"Make friends in humble beginnings, and never underestimate the potential of youth." Damien's words echoed in the Ice Empress's ears. Clearly, this was the true lesson Damien wished to impart to her. "I understand." The Ice Empress said, her mood lifting considerably. Realizing that Damien's defense of Fran was also an expression of his high expectations for her, the Ice Empress's earlier frustration dissipated. She gained a clearer understanding of her role under Damien's command. "Sorry, I shouldn't have said that about you." The Ice Empress apologized to Fran, who responded with a few soft "ahh" Sounds before turning her attention back to her Master. "So, will Fran become one of Damien's vassals too?" Ogerpon asked, nibbling her finger and glancing innocently between the Snow Empress, the Ice Empress, and Damien. As a simple Pokémon, she couldn't grasp the complexities of their thoughts. "No." Damien replied, checking his status panel with a regretful shake of his head. "Unfortunately, Heroic Spirit summoning doesn't exploit the loophole of the Unity of All Spirits." "Fran is just my Heroic Spirit, not a vassal." One of Damien's goals in performing the Heroic Spirit summoning was to test whether it could expand his vassal quota. Now, it seemed that plan had failed. "But it's not all bad news." Through this summoning, Violet had gathered some critical information. One key point was that Damien could retain the souls of the Heroic Spirits he summoned. Take Fran, for example. If Damien chose, he could extract her soul and, in the Cardinal World, craft a new body for her. This way, Damien could effectively "steal" Heroic Spirits from this world. Once Fran entered the Cardinal World, Violet could secure her a "green card." granting her the blessings of the World's Voice. With her Heroic Spirit form, substantial magicule, and various skills, Violet estimated that Fran's potential in the Cardinal World would rival that of Shion and Shuna... a seed for high-tier combat strength. "And don't underestimate Fran." Damien added. "Her inherent skill, Galvanism, is exactly the power we need." Damien's Heroic Spirit form was anchored to Sakura. His existence constantly drained her magical energy. Despite Sakura's remarkable aptitude and higher-than-average magical reserves for a magus, a six-year-old girl could not sustain Damien at full power. Follow current ɴᴏᴠᴇʟs on novᴇlfire.net But now, things were different. With the magical energy provided by Ryudou Temple, Damien could fully unleash his Heroic Spirit template. As for Fran, she was the type who could fight independently once fully "charged." requiring no further effort from Damien. Her power source was the ambient magical energy in the air. With Ryudou Temple's leyline, Fran could recharge in the shortest time possible. Most importantly, even when Fran's magical energy was full, she could still absorb ambient magic, though she couldn't store it. In that moment, everyone realized Fran's significance to the group. Magical Energy Recovery: 40/hour "A combatant who doesn't need constant support and can boost our magical energy recovery... isn't that a good deal?" Damien asked. Truth be told, compared to the Knight of the Lake, Damien preferred Fran. The Knight of the Lake consumed too much magical energy. Supplying him would be less efficient than supporting Shion or Ogerpon, who were no less capable. Fran, on the other hand, was essentially free labor. Not only did she require no upkeep, but she also added 40 points to the magical energy recovery, on top of Sakura's 10 points and the leyline's 100 points. "But 40 points... isn't that a bit much?" The Snow Empress asked curiously. Despite Fran's modest strength, her ability to draw magical energy from the Greater Grail was four times that of Sakura's, which seemed remarkable. "It's because of this place." Damien said, pointing to the ground beneath them. "Fran's Galvanism absorbs ambient magical energy." "And what we're doing now is releasing the magical energy accumulated in Ryudou Temple's leyline over centuries." This release required a corresponding magic absorption array. However, no matter the array, there was always significant waste... around 60 points of magical energy dissipated for every 100 points Damien extracted from the leyline. "Fran can repurpose that wasted energy." As a result, Damien's magical energy recovery efficiency had risen from zero to 150 points per hour. In just 100 hours... five days... Damien would be able to fully unleash the power of [The Monster Kingdom of Another World]. At that point, no elaborate plans would be necessary. He could simply charge in and dominate the Holy Grail War! "Kirei Kotomine's Heroic Spirit is still the same Assassin." "Tokiomi Tohsaka's Goldie remains unchanged as well." On the first night of the Holy Grail War, the day after summoning Fran, Damien, stationed at Ryudou Temple, received word that Assassin had infiltrated the Tohsaka residence and was decisively obliterated by Gilgamesh. This scene played out exactly as in the original story, a clear act of Tokiomi Tohsaka and Kirei Kotomine's orchestration. "Aside from the yet-to-be-identified Caster and Lancer, the identities of the other Heroic Spirits have been confirmed." Souei reported, kneeling before Damien. The Shadow Guard had gathered intelligence across the city. "This morning, a white-haired beauty accompanied by a blonde woman dressed as a butler was spotted at Fuyuki City's shopping district." "A young man named Waver was also seen with a towering red-haired warrior." "Artoria and Iskandar." "The King of Knights and the King of Conqueror have arrived." Knowing these three had successfully joined the Holy Grail War, Damien's lingering concerns vanished. "Excellent. Our main targets are accounted for. The remaining Caster and Lancer are inconsequential." Damien's goals were the Gate of Babylon and the Reality Marble. Suddenly, Damien and Souei, seated in the room, sensed an unmistakable wave of battle intent emanating from the void. "This brazen fighting spirit is almost too bold." The Ice Empress said, arms crossed as she appeared behind Damien, her expression displeased. "Shall I go take him out?" "I agree with Lady Ice Empress." Shion chimed in eagerly. "Let me go... I'll tear that guy to shreds!" "Don't be so impulsive, you two." Damien said, rising slowly. He instructed Shuna to look after Sakura before heading toward the source of the battle intent. "If I'm not mistaken, this should be the scene of Diarmuid and Saber's first clash." "Let's go join the excitement!" Meanwhile, at the container yard by Fuyuki City's river, a warrior wielding dual spears faced off against a knight clad in blue-and-white armor, their figures locked in a fierce exchange of blows. 100 Power Stones = 1 BC 300 Power Stones = 2 BC 500 Power Stones = 3 BC 700 Power Stones = 4 BC 1000 Power Stones = 5 BC If you want to read up to 50 chapters ahead, don't hesitate to visit our patron: pat reon . com / XElenea (remove space)