Reclaiming Three (This is Illya)

Hollows are a race of slaughter, growing by devouring each other—from lesser Hollows to Gillians, from Gillians to Adjuchas, and finally from Adjuchas to Vasto Lorde. No one knows how many souls were sacrificed along the way, but suffice it to say, it was a lot.

Though these Homunculi were far stronger than ordinary humans, they were nothing compared to Shirou, who possessed immense power.

Shirou calmly punched one Homunculi flying, knocking down another in the process. In terms of combat experience, Shirou was still a blank slate. Though he had gained Ulquiorra's power, he hadn't inherited the corresponding battle instincts.

In short, he was just swinging his fists based on intuition and instinct. For now, Shirou was nothing more than a shell brimming with strength, unable to fully unleash it.

But against the current situation, that was more than enough. Every punch Shirou threw took an enemy out of the fight, while the Combat Homunculi's massive axes only sparked against his body, unable to breach the defense of his Steel Skin.

"Hmm, those movements and that power... they're already on par with some top-tier Servants, and that defense too. Damn it, just who is this brat?"

"Who am I? Doesn't matter. Who knows?" Shirou said nonchalantly, steadily advancing toward Ahad. For every step Shirou took forward, Ahad took one back. The longer one lived, the greater the fear of death.

The Old Bug feared death because he'd lived so long, which was why he craved immortality. Ahad wasn't the Old Bug, but he'd still lived over two hundred years, so a fear of death was only natural.

"Wait, a powerful being like you—why would you willingly help an outcast like Emiya Kiritsugu? If you have any needs, the Einzbern family is willing to satisfy them."

As a spry old man who'd survived over two centuries, Ahad could tell that Shirou was the core combatant on the other side. If he could get Shirou to withdraw from the fight, he was confident he could take down Emiya Kiritsugu using the Combat Homunculi's superior physical abilities.

Besides, strong individuals usually had some sense of pride. At the very least, like most magi, they could be swayed by interests.

And combat power on the level of a Servant was worth recruiting. As for Shirou's appearance of being only seven or eight years old—no magus would care about that. Pretending to be young was common in the world of magecraft.

Unfortunately, Ahad's calculations were completely off. He had no idea that Shirou was a total anomaly who couldn't be judged by common sense.

"Satisfy my needs?" Shirou tilted his head. If he were an adult, that gesture would have been cool, but now it was just adorable. "Don't joke around. My surname is Emiya."

Hearing Shirou's words, Ahad knew things had gone south. Since he'd said that, the two were almost certainly on the same side. On top of that, the Einzbern family had already declined. Even a thousand-year-old alchemy clan couldn't withstand combat power on the level of a Servant.

Seeing Ahad gritting his teeth in panic, Shirou revealed his next plan: "Hey hey, old man, no need to look so down. How about this—we make a deal?"

"A deal?"

"That's right, a deal. You give Illya back to us, and lend me the Einzbern name for a few years. Hmm... ten years! In exchange, I'll solve one problem for you that can be settled with force. Of course, if I can't beat it, the deal's off."

After hearing Shirou's proposal, Ahad thought for a moment and finally said, "Deal! But you cannot use the Einzbern name to provoke powerful enemies."

Shirou nodded his little head. Ahad's reaction was within his expectations. Some things couldn't be pushed too hard—after all, this was a family with two thousand years of heritage.

There was a saying: a lean camel is still bigger than a horse. If they could create an Avalon, they could create other things. Who knew what kind of ultimate weapons they might have up their sleeves? And on Shirou's side, aside from basic Arrancar skills like Cero, Sonido, and Hierro, he only knew Projection and Reinforcement.

On the other side, Kiritsugu watched the entire exchange silently. That's right—he just watched!

In his view, Shirou was remarkably mature for his age. More importantly, he had power! After teaching him the magecraft of Reinforcement and Projection, Shirou had already understood that he was different from the magi on TV.

Though the worlds of ordinary people and magi were completely separate, since Kiritsugu had opened that first door for him, Shirou would inevitably press him for answers. Even if Kiritsugu hadn't told him everything at first, Shirou would have pestered him until he got the truth.

Kiritsugu couldn't hold out. After repeated warnings, he told Shirou everything he knew.

That made claiming the Einzbern name all the more important, since Kiritsugu knew exactly how bad his own reputation was out there.

After the "negotiation" ended, Shirou walked over to Kiritsugu and said:

"Alright then—next up is finding my big sister, right? That's the plan, isn't it, old man?"

"Yeah, that's right. Lead the way, if you don't mind, Lord Ahad," Kiritsugu said to Ahad.

"No, no, it's no trouble at all. Please, follow me," the old man Ahad said respectfully.

"Sella, Lizelotte, what do you think Grandpa Ahad went to do?" In the big room of the big castle, on the big bed, a little girl with white hair and red eyes who looked about three or four years old asked the two maids by the bedside.

Her name was Illya. As a product of a Homunculi and a human, her growth cycle was slower than a human's—roughly a 2:1 ratio. So this little girl who appeared to be three or four was actually already seven or eight.

"I don't know, Lady Illya. The clan head said something about repelling an intruder," Sella replied meticulously.

Like Illya, they were both Homunculi, created as vessels for the Holy Grail. As failed products, they were originally slated for disposal, but their lives were extended by serving Illya. They were also the only two Homunculi in the castle permitted to speak.

"Oh!!! Found them! Hey hey, old man, I found them!" A voice that had never been heard in the castle reached the ears of the three.

"Intruder!" Lizelotte muttered, pushing off the ground and swinging a fierce punch toward the source of the voice.

Unlike Sella, Lizelotte's strength was enough to go toe-to-toe with Rider Medusa when she used Monstrous Strength in the Fifth Holy Grail War. That said something about her power.

Yet that punch, carrying several tons of force, was caught by a single hand.

"Well, well, you're pretty strong! That kind of power isn't something just anyone can have. That punch must have been a few tons, huh!" A flippant voice came from the darkness as Lizelotte was flung away. Then, a boy with red hair and brown eyes, looking about seven or eight, stepped out.

"Just who are you?" Sella stepped forward, subtly shielding Illya behind her.

"Who am I? Where do I come from? Where am I going? Oh, that's a profound question. I'm afraid I can't answer that," Shirou replied with an exaggerated gesture.

Just then, a silvery laugh came from behind Sella: "Hehe, this guy's really funny, Sella."

Illya jumped off the bed, lifted her skirt, and curtsied to Shirou. Having been steeped in the aristocratic etiquette of magi for so long, it had become a habit.

"My name is Illya. Illyasviel von Einzbern."

"Is that so? My name is Shirou. Emiya Shirou."