Marvel's master of cosmic magic-Chapter 607

"Perfect. Absolutely perfect."

Rin Tohsaka practically sprinted toward the figure who had appeared in her living room, eyes shining with triumph.

"I definitely summoned the strongest Saber!"

Rowan watched from the shadows.

Before following her upstairs, he lifted a hand.

A quiet replication spell swept across the basement.

Every single grimoire, scroll, and handwritten notebook was duplicated flawlessly.

The originals remained.

Rowan now possessed perfect copies.

Upstairs, the summoned spirit sat calmly on the couch.

White hair. Red coat. Sharp eyes.

Rin’s excited interrogation quickly revealed an inconvenient truth.

She had miscalculated the timing.

Instead of Saber, she had summoned Archer.

The two spoke at length, and Rowan quietly pieced together several important facts.

Servants were fragments of heroic spirits drawn from a higher-dimensional archive known as the Throne of Heroes. Most were legendary figures from history. Some were demigods. A rare few even originated from the future.

They were summoned to fight alongside Masters in something called the Holy Grail War.

Seven Masters. Seven Servants.

Masters could issue three absolute commands through glowing seals on their right hands, but Servants were otherwise autonomous. Cooperation, not domination, was the normal relationship.

"Details about the Grail itself are missing," Rowan noted. "But those books downstairs should fill in the gaps."

Once Rin finished washing up and went to sleep, Rowan dissolved the shadow following her.

The shadow tailing Sakura Matou delivered even more troubling discoveries.

Sakura’s home was every bit as massive as Rin’s.

But where Rin’s mansion felt quiet and lonely, Sakura’s estate felt oppressive.

Ancient.

Decaying.

Rowan’s senses quickly locked onto the source.

An elderly man sat deep within the mansion, surrounded by writhing magical signatures.

Zouken Matou.

Sakura’s grandfather.

Not human.

At least, not anymore.

His body was a shell composed of countless parasitic magical organisms fused into a grotesque imitation of flesh.

Rowan also detected similar organisms dormant inside Sakura herself.

"Some kind of hereditary magecraft," Rowan concluded. "Parasitic in nature."

Zouken’s hollow eyes fixed on Sakura.

"Did you learn anything?"

Sakura shook her head.

"No."

Zouken waved dismissively.

"Continue observing Shirou Emiya. If he has ties to the Einzbern family, report immediately."

Sakura lowered her gaze.

"Yes, Grandfather."

She did not leave.

After a moment of hesitation, she spoke softly.

"I don’t want to participate in the Holy Grail War. I don’t want to hurt anyone."

Before Zouken could respond, another voice cut in.

"I’ll do it!"

Shinji Matou stepped forward, face flushed with excitement.

"Let me participate! I’ll win the Grail for you!"

Shinji’s bitterness ran deep.

Though born into the Matou family, he possessed no magical circuits.

Sakura, an adopted child, possessed overwhelming potential.

The contrast had warped him.

Zouken considered them both.

Then nodded.

"Very well. Sakura will transfer her Servant."

Sakura stiffened.

But she raised her hand.

A spell took form.

Runes coalesced into a thick, black grimoire.

She pressed the glowing Command Seal from her hand onto its cover.

A moment later, a figure manifested behind Shinji.

A tall woman in black leather.

Long violet hair flowed like living silk.

A chained dagger hung loosely in her hand.

Rider.

"Medusa," Sakura said quietly. "Please... get along with my brother."

Medusa’s eyes slid toward Shinji.

Cold.

Unimpressed.

A Servant’s strength depended heavily on their Master’s mana.

Sakura could have supported Medusa at near full power.

Shinji could barely sustain a fraction.

Worse, Medusa sensed the rot inside him.

Shinji, however, was ecstatic.

"I’m a Master! Hahaha! Good job, Sakura. From today on, I’ll treat you a little better."

Rowan observed everything in silence.

"So Sakura was meant to be a Master too," he mused.

Medusa.

The name stirred ancient myth.

A monster whose gaze turned men to stone.

"Summoning beings of this caliber..." Rowan thought. "This system is absolutely worth studying."

Once the household went to sleep, Rowan slipped into the Matou library. 𝘧𝓇𝑒𝑒𝑤ℯ𝑏𝓃𝘰𝑣ℯ𝘭.𝘤ℴ𝘮

The collection rivaled Rin’s.

Perhaps surpassed it.

Every book was copied.

By the time dawn arrived, Rowan possessed the combined magical knowledge of two ancient families.

More than enough to begin dissecting the rules of this world.