Norton looked down at the white-haired girl that Yami had just "physically hypnotized" with one punch.
This so-called "Melusine Zero" had snow-white hair that cascaded down over her slender limbs, which were already densely overgrown with black dragon scales. Her hands and feet had fully transformed into vicious claws, her joints warped into dragonlike angles. On her back, her black wings curled tightly even in unconsciousness.
"They really picked a one-in-a-million specimen," Norton commented lightly. "A fully matured draconic Dead Apostle chimera, and the living spirit they sealed inside it has excellent compatibility."
But this was not the path he had chosen for himself.
His gaze shifted to the crystal coffin on the other side of the room.
Inside lay a girl's body, wrapped in thick red-black chains — the original prototype of Nono, "Frigg Zero," vessel of the White King's soul egg.
That was the centerpiece of his Great Grail plan.
If the Medical Association learned of this, they'd spare no effort to send their forces and seize it.
But Norton had no intention of hiding it forever. After all, just as the Medical Association wanted to reclaim Frigg Zero, they themselves wanted the souls Odin and Leviathan had hoarded in Niflheim.
Those countless souls, taken over centuries, were not simply stored like gold in a vault — they were sealed in a dragon-forged Niflheim, only accessible to those with the mark or the key.
It wasn't because dragons were greedy by nature.
Rather, human-made defenses could be broken by dragons easily. Only a Niflheim built by dragons themselves could remain secure.
Which meant, if they could strike back and invade Niflheim, this might be their only chance.
———
"We have to consider our next move carefully. This might be a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity."
Nono was pulling Shirou into the back seat of Sakedo Mai's Lamborghini Estoque — one of the rare four-seater sports cars.
As Shirou settled in, he spoke to Nono and Mai, who was at the wheel.
When Nono gave the destination as the Regent Hotel, Mai started the engine and rocketed off.
"Once-in-a-lifetime? What's that supposed to mean?" she asked.
"It means the enemy is probably preparing something big, and whether we win depends on whether we can find their base quickly and 'disrupt their spellcasting,'" Shirou said.
"What? That guy wasn't already beaten into the ground by you?"
"I don't think he went all-out. Toward the end, he suddenly held back. I suspect he was just testing my moves, gathering intel, so he can prepare a perfect strike next time."
Mai glanced at him in surprise. "…I thought every time Big Bro Shirou struck, there'd be some kill to show for it. Still, not bad — you made the enemy flee in a panic again. Your name's gonna strike fear everywhere after this one!"
"Don't exaggerate. We just made him run for now — it doesn't mean he won't come back. If we get cocky and complacent, we'll be the ones caught off guard next time."
Mai just grinned easily. "Hey, we're just your support squad anyway. Whatever you say goes… Right, Nono?"
But Nono didn't answer.
"She's in a reading trance," Shirou explained. "I gave her a fragment of the enemy's mask, and she's trying to psychometrically read any useful clues."
Indeed, Nono was gripping the shard tightly, eyes wide and glassy, expression distant, her eyelids fluttering erratically, sometimes growing agitated, sometimes dark and pensive.
Anyone else watching would think she looked like a mad prophet or a very advanced mental patient.
This went on for minutes, until just as they were pulling into the hotel garage, she finally blinked and came back to herself.
"How was it?" Shirou asked immediately.
Rubbing her temple, Nono replied: "It's incomplete. I couldn't get much. Just a few scenes… a typhoon at night, rain pounding over 'Route 0' elevated highway… and… roaring, boiling seas."
"…The sea?"
Shirou could understand the typhoon and highway — after all, there'd just been a typhoon and road closures announced — but the sea? This city was on the southeast coast, but it didn't sit directly on the water. There were beaches and suburbs in between.
That couldn't just mean the typhoon came from the sea — anyone could guess that.
Whatever Nono had sensed must mean something more.
They thought about it for a while, but couldn't reach any conclusion, so they headed up to the hotel.
Mai, meanwhile, took a call from Sun Xi and said she had to run off to fix something in Sanmu's side of the deal. She swung the car around and sped off into the rain.
———
"Old Tang, you okay? Things feel off over here…"
Back in his suite, Shirou called Tang while soaking in the warm bath, his clothes shredded and frozen stiff after his duel.
"I'm fine, brother. What happened, you need me to come over? I've got my own business, but it can wait — though I promised Ming a showdown…"
"No — you can come, but you might take the wrong route…"
Shirou explained the situation and the clues from Nono's reading.
On the other end, Tang smacked his head and laughed:
"That's easy! Just find a highway where you can see the sea. There aren't that many elevated routes in this little city — I'll drive around and check each one. Trust me, my luck'll sniff him out in no time!"
Shirou couldn't help but smile wryly.
Just then, he felt a presence and glanced up — a red-haired head peeked through the curtain at the edge of the bath.
He almost dropped his phone into the water. "Nono?! What the hell are you doing?!"
Her big red eyes were spinning with some strange calculation.
Normally, it's the guy who tries to sneak a peek, but here it was reversed — truly a goddess with her own logic.
Nono raised an eyebrow, feigning the righteous fury of a jealous wife.
"Talking to Tang again?"
Shirou hung up, then said flatly: "Didn't you hear? We were discussing business…"
But Nono cut him off with a sharp retort:
"That's not what I meant. Yesterday you trained me, today you're worrying about Tang… Have you thought about yourself? You said it yourself — don't give the enemy time to prepare. But your condition right now… you're almost drained dry, aren't you?"
"…So what if I am?"
"That's exactly what I mean!"
She swept the curtain aside and stepped in with the righteous air of someone who didn't care about shame.
"If you burn yourself out again, what then? You always said my mana was abundant — so why don't you think of a way to share it?"
Shirou was about to dunk his head underwater when he froze at her words, eyes lighting up.
"…Wait, you're right. Mana transfer — it could work!"
"Mana transfer? What's that?"
"It's just replenishing mana-rich fluids. Magical energy is easily dissolved in a magus's bodily fluids."
"…!"
Nono's clever mind quickly caught on, her eyes darting to Shirou's bare chest.
Her cheeks flushed, her voice squeezed through clenched teeth as though she were psyching herself up:
"M-Mana transfer… right! Just this once, for the sake of defeating our common enemy — I can handle it!"
With that, she took a deep breath and stepped boldly into the tub.
(End of Chapter)
[Check Out My P@treon For +20 Extra Chapters On All My Fanfics!!][www.p@treon.com/euridome][Thank You For Your Support!]