Trace on-! (End of Volume)

"Sure!"

"Mr. Shirou!"

Shirou, who was entangled with the demonic branch extended by the son of [Forest of Einnashe], suddenly heard someone calling his name from behind.

"TraceOn--"

After severing the demonic Shirou, adopting a defensive stance, caught a glimpse of Gray intervening in the battle from the corner of his eye.

"Sorry I'm late!"

Wielding the Grim Reaper, Gray chopped down all the branches in front of her in one fell swoop.

The next second--

The branches that Gray had cut down and fallen to the ground began to move again.

"--Hmm!"

The severed branch suddenly sprang back and reached for her throat once more.

Just as the branch was about to pierce Gray's throat, a dark shadow suddenly flashed by. A uniquely shaped sharp blade pinned the weapon that had attacked Gray to the ground.

"Black Keys?"

Gray was somewhat surprised to recognize the weapon. Because on this train, the only person capable of using it was—

"Father Kabbalah?"

Following the direction from which the Black Keys was pointing, Gray spotted the old man standing at the other end, holding the Black Keys.

"Be careful. It's best not to use human life force as a benchmark to judge opponents like these who are associated with the Dead Apostle."

The elderly man from the Holy Church scanned his surroundings with a wary gaze.

"Your eyes?"

Gray was pleasantly surprised to see the eyes that had reappeared in the old man's previously empty eye sockets.

"Thanks to that [Grand], the group on the train gave me their eyes back."

Although the old man's voice was somewhat muffled, Gray could still hear a subtle but strong emotion in his tone.

However, if we're talking about the Grand, it should refer to Aozaki-san, right?

Gray suddenly remembered Aozaki Touko, who had split up with them from the very beginning.

--So they went to find reinforcements.

"Grand Caster like you, are you just going to stand here and watch?"

Standing in the center of the True Magic circle, Olga Marie looked at the leisurely Touko Aozaki beside her and questioned her with some displeasure.

"There's nothing I can do; I don't have that kind of close-quarters combat style."

Touko Aozaki replied casually after tossing away the cigarette butt that had almost burned out.

Besides--

Touko Aozaki's gaze swept over the True Magic circle surrounding Olga Marie.

"Your [grand Magecraft] is almost finished, isn't it? Even if I go there now, I'll still come back looking disheveled."

"Hmph~ Of course!"

After hearing Touko Aozaki's words, Olga Marie proudly raised her little head.

"This is a secret technique of our [Animusphere (Department of Astromancy)]!"

Magecraft, in essence, is a way of rewriting the laws of the world.

The longer the [Count], the more powerful it is. However, it is said that the limit that this type of human soul can withstand is only about [Ten Count]. The following [Ten Count] is called the [Instant Contract] for the same reason.

Of course, prolonged ritual chanting can greatly enhance the scale and stability of Magecraft, but from the perspective of the quality of the Magecraft, there is no room for improvement. This is probably the limit of Magecraft in the modern era.

Magecraft Olga Marie was using at this moment would normally require the use of a [Department of Astromancy] ritual field and would take several days to complete.

Now, with Lily's help, Olga Marie only needs to guide her magic to draw the spell in her mind; she doesn't need to worry about anything else.

"That's incredible."

As Olga Marie thought this, she could clearly feel the magic around her leaping and cheering, as if welcoming her queen.

However, Olga Marie knew that these cheers were not for her, and she didn't even get a share of them.

As Olga Marie's thoughts wandered, the entire spell's construction reached its final stage.

"It's done!"

After reluctantly using her magic to draw the final stroke, Olga Marie, feeling the magic gradually leaving her, said this.

As Olga Marie's words rang out, the stars instantly shone brightly in the night sky.

I'll stop here for now.

Looks like it won't end until the next chapter (death).

Chapter 373. Trace on --! (End of this volume)

How much longer?

After clearing away the branches that were extending in front of him with the weapon Projection in his hand, Shirou turned and shouted to the old man on the other side of the battlefield.

"It should be soon!"

The old man, moving through the forest with an agility beyond his years, responded with a roar in return.

The news that "[Animusphere is preparing a grand Magecraft]" had reached Shirou and Gray, who were at the forefront of the battlefield, through the old man's words.

So what they need to do now is to do their best to slow down the progress of this bewitching forest in front of them.

Only...

Perhaps sensing the thoughts of his prey, the son of Forest of Einnashe changed his attack strategy.

The countless demonic branches circled the battlefield again and again, clearly intending to leave no one behind.

"Hmm..."

Shirou frowned, having already noticed that the space on the battlefield was gradually being compressed.

Due to the unique characteristics of the [Forest of Einnashe of Einnashe], it becomes incredibly difficult for anyone to access the magic within the [Great Source] within the area covered by its branches.

For Magecraft, the consequences of being unable to summon magic are self-evident...

In reality, the situation wasn't as bad as he had imagined. The skills he had honed under his father's "inhumane" training since childhood were enough for him to handle the current situation.

Meanwhile, Father Kabbalah on the other side had nothing to worry about. As Executor of the Holy Church, exorcism was an instinct ingrained in his very being.

The only thing to worry about is probably --

"Miss Gray, how are you?"

"It's alright, just hang in there... a little longer."

"I'm already a little out of breath, "Gray replied after dodging an attack from her side. But in reality, because she couldn't freely draw magic from the surroundings, Gray's condition wasn't as reliable as she claimed.

If this continues, it probably won't be long before Miss Gray...

Thinking of this, Shirou subconsciously frowned.

We can't wait any longer!

Just as Shirou had already made up his mind, was about to take action...

"You guys, be careful not to get caught in the crossfire!"

Olga Marie's voice suddenly resonated in their minds.

Although there was no detailed explanation, the intensely oppressive magical power emanating from the air still alerted Shirou and the others.

After exchanging a glance, Shirou and Father Kabbalah, having already reached a tacit understanding, began their respective actions.

"TraceOn--"

The weapon Marble Phantasm reappeared in Shirou's hands. At the same time, Father Kabbalah, who had come to Gray's side, simply picked Gray up.

"I'm sorry, young lady."

After muttering something indistinctly, Kabbalah threw Gray off the battlefield towards Olga Marie and the others.

[Forest of Einnashe's son], who had just realized that his prey had been stolen, didn't even have time to vent his anger.

"Mr. Kabbalah, over here!"

Following the direction of the sound, the old man discovered that Shirou, who had successfully broken free from [Forest of Einnashe's son], was waving at him.

The barrier that once separated the two people was now completely clear, leaving only a wide escape route and countless branches scattered on the ground.

Just as Kabbalah had left the battlefield, before he even had a chance to turn around—

The dozens of beams of light that descended from the sky, like magical bullets of starlight, struck the enormous "body" of [Forest of Einnashe's Son]!

Then--

A deafening roar!

"Hmm, looks like I've lost this time."

After his gaze returned from the distant scene of [Forest of Einnashe's Son], which seemed to be constantly falling like a shooting star, Heartless tried his best to maintain his composure, but the dejection in his eyes could not be concealed.

"Huh? What are you disappointed about?"

Mordred, who had his weapon slung over his shoulder, immediately showed displeasure upon hearing Heartless's words.

"As my opponent, isn't it only natural that guy should be eliminated?!"

"After all, he is a [Rebellious Knight]. I never expected that the boy would be able to summon someone like you. He's really quite lucky."

Having seemingly composed himself, Heartless looked at the blonde girl before him and once again revealed that familiar smile.

The Servant summoning ritual is a mutual selection process. The Master wants to choose a Servant, and the Servant also wants to follow a Master they prefer.

Linking this selection process are the compatibility between the Master and the Servant, as well as some necessary luck.

Now, the boy's "good luck" has caused his entire plan to collapse. In reality, Heartless doesn't see anything to lament about this.

However, that doesn't mean his feelings matched the expression on his face. After all, it was a plan he'd been meticulously crafting for so long...

"Saber, your Noble Phantasm is [anti-army] in scale, right?"

"So what?"

Mordred replied in a nonchalant tone.

Who cares about anything else? I just used my Noble Phantasm to smash your Servant to pieces!

"No, what I mean is that even with your Noble Phantasm alone, you'd still be struggling against [the Son of Forest of Einnashe]."

With a calm tone, Heartless spoke words that sent chills down your spine.

Meanwhile, on the other side of the battlefield, as if in response to Heartless's words, the Son of Einnashe, who had withstood a Forest of Einnashe [Great Magecraft] attack, did not fall silent as everyone had expected...

"Just a mad beast."

Glancing at the seemingly crazed [son of Forest of Einnashe], Mordred at him while inexplicably recalling her earlier conversation with Shirou—

"Hey, Master! Are you sure everything's okay? Shouldn't I be the one to deal with this disgusting guy?"

After hearing Shirou refuse her request for help, Mordred asked, somewhat puzzled.

"No, Saber, there are battlefields far more suitable for you than that. Besides, something as heartless and filthy as this..."

Shirou, who was comforting his Servant, suddenly turned his head and glanced at the demonic forest behind him, which was now baring its fangs and claws, and then said:

"It wouldn't matter if we defeated it, would it?"