"Caster?!"
Lacking the mana supply from Caster, the already mana-deficient Saber was now being completely suppressed by the black shadow. She could only defend passively, left with no strength to counterattack.
"Ugh... such heavy attacks... cough!"
"Akatsuki! Holy Grail! Kill, kill, kill... sin, madness, Akatsuki!!!"
The pitch-black figure let out a crazed mutter. At the same time, the darkness around it, which resembled muddy water, continued to spread. When it touched the corpses on the ground, they dissolved as if they were being directly absorbed by the black shadow.
"This black mud... Akatsuki? What does this guy have to do with Akatsuki... ugh!"
"Invisible Air (Wind King's Boundary)!"
Releasing the compressed wind from the blade, she created a massive vortex in an instant. This vortex directly tore a gap through the tide-like black mud surrounding her.
Holding her golden sword, Saber ran toward the gap without the slightest hesitation. She had to find a new Master or mana source before her mana ran out; otherwise, she would end up as a loser in the Holy Grail War, just like Caster.
"Holy Sword! Light! Kill, kill, kill!"
"Strike Air (Wind King's Hammer)!"
Gathering the surrounding air once more to face the black mud surging toward her, Saber again transformed the wind wrapped around her Invisible Sword into a weapon.
However, this time, the black mud seemed to possess intelligence, immediately retreating out of her attack range the moment Saber swung the Invisible Sword.
Saber was greatly shocked by this. Whether it was the black mud dodging her attack or its precise grasp of her attack range, it was all too inconceivable. The black mud before her seemed to possess intelligence and appeared very familiar with her.
"A Holy Sword Wielder who is not of my King's bloodline..."
"Kill, must kill... one of the obstacles to the Immortality Project is the Holy Sword Wielder!"
The corpses of ordinary people nearby were swallowed by the black mud along with Caster. At this moment, the shadow in the center of the black mud seemed to have gained higher intelligence, and its speech became clearer.
"Immortality Project?"
After resisting for a few minutes, Saber, whose mana was nearly exhausted, was eventually submerged in the black mud. Unable even to resist, she could only feebly swing the Holy Sword in her hand.
When the black mud rose above Saber's head, everything around them fell silent, and the black shadow at the center of the mud also stopped.
A moment later, the black mud slowly returned to the shadow's body, and the shadow staggered toward Fuyuki City.
"Vessel... the Holy Grail's vessel..."
On the other side, Shinji Matou, who was hiding in the distance, covered his mouth tightly to keep himself from making a sound. He leaned against a large tree in terror, not even having the courage to look back.
"Both Caster and Saber were taken out? What the hell is that black shadow! Dammit! That guy Kirei Kotomine actually made me do something so dangerous. I'll definitely settle the score with him when I get back!"
Shinji Matou tried to stand up from the ground several times, but his limp legs couldn't muster an ounce of strength. Even leaning against the large tree, he couldn't get up.
"Forget it, I'll just sit for a while. That black shadow should be gone anyway... probably..."
A moment later, Shinji Matou lay on the ground and used both hands to crawl toward Fuyuki City with all his might.
Akatsuki, who was teasing Matou Sakura and Illya, suddenly narrowed her eyes. She stood up abruptly and looked toward the outskirts of Fuyuki City. There was a familiar aura in that direction!
Shirou Emiya and Tohsaka Rin had gone to visit the hospitalized Taiga Fujimura today, while Akatsuki stayed behind to look after Illya and Matou Sakura.
"Caster and Saber have been killed!"
Akatsuki turned to look at Illya, and Illya looked back at her. As they met each other's gaze, both realized the gravity of the situation. With the strength of Tohsaka Rin, Shirou Emiya, and Archer, it would be difficult to kill Caster and Saber. Therefore, it could only be Gilgamesh who dealt the killing blow. But with Gilgamesh's personality, would he really make a move at a time like this?
Shouldn't he be enjoying himself with Kirei Kotomine?
Furthermore, Kirei Kotomine hadn't shown his face until now!
"It's not normal... Saber and Caster shouldn't have been killed so easily..."
Akatsuki frowned deeply. For the first time since she arrived in this world, she encountered an event beyond her control. Seeing Matou Sakura looking a bit worried about her, Akatsuki smiled and comforted her with a few words. Once Matou Sakura had fallen asleep, she took Illya to the living room.
"Have the souls of Caster and Saber been recovered?"
"Mhm, that's right. The souls of the three Servants—Berserker, Lancer, and Assassin—were recovered by Matou, and just now, two powerful souls entered."
"I see." Akatsuki's brow furrowed as an ill omen rose in her heart. The aura she felt from the outskirts of Fuyuki City was far too familiar. "Test Subject No. 4..."
"?"
Seeing Akatsuki muttering to herself, Illya tilted her head in confusion, seemingly pondering what Akatsuki's words meant.
"Don't worry. If it really is Test Subject No. 4, then there's nothing to fear."
"Experiment?"
"When technology develops to a certain point, humans are no longer satisfied with a mere hundred years of life. They will try every possible means to break the limits of the human body and extend their lifespan. It is precisely because of this that the product known as the Immortality Project exists."
Hearing Akatsuki's words, Illya let out a cold laugh, as if mocking the mortals in Akatsuki's story who pursued immortality.
"It's understandable. After all, immortality for mortals is far too distant, whether in the world of magecraft or the world of ordinary people. However, the merit of humans as a species is that they do not give up easily."
"When this project was first established, it was dedicated to researching the perfect immortality of combining mind and body. It's just that it later split into two factions: physical immortality and spiritual immortality."
Akatsuki picked up an apple from the table and began to eat. "I'll go take a look after Shirou Emiya and Tohsaka Rin return. If it really is Test Subject No. 4, then I'll have no choice but to stuff him back into his coffin."
"Theoretically, however, he shouldn't appear in this place..."
Akatsuki ate the apple while rubbing Illya's head in thought. She couldn't quite figure out why a guy like Test Subject No. 4 would be here.
He was supposed to have been disposed of after his mind collapsed and he dissolved into rotten mud during that experiment back then. Why has he come back to life now?
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