Perhaps because of Alvin's bold move, or perhaps because everyone had been keeping an eye on their side since last night.
In any case, when Alvin headed to Tokiomi Tohsaka's mansion, the other Masters began to stir as well.
"Interesting! Truly interesting! Using their own Master as bait... It seems Saber has a lot of confidence in his Master."
"This is what makes the Holy Grail War truly exciting. If everyone just cowers in the shadows, waiting for opportunities, what's the point of the Holy Grail War?"
On an empty rooftop, the cold wind whipped around, fluttering the man's kingly cape.
The tall, burly Emperor stroked his chin, observing a certain direction in the sky, before letting out a hearty laugh.
The Conqueror King, Iskandar, summoned as the Rider-class Servant in this Holy Grail War.
A young boy, looking desperate, covered his face and said, "What's so interesting about it? They're obviously setting a trap to lure people in!"
"If we head to where Saber's Master is now, we might walk right into their ambush..."
Waver Velvet, one of Kayneth's disciples, had stolen his holy relic not long ago and secretly co to Fuyuki to participate in the Holy Grail War as a Clock Tower student.
On the very night he summoned Iskandar, Waver had already begun to regret it.
He was well aware of the dangers of the Holy Grail War and only hoped to survive until it ended...
However—
The Conqueror King summoned by Waver was clearly not so easily fooled, or rather, after being summoned, Iskandar had developed a keen interest in all sorts of things in the modern world.
And now, he actually wanted to jump headfirst into the "trap" set by Saber...
"A trap...?"
Iskandar glanced at Waver with confusion and said, "If it really is a trap, we'll just crush it with iron hooves. Besides, Saber is clearly issuing a challenge.
As the Conqueror King, how could I not et his expectations?"
Hearing his words, Waver opened his mouth, but before he could speak, Iskandar raised his right hand high.
Amidst his booming roar, the inky clouds in the sky churned and gathered, with flashes of lightning flickering within.
The special Noble Phantasm called the Via Expugnatio(Gordius Wheel), pulled by the Divine Bulls, ca charging in.
Like picking up a chick, Iskandar grabbed Waver by the collar and tossed him onto the chariot.
"Let's go, kid, co with to et them!"
...
At the sa ti..
Manaka Sajyou was walking through the snowy streets of the winter night.
Not long ago, when Alvin ntioned his plan to visit the Tohsaka residence, she had already guessed what he was up to.
For the Masters in this Holy Grail War, eliminating another Master was the fastest way to secure victory.
Once it was known that Saber wasn't by her side, soone would target Manaka Sajyou... It was obvious.
Even the shadowy head of the Matou family, Zouken Matou, would not let this opportunity slip by.
Of course, having suffered a major loss at Saber's hands not long ago, Zouken would be even more cautious now... It wasn't impossible that he might choose to hide until the Holy Grail War ended.
After all, Matou Zoukem had waited far too long for the Holy Grail.
This setback might make him retreat and stay hidden until this war was over.
Alvin's "fishing" strategy was, in essence, a gamble... a bet that, that old man wouldn't be able to resist making a move.
After all, Manaka Sajyou's appearance was so deceptive, no one would expect a pure-looking fifteen or sixteen-year-old girl to possess extraordinary magical circuits.
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In the dead silence of Fuyuki's late night, amidst the swirling snowflakes, a repulsive insect flapped its wings, silently flying into the Tohsaka family's old-fashioned mansion.
It perched by the window, as if peering through to observe the scene in the hall.
The Servant clad in a black robe sat in the hall, leisurely sipping tea from the table, while Tokiomi Tohsaka sat across from him, watching warily.
...Without a doubt, this was indeed Saber.
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In a corner of an alley sowhere in Fuyuki, an old man slowly opened his eyes, a chilling glint in his sinister, gray-white pupils.
He really let his Master go out alone...?
Is he just too foolish, or does he have absolute confidence in his Master?
But in the end, she's just a little girl.
Saber... you'll soon pay the price for your arrogance!
Zouken Matou lightly tapped his cane, and in an instant, his body dissolved into countless black insects, vanishing into the alley.
In the silent, snow-covered night that seed to have turned Fuyuki into a city of ice, the black clouds churned endlessly.
Upon closer inspection, one would notice a dense swarm of insects within one of the clouds, heading toward Manaka Sajyou's location.
However, the girl seed unaware of the cloud of "Crest Worms" forming above her head.
She walked along the path back, until at so point, she quietly stopped.
"By the way, you've been secretly watching since just now.
Are you still checking if there's a trap nearby?"
Manaka Sajyou's voice was crisp and pleasant as she said with a cheerful smile, "No wonder you've lived so long, Zouken Matou."
Behind her, countless Crest Worms silently coalesced into the form of an old man as he hunched over, staring at the girl with a sinister gaze, and said slowly, "It seems Saber indeed guessed I'd go straight for you...
But even so, he still let you face danger alone. It looks like he doesn't care much about his Master's life."
"You're wrong, Zouken Matou."
Manaka Sajyou maintained her bright smile, "It's precisely because he trusts that he let face this so-called danger alone."
"Just relying on magic insects to form a temporary body... you can't even be called a 'person.' Saber knows I could never lose to soone like you."
Zouken Matou suddenly laughed, saying slowly, "It seems not only Saber... but even you are full of confidence, little girl."
"But... no matter how remarkable your abilities are, you're still too inexperienced in combat."
Zouken Matou suddenly raised his cane.
Behind Manaka Sajyou, countless Crest Worms had already appeared unnoticed, as if devouring the magical energy in the air, forming a massive net that seed ready to consu her entirely.
As a cunning old fox who used insects, he was devious and cautious.
But even so... even knowing this might be a trap, he didn't believe Saber's Master could handle him.
His earlier conversation with Manaka Sajyou was rely to distract her; he had already released his insect magecraft in advance.
Manaka Sajyou raised her right hand and snapped her fingers as a surge of water elents condensed into a high wall behind her, blocking the multitude of Crest Worms outside.
"A water-elent magus, huh... Too bad. If it were fire, I might actually be a bit wary," Zouken Matou sneered.
Every magus is born with a special "magical aptitude," corresponding to one of the five elents: earth, water, wind, fire, or void. Each magus has an elent they excel in.
The Matou family, as magi who manipulate "insects," fears the fire elent the most.
He was initially sowhat wary that Manaka Sajyou might have so hidden trump card... but upon seeing her use water-elent magecraft, the last trace of his caution vanished completely as More and more insects sward toward Manaka Sajyou, nearly engulfing her delicate fra entirely.
As the water barrier surrounding the girl seed on the verge of succumbing to the Crest Worms' erosion, a smile crept onto Zouken Matou's aged, terrifying face.
Though he was old... few magi in Fuyuki could rival him in terms of magical endurance.
At this rate of consumption, Manaka Sajyou would soon be defeated, unable to withstand the Crest Worms' onslaught.
Having lived for five hundred years, Zouken had mastered the use of Crest Worms to perfection.
Each worm in his body could supply him with a certain amount of magical energy, and he could even absorb others' magical energy through them for his own use.
As long as he fought a war of attrition... no modern magus could possibly defeat him.
However, at that mont, the falling snowflakes seed to lt as if touched by so intense heat.
Zouken Matou froze, and with a look of uncertainty, he gazed at the girl ahead, who was now almost completely enveloped by the insects and thoughts montarily stalled.
For so reason, a faint, ominous feeling crept into his heart.
Boom!
At that instant, centered on Manaka Sajyou, an extre concentration of fire-elent magecraft erupted violently.
Countless Crest Worms fell powerlessly onto the snow-covered ground, emitting a charred scent like roasted at.
It was the pinnacle of fire-elent magecraft!
Born connected to the Root, wielding the unique authority of "omniscience and omnipotence," Manaka Sajyou could control all five elents from birth, and her magecraft far surpassed that of modern magi.
She raised her hand again, and an unremarkable fireball shot toward Zouken Matou.
Then, as it reached him, it exploded like a solidified gasoline bomb!
Zouken Matou's eyes narrowed and quickly stepped back while urging his Crest Worms to counter the girl's strong assault.
He knew that such extre fire-elent magecraft required imnse magical energy.
As long as he kept dragging it out, she would eventually exhaust her mana.
After nearly half a minute of relentless attacks, Manaka Sajyou's casting speed indeed slowed, and the power of her spells weakened compared to before.
"Not only have you mastered water to its peak, but fire as well?"
Zouken Matou spoke with a tone of admiration, saying slowly,
"No wonder Saber trusts you so much. A dual-elent magus, with such mastery over magecraft, you truly are a genius."
"But with such high-intensity magecraft, your magical energy won't last long. Learn this lesson today, Saber's Master—"
Hearing this, Manaka Sajyou tilted her head and said, "Who told you I need magical energy to cast magecraft?"
Zouken Matou froze.
Boom!
Before he could even react, a torrent of fire-elent energy suddenly surged under Manaka Sajyou's control.
The shattered walls, broken tiles, lted streetlamps, and snow, all began to swirl slowly around the girl as the center.
Her gothic dress danced as if in flas, blooming brilliantly.
Mordred, who had just arrived at the scene, ca to an abrupt halt, staring at the girl ahead, utterly captivated.
Water, fire... even the wind elent was being manipulated to perfection.
She was blending three elents together at this mont!
She was beautiful, almost as if she didn't belong to this world.
Hidden in the shadows, Kayneth was equally dumbfounded, stunned by the breathtaking spectacle before him and shocked by the magecraft she wielded.
You're telling this is a magus...?
At this mont, everyone understood why Saber's Master dared to use herself as "bait"because this girlherself was a monster beyond ordinary comprehension!
Under Zouken Matou's stunned gaze, Manaka Sajyou raised her hand with a wave.
The ultimate fire and wind elents churned the turbulent air, erupting in the next instant!
A dazzling blaze of flas ford a fiery tornado, the two elents perfectly intertwined and the fire tornado completely engulfed Zouken Matou.
The searing heat and intense pressure struck simultaneously.
The Crest Worms in Zouken Matou's body, as if sensing the fear of death, frantically tried to escape from him, but before they could flee the range of the fire tornado, they were charred to ash and ground to dust.
"Why? Who are you... What are you?!"
Zouken Matou finally overca his inner fear, staring intently at the girl, now rendered sacred and noble by the glow of the flas.
After such a prolonged battle of attrition, she shouldn't have been able to sustain such high-intensity magecraft.
Yet, at this mont, he distinctly felt... her magical energy showed no signs of weakening.
Even an EX-rank magical circuit shouldn't have such endurance—
Suddenly, as if realizing sothing, his eyes widened, and he stared at Manaka Sajyou.
"I understand... So that's it... That's it!"
Zouken Matou muttered, his expression frenzied and fervent:
"The Root... Your magical circuit is connected to the Root. You're a magus who has reached the Root!"
The path to the Root, which he had pursued his entire life... Soone had already been there.
This girl... She was the embodint of the connection to the Root!!
Unwillingly, the old reached out, trying to grasp the girl, but in the fire tornado, he, along with his five-hundred-year obsession with immortality, dissipated into nothingness.
Manaka Sajyou expressionlessly withdrew her gaze, using special magecraft to transmit her voice directly to Alvin's ear.
"Saber, you can co back now."
Her voice was calm and composed.
From the start, she had already known the outco of this battle, so there was no surprise to be had.
However... she was looking forward to Saber's reaction.
As if thinking of sothing amusing, a faint smile curved the girl'e lips, and she turned to leave.
But at that mont, a bolt of lightning flashed in the distance, accompanied by the sound of a chariot and a boy's scream.
The chariot stopped in front of the street.
The Conqueror King, holding Waver by the collar, scanned the "battlefield," a aningful smile soon spreading across his rugged face.
"So, you're Saber's Master, huh?"
Compared to the Conqueror King, Manaka Sajyou appeared especially petite.
She looked up, studying the man on the chariot for a mont, and said softly, "The Conqueror King, Iskandar?"
Her omniscience had already discerned his identity in an instant.
Iskandar stroked his chin, revealing an intrigued smile: "Oh? Even a little girl like you has heard of my great na. It seems my deeds have spread across the world, haven't they?"
"They've clearly investigated your identity, so be careful, Rider... I have a bad feeling about this one!"
Waver finally couldn't hold back and whispered his complaints.
It was no wonder, after the fierce battle between Manaka Sajyou and Zouken Matou, the street was left in utter ruins.
Add to that the terrifying magical energy still emanating from the girl...
Despite the fact that Manaka Sajyou, bathed in the lingering glow of flas, appeared extraordinarily sacred and beautiful.
No matter how you looked at it, she was dangerous.
But before Waver could say more, a man's voice, filled with authority and nace, suddenly echoed down the street.
"Waver, it seems you've been having quite a bit of fun in Fuyuki after stealing my holy relic—"
Hearing his words, Waver's body instinctively shuddered as he blurted out, "Tch-Teacher?!"
He had stolen Kayneth's holy relic and co to the Far East to participate in the Holy Grail War, all just to prove his own abilities... Never had he imagined he'd be so unlucky as to run into his teacher in this very war.
The Conqueror King suddenly seed to sense sothing, instinctively glancing to the side.
At the end of the street, a knight clad in silver armor, carrying a greatsword over their shoulder, slowly stepped into view.
Conqueror King raised his eyebrows slightly and murmured, "Lancer...?"
Although the other was tightly wrapped up, he could still sense an astonishingly powerful aura emanating from them.
Clearly, this one was strong!
anwhile, Sajyou Manaka also cast her gaze over, but after a few glances, she was about to lose interest and look away.
However, at that mont, she suddenly seed to notice sothing, her gaze freezing abruptly as she stared at the knight in surprise.
"The aura of the White Dragon...?"
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