Chapter 4: The Holy Grail War in a Parallel World

In the quiet night of Fuyuki City, beneath the soft glow of streetlights, a figure materialized on the empty expanse of Fuyuki Bridge.

"Where… is this?"

Ryuu rubbed his eyes, the discomfort from the sudden teleportation slowly fading.

The commotion started immediately. Pedestrians froze, staring at him in shock. Some pointed, whispering amongst themselves, while a few bold ones raised their phones, ready to take pictures.

Ryuu glanced down at himself.

"Ah… no wonder."

Dressed in full armor from another world, he looked like a warrior straight out of an anime or a video game. To clueless onlookers, this must have seemed like some elaborate cosplay or a movie stunt.

But that wasn't what concerned him.

Where had the anti-summoning taken him?

If this was just some normal world without magic or supernatural beings, his plan to recruit subordinates would be completely ruined.

---

"Excuse me, but where am I—"

"Oh! What kind of club event is this? That armor looks incredible!"

"Nah, it's gotta be a film shoot. Where's the camera?"

Ryuu frowned. These people wouldn't be of any help. He needed to figure things out himself.

The attention was already starting to make him uncomfortable. He didn't want to deal with police or journalists questioning him.

So he did the most efficient thing—

With a powerful leap, Ryuu vaulted over the bridge's railing and disappeared into the darkness below.

A chorus of gasps and screams erupted from the crowd.

"Wait—did he just jump?! That's way too high!"

Dozens of people rushed to the railing, expecting to see a gruesome scene below.

But when they looked down—there was nothing.

---

Ryuu landed gracefully onto the roof of a moving truck, then leaped off into a dark alley.

His hybrid dragon bloodline and Demon King physique made the fall effortless.

Now, he had a new priority.

Find new clothes.

His armor was great for battle, but in a modern world like this, it was too attention-grabbing.

With a little "borrowing" of cash from some unsuspecting wallets, Ryuu quickly changed into casual streetwear and stored his armor in the system's inventory.

As he left the store, he finally got his answer.

The bright neon signs and advertisements confirmed his location—

Fuyuki City.

---

A smirk played on Ryuu's lips.

"So I landed in the setting of the Holy Grail War…"

It made sense now. He had felt faint traces of magical energy when he arrived.

The underground ley lines.

Fuyuki City sat atop a spiritual nexus, perfect for summoning Servants—legendary heroes reborn through the Grail's power.

This was fantastic news.

Servants were the ultimate familiars. If he could contract one, he'd gain an extremely powerful ally.

But first—he needed intel.

---

"If this really is the Holy Grail War, I need to know which one."

There was one obvious way to find out.

Tohsaka Rin.

If he could find her, she'd tell him everything—one way or another.

Ryuu quickly got directions from a shopkeeper and made his way toward the Tohsaka estate.

Located at the highest point of the old residential district, the Tohsaka mansion stood as a symbol of their long-standing influence.

It wasn't as extravagant as he had expected, but its classic Western architecture gave it an air of refined prestige.

Ryuu walked up to the front gate and casually rang the doorbell.

Ding-dong. Ding-dong. Ding-dong.

A youthful voice answered through the intercom.

"This is the Tohsaka residence. Who's there?"

Ryuu had already planned his response. Clearing his throat, he adopted a polite tone.

"I was an acquaintance of Tohsaka Tokiomi. Passing through Fuyuki, I wished to pay my respects."

There was a long pause.

Then—

"Eh? You knew my father? W-Wait a moment!"

---

Moments later, hurried footsteps approached.

The door opened to reveal a black-haired girl with piercing blue eyes—

Tohsaka Rin.

She had the grace of a noble, but her expression quickly turned skeptical.

"Wait… how old were you when my father was alive?"

Ryuu smiled smoothly.

"We met at the Clock Tower. You're Rin, right? Your father spoke of you often."

Rin hesitated.

"Really…?"

Something wasn't adding up, but before she could press further—

Ryuu's eyes briefly flickered.

Tohsaka Tokiomi was dead.

That meant this was most likely the Fifth Holy Grail War.

Which meant—

He needed to move. Fast.

---

"That's unfortunate news, Miss Rin. Please accept my condolences."

"It's fine," Rin responded curtly. "Are you a Magus?"

Ryuu smirked.

"Not yet. You may call me Ryuu."

"Ryuu… Do you know how my father—"

"Apologies, but I have urgent business. We shall speak another time."

Without waiting for a reply, Ryuu turned and walked away.

---

Rin frowned.

"What the hell? He just leaves after interrogating me? Not a gentleman at all!"

Frustrated, she stomped back into her house.

Ryuu, meanwhile, had already moved on.

Rin wasn't a priority.

She was talented, but nowhere near strong enough to be worth one of his three precious contract slots.

He needed someone stronger.

---

Ryuu arrived at an abandoned wooden house, situated on one of Fuyuki's minor ley lines.

A perfect temporary base.

But as he inspected the area, he ran into a problem.

"I… don't actually know how to summon a Servant."

Right. This wasn't his world's magic system.

Even if he stole another Master's summoning rights, he wouldn't know how to perform the ritual.

"System, can you generate a summoning circle?"

"The Host may exchange 100 Demon King Points for a fully functional Grail Summoning Circle."

Ryuu's eye twitched.

"I don't even have 100 points yet, you scam artist."

He sighed, rubbing his temples.

There had to be another way.

And then—it hit him.

"Wait… there's already a functional summoning circle in Fuyuki."

Emiya Shirou's basement.

A fully operational summoning array, ready to use.

If he took that, he wouldn't even need to rely on the system.

Ryuu's lips curled into a smirk.

"Shirou… looks like we're going to have a little chat."

---

If Ryuu had his way, his first choice would have been Hassan of the Cursed Arm—a true assassin, perfect for dealing with Haruto.

With Presence Concealment and a lethal instant-kill ability, he could strike down Haruto before he even knew what happened.

Unfortunately, the Assassin of this war was Sasaki Kojirou—a gatekeeper.

And most of the Three Great Families' Servants were already contracted.

Caster and Rider were wild cards.

That left only one real option.

"Saber."

If he could steal Artoria from Shirou, he could even go a step further—

By corrupting her into Saber Alter.

That was his best bet.

---

But Ryuu had overlooked one crucial detail.

This was not the Fifth Holy Grail War.

And the truth of this world… was something far more dangerous.

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