"Thank you all. I believe we shall meet again."
"Don't worry, Your Majesty. We'll definitely see each other again."
As Daniel handed the Holy Grail to Mash and she sealed it within her shield, golden light began to radiate from the group—signaling that this Singularity had been repaired. Anyone not native to this era was being expelled from it.
Nero was visibly surprised. She had been looking forward to returning to the capital with everyone and holding a grand celebration. But she was the Emperor, after all, and quickly regained her composure.
"So even I'm being expelled. I didn't come to this world via Chaldea's Rayshift system, so where will I end up when I'm ejected from this time?"
As Daniel watched the golden glow envelop himself, Rin, and Luvia, he swiftly opened the Secret Law Gate and brought both women back to Chaldea. He was curious about where he'd be sent, but not enough to risk finding out the hard way.
"The anchor point's completely gone... So I can't go back to see Nero, huh? Afraid I'll change the past?"
Back at Chaldea, Daniel quickly realized the marker he had placed in Rome's capital was gone. He'd thought maybe he could revisit after the Singularity was fixed—but clearly, the world had no intention of letting that happen.
"Thank you for your efforts."
Once Ritsuka, Mash, Rin, and the others returned, Romani and the rest welcomed them warmly. This time, the frequency of battles during the Singularity had been especially high.
"Chaldea's creation led to the emergence of Singularities, which in turn caused the Incineration of the Human Order. Is this some kind of closed loop? Or a massive ritual?"
Including the original Singularity F in Fuyuki, Daniel had now been through three Singularities. Based on his experiences, past life knowledge, and Chaldea's intel, he had begun forming new theories about the Incineration.
He had once wondered why Singularities even existed for Chaldea to fix. If Goetia truly wanted to erase humanity, he could've simply let the Singularities collapse before Chaldea could act—making it impossible to repair anything.
Now he understood: it wasn't that Goetia didn't want to—it was that he couldn't. The entire process was part of a magical ritual. Just like the Holy Grail War was engineered by the Three Founding Families to reach the Root—something supposedly secret—yet it required inviting outside Masters to participate.
Why would they share their creation with outsiders? In the First and Second Wars, the families tried to monopolize it. Summon Servants, command them to self-destruct with Command Spells—simple, right? But those attempts failed. Only in the Third War did they change the system to seven competing Masters, and the ritual was finally completed.
"Goetia—or rather, Solomon—really was something else. No wonder he was a Grand Caster."
A ritual spanning 3,000 years, covering the entire planet—Daniel could only admire such skill. He didn't particularly care about the ideological goal of the Incineration. It was the scale and method of the ritual that intrigued him. Unfortunately, such a feat could only be achieved by someone like Solomon.
Magical rituals and workshops fascinated Daniel ever since arriving in the Moon World. If these systems could be replicated, they might even be useful in the Honkai universe. Just look at the Sanctums in the Marvel world—those were essentially workshops too.
"This Grail isn't the same as the Greater Grail. It's more like crystallized magical principles and compressed mana. I wonder if Lev made it… or someone backing him did."
After analyzing the Grails retrieved from the three Singularities, and the Greater Grail system in Fuyuki, Da Vinci had found distinct differences between them.
Previously, she wouldn't have believed Lev capable of creating such things. But after learning he was one of the seventy-two Demon Gods, she wasn't so sure anymore.
"Well done. Mash, give Ritsuka a massage later."
After checking both Ritsuka and Mash's vitals and confirming they were fine, Romani made his usual half-joking suggestion.
"No need. I'm fine." Ritsuka declined immediately.
"Don't worry, Senpai. I've practiced since last time. I promise it won't hurt anymore."
Mash had studied from TV while at the Clock Tower. Because her body was a demi-Servant's, she had far more strength than an average human. Her early attempts at massage left Ritsuka sore for days, and he had refused further sessions since.
"Really?" Ritsuka asked warily.
"Absolutely! I even practiced on the doctor, and he said it was fine."
With Mash's hopeful gaze and Romani's nod of confirmation, Ritsuka reluctantly agreed.
"You've seen what a Singularity is like. So, what now—stay, or go home?"
Daniel brought Rin and Luvia aside to ask about their plans. After all, they weren't part of Chaldea. They had no obligation to help repair the Human Order.
"I'm staying, of course."
Luvia answered immediately. From a mage's perspective, this was a rare experience. Compared to boring school lectures, staying in Chaldea was far more appealing.
"I'm staying too." Naturally, Rin wasn't about to let Luvia one-up her.
"Then from now on, you'll function as Chaldea Masters."
That meant using the coffins for Rayshifting like everyone else. After a short rest, the next Singularity dive would begin. Time was of the essence. Since they couldn't predict how long each Singularity might last, the sooner they solved them, the better.
Compared to the first Singularity, Orleans, the second—Rome—took more than twice the time, mainly due to its heavy reliance on large-scale battles.
"Fuyuki City again? I just finished the Fifth War, and now it's making me do the Fourth?"
Somewhere in a parallel Moon World, Daniel arrived in Fuyuki. Glancing at the date on the display, he chuckled.
"Looks like I finally get to see Ionioi Hetairoi in action. But first—time to deal with a certain bug."
If there was one universal law in any Grail War timeline, it was this: killing the old worm was always a good idea.
"So this really is the Fourth War. Tokiomi… and there's the old worm. I've come at just the right time."
Daniel didn't head straight for the Matou residence. Instead, he first visited the Tohsaka household, where he met the refined, kettle-wielding Tokiomi himself.
Seeing Tokiomi in person made it easy to understand why Aoi chose him over Kariya. He had the looks, the bearing—everything Kariya lacked.
There was also Rin and Sakura. Today was clearly the day Sakura would be adopted into the Matou family. If he'd arrived even a little later, she'd already be suffering.
"Grandpa! Grandpa!"
In the Matou family's worm pit, young Sakura cowered in a corner, trembling and crying in terror as grotesque bugs crawled toward her. Matou Zouken stood at the door, watching gleefully. His family had fallen into ruin—no heirs with magic circuits. Luckily, the Tohsakas had two gifted daughters.
"Whoa, what is all this?! Gross!"
Just as Sakura's voice grew hoarse from screaming, a stranger's voice echoed through the warehouse. A man appeared in front of her.
"Hey, old man. Over here. Shatter, Kyōka Suigetsu."
Of course, it was Daniel. As Zouken turned in shock, Daniel's zanpakutō gleamed with a downward slash and a whispered incantation.
"Who are you?!"
For an unfamiliar mage to break into his workshop undetected—especially after seeing his secrets—was unacceptable.
"A bug exterminator. All things in nature turn to ash—Ryūjin Jakka."
Kyōka Suigetsu transformed into Ryūjin Jakka, the blade engulfed in roaring flame. The searing fire instantly incinerated the worms, the warehouse—everything.
"There, there. Don't cry. Big brother's here to slay bugs."
After purging the pests, Daniel picked up the shaking Sakura and gently wiped her tears.
"Big brother… came to save me?"
She stared at him with wide, teary eyes.
"Yes, and I'm here to kill bugs, too."
No creature who hurt someone this precious would be granted mercy.
"You've got guts, but since you're here—you're not leaving."
Zouken growled. Worms flooded in from all sides—his whole house was a nest.
"Oh, I'm not going anywhere. But you… Makiri Zolgen? I think the Mage's Association would be very interested in a specimen like you."
"Die!"
Zouken had hesitated before attacking—after all, Sakura was in Daniel's arms. But once Daniel uttered his true name, Zouken's expression twisted in horror. He commanded his bugs to swarm.
If the Association learned he was alive, a sealing designation was inevitable. He wasn't like Aoko Aozaki or the Second Magic user—he didn't have the power to ignore such threats.
"Haha! This is what you get for crossing me. Shame about the girl's potential, though."
Zouken began laughing triumphantly.
"What's so funny? Share it with the group."
"Y-You're still alive?! How?!"
Daniel's voice rang out right next to him, startling him. Zouken whipped around—he expected to see Daniel and Sakura's corpses in the pit. But instead, the worms were mindlessly hurling themselves into a fire.
"This can't be…"
"Time for a nap."
Daniel gently lulled Sakura to sleep—she was already dozing off from exhaustion.
"Impossible? No, quite possible. Allow me to explain. Right now, I control all five of your senses—sight, sound, smell, taste, touch. What you see, hear, feel—it's all my doing."
Even if Zouken could split into thousands of worms, as long as his soul remained intact, Kyōka Suigetsu had him.
"I've chosen a special death for you. One befitting a worm like yourself."
Daniel slipped on a gas mask and opened the Secret Law Gate, forcing Zouken into it.
"Wake up. Welcome to your new home."
"You…"
Zouken blinked. He was now in Fuyuki's sewage treatment plant, hands soaked in foul-smelling sludge.
Even for a bug like him, it was nauseating.
"You?!"
He was speechless. He'd seen many things in life—but this was evil on another level.
"No need to be so emotional. A worm should die in filth. Fitting, right? Here, enjoy the gourmet meal you just had."
Daniel projected a video of Zouken scooping up sewage and savoring it with delight.
"Don't bother trying to escape. As I said, your senses belong to me. You'll live here now—forever. Enjoy it, Makiri Zolgen."
Daniel cast a suggestion spell to reinforce the illusion, then incinerated all of Zouken's crest worms in reality—erasing him completely—before teleporting away.
"Phew… I guess this was a case of 'kill one thousand, injure myself eight hundred.'"
Far from the treatment plant, Daniel tore off his mask and took a deep breath. Even with his power, that had been rough.
He had intended to keep Zouken trapped in illusion—but in the end, he chose to obliterate him anyway.
"Using Kyōka Suigetsu with no restraint… that's honestly terrifying."
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