That protagonist is trash; I could do better!

The moment Saber entered, she felt her breathing become much easier, and within minutes, the fatigue accumulated from the night's intense battle vanished.

"The magic here is even stronger than in my time."

King Arthur is considered the incarnation of a dragon, possessing a dragon's heart, blood containing dragon essence, and able to draw magic from the atmosphere with his breath.

This cave was opened by Matou Shinji about half a year ago. It was used for magic experiments and storing magical energy. It is not Caster's workshop, but Matou Shinji's workshop. The interior is filled with a high concentration of magical energy.

The cave was very simply furnished, about the size of a single room. Strange experimental tools were placed around it, but there was no furniture. The floor was carved with complex transmutation circles filled with mercury, serving as a simple magic furnace that continuously absorbed the magic power overflowing from the spiritual veins.

Shinji Matou sat down on the ground: "Please make yourself at home. I am Saber, the homunculus of the Einzbern family."

The two found a corner to sit down. Irisviel's complexion had improved, and her beautiful face had regained some color. Shinji Matou had to praise the Einzbern family's sculpting skills; the injured Irisviel's haggard appearance was enough to arouse any man's protective instincts.

Unfortunately, Shinji Matou is just a little kid right now, and can only appreciate Irisviel's pure beauty with innocent eyes.

Shinji Matou suggested, "The magic here is plentiful, which can accelerate the healing of injuries. How about we exchange information for tonight?"

Irisviel nodded: "Thank you very much for your help, Mr. Caster. I feel much better here. Also, please don't be shy, just call me by my name. Exchanging information is beneficial to both of us."

"Then I won't stand on ceremony, Irisviel. First of all, why was Berserker able to severely injure you?"

Saber's face darkened, as if she were consumed by self-blame.

Irisviel countered, "Mr. Caster, why do you think that's Berserker? You must have never seen that Servant before."

On the way there, Irisviel and Saber exchanged information.

"While you were fighting Berserker, all the other class Servants, including myself, held a beach party on the beach tonight. The only ones who didn't come were Saber and Berserker."

Irisviel's eyes lit up: "It sounds exciting. It's a pity we missed it. Actually, I don't know if the Servant who fought Saber was Berserker. My injury wasn't entirely Saber's fault."

Irisviel recounted her injury to Shinji Matou.

At first, Irisviel was strolling along a bustling street with Saber. Because of the crowd, they weren't on high alert. It was then that she was questioned by a police officer. While Irisviel was answering, the officer ambushed her at very close range.

Saber, realizing what was happening, killed the patrolman on the spot, but to no avail. The crowd was terrified and scattered, causing the fog to spread. Saber then fought a fierce battle with the enemy within the fog.

It wasn't until Shinji Matou arrived that the other party was scared off.

"By Berserker's standards, that Servant was far too calm. Even after I was injured, he used me as a target to restrain Saber. If Caster hadn't come, we probably would have had a hard time escaping."

Shinji Matou pondered silently, then solemnly said, "Berserkers are not just Servants who have lost their minds. They can also summon Servants with aspects that are difficult for ordinary people to understand. Even worse, it is possible for two negatives to turn into a positive, summoning a Servant who should be a Berserker in a completely rational state. I think I know who the Servant who attacked you is."

No wonder Ryunosuke Uryu was able to control Berserker and fight Saber head-on; it wouldn't be surprising at all if it were him.

“Caster, please explain,” Saber solemnly requested.

"People call him Jack the Ripper, the most famous serial killer in the world. He is not the real Jack the Ripper, but a demon that people fear, a god-like being. Gods are Gaia's tentacles, and Jack the Ripper is a demon created by the collective unconscious of mankind."

Jack the Ripper, a Berserker-class character, is not the same as the white-haired loli and is much more troublesome. In Fate/strangefake, he is summoned as a Berserker-class character.

Because two negatives make a positive, Jack the Ripper, a Berserker-class character, possesses complete rationality; otherwise, if he were summoned as a different class, the first person he would kill would be his Master.

Unlike typical Berserkers, Jack the Ripper doesn't have a strong supply of magical energy. Furthermore, because his Noble Phantasm is based on the potential unease and fear of the people around him, he can unleash power comparable to a combat-oriented Servant in densely populated urban areas.

Every advantage has its disadvantages. In deserted areas like beaches, the Berserker-class Jack the Ripper might not even be as strong as an Assassin clone.

Chapter Thirty-Nine: The Evil of This World

Einzbern, the factory of artificial humans, the remnants of an ideal long abandoned.

Its history dates back to the first year of the Western Calendar. It was originally a magic workshop created by the disciples of the Third Magician. Because the Third Magician's whereabouts were unknown, they wanted to recreate their master's miracles.

The end that nearly nine hundred years of futile efforts could reach was the homunculus Justessa Risleich von Einzbern, known as the Winter Saintess.

However, she was a miracle that appeared by pure chance. Even if the creators were given the same materials, the same technology, and the same time, they would not have the confidence to create another Winter Saintess.

Therefore, even the reappearance of the Third Law by the Winter Saintess could not please the Creators. The Creators tried their best to create an artificial human that surpassed the Winter Saintess, but without exception, they all failed.

Golem Jubstacheit, the central control artificial intelligence of the Einzbern family, was the pinnacle of technology at the time and the father of all androids.

The Winter Saintess recreated the Third Law, but the cost was extremely high. It would take several years and a large amount of materials to realize even a single case, making the idea of ​​saving all of humanity out of the question.

The creators realized that even though human hands can create things that transcend humanity, they cannot create things that can redeem humanity.

Perhaps, without the miracle of the Winter Saintess, they wouldn't have been so devastated.

Einzbern's reign came to an end. Some of its creators, feeling utterly hopeless about their abilities, committed suicide, while others left Einzbern to seek out a slim chance of a miracle.

The magic workshop called Einzbern was permanently closed.

However, the androids left behind, though abandoned by their creators, still chose to carry out the magicians' ideals—to save all mankind and realize the Third Law. The Einzbern Factory began operation.

The homunculi of Einzbern reached a consensus and decomposed the magic circuits of Justessa Risleisch von Einzbern, the Winter Saintess, magically replacing them with a human universe to create the Greater Grail System. Then, using the Holy Grail War as a ritual, they summoned Servants from the Throne of Heroes outside the world, using the directional nature of the Servants returning to the Throne of Heroes to create a hole leading to the outside world, and then used immense magical power to fix it.

To create a door to the outside world, so that the true Third Law can be realized.

This is the truth of the Holy Grail War: the remnants of ideals inherited from human magicians by the Einzbern Factory, their only reason for existing in this world.

······

"Am I right, Irisviel?" Shinji Matou smiled as he looked at the dazed silver-haired woman before him. His words had just laid bare the true nature of the Einzbern family.

After listening to Shinji Matou's introduction of the Einzbern family in a daze, Irisviel's heart was filled with shock. All the information Shinji Matou gave matched up perfectly, and some of the information was even something that she, as a perfect android, could not obtain.

How could an outsider know more about the secrets of the Einzbern family than she did?

In fact, Shinji Matou still had many things left unsaid, including the fact that the Einzbern family, like Zouken Matou, had long since become corrupt and decadent, and that their pursuit of goals and processes had been reversed. The Einzbern family (Ahadeon, the control center of the homunculi) wanted to obtain the Holy Grail simply to prove that the Einzbern family's pursuit over the past thousand years was not meaningless.

She recalled what she had heard when she first met Shinji Matou. At that time, she had made many connections, and now Shinji Matou's words confirmed one of her conjectures. She couldn't help but ask, "Mr. Caster, you shouldn't be from this world, at least not from this timeline."

"What!" Saber looked at Shinji Matou in surprise.

Shinji Matou glanced at Saber's surprised expression and chuckled, "Didn't I give you a hint from the beginning, Saber? Why are you so surprised? You yourself don't belong to this world. If anything, I'm from the future, and you're from the past."

Irisviel smiled with relief: "Indeed, I've always thought so. You once said that you witnessed the outcome of the Fourth Holy Grail War, and that outcome must be the reason you appeared here and chose to cooperate with us."

Shinji Matou spread his hands: "It's a pity that the Fourth Holy Grail War is destined to be fruitless, otherwise the Counter Force would have been activated long ago. No, it's very likely that the fact that I'm sitting here right now is a manifestation of the Counter Force."

Saber frowned: "What do you mean? Why does the Counter Force want to stop the Holy Grail War?"

"It's very simple. Once the Holy Grail War ritual is completed, humanity will face annihilation."

Irisviel shook her head resolutely: "Impossible! The Holy Grail War was created to save humanity, how could it destroy humanity?"

"That might have been the case before the Third Holy Grail War, Irisviel. Do you know what happened during the Third Holy Grail War? Which Servant did the Einzbern family summon to win the Holy Grail War?"

“This…” After hesitating for a moment, Irisviel said softly, “During the Third Holy Grail War, in order to win the Holy Grail War, the Einzbern summoned what they considered to be the strongest Servant, the eighth class [Avenger] Angra Mainyu, who did not exist in the Holy Grail War, through abnormal means.”

Shinji Matou chimed in, "His strength was very weak; he was easily defeated by the other Servants."

"Yes, but what does this have to do with the Holy Grail War?"

"Because what you summoned was not a true demon god. You should know very well that the Holy Grail system cannot summon gods. What you summoned was just an ordinary young man from the Zoroastrian sect who was unjustly accused of being the 'evil of this world.' Human sacrifice was a very common religious ritual at that time. Angola Manuel was the 'evil of this world,' but he was also regarded as a hero who protected the sect."

"He was not a hero created by himself, but by the desires of the people around him. When he left the stage as a Servant, his soul was taken back by the Lesser Grail. As a result, the evil of this world that Angra Mainyu carried was recognized by the Grail system as a wish."

"The Holy Grail System is no longer an omnipotent wish-granting machine, but a bullet called 'Evil of This World' that will be fired at all humanity once the trigger is pulled."

Irisviel was deeply shocked, biting her thin lips: "This kind of thing..."

"What is your basis?" Saber asked solemnly.

"I know you won't believe it easily, which is why I brought you here. Seeing is believing, and you'll understand once you see the current Grand Grail system."

Chapter Forty: Deep in the Cave

Inside the magic workshop, after a break of more than an hour, Shinji Matou and the others were all preoccupied with their own thoughts, and the atmosphere in the cave was heavy and awkward.

With her injuries somewhat relieved, Irisviel couldn't wait to suggest, "Mr. Caster, my injuries are no longer serious. May we go and check the Holy Grail System now?"

As an artificial human from the Einzbern family, he was far more anxious about the corruption of the Holy Grail system than Shinji Matou.

“Then let’s set off.” Shinji Matou nodded.

Leaving the magic workshop, I led the two out of the mountain path and up the steps of the main gate of Ryudou Temple. This was the only way for Servants to reach Ryudou Temple normally.

Halfway up the mountain, Shinji Matou signaled the two to stop. He then used magic to construct a ritual circle, threw in a Philosopher's Stone, and chanted an incantation: "Heavy earth, press down heavily."

The ritual array disappeared, and peace returned.

Saber asked, "Cater, what are you doing?"

Shinji Matou explained, "After the Holy Grail War began, this city was full of familiars spying on us. It's hard to guarantee that we won't be followed. This is the only road that leads to the back mountain, where there is nowhere for anyone to hide. It is the best place to intercept the enemy."

Earth elemental spirits, while unable to deal with Servants, can easily annihilate Assassin's clones.

“I see, Caster. If you were in my time, you would certainly be an excellent general,” Saber praised.

"It is my great honor."

Not long after Shinji Matou entered Ryudouji Temple, he indeed received feedback from the earth element spirit, who destroyed an Assassin clone that was attempting to pass through the stairs.

"Hounds have such a keen sense of smell."

Beside her, Irisviel asked curiously, "Were we really being followed?"

"It's Assassin. We specifically chose a long route to deal with it. However, the Tohsaka family probably already knows about our alliance." Shinji Matou smiled. If Tokiomi Tohsaka hadn't summoned Gilgamesh, the King of Heroes, they could have cooperated. After all, Tokiomi Tohsaka is the most normal of the three starter families, and knowing the truth about the Holy Grail would definitely make him more anxious than the others.

Leaving Ryudouji Temple and entering the mountainous area, Shinji Matou glanced at Saber: "From here on, we leave the area of ​​Ryudouji Temple. I'm alright, since I'm not a complete Servant, I can use my human characteristics to circumvent the barrier's effects. How do you feel?"

"It's alright. I have a high level of magic resistance, and I can feel a strong pressure here. It will probably be troublesome to fight." Saber raised her arm and used her invisible sword to cut through the trees to clear a path for Irisviel.

Shinji Matou sneered, "Your words sound like you're trying to provoke me into attacking you, or is it some kind of warning?"

Saber smiled faintly and replied, "Who knows?"

Soon, Shinji Matou found a stream in the desolate mountains: "Follow this stream, and its source is the entrance to the underground cavern."

Seeing Irisviel carefully parting the branches, Saber went over and picked her up, saying, "Excuse me, Irisviel, the terrain here is rather complicated, please be careful."

Irisviel covered her mouth and chuckled: "Be careful...aren't you holding me right now?"

"Yes, I walk quite fast, and the terrain doesn't affect me."

"Hmm, then I'll enjoy the King of Knights' express service to my heart's content." Irisviel happily wrapped her arms around Saber's neck.

Shinji Matou pursed his lips, feeling an inexplicable awkwardness, as if he had been forcibly inserted into a group of couples' dates.

This lemon is really sour.

The source of the stream is a rock wall, with overlapping rocks and only one gap that allows a person to squeeze through sideways. You can also feel the magical atmosphere around you.

Shinji Matou recalled Junji Itoh's famous work, "The Monster of the Amikara Fault".