Fierce Battle at Ryudou Temple

Ten-plus minutes ago, Shirou Emiya, Saber, and Rin Tohsaka, aided by Sasuke, bypassed Sasaki Kojiro and charged into the Ryudou Temple above.

The exceptionally spacious temple grounds were deserted, yet Saber, fully armed, could clearly sense the presence of other Servants.

It was not Sasaki Kojiro, who was currently battling Sasuke outside the mountain gate, but another individual with an incomparably abundant supply of magical energy.

Aside from Caster, no one else could be capable of this.

The three of them stood back-to-back, braced for battle.

Rin Tohsaka gripped a jewel in her right hand and raised her left, which bore her Magic Crest, ready to engage at any moment.

Compared to Rin Tohsaka, an elite magus, the current Shirou Emiya was lacking by no small margin.

However, this could not be blamed on Shirou Emiya; after all, he was never an orthodox magus to begin with.

Ten years ago, Shirou Emiya was caught in a great catastrophe, and as he lay dying, he was rescued by Kiritsugu Emiya, becoming the sole survivor.

Thereafter, Shirou Emiya became the adopted son of Kiritsugu Emiya, and following the latter's passing, he continued to practice the basics of magecraft every day, just as Kiritsugu Emiya had taught him.

Although Shirou Emiya was a magus, he knew no basic magecraft other than Structural Analysis, Reinforcement, and Projection.

Furthermore, even saying that, the current Shirou Emiya was only truly confident in Reinforcement.

Thus, Shirou Emiya's current weapon was merely an iron pipe he had grabbed from the home warehouse before leaving.

Yet, the iron pipe in Shirou Emiya's hand was now covered in magical energy that resembled circuits, emitting a dim, cyan glow in the murky night.

Seeing that Caster refused to show herself, Saber frowned, gripping her Invisible Sword and gazing toward a nearby wooden hut based on her instincts.

"Caster, at a time like this, do you still intend to remain in hiding?"

As she spoke, Saber scanned her surroundings, then suddenly snapped her head up toward the tallest temple building!

"As expected, that useless Assassin let you all in after all."

The voice preceded the person.

Under the gaze of the group, a woman wearing an indigo and purple hooded cloak and a purple robe appeared on the roof.

The woman's true face was obscured by her hood, though one could discern long, light blue hair, making her look like a mysterious witch from legend.

Her thin lips were painted with a light purple tint, and at a glance, she appeared to be a gorgeous beauty.

But without a doubt, she was Caster.

Saber and the others were instantly on guard, and Rin Tohsaka looked up to question Caster:

"Judging by your appearance, your Master must have already colluded with them, birds of a feather flocking together, right!?"

Although Caster had appeared before them, Rin Tohsaka was also deeply concerned about the whereabouts of the opponent's Master.

Even if the opponent was not a Servant but a magus, she had to be cautious regarding such unknown intelligence.

The Holy Grail War was not merely a battle between Servants; it was a contest between magi.

Between Assassin outside the gate and Caster inside the temple, Rin Tohsaka surmised that their Masters were likely still hiding within Ryudou Temple.

Regardless, a barrier bolstered by the talent of Territory Creation should be the safest area for them.

However, before Rin Tohsaka could formulate a countermeasure, Caster on the roof let out a laugh.

This caused Rin Tohsaka's expression to turn one of disgust, as Caster was undoubtedly up to some scheme she couldn't fathom.

Otherwise, Caster would not be displaying such a mocking posture.

"To think you actually believed I would join forces with that useless Assassin?"

"A guy who is, at best, nothing more than a pawn?"

"Though, that isn't entirely wrong; after all, he is just a watchdog under my command."

In an instant, both Rin Tohsaka and Saber grasped the implication of Caster's words.

Saber, in particular, stared at Caster above with a grave expression.

Watching the varied reactions of the group, Caster could not help but laugh with disdain:

"Have you finally figured it out?"

"When it comes down to it, that watchdog doesn't even have a Master."

"As a magus, what issue could there be with me summoning a Servant?"

Rin Tohsaka's eyes were filled with fury as she barked:

"Caster, you dare to break the rules!"

While furious, Rin Tohsaka also directed this anger toward the priest overseeing this Holy Grail War.

To violate the rules so flagrantly—had that damned fake priest not noticed?

While Rin Tohsaka and Shirou Emiya were shocked, Saber had already recovered from her surprise.

No wonder Sasaki Kojiro looked nothing like an Assassin; it turned out Caster had performed an irregular summoning.

Since the truth was known, there was no point in further idle talk.

Saber needed to seize the initiative.

Ryudou Temple was Caster's stronghold, and she had already erected a barrier capable of weakening Servants; if they didn't seize the initiative, they would likely remain on the defensive indefinitely.

Thinking of this, before Rin Tohsaka and Shirou Emiya could react, Saber unleashed a powerful aura that made the very air around them tremble!

"BOOM!"

In an instant, Saber shot forward like a cannonball; accompanied by the thunderous sound of her feet leaving the ground, she gripped her Invisible Sword with both hands and lunged toward Caster on the roof!

However, even with Saber's immense speed, she failed to land a strike, as the figure dissolved into several streaks of light and vanished into the air.

In a heartbeat, Caster had disappeared once again.

Standing on the roof, Saber furrowed her brows, analyzing the situation in her mind:

"Teleportation?"

"Or perhaps spatial displacement?"

"No, within the temple she has constructed herself, she can likely mimic and utilize any form of magecraft."

From the void, Caster's mocking laughter rang out once more:

"You shall not lay a single hair on me here."

"That holds true even for you, Saber, one of the three Knight classes."

The so-called three Knight classes referred to Saber, Lancer, and Archer.

As Heroic Spirit entities from an era when magecraft was abundant, they possessed high Magic Resistance, making it impossible for modern magi to harm them in the slightest.

For instance, Saber, who stood on the roof at this moment, possessed the class skill Magic Resistance at rank A.

She possessed Magic Resistance capable of nullifying magic circles and instant-contract grand rituals.

Regardless of the scale of the grand ritual, any magecraft below rank A would be rendered ineffective.

Even if her Master were to use only a single Command Spell, she could potentially resist the order.

Caster was well aware of this, which was why she intended to wear Saber down first.

Suddenly, a violent magical reaction erupted within Ryudou Temple!

Sensing something was amiss, Saber hurriedly leaped from the roof back to the side of Shirou Emiya and Rin Tohsaka, speaking to the two with a grave expression:

"I do not know what Caster is planning, but I can feel a powerful surge of magical energy being released all around us!"

Rin Tohsaka could naturally sense it as well.

As for Shirou Emiya, he felt his body grow incredibly heavy within such a powerful barrier.

The ground of the entire Ryudou Temple seemed to open the gates of the underworld, as one Dragon Tooth Skeleton Soldier after another crawled out from beneath the earth in rapid succession.

In mere moments, the entire Ryudou Temple was swarming with Dragon Tooth Skeleton Soldier units wielding various weapons!

They had Saber and her group firmly surrounded in the center!

A fierce battle was about to begin.