The relic of the Age of Gods, a masterpiece that should have been lost to the Sea of Stars along with the Dragons, has finally been completed in this distant future.
Its prototype was originally something composed of six stone slabs. After modifications by the El-Melloi family, it was restructured into three stone slabs. And now, in the present, these three slabs have finally been pieced together into a unified whole.
What will happen when that reappears?
Kayneth El-Melloi Archibald could not be certain, but what he could be sure of was—
It would undoubtedly bring forth a new power.
Even when divided into three separate magical furnaces, they were already capable of generating an infinite magical energy cycle. In its complete state, it would surely, bring about an unprecedented transformation.
The radiance representing an infinite cycle of magic power shone brilliantly. The fully fused stone slabs gradually melted within this magical light, disappearing into the glowing aura.
Between matter and light, something was born—
Under the gaze of Kayneth El-Melloi Archibald and his fiancée, Sola-Ui Nuada-Re Sophia-Ri.
A nameless girl's form emerged slowly from the radiance.
Her exterior and body were constructed purely from ether,
And infinite magical energy coursed through her veins like blood.
A crimson hood, formed from spiritual particles, draped over her, concealing every inch of her bare form.
But such details were of no concern.
Kayneth El-Melloi Archibald's focus was locked onto the lifeform that had materialized from the Threefold Magic Furnace—
A figure entirely identical to what Kayneth had envisioned.
As though shaped precisely according to his mental image—
Little Red Riding Hood.
She stood still, her pure white hands resting at her sides, unmoving, like a doll.
"A homunculus?"
When Kayneth finally saw the figure that had emerged from the radiance, his pupils contracted slightly.
While analyzing the nature of this lifeform born from the Threefold Magic Furnace, a desire quietly took root in his heart—
And then it grew.
And grew.
The desire to defeat Alaric surged within him like a storm.
Yet, it was not just Kayneth whose desires were shifting.
His fiancée, Sola-Ui Nuada-Re Sophia-Ri, also felt her longing intensify.
Her gaze toward Lancer was now filled with unconcealed love.
Noticing this, Lancer instinctively turned his face away, avoiding her eyes.
Lancer possessed an ability known as The Love Spot, which caused any woman who gazed upon him to develop intense romantic feelings.
Though those with Magic Resistance could attempt to evade or resist its effects.
From Lancer's perspective, Sola was just an ordinary magus—
Not only was she incapable of supplying him with sufficient magical energy,
She also could not resist the effects of The Love Spot.
However, what Lancer did not know was—
Sola was the daughter of the prestigious Sophia-Ri family.
Even though she had not inherited a Magic Crest,
She still possessed considerable resistance against such charm-based spells.
Thus, her love for Lancer was not a result of The Love Spot.
Yet, for various reasons, this love was doomed to remain unanswered.
Each of the three presents harbored their thoughts.
Even the pure-hearted Lancer sought only glory in battle, free from emotional entanglements.
A battlefield for a knight's pure valor.
However, as they faced Little Red Riding Hood, their desires grew exponentially.
But who was Kayneth El-Melloi Archibald?
He was a born genius—
Even if Alaric had made him impatient, his true nature had never changed.
He quickly realized his surging desire,
And at the same time, he noticed Sola's blatant affection for Lancer.
Meanwhile, Lancer, as a Servant, could suppress his emotions to the greatest extent possible, keeping his desires in check.
"Tch."
Kayneth, who had already been suspicious about something, suppressed his emotions and immediately commanded:
"Lancer, from now on, your mana supply will come from this one. With an unlimited supply of magical energy, if you fail again, you might as well kill yourself."
To gain enough power to defeat Alaric and Archer,
Kayneth had to ensure that Lancer was at his strongest.
Sola alone could not accomplish this.
Thus, changing the mana provider was inevitable.
Originally, Kayneth had planned to connect himself to the Threefold Magic Furnace,
Using himself as a conduit to supply Lancer with mana.
But now, the Threefold Magic Furnace had become a homunculus—
Meaning he could skip a step, allowing it to directly supply Lancer.
No matter what mystery lay behind Little Red Riding Hood's existence,
To Kayneth, she was still just a magical artifact—
One whose full capabilities had yet to be revealed.
As a genius, if he could not master a mere magical artifact,
What was the point of anything?
Kayneth was confident that, by the end of the day,
He would fully understand Little Red Riding Hood's true power—
Not just her infinite magical energy,
But also the deeper secrets hidden within her.
However, as soon as Kayneth spoke,
Sola could not remain silent.
Her overwhelming love for Lancer would never allow him to be handed over to another.
Especially not to this magical core.
"No! Kayneth, let me supply Lancer with mana! If that's not enough, then let me connect with that thing!"
"Do not argue with me, Sola."
Kayneth stared at Little Red Riding Hood, saying:
"To defeat that man, this is necessary."
...
Meanwhile—
"Maiya, have you found it?"
Dressed in a black trench coat, wearing a black suit with a light gray shirt underneath,
Kiritsugu Emiya had a cold expression, his eyes devoid of emotion.
As he spoke, a voice came through his earpiece,
A cool and composed tone belonging to Maiya Hisau:
["Found it. There's a high probability it's in Ryuudou Temple."]
["The monks of the Ryuudou family mysteriously moved into the city a few days ago, leaving the temple abandoned."]
["Their excuse was that it was 'temporarily unsuitable for living', but it's clear that a magus has taken over the temple as a base of operations."]
["Currently, the only unidentified Masters are—"]
"Rider and Caster, right?"
Kiritsugu's eyes locked onto the distant Ryuudou Temple.
After Irisviel had been abducted by Alaric the previous night,
He and Maiya had been unable to attack any other Masters,
Spending the entire night and morning searching for her whereabouts.
Now, at least, they had confirmed that Ryuudou Temple had been taken as a base of operations.
And given that, there was a high probability that Irisviel was being held there.
However—
Kiritsugu's mind replayed the battle from the previous night,
And an uneasy thought surfaced:
"Can I win?"
The power Alaric had demonstrated,
And the illusions used by Caster,
Had been too much for even Saber and Rider, despite their top-tier Magic Resistance.
If he rashly took Saber to Ryuudou Temple and ran into Alaric and Caster,
The result would be disastrous.
Kiritsugu immediately abandoned the idea of going there himself.
After all, Kiritsugu was neither a hero nor a warrior.
He was an assassin.
He lacked the courage and honor to stake his life in an open fight.
His only goal was to secure victory with minimal risk.
Would conventional weapons work against Alaric?
Absolutely none.
Even if he blew up the entire temple,
Alaric might emerge unscathed—
Or escape before the explosion even occurred.
Kiritsugu knew that his usual anti-magus tactics would be useless against Alaric.
His only viable option was—
The Origin Bullet.
Emiya Kiritsugu recalled the scene where Alaric effortlessly dodged the Origin Bullet. Even though he had carefully timed his sneak attack, he still failed to hit his target.
It was as if his opponent had foreseen the danger—his movements were flawless.
Unmatched individual strength and an unfathomable mind left Emiya Kiritsugu feeling at a loss for how to proceed.
...
At the same time—
In the vast underground cavern beneath Ryuudou Temple, a certain unauthorized surgery was being conducted in a sterile room created through projection.
Lying silently on the operating table, Irisviel von Einzbern stared blankly ahead. Her clothing had long been removed, exposing her bare body—though there was no one present to admire it.
Her ample chest was sliced open by a sharp blade, revealing delicate muscle tissue beneath. Underneath her pristine ribs was the highly active Core Furnace.
Alaric, the surgeon, moved with steady hands, extracting a large portion of the Core Furnace in just a few minutes.
This was something he had begun studying long ago. Although he had revised his methods many times, he still relied on magic to aid his rudimentary medical knowledge.
Most of the conditions that were difficult to fulfill were compensated for with magic, while whatever he could manage on his own, he handled himself.
As for theoretical knowledge, Alaric had only learned the basics, relying more on magic to carry out the procedure.
Regarding the missing Core Furnace from Irisviel von Einzbern, Alaric had already prepared a substitute. His studies in Creation Magecraft proved invaluable at this moment.
Lord Valualeta, who had once taught the Grand Puppeteer Aozaki Touko, led a department of Creation Magecraft known for its boundless creativity.
With the combination of a magus's imagination and talent, it was the perfect discipline for someone like Alaric.
To ensure the substitute for Irisviel's Core Furnace was compatible and effective, Alaric even used his flesh and blood to cultivate the replacement.
However, in the end, it seemed that his efforts had been unnecessary.
"Avalon, huh?"
Gazing at Irisviel's body as it healed, Alaric's eyes deepened. He was well aware of what resided inside her at this moment.
It was one of the greatest defensive artifacts, paired with the Sword of Promised Victory (Excalibur).
"The Ever-Distant Utopia."
Also known as Avalon, it is the legendary resting place of King Arthur, often referred to as the Land of the Fairies.
It is the paradise that King Arthur was destined to reach after death—a land dreamt of by other kings but forever beyond their grasp. It is also an EX-rank Barrier Noble Phantasm, designed to protect a single individual.
Not only does it heal the wielder's wounds and halt aging, but when its True Name is released, it disperses into hundreds of fragments, shielding the wielder from all interference.
This Noble Phantasm has reached the realm of magic itself, severing all physical interference, parallel world interventions, and multidimensional communications (up to the sixth dimension), rendering the Second Magic and Fifth Magic ineffective.
If Saber activates Avalon, she becomes completely untouchable. Even Gilgamesh's Ea (Enuma Elish) at full power cannot break through its defense.
Moreover, when Avalon is possessed by someone receiving magical energy from Saber (Artoria), it remains active, ensuring that even if the wielder is "killed," they will not die.
Because of this, Alaric needed to expedite his procedure.
Avalon heals the human body in a very peculiar manner: it first transforms the body into a sword and then repairs it. Once activated, the affected areas turn sword-like during the restoration process.
This meant that Alaric's surgery was significantly disrupted.
Fortunately, he had already completed the extraction of the Core Furnace, and Irisviel had not perished. Instead, she fully recovered under the effects of Avalon.
Although the recovery process took several hours—longer than Alaric had anticipated—the missing Core Furnace was ultimately replaced.
Of course, by then, Alaric was no longer present to witness the results.
When Irisviel awoke, she found herself fully clothed again. Even when she lifted her garments to check, there were no signs of injury.
Despite this, she clearly understood what Alaric had taken from her.
The Einzbern family had designed the Lesser Grail to incorporate the magical Core Furnaces of their homunculi. If Alaric forcibly removed a portion of hers, the consequences were uncertain.
Even she did not know what would happen.
Stepping off the operating table, feeling somewhat anxious, Irisviel wanted to find Alaric and ask him about it. However, she could not find him anywhere in the underground cavern.
Instead, she saw Caster lounging in a relaxed manner.
"Hmm, well, someone has made quite a troublesome thing."
Just as Alaric had been earlier, Merlin lay on a beach chair, smiling as he sipped the tea and fruit juice that Liye had prepared. He looked at the bewildered Irisviel and said, "My lady, why don't you take a rest first?"
Avalon, when not directly activated by Saber, heals very slowly.
Moreover, what Irisviel had lost was an extremely precious Core Furnace, meaning her recovery would be even slower than that of others.
"Ah, thank you."
Still feeling disoriented, Irisviel nodded and slowly walked over to a beach chair near Merlin.
In the end, she could not suppress her curiosity and asked, "Um… where did Mr. Alaric go?"
After talking to her for so long and persuading her to agree to the surgery, Alaric had vanished upon her awakening. This made Irisviel wonder what could have been so important that he left in such a hurry.
Hearing this, the ever-relaxed Merlin propped his chin up with one hand, nodded thoughtfully, and said, "Ah, well, to put it simply, a certain magus has created something quite terrifying. And that thing is very dangerous!
But, well… compared to you all, it's not much different."
Using Clairvoyance, Merlin had already seen what was happening at the Hyatt Hotel. He knew exactly what Kayneth El-Melloi Archibald had created.
Without a doubt, it was an amplifier that enhanced the desires of intelligent beings around it, continuously increasing their impulses until they became frenzied or even died.
Moreover, its functionality was akin to a Holy Grail, possessing infinite magical energy and the ability to grant wishes.
The six Age of Gods magi had each created a different magic core, each carrying distinct spells. When these six cores combined, they formed an extremely dangerous entity.
"I see..."
Still somewhat confused, Irisviel tilted her head, entirely unaware that she was in enemy territory. She then naturally settled into a beach chair, waiting for Alaric's return.
...
Meanwhile, having left the underground cavern of Ryuudou Temple, Alaric had arrived at the Hyatt Hotel.
To avoid harming innocents, he casually started a fire and triggered the fire alarm. Once the building was evacuated, he began his operation.
At this moment, the sun was setting, and the orange twilight cast long shadows through the hallways. As the crisp sound of footsteps echoed, Alaric, having climbed over ten floors due to the fire-related elevator shutdown, spotted a certain knight.
"You look well today."
The knight did not block Alaric's path but instead allowed him to enter the bounded field set up by Kayneth.
Twenty-four layers of magical barriers, with the corridors, twisted into an extradimensional space—a fortress filled with wraiths and malevolent spirits. Even Assassin would struggle to infiltrate unnoticed.
Having spent a year studying at the Clock Tower, Alaric recognized the intricate craftsmanship within this Magus Workshop, fully showcasing Kayneth El-Melloi Archibald's genius.
Of course, the barriers were secondary. Alaric's main focus was the knight before him—Lancer.
Or rather, calling him Lancer at this moment might be a bit disrespectful.
"It seems you've obtained sufficient magical energy, Diarmuid Ua Duibhne."
Alaric stared at the Celtic knight before him. The surging magical energy, far surpassing that of last night, signified a comprehensive increase in power.
It was no longer the standard magical energy supply from an ordinary magus like Sola-Ui Nuada-Re Sophia-Ri, but rather infinite magical energy provided by someone else.
This transformation resulted in a dramatic boost in Diarmuid Ua Duibhne's power.
Who is Diarmuid Ua Duibhne?
A renowned hero of Celtic mythology, Diarmuid Ua Duibhne was one of the most beloved knights of the Fianna.
He was the nephew of the Fianna leader Fionn mac Cumhaill, as well as one of his best warriors and closest friends. The son of Donn, he was also the foster child of Aengus Óg, the god of love and youth in Irish mythology, and a disciple of Manannán mac Lir, the god of the sea.
He was known as "Diarmuid of the Radiant Face" and "Diarmuid of the Love Spot".
His extraordinary beauty earned him the title of "the best lover of women and maidens in all of the land of Ireland."
However, his past experiences were secondary to Alaric—what truly mattered was Diarmuid Ua Duibhne's unparalleled martial prowess. There was no doubt that he was an exceptionally powerful warrior.
This was evident in last night's battle, where his masterful combat skills even left Alaric in awe.
Diarmuid Ua Duibhne was an Agility-specialized Heroic Spirit who excelled in close-quarters combat. In terms of physique, personality, appearance, and skill, he was flawless.
He was particularly renowned for his exceptional agility and possessed formidable melee combat abilities.
"Fellow Knight, we meet again."
Lancer Diarmuid Ua Duibhne was slightly surprised when Alaric immediately called out his true name, but he quickly accepted it.
His characteristics were too distinctive—anyone who had encountered him before would recognize him.
And even more so, Alaric was an exceptionally troublesome opponent.
"I wasn't planning on seeking you out at this time."
Alaric waved his hand dismissively.
"But your Master seems to have created something quite troublesome.
I haven't even started causing trouble yet, but he went ahead and made a huge move before me."
After learning about Little Red Riding Hood from Merlin, Alaric had no choice but to accelerate his efforts in cultivating the Second Holy Grail.
Even though he had obtained part of Irisviel's Core, he still required an appropriate vessel.
For example, a living body with magic circuits.
It wasn't aesthetically pleasing, but Alaric had grown a flesh embryo using his blood and flesh.
Once the embryo matured, the Second Holy Grail would be able to begin absorbing souls.
Since he didn't care about quality or appearance, he simply created a meatball and stopped there. Thus, the embryo's growth period was merely one day.
Alaric had already witnessed the fundamentals of homunculus creation long ago. The unforgettable experiences brought to him by Alaika and Richard the Lionheart had been invaluable.
It was thanks to Alaika's experience that he was able to master homunculus creation so quickly.
Everything had been proceeding according to plan—until Kayneth unexpectedly made a massive move in secret.
This forced Alaric to leave his underground lair, entrusting everything to Merlin.
Although he was certain that Merlin wouldn't care—or might even make things worse—Alaric had no other choice.
Ending his brief recollection, Alaric turned to the knight before him.
"So that's the situation. You were sent by Kayneth to intercept me, weren't you?"
"Indeed. But I don't believe I've gotten your name yet?"
Diarmuid Ua Duibhne assumed his battle stance, gripping his two spears, one crimson and the other golden, each poised for a different attack technique.
"Alaric—the last of the Knights of the Round Table."
Buzz!
A brilliant surge of magical energy materialized in Alaric's hand.
He gripped the Holy Lance Rhongomyniad with one hand, aiming it at Diarmuid Ua Duibhne, and smiled.
"I won't kill you, but this time, you won't walk away unscathed, Knight Diarmuid Ua Duibhne."
Due to Diarmuid's Noble Phantasm, Gáe Dearg (The Crimson Rose of Exorcism), which could nullify magical defenses, was especially effective against armor woven from magical energy. Any magical reinforcement or enchantments applied to weapons would also lose their effects upon contact with the spear.
Because of this, Alaric couldn't rely on projection-based weapons. He could only fight using the Holy Lance.
Hearing this, Diarmuid Ua Duibhne smiled slightly.
"That's not certain, Knight Alaric!"
A battle purely for the sake of combat—free from any other entanglements—was exactly what Diarmuid Ua Duibhne sought.
Even if his opponent wasn't the King of Knights, facing this unknown Knight of the Round Table filled him with excitement.
Having already fought once before, Diarmuid now understood just how powerful Alaric truly was.
And after Little Red Riding Hood amplified his desires, his battle fervor surged to the limit!
Boom!
Without any warning, but with perfect synchronization—both warriors charged forward at the same moment!
The thrusting spearheads tore through the air, so fast that even the boundary field couldn't contain them!