"I knew this would happen. Aoko, that idiot, always causing destruction."
Touko covered her eyes. While others might not understand Aoko's peculiarities, how could she not? She had already witnessed it firsthand during the Magician's Night at the end of the 1980s.
Now, more than a decade later, Aoko's abilities had not diminished. They had grown even stronger. The sound of her magic circuits operating was as loud as the roar of a jet engine.
At the same time, Zelretch sighed helplessly. With a casual wave of his staff, layers of barriers unfolded.
Aoko paid no attention to this and didn't even raise her arm to aim.
"——Magic Bullet, Fire!"
She simply gave herself a succinct command.
Without casting any magic, fifty magic bullets were fired in an instant.
Like a meteor shower, the bullets rained down continuously on the space barrier Zelretch had constructed.
Speed equals power, and when combined with an overwhelming numerical advantage, even a barrier based on the principles of the Second Magic was easily pierced.
Of course, piercing the barrier didn't necessarily mean the attack was effective. The moment the barrier shattered, space itself became chaotic. The dense barrage of magic bullets veered wildly off course, like headless eagles, and vanished into thin air in the next moment.
The old man behind the barrier remained unscathed, not even moving a step.
This was to be expected. After all, they were both magicians. Each had only made one move, more like a greeting. How could there be any substantial outcome?
Then, the third magician made his move. Shinji's faith transformed into particles of spirit, materializing as a spear, which descended from the sky, aiming straight for Zelretch's head.
The old man slightly tilted his body, and with his empty hand, he caught the spear mid-air and snapped it in two.
"I thought you'd be more reasonable than Ms. Aoko."
"If it were any other matter, I probably would be. But sorry, you're an exception. You saved me once, but you've also screwed me over—badly. At least let me get some payback."
With that, Shinji clenched his fist, pulling the broken spear back.
With a shout of "Hah!", the broken spear exploded. The blast's power was no less than Aoko's fifty magic bullets.
"So, if you don't want to just take a beating, you'd better fight back."
"I see."
The red gleam of a ruby pierced through the smoke from the explosion, and the old man calmly walked out, leaning on his staff.
"Then I have no choice but to accompany you all the way."
"That's more like it. Otherwise, this wouldn't be fun."
Feeling the magical energy radiating from the old man, Aoko finally became excited. Her long hair, reaching her waist, transformed into a brilliant red, fluttering in the wind. The blue in her eyes gleamed brighter than the stars in the sky.
The Fourth Magician, the one who mastered the Fifth Magic, declared to the world:
"——Order (Five)——"
The words of the chant were similar, but their underlying meanings were entirely different.
That was the essence of magic and the unique view of the world through the eyes of a magician.
As if in response, the Third Magician, who mastered the Third Magic, and the Second Magician, who mastered the Second Magic, also voiced their chants simultaneously.
"——Order (Three)——"
"——Order (Two)——"
"——Collapse here!" x3
And then, the world shifted, and order collapsed.
Magic and miracles manifested.
The extraordinary power contained within these forces caused the entire mystical world to take notice.
...
The Clock Tower, Headquarters of the Mage's Association
Lord Marisbury Animusphere of the Astromancy Department was on the verge of collapse, overwhelmed by the situation.
The Astromancy Department's main focus wasn't just the stars in the sky, but also the ground beneath their feet. When humanity realized the Earth was round and part of the cosmos, the Astromancy Department incorporated the Earth into their observations.
Today, the Astromancy Department's observation systems are highly advanced. Their research wasn't limited to studying Earth's place in celestial magic; they had many branches of study.
For example, detecting large-scale fluctuations of magical energy, or identifying extraordinary mysteries, allowing the Clock Tower to respond quickly. Above all, the observation of The Root, the ultimate goal of magus, and the presence of true Magic were of paramount importance to the Astromancy Department.
When the Greater Grail opened its channel to the world and fully activated, the Astromancy Department, located on the other side of the globe, detected this strange phenomenon.
Out of caution, Marisbury didn't jump to conclusions right away. He increased the precision of his observation spells to avoid any potential errors or embarrassment.
However, before Marisbury could confirm whether this was indeed the long-lost Third Magic, something even more shocking happened.
The Root, the phenomenon that drove countless magus mad, was detected, and it was in the same location as the Third Magic's fluctuations.
Marisbury couldn't sit still. Upon investigating the location, he found it was in western Japan...
The terms "Holy Grail War" and "the omnipotent wish-granting machine" immediately came to his mind. When Kayneth disappeared, Marisbury had specifically sent people to investigate the situation, concluding that the ritual was flawed and unable to fulfill its wishes. As a result, a certain plan to establish a system of magical organization had been shelved.
Had he been wrong in his judgment? Or was Heartless' investigation flawed?
No, this wasn't the time to think about such things. The appearance of the Third Magic and The Root together was the biggest event in the magical world in a century—bigger even than the discovery of the Fifth Magic by the Aozaki family.
This was too much for him, or even for the entire Animusphere family, to handle alone. He needed to inform the other Lords immediately. Though the Astromancy Department was the strongest in terms of observation, the other departments weren't incompetent. It wouldn't take long for word to spread.
Having made up his mind, Marisbury immediately left for the main building to meet with Kayneth.
Normally, he would have first sought out Lorelei Barthomeloi, the Lord of the Department of Policies, but she was out of town. For now, the aristocratic second-in-command, El-Melloi, was temporarily handling some matters.
Upon hearing the news, Kayneth knew something was wrong.
Though he didn't fully understand the nature of the so-called "Holy Grail," he had participated in the Holy Grail War and knew something must have gone awry.
At this point, there was no hiding it. He had no choice but to contact the other Lords while racking his brain for a way to minimize the damage.
It was the end of the year, and all the Lords were in London.
When it came to the Root and Magic, none of the Lords dared take it lightly.
Within half an hour, all eleven Lords, except for Lorelei, had gathered.
"Animusphere, please explain the situation."
Kayneth, with a grim expression, presided over the emergency meeting. The other Lords assumed the matter was serious, but only Kayneth knew he was panicking over the situation in Fuyuki. After all this time, he still couldn't think of a solution.
"Alright—"
Marisbury cleared his throat and was just about to report the results of his observations when someone suddenly knocked on the meeting room door.