Einzbern Castle / Illya

"Hey kid, what's going on?"

Just then, a man wearing a hood and dressed in blue and white cloth suddenly appeared, interrupting Wang Xiaoming's thoughts.

--Cú Chulainn was summoned using the Caster class.

Wang Xiaoming recognized the man in blue the moment he appeared.

Thankfully, at least it wasn't an enemy. After recognizing the newcomer as Caster, Wang Xiaoming breathed a sigh of relief and opened his mouth to explain the current situation:

"I..."

However, he had only uttered one word when he was interrupted by the strange event that followed.

Suddenly, the gem in Wang Xiaoming's hand, which he hadn't yet put away, burst forth with an even more dazzling light than before, enveloping his entire body.

"Hey kid, need any help?"

Caster looked at the man in front of him, who was enveloped in colorful light, and asked him a question.

However, Wang Xiaoming, enveloped in colorful light, found himself unable to speak, just like when he was bound by Circe.

"Hello!"

Seeing that her question went unanswered, Caster felt a surge of displeasure. She frowned, about to press for an answer, when...

His intuition, honed on countless battlefields, had already sounded the alarm in his mind.

Damn it!

Caster cursed under his breath, slammed his cane on the ground with his right hand, and made a sweeping motion with his free left hand in front of him. One by one, glowing characters appeared in the void, and then these characters shattered into light fragments in mid-air, forming a barrier in front of him.

The moment Caster erected the barrier, the dazzling light that enveloped Wang Xiaoming exploded, and the chaotic air currents and restless heat spread outwards in an instant.

Boom--

When all the chaos subsided, Caster removed the nearly broken barrier in front of him and looked at the scene before him in silence.

The spot where that man had stood looked as if it had been bombed.

Whether that man was dead or alive was something even Cú Chulainn, the first warrior from Celtic Mythology and the son of a demigod known as the Hound, couldn't know.

"Senior, over here!"

Turning his head and looking in the direction of the sound, Caster saw a girl with short pink hair.

When the dizziness subsided, Wang Xiaoming found himself back in the temple, and looking up, he saw Circe standing in front of him.

"Welcome back~ I never expected you could actually take down Medusa! How does this 'surprise' feel?"

Upon seeing Wang Xiaoming turn his gaze to him, Circe immediately moved closer to Wang Xiaoming and "asked for credit."

"What surprise? It's more like a shock."

Seeing Circe approach, Wang Xiaoming complained to her, "If it weren't for the good compatibility between Hector's Spirit Origin and mine, I'd probably be dead already."

"I already said it's just a training exercise, so don't worry about the details." Circe waved his hand, showing no awareness that he was the mastermind behind it all. "Actually, I was prepared for you to be hunted down, and I even prepared a backup plan for you, but unfortunately, it didn't come in handy."

"A backup plan?"

Upon hearing Circe's words, Wang Xiaoming was slightly taken aback, then took out the "gem" that had brought him back from his pocket.

"Yes, that's it."

Image:"", Location:""

With a flick of her wand, Circe brought the "gem" from Wang Xiaoming's hand to hers. "This thing was made to absorb surrounding magic and help you withstand one attack. I just didn't expect you to kill Medusa and even accidentally absorb Medusa remaining spiritual energy."

Wang Xiaoming scratched his head. Although he didn't quite understand what he was hearing, he decided to take it as Circe praising him.

"But this is fine too. Let's use Medusa's spiritual particles to strengthen you."

After gazing at the "gem" in mid-air for a while, Circe's sudden suggestion surprised Wang Xiaoming.

Immediately, regardless of whether Wang Xiaoming Circe, the person involved, agreed or not, Circe waved her wand once more, and the light from the "gem" once again enveloped Wang Xiaoming.

(Is that your reason for touching me yesterday?!)

In short, I'm sorry!

Tomorrow's update will continue.

Chapter 149. Einzbern Castle

Georgia Capital Airport

After merging Medusa's remaining spiritual energy into Wang Xiaoming's body and observing for a period of time to find no rejection reaction, Circe left him with the words "figure it out yourself" and kicked him out of the temple.

Since I've been kicked out and received some "unexpected surprises," there's no need to stay here any longer; I might as well go home as soon as possible.

With that thought in mind, Wang Xiaoming returned to the Capital Airport.

After getting his boarding pass at the front desk, Wang Xiaoming wanted to take out his phone to let his two children know he was safe, but he found that his phone battery was completely dead.

Although I didn't realize it at the time, it now seems that I've been in the temple for quite some time.

After Wang Xiaoming reconnected the power cord in the waiting room, a series of missed call notifications came in like they were free.

Looking at the list of names displayed on the screen, Wang Xiaoming first called the two children who were left in Tokyo to let them know they were safe, and also learned from Touko Aozaki that Emiya Kiritsugu "out" when he got there.

After hanging up the phone, Wang Xiaoming found Emiya Kiritsugu's name in the list of unanswered calls and dialed it directly. A short while later, Emiya Kiritsugu's distinctive deep voice came from the other end:

"Hello?"

Where are you now?

Without any preamble, Wang Xiaoming went straight to the point.

Upon hearing Wang Xiaoming's question, Emiya Kiritsugu paused for a few seconds before giving his location.

"Okay, wait for me there. Um, if you trust me, I think I can still offer you some help."

"... Um."

After a brief silence, Kiritsugu responded.

Hearing Kiritsugu

After hanging up the phone, Wang Xiaoming rushed to the airport reception desk and said to the staff:

"Excuse me, I need to change my flight."

"Okay, I'm going to Austria. Thank you for your help."

Germany, officially the Federal Republic of Germany, is located in Central Europe, between 47° and 55° north latitude and 5° and 15° east longitude. Although geographically located in the north, it lies in the cool westerly wind belt between the Atlantic Ocean and the continental climate of the east, so the temperature difference is not large. It is a country with no harsh winters and no scorching summers.

However, this is only a general statement, not an absolute one. In the Bavarian Plain of southern Germany, especially in the frontier of the Alps bordering Austria, there are mountainous areas with an average altitude of over 1,000 meters. The climate is complex and changeable. Due to the high altitude, the temperature is colder than in other parts of Germany, especially in winter when there is continuous snow and wind, forming seasonal permafrost that freezes thousands of miles. It can be said to be the least habitable region in Germany.

On the first day of March, the arrival of early spring seemed to have little impact on the climate here. The north wind howled, snow fell heavily, and the temperature hit a new low. In this harsh weather, which even the German soldiers guarding the border found unbearable, two figures quietly crossed the border between Austria and Germany and arrived at a mountain valley not far from the Zugspitze, Germany's highest peak.

Achoo!

After finally finding a cave in the mountain hollow where they could temporarily shelter from the wind and snow, one of them could no longer resist his body's instinct and sneezed.

How much longer?

The man who just sneezed was wearing a hooded down jacket, a large face mask, and goggles, completely covered up, yet he still shivered from time to time.

After rubbing his nose, he asked the tall man next to him who was dressed similarly.

"We have entered Einzbern territory, and the boundary of the 'Castle of Winter' barrier is not far ahead."

The detached voice mirrored the man's demeanor.

"Have we finally arrived?"

After removing his goggles, the man who had initially asked the question looked in the direction his companion had pointed. In the biting wind and snow, a majestic ancient castle was faintly visible, revealing its imposing presence.

After meeting in Austria, Wang Xiaoming and Emiya Kiritsugu secretly crossed the border and infiltrated the Alpine frontier mountains.

Although the Einzbern family hides in the majestic mountains of the Alps and lives a secluded life, this is ultimately their territory.

After much trouble and several days of effort, the two were determined to sneak into Einzbern's headquarters— the Castle of Winter —without the other noticing.

The two had two purposes for this trip:

First, find the samples needed for Aozaki Touko.

Second, bring Emiya Kiritsugu and Irisviel's daughter Illya, out of this frozen fortress.

Despite his calm demeanor, Emiya Kiritsugu was more anxious than anyone else inside. On the very day the Holy Grail War ended, Emiya Kiritsugu wanted to go to the "Castle of Winter" to bring back his daughter, but Irisviel's condition was far from ideal. It wasn't until two months later, after being introduced to Aozaki Touko by Wang Xiaoming, that her situation improved slightly.

During this time, Kiritsugu and Irisviel worried about their daughter every day, fearing that she would be persecuted.

When they learned that Touko Aozaki needed sample materials, the Emiya couple knew that this matter could not be delayed any longer. Since Wang Xiaoming was not around, after discussing it all night, they finally decided that Avalon Emiya Kiritsugu would take Avalon alone to Castle of Winter, while Irisviel would stay in Tokyo and be temporarily taken care of by Touko Aozaki.

The day after making this decision, Emiya Kiritsugu left Japan directly, first smuggling himself to Southeast Asia, then using underground channels to forge his identity and enter Europe, before changing his identity a third time to arrive in Austria.

Just as he finished resting in Austria and was about to cross the border, he suddenly received a call from Wang Xiaoming.

Although he hadn't expected the man to ask to accompany him, considering Wang Xiaoming's previous performance in the Holy Grail War, this might be one of the reasons why Kiritsugu was patiently waiting for his arrival.

"Then, Emiya, the rescue is entrusted to you."

Since Emiya Kiritsugu had lived in the Castle of Winter for a period of time, he was certainly much more familiar with its interior than he was, so he might as well just draw the enemy's attention directly.

As he spoke, Wang Xiaoming reached out and unfastened his rather heavy "equipment," standing up with a somewhat formidable air, reminiscent of the line "The wind is howling, the Yi River is cold," but...

Achoo!

But a sneeze completely ruined the slightly gloomy atmosphere.

"You should be understanding of a tourist who has just arrived here from a country with a subtropical maritime climate."

Looking at Kiritsugu in front of him, Wang Xiaoming rubbed his nose and then explained in a serious tone.

Emiya Kiritsugu lowered his head deeply. No matter how powerful he had been in the past, at this moment, he was simply a father worried about his daughter.

"Then I'll leave it to you."

Don't worry.

Wang Xiaoming nodded slightly as he watched the man leave through the path.

Come to think of it, compared to that cold-blooded killer from before, this Kiritsugu definitely looks much more pleasing to the eye now.

After Kiritsugu's figure disappeared from his sight, Wang Xiaoming turned his head and looked at the majestic castle hidden in the wind and snow.

Squinting, Wang Xiaoming muttered something under his breath:

"I've heard that Einzbern puppets aren't good at fighting, I wonder if that's true... Anyway, let's test it out first..."

As Wang Xiaoming finished speaking, golden spiritual particles began to condense in his hand.

The next second--

"The Durindana (Durandana)!"

The golden meteor, with its overwhelming force, shattered the snowstorm that enveloped the [Castle of Winter]!

Chapter 150. Illya

In the Castle of Winter--

As the eighth head of Einzbern, the central AI controlling Einzbern city—Golem Jubstacheit, the eighth-generation humanoid terminal, and the father of all androids.

Today, Jubstacheit von Einzbern Einzbern still clings to his self-righteous belief in his own correctness.

--Complete the Third Magic, fulfilling the millennia-old wish of the Einzbern.

Only...

The news from Fuyuki, however, instilled a deep rage in the old man Haid, a terminal who shouldn't possess emotions—they had endured humiliation, broken the blood ties they had long protected, and brought in a foreign Magecraft, the strongest Servant he had ever acquired. And that Magecraft, just as he had hoped, defeated one by one the lowly beings thirsting for the Holy Grail in the Holy Grail War, and it seemed he was about to obtain the Holy Grail upon his victory... But!

But Emiya Kiritsugu, that man, stood before the Holy Grail and betrayed the Einzbern Holy Grail!

I can't understand it, and I don't want to understand it.