"Go to hell, you despicable mage!" With a wave of his hand, countless insects swarmed from all directions, though their aura was no longer repulsive. However, their appearance remained unpleasant. But Matou Kariya had no other tricks up his sleeve...
"...A mage's power is determined from birth. A half-baked person like you will never understand the world of magecraft..." Tōsaka Tokiomi faced the incoming insects with a cold expression. With a flick of his staff, the Tōsaka family crest appeared in the air, and the flames inscribed upon the magical foundation began to burn fiercely...
"You abandoned the Matou family's magecraft. For that, I should thank you. If not for that, Sakura would not have had the opportunity to inherit the Matou family's arts. But, as an enemy, I will not forgive you!"
"What nonsense are you spouting now! All you mages are so inhumane!"
The surging swarm of insects clashed violently with the fierce flames emanating from the red gem. The two men here began their war...
The damage to the monster was almost negligible. With no other choice, Rider and Saber had to retreat.
"Alright, everyone! It seems we don't have much time!" The Conqueror King's expression was serious.
"I will use my Reality Marble to drag that guy into the bounded field, but even so, I'm afraid it won't be enough to eliminate it. At most, it will just be trapped inside the bounded field..."
"Then what?" Seeing that Rider had no further explanation, Lancer asked in confusion.
"I don't know!" Rider said it so easily... "..." Everyone fell silent, but they all understood this wasn't a joke from Rider, but a genuine answer.
"However, for such a large creature, my bounded field can only last a few minutes. Within these few minutes, you all need to come up with a solution!"
"Alright, kid, you stay here too!" As he spoke, Rider grabbed Waver.
"Huh? Huh?"
"Once the bounded field is activated, I won't be able to sense what's outside, so you, kid, stay here. If anything happens, summon me!"
Waver felt that even so, leaving him between two Servants was an extremely foolish act, yet Rider's actions made him trust so implicitly.
"Then, Saber, Lancer, I'll leave the rest to you!"
"Understood!"
"Got it!"
But their expressions were not so relaxed. In just a few minutes, what good method could they come up with? Yet Rider trusted them, nodded, and began his work.
---
Tōsaka Tokiomi was already growing impatient. For him, this was not a battle but a slaughter. Although he didn't know why Matou Kariya could hold on for so long, a gap was a gap. Matou Kariya was not the protagonist; he had no hope of defeating Tōsaka Tokiomi.
Using Jewel Magecraft, Tōsaka Tokiomi easily gained the upper hand. Although Matou Kariya's body was no longer so dilapidated, he, possessing only his will, was powerless in the face of absolute strength!
"Even if you speak so eloquently, look at how miserable you are now!" Tōsaka Tokiomi faced him calmly, employing his magecraft without restraint.
But now, he was fed up!
To a noble mage who adhered to the path of magecraft, Matou Kariya's appearance was simply a disgrace.
"Grant my enemy a harsh cremation!"
The fiery serpent twisted, striking Matou Kariya at an incredible angle.
"Ugh!!"
The burning flames should have been excruciatingly painful, but Matou Kariya found the pain not as bad as he had imagined. Perhaps he had become numb after being gnawed by insects, he thought, making his final efforts. But he didn't know that, in reality, this was merely the residual power of Ryougi Raku within his body!
Yet the next moment, Matou Kariya began to scream. A sharp pain erupted from his body, which he, having just breathed a sigh of relief, could not bear at all, and he stumbled away. Tōsaka Tokiomi was very surprised. At first, he saw that the flames had no effect on Matou Kariya, and his prepared backup plan suddenly became ineffective. Matou Kariya ran off as if possessed. He didn't pursue, straightening his clothes. To him, Matou Kariya wasn't even worthy of being an opponent...
Ryougi Raku sensed the disappearance of the power he had left in Matou Kariya's body and nodded. That was originally the power he had left when healing Matou Kariya. He hadn't paid it much mind at the time, but he hadn't expected Tōsaka Tokiomi's flames to instinctively trigger a counterattack from the residual power in Matou Kariya's body. Although that power wasn't strong, Ryougi Raku was worried that Matou Kariya might suddenly get lucky and kill Tōsaka Tokiomi, which would not align with his plans...
The power belonged to Ryougi Raku, deeply branded with his mark. Therefore, Ryougi Raku easily extinguished that power, leaving only a little to help Matou Kariya recover. Being burned for so long couldn't be pleasant, after all... Ignoring that side, Ryougi Raku looked up at the mansion before him and smiled contentedly.
This was the Tōsaka residence. If Gilgamesh were here, it would be difficult to enter, but now with Berserker delaying him and Matou Kariya occupying Tōsaka Tokiomi, he could enter undetected.
He easily avoided triggering any magical traps and entered the house. Even when encountering unavoidable ones, he used his Anti-Magic to clear a path.
The Tōsaka mansion was large, but Ryougi Raku's senses were not to be underestimated, and he easily perceived the layout of the entire house.
Arriving at the underground workshop, it was incredibly dark, filled with various magical tools. But Ryougi Raku didn't pay attention to any of them, heading straight in the direction he sensed. There was a well-preserved box there. With a flick of his finger, he broke the mechanism on it, opened it, and took a look. Ryougi Raku nodded. This was exactly what he was looking for—Gilgamesh's Holy Relic!
Legend has it that after Gilgamesh's dear friend Enkidu was killed by the gods, Gilgamesh went in search of the elixir of immortality. But after all his trials and tribulations, when he finally obtained it, it was stolen and eaten by a snake, which is why snakes shed their skin... Regardless of whether this legend was true or not, this was indeed the item used to summon Gilgamesh...
Putting it away, Ryougi Raku quickly moved toward his next target: the large estate of Emiya Kiritsugu in Fuyuki City.
"Irisviel? Let Rider's Master speak to me!" Irisviel, on the phone, heard her husband's command.
"Huh? Huh? Okay!" She was surprised, but Irisviel knew Emiya Kiritsugu had a deeper meaning.
"You, who are you? What do you want with me?" Waver asked, bewildered, after taking the phone.
"Who I am isn't important! But, I want to know, was it Rider who made Caster disappear?"
"...Ah, yes!"
"Then, when the Reality Marble disappears, can the contents inside be dropped at a designated location?"
Although he didn't know what the person on the other end of the phone wanted to do, Waver didn't have time to think much. There wasn't enough time to ponder now. Recalling his knowledge of Reality Marbles, he said cautiously, "Within a certain range, it should be no problem!"
"Then, I'll fire a signal flare in a moment. Can Rider place Caster directly beneath the signal?"
"It should... be possible." Waver hesitated, unsure, but he didn't realize he was being completely led by Emiya Kiritsugu.
"Hm, very good! Oh, and one more thing!"
"What?"
"Tell Lancer, who's present, that Saber has an Anti-Fortress Noble Phantasm on her left hand!"
With that, Emiya Kiritsugu hung up the call.
Waver didn't understand, but he still relayed the message to Lancer.
"Is he telling the truth? Saber?" Lancer looked at Saber in astonishment.
Saber opened her mouth but finally nodded silently. It was indeed the truth.
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(˶ᵔ ᵕ ᵔ˶) ‹ (TL : More Chapters @patreon.com/c/Gooberilla)