lizards (Godzilla) and gorillas (King Kong) would become the most iconic monsters in movies, though these were stories for another time.

In this aftermath, various television programs were fervently discussing the origins of the giant monster.

"That giant monster is actually an ancient squid mutated by nuclear contamination in the sea!"

"I call on the world to stop the development and use of nuclear energy, to give the Earth a green tomorrow. Otherwise, more monsters will surely appear, and humanity will perish!"

"What nonsense! Today's events are a judgment brought by God! Just like in the Bible where the Lord brought down ten plagues upon the arrogant Ramesses II!"

Eventually, the scene on the television shifted to countless Japanese doing a demonstration on the streets, forming a massive sea of people.

Some shouted slogans like 'US military out of Japan!' while others raised signs saying 'Protect Earth's ecology!'.

'Heh, what a bullshit...'

Ragna withdrew his gaze from the TV screen, revealing a smile that seemed indifferent to the situation.

'You guys still lively and kicking are thanks to Manaka's intervention. If she hadn't called me in time, I might have lost myself in my Beast desires and flattened Tokyo already. That's why, Manaka is your savior.'

At this moment, Ragna was enjoying his much-anticipated child's life.

Having expended a great deal of magical energy, he obediently lay in his own bed, accepting his mother's feeding.

"Fuuhh... Fuuhh..."

Manaka scooped a small spoonful of oatmeal, blew gently on it, and then brought it to Ragna's mouth.

"Here, Ragna. Open up, ahh..."

===

Noon.

When Kirei returned to the basement of the church after finishing his morning work at the church's pulpit, he found an uninvited golden guest in the room.

It was a man with fiery golden hair standing like flames and eyes as red as rubies, dressed in a modern fur-lined leather jacket and pants.

Simply sitting there transformed Kirei's modest room into one exuding an opulent courtly elegance.

Undoubtedly, this guest was none other than Tokiomi's Servant, King of Heroes, Gilgamesh.

Kirei furrowed his brows in surprise upon seeing Gilgamesh.

"...Archer?"

Seemingly indifferent to Kirei's return, Gilgamesh took a bottle of wine from the cupboard, poured it into a glass, and elegantly sipped.

"Though not plentiful, your collection is finer compared to Tokiomi's. Quite an extraordinary apprentice you are, Kirei."

"..."

Kirei glanced expressionlessly at the empty wine bottle on the table.

It appeared Gilgamesh had sampled every bottle of wine in his room.

"What brings you here?"

Facing Kirei's emotionless inquiry, a melancholic shadow flickered in Gilgamesh's red eyes.

"Tohsaka Tokiomi is truly a boring man. Since morning, he's been ranting foolishly about that filth on the sea. Hmph, such a mediocre man."

"...It's a normal reaction." Kirei could empathize with his master's feelings.

This morning, his father received a piece of news from the Holy Church that a giant monster had appeared in the capital, prompting the Holy Church to potentially withdraw from the Holy Grail War.

Holy Church withdrawal meant Tokiomi's years of effort would go to waste, something he was unwilling to see happen.

However, Gilgamesh cared little about such matters. In a foul mood, he continued to criticize his own Master.

"Ahh, what an extremely dull man. Talking about reaching the Root? Way too boring. In the end, whether it's magecraft or the Root, they're all worthless trash. No matter how much power you possess, if you can only hide like a rat in the shadows of the world, it's utterly worthless—even less so than that filthy thing that boldly appeared in public this morning."

Listening to Gilgamesh's statement about placing mages beneath that giant monster made Kirei chuckle bitterly.

Gilgamesh was truly a king who loved all mundane things—the so-called tyrants driven by self-display, absolute opposites to people like mages.

It was said that even Roman Emperor Nero refused magecraft education because it was 'not eye-catching enough.'

Even in modern mage circles, Tokiomi, who could be said to be one of the purest and most traditional mages, seemed indeed powerless against Gilgamesh.

"Since just now, you've been talking to yourself incessantly there, Your Majesty."

A new voice echoed in the church basement.

"Huh, are there other mongrels barking here?"

Facing Jack the Ripper, who hid his figure, Gilgamesh taunted with a smile as he drank the wine in his cup.

"Look, Kirei, this is the typical clown, weak and worthless, blind and without any value, never remembering who he is. He even deludes himself with the Holy Grail to understand his past, which disgusts me to the core!"

"However, since you can provide more entertainment than Tokiomi did, feel honored, Berserker. After this, I will personally slaughter you."

"Hey, Master, this guy really has an awful personality..." Jack muttered.

Even though he said that, if Jack had a physical form now, he would surely be grinning.

"Let's hurry and leave, Master. Staying with someone like him for too long will mess with your head." Jack added.

"Shut up, clown. You stay there and remember what kind of mongrel you really are."

After saying that, Gilgamesh turned again to Kirei, his red eyes shimmering with a bewitching light.

"And what about you, Kirei? What is your wish?"

"I..." Kirei fell into a long silence.

"Is this so confusing? Just pursue pleasure alone, isn't that enough?" Gilgamesh said with a smile.

"!"

Kirei's eyebrows twitched, while his eyes widened.

Gilgamesh's words were like a hand, gripping his softest innermost part.

===

At the same time, in a certain warehouse in Fuyuki.

Inside a room filled with weapons, Kiritsugu sat alone at his workbench, his mind immersed in the shock of the giant monster attack on Tokyo Bay.

He couldn't calm down for a long time at the thought that such a monster might appear in the city next time.

"Just a little more... As long as I can obtain the Holy Grail, all the evils of this world will be wiped out... Monsters like that will surely cease to exist as well..."

Today, Kiritsugu hadn't kept in regular contact with Irisviel and Maiya, nor had he continued the assassination plan against Kayneth that had been shelved for several days.

There was something that troubled him no matter what, lingering in his mind since the battle at the port.

On the workbench in front of Kiritsugu, lay the communicator and scope used by Maiya at that time.

He still remembered that according to Maiya, both of these devices had malfunctioned simultaneously.

However—

"Malfunction...? There is no malfunction at all..."

Looking at the communicator in his hand, Kiritsugu's expression grew serious.