I, Kurumi Tokisaki, Am a Wanderer

The Holy Grail War.

A grand ritual devised by the Three Founding Families—the Einzbern, Tohsaka, and Matou families—with the aim of reaching the 'Root,' the source of all knowledge. In reality, it was created to accomplish the Third Magic, known as Heaven's Feel, which allows the materialization of the soul, thus achieving immortality through a human vessel.

Every sixty years, when enough magical energy accumulates in the ley lines of Fuyuki City to sustain the descent of the Holy Grail, the Holy Grail War begins.

Seven Masters and their Servants fight to the death in Fuyuki, eliminating each other's Servants to provide mana for the Holy Grail's descent. The goal is to claim the 'Wish-Granting Device' that can fulfill any wish immediately.

This is the Holy Grail War.

The Grail can only grant the wish of one person, and the ritual of obtaining it is inevitably soaked in blood.

"Heh," Emiya Kiritsugu laughed derisively.

Perhaps the man he used to be would have risked everything to claim the Grail, all for the sake of fulfilling that tragic wish.

But now?

He only wanted to destroy the Grail—no, to destroy that black sun in the sky. And then... to bring Illya out of this castle, which was forever trapped in winter.

His heart, which had been pounding violently since the ritual began, still ached, as if reminding Kiritsugu that he had indeed returned to the beginning of the war.

"It's practically magic," he couldn't help but marvel. If only his old man... Emiya Kiritsugu's fist clenched tightly.

"It truly is amazing," Irisviel smiled, assuming Kiritsugu was amazed by the fact that such a simple ritual could summon a Heroic Spirit from mythology. Little did she know, he was marveling at the miracle of time reversal.

"By your summons, I ask you: Are you my Master?"

The girl, who appeared no older than fifteen, merely stood there, and yet the entire room's atmosphere seemed to tighten.

Her cold demeanor was like the clear stream of early spring, clad in a dignified blue dress and silver armor. Her elegantly braided golden hair had a single strand that swayed gently.

Her emerald eyes were serious as she gazed intently at Emiya Kiritsugu, the noble King of Knights awaiting her Master's confirmation.

Kiritsugu, however, frowned.

Hmph, a knight.

Strength: B

Endurance: A

Agility: A

Mana: A

A Servant with attributes worthy of the strongest Saber class.

The attributes of the King of Knights were nothing short of luxurious, but they were not enough to satisfy Emiya Kiritsugu. Their compatibility was extremely poor, just as he had said before: "No one is less suited to chivalry than me."

At the same time, he was filled with hatred and anger at the fact that the one who had drawn the Sword of Selection and been forced to bear such a cruel fate was merely a young girl.

How absurd.

Seeing the increasingly heavy atmosphere, Irisviel stepped in to break the tension.

"Please don't mind him. Kiritsugu isn't a bad person. He's just a bit surprised," she reassured, trying to soothe the situation. As a member of a noble family, Irisviel's innate elegance made her approachable to Artoria. "Miss, how should we address you?"

"Just call me Saber," she responded, her emerald eyes still fixed on Emiya Kiritsugu.

Are you looking down on me, Master?

The lion-like girl thought to herself.

If any other Master had drawn such a powerful card, they would have likely been overjoyed, believing victory was within their grasp. But Emiya Kiritsugu was different; his brow furrowed.

A Servant like this might very well become a hindrance.

Still, something about that Archer... Emiya Kiritsugu couldn't help but be concerned.

Even an ambush didn't matter, even assassinating the Master didn't matter. He might even enjoy it. That girl who called herself the 'Spirit of Time.'

Kurumi Tokisaki.

Just thinking about it made Emiya Kiritsugu's heart tighten, and the magic circle that had already fallen silent suddenly flared with a brilliant light once more.

Something had been forcibly inserted into the system, something higher than the Greater Grail.

The light was as red as blood, as black as ink, and full of ominous energy.

The Command Seals on his hand grew hot again, the three interwoven marks forming a cross-shaped sword ignited.

Saber gripped the invisible sword, hidden by the wind, tightly in her hand. She glanced warily at Emiya Kiritsugu and Irisviel, stepping in front of Irisviel with her sword raised.

...Ladies first. She was still somewhat displeased with her Master's disregard.

But was this man... happy?

The malice pouring from the magic circle was that of a murderer who had slain countless people. Saber crossed her hands, ready to strike at any moment.

"Well, well, such an unexpected Master." The girl placed a finger on her chin, her gaze seductive.

Her revealing attire, bloodstained hands, and undisguised malice made Artoria feel repulsed by the girl standing before her. Compared to this girl, her own Master suddenly seemed much more agreeable.

If it weren't for her Master, Saber would have considered striking her down immediately.

"So, are you my Master?" Kurumi Tokisaki smiled. It was indeed interesting to be in the same Einzbern camp as the King of Knights, but it seemed the King wasn't particularly fond of her.

And then, to everyone's surprise, a slight smile appeared on Emiya Kiritsugu's cold face.

"Yes."

"Kurumi."

The girl who had been reborn under the name of Kurumi Tokisaki froze in place.

"W-wait a minute, is something wrong with my script???"

Emiya raised his left hand, his right index finger gently pressing into his left palm.

Sixth Bullet.

[You will participate in this Holy Grail War under the name of Kurumi Tokisaki, but remember, the twisted nature of this war will be beyond your expectations.] That was the message she had received before descending into this world.

Kurumi froze in place. Twisted nature?

What could be more twisted than throwing me into a Holy Grail War?

...

[Due to the limitations of the Lesser Grail, you will be restricted below the Grand rank.]

Kurumi opened her inventory, only to find that all of her level 95 equipment had turned a bright red.

Not Equipable.

Not Equipable.

She searched through her storage but found that nearly all equipment above level 80 was in a non-equipable state.

Hesitantly, she checked her level.

Lv. 74

Her heart sank. That means... below Second Awakening.

Fortunately, she still had some equipment she had collected in the past.

...

[You will participate in this war as an Avenger. You have acquired the following skills: Avenger, Oblivion Correction, Self-Replenishment (Mana)]

Kurumi opened her status screen.

Strength: E (+???)

Endurance: D (+???)

Agility: D (+???)

Mana: C (+???)

Luck: B

Noble Phantasm: EX

Due to her equipment being unusable, the bonus stats were completely hidden. Below her stats, however, a skill called Awakening was shining.

SP - 0. 

Strength: E → D

Endurance: D → C

Agility: D → C

Mana: C → B

Luck: B → A

Her attributes were so poor they were practically unbearable to look at, but Kurumi Tokisaki had always been such a frail girl.

But as she looked at her Luck and Noble Phantasm, she still smiled.

...

[Enjoy your journey.]

With the stark contrast in Emiya Kiritsugu's treatment, Saber's pent-up anger finally exploded.

The invisible barrier dispersed like a gust of wind, and the hammer of wind swung toward the frail girl.

"I will never! Never ally myself with such an evil being!"

-268:59:01

The war that had yet to begin erupted into internal conflict far away in Germany.