"Come forth from the ring of restraints... Protector of the Holy Balance!!"
As a long incantation concluded, vibrant magical light flared from the magic circle in the repurposed basement of the Matou residence.
Standing nearby, sweat trickling down his temples, Kariya Matou couldn't help but let a slight smile curl at his lips.
"Berserker... fully armored... just as expected."
Looking at the towering, armored figure wrapped in ominous magical energy in the center of the magic circle, Kariya let out a sigh of relief.
The summoning was a success!
"Looks like it really is Lancelot."
Souta approached, prompting Berserker to immediately emit raw hostility. But without a command from Kariya, he didn't attack.
Trailing behind Souta was Rin Tohsaka, dressed casually in a loose top and short skirt, black tights hugging her legs. She appeared taller and more mature, radiating a cool older-sister vibe.
It had been a year since Sakura was rescued from Zouken Matou.
While Souta and Illya had crossed through time multiple times over several months, Rin had spent the entire year living in the Matou mansion.
Spending every day with Sakura had softened her demeanor significantly, and the changes were clear.
"Rin, you've changed again."
Souta glanced at Rin, particularly her increasingly alluring legs.
"It's been three months, of course your impression of me would change."
Rin brushed a lock of hair behind her ear—an unexpectedly seductive gesture.
"But you, Souta, you look exactly the same."
"What can I say? Immortal, eternally young."
"...Still just as annoying."
Rin rolled her eyes and turned to Illya with a smile.
"Illya too—still so tiny, and cuter than ever."
"...I'm oddly pissed off now." Illya muttered, fiddling with her hair.
"Alright, let's transfer the Command Seals. Kariya can't handle the mana drain."
Souta approached Kariya, prompting an even stronger surge of hostility from Berserker.
Souta, however, paid it no mind—even if Berserker attacked him nonstop for a day, he wouldn't take a scratch.
"Berserker, stand down."
Following Rin's approach, Kariya issued the command, then asked Souta,
"Are you sure the transfer will work?"
After a year of learning, Kariya was no longer a novice—he knew transferring Command Seals wasn't supposed to be easy.
Souta, however, casually wiped his hand across Kariya's—the Command Seals vanished like pencil marks erased.
Then, he held Rin's hand, lightly brushing it.
Bright red Seals appeared on her hand.
The entire process took three seconds—barely time to react.
"...Why is Divine Spark so expensive?" Rin muttered, staring at the Seals.
The so-called divine power was almost unfair—even without knowing the exact method, Souta could just do things with it.
Jealousy nearly twisted her face.
"Aren't you using your divine power(faith) too casually? Will you have enough left to fight?"
"Don't worry. Using Divine Spark to achieve something depends on how difficult it is."
Souta explained, "Transferring Seals is basic—it barely used anything. Plus, I've already topped up by visiting the Akame world again. I'm Divine Rank 2 now."
"Already Rank 2?" Rin was surprised.
"It's not that fast. From Rank 1 to 5—minor deity(demi-god) tier—it's just about stacking Faith. The Akame world has over 200,000 believers; I should reach Rank 5 there."
"...So getting more believers means faster leveling?"
"Exactly—but let's change the subject."
Souta turned to Kariya,
"Take Sakura and leave Fuyuki for now. Come back when we tell you it's safe."
"Got it. Be careful."
Without Berserker's mana drain, Kariya looked much more relaxed.
"I'll wait for your good news."
After sending Kariya and Sakura off at the station—and ruffling Sakura's hair—Souta teleported back to the mansion.
Inside, Rin was admiring her new Servant like a kid with a shiny new toy.
When Souta returned, she said, "I've found that serial killer's location."
"Yeah, him." Rin's face twisted in disgust.
"Saber's group isn't here yet, so let's take out Ryuunosuke first. One Servant's soul should be safe for Illya's mom."
Souta nodded, "Better to end him before he and Caster team up—who knows how many kids would suffer otherwise."
Souta felt no guilt or hesitation about executing Ryuunosuke.
Call it justice or self-satisfaction, such people had no place in society.
"Illya, stay here. Rin and I will handle this. When your mom arrives, it'll be your turn."
"Okay. I'll follow big brother's lead."
Illya summoned Heracles to guard the mansion.
Despite her cold expression, Souta noticed a flicker of anticipation—she clearly cared deeply about her mother's arrival.
Thinking about Illya's mom, Souta felt a surge of uncontrollable need to mock.
Irisviel: 9 years old.
The latter is the mother of the former...
Note: "Moe Illya" and "Moe Irisviel" — a meme referencing their reversed appearance/age dynamics.