He Tore Through The Holy Grail War, And You Still Call Him A Dragon?

Boom!

The underground cavern where the Greater Grail was housed shook violently as if the earth itself was tearing apart.

By the time Xia Mi reached the cave entrance, rocks were tumbling down with thunderous roars, and a flood of magical energy spilled out in torrents, becoming visible streams of chaotic elemental currents. From the center of the Greater Grail's alchemy array, it surged outward, forming a suffocating storm.

"Onee-chan!"

Fenrir turned his massive head, spotting Xia Mi climbing out from underground.

She surveyed the scene. The raging magical storm was enough to sweep a normal person away with ease, but against Fenrir's colossal dragon body, it wasn't enough to truly harm him.

It seemed that at the very first sign of the Grail's instability, Fenrir had thrown himself forward, pressing his enormous claws against the Greater Grail and shielding most of the storm, preventing the entire cavern from collapsing.

"Idiot, stay still! Just stay put! Do you even have a brain inside that oversized skull of yours? You already smashed into the walls earlier and knocked over half my arrangements! Move again, and this cave is coming down!"

From the distance, Norton barked angrily. His human form looked small compared to Fenrir's massive body, yet Fenrir dared not talk back, the contrast of size and presence almost comical.

The poor dragon glanced at Xia Mi with pitiful eyes—look, Onee-chan, Uncle Norton is bullying me again, help me out here!

But Xia Mi, knowing full well she had made her own blunder, ignored him completely. How could she defend him when she herself had no justification?

Instead, she hurried over to Norton. "How bad is it?"

She didn't even dare bring up how her use of the Grail's authority had triggered this mess. At this point, she resolved not to meddle in fields she didn't understand.

For once, she was truly afraid.

Fortunately, Norton had lost interest in assigning blame, choosing to focus on the crisis.

"Not good. To put it plainly, we may not be able to suppress the White King's soul inside the Greater Grail anymore."

"What? No way, right?"

Norton shot her a dark look, one that screamed: It wouldn't have come to this if not for you.

Xia Mi shrank back, unable to speak.

"Even before, it was difficult. I had to reinforce the outer layers with nested alchemy matrices. I couldn't damage the Grail itself, but I had to keep the White King's soul suppressed. It was never stable."

He raised one hand as he spoke.

"Look for yourself now."

Inside the magical storm, the glowing liquid alchemical substance lining the engraved channels stirred under Norton's command, flowing toward the center.

This was regenerative metal, designed to conduct and absorb energy at extreme levels.

A single milligram could form a self-sustaining matrix—like the one beneath Cassell Academy that amplified the effect of the commandment word, spreading it across the campus. Here, though, it was merely a suppressor around the Grail.

Hummmm—!

The glowing metal connected together, weaving a multilayered barrier. Thin as a film at first, the layers quickly solidified, absorbing the raging elements.

But then—

A shrill screech tore out from within the Grail. The magical outburst intensified, surging a hundredfold. The barriers shattered instantly, the storm exploding with deafening force. Fenrir staggered under the blast, nearly knocked over.

"See? The old methods are useless now. They only provoke it further."

The storm howled, filling their ears. Dust and gravel whipped against Xia Mi's face.

"Pfft!" She spat grit out and brushed at her clothes, only to notice that Norton remained spotless, his alchemical armor shielding him completely.

So convenient, having the core technology.

Boom!

The magical density rose further, elements spiraling into chaos.

Scarlet lightning burst from thin air, the air boiling. The Grail's alchemy array was close to erupting entirely. Fenrir roared in pain, dark scorch marks spreading across his scales from the searing flow.

"The old way won't do. Then I'll use this."

Norton spread his hands. Small white orbs of light floated free, fluid-like, drifting out to form nodes around the cavern. Shielded by Fenrir's massive body, the nodes activated, creating a vast new array.

Before their eyes, the collapsing cavern transformed into a landscape of blazing iron and scorched earth.

"What are you gawking at? This is my Reality Marble. I've forged it into a portable form using alchemy, so it automatically gathers energy and deploys itself without draining me."

He stared at the Grail within his Reality Marble. For now, the outburst seemed to ease.

Xia Mi exhaled in relief.

Good, at least it was under control.

See? There's no way I'll lose. No way!

"So, Norton, why did the Grail spiral out of control like this?"

"Not sure. If I think about it, there was no warning. Today's little accident of yours was just the final push."

He frowned. "Truth is, the White King's soul started growing restless days ago. The Grail's seal must have begun failing then."

"Days ago?"

Xia Mi froze. Wasn't that when the White King fragment had begun rampaging outside?

So… the fragment and the true body were somehow synchronized?

She remembered Shirou's words. "Norton, what if all that killing, all that Izanami nonsense… was a ritual? A way to recover power?"

"You're suggesting it's gaining strength just by eating mortals? Impossible."

Norton shook his head—but then, after a pause to calculate, his face darkened.

"…You said the White King is creating the 'legend of Izanami,' right?"

"Y-yes."

Xia Mi's stomach sank. Could it be… Shirou was right again?

"I see now. I've understood everything."

He looked smug, as though he'd uncovered the ultimate truth, leaving Xia Mi nearly tearing her hair out.

What the hell did you understand?!

"I'll explain. Remember when you entered the White King's Nibelungen, the Night Banquet, and saw the false god Yamata no Orochi?"

"Of course. You and Fenrir destroyed the alchemy array holding it together, and the Nibelungen collapsed. Orochi was gone, wasn't it?"

"You're too naïve. First, the Night Banquet wasn't destroyed, only deactivated. Destroying it outright would have wrecked the leyline we installed. Second, Orochi wouldn't die from something like that. You think an earthquake or tsunami could kill that monster? Ridiculous. If even you could escape, what do you think the White King's flesh could do?"

Norton shook his head. "What matters is how Orochi gained pseudo-god strength. Do you remember?"

Xia Mi clutched her head. "Yes… it was through the alchemy of the mind—'Mental Recasting.' The White King, as master of the mental field, excelled at it. The Nibelungen itself was a manifestation of her consciousness, her mental domain!"

Her eyes widened.

"No way!"

"Yes way," Norton said coldly. "The White King spreading the Izanami myth is her creating a pseudo-Nibelungen in the real world."

"She's distorting society's perception through mass killings, twisting public belief with deceptive speech and mental word-spirits. She's enacting a grand-scale Mental Recasting!"

"A full-blown mythos simulation!"

Xia Mi got it instantly.

It was just like when certain Heroic Spirits gained boosts from fame—like Watanabe no Tsuna and Ibaraki-dōji.

Even if she couldn't ascend as the true god Izanami, reaching the level of a pseudo-god was terrifying enough.

That was why the White King's soul inside the Grail was becoming uncontrollable. She had been amassing power this entire time.

"At least she's still trapped inside the Grail's matrix," Norton muttered. "If she could build a true Nibelungen, reviving her pseudo-god power, she'd be unstoppable."

"Wait!" Xia Mi blurted. "Norton, remember—the Night Banquet was built around the White King herself, centered on her, and humans called that kind of massive array a 'dragon vein.'"

"And now… the Greater Grail… it's linked to the leyline, centered on the White King… It's the exact same thing…"

Her words trailed off.

Norton's expression turned grim. He understood.

If the Grail's suppression was failing… wasn't she already building a new Nibelungen?

Crack!

Their worst fear came true.

The icy white, gold-trimmed vessel shattered apart. The Greater Grail collapsed. From within, the White King opened her eyes.

A pillar of blinding light tore through the cavern, the flames and smoke of Norton's Reality Marble disintegrating into motes within its brilliance.

"No!"

Norton's face twisted in disbelief.

A brand new Nibelungen erupted forth, tearing his Reality Marble apart.

Xia Mi felt despair wash over her. Damn it… Shirou had been right all along.

The White King's Reality Marble—her mythic domain—was descending upon the real world.

——

Rain battered rooftops, running off the eaves in silver streams.

Shirou sniffed at the air. The wind had weakened, the rain wasn't as heavy.

Was the storm ending? Had Xia Mi resolved it?

He gazed at the sky. The clouds above were still black, stretching endlessly.

The pressure of a city on the verge of collapse.

Not a good sign.

"My Master, you seem troubled. Shall I crush your enemies?"

A tall armored warrior materialized from the void.

This was the "Avenger: Ugly Gozen," summoned by Shirou using the projected Noble Phantasm, Dōjigiri Yasutsuna.

The massive warrior's armor, the Settsu Great Armor, looked more like a humanoid mecha than a suit of steel. A deep voice resonated from within.

"For now, there are no enemies. Remove the armor and show your true self, Avenger. I know this form is only a restriction placed upon you."

Ugly Gozen chuckled hoarsely. "Indeed, I can feel my Master's strength. This power is no illusion… Such strength—was it this era that birthed such a weapon?"

Her armor dissolved into particles of light, revealing a slender yet powerfully built woman.

Shirou frowned. As expected of an Avenger—her values were twisted.

"Not a weapon. A human."

(End of Chapter)

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