Chapter 2: The Demon King and the Nun
If one were to speak of exceptions, there are only Divine Spirits who possess the blessings of "Zoroastrianism."
To give a simple and clear example: even if a weak person possesses the "Avesta," as long as the enemy does not possess a human factor or the blessings of "Zoroastrianism," the holder can add the opponent's performance directly to themselves to compensate for any disparity in strength. This ensures their winning rate will never fall below 50%.
Once activated, "Avesta" can also counter and neutralize any attack except for those under specific restrictions.
It can be described as an extremely broken (BUG) special ability.
The reason why the "Absolute Evil" Azi Dahaka was able to easily repel the siege of a million gods was due in no small part to the power amplification provided by this "Another Cosmology: Avesta."
"Not bad... having obtained this 'Another Cosmology: Avesta,' my strength has reached a brand-new realm!"
Shirou could hardly conceal the surge of excitement in his heart; he truly hoped for a worthy opponent to test the power of "Avesta."
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After leaving the commercial district, on his way to Einzbern Castle, Shirou passed by the church.
He looked up at this Holy Church, which had served as the supervisor during the last Holy Grail War.
Perhaps the Holy Church would act as the supervisor for this Holy Grail War as well. However, since Kotomine Kirei, the supervisor in the original work, had been personally sent away by Shirou, he was somewhat curious as to who it would be this time.
"Ten years have passed again. Kotomine Risei must be quite old and frail by now."
Shirou lamented inwardly.
In his eyes, time had become increasingly meaningless.
Yet, seeing the limited-lived people around him cherishing their time, he couldn't help but feel a surge of emotion.
Suddenly, out of the corner of his eye, Shirou caught sight of a slender figure. It was a silver-haired young girl dressed in a nun's habit. Judging by the trash bag she was carrying, it wasn't hard to guess that she had come outside to dispose of the garbage.
However, just after throwing the bag into the bin—perhaps because she used too much force or for some other reason—the girl suddenly clutched her lower abdomen. Her body trembled slightly, and she slowly slumped to the ground.
...
Ever since Caren Ortensia was taken in by the Holy Church, her life had been filled with many chores, including cooking, cleaning, and receiving believers who came to pray. Furthermore, as her grandfather grew older and weaker, her workload increased to include caring for him. However, the young girl did not find it particularly exhausting.
This was because such a life felt very fulfilling to her, leaving her with no time to dwell on worries.
Caren was not like a girl from an ordinary family.
Possibly related to the suicide of her mother, Claudia Ortensia, her father Kotomine Kirei had left her when she was very young. She was raised by priests of the Church, and just when she thought her life would continue that way, she was suddenly transferred to Fuyuki City, where her grandfather resided.
Because of their blood relation, this grandfather had always treated her very well, teaching her various affairs within the church. The only difference was that this grandfather was uniquely unwilling to let her get involved in anything related to the Holy Grail War.
This was related to her aptitude as a medium—a constitution where spiritual obstacles manifest whenever a "demon" (spiritual or magical evil) approaches, causing her great pain. It was known as the "Masochistic Spiritual Medium Constitution."
"Your father died in the Holy Grail War. I don't want you to follow in his footsteps."
The elderly Risei Kotomine had told her this.
It was said that this Holy Grail War would be overseen by another person related to her grandfather, Risei Kotomine.
The Holy Grail...
Caren was actually somewhat interested in that Holy Grail, which was said to be able to grant any wish. After all, she also had many things she regretted.
As usual, Caren Ortensia carried the trash bag outside the church. On the way, she encountered many familiar faces—believers who frequently came to pray.
"So cold..."
Feeling the chilly air, Caren suddenly realized she should probably add more layers of clothing.
Caren's constitution was far inferior to that of her father, Kotomine Kirei; she was the typical "fragile young lady" type.
Although she had learned basic magecraft, Risei Kotomine did not want her to walk the path of a magus. Instead, he hoped Caren could go to school like a girl from a normal family and have a normal life.
While martial arts had little to do with magecraft, Caren didn't believe there would ever be a day she would need to use them, so she hadn't studied them very deeply.
To put it another way, she only knew a few self-defense techniques, which were enough to deal with ordinary people.
However, Caren had never undergone physical training, so she was rather delicate in terms of physical strength.
"I should get back quickly..." Even the nun's habit she was wearing had become somewhat icy due to the weather.
Even if winter in Fuyuki City wasn't as cold as in other places, it was still winter. Dressing as thinly as she was made it very easy to catch a cold.
Picking up her pace slightly, Caren hurried outside the iron gate and threw the trash bag she was holding into the bin by the street.
Then, she immediately intended to return to the church.
"Wha... What's happening...!?"
Just as she turned around, Caren suddenly felt a surge of unprecedented pain. Her lungs felt as if they were on fire.
"Cough... cough cough..."
Feeling a sudden sweetness in her throat, Caren coughed violently. When she pulled away the hand clutching her mouth to look, her pupils shrank slightly.
"Blood...?"
Why was she suddenly coughing up blood?
Caren didn't feel that there had been anything wrong with her body before this. That being the case, why was she suddenly in such distress?
For a moment, her mind was filled with confusion. Caren looked up in a daze, and her gaze, which knew not where to land, met a pair of pale gold eyes.
'That person—!?'
From the very first glance, Caren understood immediately.
Her body was experiencing a spiritual obstacle reaction!
At this moment, Shirou also found the girl's reaction strange. He remembered that Caren's "Masochistic Spiritual Medium Constitution" took effect against demons; in the original work, she was even used as a "demon detector."
Even though the girl's fate had been changed by Shirou now, that constitution remained unchanged.
The constitution that manifests spiritual obstacles when a demon approaches was now seemingly reacting because of Shirou's body as a Demon King, which was saturated with immense power.
"It hurts... ugh...!" Caren struggled to endure, her arms tightly hugging her own body.
Amidst the pain that surged like a tide, Caren felt as if she were suffocating. Her body gradually became light, and her mind followed into chaos.
Finally, in her blurring vision, she saw that man walk up to her and pick her up.
Lying powerless in the arms of a strange man, Caren, who was on the verge of losing consciousness, felt a sense of dread regarding her possible situation.
'This is... bad...'
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