Shinji Matou at Your Service

Gathering thoughts is like collecting raw materials.

If one person's will is not enough, then you gather from others—whether conscious or unconscious. When you collect the thoughts of all humanity, it can even overpower the planet.

Creating the fantasy is like processing the raw materials, shaping them into the most suitable form.

Because each person's consciousness differs, forming a unified Noble Phantasm is nearly impossible, but an unstable bomb is quite fitting.

Connecting to the origin and converting the power is the process of transforming the intangible thought-bomb into something tangible.

This is also the foundation of Shinji's foothold in the Third Magic, the core of materializing the soul.

Finally, you detonate the bomb, releasing all the fantasy destructively.

This is the True Reality Break!

This is Shinji Matou's ultimate secret, the final technique of the Explosive Maniac!

It sounds complicated, but for a seasoned explosive expert, this is work that can be completed in the blink of an eye. Even when dealing with that old bald monk in the southwest, it didn't take more than a minute.

This is the professional ethic and instinct of an explosive maniac. Shinji has practiced countless times in private, blowing up or injuring all kinds of enemies.

However, this time Shinji failed. He encountered an issue at the very first step, gathering thoughts.

This should have been his most familiar step. Ever since he opened the Grievance Pavilion, he has been accustomed to observing other people's souls and sensing the thoughts that inadvertently slip out.

The problem lies here. Although thoughts can transcend distance, even time and space, the rule that closer proximity makes gathering easier still applies.

The closest person to Shinji—or more accurately, the closest sentient being—is Arcueid. Because of one sentence, "Trust me," she placed all her trust in him, fully and wholeheartedly relying on Shinji.

The mental power of a True Ancestor is immense, thousands of times that of a human. It's no exaggeration to say that just her thoughts alone are enough for Shinji to blow up ten more times and still have plenty left over.

This would normally be a good thing, but if those thoughts carry something else, it becomes a serious problem.

Arcueid's current state is quite poor, deeply troubled by her blood-sucking impulse. Almost all her mental energy is spent resisting this urge. This impulse, too, unknowingly seeped into her thoughts and spread over.

As soon as Shinji started the gathering of thoughts and opened his soul without much defense, the bloodlust surged in like a flood from an open dam.

"Ugh…"

Shinji instinctively clutched his throat, forgetting even the newly opened escape route.

Blood, blood, blood!

Blood, blood, blood, blood, blood, blood, blood!!

Blood, blood, blood, blood, blood, blood, blood, blood, blood, blood, blood, blood!!!

If it weren't for Arcueid's trust and resistance coming through simultaneously, Shinji would have been instantly consumed by the bloodlust, turning into a madman craving blood.

Not good, I'm reaching my limit. Even if I can resist Arcueid's power, my soul can't handle this.

His thoughts slowed due to the overwhelming mental load, and soon his vision, hearing, taste, and touch were all delayed.

I can't continue like this. I need to release this energy quickly.

But wait, can bloodlust be considered a type of thought? Can it be transformed into a fantasy?

Whatever, I'll just release it. Better that than having my soul crash!

Skipping the fantasy creation, not worrying about power efficiency, directly moving to the origin connection, power conversion.

Huh? Not bad. The efficiency of converting bloodlust is unexpectedly high. Is it because bloodlust is always accompanied by a destructive impulse?

Wait, I've never handled such a large amount before. Will I get caught up in the explosion?

Oh well, no time to worry about that now. An explosive maniac doesn't die from explosions—if you do, you're not a qualified explosive maniac!

If this succeeds, I won't have to worry about Arcueid's bloodlust problem ever again.

—Uh, it seems that recklessly opening your soul isn't a good idea. Shinji's mental state is off; he's starting to act more like Arcueid.

Arcueid's personality is simple and sweet, with a fighting style that involves charging in without thinking—just smash, smash, smash!

But Arcueid's recklessness is backed by strength. In terms of immortality, there are few in the world stronger than her. She can revive even after being sliced into seventeen pieces by the Mystic Eyes of Death Perception. Attacks that would reduce normal Dead Apostles to ashes are something she recovers from in an instant, and her ability to build immunity to any mystery she's been exposed to is an incredible passive trait.

She truly doesn't fear explosions—even a nuclear bomb is no big deal to her. But Shinji is different. While his soul is protected by the Third Magic, his physical body lacks immortality. Even though he has been strengthened to the level of an ancient warrior by the Golden Apple, he can't withstand endless waves of attacks!

Unfortunately, Shinji's intelligence has been dragged down by Arcueid, so he's not thinking that far ahead. All he wants is explosions, explosions, and more explosions!

"Behold my new bomb! Killer Queen!!!"

An unprecedented, unparalleled, peerless super explosion.

Centered on Shinji, it spread wildly outward.

More terrifying than the explosion against Shirou and more fearsome than any previous explosion.

The battlefield's air, as if pulled by some invisible force, surged towards the explosion's center at a speed surpassing any known weather phenomenon, then recoiled with even greater force.

"Boom!"

It was like the mighty hammer of Thor himself crashing down. The deafening roar struck the eardrums, and a mysterious, chaotic hurricane spread out with increasing ferocity.

A red mushroom cloud rose and rapidly expanded before the naked eye, with blood-like substances swirling within.

The Pegasus hovering mid-air was caught off guard by the explosion's shockwave and was blown away, letting out a "whinnying" cry.

Arcueid, sitting on its back, fared even worse. She nearly got thrown off because she hadn't grabbed the reins and was wearing a billowing long dress. Fortunately, Pegasus quickly used its wings to block her, and the startled princess clung to its neck, crying out loudly.

After a moment, Arcueid suddenly exclaimed, "Huh?"

She shook her head, sniffed the air, and licked her fingers, her face full of confusion.

"It seems… I don't feel like drinking blood as much. Is this my imagination?"

She tried connecting her mind to nature, dispelling the gusts of wind that kept assaulting her.

"Still don't want to drink blood. I think—I'm okay now? Hehehehehe…"

The excited princess hugged Pegasus's neck, her natural smile returning.

"Pegasus, I'm all better! We can play together again."

The Pegasus stabilized its body and snorted, a hint of human-like joy flickering in its emerald eyes.

"You ask how I got better? I don't know either. We'll ask Shinji later—he knows everything… Wait a second, where is Shinji?"