Fate: How About a New Savior?

Just as Morgan had said, Dr. Frankenstein had been attacked.

After resting for an hour, Shiomi headed to the doctor's residence with Sakura and Mordred, only to find the place completely deserted. There wasn't even a corpse left behind, yet Shiomi could tell without a doubt—Dr. Frankenstein had been killed.

"Huh? You ran into Father again in the Fuyuki Singularity? And he was corrupted by the black mud?"

While searching the room for clues, Sakura casually chatted with Mordred and brought up the Fuyuki incident. She had originally wanted to discuss the common traits between the two Singularities, but as expected, Mordred latched onto something else entirely.

"A pitch-black King of Knights, huh?" Mordred's expression turned serious.

"Cold, ruthless, and decisive," Shiomi replied, picking up a notebook from the desk and answering in Sakura's place. "You could still tell it was Artoria Pendragon, but she was completely devoid of emotion. If she had been like that in life, history would probably remember her as a merciless tyrant."

Mordred lowered her eyes, lips curling in a conflicted grin. "I see…"

The rebellious knight found herself surprised—if Father had truly been that kind of person, maybe Britannia would've turned out differently.

Maybe even her own rebellion would've been crushed without a chance...

"We can talk about the King of Knights later. Take a look at this," Shiomi said, holding up the notebook. "Seems like Dr. Frankenstein was in the middle of writing it when he was killed."

Sakura and Mordred immediately leaned in to read the note in Shiomi's hand.

In it, the doctor wrote about uncovering a scheme called the "Project Demonic Fog." The details were still unclear, but the plan's leaders were identified only by the initials "P," "B," and "M." Each of them wielded Magecraft beyond the scope of human intellect—likely Heroic Spirits.

The entry abruptly stopped there, the rest of the page stained with blood.

"'P,' 'B,' 'M'..." Shiomi murmured. "Very suspicious... He probably found out more, but was silenced before he could write it all down."

Sakura activated her communicator. "I'll scan and archive this note—it might come in handy later. Saber, could you check the rest of the room again—"

"Hold on, Master," Mordred interrupted, holding out her arm. "The fog's changed direction."

Shiomi's brow lifted slightly as he tightened his grip on his wand.

They had already noticed the magical fog had seeped into the room—unlike Jekyll's apartment, the barrier protecting this place had lost its function after Dr. Frankenstein's death.

But now, something about the fog had changed.

It had taken on a more sinister, poisonous quality—one they all recognized. The venomous miasma was slowly creeping into the room from outside.

"Persistent bastard. It's barely been two hours since our last encounter," Shiomi muttered, stepping forward and pointing his wand at the door. "Jack the Ripper."

The door creaked open, and a sharp wind rushed into the room, carried by an even denser wave of magical energy.

Shiomi stepped outside onto the front steps, gazing down at the narrow garden path leading up to the door.

But Jack the Ripper wasn't alone.

There was also a jester-like Servant standing with her, and behind them loomed a tall, thin man in white robes.

All three were Servants.

And the man in white—lean and silent—was clearly their leader. Or rather, their Master.

"What a warm welcome! Besides the little serial killer, we've got two more weirdos!" Mordred bared her teeth in a vicious grin at the enemy.

"Wait a second..." Sakura was analyzing the Spirit Origins of the three Servants using Chaldea's system. "Caster… there are two of them?"

That all but confirmed their earlier suspicion—Heroic Spirit summoning in London wasn't linked to a Holy Grail War. Something else was at work.

"I didn't expect our ambush to fail right out the gate. Just as my friend 'M' predicted, you're not someone easily dealt with, Tenkei Shiomi."

The gaunt man in white spoke as if he'd known Shiomi all along, casually calling him by name.

"So, what's it going to be?" Shiomi raised his wand, ready for battle. "Now that you know who I am, are you going to surrender quietly, or die here and now?" He narrowed his eyes. "Or maybe, before that—how about a name, Caster?"

"Unfortunately, my companions and I still have a mission to complete. Surrender isn't part of the plan." The white-clad man raised the sword in his hand. "You may call me 'P.'"

"That's…" Sakura stepped closer to Shiomi and whispered, "The weapon in Caster's hand—it's the Azoth Sword."

"The Azoth Sword? 'P'..." Shiomi's mind clicked through the names of Heroic Spirits, cross-referencing the clues. "I see. So it's Paracelsus von Hohenheim..."

The Azoth Sword was a Mystic Code originally created through alchemy by that very Magus. Rumor had it he never let it leave his side.

Shiomi had made the right guess on the first try.

Paracelsus wore his usual faint, melancholic expression. "As expected… My true name was seen through instantly. I was too careless."

"So, can we start already? I'm still hungry after killing those adults just now." Jack the Ripper urged impatiently. "That girl's got so much Mana—if we kill her, I'll be stuffed for sure!"

"Of course, Jack the Ripper. And as for you—you'll be answering for your failure… Mephistopheles."

Paracelsus showed no intention of concealing his Servants' true names as he calmly issued the order to attack.

"Aww, come on. I'm a pacifist, you know?" Mephistopheles drawled lazily, raising the oversized pair of scissors he used as a weapon.

"You left Dr. Frankenstein's notes intact on purpose—left behind a fatal clue. This is your mess to clean up," Paracelsus said. "If you defeat them all here, your task will be complete."

The subtle exchange made Shiomi sense something off.

But before he could press the issue, Jack the Ripper and Mephistopheles sprang into action, lunging toward the trio at the doorway.

At the same time, Paracelsus, standing in the courtyard, raised the Azoth Sword. Five differently colored gemstones whirled around its blade.

The sword's embedded Mana surged outward, activating a ritual Magecraft that locked onto their position.