Saber's eyes were locked on the man slowly emerging from the fog.
His appearance alone screamed the identity of a magus of the Caster class.
then Saber's gaze briefly flickered toward Ren.
If this is Caster… then…
Her brows furrowed slightly.
During the battle at the docks, Ren had fought Gilgamesh using strange magecraft and spatial tricks.
Because of that, Saber had assumed he was the Caster-class Servant.
But now—
Another man stood before them, radiating the unmistakable aura of a Caster.
If that madman was Caster…
Then what exactly was the young man beside the child? Was he merely a magus? But how in the world could a magus fight Gilgamesh like that?
The question lingered for only a moment.
Because the situation in front of them demanded immediate attention.
The man suddenly lifted his head.
Gilles de Rais stumbled forward, staring at Saber with worshipful madness.
"I have searched for you… searched for you across the darkness!"
Saber's expression hardened.
"…You are mistaken."
But Gilles paid no attention.
Tears streamed down his face as he laughed hysterically.
"The Lord has shown mercy!"
"He has returned you to me!"
"My saint… my holy maiden… my Jeanne d'Arc!"
Knight armor materialized around Saber in a flash of magical energy.
"I am Artoria Pendragon, King of Knights."
Her voice cut through the fog like steel.
"I am not the woman you seek."
For a brief moment, Gilles froze.
Confusion flickered across his twisted face.
Then—
He shook his head violently.
"No… no… no…"
"You must not deny it!"
His laughter rose into manic hysteria.
"Even if the world denies it… even if you deny it…"
"I know the truth!"
Behind Saber, Irisviel silently stepped back.
The fog continued thickening around them.
A short distance away, Ren watched the scene unfold with a puzzled expression.
He scratched his cheek.
"This still doesn't make sense."
Sakura tugged gently on his sleeve.
"Onii-san… that man is scary…"
Ren gently patted her head.
"Yeah. He definitely skipped therapy."
But his eyes remained fixed on Gilles.
"Seriously though…"
Ren tilted his head.
"Why is there another Caster?"
Gilles suddenly noticed both of them.
"…Ah."
His lips curled into a twisted smile.
"Another lost lamb."
But his attention quickly returned to Saber.
"Good!"
"Witness it, Jeanne!"
The grotesque grimoire opened.
Dark mana flooded the park.
Saber moved first.
Her body vanished in a burst of speed.
The invisible blade in her hands cut through the fog like lightning.
Gilles barely raised the book in time to block.
The impact threw him backward across the pavement.
But the madman only laughed.
"Magnificent!"
"You truly are my Jeanne!"
Behind the battle, Ren quietly focused.
"Alright…"
He tapped his temple.
"Let's see where your Master is hiding."
The anomalous of SCP-2030 activated.
Ren tried to pinpoint the location of Caster's Master.
Normally, a Servant was always connected to their Master.
Even if hidden, the link should leave traces.
Ren searched.
Once.
Twice.
Three times.
Nothing.
"…Huh?"
Ren frowned.
"That's weird."
In the distance, Saber's relentless assault forced Gilles backward.
The mad priest staggered as another strike slammed into the grimoire he used as a shield. After all, a Caster was never meant to fight someone like Saber in close quarters.
Judging from the expression on his face, it was clear he was beginning to consider retreat.
Ren noticed this.
"Oh."
He sighed.
"Well, that would be boring."
Ren snapped his fingers.
The probability of Caster successfully retreating dropped to zero.
Reality adjusted itself.
Gilles froze mid-step.
His escape route simply ceased to exist.
"What—?!"
The madman's eyes widened.
Then his expression twisted into manic joy.
"Ahahahaha!"
"If the world denies my escape—"
"Then I shall summon salvation itself!"
The grimoire burst open.
Magic circles flooded the ground.
Grotesque creatures crawled into the world.
More.
And more.
And more.
The mana output became absurd.
Even Saber frowned.
"…This level of summoning…"
Suddenly—
Another magic circle ignited.
A different one.
Darker and Heavier.
A figure stepped out from the magic circle—black wings, curved horns, and demonic energy radiating from his body like heat.
A devil.
The newcomer looked toward Gilles.
"Tch."
His eyes landed on Saber.
Then he felt it.
The presence of the holy sword.
"…I see."
The devil clicked his tongue.
"So that's why you were wasting so much mana."
Ren blinked as he look toward the newcomers then his eyes landed on top of newcomers right hand.
"Oh...Command spell"
Now it made sense.
A moment ago he had been searching for Caster's Master across the human realm.
But Caster Master…
Was a devil.
Which meant its true domain was the Underworld.
Ren scratched his cheek.
'If I had included that area in the search parameters…'
'I would've found him instantly.'
His gaze shifted to the devil's hand.
More precisely—
The rough stitches around the wrist.
Carved into the skin were Command Spells.
Ren's eyes narrowed slightly.
'So that's what happened.'
the original master of caster was gone.
The Command Spells had been taken by that devil.
Yet something still bothered him.
The Holy Grail War system was strict.
Seven classes.
Seven servants.
No duplicates.
So why was there another Caster?
Then Ren remembered something.
Several nights ago—before the war began—Sakura and Aesc had been inside his Containment Zone.
A completely isolated dimension.
Cut off from Root.
Cut off from ley lines.
And most importantly—
Cut off from the Holy Grail system.
At the time Ren had been slightly worried.
something might happen to Aesc… or Sakura because he move them inside containment zone.
But nothing happened.
So he ignored it.
Now he finally understood.
From the Grail's perspective…
During the roll call, Caster had disappeared.
No presence.
No connection.
Nothing.
Then the Grail assumed the Caster slot was empty.
'So it chose another Master.'
The system searched for a replacement candidate.
And eventually—
It found one.
Ryuunosuke might have been selected again as a Master.
Ren thought about the faction behind the stray priest duo.
If they wanted the Holy Grail to spill large amounts of malice—Black Mud—then entering the war would be the most direct path.
The problem is that the group doesn't have anyone who qualifies to enter the holy grail.
They needed find a Master.
Ren's gaze drifted again to the stitched Command Spells.
'So when he found Ryuunosuke…'
The serial killer never had a chance.
The devil and its group simply took what they needed.
Command Spells.
Contract.
Caster.
Everything transferred.
Ren rubbed his temple.
"…Right."
"That lines up."
Then he looked back at Gilles, who was still screaming while summoning more monsters.
Ren sighed.
"The Holy Grail system really isn't built for bug fixes."
Behind him, Sakura nervously clutched his sleeve as she watching saber and caster fighting.
Saber's invisible blade cut through another grotesque creature as it lunged from the summoning circle. The monster split apart instantly, dissolving into foul mana as the King of Knights stepped forward again.
Across from her, Gilles de Rais laughed hysterically while clutching the cursed grimoire.
"Yes! Yes! Show me your divine wrath, Jeanne!"
More magic circles ignited beneath his feet, vomiting twisted creatures onto the battlefield. Tentacles and malformed limbs clawed their way onto the pavement as the air filled with the stench of corruption.
Saber moved like a streak of silver, her invisible sword carving through the monsters one after another, each strike forcing Gilles further back.
Above them, the devil watched the chaos with growing irritation.
"Tch."
His gaze slowly shifted away from the battle.
Instead—
It settled on Ren.
Then Sakura.
And finally Irisviel.
The devil looked down at them with clear disdain.
"So you're the ones interfering."
Dark mana gathered faintly around his wings as he began descending toward them.
Before the devil could make another move—
BOOM.
Thunder exploded across the sky.
A massive chariot made of lightning crashed onto the riverside road.
then stop in front of Irisviel.
"HAHAHAHA!"
A booming laugh echoed across the battlefield.
"Looks like we arrived just in time!"
Standing proudly atop the chariot was Iskandar.
Beside him clung a visibly terrified Waver Velvet.
"Saber! Looks like you're having quite the battle!"
The devil's expression darkened slightly.
"…Another Servant."
He glanced at Rider, quickly assessing the battlefield.
Against a Servant like Rider, he had no chance alone. If that man were not here, crushing the magus and the two humans would have been effortless.
The devil clicked his tongue and stepped back, retreating toward Gilles.
"Caster."
His voice carried cold authority.
"Stop playing and finish it."
Gilles slowly turned his head toward him.
For a moment—
Silence.
Then a twisted smile spread across the madman's face.
"Of course…"
His eyes gleamed with fanatic devotion.
"For Jeanne's salvation."
The grimoire opened wider.
Gilles slowly raised the grimoire as the massive summoning circle spread across the river.
Dark mana flooded the air.
The water began to churn violently.
Then—
He began to chant.
"My Lord who dwells beyond the abyss…"
His voice trembled with ecstatic devotion.
"Hear the prayer of your faithful servant."
The pages of the cursed grimoire turned on their own as grotesque runes ignited across the surface.
"Let the gates of madness open."
"Let the ocean of despair answer my call."
His laughter mixed with the chanting as the river began to boil.
"Come forth, oh miracle of the abyss!"
"Let this unworthy world witness the salvation you bring!"
The summoning circle flared with blinding darkness.
"Rise!"
"Rise from the depths of the void!"
"Rise, and devour this false world!"
The river exploded upward.
A colossal mass of flesh and writhing tentacles burst from the depths.
The monstrous abomination towered above the battlefield like a living nightmare.
And Gilles de Rais laughed with pure, unrestrained madness.
"HAHAHAHA!"
"Behold!"
"The miracle of the abyss!"
The colossal creature roared as its countless tentacles lashed across the riverbank, churning the water into violent waves.
For a moment, even the devil seemed satisfied.
"…Hmph."
He folded his arms as he looked up at the towering abomination.
Then—
Something changed.
Gilles had stopped laughing.
Slowly, the madman turned his head.
Not toward Saber.
Not toward Rider.
But toward his own Master.
A wide, twisted smile stretched across his face.
"My lord."
The devil frowned slightly.
"…What?"
Before he could react—
The summoning circle beneath Gilles suddenly surged with power.
Dozens of grotesque tentacles erupted from the ritual circle like spears.
"What—?!"
The devil tried to move, but the tentacles wrapped around his body instantly.
His wings flared as demonic energy exploded outward.
"CASTER!"
But Gilles only laughed harder.
"Ahahahahaha!"
"Your power will make the miracle even greater!"
The tentacles tightened.
The devil's eyes widened in disbelief.
"You dare—!"
He struggled violently, but the monstrous limbs dragged him toward the writhing mass of flesh rising from the river.
"Release me!"
His voice shifted from fury to panic as the abomination's massive maw slowly opened.
But Gilles only watched with fanatical delight.
"My lord…"
"Become the foundation of Jeanne's salvation!"
The tentacles forced the devil into the creature's writhing body.
His scream echoed across the river—
Then vanished.
For a moment, the battlefield fell silent.
Then the abomination swelled even larger as demonic energy flooded into its grotesque form.
Even Rider raised an eyebrow.
"…Did that lunatic just turn his own Master into monster fuel?"
The abomination roared, its countless tentacles thrashing wildly across the riverbank.
Rider cracked his knuckles.
"Well then, saber."
He grinned toward Saber.
"Shall we bring that thing down?"
Saber stepped forward, tightening her grip on her sword.
"…Agreed."
Lightning roared as Iskandar urged his divine bulls forward.
The Gordius Wheel crashed through the monster's tentacles in a storm of thunder, tearing open a massive wound across the creature's grotesque body. At the same time, Artoria Pendragon dashed beneath the towering mass, her invisible blade flashing through the air as she severed limb after limb.
For a brief moment, the abomination staggered.
Then the wounds began to move.
The torn flesh writhed violently, regenerating before their eyes as new tentacles burst from the creature's body.
Rider clicked his tongue.
"…You've got to be kidding me."
Another tentacle lashed toward the chariot. Rider swerved aside as the strike shattered the riverbank.
Saber landed lightly a short distance away, watching the creature carefully.
The monster was regenerating faster than they could destroy it.
Normal attacks would never be enough.
'Kiritsugu.'
Through the faint spiritual link connecting Master and Servant, Saber's voice reached him.
'This creature cannot be destroyed by conventional means.'
Miles away, Kiritsugu Emiya stood silently with a rifle in his hands, watching the distant battlefield through his scope.
He had already understood the situation.
The abomination towering over the river was growing stronger with every passing second.
Kiritsugu frowned slightly.
'You intend to use it.'
Saber answered calmly.
'Yes.'
For a moment, Kiritsugu said nothing.
If Saber released her Noble Phantasm here, the result would be obvious.
The radiant holy sword.
The symbol of the legendary King of Knights.
The moment that light appeared, her identity would be exposed to every Servant present.
Which was something Kiritsugu had deliberately avoided since the war began.
His finger tightened slightly against the rifle.
But as he looked through the scope again, the answer became unavoidable.
That monster was not something that could be allowed to roam freely.
His ideals would never permit such a thing.
Kiritsugu closed his eyes briefly.
Then he spoke.
'…Do it.'
Saber's grip tightened on her sword.
'Understood.'
Across the battlefield, Rider suddenly noticed the change in the air.
Wind began gathering around Saber.
"Oho?"
He grinned.
"That look tells me you're about to do something impressive."
The wind around Saber's blade began to spiral violently.
The invisible air that concealed the sword started to disperse.
Golden light slowly emerged.
The true form of the holy blade revealed itself beneath the dark sky.
Rider laughed loudly.
"Now that's more like it!"
Saber stepped forward.
Mana surged around her like a rising tide.
"Rider."
Her voice was calm.
"Clear the path."
Rider's grin widened.
"Leave it to me!"
Lightning exploded as the Gordius Wheel charged forward once again, smashing through the monster's tentacles and tearing open a path toward its core.
"NOW, SABER!"
Saber raised the sword high.
The golden light intensified until it eclipsed the battlefield.
"EX—"
The sky turned white.
"—CALIBUR!"
A massive torrent of holy light erupted from the blade, tearing through the abomination in a single overwhelming strike.
The monster's roar was swallowed by the radiant beam as its colossal body disintegrated under the holy sword's power.
For a moment, the entire riverside was illuminated like daylight.
Then the light faded.
The river fell silent.
Nothing remained of the monstrous abomination but drifting particles of fading mana.
==========
Author's Note
This app is a bit strange. I've read your comments about the plot holes and already patched them, but the updated version only appears on the Webnovel website. If you're reading through the mobile app, the changes might not show yet.
Anyway, thank you for pointing them out! If you notice any other plot holes, feel free to mention them and I'll fix them as soon as possible.
P.S after being patched, your comment will be automatically deleted by the system due to the update. I didn't delete it or anything like that.