Kamen Rider Date A Live

Ryunosuke quickly moved his base to Fuyuki City, the "Land of Spirit Veins" described in the book.

His nightly hunts resumed once more. Although he didn't know what magical place this land, now known as Fuyuki City, held, Ryunosuke began preparations, striving to faithfully recreate his murder plans as described in the ancient books.

The first time, the second time, the third time... Ryunosuke tried to summon the demon again and again according to the instructions in the ancient book, but he failed the first three times because he did not have enough blood.

After three failed attempts, Ryunosuke finally sobered up a bit from his frenzy. After all, he hadn't bothered to hide the bodies or any evidence during those three murders, and they had even sparked rumors of a serial killing spree. So Ryunosuke decided that if the blood from killing this family still couldn't summon a demon, he would leave Fuyuki City that very night.

Because, although I really like this kind of dark ritual and want to continue doing it in the future, as the saying goes, things shouldn't be done more than three times, so it's better to think about it carefully.

To Ryunosuke's delight, however, the magic circle only required the blood of three adults; the blood of the remaining child was unnecessary. If a demon were truly summoned, it would be terrible to have no present. Perfect, this child could serve as a gift for the demon.

Whether it was fortunate or unfortunate, the Holy Grail chose Ryunosuke as the final Caster's master when he began chanting the incantation.

At the same time, the magic circle began to conjure storms, lightning, and thunderbolts! Immediately afterward, a powerful shockwave passed through Ryunosuke's body. It felt as if his entire body was being burned by a high-voltage electric current.

A strange power once passed down through generations of the Yuyu clan. Just as it was about to be forgotten by its descendants, the mysterious legacy known as the "Magic Circuit," which had been dormant within Yuyu Ryunosuke's body for a long time, has finally been awakened once again, thanks to the blood flowing in the Yuyu clan.

Then, the "external power" that had just entered Ryunosuke's body flowed out again after circulating through the magic circuits that had just been opened within him, and was then absorbed by the object summoned from another world.

"—I'm asking you."

A delicate, incredibly beautiful voice drifted softly from the swirling mist, and the wind ceased without their noticing. The magic circle that had been radiating light moments before had dimmed, and the blood drawn on the bed had dried, turning black as if scorched. Then, from within the thin mist, the person who had spoken suddenly appeared before Ryunosuke.

A smooth and youthful face, large, bright eyes that moved nimbly, and smooth cheeks, along with his matching brown complexion, reminded Ryunosuke of a painting by Munch.

His attire was also quite peculiar. His slender frame was clad in a large, flowing robe, adorned with numerous luxurious precious metal ornaments, making him look like a "dark mage" straight out of a manga.

"O Summoner, who begs me, who calls upon me, who commands me to appear in this world as a Caster... I ask your name here. And who is there?"

"..."

Ryunosuke was a little unsure how to answer. Emerging from the lightning and smoke of the blood-based summoning circle—surprisingly, it was an ordinary person. While he didn't know what to expect, it should at least be a truly outrageous monster.

His current appearance as such an ordinary human was incredibly frustrating for Ryunosuke. While his clothing was certainly bizarre and outlandish, could that alone prove he was a demon?

Slightly scratching his head, Ryunosuke mentally prepared himself and answered.

"Um, my name is Ryunosuke Uryu. I'm a freelancer. My hobby is murder. I like children and young girls."

The man in the long robe nodded, seemingly ignoring everything except his name.

“Very well, the contract is established. The Holy Grail you crave, I also desire to obtain it. The key to paradise will surely fall into our hands, won’t it?”

"Huh? What?"

It seemed he couldn't immediately figure out what was going on, and Ryunosuke felt slightly confused. Come to think of it, the old book he found in the warehouse did indeed contain such a record, but it was just some very boring rule and he'd only glanced at it before skipping over it.

"...Ah. Let's put these troublesome topics aside for now, come on—"

Ryunosuke waved his hand gently, then pointed with his chin at the child in the corner of the room.

"Anyway, as a greeting gift, how about that one over there? Shall we eat him?"

The strange man glanced expressionlessly at the bound child, then at Ryunosuke. Did he understand Ryunosuke's words? His face betrayed no clue. In the deathly silence, Ryunosuke suddenly felt a strange unease. Had his actions just now been disrespectful to him? But anyone would think that a demon eating a child.

The strange man silently took a book from the bosom of his robe. The book looked thick and was beautifully bound; it was clearly a very valuable antique. It was one of those little gadgets that demons often used.

Ryunosuke recognized the material used to bind the book cover at a glance.

"Wow, that's amazing! Is it made of human skin?"

Ryunosuke had once skinned victims alive to make lampshades. However, being clumsy with handicrafts, he encountered too many setbacks and eventually gave up. Now, seeing a master craftsman who shared the same vision and had perfectly crafted a finished product, he had immense respect for this man.

The man merely glanced at Ryunosuke without responding to his praise, then slowly opened the book in his hand and deftly turned the pages, occasionally uttering a few words that were not meaningful. Afterward, as if he had done everything, he closed the book again and put it back in his pocket.

"...?"

The strange man left Ryunosuke, who was completely bewildered by his actions and could only stand there dumbfounded, and walked toward the little boy curled up by the bed. The boy, who had been terrified by the series of strange events that had just begun, struggled and desperately tried to avoid the man who was slowly approaching him.

Seeing the boy's behavior, the man's gaze suddenly softened and became filled with affection, which only deepened Ryunosuke's confusion. What was going on?

"Don't be afraid, child."

A strange-looking man spoke to the boy with an unusually gentle expression and soft voice. The bound boy finally realized that someone was speaking to him with a warm expression, so he stopped struggling and looked at the man's face with pleading eyes.

As if in response to the boy, the man smiled and nodded, reaching out to the boy curled up on the ground—gently untying the ropes binding him and removing the gag from his mouth.

"Can you stand up?"

The man helped the boy, who was bent over, up and patted his back as if to encourage him.

Ryunosuke didn't doubt whether the man was a demon or not, but he still couldn't understand the way he treated the boy. Was he really trying to save the boy's life?

But this man looked very strange no matter how you looked at him. When he was silent, he had an extremely terrifying face, but when he smiled, he had an innocent and pure expression, like a saint.

“Alright, child, go out of the house through that door. Keep walking straight ahead, don’t look around, walk out on your own two feet. — Go out alone.”

"……Um……"

The boy nodded firmly, and the man patted him on the back with a smile.

The boy ran as the man had instructed, not daring to glance at the corpses of his parents and sister, crossing the blood-stained floor. The hallway outside led to the stairs and entryway to the second floor. If he could reach that point, he could escape the killer's clutches. He could continue living, wouldn't he?

"Hey...wait..."

Ryunosuke, unable to bear it any longer, was about to speak when the man quickly stopped him.

Ryunosuke, though deeply worried that the boy would escape, was powerless to do anything but watch helplessly as the boy's figure receded into the distance.

The boy opened the door and walked through the corridor. Before him was the entrance door, and the boy's eyes, which had been filled with fear, now finally shone with a light of relief and hope.

In the next instant, the story unfolded to its climax.

The boy faced the entrance hall, his back to the stairs. At the top of those stairs, on the landing that was hidden from the living room by the stairs, something suddenly seemed to avalanche and crash down on him. A very thick robe sash—no, it looked like a swarm of countless snakes! It was an indescribable creature!! No, perhaps it would be more accurate to say it was a biological organ—wrapped the boy from behind, pulling him up to the second floor with incredible speed and immense force.

"Ughh ...

Then—a heart-wrenching scream rang out. It sounded like countless creatures licking their tongues and tiny bones snapping and shattering. Although I hadn't seen what was happening, the nauseating sound only fueled my imagination.

The strange man closed his eyes and tilted his head back, seemingly listening intently to the nightmarish sound as if he were completely absorbed. His hands, which were resting on his chest, trembled incessantly, as if he were extremely agitated.

On the other hand, Ryunosuke was also captivated by the same emotion... no, he had never expected this, but the scene before him gave him a powerful spiritual baptism.

"Horror is something that has a novelty factor..."

Still seemingly caught up in the afterglow of the tragedy he had created, the devil—now beyond doubt—began to speak in a euphoric tone.

"Human beings gradually lose their emotions in constant fear. True terror is not static and unchanging, but dynamic and ever-changing—the terror of that moment when hope turns into despair. What do you think of this fresh terror and the taste of death?"

"........."

Ryunosuke was so surprised that he couldn't speak for a moment.

The thing still devouring the boy's corpse on the stairs was probably prepared by this man. It's as if he emerged from a blood-based magic circle. He must have already prepared all of this when he first opened that ancient book bound in human skin.

While he was surprised by the man's methods, he admired the man's philosophy even more. This creative skill, which even Ryunosuke himself couldn't match, and this exquisitely wicked beauty—this "aesthetics of death" that evoked such a powerful and vivid emotion—would not be an exaggeration to bestow upon him all the praise in the world.

"Cool! That's awesome! You're so cool!"

With immense excitement, Ryunosuke gripped the man's hand tightly and shook it vigorously. He was more excited than even when meeting family, friends, or lovers. The serial killer, Ryunosuke Uryu, had finally encountered someone in this boring world whom he could truly respect from the bottom of his heart.

"Okay~! I don't know anything about the Holy Grail, but I'm going to stick with you! I can help you. Come on, let's kill to our hearts' content. We can have as many living sacrifices as you want. Just keep letting me enjoy this really cool way of killing!"

"You seem very happy."

Perhaps sensing Ryunosuke's overwhelming gratitude, the man responded with a gentle smile, his naturally innocent expression revealing his straightforward nature.

"Your name is Ryunosuke, right? It is truly an honor to be understood by a master like you. With this, I can finally fulfill my long-cherished wish."

Summoning that can succeed without relics requires the Master and the Heroic Spirit to share the same spirituality. And what Ryunosuke summoned, a ruthless and depraved serial killer, was a true Heroic Spirit, remembered for its cruelty and bloodlust. No, given its nature, it would be more accurate to call it a malevolent spirit than a Heroic Spirit.

"Oh, so I don't know your name yet."

Having finally grasped the crux of the problem, Ryunosuke asked in a deliberately ingratiating manner.

"A name, well... if I want a good name that fits this era..."

The man put his finger to his lips and considered for a moment before speaking.

"...Then, let's call me Qingxu for now. How about that? We're acquainted today."

The man answered kindly with an angelic smile.

Thus, the final pair in the Fourth Holy Grail War—the seventh Master and his Servant Caster—completed their contract. A joyful, murderous maniac, who had neither awakened as a mage nor had any concept of the Holy Grail War, obtained Command Seals and a Servant simply by chance.

If all of this is a joke of fate, then this must be the worst kind of joke.

Chapter 116: A False Battle

Chapter 116: A False Battle

At three in the morning, when most people are fast asleep, magicians and servants are at their most active.

At that moment, a man stood at the highway entrance on the mountain, looking at the scenery of Fuyuki City below, seemingly talking to himself.

"We have made contact with the Church. The eighth servant—the Caster—has appeared."

As if in response to the man's words, black light particles emerged behind him, forming a tall man wearing a black bodysuit and a white skull mask.

"So the last legitimate Servant has finally been summoned, then finally..."

The tall man spoke in a deep voice, and the man dressed as a god seemed to understand what the tall man meant.

"That's how it is. I order an immediate march to the Tohsaka residence."

"Then?"

The tall man posed a meaningful question.

"For you, even a magical barrier like the Tohsaka Mansion, which is like a fortress, is nothing to be afraid of."

"Hehehe! Are you sure there's no problem? I've heard that the Tohsaka and Kotomine families are allies."

"You don't need to worry about that. Even if we end up facing Archer, it's nothing to fear."

"You're saying that Archer, one of the three great knights, is nothing to fear? That's just too much..."

Before the tall man could finish speaking, he had already disappeared from behind the man in the divine attire, but the man in the divine attire didn't seem to care.

"Please, immediately... eliminate Tokiomi Tohsaka—assassin."

Regardless of whether the tall man... no, whether Assassin could hear him or not, after finishing his speech, the man in the divine attire gazed at the mansion that had become his target...

———Assassin's Perspective———

Assassin had already arrived at the Tohsaka mansion, dodging and dismantling the intricate barrier with moves that would put any rhythmic gymnast in the world to shame.

However, these intricate barriers make it impossible for anyone to enter undetected, and only an Assassin with the A+ rank "Presence Concealment" class ability can accomplish this.