"Wow, what is going on today? It's so quiet," Tohsaka Sakura murmured into the night, the words barely audible as she raced through the darkness, channeling Rider's power and feeling the unsettling stillness around them.

"Mhm, it's been like this since we left," Rider agreed, nodding slightly.

"It's different from before."

"Yes... Why do you think there's been such a change?" Tohsaka Sakura asked, curiosity piqued.

Rider shook her head. "I don't know. Just be careful."

CRACK!

The instant their exchange ended, the very void beside them seemed to be sliced open by a sharp implement. A darkness deeper than the existing gloom materialized, forming a small aperture. From this opening, a young girl's head poked out, hands cupping her chin, smiling down at them. "Yo, hello there."

"Wha—! You scared me half to death! Oh, it's Yukari," the sudden appearance nearly made Tohsaka Sakura jump out of her skin, but she managed to recognize the girl just in time, patting her chest in relief.

"No need to stop. Keep running," Yukari said with a slight smile, her youthful appearance belying a maturity far beyond her years.

Rider remained silent, but her pace, which had slightly faltered, resumed at its previous speed. What surprised her slightly was that the patch of darkness where Yukari resided kept pace perfectly beside her, still showing only a head and two hands... Where was the rest of her body?

Although they were somewhat familiar with some of Yukari's strange abilities, this particular display was something neither of them had heard about.

"Yukari, where's the rest of you?" Tohsaka Sakura finally couldn't contain her curiosity.

"Ah, it's hidden somewhere you can't see," Yukari replied with a faint smile.

Tohsaka Sakura immediately adopted an expression of utterly confused awe. "What kind of ability is that? It sounds incredibly powerful."

"It's an ability inherited from my mother," Yukari explained. "It's called Gap. Theoretically, it involves slicing space open, allowing me to move anywhere through the rift... Oh, and the space here isn't just physical space. It can even cut through paintings, stories, even other people's fantasies and dreams, allowing me passage and entry. It even applies to my own body—just part of it can pass through... like this."

As she spoke, a mischievous grin suddenly stretched across Yukari's lips. Tohsaka Sakura looked at her, puzzled, seeing no change. Just as she was about to ask what was happening, she felt an intense itch in her stomach. Instinctively, she looked down, and her face drained of color.

Because there, a hand was emerging from inside her abdomen.

"Th-th-this, this..." Tohsaka Sakura pointed a trembling finger at the hand sticking out of her stomach, too shocked to form words.

"Don't worry about it. I was just demonstrating for you," Yukari chuckled softly. The next moment, the hand vanished back inside Tohsaka Sakura's belly.

"Was that your hand?" Tohsaka Sakura looked up at her, still slightly shaken.

Yukari wiggled her right hand, offering a noncommittal smile.

"Don't just go sticking your hand into people's bodies!" Once she realized Yukari was teasing her, Tohsaka Sakura burst out complaining. "If you're going to do that, you have to warn me first! You nearly scared me to death... But still, being able to do something so miraculous is practically magic. You really are amazing."

"In many ways, this ability is far more useful than magic, though I don't particularly enjoy using it."

"Why not?" Tohsaka Sakura asked, bewildered. If she possessed such an ability, she'd be overjoyed; it would make everything so convenient.

Yukari adopted a slightly troubled expression. "Hmm, how should I put this? Although I inherited this power perfectly, perhaps precisely because the inheritance was too perfect, the more I use this ability, the more I crave sleep, and the longer I use it, the longer I sleep... You know, I'm still a child. I don't particularly like sleeping."

"..." Tohsaka Sakura was speechless. Even Rider's brow twitched slightly.

Indeed, on the surface, Yukari seemed like a typical bratty child. But... would a normal brat possess such mature theories on relationships? Would a normal brat fight fearlessly alongside a crowd of Servants? Would a normal brat allow her head to float aimlessly in the air?

Okay, even if Yukari wasn't literally disembodied now, any uninformed outsider seeing the current scene would surely conclude that a head was floating in the void.

Therefore, they both dismissed Yukari’s explanation immediately.

"Well, let's just drop that topic," sensing her reasoning lacked credibility, Yukari waved her hand, moving past the subject. Her expression then hardened, and she spoke seriously. "You two must have noticed it too. Something is wrong today."

"You mean the Inner World?"

Yukari nodded. "Before, we only entered the Inner World when a battle erupted. But this time is different. Even without engaging in combat, we've naturally stepped into the Inner World. I have a bad feeling about this."

"Is... is that a problem?" Tohsaka Sakura paused, admittedly feeling something strange, but not thinking it was a major issue—"What about you?" Yukari asked Rider.

Rider remained silent for a moment, likely processing the information. After a few seconds, she finally spoke. "I also find it a bit eerie, but since it's happening in this city, I don't see it as inherently problematic."

"Heh heh," Yukari gave a knowing smile. "If this were happening anywhere else, I wouldn't care. But for something impossible to occur specifically in this city—that's the biggest issue."

"What do you mean?" Both girls looked utterly confused.

Yukari didn't elaborate, just shook her head. "I haven't figured out the details yet. But we all need to be careful. Something should happen tonight, and by then..."

By then, perhaps the truth of the matter would become clear?

Yukari let her words trail off, closing her eyes and thinking inwardly.

She was Lin Luo's daughter. While Lin Luo hadn't detailed his plans to her, claiming she knew nothing would be ludicrous. In fact, she was well aware of the details, especially concerning the Hidden Channel.

In Lin Luo's established system, the Hidden Channel only activated when combat began or when those chosen individuals initiated an attack—in other words, Mystery and fighting spirit were the sole keys to entry.

But today was different!

Whether it was her, Tohsaka Sakura, or some others she had encountered, they were merely walking quietly down the street, harboring no aggressive intent and making no contact with others, yet the Hidden Channel had opened for them—as if the key was no longer required, and everyone possessing power had been drawn into the Hidden Channel.

That was the crux of the problem.

Lin Luo needed time to absorb the Mystery he gathered, using formations. Thus, the battles in Fuyuki City were supposed to occur intermittently. Constant fighting would be detrimental to him, not helpful.

So, no matter how he looked at it, the rule that the Hidden Channel required a "key" was something he absolutely would not change.

If that were the case, the current situation could only mean that even Lin Luo had lost control of Fuyuki City?

While this was probably the only logical conclusion, considering her father's power... Yukari secretly shook her head. Although she hadn't confirmed it recently, the idea that Lin Luo couldn't manage a mere Fuyuki City seemed absurd. At most, some unexpected incident had caused a temporary aberration.

Of course, an unexpected event occurring in Fuyuki City that exceeded Lin Luo’s control, causing his established rules to warp, was already an earth-shattering anomaly.

Regardless, I must find the cause of this anomaly before anyone else. That way, Father would surely look upon me with new respect... Yukari resolved herself internally.

Meanwhile, Lin Luo, the orchestrator of all secrets, could not possibly be unaware of such a massive shift in Fuyuki City. At this moment, as almost everyone with power was pulled into the Hidden Channel, he was investigating this abnormality from his monitoring room.

"Have you found the cause?" Komeiji Satori asked after activating all the surveillance feeds directed toward Lin Luo.

Lin Luo shook his head, frowning deeply. "It's very strange. Neither the auras nor the spiritual senses, nor even the entire formation array, show any irregularity whatsoever."

"Then why is this change happening?"

"I can't pinpoint the reason yet, but one thing is clear." Lin Luo’s expression turned grim here. "Something I did not anticipate has arrived in Fuyuki City, and because of its presence, my control over Fuyuki City... no, to be precise, those things are affecting the normal trajectory of the world."

"What kind of thing can't even your senses detect?"

"Hmph, who knows," Lin Luo gave a cold laugh and said no more.

To be honest, he wanted nothing to do with this kind of change. But since it had occurred, he couldn't ignore it. If it was simply an accident, it would be manageable—find the source, apply a quick fix, and it’s done. But... what if this wasn't a simple accident?

Though he lacked definitive proof, Lin Luo could sense it... His enemies were making a move!

Proxy Gods?

No, if it were the Proxy Gods, their offensive would never be this subtle.

Identity unknown, objective unknown, and the reason for their existence also unknown. However... within Fuyuki City, he still maintained the largest measure of control.

"Then I look forward to seeing just who is causing trouble!" (To be continued. If you enjoy this work, please feel free to cast your recommendation votes and monthly tickets. Your support is my greatest motivation.) RQ

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