Support me and be 30 chapters ahead of webnovel:
patreon.com/Draco_
For every 5 Patreon memberships I receive, I'll release 15 chapters all at once. Your support means a lot to me.
*****
A little girl appeared—alongside a terrifying giant over two meters tall, his entire body covered in steel-like muscles.
"That monster… judging by its mana alone, it actually surpasses a Saber!"
Rin Tohsaka instantly recognized that the giant was a summoned Servant as well.
What shocked her most was the intensity of his presence. The magical energy he radiated was far stronger than Artoria's.
And right now, thanks to George, Artoria was in peak condition.
Although strong mana didn't always equal strength, it was still a solid measure of power.
Archer added with a serious expression:
"It should be a Berserker. But with this kind of pressure, even in a normal Holy Grail War, he could probably fight six Servants at once."
After speaking, he glanced at George beside him and thought to himself:
But with this guy here, it probably won't be a problem anyway…
Even now, Archer still couldn't see where this mysterious magician's limits were.
Just based on instinct, he felt that even a monstrous Berserker might not necessarily be George's match.
In fact, based on what he knew of Artoria, this Berserker might not even be her match either.
George looked quite pleased as he watched the new Master and Servant appear.
"Not bad, they delivered themselves."
He didn't know the names or intel on the remaining Masters, so tracking them down would've taken some effort.
Some of them might not even be in Fuyuki yet.
Even though the final battleground of the Holy Grail War was Fuyuki City, that didn't mean every Master had to be local, nor did they have to summon their Servants here.
Some could summon elsewhere and only travel to Fuyuki once the Church notified them of the upcoming battle.
Like the original Lancer's Master—he summoned Lancer in Britain and only arrived in Fuyuki a few days ago, only to be assassinated by that fake priest.
So it was quite normal that some Masters still hadn't made it to the city.
With someone delivering themselves, George was more than happy to save himself the trouble.
As for the Berserker they summoned—honestly, his strength wasn't bad. But to George, he was nothing more than a slightly beefier ant. Not a threat at all.
Artoria's pupils narrowed the moment she saw the girl beside the giant.
"It's Illya!"
George noticed the change in Artoria's expression.
"You know her?"
"I met her a few times during the last Holy Grail War. She is Emiya Kiritsugu's daughter—Illyasviel von Einzbern."
Artoria nodded without hiding anything.
Shirou Emiya, who stood next to her, widened his eyes at once.
"You mean… she's my sister?"
Kiritsugu was his adoptive father, so Kiritsugu's biological daughter would naturally be his sister—even if they weren't blood-related.
Artoria shook her head slightly as she looked at Shirou.
"To be precise, she should be your older sister. She's one year older than you."
"Nani!? Older sister?!"
Shirou stared at the silver-haired, red-eyed girl ahead of them, utterly stunned.
She looked no more than ten years old—how could she be older than him by a year?
George swept Illya with his mental power and raised his brows in surprise.
"Her body seems to have undergone quite a bit of modification."
At first, he hadn't paid much attention to the little girl. After hearing Artoria mention her surname, he focused on her.
After all, her surname was Einzbern.
According to the magical records from the Matou family, the Einzbern clan was the last of the Three Founding Families—and all of them were homunculi.
Sensing with his psychic power, he found Illya's magical energy shockingly strong.
The key was the presence of a special magical aura within her. It carried certain rules or laws—very similar to what he sensed in Sakura Matou.
"Could it be the Grail?"
A possibility took shape in George's mind.
Based on the Matou family's records, the Lesser Grail used for the final wish of each Holy Grail War was crafted by the Einzbern family.
In truth, the Grail was housed within a homunculus of the Einzbern bloodline.
So he guessed that this Illya might be the vessel for the Lesser Grail in the Fifth War.
What he didn't understand was—if Illya was the vessel, why did Sakura also carry a similar aura?
Shirou, having just learned that Illya was his sister, hurriedly stepped forward in hopes of easing the tension—maybe they could sit down and talk things out.
"Illya, since we're—"
But the moment he called her "older sister," a vein popped on Illya's previously calm face.
"Older sister? And you dare call me that? Kill him!"
Her feelings toward this brother with no blood relation were complicated, but hatred was the strongest.
After their father left her, he never returned—and he raised a child elsewhere. How could she ever accept that?
Worse, all those years back at the Einzbern house, she underwent endless bodily modifications and inhuman suffering, all while her father ignored her completely.
She came to the Holy Grail War representing the Einzbern family for one reason—to see what kind of child their father abandoned her for.
And that one word—"sister"—ignited all the resentment she had bottled up over the years.
She decided she would kill him first and talk later.
The moment the command left her lips, Berserker stomped the ground, causing a sonic boom as he instantly appeared before Shirou and swung an axe down toward his head.
Everyone was caught off guard by the sudden attack.
Just as Shirou was about to die on the spot, a figure appeared in front of him in an instant—it was George.
"Shirou, looks like your sister really resents you. Did you do something unspeakable to her when you were little?"
With his right hand wrapped in golden runes, George effortlessly caught Berserker's axe between two fingers.
Before the Servant could react, he delivered a front kick, sending Berserker flying back to his original position.
"Mr. George, what are you talking about?! This is the first time we've even met!"
Shirou collapsed onto the ground in shock, but still hurried to refute him.
George chuckled and pulled him up.
"Just a joke, don't take it so seriously."
"Master, I have failed in my duty. Leave the rest to me."
Drawing the Invisible Sword, Artoria stepped forward in front of George.
She hadn't expected Illya to go straight for Shirou's life at the outset. Because of that, she failed to react in time.
Besides, Shirou was no longer even a Master. Even if it was a Holy Grail War, he shouldn't have been a target.
(End of Chapter)