"As you wish!" Hisau Maiya nodded firmly, stood up, and left the conference room. Emiya Kiritsugu did the same. From start to finish, he did not even glance at Saber.
To brazenly break the covenant in front of the King of Knights—I must say, although Emiya Kiritsugu is cunning, his methods of control are quite lacking! If it were Ryougi Raku, even if he truly intended to break the covenant, he would have done so without Saber's knowledge...
Irisviel and Saber remained behind, but she did not know what to say, and the King of Knights naturally needed no comfort from others...
After staying for a while, Irisviel left to find Emiya Kiritsugu, leaving Saber alone in the empty hall...
Just as Irisviel went to another room to speak with Kiritsugu, the barrier of Einzbern Castle reacted...
The two, who had been intimate moments before, suddenly looked into the distance.
"——Has he arrived?" Emiya Kiritsugu lit a cigarette and asked calmly.
"Fortunately, Caster arrived before Maiya left! Iri, prepare the crystal ball!"
"Okay!"
…
At the same time, not far from Einzbern Castle, Ryougi Raku, who had been observing the area, watched quietly.
"Has it begun?" With a confident tone, Ryougi Raku gazed at the turbulent barrier in the distance.
"Lancer, prepare for battle!" The void behind him trembled, and Lancer knelt on one knee. "Your will!"
"Emiya Kiritsugu, this will be our first meeting. I will give you an encounter that leaves a lasting impression! And in the end, you will pay with your life, wearing an expression of regret!"
A breeze swept by, and the spot was empty...
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"Is that Caster?" A bizarre figure clad in blood-red patterns appeared in the crystal ball, but strangely, Caster had not come alone—he was followed by a group of people.
"What is he planning?" Irisviel asked in confusion. Those following Caster were all underage children, stumbling along as if hypnotized.
But no one answered her, and no one knew Caster's intentions.
"...Is he trying to lure us out?" Emiya Kiritsugu wondered aloud.
Hearing her husband's words, Irisviel asked hesitantly, "Could those children... be hostages?"
Yes, it made sense when thought of that way. Given Saber's nature, it was impossible for her to ignore these children. So, although Caster was insane, he was not foolish...
Suddenly, Caster's voice emanated from the crystal ball, "As promised, I have come to visit you. So, please allow me to meet the beautiful saint once more!"
Saber stared at Emiya Kiritsugu and Irisviel, the determination in her eyes seeming to urge them to let her join the battle immediately!
But the two remained silent...
After waiting a while, Caster, receiving no response, laughed gleefully again, "It seems you have yet to make up your minds, hehe..."
Caster snapped his fingers, and the children awoke from their daze. However, their sudden awakening left them bewildered. They looked around helplessly, completely unaware of what was happening...
"Hehehe, listen up, children! Let's play hide-and-seek! The rules are simple: just run away from me. But what if I catch you?"
After pausing to let the children fully grasp their surroundings, Caster reached out and seized the one closest to him.
"Stop!" Saber, watching the scene through the crystal ball, couldn't help but cry out, though she knew she could do nothing to stop it.
Caster tightened his grip, and the child whose head was seized let out a heart-wrenching scream, but Caster only squeezed harder, as if hearing the most beautiful music.
Squish! Like a watermelon bursting, the child's head was torn apart by Caster, brain matter and blood splattering everywhere, yet not a single drop touched Caster's robes.
"Ah!" Irisviel covered her mouth in a shocked scream. After all, she was also a mother, and such a scene naturally stirred the maternal love in her heart. Without hesitation, she said, "Saber, please defeat Caster!"
"As you command!" Saber replied succinctly. She had already prepared herself and vanished from the hall the next moment. Her boundless rage lingered in the room even after she departed.
Emiya Kiritsugu wanted to stop her, but after a moment's thought, he abandoned the idea.
…
Saber sprinted swiftly toward Caster's location. It took her less than a few minutes to cover the considerable distance, but she was still too late.
When she arrived, all she saw was a massive magic circle on the ground and countless dismembered limbs. Blood pooled at her feet, saturating the entire formation. The tangled remains made it impossible to distinguish what species they had once been.
Saber knew these were the children she had seen in the crystal ball earlier...
"--Ohhhhhh!!! I finally see you again! My beautiful saint!" Caster exclaimed with a joyous, cruel smile. At the same time, he straightened the sole surviving child in his arms.
"Are you moved? Are you in pain? Joan of Arc! These are God's people!" Caster shouted like the finest orator.
"You respect and love God so deeply! Look at the holiness in your eyes, look at the fury in your gaze—how magnificent they are!"
"Release that child!" Saber stared at the scene, her eyes bloodshot as she roared.
"Ahhh! Do you wish to save this child? Ah, yes, you are the most devout believer!" Caster said delightedly and released the child.
Stroking the child's head, Caster spoke gently, "Go! Child, God has sent His messenger to save you! Rejoice!"
Then he pushed the child, who stumbled and fell to the ground. But he immediately scrambled up and, with a sorrowful cry, ran desperately toward the big sister who made him feel safe...
The child clung to Saber's leg armor. Saber touched his head and said softly, "It's dangerous here, run! Head toward the castle over there!" She pointed in a direction.
However, the child's expression, initially one of relief, suddenly contorted. Crack! The crisp sound of a breaking spine echoed, and the young body abruptly swelled. With a bang, it exploded into several pieces, and countless snakes burst forth!
No, those weren't snakes! On closer inspection, they resembled tentacles more!
"Hahahaha!" Caster laughed maniacally as he watched Saber become entangled by the tentacles, simultaneously pulling out a book bound in human skin.
An incantation spilled from Caster's lips, and the magic circle on the ground began to change dramatically. The debris on the ground was absorbed, and countless tentacled creatures emerged from it!
"How noble, how holy! My saint! Such a soul is even more exalted than that of the gods!" Shouting wildly, the endless monsters surged toward Saber...
"I am deeply mired in the swamp of love! Saint!"
…
Ryougi Raku and Lancer advanced rapidly, and a surge of magical energy suddenly erupted ahead...
"It seems Caster has invoked some grand magecraft!" Ryougi Raku still had the leisure to remark as he sped forward.
After a few leaps, Ryougi Raku and Lancer arrived deep within the Einzbern Forest...
"Well, we're here!" The scene ahead caught the young man's eye...
A noble and holy maiden brandished a sacred sword. Her stern eyes were awe-inspiring and inviolable. Though her expression was filled with rage, it did not diminish her noble splendor in the slightest. Her sacred form danced gracefully as she wove through the monsters. With each strike, a monster fell. Yet, after a twitch, the monster's remains coalesced once more...
This scene of a sword maiden battling tentacle monsters left Ryougi Raku in awe!
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(TL : More Chapters @patreon.com/c/Gooberilla)