Manaka Sajyou, facing Alvin, was entirely focused on him and seemed unaware of the approaching danger as the golden blade streaked toward the girl without warning.
The biting cold wind whipped around her black rose-colored dress, her golden hair fluttering in the night breeze.
Her deep blue eyes gazed quietly at Alvin, a faint smile on her face.
Clang!
Just as the golden blade was about to strike Manaka, Alvin's figure vanished in an instant.
The next moment, he appeared behind her, smashing his fist into the Noble Phantasm launched from the Gate of Babylon.
Boom!
With an explosive sound, the Noble Phantasm fell silently into the snow, dissolving into golden particles.
"Gilgamesh, since when did you resort to sneak attacks?"
Alvin looked up ahead.
The port was eerily quiet in the darkness, the distant lighthouse on the sea flickering faintly, exuding a sense of desolation.
Within seconds of Alvin's words, golden particles silently coalesced into the arrogant figure of the Hero King.
His arms crossed over his chest, his golden armor, symbolizing the Hero King, encasing his body as he stood atop a lamppost, looking down at Alvin.
Hearing Alvin's words, a cold glint flashed in his crimson eyes, followed by an oppressive sneer.
"Saber, this king isn't here for you."
As he spoke, Gilgamesh shifted his gaze to Manaka Sajyou.
In fact, this king of heroes also possessed the unique authority of [Omniscience and Omnipotence], though he hadn't activated it.
Even so, he could vaguely sense something abnormal about this Holy Grail War.
Normally, there would only be seven Servants, yet now an eighth had appeared... and the only Master present at the port was Manaka Sajyou.
No matter how you looked at it, this had to be related to her.
"Saber's... former Master, have you been tampering with the Holy Grail?"
Soon, Gilgamesh spoke.
Former...?
At the word "former," Manaka's expression faltered, her lips twitching slightly.
Even when facing Gilgamesh, she had maintained a calm demeanor... but his single word "former" hit her like a critical strike, breaking through her defenses.
Just moments ago, she had been Saber's Master, and now... she was his "former" Master?!
"I merely made this Holy Grail War more interesting," Manaka finally said, lifting her head as a faint smile glimmered in her deep blue eyes. "Archer, aren't you the type who only cares about things being entertaining?"
"As for how the Holy Grail War ends, you don't really care, do you?"
Gilgamesh glanced at Manaka coldly and said coolly,
"It seems you can read people's hearts. Unfortunately, you don't seem to understand matters concerning yourself... especially those involving Saber."
Another critical hit.
This wasn't good...this Goldy was here to pick a fight, wasn't he?
If this kept up, Manaka is going to "explode on the spot."
Looking at the situation, Alvin's heart sank, and he said in a low voice, "Archer, what's your purpose here?"
Gilgamesh gave the latter a puzzled glance, but soon a mischievous smile spread across his face.
How amusing...
Since the start of the Holy Grail War, this was the first time he'd seen Saber show such an expression.
This trip hadn't been in vain...
"This king said it already, your former Master summoned a special Servant, but now that Servant's whereabouts are unknown... Don't you find that strange, Saber?"
Gilgamesh said soon after.
Alvin remained silent, his mind racing with various thoughts.
Indeed, Irisviel had mentioned that Manaka was performing a summoning ritual and had indeed summoned a special Servant.
But now... where was this eighth Servant?
Surely they didn't just slip away after being summoned?
Was Manaka scheming something...?
Alvin's gaze unconsciously drifted to the girl, filled with confusion and uncertainty.
Unbeknownst to him, even though she was smiling outwardly, Manala was equally puzzled.
After all, even though she had indeed summoned the eighth Servant, she too could no longer sense its presence.
Of course, that wasn't the most pressing issue right now...
Manaka's gaze subtly flicked to Gilgamesh behind her.
Even she couldn't handle two Servants at once, especially when one of them was Archer.
But... was she really going to let 'Irisviel' leave with Saber just like that?
Manaka Sajyou's eyes flickered with a mix of hesitation and complexity as she pondered.
.
.
.
At the same time, deep within the Tohsaka residence, Tokiomi Tohsaka received new intelligence from Assassin, causing his brows to furrow slightly.
"So, the Einzberns have formed a partnership with Saber..."
How could such a drastic change happen in less than a single night?
The head of the Tohsaka family was completely baffled by what was going on between Alvin and Manaka Sajyou.
And what about Rin's disappearance?
Was it related to Saber...?
As Tokiomi mulled over these thoughts—
Knock, knock.
Suddenly, a series of knocks echoed from outside the quiet hall.
Tokiomi glanced toward the door.
There were no alerts from any detection barriers in the Tohsaka residence, meaning... it was someone familiar?
But who could it be at this late hour?
Could it be Aoi, coming to find him this late?
Knock, knock, knock...
Another series of knocks came from outside as Tokiomi gathered his thoughts, walked to the door, and slowly pushed it open.
...
At the port.
Two Servants and two Masters stood facing each other, the atmosphere tinged with an eerie tension.
Manaka Sajyou first glanced at Gilgamesh, then silently shifted her gaze to Alvin.
After a long pause, she let out a soft sigh, as if giving up.
"Fine."
"Even if I tried to make you stay now, you wouldn't come with me, would you, Saber?"
Alvin didn't respond, letting his silence speak for him.
No matter what, he had to get Irisviel to safety first.
And... he couldn't stay in Fuyuki forever.
"I'll let you go this time, Winter Saint."
Manaka cast a cold glance at the silver-haired beauty behind Alvin, her icy voice laced with a dangerous chill. "But I will kill you later."
This wasn't a joke or an empty threat, it was a deadly serious promise.
Gilgamesh looked at Manaka coldly and said slowly, "Are you treating this king like air?"
After all, he had come here specifically for Manaka Sajyou, yet she was blatantly ignoring him, even planning to leave right in front of him.
For the Hero King, this was nothing short of a provocation.
Manaka didn't look up at Gilgamesh, and just spoke indifferently, "Why don't you check on your Master, Archer?"
Gilgamesh froze for a moment.
Then, as if sensing something, he instinctively turned his gaze toward the Tohsaka residence.
Soon, as if confirming something, his expression hardened, his eyes growing dark before he said slowly,
"Someone dared to infiltrate the Tohsaka residence while this king was away?"
For the Hero King, this was undoubtedly a grave provocation, sparking a surge of intense anger.
Gilgamesh immediately turned and left the port as Alvin watched the golden king's figure vanish from sight before quietly withdrawing his gaze and turning to the figure in front of him.
"Did you do this, Manaka?"
"Even I can't account for everything... I didn't know Archer would be drawn here, and as for what's happening at the Tohsaka residence, I'm not aware of it either."
The latter shook her head, denying Alvin's words.
She lifted her gaze to the silver-haired beauty behind Alvin.
"Winter Saint, is it...? Since you're practically on the verge of death, I'll let you go this time."
"But no matter what you do, Saber will ultimately be mine."
Though she was inhabiting Irisviel's body, the Winter Saint's consciousness was far too weak.
Without the support of Fuyuki's Greater Holy Grail, she might have already vanished from this world entirely.
For Manaka Sajyou, the priority was to ensure the Greater Holy Grail gathered enough magical energy to remain permanently in Fuyuki.
After all, keeping Saber in Fuyuki indefinitely required this step.
Seeing Manaka leave just like that, 'Irisviel' seemed somewhat concerned. "Saber..."
"It's fine. Even for Manaka, without enough magical energy to fuel the Greater Holy Grail, it can't manifest, right?"
Alvin thought for a moment before continuing, "I'll take you back to Illya first... But if possible, I'd like you to avoid revealing that you're not Irisviel. Just interact with Illya as normal."
'Irisviel' paused briefly, then seemed to understand something as her expression softened, and she said, "Alright."
Whether it was Irisviel or Illya, they were both merely 'homunculi,' created as tools for the Holy Grail War.
From the moment of her creation, Irisviel had prepared herself to sacrifice everything to summon the Greater Holy Grail.
But Saber didn't seem to treat her as a 'doll.'
Perhaps because he himself wasn't human?
'Irisviel' thought to herself.
...
Knock, knock.
Deep within a mansion.
As the sound of knocking echoed, the silver-haired girl inside pushed open the door slightly, cautiously peering through the crack at the two figures outside.
When she saw the woman beside the young man, the unease in Illya's eyes transformed into joy.
"Mom!"
She rushed forward, throwing herself into Irisviel's arms, her small face burying into the woman's soft chest, nuzzling like a kitten.
'Irisviel' wore a gentle, maternal expression, softly stroking Illya's silver hair and then instinctively glanced at Alvin.
"You two head inside first. I have some things to take care of," Alvin said.
"Also... there's another girl in the house. If she wakes up in the middle of the night, I'd appreciate it if you could look after her."
'Irisviel tilted her head, a hint of doubt in her beautiful crimson eyes.
"She's a child of the Tohsaka family, but not long ago, the head of the Tohsaka family sent her to be adopted by the Matou family," Alvin explained.
'Irisviel' paused briefly, then seemed to understand something and said softly, "To inherit the Matou family's magecraft?"
Her eyes carried a subtle, knowing look.
It was obvious that she was somewhat aware of the Matou family's magecraft and knew it wasn't something a child could endure.
"Be careful out there, Saber,"
'Irisviel' soon warned in a low voice.
"I can't provide you with much magical energy right now..."
Her tone carried a hint of apology as she spoke.
Since she was merely a lingering consciousness, and Irisviel's 'engraving' as the Lesser Holy Grail had just been transferred, her body was extremely weak.
Alvin's ability to maintain his presence in the world was entirely due to his [Independent Manifestation].
"Don't worry. I'm just going to find someone. I'll do my best to avoid clashing with other Servants this time," Alvin said with a smile.
"Is big brother leaving?" Illya lifted her face, her crimson eyes filled with unease.
Alvin reached out and gently patted her head. "Just stepping out for a bit. I'll be back soon."
After speaking, he turned to the silver-haired woman and asked.
"Can I ask you for a favor, Irisviel?"
"What is it?"
"I'm looking for someone."
Alvin said, "All Servants are summoned through the Greater Holy Grail, so their whereabouts are within its scope of control... The truth is, I accepted this summoning to save someone."
He looked into Irisviel's eyes.
"He's my teacher, and the Servant he summoned this time is Lancer."
...
...
Tohsaka Residence
In the dimly lit hall, a golden figure silently materialized.
Gilgamesh narrowed his crimson eyes, staring at the mysterious Servant seated in the hall.
"You knew this king would return, yet you dared to stay here... I must commend your courage, unknown Servant."
As he spoke, he glanced at Tohsaka Tokiomi standing in the corner, who was looking at the Servant with a hesitant expression, sweat beading on his forehead.
Even when facing the Hero King, he had never shown such panic, had he?
Who was this Servant...?
As such thoughts crossed his mind, Gilgamesh slowly stepped forward, lifting his gaze to get a clear look at the Servant before him.
A pair of golden twin-tails cascaded naturally, adorned in an ornate dress embroidered with golden threads.
Beneath the skirt, a pair of delicate, snow-white feet peeked out as the woman before him toyed with a vibrant red gem in her hand, raising her head to look at Gilgamesh with a playful smile. "Goldie, long time no see."
.
.
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