Shirou, who returned from the Fairy Kingdom

Then, she turned and jumped from the spaceship hundreds of meters in the air at a speed too fast for the naked eye to follow.

"What an incredible kid," the free-falling girl thought.

Because of her experiences and observations during her lifetime, she developed a strong aversion to men and felt uncomfortable just talking to them.

But incredibly, the "Black" swordsman didn't give her that feeling at all.

This was the first time she had ever experienced such a situation, and she could even feel a sense of security from the red-haired boy... so she took the initiative to propose an alliance.

I felt that he and I would make great teammates, so...

"However... there's nothing we can do since I've been rejected."

Atalanta landed lightly on the ground, unaware that she was happily wagging her tail.

"Next time we meet, I'm definitely going to kill that brat and make him regret not accepting my invitation tonight!"

------------

Volume 5, Chapter 217: Xiao Mo: You've given me another little sister?

After the "Red" archer left, Shirou retrieved "Engrahan" and landed alone in the forest.

The forest at night is not peaceful; if you listen carefully, you can hear the sounds of a distant battlefield.

"Saber, please continue straight ahead. A battle is taking place on the plains ahead."

"Ah, I understand. Thank you, Aigo."

The Master's voice rang directly in Shirou's mind.

While Shirou was on his mission to escort Ruler, Ayaka Sajou had already sent her familiars into the main battlefield to monitor everything that was happening there.

According to the battle report sent by Aige, the current observations of the "Red" and "Black" matches are as follows:

"Red" Spearman vs. "Red" Berserker & "Black" Cavalry.

"Red" cavalry vs. "Black" archers.

It seems that the "Red" spearmen are at a disadvantage, which is why the "Red" archers were recalled to help...

Wait, the "Red" spearmen are actually at a disadvantage?

Shirou was somewhat surprised.

Having fought against the "Red" Lancer, he knew very well how powerful Lancer was, undoubtedly comparable to the hero-king Gilgamesh.

The "Red" Berserker is also very strong, but he could never be his match. As for the pink-haired crossdresser... I don't think it makes much difference whether he's there or not.

What happened there? It's something even Lancer is struggling with.

"Saber, we're about to leave the forest, please be careful."

Shirou nodded in agreement, then ended the call with Aika.

Alright, let's go check if there are any stragglers...

"Um……?"

Shirou suddenly sensed a human presence and turned his gaze from the open plain to the depths of the forest.

Several hundred meters ahead, figures could be seen, seemingly engaged in a fight.

Has someone actually invaded the forest?

If left unchecked, it would be troublesome if they were attacked from behind, so Shirou immediately decided to go and investigate the situation.

Gradually, the outline of the figure became clearly visible.

With faded white hair and brown skin, the boy, who looks to be about the same age as Shirou, is fighting an enemy.

Hmm... Isn't this the person Ruler is looking for?

Why would Kotomine Shiro be in a place like this?

Did Aika not detect any fighting in the forest?

Shirou remained silent, observing the situation from behind the shadows of the trees.

Behind the young priest stood a follower, while his opponent was a girl dressed in a wedding gown for some unknown reason.

The girl in the wedding dress—by process of elimination, she can be either Berserker or Caster… no, she must be the “Black” Berserker.

As she charged toward Father Kotomine, she used her warhammer to knock away the black keys he had thrown.

Despite facing the menacing berserker, Father Kotomine wore an expression of complete composure.

Even on the battlefield, his carefree attitude inexplicably annoyed Shirou...

Hmm, this is definitely not a case of like repels like, right?

That's really strong...

Shirou frowned: This guy named Kotomine Shirou was becoming more and more suspicious to him.

Although the men of the Kotomine family are all monsters, they are still ultimately within the realm of human powerhouses.

Neither Riss nor Kirei could possibly be an enemy of a Servant, let alone a Berserker.

Does his power originate from the Servant behind him who is suspected to be Caster?

Shirou didn't sense any enhancement magic, which made him even more puzzled.

"Alright then... Warlock, let me use my skills."

After saying this, Kotomine Shiro raised his hand high into the sky, and a weapon was immediately summoned with unrestrained magic.

Shirou's gaze shifted to the katana sheathed inside its sheath, and he instantly understood everything.

That sword is a "Noble Phantasm".

Generally speaking, Japanese swords do not become Noble Phantasms of Servants.

After all, the oldest existing samurai sword is only 500 years old.

That level of mystery is enough to be considered a "Mystic Code," but not enough to be called a "Noble Phantasm."

As for Shirou's "Enma Sword," it is actually "something else" that has the shape of a Japanese sword.

However, what Kotomine Shiro possesses is indeed a Noble Phantasm—

"Okay, okay, please! Please use it! Like a storm accompanied by raging fire! Like a torrential rain accompanied by lightning! The story of never waking up is about to begin!"

With Caster's excited shouts, Father Kotomine launched his attack.

He seized upon Berserker's momentary hesitation and delivered a precise thrust.

"Waaaaaahhhhhhh!"

The wedding dress girl, whose skin had been torn, swung her warhammer in retaliation. Her sword, which should have shattered long ago if she had taken the blow directly, remained undamaged even after several rounds of fighting.

It seems that "creating Noble Phantasms" is the ability of the "Red" caster.

Then Shirou also discovered that the "Black" Berserker's magical reaction consumed almost no energy.

Normally, Berserker's energy consumption should be extremely high, but her magical reactions fluctuate steadily within a certain range.

"..."

After observing for a while, Shirou suddenly realized and understood the principle behind the girl's actions.

Through that uniquely shaped warhammer, she was continuously absorbing the magic from the surrounding atmosphere.

The "Black" Berserker's real name is Frankenstein.

Originating from a fictional work of art, she was summoned as the Black Berserker in this Holy Grail War. Her combat power is not high, and all her attributes are at a low level, but she is surprisingly well-suited to the class, because the original purpose of the Berserker was to strengthen the class of weak Servants.

Frankenstein's current warhammer-type Noble Phantasm, "The Maiden's Chastity," has a sphere at its front that is her heart, which has the ability to efficiently recover and accumulate her own and the surrounding area's leaked magical energy.

In battles where a large amount of magic power is continuously generated around us, "The Maiden's Chastity" will work in conjunction with another skill, "Electromagnetism," to allow the maiden to almost simulate and reproduce the infinite loop of a "perpetual motion machine of the second kind."

In addition, the girl's body will be strengthened in response to the accumulation of electrical energy, and the damage she suffers will continue to be repaired.

"........."

Shirou quietly observed the battle between Berserker and Father Kotomine.

The way it continuously replenished its magical energy was very similar to "something" that Shirou knew.

It was none other than himself.

Relying on the strongest dragon-type furnace core called "Heart of Albion," Shirou's magical power is almost inexhaustible; he can replenish a large amount of energy with just one breath.

Compared to him, the girl in the wedding dress is just a super, super, super inferior version.

Although they are both perpetual motion machines of the second kind, the difference between them is as great as the difference in bust size between Bagst and Melyuchina.

Even so... the principle is indeed the same.

"...Assassin is in trouble."

Kotomine Shiro made a new move, suddenly leaping back a large step while entangled with Berserker, and talking to Caster.

"It seems that Ruler 'realized' it earlier than I thought; he must have received some kind of revelation."

There's no other way; we have to prepare to retreat.

Father Kotomine was preparing to retreat, but Shirou wasn't about to let him get away—

He was just about to follow when the berserker had already charged ahead.

"Tsk...!"

Father Kotomine had no choice but to continue the fight.

Frankenstein differs from other berserkers in that he possesses explosive power without any concerns about stamina, making him extremely difficult to deal with when facing opponents of the same level.

The young priest frowned slightly, as if he had suddenly thought of something.

Shirou noticed the malicious smile on his face.

“Caster, I need your 'troupe'.”

The "Red" sorcerer understood immediately upon hearing this.

He held up a book and then spoke in an exaggerated manner, like an actor in a Shakespearean play.

"Oh, I see! Let her meet her father, whom she both loves and hates!"

"Life is but a walking shadow, a clumsy actor gesturing wildly on stage, and then fading into obscurity!"

As Caster shouted, accompanied by a surge of magic, a man who looked like a scientist appeared in the dark forest.

"........."

The "Black" Berserker stopped his pursuit and stood there in astonishment.

"Woooo...!"

The girl in the wedding dress looked at the man, her mouth agape in surprise.

There was "Dr. Frankenstein," the father who created her, the object of the girl's hatred—

Why? How could this be?

The "Black" Berserker wasn't surprised by his presence; what surprised her was his incredibly calm smile.

From the moment she first opened her eyes, her father's face was contorted with hatred.

He was supposed to offer his blessings, but instead, he only uttered curses.

"Failed, failed, failed, failed, failed!"

"How could this happen? This guy is a complete and utter blockhead!"

"No emotions! Is the connection broken?! Even her tear ducts are dysfunctional. She's not even human, let alone a perfect maiden (Eve)!"

—Ah, it seems I've failed.

What's sad isn't that I was considered a failure, but that my father, frantically scratching his messy hair, looked so pitiful.

"Father, I'm sorry. I'm sorry, it was a failure, I'm so sorry."

"I'm sorry, I'm sorry, I'm sorry. I'll fix it, I'll fix it properly, so please don't be angry."

"Don't be angry, don't be angry, don't be angry—"