Fate: I Heard After Death, You Can Ascend to the Throne of Heroes?

A few hours earlier...

That evening, Rin Tohsaka had a secret conversation with Waver Velvet, the current Lord of the Clock Tower.

The topic of their discussion was none other than Promise.

She shared her doubts about Promise, as well as the peculiar reactions Hippolyta, the Amazonian Queen, had displayed when she encountered him.

"Do you think it's possible that he's that hero from the Age of Gods?"

After learning everything, Waver, who had been silent for a while, asked in a serious tone.

"If I hadn't participated in the Holy Grail War in Fuyuki City, I wouldn't even consider such an absurd idea, but..." Rin trailed off, leaving her thoughts unfinished.

The memories of that war resurfaced—her encounters with Shirou Emiya, who had been summoned as a Guardian, and even Gilgamesh, who had manifested with a physical body.

To be honest, when Rin learned from Promise that Gilgamesh was participating in yet another Holy Grail War, she couldn't help but feel exasperated.

Didn't you say you weren't interested in the Grail? Why does it feel like you're everywhere?!

And it was precisely because of these experiences, that even though she was the first to reject the notion outwardly. But deep down, Rin couldn't help but harbor suspicions about Promise.

"Hmm..." Waver replied, his tone neither surprised nor angry as a brief silence followed, broken only by the faint sound of papers being flipped on his end of the call.

After a while, as Rin patiently waited, Waver finally spoke again in a calm, measured voice.

"In the Holy Grail War, anything is possible. Your suspicion may sound absurd, but I have to admit it's a valid line of thought. That said, there's no need to dwell on it."

Hearing his words, before confused Rin could question him further, he continued: "How much do you know about that hero from the Greek Age of Gods?"

Hearing this, an image immediately surfaced in Rin's mind—a certain Servant she had encountered before.

She had long, elegant silver hair tied into a ponytail and wielded the magical staff bestowed upon her by her goddess teacher.

It was none other than Medea, who had participated in the Fifth Holy Grail War in Fuyuki City.

Like Jason, Medea's motivation for joining the war had been to find Promise through the Grail.

In that war, Rin had actually received Medea's help in dealing with both the corrupted Holy Grail and the issue with Sakura Matou.

She still remembered the reason Medea had given for her decision to intervene.

"Because if he were here, he would have done the same,"

Recalling the words Medea had said with a smile.

"Brilliant like the rising sun, yet dazzling like the final light at dusk."

He was always the center of attention, radiating warmth and brilliance.

But at the same time, he was forever distant—no matter how much one reached out, he was impossible to grasp.

"Yes," Waver confirmed on the other end of the call, lighting a cigarette as he spoke.

"Legends and epics exhaust every word of praise to describe that hero.

"He was adored by gods and heroes alike. It was as though the world itself loved him.

"And he achieved unparalleled feats, rewriting destiny and crafting new stories. He was always accompanied by those four powerful goddesses."

"Thus, whether or not Promise is truly him is irrelevant, after all, this question will resolve itself soon enough."

However, hearing his words, Rin's face still bore an expression of confusion.

It was clear she didn't understand what Waver meant.

Sensing her silence, Waver patiently elaborated:

"Do you really think that if he were that hero, he'd go out of his way to hide his identity just to pursue the Holy Grail?"

"No," Rin replied without hesitation.

"If it really were him, then, according to what I know, during the Holy Grail War, he would be the most prominent figure. He'd actively step forward to resolve every issue and rewrite fate itself..."

As she said this, she paused, stunned by her own words.

In that moment, she understood exactly what Waver was trying to convey.

If the Holy Grail War were a stage, then he would undoubtedly step into the spotlight.

No matter how many heroes surrounded him or how dazzling they might be, he would always become the brightest star.

Always.

And Then, Back to the Present

As Rin Tohsaka snapped out of her daze, she looked outside at the dramatically changed weather—the flashes of lightning illuminating the stormy skies.

She was startled and deep in thought, wondering about the divine vision she had just seen.

Who was that goddess who appeared as if by divine revelation?

"Where's Promise? Has anyone seen Promise?"

The question suddenly echoed through the villa on the outskirts of the city.

Not only was Promise missing, but his Servants—Jason and Jeanne d'Arc—had also disappeared without a trace, prompting everyone to notice their absence quickly.

The students searched everywhere, confirming that they were truly gone, and began helping to look for them.

Rin, however, didn't join in.

Instead, as she regained her composure, she looked at the bustling crowd and then at the quiet little girl sitting calmly—Kuruoka Tsubaki.

Tsubaki wasn't showing the slightest bit of panic.

After thinking about it for a moment, Rin approached her, smiling as she asked, "Aren't you worried about your brother Promise?"

Tsubaki blinked, looking up at the girl with her wide, innocent eyes, before shaking her head obediently.

"I'm not worried at all. Brother Promise is super strong. All I have to do is stay here quietly and wait for him to come back."

"I see..."

Rin nodded slightly, but her gaze soon shifted to another figure nearby—Hippolyta, standing by the window.

The Servant was staring intently at a certain point within the stormy clouds, her brows furrowed.

Her expression was both surprised and puzzled, as if she had realized something.

"What is it?" Rin walked over to her side and asked.

Hippolyta glanced at her briefly, then turned her gaze back to the stormy night sky.

She remained silent for a moment before responding solemnly:

"Calamity has descended."

"Calamity?" Luvia also leaned over curiously.

"Yes, and..." Hippolyta paused, her voice grave as her gaze swept across the group, who were now all watching her with rapt attention. "...it's something that should not exist in this era."

She hesitated before continuing, but finally added:

"Because this is divine punishment—delivered by a god."

"A god has unleashed a Beast upon this city, and it will destroy everything here!"

As soon as she finished speaking, everyone in the villa were stunned.

The students exchanged shocked glances, but Rin Tohsaka, uncharacteristically, was the only one who didn't react.

Instead, she hesitated, her gaze drifting back to the spot where Promise had been moments before as a wry smile spread across her face.

"It seems the professor was right after all," she murmured.

"Professor?" Luvia asked in confusion, turning to Rin. "Are you saying the professor already knew about this? So it's true—there really is a divine beast descending upon the city?"

Rin didn't respond to Luvia's question.

Instead, after a moment of thought, she turned back to Hippolyta.

"Hippolyta, if that hero from the Age of Gods you mentioned earlier knew about this, what would he do?"

"That hero?" Hippolyta repeated, briefly confused, before realization dawned. "Oh!"

After all, they had just talked about it, and it shocked her a lot.

She turned her head to look at the place where someone was before, and replied.

"I've never met him, but if it were him, then he'd already be on his way to resolve it. After all, that's what everyone says about him..."

However, her voice soon faltered, her words trailing off.

She stared at the empty spot where Promise had disappeared, her expression blank.

After a moment, she pointed at the space and looked back at Rin, dumbfounded. "Where is he?"

"He's gone," the latter replied calmly.

"Gone?" Hippolyta's eyes widened in shock. "When did that happen?"

"Just now," Rin said matter-of-factly. "Right after the sudden change in weather, the endless thunderclaps, and, as you called it, the descent of divine punishment."

Hippolyta froze, and not only her, the other students who had pieced it together were also stunned.

"Rin, do you know something?" Shirou Emiya finally asked, his brows furrowed as he stared at her intently.

Rin shook her head. "I don't know much more than you do. However…" She paused, looking at each person in turn before continuing.

"The answers we've been searching for—the key to all of our questions—has been right in front of us this entire time."

With that, she stepped forward and pushed open the villa's heavy door.

The howling winds outside surged in, tousling her long hair as she stood framed by the doorway.

She cast one last glance back at the others before speaking.

"Let's go see for ourselves."

.

.

Outside

The howling gales roared like the end of days, accompanied by the relentless crash of lightning.

Promise stepped out from the villa and into the eerily desolate streets of the city.

He moved steadily toward the eye of the storm, the heart of the cyclone that now loomed over the city.

He knew what awaited him there: Gugalanna, the Bull of Heaven, the divine beast born from wrath.

Normally, this city would be brilliantly illuminated by neon lights, and its streets would be bustling even in the dead of night just like it did during the day.

But now, not a single person was to be seen.

Startled by the abrupt weather change, the citizens had instinctively retreated to their homes, muttering complaints about the unpredictable storm and the inaccuracy of weather forecasts.

Yet, not everyone had dismissed the anomaly so lightly.

Those attuned to the supernatural—the magi, the Servants, even the Dead Apostles and church agents stationed in the city, looked into the distance, feeling the oppression brought by the violent incarnation of the sky, and their faces were extremely ugly.

On the top floor of one of the tallest buildings, a dark-skinned, black-haired girl of about twelve stood near a floor-to-ceiling window.

She was Tiné Chelc, the Master of Gilgamesh.

Tiné stood quietly beside her Servant, her gaze fixed on the distant storm as Gilgamesh observed the chaos with calm intensity.

"..Well, this is unexpected,"

"I didn't think that lunatic woman would come here too."

For Gilgamesh, how could he possibly fail to recognize her?

"But she can't have arrived directly, so... possession, is it?"

Gilgamesh murmured quietly to himself.

"King, do you already know who this Servant is?" Upon hearing this, Tiné Chelc asked curiously, looking up at him.

She was still staring at the distant chaos, marveling at the sheer magnitude of its presence.

To her, it was even more dramatic than the spectacle caused during yesterday's fight between Promise and Gilgamesh.

After investigating Promise's background and learning about the legends of that Greek hero, Tiné had concluded that the two men might truly have been just casually greeting each other—without even trying seriously.

"A Servant?"

Gilgamesh's lips curved into a mocking smile as he spoke with disdain.

"That lunatic could never qualify as a Servant., because she's no human... she's a god."

As Gilgamesh spoke, his expression was unrestrained, a mix of scorn and outright contempt.

"A god?"

Tiné froze, her eyes widening in disbelief.

"Yes," Gilgamesh replied with a curt nod. "And her name is... Ishtar."

At almost the same moment, Promise, who was walking through the city streets, suddenly stopped in his tracks and looked ahead.

In front of him stood a striking figure—a woman appearing to be in her twenties, with dazzling white hair and fiery red eyes.

She stared back at him with an intense curiosity, her gaze brimming with interest.

With just one look, Promise immediately understood her identity.

Her original name had been Filia, a homunculus created by the Einzbern family, connected to Illyasviel's lineage—and the designated Lesser Grail for this Holy Grail War.

But now, she was no longer Filia.

She had been possessed by a goddess.

"Honored and beautiful goddess," Promise greeted her with a gentle smile, mimicking the ancient bow that Enkidu once performed.

"Good evening."

The woman standing before him, of course, was Ishtar.

Ishtar, the Mesopotamian goddess of beauty, fertility, and war, was the most beloved among the gods and the symbol of Venus.

Her connection to Gilgamesh and Enkidu was deeply rooted in myth.

In legend, she had once professed her love for Gilgamesh but was harshly rejected and mocked.

In her rage, she had summoned Gugalanna, the Bull of Heaven, to punish him, an act that ultimately led to Enkidu's death.

And so, the terrifying embodiment of the skies, the raging Gugalanna, which now cast its destructive shadow over the land, had been summoned by none other than Ishtar herself.

"You are indeed much more pleasing to the eye than that guy Gilgamesh."

Ishtar said, her fiery eyes gleaming as she spoke to the Promise for the first time.

Her second sentence followed soon after.

"Go, complete the trial I've prepared for you. After all, I've already promised that person to set the stage for you."

At this point, Ishtar paused for a moment, tilted her head and thought for a moment before continuing.

"Oh, right. She also asked me to deliver a divine message to you. Let me think... what was it again...? Ah, I remember."

"She said: 'Found you.'"