"Flirting first thing in the morning, I really can't stand this."
Illya looked at the news on the television, where a reporter was broadcasting about a massive explosion caused by a gas leak in the Great Underground Cavern of Mount Enzou, a look of helplessness on her face.
"Who, who's flirting!"
Unlike Tohsaka Rin, who was anxious to explain, Akatsuki ate her breakfast unhurriedly with half-lidded eyes. Currently, the only Servants who had retired were Lancer, Assassin, and Berserker. If Caster wanted to summon the greater grail early, she would definitely bring Saber to attack soon, so they just needed to be prepared to counter-attack.
As for the possibility of Caster fighting a war of attrition, Akatsuki wasn't worried at all. Although Saber was known as the strongest Servant in the Holy Grail War, the mana required to maintain her existence was also quite large. Souichirou Kuzuki, being an ordinary human, couldn't provide enough mana to Caster, and after Caster's territory was destroyed by Akatsuki, she could only gather enough mana by plundering it from ordinary people.
Once she did that, Tohsaka Rin and Illya could lock onto Caster's location through the ley lines beneath Fuyuki City. At that time, Akatsuki would only need to take her people and deal with Caster.
If you don't attack, I will.
Both sides had two Servants, but Akatsuki's side also had many people with Servant-level combat power, so Caster had no chance of victory this time either.
"Is Caster's group really here? Could that priest's information be wrong?"
Shinji Matou walked with difficulty through the forest on the outskirts of Fuyuki City. He looked at the deserted thickets around him with great disdain. "Besides, shouldn't scouting the enemy be a job for a Servant! What's the point of sending me, a Master, to the front lines!"
"Shinji, you are mistaken."
Gilgamesh's voice crossed the spatial barriers from a game center in Fuyuki City, far away from Shinji Matou, and entered his ears. "If you want to become a true king, then leading from the front is sometimes necessary."
As his race car successfully took first place in the game, Gilgamesh skillfully started the next round while speaking to Shinji Matou. "To rebuild the Matou Family and have the Mages Association recognize your status as the new head of the Matou Family, showing actual results is the most direct way."
Hearing this, Shinji Matou stopped complaining. He used the iron Black Keys given by the priest to cut through all the branches and weeds in front of him. Shinji Matou glanced at the pocket watch he carried and let out a heavy sigh.
The iron Black Keys in his hand were items gifted by Kirei Kotomine. Unlike normal Black Keys where the blade is generated using the user's mana, these Black Keys had physical blades. However, compared to ordinary Black Keys, these iron ones were Black Keys in name only and had no connection to mystery whatsoever.
But even if he were given ordinary Black Keys, for someone like Shinji Matou who had no magical talent, they would just be useless hilts and provide no substantial help.
"Damn it, is the direction really right? Why has it been so long... Hm?"
While complaining, Shinji Matou noticed something slightly off. In the originally dense forest, traces that could only be created by humans appeared.
The small traces left after being cleaned up caught Shinji Matou's attention. He immediately crouched down and reached out to touch the ground. When his finger touched the earth, his originally clean hand was stained black.
"Heh heh heh... Just as I thought!"
Bone meal from some animal, ashes from burned wood—all of this pointed to one thing: someone had stayed here and even built a fire to cook. In such a remote wilderness, he couldn't imagine anyone else camping here besides Caster, who had lost her territory.
"Hey! I found traces of Caster!"
There was no response. Gilgamesh acted as if he couldn't hear Shinji Matou's voice at all. After waiting for a long time, Shinji Matou looked toward the center of Fuyuki City in confusion.
"What the hell? Fine! I'll find them myself!"
There's an old Chinese saying that one does not kill the messenger when two armies are at war. Moreover, he was here as the representative of the Holy Grail War supervisor to form an alliance with Caster. No matter what, he wouldn't be killed by Caster, right?
Probably.
Shinji Matou shook his head, seemingly trying to shake off the bad thoughts in his mind. Then, without looking back, he walked into the forest, his steps firm as if he could already see Caster and her group trying to please him.
"Saber! I authorize you to release your Noble Phantasm!"
"Ugh! Mana is insufficient to activate the Noble Phantasm! Caster, use a command spell!"
A cacophony of noise came from deep within the forest. Souichirou Kuzuki leaned against a nearby tree and struggled to stand up. His consciousness had briefly vanished just now, but it had returned.
What met his eyes was a scene from hell.
Countless human limbs were scattered haphazardly on the ground in the forest. Organs hung from trees like fruit, and blood seemed to have soaked the entire earth.
"Akatsuki! True Ancestor! Die!"
Countless aggregates of curses merged into a pitch-black shadow. Not far from him, Caster and Saber were fighting a bloody battle against that terrifying figure.
He had to get up and help Caster.
Having regained some strength, Souichirou Kuzuki struggled to rise to face the black shadow. However, when he tried to stand, he realized that his legs had been severed at some point. The blood and pain seemed to have been immediately controlled by Caster using magecraft.
"What... is that?"
"Damn it! By the power of the command spell, my puppet, Saber, hold back that shadow!"
The command spell on the back of Caster's hand erupted in a blood-red light. After clashing with that shadow, Caster already understood: that thing could not be completely destroyed by the current Saber alone!
"Lord Sōichirō, run."
"Caster?"
Caster rushed to Souichirou Kuzuki's side, reaching out to grab him and use magecraft to take him out of the forest. However, almost the instant Caster touched Souichirou Kuzuki, a pitch-black tentacle directly pierced Caster's heart, shredding her body in a split second.
Flesh and blood splattered onto Souichirou Kuzuki as Saber continued her struggle with the shadow. Before Souichirou Kuzuki could even launch an attack at the shadow, his head was severed by its tentacle.
---------------------------------
Hope you enjoy this fanfiction if you do and would like to read the next 30 chapters in advance, pls do check out my Patreon.
patreon.com/TLScarlet
Also don't forget to give me a Power Stone if you do like this fiction. Your support really motivates me to continue doing my best in translating, Thanks!!