Aozaki Aoko Case File

Credits: Gerardo Hernández Sánchez

Aoko's magic circuits were extraordinary even before she became a Magician.

 This uniqueness wasn't merely due to her fusion with certain existences' souls, which caused a mutation—it was also because the magic circuits of Aoko Aozaki, in both the original and current timelines, were essentially created to validate the Fifth Magic.

In a sense, even if Aoko had done nothing and hadn't inherited the Fifth Magic Crest from her grandfather, she was destined to one day prove the significance of the Fifth Magic.

 This was fate.

Realizing this truth, Aoko named her Magic circuits: Rotation, highlighting their inherent characteristic of inexhaustible mana. When Aoko reached the Root and fully validated the Fifth Magic, her magic circuits evolved further, transforming into circuits capable of generating immense quantities of mana infinitely—an exceptional feat.

These unique circuits, perfectly complementing the Magic Crest, were renamed by Aoko as Orbital, symbolizing her metaphorical identity as a new star. Operating under the continuous activation of magic, she became the cosmic center of a heliocentric worldview. This concept mirrored the state she entered when deploying the Fifth Magic to converge all her temporal lines.

If the Aoko of the original timeline could temporarily manifest something akin to the Retrogalaxy - Redshift through an incomplete Fifth Magic, the current Aoko—having validated the complete Fifth Magic—maintained that state perpetually.

When increasing output power or evading incoming damage, Aoko utilized an ability she dubbed Searching Galaxy—a high-frequency, short-range temporal jump technique. Though it resembled the workings of the Second Magic, it was achieved by accelerating entropy.

Regardless of the specific techniques involved in the Fifth Magic, their core premise was borrowing from the universe itself. To some self-righteous individuals, this was an unforgivable act of rebellion, as it hastened the universe's heat death.

But Aoko didn't consider herself a saint. The universe's lifespan spanned billions of years, so what harm was there in borrowing a tiny fragment for her use? After all, as the sole known user of the Fifth Magic, Aoko's borrowing for a lifetime would barely scratch the surface of the cosmos' lifespan. Surely, only those two meddlesome Counter Forces might complain.

At present, Aoko had enveloped her sister, Touko, and her Servant, Artoria Pendragon, within the cosmic created by the Fifth Magic. This granted them temporary resistance to fate's observation, safeguarding their information from being leaked.

"Are we facing a strong opponent?"

Touko asked seriously.

"It seems unlikely that this is the work of a Magus. Could it be a Counter Force?"

"I'm guessing it's a Servant," Aoko replied, frowning.

"The ability to observe us is probably Clairvoyance."

"The highest level of future sight?"

Touko exclaimed. "Truly fitting for legendary heroes and great figures from history to wield such peculiar abilities…"

"I know about Clairvoyance," Artoria said calmly.

"Merlin had that ability. He even used it to spy on women bathing in Camelot."

 Wait, was that something I was supposed to know?

"You mean that Merlin?"

Touko raised an eyebrow.

"Didn't expect him to be such a creep. (What a degenerate!)"

"Merlin is scum," Artoria declared firmly.

"That half-incubus got into so much trouble with women that the Lady of the Lake locked him in Avalon's tower, where he remains trapped. Still, he might be alive and could use Clairvoyance to observe us."

"Not anymore," Aoko said.

"I've just used the Fifth Magic to block his sight. Unless they can defeat me personally, neither of you will have your fate trajectories observed."

"Squawk! Gimme fries! Gimme fries!"

Stark suddenly flew in from outside the Ryuudou Temple barrier, perching on Aoko's shoulder and squawking for food.

"No fries, but I've got snacks. Want one?"

Aoko offered a piece of Japanese confectionery she'd bought earlier.

Without hesitation, Stark grabbed it and started eating, devouring half in two bites—clearly famished.

Artoria watched Stark closely, so Aoko handed her a snack too, just in case.

"How's the intel?"

Aoko asked, stroking Stark's feathers.

"The old worm isn't dead, isn't dead!"

Stark squawked.

"It's taken over one of its descendants' bodies and summoned a pitch-black Servant!"

Hearing Aoko refer to Zouken Matou as "the old worm" so often, Stark had picked up the habit, showing how quickly it adapted.

"Just as I suspected," Aoko mused.

"Tokiomi Tohsaka will probably falter at the critical moment."

"Possession?"

Touko frowned.

"If we face him, we'll need to figure out where his true body is hiding."

"If it's possession, likely the heart," Aoko speculated, drawing from her past life memories.

"He's fond of using Crest Worms, so his soul is probably hidden in one of them."

"What about the pitch-black Servant?"

Touko pressed.

"Probably a knight related to Artoria," Aoko guessed.

"But it doesn't matter. As long as Avalon is with her, no knight can defeat Saber."

"Rest assured, Master," Artoria said with confidence.

"No matter the opponent, I will prevail!"

"Let's hope so," Touko said, scrutinizing her Servant.

"What about the other Servants?"

"Squawk, Tohsaka summoned a flashy gold guy," Stark reported. "That guy summoned a shining gold ship and flew off not long after."

"Did you see where he went?"

Aoko asked.

"He was too fast! Couldn't keep up!"

Stark replied proudly.

"What kind of Servant is this?"

Touko asked, puzzled by the strange information.

"Squawk, Tohsaka kept saying stuff like 'my liege' and 'your orders.' He called him King of Heroes!"

Stark added.