Chapter Sixty-Four: The Talisman Delivered

“I didn’t expect to waste three gems here, but destroying this disgusting mansion was worth it.”
Ishtar descended slowly, surveying her handiwork with satisfaction and giving a small nod. Only when she received no response from the depths of her mind did she speak again, helplessly.
“Rin, you needn’t worry so much. With such outstanding talent, your twin sister can’t be that much worse. That repulsive monster is unlikely to kill her so easily. Who knows, she might be waiting for you to rescue her.”
“Thank you, Ishtar.”
Rin Tohsaka’s voice was still somewhat subdued, but her mood had clearly improved, which allowed Ishtar to breathe a little easier.
“But that old man really is vile. Should we try to find out where his true body is hiding?”
“He’s not dead yet?”
Rin frowned, looking incredulously at the gaping crater before her. An attack that erased the entire workshop—such devastation would have overwhelmed even the Tohsaka estate. Could that old worm truly have survived?
“The body he used just now is certainly gone, but a monster who turns his body entirely into worms would never so foolishly expose his true self.”
“Then, Ishtar, in the coming days, while you use my body, could you also try to track down Sakura and the old worm’s real body?”
“Of course. It’s on the way anyway. In fact, we might not even need to search; he may come to us himself.”
Ishtar gently landed at the center of the crater, her massive bow floating behind her like a drone, then, guided by her will, fired a blast at a particular spot.
“Why?”
Ishtar’s certainty left Rin momentarily puzzled, but the goddess didn’t reply immediately, instead continuing to manipulate her Spirit Crest.
Soon, a sphere wrapped in the charred, iron-hard husks of worms slowly split open, revealing something within.
“Earlier, when faced with my divine judgment, that creature’s first instinct was not to save as many worms as possible to preserve his lineage, but rather to have the worms beneath him burrow into a hidden passage and escape with this object. Clearly, its importance rivals his own life.”
Ishtar beckoned, drawing the object that Zōken Matō had so fiercely protected into her hand.
It was an octagonal prism, a rune stone, its center engraved with a crimson Eastern dragon.
“As long as we hold this in our hands, he’ll come to us of his own accord. Honestly, that monster underestimated my judgment as a goddess.”
Pinching the artifact between two fingers, Ishtar carefully examined it in the moonlight, her eyes shining ever brighter.
“What a windfall. Who would have expected a magus like him to possess such a treasure? It’s a shame it seems overused—its divine power may not be easily harnessed. Even so, its strength remains incomparable. Could it be a relic left by a great deity?”
“What do you mean, it can’t be used?”
“Hmm, in modern terms, it’s as if it’s been powered off from long neglect—out of energy.”
“Then what’s the use of it…”
Rin, who had been excited by the spoils of their victory, now felt a twinge of disappointment.

“Hmph, any treasure esteemed by me—the Goddess of Venus—is enough to make mortals flock to it, even if dulled by time. Don’t believe me? Try it yourself.”
As if to prove her point, Ishtar relinquished control of the body to Rin, who, bewildered, grasped the dragon-marked talisman.
“Huh?”
The instant she held it, Rin gasped.
A surge of mana flooded into her, as if she had acquired an external power source. Her magical reserves swelled far beyond their previous limits, and the depletion from using her gem bullets was replenished in less than a breath.
“Incredible. Such power even while sealed—perhaps the Tohsaka heirloom isn’t even as potent. Your eye for treasures is truly worthy of a goddess.”
“Isn’t it? Isn’t it? Go on, flatter me more,” Ishtar’s voice grew airy with pride. “And that’s not all. Even sealed, it greatly amplifies energy.”
“Let me try,” Rin said, her eyes brightening as she held the talisman. “Since it amplifies energy, using a gem should be more direct than my own magic.”
She took a mana-filled gem, pressed it against the talisman, and activated her magic circuits to convert the energy within.
“Wait, don’t—”
Ishtar tried to stop her, but she was a moment too late.
The talisman erupted in dazzling radiance, unleashing a tremendous surge of magical energy, which transformed into a pure beam of light. It fired in the direction Rin had aimed, obliterating what little remained of the Matō house into dust!
The overwhelming force caused Rin to stagger backward. As she moved, the talisman’s light beam swept the surroundings, only ceasing when Ishtar retook control.
“You were far too careless! Luckily I cut off the mana in time, or you could have destroyed the surrounding buildings as well.”
“Sorry, I didn’t realize…” Chastened, Rin fell silent.
Ishtar was about to say more, but suddenly turned her gaze to the sky, where fire raged, thunder roared, and the heavens blazed like day.
“Whoa…”
Her expression twisted as if she’d just seen a fresh disaster, and she abandoned her scolding.
“Maanna!”
Transforming her spirit bow into something resembling a small motorcycle, Ishtar mounted it and sped away from the Matō estate.
“What was that just now in the sky?”
“The aftershocks of the Holy Grail War, I’d guess—but the real culprits must be those two. Best stay away; any closer and our lives will only grow more miserable.”
Ishtar’s rare tone of seriousness made Rin fall silent as well. With someone else in control of her body, and after such a taxing night, she soon drifted into a deep sleep.
She didn’t awaken until the dawn of the next day, groggy and disoriented, only to find that Ishtar had yet to relinquish her body.
“You idiot goddess! What are you doing? I’m already late!”

“Wait, I know this is my fault, but there’s something I have to do!”
Ishtar confessed obediently, but still showed no intention of giving the body back. Just as Rin was about to force her way to the surface, her breath caught at the sight before her.
On this deserted lane, a string of dazzling gems formed a fine trail, leading around the corner to another street.
And Ishtar, delighted, was busy picking up the gems.
“One, and another…”
It was as if someone had laid a bird trap in the wild, and Ishtar was the unwitting little bird.
“What are you doing?! This is obviously a trap!”
“I can’t help it!” Ishtar replied, righteously gathering the gems. “Ever since I possessed you, my divine power’s been reduced to mana, and I can only use it by channeling it through gems. Without them, my fighting strength drops. And let's be honest, it’s because of you that we burned through most of our gems last night. Without worship, this is a rare chance to replenish.”
“Besides,” she added, waving the gems like a trophy, “each of these is higher quality than any you brought.”
“...Really?”
Rin swallowed. “Then let’s hurry and—no, wait, calm down. Other me, gems this precious just lying in the street is even more suspicious!”
“It is suspicious,” Ishtar agreed, “but for that very reason, only a fool would fall for such a trap. Do you really think someone would waste gems this rare just to catch fools? Impossible. This must be a reward from the heavens for purging evil yesterday.”
Faced with such a reasonable argument, Rin fell silent. At last, she made her decision.
“Switch! Let me pick them up!”
“Hey, no fair!”
“It’s supposed to be my turn anyway! And if I do it, I won’t be as conspicuous.”
Clutching the beautiful gems, Rin let out an unladylike laugh, but remained vigilant, gripping the magical gauge her father had given her.
It could sense the level of magical threat—a warning device.
As she rounded the corner and picked up the last gem, she watched in alarm as the gauge spun wildly, smoke pouring from it before it exploded from the overload.
“—Found you.”
A cold voice rang out.
Instinctively, Rin looked up and met the gaze of a young man whose eyes glimmered like rubies at the corner. In his hand was a strange artifact engraved with four dragon heads, one of which pointed at her, shining with a bloody crimson light.