Tokyo Singularity (22) Merlin's Spell...

"I……"

Xia Youjie hesitated, opening his mouth as if to utter the words stuck in his throat. But suddenly, out of the corner of his eye, he caught sight of Xia Youjie, who was now alive.

The young boy, still a student, possessed a pair of purple eyes that contrasted sharply with his lifeless gaze. His strikingly bright eyes pierced through the torrential rain and landed on Xia You, the sect leader.

Cold raindrops fell from his eyelashes and trickled down his temples. The Avenger stopped abruptly, swallowed the words that were about to come out of his throat, and chuckled softly.

He remembered.

It wasn't a rainy day, and the sunset that day was bright red and brilliant.

"Now that things have come to this, what else is there for us to say?" Xia You, the sect leader, pulled away from Wu Tiao Wu's hand, took a step back in a distant manner, and widened the distance between himself and the white-haired boy.

He turned his head away from his sky-blue eyes. "Having said that, I once again sincerely invite you to witness this grand event... See you in three days."

"Azure!"

The response to Xia You was not anyone's reply, but Gojo Satoru's curse attack. His blue eyes, no longer hidden by sunglasses and stained with cold raindrops, were exceptionally cold and sharp.

"Do you think a vocational college is a place you can come and go as you please?!"

A massive amount of magical power, mixed with incomprehensible anger, attacked the Natsuyu Cult Leader. A raindrop the size of a bean was deflected by the surging magical power and struck Fujimaru Ritsuka, who was watching everything from the sidelines, on the head.

In a flash, she suddenly thought of a possibility that was both familiar and unfamiliar.

“Da Vinci-sensei,” Fujimaru Ritsuka asked, “Will the singularities we experienced be made available for all Servants to learn from?”

"Yes, I can't always bring a level 1 blank Servant out with me, even I, as an all-around genius, wouldn't feel at ease," came the affirmative voice of Little Da Vinci.

Fujimaru Ritsuka became even more certain of a certain idea. She moved away from the two people who were inexplicably fighting and Principal Moth, who was trying to stop them, and turned to find Xia Youjie, who was not far from her. Under his questioning gaze, she asked him what the difference was between the current Avengers and the ones he had seen before.

Xia Youjie anxiously watched Gojo Satoru, who was falling behind, but he still managed to spare a moment of thought when he heard Ritsuka's question. After a long while, he hesitated and said that the person now was more energetic and more like his future.

Fujimaru Ritsuka: "..."

"One last question," she asked, "Does the vocational college have a protective barrier?"

"Yes," Xia Youjie answered without hesitation.

Ah, I see. He's more like a living person now, more like Xia Youjie. That's why he can see Wutiao Wu now, and why he can break through the high school's barrier…

This can all be attributed to two reasons.

Fujimaru Ritsuka suddenly looked up. Her gaze was ethereal, like a dream in the misty rain. But when her eyes fell on the Natsuyou Cult Leader, they became serious, causing his attack to miss, and the sound of the rain in her ears stopped because of the pounding in her chest.

—This Avenger is a fake created by the Holy Grail.

The Yin-Yang technique clone in front of him was created based on the current Xia Youjie.

Therefore, he was able to break through the barrier, Alter felt a strange sense of familiarity, and Gojo's six eyes did not detect any problem.

This singularity has only one manipulator, not the overtly visible Xia You, but the shadowy Ashiya Dōman. Everyone else is merely a pawn in his game.

Just like in Orleans back then.

But compared to Gilles's love and madness for Joan of Arc, the truth here must be even colder.

“Alter, sir.” Fujimaru Ritsuka sighed and turned to look at the person involved in the past. “Is there any way to interrupt them?”

The mystery was solved not so much as the Avengers extending an invitation to the high school, but rather Ashiya Dōman guiding her step by step toward the truth and sending her an invitation to the final battle.

The time, place, and people involved were all informed.

Therefore, it's pointless for Gojo Satoru to fight a clone here now; it might even disrupt the existing plan. We must stop them from continuing the fight.

"Ha, what can't be done!" Jeanne Alter laughed wildly, lifting the flagpole, the purplish-black flames cleaving through the rain. "You better keep a close eye on me!"

Xia Youjie was shocked to see flames raging in the rain, blocking Xia Youjie's path. Just as Wutiao Wu, relying on his shamelessness, was about to try to pass through the wall of fire, a sword was placed in front of his neck at the right moment.

"Stop."

How effortlessly a fight was prevented.

Xia Youjie looked down at his hands, once again sensing the unfathomable strength of the Chaldea people. If he had tried to stop them, he would probably already be fighting Satoru two against one.

"Why did you stop me!" Gojo Satoru's eyes reddened as he glared at Jeanne Alter.

"The Master's order." Jeanne Alter coldly uttered these words and ignored Gojo Satoru's clamor.

Meanwhile, Oberon stopped Ritsuka from stepping forward, saying, "Maybe letting them fight is the best option." The faint smile on his lips seemed particularly cold against the backdrop of the chilly rain.

"Know yourself and know your enemy, and you will never be defeated."

Fujimaru Ritsuka understood the implication in his words, resignedly wiped her face, and complained softly, "If I could, I would also like to win the first battle instead of becoming more and more determined after each setback."

But she's just an ordinary person. To be able to defeat demons and gods is already a result of countless hardships... She should know how to be content.

"Isn't the opportunity to win the first battle right in front of you?"

"I don't want any problems to arise with the plans later on."

"Wow, you already have a plan?" Oberon raised an eyebrow, but there was no doubt in his eyes or tone. "I was the one who said too much."

“Oberon is still the same.” Fujimaru Ritsuka complained to his face, “He was clearly cooperating before, but now he’s pretending he doesn’t know anything… Ugh, don’t flick my head!”

Touching her forehead, Fujimaru Ritsuka walked over to Jeanne Alter in a good mood. She gave Gojo Satoru, who was still indignant and trying to fight again, a knowing look.

Gojo Satoru, who was still struggling, instantly understood Ritsuka's meaning. As he retreated, he made sure to put on an expression of being forced to back down in front of Natsuyu.

There's no acting skill involved, it's all just emotion.

"It seems he trusts you a lot." Xia You Sect Leader lifted his eyelids, completely unconcerned that the purple flames he couldn't avoid were scorching his cassock, and the charred fragments flew in the rain like swallows that couldn't flutter.

"We are friends."

"...Ha, my friend."

The rain poured down harder and harder, as if burying everyone's clamorous emotions, leaving only simple hostility.

Xia Youjiao straightened his dripping wide sleeves, his face regaining its usual haughty compassion. "Well then, farewell, Miss Fujimaru and everyone at the high school. Cherish the last moments of your lives."

Fujimaru Ritsuka gestured for him to leave, then suddenly said, as if she had just remembered, "Please pass on one last message to him for me."

Xia You, the leader: "?" Forward the message, but to whom?

Do the two of them know each other?

"Tell him, he's played the same old tricks of Yin-Yang magic so many times, isn't he tired of it?"

—

In that familiar conference room at the college, the windows were tightly closed, and howling wind mixed with raindrops pounded against the glass.

The students from the high school sat solemnly at the long table. Gojo Satoru sat with his legs crossed, a hint of annoyance in his eyes, whether from the irritating wind or something else was unclear. Natsumi Yujie sat upright in a wooden chair, his hair still dripping wet. His eyelashes drooped slightly, obscuring his thoughts.

Masamichi Yagami placed his fists on the table, his gaze fixed on the Chaldea group seated opposite him. Fujimaru Ritsuka was methodically explaining the upcoming plan, while a girl named Sion in the blue projection beside her occasionally provided her with additional information.

Only at this moment did the Night Moth Sect realize that Chaldea was merely the tip of the iceberg hidden beneath the surface. Before their arrival, the sorcery world had no idea of ​​another Xia Youjie. While they were gathering intelligence and piecing together the truth, the High School was completely clueless.

While Chaldea had already finalized its battle plan, Gojo and Natsume were still slacking off!

Night Moth Masamichi couldn't help but sigh, pressing his clenched fist to his forehead, looking speechless.

So, after Ritsuka finished explaining her plan, she took a big gulp of water and looked at everyone, who were still dumbfounded.

Fujimaru Ritsuka: "...?"

"Is there something wrong with what I said?"

After a moment of silence, Xia Youjie stammered as if waking from a dream, "No, no, you're right... we just need to slow down." He rubbed his forehead; he was one of the few people here still trying to understand the situation with their brains.

"A surprise attack on the Panxing Sect in the early hours of tonight?"

"Yes," Fujimaru Ritsuka replied.

The Avengers are unaware that most of their plans have been exposed to Chaldea, much less that their carefully hidden stronghold has been so easily discovered. Now, with almost everything on their minds resolved, they are at their most relaxed.

This is also the best time to attack.

"Is Chaldea certain they can find the current location of the Panxing Cult?"

"yes."

Wu Tiao Wu glanced over. He had also sent his family to search for the Panxing Sect at all costs, but to no avail. There was no sect leader named Xia Youjie at the original site.

What method did Chaldea use?

He clicked his tongue in annoyance, his once-smooth hair now standing on end from his rubbing. His gaze swept over the Chaldea members. Suddenly, he abruptly stood up, the screeching sound of the chair drawing everyone's attention.

"Wu, what are you doing now?!" Xia Youjie gritted his teeth, his train of thought completely disrupted.

Ignoring Xia Youjie's minor complaint, Gojo Satoru leaned down, placed his hands on the table, and stared intently at Fujimaru Ritsuka.

"That guy named Oberon, he made that noise just now to draw that guy's attention to you?"

Oberon gave him a polite yet mocking smile, but when Gojo Satoru looked at him again, only a trustworthy, cheerful smile remained. Ritsuka was still explaining:

"As a Servant, Mr. Natsume is wary of Oberon, who is also a Servant, but he is more relaxed towards someone like me with weak magical power. Only Oberon's tricks can work."

Fujimaru Ritsuka paused very subtly, leaning back in her chair and glancing to her left at the boy standing beside her. "Am I right—Merlin's magic?"

In the Lostbelts of the past, Oberon's act of impersonating Merlin to teach Artoria resulted in this fairy of paradise still using Merlin's magic to this day... But who knows that her teachers were all learning on the spot?

A few indistinct laughs came through the communication line. Sion, who appeared on the projection screen, controlled his expression, but the emotions overflowing in his eyes could not be concealed.

"...You're such a terrible person, and you have such a wicked sense of humor." Oberon's disdainful voice drifted into Ritsuka's ears through the flowing air.

Fujimaru Ritsuka tapped the armrest and grinned mischievously, looking like she was in a very good mood.

A note from the author:

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