Chapter 34: Day 8 ⑤

With a heavy sound that resonated in our stomachs, the gate leading to Ryūdō Temple was opened.

Leaving Alto to confront the Servant who must be Assassin, the four of us stepped into Ryūdō Temple.

The moment we passed through the gate, the abnormally dense Mana—compared to the scarce life force outside the gate—choked my breath, and I unconsciously grimaced.

Even Shinji, who has no Magic Circuits, seemed overwhelmed by the atmosphere, his face turning pale, and the air surrounding us definitely began to solidify.

I gripped the wooden sword I had brought from home for self-defense tightly in my right hand, forcing my hesitant feet forward. I pressed on toward the front, constantly rousing myself when I felt discouraged.

Ahead of me, Lia's back showed no signs of hesitation. Lia had looked worriedly at Alto until the very end, but that stopped once we entered Ryūdō Temple. Since opening the gate, she has taken the lead, charging forward with the clanging of her armor. I also increased my speed, determined not to be outdone, chasing after Lia.

While moving, I was thinking about Lia's actions. What was Lia so worried about?

That samurai-like Servant was unsettling. Even I could sense his abnormality.

However, even if Alto is inferior in terms of swordsmanship, since she can exchange blows one-on-one with Lia, the Saber-class Servant, I don't think she would lose so easily.

...But the fact that Lia, who is stronger than Alto, is concerned about that Servant makes me inexplicably uneasy. I don't know why, but perhaps there's something only the strong understand. If so, then Alto is...

I shook my head to dispel such thoughts.

What good is it if I don't trust Alto? We have to do what we can. I told myself this and forcibly switched my focus.

As we got closer, the details of the main hall became visible. Lia, running in the very front, stopped, and Tohsaka followed suit. I also stopped diagonally behind Lia, confirmed Shinji was behind me, and turned back to face forward.

When I turned, Caster was suddenly standing there amidst the swirling wind.

"I thought that even that Assassin could at least buy us some time... But I suppose he was merely a remnant spirit clinging to the land after all."

The voice resonated clearly. It came from Caster right in front of us. We braced ourselves for every single word. Our opponent is a Heroic Spirit capable of being the Caster class Magus. We can't know when a mass of Prana might fly toward us.

That being said, as a Magus whose Magecraft is impossible to neutralize, all I can do is move away from the trajectory with all my might. Nevertheless, I channeled Prana into the wooden sword in my hand, transforming it into a more resilient object.

I ignited my Magic Circuits. I don't know if it's because I don't bother constructing new circuits every time, but the structural reinforcement finished smoothly. Whether this wooden sword will be useful against a Magus like Caster is questionable, but it should be better than nothing.

"Well, still, managing to restrain even one is a good outcome. Against two Servants with high Magic Resistance, a Caster like myself would be defenseless."

Fufu, Caster let out a slight laugh. Judging by her words and demeanor, she must have noticed Alto's absence.

...But a question remains regarding her words. Caster and Assassin are indeed maintaining a common front. Even I can glean that from her statement. However... I get the feeling they are not dealing on equal terms.

"Are your Master and the Master of the Servant at the gate allied?"

Simultaneously as I reached that thought, Tohsaka posed the question to Caster. I could tell that Tohsaka also felt a doubt about Caster's previous statement.

Her question, though she might have an idea, wasn't put forward with absolute certainty, but rather just raising a simple doubt.

—Assassin's Master and Caster's Master are cooperating. Tohsaka, myself, and even Alto, who sensed Assassin's presence, all held the same conclusion. After all, we ourselves were doing the same. Conversely, the fact that two Servants share a base of operations is otherwise inexplicable.

But her previous statement threw that into doubt. One might think it's simply a poor compatibility between them, but even setting that aside, Caster clearly looks down upon Assassin. Her tone even suggests she doesn't trust Assassin's ability. Can someone forming an alliance tolerate looking down on and distrusting their partner?

I can't think of any merit for Caster to align with someone she perceives that way. The possibility of an agreement between the Masters remains, but even so, an alliance where one party is looked down upon is hard to conceive.

Tohsaka herself probably didn't expect a straightforward answer. Perhaps it was a light feint before the battle. Yet, Caster reacted to the question.

"Fufu, an alliance? Such an elaborate setup isn't necessary for that man. Because that man has no Master."

She placed her slender left hand over her mouth. Her pale hand stood out sharply against the black mass that was her robe. The mouth hidden beneath her left hand seemed to be smiling.

No Master. Before I could fully comprehend that statement, Caster continued.

"—I am the one who summoned him."

And she let out a smile she couldn't suppress.

Caster summoned him? And he has no Master? Does that mean Caster is fulfilling the role of a Master?

However, Caster definitely said, "Assassin has no Master." If taken at face value, it means he is manifesting without a Master, having only been summoned.

Isn't that overturning the rule of the Holy Grail War that states, "A Magus summons a Servant and becomes their Master"?

"You... you broke the laws of the Holy Grail War!"

Tohsaka roared at Caster with a striking intensity.

...Caster's summoning of Assassin is a violation, no doubt. Tohsaka's furrowed brow and her words confirm it more than anything.

I don't fully understand the severity of this. However, to provoke such indignation in Tohsaka, Caster must have committed a significant taboo.

"Fufu, what did I break? A Magus summons a Servant—there's nothing wrong with that, is there?"

Giri, teeth ground together. It must be Tohsaka. Caster, in contrast, continued to smile without any sign of remorse.

However, after a few seconds, Tohsaka seemed to change her mind, showing a faint smile as she fixed her gaze on Caster.

"Caster, does your Master know about this?"

"..."

"It might sound strange coming from me, but most Magi tend to exclude beings superior to themselves. Furthermore, if a familiar is a Magus far superior to themselves, the resentment must be considerable. Most of them wouldn't allow your arbitrary actions due to their pride as a Magus, would they?"

"............Fufufu, ahahahaha hahahaha!!"

Caster burst into loud laughter. What on earth is so funny? Isn't that inconvenient for Caster?

Tohsaka held her breath, poised for whatever might come next, as Caster stopped laughing and glared at us.

"Yes, you're right. I did act without Souichirou-sama's knowledge. Both draining the life force from the town and summoning Assassin."

"Th-then..."

"That's right. Souichirou-sama already knows. When I told him you all would likely attack, I had to tell him everything I had done. I was beside myself with anxiety. I might have had to give up this Holy Grail War. But... Souichirou-sama said that if it means victory in this war, he doesn't mind."

Caster smiled, saying she almost wants to thank us now.

...Doesn't mind? Is Kuzuki-sensei condoning the indiscriminate attack on others!?

Yet, Kuzuki-sensei, Caster's Master, is nowhere to be seen.

"Kuzuki... No, where is your Master!?"

"I wouldn't tell you that easily, would I? Besides, what do you intend to do, boy, if you know?"

"It's obvious! I'll make him stop such foolishness!"

"...Hmph, you certainly have spirit. What about you others? I only have business with the man over there. I originally had no intention of needlessly fighting the rest of you boys. But you didn't come here to hand that man over, did you?"

Behind me, Shinji gasped and flinched.

It's alright. I took a step forward, shielding him, to convey that message to Shinji.

"No. I'll say it as many times as necessary. If you try to harm Shinji, I will stop you with everything I have."

I stated this clearly to Caster. There is no doubt in my mind.

I had this exchange just the other day. I decided to save him once. I have no intention of letting go of the hand I grasped.

"I see. That's a shame."

Caster truly sounded regretful as she muttered this, raising her hand to the sky.

In response, Lia and Tohsaka braced themselves. Since my role is to protect Shinji, I kept my guard up right in front of Shinji—directly behind Tohsaka—ready to react at any moment.

"I cannot yield, both for Souichirou-sama's sake—no, for my own sake!"

Caster swung her arm. Triggered by this, sounds resonated from all directions. Bones, bones, bones—welling up from the ground to surround us. Skeletons without heads, only from the jaw down. These skeletal soldiers held European swords in their hands. The swords themselves didn't look particularly sharp.

They must be a type of Familiar; the presence held by each one is not significant. I can even defeat them. They are not what you would call a threat.

But what is abnormal is their number. Everything visible is filling up with these emerging skeletons.

"Such petty tricks!"

With a roar, Lia swung her sword. With one swift strike, dozens of the skeletal knights in front of her shattered, returning to the earth.

However, by the time she drew her next breath, the surrounding skeletons immediately filled the space created by her attack. They seem to be constantly produced, as their numbers don't appear to be diminishing.

"Haa!"

I swung my structurally reinforced wooden sword at the skeletons that were ominously shambling toward us.

While I can't match Lia, I can manage against two or three in front of me. Since I was already in battle posture, I was able to handle them somehow.

"G-goddammit! What are these things!?"

Behind me, Shinji was desperately dodging the swords swung by the skeletons. Shinji isn't the vice-captain of the Archery club for nothing. His movements are solid.

It would be nice to have a familiar bow and arrows, but unfortunately, there's no such convenient item here. I turned and forcefully smashed the skull of a skeleton that was about to slash at Shinji.

"Shinji, are you alright!?"

"What the hell, damn it! Help me sooner!"

...If he can still grumble that much, he must be fine.

Wait—is Tohsaka alright?

When that thought occurred to me, I noticed a courageous voice nearby.

"Hah! Hup! Seiya!"

Is Tohsaka practicing Chinese martial arts or something? She repelled enemies who approached with a palm strike and held off distant enemies with Gandr, a simple curse Magecraft.

Looking over there, a large clear space had formed around Tohsaka. ...Is she stronger than me even in close-quarters combat?

Since we were surrounded, we naturally gathered in one spot and began to fight back in a circle, leaning our backs against each other. With Shinji in the middle, Lia, Tohsaka, and I formed a circular formation and started rotating to engage the enemies.

I wonder how many, how many dozens, we have defeated now. Perhaps because I've been continuously moving, I can't gauge the passage of time. My chilled body has warmed up, and sweat is pouring out. Yet, I couldn't rest and simply continued to strike down the enemies in front of me.

Just as I had sensed, these things themselves are not much. They are full of openings and, what's more, poorly coordinated, practically asking to be hit. Their durability isn't great either, and the reinforced wooden sword gives me a clear advantage. Even when the numbers start to overwhelm us, we manage to keep the circle intact by changing positions and having Lia knock them back to the periphery.

However, this is a battle of many against few. Despite having defeated a considerable number, the enemy count doesn't seem to decrease at all. Caster is clearly aiming to wear us down.

And it seems Tohsaka and I have completely fallen into her trap. I still have some leeway, but I'm certainly not without fatigue. Tohsaka is gasping for breath. Understandably, this much close combat must be exhausting.

"Lia, focus on Caster. I'll try to hold out here somehow."

"Shirou..."

I swung my wooden sword to clear another skeleton that approached even as I spoke. I have to push myself to reduce Tohsaka's burden here.

"Understood. Then I leave Shinji and Rin to you."

Perhaps Lia also felt that we weren't getting anywhere. Saying just that, Lia leaped toward Caster's direction.

The bones blocking the way must mean nothing to Lia. She cut them down effortlessly with a single strike, leaving a path behind her. And just as a split sea returns to its original state, that path was also immediately blocked by the skeletal soldiers.

"Damn it! This is endless!"

I swung the wooden sword with brute force.

Perhaps because our combat power was divided from Lia, I felt that the skeletal soldiers around us were decreasing. I noticed that the remaining ones were merely surrounding us in a feigned standoff, not actively trying to attack.

This is... could the goal be to separate us from Lia!?

I immediately looked in the direction Lia had gone and noticed a light emanating from there. The moment I focused, I had the illusion that the surrounding air was flowing toward that spot, as Caster was gathering Mana.

And then, a roar.

Everything in the line of fire was blown away, kicking up earth and collapsing the ground. The fragments of Prana scattered like a shotgun blast, blowing away even the skeletons that were supposedly allies.

"...Magic Resistance strong enough to block my Magecraft!? ...Impossible!!"

Caster's voice could be heard from the still-clouded vision.

It seems the Magecraft she fired at Shinji and was blocked by Alto the other day was indeed held back. But even Caster's full-power Magecraft apparently couldn't reach Lia.

The dust cloud thinned, and my view cleared. I looked around. Both Tohsaka and Shinji were safe. I had no injuries either. It seems her target was purely Lia, and we suffered no damage.

The skeletons that had surrounded us had, without me noticing, gathered to block the path from Lia to Caster.

And those skeletons were instantly blown away by a single swing from Lia. This was incomparable to when she was fighting defensively to protect us earlier. A blow delivered from an explosive charge. Skeletons were collapsing by the tens, unable to retain their form.

Thinking back, she always charged forward against Lancer, and against Rider. Few ordinary enemies would be able to stop Lia when she goes on the offense, and they would be defeated.

She drove straight forward. Lia neither weaved nor moved laterally to bypass obstacles; she proceeded with single-minded determination. And her advance showed no sign of stopping. Before I could count to ten, Lia was closing in on Caster.

And Caster was smiling.

"――――Ατλασ"

Caster's voice was thrown at Lia, who was charging forward while deflecting the skeletons. Unintelligible words. But the meaning was transmitted directly to the brain: "Pressure (Atlas)."

In the next instant, only the area around Lia sank as if something had been pressed down from above. Then, the space itself was cut off while being subjected to the downward pressure. Lia, pinned to the ground, completely stopped her movement, fixed within that space.

"What is that!?"

Tohsaka was astonished. But that's understandable. It was an overlay of Single Action Magecraft. Moreover, in terms of effect, each layer was equivalent to High-Thaumaturgy. Anyone who studies Magecraft deeply would disbelieve their eyes at such an outrageous feat.

"—No way!?"

It must have been a satisfying accomplishment even for Caster herself. And Caster is precisely the one who can accurately gauge that abnormality.

I was confused by her words. Tohsaka, grasping the situation, wore a smile that showed no trace of her previous astonishment. Only a few seconds after realizing the Magecraft had been cast. Lia, who had been struck by the High-Thaumaturgy, hadn't moved an inch, and yet—

"...Is that all you have?"

When she muttered that nonchalantly, the multi-layered Magecraft was instantly neutralized.

Lia closed the distance to the defenseless Caster at blinding speed. Without even swinging her sword at the remaining skeletons, she simply hit them with her momentum, sending them flying from her shoulder, and Lia's speed did not diminish.

"Perish here and now, Caster!"

We got her! Tohsaka next to me shouted in victory. I, too, thought the same.

Caster cannot move. Even if she could, Caster, being a Magus, would have no means to defend against the sword of Lia, the Saber.

But, I saw it. It just happened to enter my field of vision. A tall, thin man emerged lurkingly from Caster's shadow—from Lia's blind spot.

If it had been any other person who appeared, my conviction in Lia's victory would not have wavered. But there was something about this man that suggested otherwise.

"Caster, step back."

After only telling Caster that, this man—Kuzuki—leapt out in front of Lia in his bare, human body.