Sakura Matou Rewrites Destiny

Yet... when her peripheral vision caught sight of Shirou Chiko lying unconscious on the bed, Artoria felt a pang of heartache and inner conflict.

After a long while—perhaps something in her conversation with Leonidas had clarified her thoughts, perhaps her innate kindness had ultimately won out, or perhaps this was simply the 'fate' between her and Shirou—Artoria finally made her decision.

This was not a world he should step into. This was not a pain he should bear.

This Holy Grail War should not make this young boy a sacrifice...

"Leonidas... I want to save him. I want to save this boy."

41. The Ever-Battling Einsbern Castle

Saving Shirou Chiko was by no means something Artoria and Leonidas could accomplish alone.

After all, she, Artoria Pendragon, was not the Artoria who would appear in the Lostbelt—Castor.

"What do you plan to do, Arthur..."

Removing her glove, she gently clasped Shirou Chiko's small hand, her gaze growing ever more resolute as she continued.

"Magecraft requires a Magus to solve..."

"A Magus... you intend to leave Kiritsugu?"

Artoria did not answer, but Leonidas, sensing the determination radiating from her at that moment, understood clearly that she had made up her mind to take the boy on the bed away from Kiritsugu Emiya.

As for Kiritsugu Emiya, Leonidas held no fondness for him either.

As a warrior and king who, like Artoria, saw protecting his people as his duty, Leonidas could understand many of Kiritsugu's actions, yet he could not accept them in his heart.

But unlike Artoria, who had now found her goal for the coming days, Leonidas simply wanted a good, decisive battle. He had yet to find a reason to leave Kiritsugu Emiya.

"Very well, Arthur. I've always longed to cross blades with you... Once you've settled the boy... if the chance comes, let us settle it."

Raising a hand to slap his own broad chest, Leonidas grinned broadly, his decision unmistakable.

"Thank you... Leonidas."

Offering her heartfelt thanks to Leonidas, Artoria did not rush to take Shirou Chiko away immediately.

Even with Leonidas's help, taking Shirou Chiko from Kiritsugu Emiya was no simple task.

After all, Einsbern Castle was shrouded in a perception barrier, and her contract with Kiritsugu Emiya was still intact.

If Artoria left the castle without reason, the moment she stepped out, Kiritsugu—who would discover through the barrier that she had taken Shirou Chiko—would activate a Command Seal... and Artoria could hardly strike down her own Master preemptively.

Thus, for Artoria to take Shirou Chiko away from Kiritsugu Emiya and Zouken Matou, she had to wait for the right opportunity...

Night fell, and the silver moon spilled across the earth.

Under the hazy moonlight, Einsbern Castle seemed draped in a dreamlike veil.

Standing in the forest at the very edge of the castle's barrier, a spirited Kischur Zelretch looked disdainfully at the dreamlike castle before him, offering his critique to Marisbury beside him.

"So this is the level of the famed Einsbern... Wasteful. Utterly wasteful. These barrier nodes should be utilized to set up magical traps... And that castle—built from so many precious materials, yet not even a workshop. If it were you or me..."

Marisbury, who had always been strapped for funds and whose greatest goal in participating in this Holy Grail War was to obtain a fortune through the Grail, seemed equally displeased with this 'extravagant' castle.

The ever-smiling Marisbury, always like a gentle nobleman, actually picked up Kischur's thread.

"If it were you or me, we could at least set up a temple... What about you, Solomon?"

"Master, there is no difference. Sand and dirt, precious materials—to me, they are all the same."

Exchanging glances, after hearing Solomon speak those words in his matter-of-fact tone, both Kischur and Marisbury saw a shared longing in each other's eyes...

"Hey, are you done chatting? Wasteful, materials... Tch. After the fight, just take them for yourselves, no?"

Having no interest in the three men's conversation, Mordred stared at the dreamlike castle under the moonlight, already itching to have a 'loving, familial clash' with her Father King. Why would she care about these Magi's prattling?

Raising her hand to summon her greatsword, Mordred, unable to wait any longer, was the first to step boldly into the barrier.

"Mordred, slaughter to your heart's content!"

A Command Seal vanished from Kischur's hand. With Mordred's step forward, Kischur's perfect finale began.

The barrier of Einsbern Castle faithfully fulfilled its duty toward the intruders, sending an alert to Kiritsugu Emiya the moment it detected them.

But its life lasted only that instant.

The moment Solomon followed his Master into the barrier, the painstakingly crafted barrier of the Einsbern family shattered outright.

Boom!

Looking up at the barrier, now broken into countless fragments that scattered as motes of light, Kiritsugu Emiya—having confirmed through the barrier's final transmission that there were four intruders—immediately scrambled from his bed. Not even bothering to dress, he flung open his wardrobe and began checking the weapons at hand.

But clearly, time was not on Kiritsugu's side.

With a thunderous crash, the castle's heavy gate slammed to the ground. Shouldering her greatsword and clad in heavy armor, Mordred strode without concealment into the castle courtyard.

Fast. Too fast.

Barely a dozen seconds had passed since Kiritsugu learned of the intruders, and Mordred had already crossed hundreds of meters of forest to enter the castle.

"Arthur... come out... face me!"

Excited and anxious, Mordred unconsciously bared her fangs in a grin, one hand holding a 'shield' and the other a sword, standing squarely in the center of the castle courtyard as she challenged Artoria.

Three figures landed. At Mordred's intrusion, the three Servants naturally came to the garden under their respective 'Masters'' orders, and Kiritsugu Emiya appeared alongside them.

"Hehehe... kill her!"

Letting out a strange, grating laugh, the clearly off-kilter Kiritsugu Emiya pointed at Mordred in the courtyard the moment he appeared and issued his command.

"Get out of the way... this is a duel between me and Arthur..."

Neither Arthur nor Leonidas responded to this Kiritsugu Emiya's order. Instead, the unidentified Berserker was the first to roar and launch an attack at Mordred.

"Caster... fulfill the promise between you and me!"

42. Solomon's Methods, Kischur Zelretch's Rematch with Kiritsugu Emiya

"What a splendid battle... is this the scenery of Servants slaughtering each other, Solomon?"

Standing on the castle wall, as if appreciating a stage play, Marisbury's tone carried admiration, but Solomon could easily tell it was actually a kind of mockery.

"I could never manage that level... as a Servant..."

"Servants... such incredible power... Solomon, I'm suddenly a little worried I might want to lose."

"Rest assured... in a few days, the one by your side will only be an ordinary person."

They exchanged smiles—perhaps this was the tacit understanding between this fated master and servant. At this moment, both of them caught the 'joke' within the other's 'jest.'

While this pair of always-mysterious master and servant engaged in this inexplicable 'joking' conversation, Mordred, who had driven Berserker back who-knew-how-many times below, once again roared for Solomon.

"Enough joking. Solomon, that's fine... you've kept Lady Mordred waiting long enough."

"Understood."

Wiping the smile from his face, returning to the demeanor of that solemn king, Solomon made his move. There were no flashy effects, no scenes that stirred the blood. Just a faint light, like a firefly, glowing from one of the rings on Solomon's hand, and then Artoria and Mordred vanished from the garden.

After transferring Artoria and Mordred, Solomon stepped through the air, descending the wall one step at a time. He straightened his robe and came to stand before Kiritsugu Emiya, Leonidas, and Berserker.

Faced with Solomon, who had casually made two Servants disappear, even though details peeking from under his robe suggested he was Caster—the least combat-oriented of the seven standard classes—that little display just now made even a Caster someone to handle with care.

But just because these three master-servants didn't move didn't mean Solomon would stand around with them. A faint light flickered in his eyes beneath the hood. In an instant, magic equivalent to Gilgamesh's Star of Revelation activated, and Solomon effortlessly read all the information on the three before him.

"Let me see... Lancer—Leonidas, a warrior full of nothing but muscle... but you're a decent fellow. Berserker—Xu Chu, a warrior from that continent, huh... I see, summoned through irregular means. No wonder both your Noble Phantasm and innate skills are completely sealed, needing special Command Spells to unlock. As for you... Zouken Matou... I won't comment."

With a mysterious smile at Zouken Matou, who wore Kiritsugu Emiya's face, Solomon had nearly purged Zouken on the spot just moments ago. After sweeping his gaze over the three, he ended his assessment.

Leonidas didn't care about Solomon's appraisal—it was fair enough; he really was the muscle type. Berserker cared even less, lacking any shred of reason, a mere puppet without orders. But Zouken Matou was different.

He had summoned Berserker through irregular means, yes... but how did this Caster know? Zouken was certain his method of summoning Berserker was a secret only he knew. Could he clearly see the past? And the future? Could this Caster see that?

Suddenly dissolving into a swarm of insects, then reforming, Zouken Matou, back in his own form, looked at Caster with eyes that grew increasingly greedy.

"Berserker, seize him for me! I want him alive!"

"...What's wrong, Berserker? Didn't you hear me? Seize him!"

"Damn it, what are you doing? Carry out my order!"

Yet no matter what method Zouken Matou used, Berserker acted as if he hadn't heard a single command, standing still like a puppet. Time and again, Zouken failed to make Berserker move. Greed filling his heart gradually gave way to clarity. He looked at the motionless Berserker, then at the half-smiling lower face of Solomon.

'Damn it... I lost my composure so easily... I need to replace this broken body quickly.'

In truth, making Zouken Matou unable to command Berserker was simple—at least for Solomon. All he had to do was block the commands Zouken sent through various means, preventing them from reaching Berserker. Without orders, or without using a Command Spell to grant partial reason, Berserker was just a puppet. Having already obtained all the information on the three before him, pulling off such a petty trick was far too easy for Solomon.

After dealing with Zouken Matou and Berserker, Solomon only needed to keep an eye on Leonidas and ensure this perfect finale proceeded smoothly according to the script.

Just as Solomon effortlessly sealed off Berserker and watched over Leonidas...

This time, with Solomon's help, Kischur Zelretch quickly found Kiritsugu Emiya on the roof of the Einzbern castle, who was aiming a sniper rifle at the courtyard.

Listening in all directions and observing from all angles—for Kiritsugu Emiya, who grew up in the flames of war, this was merely a basic skill.

Thus, the moment Kischur Zelretch stepped onto the castle roof, a battle requiring no words erupted on the open rooftop.

Mercury and bullets danced together; the falling brass casings and the mercury-struck warheads played a passionate symphony.

"Kiritsugu Emiya, how long will you keep playing these petty tricks? Where is your Origin Bullet!"

Leaping sideways to dodge the mercury blade rushing toward him.

Hearing Kischur Zelretch utter the words "Origin Bullet," Kiritsugu Emiya silently picked up a submachine gun he had already placed on the castle roof, then unhesitatingly opened fire on Kischur Zelretch.

"Or what, do you think I, a defeated opponent, am not worth using your Origin Bullet on? Kiritsugu Emiya... there's a limit to looking down on people~!"

Just as Kischur Zelretch mistakenly believed that Kiritsugu Emiya not pulling out the Origin Bullet was a sign of contempt, and angrily roared at him...

Kiritsugu Emiya, who had never looked down on anyone, refrained from using the Origin Bullet solely because it required surprise to achieve maximum effect.

With Kischur Zelretch aware of the information and sure to guard against the Origin Bullet, it was by no means the best choice.

Glancing at the other side of the roof, where a recoilless rifle disguised as a rooftop drainage pipe lay at the edge, Kiritsugu Emiya, who was steadily pulling himself toward that direction, began silently calculating.

43. Kischur Zelretch falls again...