Lv.6 Rune Magecraft with a total of 6 points of additional intensity meant that his runes and their potency would be 64 times that of a normal Lv.6 Runic character!
This was undoubtedly a massive leap in power.
Additionally, the “foundations” used to drive “Rune Magecraft”—[Magic Circuits] and [Magic Power]—had also met their upgrade requirements via automated training a few days prior.
The [Magic Circuits], upgrading from green to blue quality, saw the number of circuits jump from nine to thirty-six.
Furthermore, just as they had when upgrading from white to green, every circuit underwent a comprehensive metamorphosis in terms of precision, rotation speed, structural durability, and the quality of the magic power generated.
In both quality and quantity, they had reached a level that could be called “excellent” among modern magi.
As for [Magic Power], which rose from Lv.4 to Lv.5, the quality and quantity of the magic power itself climbed to a new plateau.
Simultaneously, the newly acquired point of Intensity directly increased the previous 16x multiplier to 32x.
Magic power at thirty-two times the intensity, driving Runes at sixty-four times the strength…
“Do you think that with just my magecraft, I could fight in a Holy Grail War right now?”
With a casual wave of his hand, magic power surged, and twenty-four Rune characters materialized in the air.
Byakuya looked toward Scathach and Morgan.
“I think I’m probably safe enough now.”
A rainbow-colored light flickered within Morgan’s crystal-clear eyes as she gazed at the nearest Rune.
“While Servants have the advantage of ‘Noble Phantasms,’ Fuyuki isn’t their true form.
The Noble Phantasms they can bring with them…
the weaker ones might actually be less potent than your current Runes.”
“Wait, I’m a Master.
Why on earth am I comparing myself to Servants?” Byakuya interrupted her analysis.
“Then what did you mean by ‘fighting the Holy Grail War purely through magecraft’?”
“Servant against Servant, Master against Master—hasn’t that always been the rule of the Holy Grail War?”
“…Whatever makes you happy,” Morgan sighed, pinching the bridge of her nose in exasperation.
Over the past week, the identities of the two-and-a-half “mystery” Masters had been confirmed.
First were the two who had no connection to the Three Great Families and were only locked onto once they arrived in Fuyuki:
One was Kenneth El-Melloi Archibald, Lord of the Clock Tower’s Department of Mineralogy, a first-class lecturer in the Department of Evocation, and head of the aristocratic El-Melloi faction.
The other was Waver Velvet, a student of the Clock Tower and a pupil in the El-Melloi classroom.
The remaining “half” was Irisviel von Einzbern of the Einzbern family, one of the Three Great Families.
These three, combined with Tokiomi Tohsaka and Kirei Kotomine—whose identities had been confirmed on the first day—made five.
Even if Byakuya relied solely on Rune Magecraft, Morgan didn’t believe those five Masters would stand a chance against him if he fought them all at once.
This was why she had instinctively skipped over the Master-level battle and compared him directly to Servants.
“Why not try it?” Scathach suggested from the side.
“Opportunities to fight heroes and legends from different eras don’t come often.”
“I’ll see how it goes.
If I run into them, I’ll deal with it…
though I’ll pass on the ‘only magecraft’ bit.
I didn’t train in the Hundred Arts just for the aesthetic.”
With a flick of his wrist, Byakuya erased the twenty-four Runes from the air.
A few minutes later, in the living room.
Morgan, Scathach, Sakura Matou…
and Kama, who had been forcibly dragged away from the gaming nook in Sakura’s bedroom and was now relegated to button-mashing a handheld console as a temporary substitute.
Spreading a map of Fuyuki on the table—already marked with key locations like the Einzbern castle, the Tohsaka residence, the Fuyuki church, and the Hyatt Hotel—Byakuya addressed the three Servants.
“The moment the Einzbern Master and Servant set foot in Fuyuki this afternoon, the Fourth Holy Grail War officially begins.
“Given the experience accumulated from the previous three wars, the process has become more refined.
It wouldn’t be strange if this one dragged on for ten days or two weeks before a result emerged.
However, normally, the first night is rarely peaceful…
“So, let’s set a rough plan.
“…Kama.”
After a brief pause, he called her name.
“…If you insist, I suppose I can help.”
Kama paused her game, shifting her gaze from the screen to Byakuya’s face.
“But let me be clear: despite what my status screen says about having an EX-rank Noble Phantasm, in reality, it’s at most a C-rank anti-personnel Noble Phantasm, and it’s limited by my stats.
Given the Master’s current situation, the only way to activate it would be to use Command Spells for charging.”
“…”
Hearing that she was “dragging them down” again, Sakura Matou silently lowered her head.
In truth, she was already capable of attempting to open her Magic Circuits to provide energy for Kama like a normal Master.
With teachers from the Age of Gods like Morgan and Scathach watching over her, there was no need to worry about accidents during the process.
However, after discussing it with Byakuya and Scathach, Morgan had decided to let the girl build a stronger foundation first.
“Don’t overthink it.
It has nothing to do with you,” Byakuya said, gently rubbing the young girl’s hair.
Setting aside the fact that status screens were essentially things high-level Servants filled out blindly, Kama’s five E-ranks simply meant she *wanted* five E-ranks.
Compared to his lowest expectation before summoning his first Servant—which was to personally fight through the war using the Hundred Arts and hope the corrupted Grail would grant him a ticket into the mystery side of the world—the two usable cards he held now were incredibly powerful.
There was absolutely no need to obsess over a slacker Servant like Kama, who only wanted to lounge around and play games.
“I’m calling you first because you have the lightest workload, so I’ll give you your assignment first.”
Byakuya looked at Kama.
“Tonight…
no, from this moment until the curtain falls on this Holy Grail War, the only thing you need to do is ensure Sakura’s safety.
That shouldn’t be a problem, right?”
“You don’t even need to tell me.
I’ll do it,” Kama agreed readily, thrilled that her duties were so minimal.
“Next.”
Byakuya turned to his Caster.
“Morgan, I want you to stay here at the Matou Residence for now.
First, to protect Sakura and ensure no one catches us off guard on the first night.
Second, with the preparations you’ve made over the last two weeks, you can monitor the movements of all of Fuyuki through your rituals.
Staying here won’t hinder your ability to provide support.”
“Understood,” Morgan nodded.
“Does that mean my task is to accompany you outside?” Scathach asked, being the only one of the three not yet assigned.
“Yes.
Even though you’re a Caster, with your stats and that god-slaying spear, your class certainly doesn’t hinder your ability to fight in close quarters,” Byakuya nodded.
“Besides, no one will know if you’re my Servant or my Servant’s Servant.
You’ll come with me for a stroll tonight…”