Thanks for the invitation. I'm in Type-Moon, inheriting the legacy of Zi-O.

Feeling the scorching heat behind him, Nian Zhuo slightly turned his body to the side, and after the fireball flew past, he immediately returned to his original form.

Using his honed sense of the high temperature and magic behind him, Nian Zhuo was able to roughly guess the direction of the fireball.

Finally, a brightly lit gate appeared before Nianzhuo, who could even see the thick demonic mist outside.

But then, his eyes suddenly narrowed, and his figure involuntarily paused and veered to one side.

"Hey! Mordred! And Mash!" In just a few seconds, he recovered, readjusted his position, and sped towards the door. "I'll be the first one out! The spellbook is behind me! Don't hit the wrong one!"

The reason why was that Nianzhuo saw the bright silver armor peeking out from beside the gate.

That must have been a warning left for Nianzhuo after discovering that the Demon Book was mindless.

Mordred and Mash were hiding on either side of the gate, waiting for the spellbook to appear so they could catch it off guard.

The boy raised the sword above his head and handed it to Ryotaro and Urataros, while Mordred looked at Mash opposite him.

Sensing the clinking sounds coming from inside, both of them were fully prepared, waiting for the 'enemy' to rush out...

But then the vibrations inside lessened, but Nianzhuo's voice came out from within.

After all, if he didn't speak up, he might get a sword or shield pointed at his head as soon as he rushed out the door.

"Roger that!" Mordred responded in kind, listening to the approaching footsteps. "How much longer do you have?"

"...Three seconds!" Seeing the magic book behind him begin to condense fireballs again, Nian Zhuo quickly sped up and rushed towards the door. "Three seconds later, you will swing your swords at the second thing that appears!"

He shouted loudly while silently chanting in his heart.

3—Mordred gripped the swords tightly with both hands, while Mash laid her shield flat, ready to push the enemy aside at any moment.

2—Nian Zhuo accelerated again, rushing out of the ambushing gate. Due to the excessive speed, he even had to slide to stabilize his body.

"1—!" Finally, Nian Zhuo steadied himself, turned to look at where he had rushed out, and shouted, "Attack—!"

"Ah—! (Ha—!)" Almost simultaneously, Mordred and Mash swung their weapons, and the spellbook also burst out of the door.

Then I saw swords and shields coming straight at me.

Magic Book - Attacks Fail - Shocking Nature

Then, the sword tip and shield were instantly pushed to the side.

"What?!" Mordred and Mash both widened their eyes. "They... couldn't hurt it?!"

The magic book suddenly stopped moving, and then its pages began to turn rapidly.

The purple runes shone again on the pages, and intense lightning flashed once more.

The lightning shattered the surrounding ground in an instant, and purple electric light, like venomous snakes, climbed up Mordred and Mash's bodies.

"Ugh...!" Both of them let out a muffled groan and quickly moved away from the range of the lightning released by the magic book.

"Damn it..." Retreating to the side of Nian Zhuo, who had started it, Mordred gritted her teeth and stared intently at the magic book not far away. "I clearly hit it, but it had no effect at all! What's wrong with this book!"

"I don't understand either." Mash was still a little weak from being struck by the spellbook's lightning, but she still gripped her shield and didn't fall. "The attack clearly hit the target, but I couldn't defeat him!"

"Did it really hit?" Even Mary was unwilling to believe the conclusion that it couldn't have caused any damage, and looked at the red dot that appeared and disappeared on the screen with a troubled expression. "Is it some kind of hallucination? Can you be sure that your attack really hit?"

“Yes, Doctor.” Mashu looked around and examined Ritsuka, then nodded affirmatively. “We are not in any abnormal state.”

"………………………………" As if mocking the three of them, the magic book did not launch an attack, but instead floated around in place, looking leisurely and carefree.

"Ugh, seriously! Just floating around so leisurely in the middle of battle!" Mordred was instantly enraged, stomping her foot. "How dare a mere book be so arrogant! Are you some kind of missing-page copy, you bastard!"

"If I had to name it, I'd say it's a banned book." The boy behind him adjusted his glasses, watching the magical book drift by. "It's said that if the contents are true, even a book can kill."

"Ah, it's that boy from earlier..." Mashu was taken aback at first, then saw him standing not far from the magic book and hurriedly shouted anxiously, "No! Don't come outside! It's dangerous here, get away from that book!"

"Haha, don't take your eyes off the magic book, little girl." The boy laughed heartily twice, then waved his hand to indicate that there was no need to worry. "Don't mind me, I'll run away as soon as I've said what I need to say." A faint blue magic appeared on the pages of the book in the boy's hand.

"You..." Mordred was somewhat surprised, but then she finally understood something and looked calmly at the boy not far away. "I was wondering why your voice was like that. Could it be that you..." She slapped the armor on her thigh, making a crisp clanging sound, and raised the blade in her hand, pointing it at the boy.

"Are you a Servant?!" He used his senses simultaneously, but the fog obscured his true identity. "Damn it, even my intuition has been dulled by the fog!"

"Finally realized it, huh?" The boy nodded, the quill pen reappearing in his hand. He grasped the floating book with one hand. "That's right, I'm a Heroic Spirit just like you. Or rather—" With a hint of a smile, he pointed to himself, "Do you think a child leisurely searching for rare books to read at a time like this is an ordinary person?"

The boy twirled the quill pen between his fingers, then shook his head in disappointment at Mordred's surprised expression.

"Leaving aside your sensitivity to magical perception, your intuition as a reader is practically below average." You shook your head and waved to Mordred. "Saber, read more books."

"I recommend you check out the series of books in the E cabinet on the first floor." He even pointed rather smugly to the study he had just run out of, the boy looking like he knew what he was talking about. "They're all books about dreams, romance, and tragic endings that you should like, you know?"

"What?!" Mordred gripped the blade tightly, not expecting to be understood so thoroughly by the other party. "Who are you? How dare you make such a joke?" She held the hilt tightly with both hands.

“Hans Christian Andersen.” The boy uttered a name that surprised everyone. He calmly adjusted his glasses. “Hans Christian Andersen. His class is Caster. If you want to know more, go read one of my books.”

"Huh...huh?!" Mashu, who had been resting, was startled at first, then screamed even louder, "—Huh?! The writer Hans Christian Andersen. Amazing...one of the world's three greatest fairy tale writers! A senior!"

"Yes...yes, yes!" Even Ritsuka was a little surprised, but she still coughed lightly twice and nudged Mashu. "Alright, alright, Mashu, calm down. Do you also like reading fairy tales?" However, her trembling hands betrayed her unsettled heart.

“Andersen…Is that really so?” Nian Zhuo nodded, his childhood memories resurfacing. “I vaguely remember…when we were in the orphanage, the director also liked to tell us stories like Little Red Riding Hood, The Little Mermaid, and The Ugly Duckling…” He carefully examined the boy not far away, finding it hard to connect him with that world-famous author.

"Um. No... well..." When asked if she liked fairy tales, Mashu's cheeks flushed slightly. "I wouldn't say I like them, I've just read them many times."

"Yo!" Unexpectedly, the boy who called himself Andersen came over with great interest, clapping his hands with a very pleasant expression as he looked at Mashu. "Judging from your expression, there's no need to hide it! I already know! You're a fan of my books, right?! Are there fans of my books among the Servants?"

"After the fictional characters, is it the author himself, and then the enemy is still the book!" Mary shook her head in a somewhat self-deprecating manner, indicating that she had already anticipated this scenario. "Very good, this situation has become inexplicable as well! Ritsuka!" Mary then connected with Ritsuka's channel and asked in a low voice.

"So, what is Mr. Andersen like? Is he very powerful as a Servant?!" Ritsuka then repeated Mary's words to Andersen.

"Ah... what is this silly girl expecting?" Waving his quill at Ritsuka, Andersen's disdainful expression returned. "I'm a writer, of course I'm incredibly weak. Although I encountered a magical book that attacks people everywhere, I have no chance of defeating it by myself. That's why I'm waiting here for a Servant skilled in physical labor to arrive!" Finally, blue text appeared on the cover of the book in Andersen's hand.

The book seemed to come alive, flying into the air and suddenly opening, revealing Andersen's name on the pristine white pages.

"Alright, go ahead and fight!" Seeing the strange state of his books, Andersen finally nodded happily and looked at Nian Zhuo, Mashu, and Mordred. "Saber! You idiots who don't know how to cherish books! And Miss Book Lover! I will record your battle from beginning to end, without missing a single detail!"

"Fine, shut up! Please, shut up!" After hearing Andersen's nonchalant remarks, Mordred painfully covered his forehead. "I'd rather chop you down than use the magic book!"

"What?!" To everyone's surprise, Andersen looked shocked and saddened as he looked at Mordred, whose forehead veins were bulging. "Not only did you fail to see through the magic book, but now you can't even distinguish friend from foe?" Andersen kept turning the quill up and down in his hand, writing something on the book in front of him, while nodding to Mordred.

"This is unbelievable! What an absolute barbarian!" He even pointed to his own head at Mordred. "Your head must be stuffed with mashed potatoes, right? You can't be wrong!"

"..." Mordred remained silent, then suddenly charged towards Andersen.

Clang—the sound of metal clashing rang out, and Nian Zhuo's silver figure appeared in front of Andersen, deflecting Mordred's swinging blade.

“She… is serious.” Nian Zhuo murmured to himself. Judging from the force and direction of Mordred’s attack just now, it was definitely an action aimed at killing Andersen here.

"Get out of the way, Nianzhuo!" Mordred angrily raised her sword, glaring at the 'brat' behind Nianzhuo. "I'm going to teach that brat a lesson first!"

"Forget it, Mordred~" Nian Zhuo shrugged casually, his eyes constantly observing the magic book, but for some reason it didn't move. So Nian Zhuo focused on Mordred. "I understand how you feel, but let's calm down for now..." He turned to look at the boy and said with a hint of helplessness.

"Mr. Andersen, please say something too..."

"What are you saying?" The boy who was taking notes looked up and adjusted his glasses on Nianzhuo's nose. "Ah, you mean constructive remarks?" As if he understood something, the boy cleared his throat. "Hmm. Well, let me teach you a lesson!" With the quill in his hand, Andersen pointed to the magic book that was sitting in place.

"You've realized the nature of the magic book, haven't you?" Seeing that the three of them hadn't attacked for a long time, Andersen already knew the answer to the question. "The attack is ineffective, that's for sure, so I rushed over from that bespectacled guy and the blue monster over there."

Nianzhuo looked in the direction he was pointing and saw that Ryotaro and Urataros were also heading there. He smiled helplessly.

“Because you’ve treated it like a book.” He pointed to the constantly flipping magic book, or more precisely, the runes around it. “But that’s wrong. It’s actually a kind of enchanted field.”

"A Reality Marble?!" Nian Zhuo and Mashu exclaimed in surprise at the same time.

"Realistic Marble?" Ritsuka nodded, the magical knowledge Mary had forced upon her to cram into her mind gradually forming. "I remember it should be..."

“That’s right.” Mash nodded with slight surprise, while looking at the runes around the spellbook. “It’s a kind of magical mystery that can change the way the world exists, and it can even be compared to magic. Only in extremely rare cases will a Servant successfully manifest it and use it as a Noble Phantasm—” The more she spoke, the more unbelievable it became, as Mash looked at the rotating runes around the spellbook.

“That’s right.” Hans Christian Andersen nodded in satisfaction at his book lover. “Although most Reality Marbles operate on space, this one is different. Its very existence is a Reality Marble. Its near-invincible durability is also due to this; it effectively utilizes the fact that it is a Reality Marble itself.”

“Then why—” Nian Zhuo tried to speak, but was immediately interrupted by Andersen.

"Then why does it possess this ability? That's what you're asking, right?" Andersen, his fingers constantly gripping the quill pen as he took notes, looked at Nianzhuo again. "Very good, that's a very good question."

“This little rascal—” Nian Zhuo scratched his head awkwardly, feeling like he had seen right through everything. “I always have this feeling that he’ll suddenly blurt out a line like ‘Your next line is—’ that’s a joke that transcends dimensions…”

"But let me figure out this kind of problem myself!" Andersen slammed the pages of the book in front of him, looking at him with a disappointed expression. "With so much material to make a judgment, anyone can understand it in just a few minutes!"

"But the problem is we don't have those few minutes!" Mordred stamped his foot in frustration as the spellbook began to attempt an attack. "Just get to the conclusion! Get to the conclusion! Even though that thing is just floating around now, we never know when it might attack us!"

"You're really impatient... Are you the type to start reading from the end of a book?" Andersen's gaze shifted between the magic book and the three people, Nian Zhuo, before he finally sighed as if giving up. "Well, for the sake of the book fans, I'll make an exception and tell you." He adjusted his glasses and looked at the magic book floating around with a confident smile.

“Based on my analogy, this guy should originally be a Servant that reflects the Master’s mental state. It can be easily deduced using dramaturgy, but well, I’ve been thinking about it for almost an hour.” The quill flipped through the pages, and Andersen’s eyes lingered on the characters he had written.

"You spent quite a bit of time on this too!" Mordred couldn't resist complaining, and urged Andersen, "Enough, just get to the conclusion! Get to the conclusion!"

"Rather than a conclusion, it's more of an obvious problem." With a flick of his quill, Andersen drew a blue character onto the page: "This guy is a lost Servant, without a Master. That's why he attacks the people of SoHo, putting them to sleep and making them dream. In short, he's searching for a Master, and this guy, as the embodiment of dreams, is trying to obtain a physical form that can become a pseudo-Servant."

"What?" Mordred looked at the motionless magic book with some surprise, unable to believe that this thing was so complicated.

“…Oh, I see!” Mary understood, clapping her hands. “So, the magic book isn’t a physical form yet!”

"Correct answer!" Andersen finally uttered those four words readily, tapping the motionless book with the tip of his pen. "This thing isn't even a Servant; it's just a magical aggregate that wants to become one. If left unattended, it will materialize sooner or later. At that time, all the citizens of SoHo will fall into a deep sleep. Compared to the magical mist drifting outside, the grimoire's calamity might not be so severe. However—" He drawled out his words.

"Perhaps some people will die of exhaustion in their sleep, or perhaps no one will die." Suddenly, Andersen slammed his hand on the book in his hand. "But the important thing is: if people spent all their time sleeping, we writers wouldn't be able to do business!"

(That's terrifying! We have to defeat her!)

“So, I’m going to take it down.” Looking at the bookstore he used to work in, Andersen gritted his teeth. “After all, there are a lot of bookstores and secondhand bookstores in SoHo.”

A Story Written for You (Marchen Meines Lebens)

"You're contradicting yourself, Mr. Andersen!" Mashu had just raised her shield when she suddenly lowered it, turning to look at the blue-haired boy. "Didn't you just say it had no physical form and therefore couldn't be defeated?"

“That’s exactly why.” Suddenly, a smile appeared on the boy’s face, and the hand holding the quill gradually slowed down. “The nameless book is nowhere to be found, but the method to give the story a physical form is very simple—” Andersen stepped forward and approached the magic book again.

"Did you hear that!" he shouted at the magic book, throwing the quill in his hand into the sky. "I'm going to give you a name! Magic book, no—" He pondered for a moment, then with a confident smile, he pointed his index finger at the book that remained in place.

"—Your name is a nursery rhyme! And this is a story dedicated to someone! [Marchen Meines Lebens!]"

Buzzing—the quill that Andersen had tossed into the air suddenly began to vibrate on its own, and a blue light appeared on its tip.

Immediately afterwards, many white sheets of paper covered with writing flew up from the book in Andersen's hand, swirling around the magic book.

“This is…” Nian Zhuo stared blankly at the papers flying around him. With his enhanced vision, he could clearly see the writing on them: “It’s about… a series of events that happened after we encountered the magic book…”

Yes, the marks on the white paper are proof of the appearance of the magic book.

It would have been impossible for Hans Christian Andersen alone, unless... multiple people had developed an impression of [this book].

The fire caused by Nenjutsu by chance, the sneak attack by Mashu and Mordred, and the many other victims in the rooms it broke into.

Their "impressions" of the magic book finally gave him proof of existence, giving him a physical form.