Shinji Matou at Your Service

Outside the Reality Marble: Beast King's Nest, atop the mountainside altar, Arcueid's eyes glowed a fierce gold, her hands transformed into sharp claws, and her fangs were bared, her appearance becoming savage and terrifying.

This was the sign that she was going all out, holding nothing back. It wasn't just because of Altrouge's repeated interference but also because she sensed that the barrier between the present world and the outside of the world was cracking—a passage was forming, one that led beyond the world to a place far more distant.

Within that passage was the person she cared about the most.

Once Shinji went there, he would never return—knowing this, the pure white princess was nearly driven mad. This overwhelming emotional turmoil not only made her ignore the call of the planet's will but also continuously eroded reality itself.

Of course, Altrouge, Strout, and Blood were no pushovers either. Not only were they all older than Arcueid, but they also had excellent coordination and support from the Counter Force. This severely limited Arcueid's abilities. Though she wasn't on the verge of defeat, winning and escaping was extremely difficult. It seemed certain that the fight would last until dawn without a clear victor.

On the other side, the battle between the Primate Murder and Solomon was much calmer. Although their power levels continued to rise, there was little hostility between them, and they even had the leisure to chat while exchanging blows (or claws).

"You don't seem to be in a hurry at all," the Primate Murder said, landing on all fours to cancel out the impact of the recoil.

"Why should I be in a hurry?"

Solomon responded, creating a magical cushion behind him to absorb the force before pausing to ask in return.

"The situation has already turned against you. You can't defeat me, your companions can't defeat Beast II, and that strange little fellow has already been sent to a place that must never be touched. Who knows how many scavengers are waiting for him? Aren't you even a little worried?"

"You still don't understand humanity well enough. If your original master were here, he wouldn't say such things."

"Why do you say that?"

"Because Merlin understood the essence of humanity. It's a deeply contradictory species, a combination of reason and emotion, order and chaos. As living beings, humans have all sorts of problems, but they are equally capable of creating miracles, especially when they shine brightest in the face of adversity."

"Just because of something as vague as that?"

The Primate Murder laughed, even stopping its attack.

"Of course," Solomon nodded seriously.

"Why don't you ask the planet's consciousness? Has it ever thought that one of the life forms born from itself could evolve into a Counter Force that rivals it?"

"This..."

"And besides, I'm not without reason for my confidence. My eyes may not be as convenient as Merlin's, but they can be useful at times. I've seen it—the chain of miracles."

Solomon's gaze passed beyond the Primate Murder, looking into the distance.

There, a pair of red-haired youths, a boy and a girl, were sweating profusely, working hard at something.

Nearby, on a rooftop, a towering elderly man with white hair and a beard, who showed no signs of aging, twirled his cane.

A woman of Asian descent with blue eyes twisted a strand of her hair, its ends shifting between red and black.

The old man spoke softly, "It has begun."

The woman responded in a low voice, "Yes. I wonder how far that guy will go."

"No matter how far he goes, some things must never appear in this world."

"Then, as we agreed, you'll handle that side, and I'll keep an eye on things here."

"Don't make too big a mess. It'll be hard to clean up afterward."

"That's not up to me. It depends on what they're doing over there, as well as Touko and the others."

"The die has been cast. Let's hope it rolls a six," the old man said as he took a step forward and vanished into thin air.

The woman waved her hand casually.

"No need to worry. Magicians have always had good luck in these matters. If they didn't, they wouldn't have become magicians, nor would they have survived under the interference of the Counter Force. But still, I hope Touko can become a magician. That would make things more interesting."

...

At the same time that Kotomine Kirei activated his Reality Marble: Beast King's Nest, a new development occurred where Matou Shinji and Araya Souren were.

At that moment, Shinji was using his half-baked magic to interfere with Araya Souren's soul, trying to see if he could obliterate him to vent his grudge.

However, just as he was trying various methods, another hole appeared in the sealed space—identical to the one from when he had first fallen into this space.

Shinji was both surprised and delighted, thinking that he could finally escape.

But after taking just two steps, he stopped again. He sensed something was wrong. The feeling coming from the other side of the hole didn't belong to the present world. It was a sensation he had never encountered before—deeper, higher, and indescribably strange.

"Araya, what is that place?"

"That is the Root, my lifelong ambition, my ultimate pursuit!"

Araya's voice was filled with fanaticism—pure, unrestrained fanaticism. His entire being was drawn to the space beyond the hole. All past encounters and grievances with Shinji were thrown to the winds.

This desire, this pursuit, this obsession that had lasted for over two hundred years surpassed the limitations of the body, and the boundaries of life, and even broke free from Shinji's magical restraints. Without hesitation, Araya hurled himself headlong into the gate leading to the Root.

"Hey!"

Shinji stared dumbfounded at his own hands.

Though his magic was rudimentary, it was still magic—yet it had been broken through by sheer force. Was the pull of the Root that strong?

Suspicious yet curious, Shinji raised his head and took a cautious glance at the scenery beyond the hole.

One glance. Just one glance and his eyes couldn't move away.

What did he see?

Shinji couldn't say. He only felt that his consciousness, his memories, his senses, and even the deepest parts of his soul were as if a Tsar Bomba had been stuffed into them, detonating everything within him. And yet, despite this explosion, he wasn't shattered. His original structure remained intact.

And this was only the beginning. After the explosion, Shinji felt that many things had been added to his soul.

Some of these things he could understand—like knowledge of Runes, martial techniques, and answers to many of his magical research questions.

But most of it was beyond his comprehension, things he had never heard of or even considered.

Instinctively, he wanted to reject these things, but he found he couldn't. The flood of information pouring into his soul was simply too vast, too overwhelming for him to digest, categorize, or process.

The stunned Shinji could only passively accept, continuing to accept.

Unknowingly, his body leaned forward, and his feet began to move on their own.

Without realizing it, he walked into the hole leading out of the world, toward the gate connecting to the Root, embarking on the ultimate path that countless magi had dreamed of.