Shirou, who returned from the Fairy Kingdom

Lancer grinned maliciously: "That's right, my Master has ordered me to prepare for a retreat. The situation is starting to turn against us."

"They even noticed that! You have to admit, wild boars have incredibly sensitive noses!"

Saber retorted, "Excuse my bluntness, but in my opinion, you're the one who looks more like a wild boar now."

As she said, Diarmuid's cursed beast skin had gradually assimilated into it during the battle.

His "glorious appearance" is long gone; now he looks like a monster covered in sharp bristles—with the upper body of a boar and the lower body of a human.

"As sharp-tongued as ever, Saber."

Lancer grinned maliciously, "Next time we meet, I'll make sure you're never as relaxed as you are now."

He retreated immediately after speaking, and Saber wanted to give chase but couldn't.

Lancer, in his demon form, possesses magical power on par with Saber.

However, unlike Saber, who uses magic to enhance her normal power, Lancer's magic release manifests in mobility and explosive power.

Therefore, if Lancer tries to escape with all his might, Saber will be helpless and can only watch him disappear into the darkness of the forest.

"call……"

Artoria let out a long breath.

Although she had the best Master, Irisviel, to supply her with magic, the battle with Lancer just now was still very tiring for her, and she was exhausted.

Moreover, she believes that Lancer did not even exert his full strength.

In reality, Diarmuid only gained one more skill: Mana Release.

In this way, they can fight on equal footing.

He was actually testing my strength. I'll definitely crush him next time we meet...!

Saber made a silent decision in her heart.

The girl was completely unaware that, influenced by someone, she had become unusually combative tonight.

"Oh, right, Irisviel!"

Saber finally realized that her Master was still on the battlefield, and had just been targeted by the enemy.

She turned around and found the silver-haired android staring into the distance, completely absorbed.

"Shirou-kun...you're amazing...whoosh..."

Saber looked speechless: Could it be that during my battle with Lancer, she was also staring at Shirou with a lovestruck expression the whole time?

You've only met him once, so why are you so concerned about that child?

What exactly is your relationship? What happened between you? I'll make you tell me everything in detail later.

Be prepared, Irisviel.

"……what!"

Irisviel woke up from her sleepwalking and found her adorable knight giving her a disdainful look.

"Saber! Why are you staring at me like that? By the way... where's Lancer?"

"He's already gone. I'm very sorry I couldn't defeat him."

Irisviel paused for a moment: "...The battle is over?"

Saber nodded with a displeased expression: "Yes."

"Hahaha, is that so... Yeah, really, I can no longer sense Lancer and his Master."

As the master of the Einzbern Forest Barrier, Irisviel is able to sense various situations in the vicinity.

The invaders in the forest have retreated, and now only she and Saber remain.

Upon hearing this, Artoria removed the magically woven armor and went to her Master's side to ask.

"So what's next, Master?"

Throughout the year she spent with Irisviel, Saber always addressed her by her first name, only using the title "Master" when she was being serious or sarcastic.

"I wonder if Shirou is alright. I'm so worried..."

Noticing the disdainful look from the King of Knights, Irisviel quickly changed her tune: "Right, right! We need to repair the damaged barrier pivot quickly! Let's go, Saber!"

She grabbed Saber's hand and led her deeper into the forest, but then—

"!!"

As if sensing something, Saber suddenly stopped and turned sharply to look in the direction where the monster had disappeared.

……

……

"Master..."

"Master...Master..."

I heard the sound from afar.

Shirou opened his eyes due to a strong feeling of weightlessness.

Then he realized that this wasn't the falling sensation he often experienced in nightmares, but that he was actually falling.

Above is the unreachable universe, all around are endless clouds, and below is a brightly lit city.

It seems that I was blown tens of thousands of meters into the air by the aftershocks of the spatial rift that was cut open by the "Blade of Chaos".

"Master!"

The woman's anxious voice rang in my ears again.

"Stop shouting, I'm awake."

Shirou frowned impatiently: "How's the situation in the city? Fukayama Town shouldn't have been affected by the disaster, right?"

Ms. Avalon said with some helplessness, "Is this the time to worry about such things?"

Master handled it perfectly; not a single tentacle escaped your grasp.

"That's good."

Shirou let out a long sigh of relief; it seemed his plan was going quite smoothly.

If his only goal was to eliminate the sea monster, he could have chosen a far more energy-efficient fighting method than he is currently using.

For example, after cutting it into thousands of pieces with the "Blade of Chaos," burn it all with the karmic fire from hell.

However, this would inevitably affect nearby residential buildings and structures due to the high temperature of the explosion.

Even though this is a remote area some distance from the city, there will still be casualties.

Shirou then unleashed his full power, annihilating the sea monster's true form with a single strike, leaving not a trace and not even producing any explosives.

For this reason, Shirou exhausted all his magical power and was blown away by the shockwave.

"Ms. Avalon, please briefly explain the situation."

"I regret to inform you that the 'Royal Command Spell' has been lifted."

"I can see that without you explaining it."

Shirou, finding his body had reverted to that of an 8-year-old, asked in surprise:

"I don't seem to have felt the 'world correction' you mentioned. Isn't it said that there will be a very bad backlash effect when it ends?"

Aside from being completely sore all over and unable to move, and having no reaction at all in my magic circuits, there didn't seem to be any other particularly strong reactions.

"..."

Ms. Avalon paused for a second.

"Now...now is not the time to dwell on such things!"

How can you remain so calm? Do you even understand the situation?

If this continues, Master will fall to his death from a height of ten thousand meters!

Shirou nodded thoughtfully: "That's true, things aren't looking good... Why isn't the Wind's Blessing working?"

"It was destroyed when you slashed the sea monster."

"I'm really sorry, I'll be more careful next time."

Anyway... I'm coming to your place now.

Ms. Avalon shouted in her mind.

Shirou could tell she was panting as she spoke; she must have been traveling the whole time.

"Master, try again to awaken the magic circuits, even just a little bit... You must hold on until I get to you!"

"No, there's no need for that. I suddenly had an idea."

"...?"

Ms. Avalon suddenly had a bad feeling.

Shirou glanced back down.

I'm currently about four thousand meters above the ground, enough time for him to land for a while.

"You must have had a very tiring night, so take a good rest now."

I'll contact you if anything happens... Don't worry, I have no intention of committing suicide.

"Wait, Master, no—"

Shirou cut off his conversation with Ms. Avalon.

As the excitement of the battle subsided, he began to recall the feelings he had when he had approached the sea monster.

If the Noble Phantasms of Servants alone can summon such terrifying monsters, what would happen if the Holy Grail itself were used for evil purposes?

The image of the living room at the Amamiya residence, along with Fujimiya and Sakura's smiles, flashed through Shirou's mind.

Although I have no interest in the Holy Grail, I cannot let any wicked person get it, Shirou made up his mind.

However, before obtaining the Holy Grail, I still need to save my own life first.

The red-haired boy took a deep breath and composed himself.

"—If you can sense it."

Shirou closed his eyes and whispered.

"Catch me, Saber...!!"

……

……

"What's wrong, Saber?"

Irisviel looked at the blonde girl who had stopped, puzzled.

She knew the truth behind Saber's reaction: it must be that her "Intuition" skill had been activated.

"........."

Artoria's eyes gleamed as she gazed at the distant sky where the monster had disappeared, and she spoke with a solemn expression.

"Master, please use Command Seals on me."

-------

Volume 1, Chapter 62: A Late-Night "Reward?"

"Irisviel, please use a Command Spell on me."

Saber suddenly looked in the direction where the monster had disappeared and said in an urgent tone.

What's wrong, Saber?

Irisviel wanted to ask, but after seeing Saber's expression, she resolutely began to load Command Seals.

Irisviel is the ultimate homunculus created and modified by the Einzbern family as the strongest Master in the Holy Grail War.