Fate/Magus Path

Misaki Town Outskirts.

In Kuonji estate.

Suddenly, flames erupted, consuming the surrounding forest. Trees, animals, and even passing travelers were reduced to charred remains in an instant.

The wildfire seemed to descend from nowhere, suffocating the air with its searing heat and choking black smoke. Explosions echoed, turning the serene forest into chaos.

In mere minutes, the place was transformed into a blazing inferno... no, perhaps "purgatory" would be a more fitting term.

Climbing out from beneath the bridge where she had sought refuge in the river, Shiki Ryougi's disoriented thoughts were disrupted as she stared at the fiery canopy above. The sight of the forest, now engulfed in a roaring blaze, left her momentarily stunned.

Her last clear memory was of a casual stroll with Touko through Misaki Town, searching for signs of Dead Apostles as they often did. With Roy off dealing with Dead Apostles on his own, accompanied by Arcueid, whose swiftness made her an ideal partner, Shiki, and Touko had taken a more relaxed approach to their hunt.

The day had been uneventful until Aoko contacted them, reporting Dead Apostle activity near Alice's manor. Concerned that something might happen, Aoko had headed over to investigate.

Initially, both Shiki and Touko were unconcerned. They were confident in Aoko's and Alice's abilities... no ordinary Dead Apostle would stand a chance against the combined force of those two.

Still, Shiki had insisted on going to check. Wandering aimlessly through the city had grown tedious, and the prospect of encountering a Dead Apostle excited her. She relished the thought of cutting down those disgusting creatures with her blade.

Touko had not objected and drove her to the witch's estate.

That's when everything went awry.

As they entered the forest, charred corpses... Dead Apostles in various stages of combustion... suddenly swarmed their vehicle. Though none of them posed much of a threat, Shiki and Touko dispatched them with ease. But then, two strange figures appeared.

Before they could make sense of the situation, an overwhelming wave of heat assaulted them. The fire unleashed by one of the figures was no ordinary blaze; its intensity melted rocks and ignited the entire forest. Unprepared for such an attack, Shiki and Touko were forced into a hasty retreat.

They managed to escape... briefly. The two mysterious figures did not pursue them, but as Touko sped across a bridge, an explosion ripped through the vehicle.

The memory came rushing back. Touko had been obliterated, her body blown to pieces before Shiki's eyes. Only Avalon's protection had spared Shiki from the same fate.

Reaching for the faint golden glow emanating from her chest, Shiki clenched her teeth against the searing pain. Avalon had saved her life, but the fire and explosion had left her gravely injured.

Severe burns marred her skin, and she could feel the sharp agony of broken bones beneath. Yet Avalon was already working to heal her.

How careless.

Anger and self-recrimination bubbled within her. How could she have been ambushed so easily? Her previous self would never have let her guard down.

Had she grown complacent, relying too much on Roy and Touko's presence to shield her? Was it the praise she received after defeating a few Dead Apostles? Or the thrill of joining the fight against the Twenty-Seven Dead Apostle Ancestors that had dulled her instincts?

Without him, she had been reduced to this pathetic state.

Were it not for the scabbard he had entrusted to her, she would be dead. Touko might have a way to return, but what about her? Was she doomed to pay for her arrogance with her life?

The thought filled her with unease, but also a burning resolve.

Biting back her frustration, Shiki used a basic healing spell to stabilize her wounds, leaving Avalon to handle the rest. She discarded the shattered remains of her phone and retrieved her scorched mithril blade.

Her icy blue eyes fixed on the distant pillar of smoke rising from the direction of the Kuonji estate.

She had made her decision.

This time, she would see it through.

No matter what it took, she would finish this.

This time, she would kill them.

...

The Kuonji Estate.

Within the Kuonji estate, the domain of the Pure Witch, Alice Kuonji found herself in dire straits.

As usual, she had sent her familiars into the city to track Dead Apostle activity. However, an unusual surge of magical energy around her manor caught her attention.

Sensing the potential danger, Alice swiftly contacted her close friend Aoko for assistance and focused entirely on fortifying the workshop's defenses.

Yet, even her pride in her magical workshop proved futile. After the last incident involving Roy, her defenses had once again been breached... this time in a spectacular explosion.

Her attackers abandoned all conventional strategies. Charred, corpse-like Dead Apostles carrying high-yield explosives stormed her workshop grounds, functioning as suicidal infantry.

A relentless cascade of detonations erupted, the infernos carving a fiery breach into her fortified boundaries.

Then came the pale Dead Apostles in white suits. With formidable agility and teamwork, they dismantled her spells and forced her into an untenable position.

Were it not for Aoko's rapid arrival, the situation would have been catastrophic.

But outside, the Dead Apostles emerged in unending waves, stepping forth from the inferno.

This was no ordinary fire... it was a cursed flame. These Dead Apostles bore the mark of endless immolation as if burned a thousand times over in some otherworldly furnace. Like a macabre procession of demons, they marched relentlessly toward the Kuonji estate, spreading fire and terror in their wake.

Aoko's expression darkened as she raised her hand, obliterating several charging Dead Apostles with a volley of magical blasts.

"How many lives were sacrificed to create this army? Where did these monsters even come from?"

Though she was still near the forest, Aoko did not doubt that chaos had already engulfed Misaki Town.

This attack was premeditated. Not only had the assailants set the entire forest ablaze, but they had also established a barrier to cut off escape and communication, severing signals and isolating them from the outside world.

This ensured that neither Roy nor the Church could detect the crisis or intervene in time.

"To desecrate life in such a way!"

Aoko's eyes burned with fury as her fingertips became magical projectiles, mercilessly harvesting the lives of the low-ranking Dead Apostles.

For someone of her caliber, these enemies posed little challenge. She could deal with them quickly and go assist Shiki and Touko.

But of course, Roa had anticipated this. He had prepared a special "gift" for the Fifth Magician... one that would ensure she and Alice remained tied down.

*BOOM!*

A deafening rumble shattered the air.

Giant green vines burst from the ground, tearing through the earth and lifting the forest and flames into the air.

Amid the fractured terrain, a colossal presence stirred, its countless tendrils reaching out to seize anything alive within the forest.

Animals and Dead Apostles alike caught unprepared, were ensnared by the vines. In an instant, their life force was drained, leaving behind only ash.

The sight froze Aoko and Alice in place, their eyes widening in recognition.

"No... It couldn't be..."

"Everyone, fall back! Wandersnatch, retreat now!"

Alice's voice trembled as she recalled her familiars.

This was a monstrosity that emerged every fifty years, a creature beyond the capabilities of mere humans to oppose. Its appearance heralded seas of corpses and rivers of blood.

Its name was Forest of Einnashe.

An indestructible and inexorable entity.

But this creature's movements were supposed to be under the strict surveillance of the Church.

Every appearance had been meticulously documented and controlled.

And yet, here it was, unaccounted for.

"What's going on? Why is this monster here?!"

Aoko and Alice, seasoned in the occult, instantly recognized the true nature of the forest.

Forest of Einnashe... the seventh seat of the Dead Apostle Ancestors. A sentient, predatory lifeform, it emerged roughly every fifty years to feast upon humanity. Its immense magical power was channeled to nourish the fruit it bore deep within.

If left unchecked, it would only be a matter of time before this monstrosity performed a blood sacrifice on an entire city.

But why had it appeared so silently in Misaki Town?

Why hadn't the Church noticed its movements?

There was no doubt... someone had orchestrated this from the shadows.

Roa?

He was the most likely suspect.

But could Roa truly control such a creature? Did he possess that kind of power?

No, there was no time to dwell on speculation.

Aoko and Alice exchanged a grim look. They knew what had to be done.

If Einnashe were allowed to grow unchecked, the consequences would be catastrophic. They could escape, but the people of Misaki Town's outskirts, and innocent civilians could not.

If they didn't stop it here and now, all would be lost.

Helping other teams would have to wait. For now, they would have to hold their ground and pray for their reinforcements.

___

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