Magician in Type-Moon

Page 556

“If this goal can be achieved…” his voice was low and cold, “the magic of the mythical age can be revived among the current clock tower magicians. Those spells that once belonged only to the gods.”

However, Hartres also knew that this road was destined to be bumpy.

“There will be people who can’t tolerate all this,” he said with a wry smile. “No, we’re already prepared for that day.”

His gaze shifted from the beam of light to the other side.

"Victory or defeat will decide everything."

He refocused his gaze, watching as the imposter's figure gradually became clearer within the light.

How much that woman resembled him! She came for him, willing to be a sacrifice. She offered herself without hesitation so that her king, Iskandar, might descend as a god once more.

"I will keep my promise for you."

He gazed at the woman, his eyes swirling with complex emotions, but more than anything, they held a silent resolve.

Then his gaze fell on the pocket watch, whose hands seemed to be racing against time.

He sensed that it was a time cut off from the past—an abyss between him and the imposter.

“I command you with a Command Spell.”

Hartres finally raised the hand that shimmered with a mysterious light, staring directly at her with one eye, his voice low and resolute.

"—Endure for two thousand years for my sake, imposter."

In the space where several spiraling rays of light intertwined, Hartres moved his lips slightly.

He still covered one eye, while his other eye, peering through the intense beam of light, stared ahead.

The Command Seal on the back of his hand still gleamed with a cold light, but his expression did not reveal any expectation; instead, it was filled with weariness and indifference.

"...Has it arrived?" His voice was so low it was almost inaudible, and his eyes held a faint anxiety, as if he were waiting for something inevitable to come.

His gaze slowly shifted to his feet.

There, as if at the beginning of a ceremony, were several important items.

First, there's the living Mystic Code of "the magician formerly known as Emiya," which is almost flawless.

Following closely behind was the pocket watch he personally used to control the spell; its surface gleamed with a cold luster, as if it were always bearing some kind of immense power.

In addition, there was a ring of Start gold coins surrounding the perimeter—those coins began to tremble slightly with an unseen force.

Hartres gave a bitter smile.

"Is Matou Pond getting close?" he murmured, already knowing that the vibration of the gold coin meant that the other party was tracking him in some way. "Using the Stat Gold Coin to find me."

Although he had anticipated this situation, it still made Hartres feel a vague sense of pressure.

After all, this is not simply a matter of tracking.

Hartres knew that since Matou Ike could sense his location through gold coins, he could certainly do the same.

This was also Hartres' last line of defense. He planned to use gold coins to create a net for himself, as insurance in case Amelio II came after him.

However, the current situation is exactly the "what if" moment he had envisioned.

He slowly reached out his hand, his fingertips lightly touching the surface of the gold coins.

The vibration of the gold coins spread through his fingertips, as if time itself began to stand still with their faint pulsation.

"This is all I can do, and it's the last and biggest disruption."

His words were weary and low, almost unintelligible as a warning to the enemy, but rather a sense of helplessness and farewell from the bottom of his heart.

All of this seemed to be the last barrier he set up for himself and others, and also the last trap he unknowingly stepped into.

"Or... is this the last trap I've fallen into?"

His self-deprecating whisper, like a faint echo, gradually faded away in the distorted light.

Under his control, the gold coins began to vibrate slightly, and time seemed to stand still for a moment.

Hartres felt his connection to reality gradually being severed, and everything around him began to become blurry.

"Good night……"

The red-haired magician said this while closing the eye that was open.

.........

The three seemed to be swallowed by endless darkness, continuing to fall into the void below the earth.

The feeling was like riding a crazy roller coaster, or like a shooting star streaking across the sky, plummeting at breakneck speed, completely out of control.

The oppressive feeling in the air was almost suffocating. The speed was increasing, and even consciousness began to blur. The space around me seemed to be distorting.

"...We must be there soon."

Yvette said in a low voice, her anxiety barely concealed.

"……Um."

Matou Ike nodded, without much expression.

The two fell vertically, headfirst, as if the gravity of the entire world had been distorted.

“Now that we’re here, even I can track Hartres’ location.”

Matou Ike slowly took out a gold coin from his pocket, his expression still cold and stern.

"This is the Stud coin from back then."

Matou Ike's gaze fell on the gold coin. He turned it gently, as if recalling some key information.

He saw through Hatrees's attempt to summon the god Iskandar because of this gold coin.

He paused for a moment, as if caught in a whirlpool of memories.

"This gold coin is connected to the Imposters, and even to Iskandar, the god after the Imposters' return. As long as you follow the flow of magic, you will inevitably encounter them, even if you don't want to."

Before he could finish speaking, Matou Ike's voice suddenly faltered, and a strange glint flashed in his eyes.

Yvette noticed the change, paused slightly, and then stared intently at his reaction.

As the two continued to fall, the unsettling premonition grew stronger.

"Hey, what's that..."

Furu's voice trembled violently, filled with barely concealed fear.

A few seconds later, Matou Ike finally turned her head, her gaze fixed in the same direction.

He said in a deep voice, "So that's how it is. This void cave leads to a place that's not just the ancient heart..."

"……what?"

Just as Yvette was about to speak, she felt an indescribable sense of oppression wash over her.

She hadn't seen anything yet, but the mere presence of that aura made her feel cold all over and her heart race.

This feeling was even stronger than the tension one feels when facing a Heroic Spirit.

“This cave…” Matou Ike’s tone became serious, “It leads to a place that may be the Fairy Realm, or even deeper. If the place it leads to is more dangerous than the Age of Myth, then it’s unimaginable.”

Almost as soon as he spoke, the three of them finally caught a glimpse of that unsettling light in the depths of the darkness in the distance.

It was not like ordinary light, but a pair of huge eyes, radiating six dazzling rays of light.

The radiance stared at them like a gaze from the abyss, filled with an undeniable threat.

"what……"

Furu's voice trembled slightly, as if he realized something was wrong.

“Wait a minute…” Matou Ike frowned, a hint of doubt flashing in his eyes, “Something’s not right.”

Although the three were still falling rapidly, the monster didn't seem to be getting any closer. On the contrary, it maintained an unusual sense of distance—which defied the laws of physics.

"Is it because the other party... is too huge...?"

He pondered for a moment and said in a low voice, "However, I am not sure myself."

If that's the case, then each eye would have a diameter of tens of meters.

There was an inexplicable contradiction between the size of the three giant beasts and the dimensions of the void cave.

Human senses are unable to adapt to that contradiction, and fall into chaos.

"Could it be... Cerberus, the hound of the underworld...!"

Matou Ike's voice struck the air like a heavy hammer, loud and clear, carrying an unavoidable solemnity.

“No, that’s not right.” He paused, and his calm and rational thoughts flowed like a cold spring, breaking the shock he had just experienced.

"It is a beast with the same origin as the hound 'Cerberus' and Abaddon's 'Land of the Dead', sharing the same prototype... In some cases, this is precisely..."

Matou Ike's words came to an abrupt end, leaving an unresolved question echoing in Yvette's ears.

Upon hearing what Matou Ike hadn't finished saying, Yvette felt an indescribable dryness spreading from her throat.

Her gaze was suppressed by that indescribable pressure, and the void around her seemed to become oppressive and suffocating.

If that monster had continued to appear in her field of vision, her soul would probably have already dissipated under that power.

It is not just a mythical beast; it has entered the realm of divine beasts.

This is nothing like the parasites in Albion, the Tomb of the Dead.

That kind of existence carries an inherent power, as if it were completely isolated from the outside world.

The laws contained within Him far surpass the understanding of modern magic and cannot be measured by conventional thinking.

This is a monster far beyond the ordinary, dwelling deep within the cave. It is the guardian beast of the Lord of the Spirit Tomb Albion, carrying a twisted and ancient aura.

The three continued to glide silently through the void, barely daring to make a sound.

They pushed their magic consumption to the limit, remaining as quiet as possible to conserve every ounce of energy. Hugging the cave walls, they glided carefully, trying to avoid attracting any unnecessary attention.

This void, like an endless abyss, devours everything.

Soon after, the three of them finally saw several horizontal holes.

One of them, Matou Pond, is confirmed to likely lead to the location of Heartreese.

However, a slight stench in the air made one feel suffocated instantly.