Act 5: A Demon's Mad Feast, the Raging Soul

...Oh?

You're organized. Guess you're not just your everyday monster.

Maybe you can at least be decent kumite opponents then.

Let's find out!

Hmm. I guess you technically put up a little more fight than a wooden dummy.

...!

I won't insist that you MUST entertain me...

...but at least try not to let it end too soon.

...Incredible.

I didn't realize you were such a fearsome Heroic Spirit.

Rogue Assassin. No... This time, it seems you are a Rogue Lancer...

...Li Shuwen.

Oh? Sounds like this isn't the first time I've been called to this Ritual then.

Indeed. You and I had something of a connection in a past Ritual.

Although, the version of you in question was considerably older.

Oh? Kaka! What poor timing!

Now that I'm a Heroic Spirit, I would have enjoyed facing off against myself.

Apparently, when I got old, all my bloodthirst went away, and I achieved peace and enlightenment.

Kaka, can you believe that? It's the funniest thing I've ever heard!

If this supposedly enlightened older self of mine had been here, I would have loved to fight him to the death. Ah, to see who the true master of martial arts is...

...

Still, if he's not here, he's not here. You are, though.

You're the one who sent these monsters after me, no?

Then I see no reason to hold back.

Let me show you exactly why I was known as the Divine Spear.

Stand back, my liege.

What's the matter? I don't mind. I'm happy to take both of you at once.

...

Lower your sword, Rider.

...Yes, my liege.

Forgive me for testing you, Lord Li Shuwen.

But it seems you are a Rogue Servant this time, and so, I have no reason to fight you.

First you attack me, now you say you don't want to fight me? Convenient for you.

The true Waxing Moon Ritual has finally begun.

My only target is the other Masters taking part in it.

Hm?

There is one exceptional Master in particular who commands untold numbers of Heroic Spirits. I will do whatever I must to defeat him.

Lord Li Shuwen, I request your help in creating a truly equitable society.

...

...Is that so?

...

I see. So Takao Dayu wasn't there.

Not to mention...

No, Musashi wasn't there either. Rogue Berserker wasn't who we thought, either.

Hehe. So much for all the other participants of the last Ritual being here, huh, Gramps?

Well, I did say it was just a guess.

Maybe they've set up their base somewhere else?

I could certainly see Shousetsu or Chiemon doing that.

But even in a city as big as Edo, there are precious few large Spirit Fonts to use as a base.

It would be very difficult for most people to abandon familiar ground to set up another base somewhere else.

Besides, Takao Dayu is very attached to Yoshiwara. She would never leave it unless she truly had no other choice.

Hmm.

I still think your plan to look for the other Masters while securing more Spirit Fonts is a good one.

You weren't wrong to look for one of them in their old neighborhood. It's not as if you had other leads to go on.

Then we should stick with this current plan. Which area are you going to investigate next?

Hmm... Good question.

The next closest area is Kanda, where Yui Shousetsu established her private school.

But knowing Yui, we won't be able to just walk in.

Indeed. She's sure to be prepared with powerful Bounded Fields and troublesome traps. Charging in there would be foolish.

I'd rather keep going up against a tactician without a plan as our last resort.

For all we know, Yui Shousetsu may have set her base up somewhere else in a deliberate deviation from her usual tactics.

Regardless, we should keep our distance from Kanda for now. And if that's out, the next place we should investigate is...here.

Akasaka.

Indeed. Akasaka is home to the Master of Archer, Zheng Chenggong.

Zheng Chenggong, a hero from the late Ming dynasty who came to be known as Koxinga after he was granted the imperial surname "Zhu."

I'm guessing he took part in the Waxing Moon Ritual so he could revive the Ming dynasty.

He's a good, forthright man. You always know where you stand with him.

Unfortunately, he's also very devoted to his wish.

Meaning, if he's here in this Singularity, he could very well be our enemy.

Then we'll need to be even more careful than we were in Yoshiwara.

There are still tons of monsters all over Edo. We don't know what Shousetsu and Chiemon are up to.

And on top of all that, there's the Rogue problem.

Oh, did I not mention them? I'm sorry. I mean Servants without Masters.

Seven Heroic Spirits are summoned as part of the Waxing Moon Ritual. But there were also Heroic Spirits who were left entirely to their own devices.

The Berserker we met in Yoshiwara was one such Rogue Servant, even if he wasn't the one we know.

Oh, did I not mention them? I'm sorry. But I'm glad you were sharp enough to figure it out.

During the Waxing Moon Ritual, some Rogue Servants are summoned without Masters.

The Berserker we met in Yoshiwara was one such Rogue.

？！

That goes for me, too. I'm a Rogue Saber without a Master this time.

Although, for some reason, I'm not having many issues with magical energy supply. My Spirit Origin feels stable, too.

Maybe that's because humanity itself summoned me, not the Ritual?

Is that unusual?

It is. Most Rogue Servants have little magical energy, and their Spirit Origins tend to be unstable.

So to stay materialized, they need to siphon magical energy directly from a Spirit Font. That's why most Rogues claim a particular Spirit Font as their territory.

I see. Then we'll need to watch out for more Rogues when we're trying to secure Spirit Fonts for ourselves.

Is that what you're saying, Gramps?

Indeed. And don't forget what happened with the Berserker in Yoshiwara.

We should expect to find many other Rogue Servants we don't know running around Edo.

Then it's a good thing we have a specialist here to help us!

We're all counting on you, Master of Chaldea!

With all those Heroic Spirits at your command, you must know a lot about plenty of different Servants, right?

That's why you knew Rider, Lancer, and Berserker's True Names right away.

Don't be silly. How could you not be, with all those Heroic Spirits under your command?

Well, Chaldea's database IS chock-full of useful information, so yeah, I think we can be of some help.

？！

Shall we get going then?

Not yet. You need to start the day with breakfast, right? So get to work, Iori!

...Ugh, fine.