Shirou, who returned from the Fairy Kingdom

Enveloped in "World-Defense Special Attack," the slash devoured everything in its path as it charged toward the vampires—

Shirou once used Ea during the Fourth Holy Grail War.

At that time, he gained his full power through Lady Avalon's "Royal Command Spell" and completed the analysis and replication of this divine weapon in the Starry Sea of ​​"Fairy Realm: Unlimited Blade Works".

Originally, Shirou, who did not possess the divine factor, would not have been able to control this sword even if he projected it.

The result of forcibly using it was that the "Royal Command Spell" which originally had more than enough time was exhausted in an instant, and his physical strength and magic power were also drained.

Fortunately, Gilgamesh, the King of Heroes, was also in a state of extreme weakness at the time, which allowed Shirou to successfully kill him.

What about this time?

Shirou is only 16 years old now, and his body is far from reaching its peak. His magical power is only supplied by Justessa and he is not in his full potential.

But it's enough.

Before Shirou's magical energy runs out, Nero Chaos's "Principle (Creative Earth)" will be vaporized by Ea—

"…………"

Shirou's vision cracked.

To be precise, it was the demonic eye he was wearing that shattered—

Immediately following this was an extremely strong feeling of falling.

"Your spirit has finally shown a flaw, Shirou-sama."

In a daze, I saw the woman's alluring smile.

Beautiful yet cruel, like a flower with thorns, a radiant smile that seems to paint the whole world with blood.

"They actually left me aside and put me below Nero Chaos in terms of threat level..."

Even a quiet and demure lady known as "Princess Rose" can get angry when necessary, you know?

Rita Rogéan...!

Shirou gritted his teeth, trying to dispel the interference invading his mind.

While he was fully focused on unleashing the Ea, Rita Rogan seized the opportunity and entered his thoughts.

"Don't make that face. I'm just doing my job as a vampire."

"It is true that I despise the White Wings, and I do believe that if it were Lord Shirou, he could certainly be my artistic confidant."

"But that doesn't mean I'll be your companion. Even if I've given you advice and help in the past, you must not think that way."

"The desire to make you my kin is not a lie that simply deceives Nero and Chaos. Even now, I am still desperately suppressing the urge to tear your throat and suck your blood dry."

"Dead Apostles and humans are eternal enemies, predators and prey... If you want to live a long and healthy life dealing with vampires, please keep this in mind."

"Enough with the small talk."

"Now, Lord Shirou, please enjoy my most exquisite collection and creations—"

The principle of Blood Ring No. 15, the Rose's Eye.

“…Hmm!?”

Shirou lost control of his body.

Everywhere you look is red—it's the fluttering, dancing rose petals.

Only those bewitching crimson eyes bloomed like flower petals.

In just this, cognition and thought are occupied, and Shirou's world is transformed.

The falling petals engulfed the boy.

An endless expanse of roses, roses, roses, roses, roses.

The whole world was dominated by the intoxicatingly intense fragrance of flowers.

Standing there, Shirou Amamiya resembled a small insect nibbling at the roses in the garden.

"Welcome. Welcome here, my friend, esteemed Lord Shirou."

"This place is a paradise of pleasure and immorality."

"It is the Blood Ring of Rose Princess Rosene, hailed as the most beautiful and ugliest existence in the eyes of all demons in this world."

It murmurs softly amidst the petals drifting in the wind, its vibrant colors dazzling the eye.

The scent of roses has tainted our sense of smell, making it impossible to distinguish the boundaries.

In this world, all five senses are corrupted by the poisonous magic of the Rose Princess.

"—Bring joy to visitors."

"—Implicit immorality against the prisoners."

"Visiting the decaying mosaic artifacts, one finds only a fleeting illusion, an incurable love affair that cannot be ended."

"Let's hold hands and enter the crevices of dreams together—"

The rapidly rolling film from the projector appeared on both sides of Shirou's field of vision.

When everything stopped, he opened his eyes wide in disbelief.

……

……

The other battle ended quickly.

It's an absolute crushing defeat; even saying that wouldn't be an exaggeration.

Yvette didn't even last a minute before she exhausted all her gem eyes.

One by one, the gems produced by the Lehman family shattered and lost their luster due to overuse, and the Lolita girl eventually collapsed and fainted under the siege of the Dead Apostles.

Rin Tohsaka and Luvia Zelita, surrounded by more than a dozen Dead Apostles, were completely different from their previous composure and ease when fighting against the Son of Fuhailin.

Ultimately, their most prized technique, the gandr, was originally a spell that compressed a curse and released it through their fingers—

A type of magic specifically designed for humans.

This time, however, the enemy they encountered was not a living person but a vampire, and their compatibility was extremely poor.

However, even without considering magical compatibility, their current strength is far inferior to that of the Dead Apostle Rubare's retinue.

To the Dead Apostle of the Lake, who had once killed a three-digit number of magicians, the three girls before him were among the most talented people he had ever encountered.

Especially the black-haired girl and the blonde-haired girl who are still stubbornly resisting.

To possess such outstanding combat skills and magical proficiency at the young age of 16 is something even the most long-lived Dead Apostles have never heard of.

They are true rising stars; in just twenty years… no, in just ten years, they will become among the most outstanding magicians in the world.

But they won't have that kind of future.

The Dead Apostle Rubal decided to make them his followers.

With the aptitude of these two young girls, it wouldn't be long before they became upper-level Dead Apostles of the seventh or even eighth tier.

And when that day arrives, it will also be the day that Rubare, as their kin, becomes the King (Ancestor) of the Dead Apostles.

The Dead Apostle of the Lake stroked his beard and smiled with satisfaction.

Suddenly, a chilling female voice echoed through the forest.

"Anfang Set!"

A magical incantation echoed across the snowfield.

　Rin Tohsaka took out several gems from her coat pocket, held them between her fingers, and then threw them out together.

The radiant gems danced in the air, tracing spiral-like paths.

"Sechs (sixth), fünf (fifth), vier (fourth), Verzehren Sie den Schatz (all in)!"

Vernichten Sie den Schatten des Feindes (Purge the shadows of our enemies!)

The magic, like a magnificent kaleidoscope, passed through Rubare's retinue and flew straight towards him.

"Hmph, do you think you can win just by defeating me?" Rubare smiled contemptuously.

The gem contained immense magical power capable of harming heroic spirits, and exploded after surrounding the Dead Apostles of the Lake.

"Father!" the family members shouted.

However, the Dead Man of the Lake simply waved his hand away as if shooing away insects, deflecting the attack.

Generally speaking, this is something only ancestors could do.

Even though Rubal is a top-ranking Dead Apostle close to the Twenty-Seven Ancestors, it wouldn't be easy for him to do something like this.

However, he had slaughtered so many magicians during his long life that he had become a magician who was very adept at dealing with humans.

Although they have never encountered geniuses like Rin Tohsaka and Luvia, there are countless magicians whose combat strength is even greater than theirs.

He even escaped the pinnacle of modern magic, the hunt by Queen Barthemello of the Clock Tower—

Immersed in his past glory, Rubare initially failed to notice the girls' movements.

Rin Tohsaka and Luvia Zelita began running across the snow.

Each of them kicked away the dead men blocking their way, and then quickly approached Rubare from the left and right sides.

It's close combat.

Rin Tohsaka and Luvia Zelita quickly realized that the enemy was a Dead Apostle specializing in magicians.

So they abandoned their prized family heirloom gem magic and prepared to engage in hand-to-hand combat with Rubare.

Humans and vampires are vastly different on a physical level, so the idea that they would engage in hand-to-hand combat with vampires makes one wonder if they have something wrong with their heads.

Even so, Rin and Luvia firmly believe in their hard work and training so far.

However, Rin Tohsaka's elbow and Luvia's kick ultimately failed to reach the vampire's body.

The Dead Apostle Rubare simply snapped his fingers, blowing the two approaching girls away.

That probably doesn't even qualify as a special ability; it's just the manifestation of the Dead Apostle's power as a transcendent being.

With just this one blow, Rin and Luvia were sent flying more than ten meters away, landing on the snow with a scream.

The magic mark shone brightly and began to automatically heal the wounds of the unconscious women.

However, due to the influence of Flöf's "Principle Blood Ring", the magic crests of the two were rendered ineffective due to the extremely low temperature, making it impossible for them to fight again.

This is an overwhelming gap in strength.

Rin Tohsaka and Luvia possess exceptional talent and combat instincts beyond their years, and Yvette is also a prodigy in the Elmero classroom.

However, these talents are meaningless in the face of the ancient mysteries held by the Dead Apostles.

Ultimately, magic is about the transmission and accumulation of knowledge.

In the realm of mystery, how could mere humans possibly defeat vampires who know nothing of death?

Human magic and dignity were easily trampled upon, and the Dead Apostles emerged victorious.

Next, it's time to turn them into vampires too.

Given the qualifications of these three individuals, they will likely skip the first three tiers and be born directly as either "undying" or "night-bound."

Rubare smiled; it was truly a day to celebrate.

“Magicians with your talent shouldn’t be bound by the shortness of human lifespan. Becoming a Dead Apostle is a kind of redemption…”

Just then, Rubare suddenly stopped speaking.

The reason was that he noticed something was wrong.

This is the Ice World created by the nineteenth of the Twenty-Seven Ancestors. Although it is on the edge, a fierce wind is still blowing, but it just stopped abruptly.

It was very quiet.

It's said that snow absorbs sound, but this is just too quiet.

It was eerily quiet, like a winter cemetery.

"…………"

The quiet snowfield was somewhat eerie. Would even a Dead Apostle feel this way?