"Hurry up!"
"We're about to be caught!"
"Stop shouting!"
Roy gritted his teeth and activated his Mystic Eyes.
The Mystic Eyes instantly interfaced with the runic inscriptions carved onto the motorcycle's body.
Suddenly, the runes blazed with light, and the motorcycle's speed surged dramatically. With a roar, it crashed through the barrier.
Behind them.
Blackened Saber was just a few steps behind, less than a kilometer away. In the blink of an eye, she arrived at the barrier like a whirlwind.
But by then, Roy's motorcycle had already crossed into the barrier's interior.
Blackened Saber had no choice but to stop outside the barrier.
Her cold, merciless gaze pierced through the barrier, her killing intent as tangible as a physical force, sharp enough to impale Roy where he stood.
Roy let out a sigh of relief, then turned back and flashed Blackened Saber a bright smile.
"Come and get me if you dare!"
Blackened Saber suddenly stepped forward.
Roy's eyelids twitched.
Clang!
Blackened Saber struck the barrier with her sword.
But the barrier didn't budge—not even a ripple appeared. Instead, the recoil sent her staggering back.
Seeing the barrier hold firm, Roy, Rin, and Illya all sighed in unison.
Thank goodness! Zelretch's reputation was still rock-solid!
"Hmph."
Blackened Saber snorted coldly and turned to leave.
Before departing, her gaze lingered on Roy for a long moment, as if committing his appearance and aura to memory. It sent a chill down Roy's spine.
Before long, she vanished without a trace.
Once they were safe, Roy and Rin immediately contacted Okita and Archer. The two Servants disengaged from the corrupted Berserker, fighting a retreating battle as they made their way toward Fuyuki City.
'Rin, just use a Command Spell!'
'What's wrong? Can't you shake off the corrupted Berserker?'
'No, we've already broken away from him, but now the corrupted Saber is coming after us!'
Speechless.
Rin had no choice but to use a Command Spell to summon Archer back.
Roy had an easier time. Okita's tenacity exceeded his expectations—she actually managed to evade Blackened Saber's pursuit on her own, stealthily slipping away and rejoining the group.
She really should have been an Assassin.
If she'd manifested as an Assassin-class Servant, she'd undoubtedly be far more effective than as a Saber!
"Whew, that was too close!"
Once Okita returned to the barrier Rin had opened, she let out a sigh of relief.
Her condition this time was astonishingly good—her "Weak Constitution" flaw hadn't acted up at all during the fight!
Could it be... she'd finally shaken off her Weak Constitution?
After all, she was a Servant now. Maybe the flaw had disappeared entirely!
Okita's mind buzzed with excitement.
"Berserker..."
Illya stood atop the castle walls, her gaze distant and filled with sorrow.
"Let's take a break. Tonight's been exhausting."
Rin smoothed her dishevelled black hair and made the suggestion to Roy.
"Agreed."
Roy nodded readily.
First, they'd confronted the master-servant pair of Uemon Ji, then made a long trek to eliminate the corrupted Caster and rescue refugees. After that, they'd rushed to the Einzbern Castle to save Illya, followed by a heart-pounding escape from Blackened Saber's pursuit. The night had been far too intense, and even Roy felt mentally and physically drained.
"Illya, how about staying at my place?"
"I don't have anywhere else to go, so sure—I'll stay with Roy."
After a brief moment of thought, Illya agreed.
"Saber, escort Illya back."
"Got it!"
Okita responded with unusual enthusiasm.
Roy gave her a puzzled look.
What was up with her? She seemed unusually pumped.
Soon, the group split up.
Okita escorted Illya back to the Aozaki residence.
Meanwhile, Roy took Rin's hand and headed toward the refugee shelter.
"The refugee shelter? What for?"
"I'm worried about those two sisters."
Roy didn't mince words. "Atram's probably got his eyes on them. If they're smart, they've already dropped my name. We need to handle this."
"And how do you plan to handle it?"
"Well, ideally, I'd take them home. But as a Frame, I only get one servant slot per month. That's where I need your help, Mayor Tohsaka."
"Tch!"
Rin scowled fiercely.
She suppressed her irritation.
"What if they haven't been targeted?"
"Even better. I'll take them straight home."
"..."
So you just want to bring them home, huh?!
Rin gritted her teeth in frustration.
How many girls was this guy living with now?
Four, right?
Wait, no—with Illya just added to the mix, that made five!
Though one of them was her own Servant.
But a teenage boy living under the same roof as five beautiful girls of completely different types... wasn't that just asking for trouble?!
Last time, he'd said something like that to her. To him, it might've just been a joke, but it had left her restless for ages. She'd lain in bed for hours, unable to sleep, her mind replaying those words over and over.
Was she the only one who cared about this?
"Rin, why do you think Black Saber targeted Illya?"
"Huh?"
Though initially annoyed, Rin quickly shifted into work mode, her expression turning calm and analytical.
"Did you notice something?"
"Black Saber's body contains a fully formed Lesser Grail."
"What?!"
Rin's face paled.
"I see... That explains why her mana seems endless. If it's a Grail from the last war, then it must be a leftover... In that case, there's only one reason she'd go after Illya."
"My thoughts exactly."
Roy nodded solemnly.
"She wants to destroy this war's Holy Grail and replace it with her own!"
Every Holy Grail War's Lesser Grail was prepared by the Einzberns.
To put it bluntly, it was the heart of a homunculus.
This war's Lesser Grail was Illya.
The previous war's was likely Irisviel.
But...
What if the previous war's Grail hadn't been used and still existed?
Which Grail would be recognized as the true Holy Grail?
If Illya's Grail was chosen, then Black Saber's Grail would become obsolete.
Feeling threatened, Black Saber had attacked the Einzbern Castle, intent on killing Illya, this war's Lesser Grail.
And then, of all things, Roy had swooped in and ruined her plans.
He'd rescued Illya and brought her into Fuyuki's spiritual barrier, placing her out of Black Saber's reach.
"...You should stay out of the wilderness for a while."
Rin gave Roy a complicated look.
"I'm seriously worried you'll get yourself killed by Black Saber one of these days."
"Haha, I'll keep that in mind."
Roy chuckled.
On the very first day of the Holy Grail War, he'd already earned the ire of the most terrifying Servant—Black Saber.
***
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