Deep within the forest surrounding the Einzbern Castle, on the outskirts of Fuyuki City.
A crude wooden shack sat perched atop a network of thick, interlocking branches. A dark silhouette stood by the small window, peering through a pair of binoculars toward the castle courtyard. Thanks to the enhanced optics, Emiya Kiritsugu could see every detail of the moonlit garden.
"What on earth happened...?"
Seeing the figures of Kamitani Yuu and the others suddenly vanish from the flowerbeds, he knit his brows in confusion. Just moments ago, the Servants and Masters had been drinking; the second they stood up to fight, a violent gale had erupted. Then, the four Servants and two human Masters were seemingly swallowed by an invisible maw, leaving Irisviel standing alone in the empty courtyard.
This bizarre turn of events left Kiritsugu momentarily stunned, but fortunately, his contract link with Saber remained intact.
"Saber, what is the situation on your end?" Kiritsugu queried through the prana link. He needed to know if they had been displaced. If they had been teleported away, the "trump card" he had buried beneath the courtyard would be useless.
Kiritsugu's plan had been simple and cold: when he had Irisviel offer the courtyard for the banquet, he had already finished mining the ground with a massive amount of explosives. He intended to detonate them the moment the Masters let their guard down. Even if the explosives couldn't kill a Servant, they would easily shred the fragile human Masters.
But reality had diverged from the plan.
"Master... the King of Conquerors' Noble Phantasms is a Reality Marble... the space we were in has been swapped..." Arthur's voice drifted back through the link.
"A Reality Marble..." Kiritsugu's frown deepened. "Rider is more troublesome than I thought."
As a user of an incomplete Reality Marble himself—Time Alter—Kiritsugu knew the terrifying power of such high-level magecraft. His own Time Alter: Double Accel had saved his life countless times. If a fragment of a Reality Marble was that powerful, a complete one manifested by a Heroic Spirit was a different beast entirely.
However, for Kiritsugu, this was also an opportunity. Once the Reality Marble ended, everyone would reappear in their original positions. At that moment—when they were exhausted from fighting Archer—he would strike.
He picked up his radio and issued an order to his assistant: "Maiya, go to Irisviel now. Move her to safety. Everything else proceeds as planned."
"Understood."
Meanwhile, on the other side of the Einzbern forest.
Skitter, skitter—
The silence of the woods was broken by a chaotic, rustling sound. Hundreds of strange insects crawled along the ground and swarmed through the air. In the center of this swarm stood two figures—one small, one gnarled—creeping toward the castle.
"Hehe, I must thank that Servant with the chariot... without him breaking the forest's boundary, I wouldn't have reached this place so easily."
Looking up at the distant spires, "Matou Shinji" laughed. A raspy, ancient voice like nails on a chalkboard emerged from his throat—Matou Zouken.
Since the war began, Zouken had abandoned the Matou estate to watch from the shadows. His Crest Worms were small enough to evade detection as long as they didn't enter a magus's workshop. He had eyes everywhere—the Church, the docks, and the Masters' bases.
Tonight, his patience paid off. His scouts at the Kamitani residence had reported Rider's arrival. Following their flight path, he realized they were heading for the Einzbern forest.
"Let's see what surprises tonight holds..."
Like a predator in the dark, Zouken and Berserker moved silently toward the castle.
Elsewhere, within the Great Underground Cavern.
"Phew~~ Finally successful."
On the dim altar, Odin stepped back and nodded at his masterpiece. Before him, a translucent sphere of light hovered in the air. Within the shimmering surface, a tiny, silver-haired figure slept peacefully.
"It took some work, but she's finally repaired."
Odin rubbed his chin, a mischievous smile playing on his lips. "I wonder what kind of face my little junior will make when he sees her? I'm quite looking forward to it."
To make this new "daughter" even more exceptional, Odin had taken a drop of Kamitani Yuu's blood a few days prior and integrated it into the reconstruction process. The results were better than expected. Odin was certain Yuu would be stunned at first sight.
"Now that this is settled, I should go give him a little help..."
Odin turned his gaze toward the Shinto district, his crimson eyes flashing with a rainbow luster.
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There's a few advance chapters on my P@treon
Usually upload 2 Chapters a day in there, Sunday
45 Chapters Ahead, and will continue to increase
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