Chapter Sixty-Five: The Sealed Ishtar

“Does anyone really fall for this kind of trap? It just seems like a waste of gemstones.” Medea watched Roland grab handfuls of jewels from a golden jar encrusted with gems and carelessly toss them onto the ground as bait, and she questioned him.

“If it were a normal person, I suppose not. But unfortunately, if our visitor is that goddess, and her vessel is Rin Tohsaka, it’s best to treat her like a fool. Look, here she comes already, doesn’t she?” Roland’s search device blazed with light, and a mysterious smile touched his lips.

—

“Isthar!”

Realizing that the other side seemed to be searching for her as well, Rin Tohsaka began to call her Servant.

In an instant, she transformed from a powerless girl into a Servant capable of crushing ordinary magi. The swiftness and subtlety of this change was such that even the cunning Zouken Matou failed to notice.

Yet Rin’s heart was still shrouded in gloom. It was not only because of her own carelessness, but also because of the unchanged expression on her enemy’s face.

From the very start, this man knew about Servants! He was prepared for this!

“Maanna!”

As a pseudo-Servant sharing one body with Rin, Ishtar understood this as well. So she didn’t attack immediately, but let her Noble Phantasm auto-fire, grasped the ritualistic dagger, and swung it at the gray-blue arms emerging from the shadows.

In close combat, the freely flying Ishtar was not at a disadvantage, but she had to consider Rin’s condition. Being entangled like this would be too detrimental for the battles ahead.

But before her weapon could touch those arms, they naturally dissolved, turning into a mire-like darkness, from which ropes of shadow emerged, winding tightly around her.

“Damn it!” One mistake led to another. Her greedy actions had cost her the initiative, and now she was paying the price.

Before she completely lost her mobility, Ishtar crushed another gemstone, invoking a surge of magical energy to form a barrier around herself, both shielding against attacks and helping her break free from the shadow ropes.

Fortunately, she had deployed Maanna right away; at most, the enemy could only get in a single strike. Next, she would regain her pace and show her foe the wrath of the Goddess of Venus!

But the mysterious enemy disregarded the attacks raining down from above and walked straight up to her.

—

The attack fired from the spirit bow, like an artillery shell, was blocked by an invisible barrier before it could reach Roland.

Seeing the Caster who had suddenly appeared and now stood close behind Roland, Ishtar finally realized how serious the situation was.

No longer caring about the commotion she might cause, Ishtar gritted her teeth and channeled all her magic, through their invisible link, into the Noble Phantasm above. She was going to repeat the bombardment that had leveled the Matou estate—even if it caught herself in the blast, it was better than falling into enemy hands.

But Roland didn’t even turn his head. He simply said calmly, “Berserker.”

A swift black shadow, like a panther, leaped from the ground, seized the charging Noble Phantasm, and corrupted it with dark red magical energy. Though it took the form of a longbow, it was, in essence, a divine vessel; now it wailed in distress under the assault.

Even if he couldn’t wield its powers as deftly as Ishtar, Lancelot, the Knight Who Would Not Die Empty-Handed, could transform anything he held into his own Noble Phantasm. Thus, Maanna could only be used as a mere bludgeon in his hands, its true value wasted.

“Remember this, human!” Fire blazed in Ishtar’s eyes as she watched. The shadow ropes began to snap under the swelling power, but violet chains of magical energy replaced them at once, sparking with strange lightning and suppressing her struggles.

“If you’re too careless in the Holy Grail War, this is the fate that awaits you. Still, she’s impressive—even with such restraints, her magical energy is only growing. Master, looks like she won’t be bound for long,” Medea remarked, teasing as she watched Ishtar being subdued.

“Who cares about the Holy Grail? It’s just another big cup, like the one in Uruk. Sure, it’s tempting, but compared to all the trouble it brings, I’d rather wait for offerings from mortals!” Ishtar declared.

Hearing such an innocent thought, Roland snorted with laughter and picked up the thread. “It doesn’t matter what you want. The point is you have the strength to contest the Grail. Just as the Tohsaka family always seeks the Church as an ally, isn’t that right, little Miss Rin Tohsaka?”

As Roland called her name, the anger in Ishtar’s red eyes slowly gave way to confusion and bewilderment. She looked at Roland for a long moment before surprise dawned on her face.

“It’s you—the older brother from the convenience store... You’re a Master too?”

Perhaps because the memory of being caught buying chocolate was still so vivid, Rin hadn’t forgotten Roland, even after some time. Yet this only made her more uneasy. This dangerous Master standing before her had met both her and her mother and knew exactly who they were.

“Master, this is troublesome,” Medea said, walking over to observe Rin’s state. “In Servant form, their souls can also switch places—this is a very deep form of possession. If I use my Noble Phantasm to break the contract, it will also break her restraints. And if this goddess refuses to yield and forces herself to take over, things will get messy.”

“Hmph, of course. I didn’t come into being through a regular summoning—my contract with Rin was chosen by the Grail’s affinity. Afraid, human? For the offerings you gave me before, if you present another of equal value, I might consider forgiving your recent disrespect.”

“What a greedy goddess,” Roland said with a laugh, slowly approaching the bound Ishtar and raising his index finger.

—

“Hey, insolent mortal, what do you intend to do? I am a goddess—I cannot become a Servant unless I will it. Even if you break the contract, as long as I refuse, I can merge even deeper with Rin. Whatever your plot, you won’t succeed…”

“Unless I destroy this vessel along with you, right?” Roland sneered, and his cruel words made Ishtar blanch.

“That would indeed be more convenient, but luckily I know a simpler way. You should be grateful that there’s still a bit of usable wisdom left in you.”

“What do you plan to do?”

Ignoring her words, Roland gazed at Ishtar and murmured, “First, let the true owner of this body regain control… Rin Tohsaka, Sakura is in my hands right now. Would you like to see her?”

“Where is she!” All the unease and guilt that had built up overnight burst forth into desperation, and Rin’s consciousness switched back to being the dominant personality in this Servant’s body—just as Roland had waited for.

He touched his finger to Ishtar’s forehead. As magical energy flowed, a black mark formed at his fingertip. With a few swift strokes, the chains binding Rin vanished instantly.

But along with them, her Noble Phantasm shattered as well.

“Ah—!” She was once more the pigtail-wearing girl in her red coat, falling safely from midair into Roland’s arms.

“Ishtar?” Gripping Roland’s clothes, Rin instinctively called for her dependable partner, but there was no response from the goddess in her mind.

Holding the small girl, Roland smiled warmly and explained, “Don’t worry, she’s fine. The goddess’s soul is simply sealed within your body now. She can still see and hear everything you experience, but cannot emerge again. Most of the ritual’s remnants are black magic, but I know a little about air magic myself.”

Rin looked at her reflection in a roadside mirror, and on her forehead, a black character sat quietly at the center.

As an honors student raised with a proper education, Rin had studied Chinese from a young age and recognized the character.

—It was Qi.