NOVEL NEXT Chapter 43: Clones
"Tonight, due to industrial wastewater, toxic gases have formed a thick fog over the Mion River..."
"Several people have already fallen unconscious, and others are experiencing hallucinations..."
A reporter stood on the embankment of the Mion River, and behind her, ambulances and police cars flashed their red lights as they sped by. The sound of loudspeakers from warning vehicles occasionally echoed.
—"Inhaling the gas may cause hallucinations. We urge residents along the river to seek medical attention immediately."
"Experts are urging caution..."
Risei Kotomine turned off the television, slumping wearily in his chair, massaging his temples with his hands.
The disturbances tonight had been far too many. Both the Clock Tower and the Holy Church were hard at work trying to quell the chaos.
This corrupt overseer was filled with unease. That mad dog from the Matou Family—how dare he...! He had dared to murder Tokiomi, his brother-in-arms.
He let out a long sigh.
Luckily, the Einzbern family, as one of the Three Founding Families, had taken responsibility in this crisis. They had even gone so far as to purchase two F-15C jets from Middle Eastern arms dealers and deliver them to the airbase in Tsukijo. Although they were C-type jets, there wasn't enough time to be picky.
He had heard that the personnel were ready to depart.
With Tokiomi's death, the Holy Church's plans had fallen apart. Risei sighed again—it seemed he would need to reveal some details to the Einzbern family.
In the early hours of the next morning, a silver vehicle sped out of the Einzbern castle, heading for Tsukijo.
The driver, wearing a gleeful expression, was none other than Saber. Kurumi sat in the passenger seat, letting the wind blow through her hair as she squinted slightly, basking in the comfort. She casually stretched her legs onto the dashboard, her sheer black stockings accentuating the graceful lines of her legs, with her feet resting bare and unbothered in the open air.
"Avenger, do you have no sense of decency?" Saber shot her a sharp look from the driver's seat. "Put your legs down. This is hardly appropriate."
Kurumi just smiled in response, unfazed by the reprimand, and shifted slightly, as if to get even more comfortable.
In the back seat sat a well-dressed gentleman—well, he would have looked more refined if his face weren't bruised and swollen.
Lancelot had never hated her, and every time he thought about it, his heart twisted with guilt.
Even if the king had shown the slightest hint of resentment, he would have felt better.
But no—Saber was as noble as ever.
She had sincerely wished happiness for him and Guinevere.
Last night, he had knelt on the ground, begging Saber for punishment. That cursed girl had looked at him with an expression that was hard to decipher.
Then her armored fist had slammed into his face.
"My king, may I once again become your sword?"
Under the moonlight, Lancelot's sword, gleaming like a lake, begged for his king's approval.
"Of course, Sir Lancelot."
At Tsukijo Airbase, the air traffic controllers of the Japan Air Self-Defense Force were in a frenzy.
Last night, the Fuyuki City Police Department had sent out a disaster dispatch, and two F-15J jets, which had been patrolling the territorial waters, were sent in response. They never returned.
A single jet cost over ten billion yen, and with the loss of two, the controller could already see his bleak future.
Fortunately, word had come from Fuyuki City that specialists were on their way to resolve the issue. Ordinarily, that would be great news, but since last night, he hadn't been able to contact his superiors.
At the guard post, the on-duty officer saw only a pair of brilliant, rose-colored eyes before he fell into a daze.
It was nothing more than simple hypnotism—a trivial trick for Kurumi.
They were indeed there to solve the issue, but first, they needed to borrow a small piece of equipment.
"Aleph—First Bullet."
The world seemed to stop as countless shadows spread from beneath Kurumi's feet, sweeping over every living thing in the base.
Then, in the instant time returned to normal, nearly every person found a pair of wine-red eyes appearing before them.
In the hangar, Kurumi led Saber and Berserker as they gazed at the mechanical beast before them.
A T-4 trainer aircraft, 12.6 meters in length, with a wingspan of 10.0 meters and a takeoff weight of 5,500 kilograms. Its maximum speed (at an altitude of 7,620 meters) was Mach 0.9, or 1,000 kilometers per hour.
Though it couldn't compare to the F-15J in active service, it was much easier to handle.
This was the aircraft Emiya Kiritsugu had carefully prepared for Saber.
"It's yours now."
Kurumi's lips curled into a playful smile, almost mocking.
"Prepare yourselves. We leave when night falls."
A magic barrier? What garbage.
Meanwhile, back at the Einzbern castle, a group of visitors had arrived.
They were three incredibly powerful magi, and the Einzbern's barriers seemed to mean nothing to them.
Illusions filled the forest's barrier, but the group quickly found the central node.
However, when the Kurumi clone left behind in the castle raised her gun, the visitors said something unexpected.
"Hello there, boss."
"Fate Express, we've got a delivery for you."
The woman's blue eyes glowed with a gentle, intoxicating warmth. Even though she was wrapped tightly in a delivery uniform, her full, curvaceous figure exuded a sweet and tempting allure.
She smiled, and then—
Pop—
The button on her chest finally gave way, flying off as her snow-white bosom jiggled, as if she weren't wearing anything underneath.
"Oh my, how embarrassing," her companion said as she delivered a hard kick to the back of her knee, causing her to stumble forward and kneel in an even more provocative position.
"The porter—Oriana."
"Shirley."
"Alice."
"At your service."
"Miss Kurumi Tokisaki, are you the one who requested this delivery and a seal engineer?"
"Follow me." Kurumi turned indifferently and led the way.
"Boss, your mystic eye would look great floating in formaldehyde."
"Sorry, I mean, it's beautiful."
The women seemed highly intrigued by Kurumi's clock eye, but without hesitation, Kurumi turned and pointed her gun at Oriana.
"Oh? What was that you just said?"
"N-nothing."
When they entered the parlor, they were greeted by another Kurumi.
This didn't surprise them—after all, the Einzbern family's specialty was homunculi.
Seeing identical faces wasn't particularly shocking.
Still, they quietly took note of this, realizing that Tokisaki must be a skilled fighter based on her movements.
That was important information.
Oriana, the voluptuous woman, quickly used her natural charm to hold Sakura in her arms and hypnotize her. But her expression soon darkened with concern.
"Boss, we thought you wanted to transfer the magic crest of an Einzbern homunculus."
She hesitated. "Forgive me for saying this, but this little girl's body can't handle a full crest transplant."
"She'll die," the three expert seal engineers concluded.
"Oh my—go ahead," Kurumi responded with a carefree smile. "We'll take care of the rest."
In the hallway, Kariya Matou frowned deeply as he looked at Kurumi, who stood blocking his way.
"Sakura belongs to me now."
Her seductive voice left no room for doubt.
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