Those time travelers that year

“It’s an astonishing aura,” Caster said. “Even in the age of mythology, among all the famous heroes of Greece, there might not be many who could compare. Apart from Hercules, I can’t think of many warriors who could be more powerful than him.”

"So this one can still fight that Gilgamesh for a while, but if it were a demigod, he would only be at a disadvantage against that Ancient King." Looking at the scene that had already started fighting, Charles said, "But this has nothing to do with us. Has Caster found his target?"

"So far, we've only found Lancer's Master, but not Berserker's. However, just as you said, Master, the familiar has already found Saber's true Master." Caster asked, "Should we...?"

“No, let’s keep Kiritsugu Emiya,” Xia’er said. “When he sees the Holy Grail truly descend, I think he will cooperate with us.”

"This……"

“Caster? You, who came from the age of mythology, don’t really think the Holy Grail is an all-powerful wish-granting machine, do you?” Ciel asked seriously. “Although the Holy Grail in legend is filled with the blood of Christ, do you, who comes from the Greek pantheon, care about that? I want to hear the truth.”

“…No, to be honest, I don’t really believe in the so-called omnipotent wish-granting machine.” After a moment of contemplation, Caster said, “Just like the gods of Olympus, they are not omnipotent, otherwise, there wouldn’t have been three generations of god-kings.”

“What you’re saying makes me feel like you’re blaspheming, Caster!” Charles laughed. “But, given the messy affairs of that Olympus family, it’s no wonder.”

"That's right. That so-called all-powerful wish-granting machine is just a facade. There's a limit to the wishes that can be made, and besides, this cup is no longer an all-powerful wish-granting machine, but a cup of poison."

"poison?"

“Yes! Poison! A true poison to Heroic Spirits and mages, a poison that could destroy the world if one is not careful.” Ciel looked into the mirror, muttering to himself, “If it weren’t for this Holy Grail War ritual, your two superiors would have sent people down to wipe everything out the moment the poison appeared in the Holy Grail. Instead, we can only watch the ritual continue, until finally the poison is poured out…”

"The Counter Force? Then this Holy Grail War..."

“The first three Holy Grail Wars were truly complete Holy Grail Wars, but starting with this one, they aren’t anymore,” Ciel said. “So… Caster, knowing this, do you still want to continue this game?”

“…Of course, I promised.” Caster bowed. “The victor of this Holy Grail War will be you, Master.”

"Then please continue walking with me! Until that cup of poison is summoned..."

——————————Divider Line——————————

Gilgamesh, the King of Heroes, retreated, clearly because of Tokiomi Tohsaka. This caused Kariya Matou to burst into loud, maniacal laughter, a complex sound echoing through the dilapidated factory. For the first time in his life, Tokiomi Tohsaka, who had always taken everything he cherished, had retreated before him. Although Berserker subsequently went berserk and attacked Saber, it didn't evoke any other feelings in him.

"Hahahaha... When you encounter my Berserker, you can only tuck your tail between your legs and run away, hahahaha." Matou Kariya endured the pain in his body and laughed gleefully. "That arrogant guy is embarrassed now... Hmph, Tohsaka Tokiomi..." Matou Kariya said through gritted teeth, "...I really want to see you grit your teeth, hahahahaha... Ugh... cough cough cough..."

Suddenly, Matou Kariya knelt down on the ground, coughing up a pool of blood and several writhing worms.

“That damned Berserker! He's lost control of Saber! If this continues…” He looked at the bright red blood on his palm and said tremblingly, “My body won’t be able to take it. But if I can control it, there’s hope…” Matou Kariya struggled to his feet and leaned against the wall. “Sakura, wait a little longer… I will…”

"Hello! Berserker's Master!" Just as Matou Kariya was about to leave, a voice suddenly rang out.

"Who?" Matou Kariya turned around. At that moment, a swirling cloud of black mist appeared in front of him, followed by a boy wearing a black trench coat, with a black ponytail and dark gold eyes.

"Who are you?" Matou Kariya looked at the uninvited guest with disgust. He could sense that the visitor had the same kind of arrogance as Tohsaka Tokiomi.

"Let me introduce myself. My name is Ciel, Ciel Gretel," the visitor said with a smile. "I am Caster's Master!"

"What!" Matou Kariya exclaimed in surprise, and then the black-armored Berserker behind him reappeared from its spirit form.

"Don't worry, don't worry, I didn't come here to fight your Berserker." Ciel waved his hand to indicate that he meant no harm. "I came to find you because we have the same goal..."

"What did you say?" Matou Kariya looked warily at the visitor who called himself Caster and whose name was Ciel.

"I mean, we're on the same page when it comes to wanting Tokiomi Tohsaka dead." Ciel smiled and made a suggestion that Kariya Matou couldn't refuse: "Wouldn't you like to kill him yourself, to take everything from Tokiomi Tohsaka? His life, or anything else. For example, to bring Aoi Tohsaka... no, Aoi Zenjou back to your side!"

"Also, don't you want Sakura and Rin to live together again?"

60. Agreement

Ciel spoke his proposal to Kariya Matou in a relaxed tone, but to Kariya, it sounded like a devil's temptation. To reclaim everything, to win back the one he loved, and to let Sakura and Rin live together again.

"What exactly do you want?" Matou Kariya stared intently at the person in front of him and asked, "Why, why do you know about Aoi, Sakura, and Rin?"

"Is that so strange?" Ciel tilted his head, then seemed to suddenly realize something and said, "I see. I heard you only returned to the Matou family a year before the Holy Grail War began. No wonder! Didn't you know? Before that, the news that the Matou family had no successor was everywhere!"

"……What's the meaning?"

“If it were just an ordinary magical family, it wouldn’t cause a stir in Europe. After all, European magicians have always looked down on the magical wasteland of the Orient.” Ciel looked at Matou Kariya with a meaningful gaze. Facing Ciel’s gaze, Matou Kariya shifted his feet uncomfortably.

"However, the Matou family is one of the three founding families. Moreover, the Matou family's predecessor was the Machiri family, not a native family of the East. They only moved to this country after the First Holy Grail War. The Mage's Association might not be interested in an ordinary magic family, but a magic family with a history of more than 500 years might be."

Seeing the drastic change in Matou Kariya's expression, Ciel chuckled and continued, "Think about it! The Matou family already had no heir and should have perished, while the Mage's Association could have easily taken over the Matou family's magic crest. You should know how attractive this thing is to a mage."

"But then, there was Matou Sakura..."

"Enough!" Matou Kariya suddenly roared. "Berserker!" Berserker, who had been behind him, suddenly moved, lunging at Ciel. He ripped a steel pipe off the wall with one hand, activating his Knight's Undying ability, staining the torn pipe with black and red patterns. Then, he swung the pipe at Ciel.

"Dragon Fang Soldiers!" Faced with Berserker's sudden attack, Charles took a small step back. Then, from the darkness behind him, three Dragon Fang Soldiers, each wielding a one-handed sword and equipped with a shield, appeared.

Clang!

Two Dragonfang Soldiers parried Berserker's fierce attack with their one-handed swords, but Berserker's A-rank power shattered their blades, sending them flying. However, a slightly lagging Dragonfang Soldier seized the opportunity to step forward and deliver a shield bash to Berserker.

Berserker was knocked back a step by a sudden shield bash, then leaped backward to dodge the Dragontooth Soldier's one-handed sword attack. At that moment, the other two Dragontooth Soldiers, whose blades had been shattered and who had been knocked away, stood up again. Their broken swords had somehow been repaired, and they stood in front of Shire in a shield-defending stance.

"Don't you want to smash Tokiomi Tohsaka's arrogant face to pieces?"

"Or is it that you don't want Rin and Sakura to be able to reunite with their mother, Zenshiro Aoi? You need to know that as long as Tokiomi Tohsaka is alive, Zenshiro Aoi will always be Tohsaka Aoi. And Sakura... will never be Rin's sister or Aoi's daughter again."

"Or would you rather have Matou Sakura stay forever in that insect-infested... Matou family!"

cherry……

And sunflowers...

"Stop, Berserker!"

The berserker stopped.

"Huff, huff..." Matou Kariya gasped for breath, her legs buckling as she half-knelt on the ground, coughing incessantly. "Cough cough cough cough... You mean, you also want Tohsaka Tokiomi's life?" Matou Kariya looked at Ciel with a hopeful yet complicated gaze.

"...Of course! Oh, and you probably don't know this, but the Holy Church and Tokiomi Tohsaka are actually in cahoots. In other words, Archer and Assassin were just putting on an act from the very beginning. And if you want to deal with Tokiomi Tohsaka, then you have to make Berserker face two Heroic Spirits at the same time."

“Tohsaka… Tokiomi…” Matou Kariya growled in a low voice. “You… bastard…”

"So, since someone has brought up cheating, it's perfectly reasonable for me to team up with another Master to take down Tokiomi Tohsaka first." Ciel's smile widened as he looked at Kariya Matou, whose anger and jealousy towards Tokiomi Tohsaka were palpable. "Furthermore, I can promise that once we've eliminated Tokiomi Tohsaka... I can promise that I will absolutely not harm Aoi Zenjou and her daughter in the slightest, and that after the Holy Grail War ends, I will immediately withdraw from Fuyuki City and never disturb their lives again..."

"Not only that, my Servant is Caster. As you know, a magician who is a Heroic Spirit is far more powerful than the current head of the Matou family. If you need, Caster and I are ready to help you take back Matou Sakura. All of the above can be written into the spell contract."

Kariya Matou stared intently at Ciel, and after a long pause, whispered in her throat, "Fine, I promise you..."

…………

.........

……

...

.

"Master, you were just deceiving him!" Caster asked, having returned to Ryutōji Temple via Apparition after signing a spell contract with Matou Kariya.

"No, I didn't lie to him. I do need him as an ally. However, what I said was just a tiny bit of my own idea!" Ciel laughed. "Of all the Masters, he was the one with the least chance of winning. If it weren't for the fact that Zouken Matou had something on him, he wouldn't have gotten involved in this war."

"By the way, Caster, how's the matter I asked you to investigate going?"

“Indeed, as you guessed, Master,” Caster said solemnly. “Berserker’s Master’s aptitude is not good; one could even say he shouldn’t have qualified for the Holy Grail War… However, those insects within Berserker’s Master are constantly consuming his host’s life force while also generating magical energy. But those Crest Worms are not something he can control; on the contrary, their master is someone else…”

"Then what I'm worried about."

"Just as you thought, Master, those insects, while consuming the life of the Berserker Master to generate magical power, are also a means of controlling and monitoring him."

“As expected! That old bug definitely had a backup plan…” Charles asked Caster, “So, Caster, can you break free from the bug’s control, or even disable it?”

"There shouldn't be any problems in the short term..."

“That’s enough!” Ciel narrowed his eyes. “I’m quite interested in his filthy soul that’s lived for five hundred years! After all, he’s one of the founders of the Holy Grail War…”

61. The Fall of Director Ken (Part 1)

'We need to urgently change the broadcast content and insert a news flash...'

An unexplained explosion occurred in the warehouse district of Wangan Ward, Fuyuki City…

'Now we're ready to transmit satellite images...'

"Hmph!" Kenneth El-Melloi Archibald, the ninth head of the Archibald family and a first-class lecturer in the Conjuration Department from the Clock Tower of London, watched the news broadcast on television. He turned off the television with a grim expression, then glared at Lancer kneeling before him and questioned in a low voice, "Why didn't you deal with Saber tonight? And twice in a row, even causing me to waste a Command Spell without success..."

Seeing Lancer remain silent with his head bowed, Kenneth felt a surge of anger rising within him.

"Is it really that fun to fight Saber?"

“That’s right…” Lancer replied, “I swear on my knightly honor, I will offer Saber’s head…”

"There's no need to swear another oath!" Kenneth interrupted Lancer. "Is there even a need to say it? Your contract with me was to obtain the Holy Grail... and now you're clinging to Saber and talking about certain victory?"

"I think you might have the wrong target?"

"You're the one who got the target wrong, aren't you?" Just as Kenneth was seething with anger, a seductive female voice rang out. "Kenneth El-Melloi." A tall, beautiful woman with short red hair walked over.

"Sora!"

“Lancer did a great job…” Sora looked up at Lancer, who was kneeling with his head down, and a hint of concern that no one else noticed flashed in her eyes. Then she looked at Kenneth and asked, “Didn’t you misjudge the situation?”

“…Saber is an exceptionally strong Servant.” Faced with his fiancée’s questioning, Kenneth couldn’t help but explain, “So we shouldn’t have missed a good opportunity to truly deal with her.”

“She suffered an injury that can never be healed…” Sora said, hands on her hips. “Even if you ignore her, she will collapse on her own. Since you’ve determined that Saber is so dangerous, why did you just hide and watch the show while letting Saber’s Master go?”

"Isn't that a bit too embarrassing?"

“Kenneth. I don’t think you understand how much of an advantage you have over other Masters. You’ve added your own ideas to the original contract system, changing the contract between Servant and Master. You have Command Seals, and I provide magical power like another Master. You truly deserve to be called the top prodigy in the Conjuring Department.”

“Um… but we should be careful at the beginning…” Kenneth argued.

"Is that so? Yet you're in such a hurry for Lancer to produce results?"

"Please stop!" Lancer, who was kneeling, suddenly interrupted Sora's questioning of Kenneth. "To continue would be to insult my master, and as a knight, I cannot allow it..."

"No, I didn't mean that." Lancer's sudden words startled Sora, who quickly said to Kenneth, "I'm sorry, I went too far."

However, as Kenneth looked at Lancer, jealousy and anger simultaneously filled his heart. His face darkened even more when he thought about the stories and legends surrounding Lancer's life.

Lingling...

Just then, a fire alarm went off.

"What? What happened?"

At the same time, the phone rang in the upscale room of the hotel where Kenneth was staying. He frowned, then stood up, walked over, and picked up the phone.

…………

.........