Fate/Magus Path

148 See you soon?

On another part of the battlefield.

Within the underground mall of Misaki Town.

"Interesting? Perhaps a little, but not much. Isn't that right, Vlov Arkhangel?"

Standing atop a frost-covered floor, Roy grasped Vlov Arkhangel's neck with his frozen arm. His icy blue eyes stared at him coldly, devoid of any emotion.

As for the frost unleashed by Vlov Arkhangel, it had already dissipated into nothingness in mere moments, leaving behind only a faint scattering of ice crystals in the air. Compared to the overwhelming force he had unleashed earlier, these remnants seemed laughably insignificant.

"You... what did you just... how did you do that?"

Vlov Arkhangel, hoisted into the air by Roy's grip, was clearly at a loss.

Moments ago, he had unleashed his power, flooding the surrounding area with a bone-chilling frost that should have consumed everything, including Roy. Yet, the current scene defied all comprehension.

He couldn't understand it. He couldn't accept it.

He didn't know what it was, but in the instant his frost erupted, he thought he saw a light... a radiant, white world flickering faintly behind Roy.

What was that...?

"High-Speed Divine Words!"

"Heaven Hymn, instant activation!"

The moment the frost surged forward, Roy made an immediate decision and deployed his Reality Marble.

Through the instant activation of his Reality Marble, Roy transferred Vlov Arkhangel's unleashed glacial frost and deadly cold to another self-contained world, minimizing the potential casualties caused by Vlov's devastating power.

Although both Vlov and Roa had been wreaking havoc on the city with flames and Dead Apostle attacks, their destruction was largely confined to surface-level structures. Subterranean areas such as malls and parking garages had become makeshift sanctuaries for survivors.

Roy's Mystic Eyes allowed him to perceive the color and state of souls. His heightened senses confirmed that at least a thousand survivors remained in the underground sectors. If the frost had spread unchecked, it would have transformed all life below into frozen statues in an instant.

However, activating a Reality Marble in this location would drag many survivors into its domain. The dense concentration of aether in the replicated Age of Gods environment would suffocate them within moments.

While he could limit the Marble's range as much as possible, at least dozens if not hundreds of people would inevitably be caught in the expansion and killed.

Saving everyone was an impossible task. The most pragmatic choice would be to sacrifice a portion of the survivors to trap Vlov within the Marble, thereby saving the rest.

Yet the situation presented a grim trolley problem with no perfect solution.

This time, it was Roy's turn to choose.

Logic dictated that sacrificing the few to save the many was the best course of action. He could avenge the victims later by tearing Vlov apart.

But if he resorted to such measures, how would he differ from Emiya Kiritsugu in his darkest moments?

Roy had never been one to weigh lives on a scale. No one had the right to measure the value of a human life. Even faced with this dire predicament, he resolved to save everyone, no matter how improbable.

So...

Confronted with the encroaching frost and glaciers, Roy made a daring and audacious decision.

He activated his Reality Marble with a radius of three meters, covering only himself and Vlov Arkhangel. Then, setting strict parameters in his mind, he controlled its duration to less than one second. Before the Marble could drag others into its domain, he forcibly terminated its operation.