Chapter 31: The Enemy Is There!

Late at night.

All things fell silent.

Although Shirou Emiya firmly declined the invitation of that strange Servant, choosing not to go to Liu Dong Si for the appointment, after the refusal, faced with the question of what to do next, he likewise fell into bewilderment, at a loss.

The house was no longer a safe haven; with its location exposed, the building had also been destroyed at the critical moment, and no matter how he looked at it, returning was not a good option…… but besides that, the novice Magician was shocked to discover that he seemed to have nowhere to go.

He felt that no place was safe.

In this long night, the city was like a giant beast lurking on the earth, quietly gathering strength, ready to devour people at any moment.

Shirou Emiya's inner heart was filled with worry and unease, a sentiment of "Fuyuki is vast, yet there is no place for me to stay," and a strong sense of loneliness welled up, yet he had no way to explain it to Saber.

That proud swordswoman girl, in fact, also failed to perceive the Master's mindset, not because she lacked attention to detail, but because she herself was deeply moved by this Holy Grail War.

She simply was unwilling to show it——

Subconsciously unwilling to reveal her own sentimentality and weakness.

In reality, this was already the second time Saber had set foot on the stage of the Fuyuki City Holy Grail War; ten years ago in that battle, she was likewise one of the summoned Heroic Spirits, summoned by Shirou Emiya's foster father Kiritsugu Emiya.

Regrettably, during that period, due to the enormous divergence in their ideals, the relationship between Master and Servant was extremely tense, on the verge of breaking down completely; even with Alice mediating with all her might, she could not fully bridge the chasm between them.

The final outcome was even more so.

At the moment of touching the Holy Grail, Kiritsugu Emiya even used a Command Seal to forcefully order Saber to release her Noble Phantasm, destroying the descending Holy Grail with the Holy Sword's unmatched power……

Recalling that scene, like a nightmare, the swordswoman girl tightly clenched her fist; to this day she still cannot understand why that was.

Under normal circumstances, a summoned Servant would not carry records of other summoning experiences, but she was an exception. She was, strictly speaking, an incomplete Servant, an incomplete Heroic Spirit; she had not truly died, and could not undergo Spiritualization.

This swordswoman girl's true existence remained anchored in her era——on that Camlan Hill where the war had just ended.

Before drawing her last breath, the Primate's Counter Force formed a Heroic Spirit contract with her, promising to give her the opportunity to pursue the Holy Grail that could grant any wish.

Her being "summoned" was essentially a time jump, not passing through the Throne of Heroes; summoned in the instant before death to different eras, after completing the Holy Grail War she would return to that instant, and as long as she did not obtain the Holy Grail she would continue to be summoned and would not pass away.

Therefore, for this swordswoman girl, the details of the Fourth Holy Grail War were like a recreation of yesterday, clearly engraved in her memory.

She knew Shirou Emiya was that man's adopted son, and also knew the identity of Ilya who had attacked earlier, inevitably reminding her of Alice, that princess pure as snowflakes, her ending and regret……

For a moment, wandering the streets of Fuyuki City, facing this city both familiar and slightly strange, the girl swordswoman could not help but feel a myriad of emotions, completely unaware of this Master's inner confusion and bewilderment.

Just like that, after wandering aimlessly on the streets for a while, Shirou Emiya finally made a decision.

Mainly because he suddenly remembered the morning's events, about that Bounded Field plundering the life force of the school's teachers and students, and he did not know if it had been properly resolved……

Originally, his plan was to go check the school at night; actually he had already left the house earlier, but his luck was truly bad——he had just stepped outside when he heard a clear, innocent laughter, and upon turning his head saw Ilya who had come knocking.

After that, it was the events that happened not long ago.

——Saber and that ferocious, gigantic warrior giant fell into a bitter stalemate, danger at every turn, perils abounding……

——A mysterious Servant Assassin of unknown origin suddenly appeared, intervened in time, successfully repelled the giant and led them to withdraw from the battlefield……

——Immediately after, the other party proposed an invitation, claiming Tohsaka had also joined this Holy Grail War, and warmly invited them to visit Liu Dong Si as guests to discuss an alliance……

However, under Saber's obstruction, Shirou Emiya also more or less felt this was like a modern version of the Hongmen Banquet, so although he was somewhat tempted at first, in the end he decisively refused the other party's invitation……

And after this series of changes, Shirou Emiya had nearly forgotten the original plan for tonight, until now, with nowhere to place his steps, after wandering several circles on the winter night streets of Fuyuki City, he suddenly remembered the mission he was supposed to execute tonight.

Perhaps other Servants intervened?

But if it wasn't resolved, wouldn't it still be very dangerous?

Thinking it over, he ultimately couldn't set his mind at ease; Shirou Emiya simply decided to head in the direction of the school; anyway, he currently had no other place to go.

Saber naturally had no objection; after all, the Holy Grail War is constant battle; compared to the obviously traitorous Liu Dong Si, perhaps the enemy at the school is currently easier to strategize against; she believed the tall Heroic Spirit from daytime absolutely could not be her opponent.

Only……

She did not know that she probably would not encounter the daytime enemy.

————

————

Fuyuki City.

The location of the Matou Family mansion in the Miyama-cho Residence Area.

Under the night curtain, this mansion was also pitch-black and deep, like some bottomless abyss that could swallow light, hiding who knows how many dark secrets.

"Sakura! What are you doing! What are you doing!"

"Stop! How dare you defy…… aaaah, stop……"

Terrifying, chaotic screams rang out, yet completely unable to stop what was happening; the girl named Sakura wore an unconcerned smile.

Even as immense pressure made fresh blood spurt like a fountain toward the ceiling meters high and the surrounding walls, dyeing them a shocking crimson, she still calmly and resolutely inserted her fingers bit by bit into her own heart, deep into the nerves……

Pulled out an insect.

No matter how hard she struggled, no matter how desperately she screamed, no matter how she intimidated and threatened, all was like a stone sinking into the sea, receiving not the slightest response.

As if dialogue had lost all meaning, the purple-haired girl indifferently crushed the ant-like life, pinched the insect to death, and couldn't help but reveal a smile from the depths of her heart on her fair face; that purity and joy were incomparably real.

So simple, so simple……

They should all just die, why can't they all just die……

Rider would be happy for me too, right? She definitely would be happy for me……

The next moment, the girl laughed; first a gentle laugh, then unstoppable laughter, finally laughing until her stomach hurt, as if incomparably joyful, incomparably delighted.

Even though the more she laughed the more she kept collapsing, unable to stop tears, as if she could no longer distinguish anything.

Until a roar exploded outside the door, carrying violent and angry emotions, accompanied by the sound of rapid footsteps approaching, breaking the room's tranquility.

"Hey! Sakura, how dare you! Wasn't it agreed that I'm Rider's Master right now——"

With a bang, the door was violently pushed open.

"You still dare laugh this happily, do you think I wouldn't dare——"

Before the words fell, what he saw before his eyes made Shinji Matou's roar and habitual curses instantly freeze on his lips, like a noisy duck suddenly having its throat clamped shut.

He stared wide-eyed; there was no Rider in the room, that tall Heroic Spirit's figure had already vanished without a trace, as if completely evaporated, never having existed.

There was only a patch of horrific blood-red, on the walls, on the floor, on the ceiling……

And——

On the purple-haired girl who was laughing to tears……

"You, you…… don't, don't do this……"

In an instant, a strong chill surged up from the soles of his feet, rushing straight along his spine to the crown of his head, as if an ancient warning mechanism deeply hidden in human genes had been activated; at this moment, Shinji Matou sensed some unspeakable terrifying threat like prey.

His knees bent weakly and powerlessly……

His thoughts vanished into nothingness like an avalanche in an instant……

The neurons beneath his cerebral cortex, besides instinctively giving rise to emotions called fear and regret, did nothing else……

The next moment, Shinji Matou experienced a visual shock as if heaven and earth were overturned; his line of sight rose sharply while his perspective fell at an astonishing speed. His cheek slammed violently into the pool of blood on the floor, stirring up rings of crimson ripples, then bounced several times like a struck ball.

Amid this subversive change of perspective, he witnessed a headless body fall straight down, blood gushing out without stop like a floodgate opened……

"How happy." The girl whispered as she said this, then slowly stood up in the room.

Actually, I can't feel anything at all……

I'm just thinking that it would have been nice if I had acted a bit earlier.

She slowly walked to the dressing mirror, looking at herself covered in blood, and laughed again.

And in the mirror, behind the purple-haired girl, stood a figure that should not exist, with a face too beautiful and neat like a doll's, ruby-like red pupils, and silver long hair shining like snow.

The figure in this black dress was quietly watching everything happen.

Of course, all of this was the result of "it" pushing it.

In this Holy Grail War, there were simultaneously two human-form terminals that could serve as the "Holy Grail." One was naturally Ilya, an artificial human designed from birth as a Holy Grail vessel.

The other was this purple-haired girl, Matou Sakura.

In a sense, she had more aptitude than Ilya——

The malice within the Great Holy Grail could originally, through recording, remotely influence and corrupt part of Ilya's mind, but could not affect Matou Sakura from afar.

But once this malice was no longer passive, but gained a certain subjective initiative, able to actively go directly contact, sway, and influence the minds of both candidates, then the situation was completely different.

Matou Sakura's compatibility with "All the World's Evil" was obviously higher……

After keenly capturing this potential advantage, the malice within the Great Holy Grail cleverly guided Ilya to Yuan Cang Shan. Then it strived to gather some scattered malice and filtered impurities, thereby barely shaping an entity carrying a personality projection.

Although such an entity had no actual function, except for those directly linked to the Holy Grail, no one else could perceive its existence.

However, this was precisely the ideal tool to lure Matou Sakura into the abyss……

The plan went very smoothly, because this girl herself was already about to break; she only needed a gentle push, and her spirit would burst like a breached dam, all the darkness accumulated until now exploding forth.

Then use the Servant she summoned to directly absorb it while it was off guard; after truly recovering the Servant's soul, her function as the Holy Grail would skyrocket.

That was power that had broken its shackles, completely overwhelming; in a completely defenseless state, not even the deathless Zouken Matou had any room to resist, mainly because his life-saving trump card in this situation was equivalent to being delivered directly into the other's hands.

As a price, human functions and rationality were also stripped away very quickly.

Next, she only needed to go directly to Yuan Cang Shan and sweep away everything to end this boring Holy Grail War.

No matter how strange and special that Heroic Spirit was, it had no meaning, because as long as something took form under the Holy Grail's system, it could inevitably not resist Sakura as the Holy Grail itself.

————

————

On the other side.

A long-premeditated ambush battle at Suqun Yuan Academy had also basically come to an end.

The angry swordswoman's complexion was deathly pale; gripping her invisible sword, she chased furiously after the youth ahead, but no matter what, she could not catch up.

The other party held Shirou Emiya in one hand while retreating at extremely swift speed; that state of excessive mana exposure appeared again…… To retreat, the other party directly used a high-level skill similar to "Mana Burst."

"Soul fade! Assassin, how dare you……"

The swordswoman trembled with anger; she did not expect that the other party had just left a moment ago, and now had come to the school to set an ambush.

The level of Presence Concealment was too high; if not for her astonishing Instinct and decent Luck, she probably would not have reacted even at the moment her Master was taken away…… In fact, reacting now was too late.

Although Shirou Emiya instinctively wanted to struggle and resist, no matter what, he was now just an ordinary human and could not resist at all; Xia Zhi dragged him away like carrying a chick.

"Sorry, I am also acting under orders……"

Xia Zhi turned back to look at the golden-haired girl who was somehow particularly familiar to him; his decisive acting came online, and he shook his head with a bitter smile.

"If you want to save your Master, come to Liu Dong Si."

That helpless expression, that sighing bitter smile, vividly expressed the central idea that he was also helpless, making Saber want to gnash her teeth while also unconsciously shifting her hatred target.

It's all Assassin's Master's fault, actually using such a despicable scheme!

Again!

In this same city, she had actually had her own Master, whom she should protect, taken away once more!

…………

…………

Fuyuki City was just that small a place; if the Holy Grail War made a bit too much noise, it often could not be hidden from other participants.

Soon, what happened at Suqun Yuan Academy was also transmitted to the Holy Church——

"Kidnapping Saber's Master, coercing Saber to go to Liu Dong Si……"

The golden-haired youth, upon hearing this intelligence, revealed a displeased cold smile on his face, and a dangerous glint flashed in his crimson eyes.

"Dare to covet even what this King has taken a liking to…… Originally I wanted to let these bastards jump around for a few more days, to perform that laughable drama to entertain this King; now it seems, these bastards should die to apologize!"

(Chapter End)