This Is My Holy Grail War [63]

The scent of the witch had already begun to disrupt the city's nightly order. Hidden among the populace, Caster was siphoning life force from countless people using her magic.

Mana... To gather this vital energy, countless innocent civilians, unrelated to the Holy Grail War, had been drawn into its chaos. In just a few days, the number of those collapsing during night shifts had overwhelmed the city’s hospitals.

These incidents, captured by oblivious reporters, found their way into news broadcasts and newspaper headlines.

Mass hallucinations from overwork, or perhaps fainting caused by gas leaks—many reporters had their own theories. Yet their investigative zeal wasn’t driven by a desire to resolve the crisis, but rather to bolster their careers.

The participants in the Holy Grail War, however, had already reached their conclusions. Rin Tohsaka, in particular, had a clear picture thanks to Assassin. Aside from a few deviations in this altered timeline, the rest of the information lined up with what she knew.

"You’re aware of this, right?"

The day after forming their alliance with Saber, Rin once again walked the familiar path to school.

The streets were quiet, and there were no signs of other people around the school-bound girl. Her behavior made it seem as though she were speaking to thin air. Strangely enough, the air responded.

"People being drained of their mana, correct?" Assassin replied. "Without a doubt, it’s Caster’s doing. After all, the more mana, the better."

"Tch. I should’ve realized the moment I heard ‘witch.’ I think..." Rin began, but Assassin cut her off.

"Because you’re the overseer of Fuyuki City, you can’t tolerate Caster’s actions, can you?" Assassin interjected. "As a Servant with the Assassin class, I lack independent mana generation. You must carefully consider the consequences before initiating an attack on Caster."

His words were stern, preemptively rejecting any notion of storming Caster’s lair. "Furthermore, I refuse to enter Caster’s workshop. Unless she attacks us first, I will not act against her."

"It’s not her workshop I’m after—it’s the school," Rin clarified. "When Kuzuki-sensei arrives, I intend to question him."

Kuzuki Souichirou, Rin’s homeroom teacher, was the unsuspecting Master of Caster. Known for his dedication to student well-being and his meticulous demeanor, the revelation shattered Rin’s preconceptions of him.

"Question him?" Assassin asked, bewildered, as Rin crossed the school gates. Almost immediately, crimson eyes snapped open in the shadows.

No matter how well-hidden, the aura of mana seeped out. Assassin noticed it immediately, and Rin, as a skilled mage, sensed it as well.

While Assassin’s [Presence Concealment] allowed him to remain undetected, most Servants left traces of their presence—subtle signs that informed both magi and other Servants of their existence.

This faint signal was only the beginning. Rider, who had been hiding within the school, was now exposed. There could be only one reason: her Master’s command.

With no one to oppose him, Matou Shinji had acted without restraint. Rin, consumed by the Holy Grail War over the past two nights, hadn’t been able to monitor the school. As a result, Shinji had faced no warnings, and Rider’s lingering presence within the school went unchecked.

The [Blood Fort]—a bounded field Rin dismissed as "third-rate"—had been activated.

From the outside, the school appeared no different from usual. The untrained eye would see nothing amiss. However, inside, Homurahara Academy was cloaked in an ominous crimson aura, as though soaked in blood.

"Before dealing with Caster, we must face Rider," Assassin remarked, gazing at the sky. Blood swirled above, drawn to a massive, unblinking scarlet eye. It loomed overhead, its gaze threatening to devour everything below.

The field activated in the early morning, just as students stepped through the school gates. Without hesitation, the [Blood Fort] began its grisly work.

Assassin could tell that the preparation for the bounded field had been completed the previous night. The timing of this activation was a matter of impatience, nothing more.

Around them, students began collapsing one by one, foam spilling from their mouths as their consciousness faded.

As a spiritual being sustained by mana, Assassin was acutely sensitive to its flow. He could see the students’ life force being drained rapidly, transforming into threads of energy that converged toward the great eye at the field’s center.

The eye opened and closed rhythmically, absorbing all the mana it could. This energy would ultimately become Rider’s nourishment.

Assassin felt the seething anger of his Master through their bond. The Command Seal, which linked Rin and Assassin, carried not just their thoughts but also fragments of their emotions.

He was well aware that Matou Shinji’s actions had infuriated Rin. The stakes were higher still, as the school was host to four pairs of Masters and Servants—more than half of the Holy Grail War participants.

To dismantle the bounded field, the simplest method was to defeat its creator. Shinji’s reckless behavior was tantamount to declaring war on all the Masters and Servants within the school.

Inside the field, every living being was affected—students, birds, even plants began to wither. The surroundings fell eerily silent, devoid of the usual chatter and songs of life.

Then, abruptly, movement shattered the stillness. From within the shadows, skeletal monstrosities assembled themselves—dragon-tooth warriors summoned by Caster.

Stimulated by Rider’s bounded field, Caster had begun to act. The dragon-tooth warriors, mere cannon fodder created by her, emerged in droves from purple mist. Their orders were simple and direct.

Within the [Blood Fort], ordinary people could not move freely. Only magi actively generating mana to resist its effects could function within its confines. Anyone who moved was treated as an intruder by the dragon-tooth warriors—including Rin Tohsaka, Assassin’s Master.

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This is a fan translation of 这是我的圣杯之战 by 向希望祈祷. All rights to the original work belong to the creator. Please support them by exploring their original work or sharing it with others if you can. Thank you for reading and supporting my efforts to bring this story to a wider audience!