Fate/Magus Path

Meanwhile, the situation in Misaki Town was just as dire as Aoko had predicted.

Fierce flames raged across the city.

The entire northern district had transformed into a relentless inferno.

Hellfire scorched multiple streets, and crimson rivers, tainted with malice, flowed beneath the feet of every unfortunate soul.

In mere breaths, countless residents of these districts spontaneously combusted, their charred remains sinking into fiery streams. Yet, from the abyssal depths of hell, innumerable cursed creatures emerged, their bodies wreathed in flames.

They carried with them an insatiable hatred for the living and an animalistic hunger for flesh, relentlessly charging at the surviving inhabitants.

Flames.

Fangs.

Blood.

The massacre unfolded amidst the once vibrant neon-lit streets.

"Ahhhh! Monsters! Stay away from me!"

"Don't eat me! Please, I beg you... ahhhhh!"

"It's the devil! The devil himself! Someone, save me!"

"God, where are you... ?!"

A cacophony of screams and tragedies painted a nightmarish scene across the city's northern sector.

At the Tohno family residence, the situation was no better. It too had fallen victim to an assault by flame-clad Dead Apostles and lay in ruins.

In the smoldering remains, Akiha Tohno, the current head of the family, stood her ground, glaring furiously at the figure emerging from the fire.

Through gritted teeth, she spat his name.

"SHIKI!!"

"Hahahaha, it's been a while, hasn't it, Akiha? While I may have the face of SHIKI Tohno and his memories, I am not the SHIKI Tohno you once knew."

"And you, Kohaku. I remember all too well what you did to me back then."

Roa's gaze fell upon the red-haired maid standing in the Tohno courtyard... his eyes glimmered with murderous intent.

"So, die obediently. You, and the entire Tohno family."

With a wave of his hand, Roa commanded his army of Dead Apostles to attack.

"You won't get away with this!!"

Seeing the encroaching horde, Akiha stepped in front of Kohaku, shielding her with fierce determination.

"Lady Akiha…"

"Hahahaha! Even on the brink of death, you waste your energy protecting others, Akiha!"

Watching this absurd display, Roa burst into mocking laughter.

"Don't worry. It's not just her... none of you, not even a single member of the Tohno family, will escape tonight."

"You will all serve as offerings to the flames!"

As Roa's words echoed, he ceased his banter. Spreading his palm, he conjured a sharp blade of blood and lunged toward Akiha with deadly intent.

The flames surged higher, boiling with malevolence.

...

The attack had come without warning. No one could have imagined that someone would dare act so brazenly within the city.

Chaos. Utter chaos...

These damned lunatics had shattered the unspoken rules of the supernatural world.

Sensing the blazing inferno engulfing the city and the suffocating presence of Dead Apostles, Merem Solomon arrived swiftly with Ciel in tow.

Standing on the edge of an endless sea of crimson flames, Merem merely furrowed his brow, while Ciel's face betrayed her inability to remain composed.

Transforming humans into Dead Apostles in plain view and igniting fires across multiple districts...

Have they completely lost their minds?! Actions like these trampled upon the laws upheld by both the Holy Church and the moonlit world.

How many lives would be lost because of this?

The unfolding hellscape stirred memories of past tragedies within Ciel. Her hand, clutching a black key, trembled involuntarily.

"Stay calm, Ciel." Merem said, casting a brief glance at the girl beside him. His tone was steady, his expression placid. "We've arrived in time, and enforcers have already been deployed to establish a containment zone around the area."

"We've done everything we can. Now, all that's left is to stay composed and hunt the Dead Apostles."

Compared to Ciel, Merem... whose lifespan spanned an indeterminate length... was far more composed.

The scene before them was horrifying, no doubt, but to him, it was simply another instance of horror. He had witnessed worse, deeper visions of hell in his time.

The real challenge lay in managing the aftermath.

Merem had already formulated plans to manipulate public perception through magecraft and conceal the truth.

What truly concerned him, however, was the safety of the princess.

A calamity of this scale was far beyond what someone like Vlov Arhangel could achieve alone. Merem was certain that Roa was involved somehow, though he could not yet discern the role he played in this catastrophe.

An unease gnawed at Merem's heart.

Lord Roy, I hope you can truly protect Her Highness.

...

"Where are you? Where are you?!"

"Princess! Princess! Please, answer my call!"

A figure trudged through the blazing inferno, moving slowly amidst the city reduced to scorched earth.

He was a man exuding a morbid beauty... his frail body draped in a black coat, his pale face devoid of color, and his hollow eyes utterly lifeless. His white hair fell loosely over his shoulders, completing the image of someone entirely out of place with the world around him.

Though surrounded by roaring flames, there was no heat radiating from him. Simply standing amidst the fire, his presence created an almost palpable sense of contrast.

Cold. Frigid...

He muttered incessantly under his breath, "Cold… so cold…"

"This world is freezing… Flames… I need flames to warm me…"

Despite standing in the heart of the inferno, the man felt as if trapped in an icebound abyss.

This chill wasn't merely physical... it pierced his soul. His thoughts slowed, his consciousness seemed frozen.

Only blood could warm his heart. Only blood could bring him solace...

But it wasn't enough.

It was never enough...

The blood of ordinary humans was like a drop in the ocean to him. Only the blood of two specific individuals could bring him salvation.

The White Princess of the True Ancestors... Arcueid Brunestud.

His instincts screamed that her blood alone could thaw the frost in his soul, could bring his frozen spirit back to life.

Driven by this desperate longing, he had followed Ortenrosse's suggestion. He abandoned his lover, traveled from Europe to Japan, and entered into a dangerous alliance with Roa... all to hunt down Arcueid.

He had to be saved.

He had to break the curse that bound his soul.

"Princess! Where are you?!"

Vlov Arhangel's voice echoed in madness, the icy grip on his soul and his primal yearning having shattered what little rationality he had left, plunging him into insanity.

Boom!

As if responding to his madness... or perhaps mocking his delusions... a crimson storm swept across the horizon, tearing through everything in its path.

"Full-Power Mana Discharge... "

In an instant, the crimson tempest surged forward, ravaging the land with unchecked ferocity.

Under its onslaught, the blazing streets, the charred corpses of Dead Apostles, and even the ground beneath were ground into dust by the sheer force of magical energy.

The torrent of power pierced through the flames, striking Vlov Arhangel's body with relentless pressure, hurling him backward. The force blasted through streets, demolishing walls in its wake, until his body finally came to a halt after colliding with several buildings.

The raging storm subsided, leaving silence in its wake.

Staggering to his feet amid the ruins, Vlov Arhangel brushed himself off. Thanks to the flames that had cloaked his body beforehand, much of the damage had been mitigated, leaving him relatively unscathed.

But something... or rather, someone... had appeared.

An immense magical presence now loomed close.

His eyes lit up with a mix of excitement and desperation as he traced the magical flow back to its source.

But the figure he saw wasn't her.

Standing atop a lamppost, silhouetted against the night, was not Arcueid.

His eyes widened in disbelief.

Not the princess. Not Arcueid!

"Why… Why?! Why?! Why, why, why, whyyyyyyyy?!"

Roa had promised that if he followed the plan, Arcueid would come. So why wasn't she here? Why?!

"Where have you hidden Arcueid?!"

His frenzied shouts erupted as his sanity unraveled completely.

"Hand over the princess!"

Glaring at the figure on the lamppost, Vlov roared with fury.

The sea of flames roared back, surging higher and fiercer in response to his unbridled rage.

___

If you're interested in reading more, feel free to visit my pat reon, 

https , // www .pat reon. com /XElenea