The polluted city of Fuyuki burns.
At the end of 2015, a Singularity appeared within Chaldeas and was designated Singularity F.
Having lived in Fuyuki for more than ten years, Shiomi inevitably felt a certain attachnt to that place.
Back then, Singularity F had been dealt with swiftly and decisively. Yet soon after, like a chain of detonations, it led to the ergence of the incident known as the Incineration of Humanity.
What everyone believed had vanished along the river of ti after the repairs were completed, Singularity F, in truth concealed far deeper secrets. Those secrets had been carefully hidden away by Chaldeas.
"Still burning endlessly, just like before. You can't sense a single trace of life."
Standing at the Shinto Harbor of Fuyuki City, Shiomi looked out over the city engulfed in flas and sighed quietly.
With the support of Mooncell's functions, Storm Border, the final stronghold of Neo-Chaldea, had carried out a one-way Rayshift.
Their destination was this hidden Singularity F.
"Actually stepping onto this land makes the abnormality feel far more real," Morgan said with one hand on her hip. "But it is a Singularity, after all. If there are enough anomalies piled together, they can easily cover up the most fundantal one."
Especially beneath the Great Hollow under Ryuudou Temple, where the Holy Grail exists.
The Holy Grail placed within Singularity F by Flauros had beco the perfect camouflage, hiding the truth beneath layers of irregularities.
"Then let's proceed according to the plan and begin the final investigation."
Shiomi spoke while glancing at Morgan and the others accompanying him.
Singularity F was now utterly silent. Not even the faintest presence of a Servant or monster could be sensed.
Storm Border's radar continuously monitored the conditions throughout Fuyuki City, yet Trisgistus showed no response at all.
"Everyone ready?" Morgan asked, checking the condition of the investigation team on Shiomi's behalf.
Although it was called an investigation team, it was really just the usual group.
Scáthach, Artoria, and Skadi.
Storm Border's Leyline Blocking Armant had temporarily been handed over to Baobhan Sith, while Captain Nemo assisted with operations through the ship's systems.
"I don't really like this stifling heat," Skadi said as she lightly fanned herself with her hand. "But since the whole place is burning, I suppose it can't be helped."
"Condition: good."
Scáthach summoned her crimson spear, spinning it lightly in her hand a few tis before gripping it firmly.
"The issue is that Fuyuki City isn't exactly large, but it isn't small either. Where should we start investigating?"
"Fuyuki City has four leyline points suitable for the Holy Grail's descent."
Artoria projected a map.
"First is the Fuyuki Church on the outskirts of Shinto. Second, the Fuyuki Civic Center in the city. Then Ryuudou Temple in Miyama Town. And finally the residence of the Tohsaka Family, the land stewards of Fuyuki."
"Should we split up?" Skadi glanced at their numbers. "I can have Storm Border send down the Valkyries and the Fairy Knights."
"No."
Shiomi shook his head.
"We can leave the Shinto side for later. There's sowhere I want to go first."
"Where?" Scáthach asked with a smile. "Your own ho?"
Shiomi almost lost his composure. Rarely losing patience, he reached out and lightly knocked his teacher on the head.
"The Tohsaka Family."
"Oh."
Morgan smiled faintly.
"At that ti, I was the only one in Chaldea. The rest of you joined later, so naturally you never went through the detailed repair records of Singularity F."
Morgan's slightly teasing tone left the three of them looking rather speechless.
"In short, when we investigated Singularity F back then, whether it was the church in Shinto, the Civic Center, or Ryuudou Temple, even after being burned down you could still tell what used to stand there," Shiomi said. "But the Tohsaka Family was different."
"Not only were there no ruins left after the fire, the entire residence itself vanished. That mansion backed against the suburban mountains and sat on the best leyline land in all of Fuyuki, yet both the house and the land it stood on disappeared together."
"What remained was only a massive crater, more than ten ters deep and dozens of ters across. Even so of the surrounding land that didn't belong to the Tohsaka estate vanished with it."
That was why the mont Shiomi returned here, the first place that ca to mind was the forr site of the Tohsaka residence.
"Even in a Singularity, the Magus Family responsible for managing the land disappearing together with the land itself… that alone makes it worth investigating."
Scáthach had just begun speaking when a faint gust of wind passed by.
As the group walked along the road toward Fuyuki Bridge, planning to cross into Miyama Town, a subtle sense of unease spread through them.
Clang.
Scáthach swept her spear in a wide arc. The blade struck a flying dagger that was gradually phasing into spirit form, sending bright sparks scattering.
"Assassin…" Shiomi glanced around. "And there are quite a lot of them…"
Every one of them wore skull masks. All were Hassans, yet none of them were Hassan of the Hundred Faces. Instead, they were shadows of the Spirit Origins of Hassans from different eras. Among them were even types Shiomi did not recognize.
"Shadow Servants again." Skadi held her wand in hand. "Just like when the observatory was attacked."
"No wonder we couldn't sense their presence," Shiomi said, letting out a cold laugh. "Actually… it has nothing to do with Presence Concealnt. These guys…"
Morgan raised her hand.
A magic spear manifested in the sky and fell toward the Assassins' positions, setting off a chain of explosions.
Her sharp gaze swept across the assassins.
"They were just summoned. They were planning to ambush us."
"There's no ti to waste dealing with these fake Heroic Spirits."
Skadi stepped forward and lightly pressed her foot against the ground.
A massive ice Magecraft was completed in an instant and spread outward. Frost rapidly expanded across a radius of several hundred ters, covering the surrounding area. Even the nearby Mion River froze solid in a single mont.
The Assassin-class Shadow Servants had misjudged the range of Skadi's Magecraft. In an instant they were trapped inside the frozen field, sealed in ice and unable to escape.
"Move," Scáthach called out.
Shiomi had already wrapped an arm around Skadi's waist, helping the goddess who was not suited for long marches. Together with the others they leapt forward. After landing briefly on the frozen surface of the Mion River, they crossed to the opposite bank.
The false silence of Singularity F had been shattered.
Shiomi and the others had no choice but to speed up, heading toward the southwest of Fuyuki City where the Tohsaka residence was located.
Along the way, new Shadow Servants constantly appeared to attack them. Each assault was repelled or eliminated through their flawless coordination.
Even more Shadow Servants attempted to approach Storm Border, but the defenses there were even tighter.
For Chaldeas, which was trying to obstruct them, both sides were equally difficult opponents.
"What exactly does Singularity F an for the Bleaching of the Earth… or rather, for Chaldeas's re-editing of human history?"
While fighting, Artoria could not help but voice the question.
"The answer Mooncell showed us," Shiomi said calmly, "is that this place is the origin of everything."
When they were only one intersection away from the Tohsaka residence, Shiomi suddenly stopped.
He turned around and deployed a barrier behind them.
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