-820- The unsuccessful summon

Night fell swiftly.

As darkness shrouded the entire North American continent, the temperature plummeted instantly, giving the night wind a bone-chilling feel.

Above the night sky, devoid of stars and the moon, only an eternal halo-like glow remained suspended in the high atmosphere, as if staring at it could potentially draw one's soul into its presence.

"Fou!"

Atop a hill, Fou stood near the cliff, emitting cheerful cries towards the sky's everlasting halo, a sound that could be interpreted as either gratitude for the rare light or a complaint about its captivating nature.

Observing Fou in this state, Mash, wielding a hefty shield, couldn't help but relax her expression, then immediately tensed her nerves, maintaining vigilance over their surroundings.

As for Rozen, he was in a small forest on the hill.

"Hum!"

Amidst the atmospheric hum, Rozen infused a tremendous magical power into the ground in front of him. Since he achieved the "Mind's Eye" of the Divine Realm, Rozen rarely utilized magic power on such an extensive scale.

However, at this moment, Rozen unhesitatingly squandered a massive amount of magical energy, using it to drive a large source, creating surging magical torrents that flowed into the ground before him.

Upon closer inspection, an intricate magic circle was etched there. For those within Chaldea, this magic circle would undoubtedly be recognizable in an instant—it was the summoning circle of "Heroic Spirit Summoning."

Rozen, relying on his own abilities, was attempting to use the mysterious art of "Heroic Spirit Summoning."

Thus, with the support of substantial magical energy, the summoning circle radiated a dazzling brilliance.

"—I hereby declare—"

Rozen maintained the infusion of magical energy, closed his eyes, and began chanting.

"—Your body shall serve under me,

My fate shall be your sword—"

"—If you will submit to this will and this reason…Then answer!—"

"—I hereby swear—"

"—I shall be all that is good in this world—"

"—I shall be the disposer of all evil in this world—"

"—Thou, clad with the great trinity, Come forth from the ring of restraints—"

"—Guardian of the heavenly scales!—"

With the progress of the chant, the radiance from the summoning circle before Rozen intensified, becoming brighter and more potent.

Then, an intangible yet formidable force instantly gathered on the magic circle. It seemed as if a pathway had opened, stretching infinitely into the depths of the world, making contact with the records of the "Throne" situated on the outer edge of the world.

"Clang—!"

In an instant, the brilliance surged on the magic circle, and the intangible yet powerful force took on a tangible form.

Witnessing this, Rozen's eyes brightened, a joyous expression on his face.

If this force were to materialize, this summoning would declare success, and Rozen would have summoned the first Servant in history with whom his soul was intricately linked—a Servant bound by an absolute contract.

This meant that Rozen would officially step into the realm of "Heroic Spirit Summoning," becoming the only modern individual to successfully summon a Heroic Spirit solely through his own power.

Ordinary Masters seeking to summon a Heroic Spirit typically required the assistance of the Holy Grail's power and were restricted to the period of the Holy Grail War. Once the war concluded, the contract would be annulled, and the Heroic Spirit would return to the "Throne," not lingering in the mortal realm.

Even if one attempted to summon without utilizing the Holy Grail's power, most magus could only evoke a portion of the Heroic Spirit's power for utilization, with no one having succeeded in summoning a Heroic Spirit solely by their own capabilities. Even Chaldea relied on the facility's technology to support an entire summoning system before achieving success.

If someone could successfully summon a Heroic Spirit solely through their own abilities, it would undoubtedly be a monumental achievement surpassing any magus—a feat signifying mastery over mysteries beyond the divine.

For Rozen, summoning a Heroic Spirit held significant meaning. Success would mark his entry into commanding numerous Heroic Spirits, the first step towards acquiring many Servants.

However, at that moment...

"—"

The power converging in the magic circle suddenly trembled and came to a halt.

"Not good!"

Rozen was slightly startled, hastily continuing to infuse magical energy into the magic circle.

Unfortunately...

"Bang—!"

Before long, the radiance in the entire magic circle shattered like glass, disappearing entirely.

"Clang..."

The magic circle dimmed until it lost all its radiance.

Seeing this, Rozen couldn't help but understand.

"Failed again, huh?"

A hint of regret and disappointment leaked from his mouth.

Since the arrival of "Mind's Eye" in the Divine Realm, Rozen had begun studying the techniques of "Heroic Spirit Summoning," preparing to formally summon a Heroic Spirit, gain a Servant, and enhance his own power.

According to Rozen's expectations, among the numerous Heroic Spirits, there were strong ones reaching the pinnacle of strategic levels that even Rozen couldn't rival.

The weak ones would only be at the level of upper-tier familiars, some possibly even at the level of mid-tier familiars. With Rozen's current abilities, summoning a Heroic Spirit at this level and making them his Servant shouldn't be very difficult.

However, unexpectedly, Rozen hadn't successfully summoned a single Servant to date.

The reason was simple.

"The summoning of a Servant is not fixed but rather random. Unless there is a catalyst with a deep connection to a specific Heroic Spirit, allowing the summoning of that particular Servant, it will only summon a Servant compatible with the Master. This enables the Servant to manifest."

Such a voice resounded from behind Rozen.

"Your manipulation and mastery of summoning techniques have reached the highest level, even bordering on perfection. In theory, you shouldn't fail. However, due to the nature of 'Heroic Spirit Summoning,' your summoning is declared a failure because the Heroic Spirit compatible with you doesn't seem to be an ordinary one, making it not so easy to summon."

Speaking, the Otherworldly Queen with a magic spear in hand appeared behind Rozen, seemingly out of nowhere. Her eyes, watching Rozen, were full of joy as if she had discovered a rare gem.

"Then there's the magical power. Although your magical power is outstanding, it pales in comparison to the Holy Grail. Summoning a Servant consumes a massive amount of magical energy, and the power of a mere magus is insufficient. It will only be drained. If you couldn't harness the vast source of magical power, you would probably have already collapsed due to magical energy depletion, or even died from your life force being drained dry. Failing is not surprising at this point."

The Queen of the Shadow Realm, who had once taught countless heroes and champions, couldn't help but offer this advice to Rozen, her tone resembling that of a teacher almost entirely.

"Miss Scáthach..."

Rozen looked at this Slayer of Gods, feeling a sense of helplessness.