It's normal for an evil god to raise an Abyss.

Toosaka Rin bit her finger.

"Two outstanding magicians plus three Servants... Even if we can defeat Illyasviel and Sakura in magic, those three Servants will not just stand by and watch."

"Tousaka, I have an idea. Don't be angry if you hear it."

Shirou Emiya made a suggestion.

"Can't we find another Master to work with?"

"...Yes, I have actually considered this idea. In the current desperate situation, this is the easiest solution to come up with. Lancer's Master's whereabouts and identity are unknown, so we cannot negotiate with him. And the information about Berserker and her Master is even less clear. The only one who can communicate is probably the Master from Chaldea... But..."

Toosaka Rin suddenly realized a problem.

"what happened?"

Emiya Shirou noticed the change in Toosaka Rin's expression.

"There are only seven classes in a normal Holy Grail War. So what are the identities of the young Servant holding a cross shield and the Master who calls himself Chaldea?"

Due to the successive losses of Saber and Archer, all thoughts were focused on the strategy to recapture the Servant, so for a moment Toosaka Rin did not notice this abnormality that could have been easily noticed.

"Well, it seems that he is the only help we can seek right now, and he seems to have a good temper~"

Toosaka Rin knew that the two girls often appeared during the day and were not completely untraceable. As long as there was a possibility of getting help, some slightly suspicious points could be ignored.

"Well, then let's go find them tomorrow, and then formulate an attack plan on Einzbern Castle."

-------------------------------------

"Yesterday, a large-scale food poisoning incident occurred at Hogunhara Academy. Fortunately, the students who were unconscious due to the poisoning have received proper medical treatment and no other serious reactions have occurred..."

Early in the morning, the TV was broadcasting a report on the mass coma of students at Hogunhara Academy yesterday.

However, the term "food poisoning" is a bit too far-fetched. Sooner or later, the canteen will be held responsible.

Although the news was playing on TV, Emiya Shirou and Toosaka Rin didn't seem to be very interested in listening.

"Are you ready? If you are, let's go~"

Just when Shirou Emiya and Rin Toosaka were about to go out to look for the two people from Chaldea, someone arrived here first.

After opening the door, what appeared in front of them were Ritsuka Fujimaru and Mashu, whom Shirou Emiya and Rin Toosaka were looking for, as well as Bazett, whom they had never met before.

-------------------------------------

Several people sat down in the room.

"What's the reason you came here...?"

Although it is a very lucky event if the person you are looking for comes to you on his/her own initiative, you still have to ask him/her what his/her purpose is.

"I'm sorry to bother you. I have some questions that need to be answered by Miss Toosaka. After all, we are not local magicians like Miss Toosaka, so there are some things that we need to communicate with the locals."

Fujimaru Ritsuka spread out the map and pointed to a place.

"This place is called Yuanzang Mountain, right?"

"Yes...right? What's wrong?"

Toosaka Rin was a little confused.

"So, do the people here have the habit of calling this mountain Kunlun? Or, has this mountain ever been covered with ice and snow?"

"[Kunlun]... I've never heard of Yuanzang Mountain having such an alias... As for being covered with ice and snow, although it snows in Fuyuki in winter, the scale is not large, so it should not be related to the ice and snow you are talking about."

Toosaka Rin was a little confused by Fujimaru Ritsuka's question.

"Let me ask you this in another way. Ms. Toosaka, do you think it is possible for Enzoyama to construct a large-scale magecraft?"

"?!"

Toosaka Rin's surprised expression disappeared in an instant, and after a moment's hesitation, she said,

"Mt. Enzo is indeed the location of a spiritual vein in Fuyuki. If you want to perform large-scale magic, it is indeed a suitable place."

"But what you mean is that someone has already built a large-scale magic in Yuanzang Mountain?"

Toosaka Rin was a little surprised by this. If that was the case, it was too scary that she didn't notice it at all.

"Ms. Toosaka Rin, what I'm going to say next is just a guess, but it may be beyond your imagination..."

Bazette said seriously,

"After exchanging intelligence, we believe that someone is secretly manipulating this Holy Grail War, and the chaos in the world line is caused by this person, and that person is on Mount Yuanzang!"

Chapter 157 Einzbern Castle

"Uh, my mind is a little confused, please let me sort out my thoughts..."

Too much information suddenly entered Emiya Shirou and Toosaka Rin's minds, which caught them off guard.

During the previous dozens of minutes of intelligence communication, several people had fully exchanged views.

Including what Fujimaru Ritsuka and Mashu saw on the snowy mountain, the intelligence gathered by Bazette and Lancer in the past few days, and the results of their two groups' interviews with the nuns in the church, the following intelligence was obtained:

Mount Enzo is shrouded in an inherent barrier in the form of a snowy mountain; on the snowy mountain lives an individual named "Xue Yue", who holds the Holy Grail in her hand; the purpose of Chaldea's trip is to recover the Holy Grail, because the history here has deviated from the "normal track"; Bazette came here to find out the truth about the "Holy Grail War"; the Matou family was destroyed for unknown reasons ten years ago; the current head of the Einzbern family is named Xue Yue Einzbern; Illyasviel and Sakura knew each other before, and now seem to be serving the same "sister", so it seems natural for the two to form an alliance.

These fragmentary pieces of information pieced together form a nearly complete clue:

The person named Xueyue, who is most likely the leader of the Einzbern clan, intends to use the Holy Grail to further influence the world. To do this, she needs to win the Holy Grail War, so she sends two Masters to help her seize the Holy Grail.

This is a very reasonable inference, but there are still two unreasonable points, that is...

"If Xueyue really already holds the Holy Grail, then why does she still want to win the Holy Grail War? Isn't that a waste of time?"

Emiya Shirou asked,

"Also, if she really wanted to win the Holy Grail, why did she only send Illya and Sakura and not do it herself?"

"As for the first question, if the Holy Grail she is holding now is just a crystallization of magic power with nothing but appearance, then she may need to win the Holy Grail War in order to obtain the real Holy Grail."

Toosaka Rin, who knows a little about the Holy Grail War, made this somewhat vague guess.

"As for the second question, it is possible that Xueyue herself has some limitations, which makes her ineligible to become a Master."

Bazette guessed so.

"Actually, I personally think that Miss Xueyue is not the kind of villain who would destroy the world. She must have her own reasons, but..."

Xueyue gave a good first impression to both Fujimaru Ritsuka and Mashu. Emotionally, Fujimaru Ritsuka was unwilling to believe that Xueyue was that kind of person, but Professor Leif's previous experience also told her that many times, people have two faces.

"After all, these are just speculations, and we should ask her in person. Then we can still choose whether to fight or do something else."

"Senior, you are right. Our current purpose is to unite all the forces that can be united."

Mashu answered.

"Well, we need to head to Einzbern Castle now. Saber and Archer have been taken away, and we must get them back."

Toosaka Rin said,

"So, can you please give me a hand?"

"Of course. Whether it's to reduce the enemy's combat power or to increase our own combat power, Einzbern Castle is the place we must go."

Fujimaru Ritsuka said,

"It can be said that until we faced Miss Xueyue and learned her true thoughts, our interests were aligned."

"In that case, let's set off without further delay!"

Bazette is a man of decisive character. Once he decides on a plan, he must act quickly.

-------------------------------------

Einzbern Castle.

"Are you going to abandon this position and go back... Well, it's rare to see such a good show~"

Illya sat on the railing, her feet swaying.

"If you want to stay here and watch the show, I can accompany you, Sister Illya~"

Next to him was the smiling Xueying.

"Forget it. Since it's Sister Xue's suggestion, Illya will of course listen to it. After all, Illya is a good child."

When Xueyue's name was mentioned, Illya felt a sense of joy from the bottom of her heart.

"Well, I'll leave this to you, okay? Emiya."

Illya jumped down from the railing and said to Archer with a smile,

"Illya, I have already abandoned that name."

Archer was hiding in the shadows, and his facial expression could not be seen clearly.

"It's up to you...it's up to you to decide your own ending~"

Illya and Xueying stepped into the portal, and a moment before that, [Blade of Broken Righteousness] was thrown out from the portal.

The projected sword blade instantly destroyed the [Blade of Broken Righteousness] in mid-air.

"Humph……"

"Archer, what do you want to do?"

Saber asked.

"Of course, I will kill Emiya Shirou with my own hands. That is my only wish as a guardian."

“You…are you saying…?”

"Don't look at me like that. You are no match for me now that your magic power is at its lowest..."

Archer sighed.

“As I said before, I have no glory as a hero. This is natural. All I have left is boring regret. For me, Saber…”

Archer showed an expression that he would never show before, a look that seemed to be a mixture of admiration, regret, and emotion.

"…If only I hadn't become a hero…"

"?!..."

The emotion revealed in that expression made the 15-year-old girl who pulled out the sword from the stone that day feel an indescribable touch.

-------------------------------------

Outside Einzbern Castle.

Ritsuka Fujimaru, Mashu, Shirou Emiya, Rin Toosaka, Bazette, and Lancer arrived at the main gate of the castle, only to see a strange scene.

The gate of Einzbern Castle was open, and beside the open gate, Rider and Assassin were waiting, like challengers who had been waiting for a long time.

This arrangement, which seemed like an empty city plan, made Fujimaru Ritsuka and others alert.

"You guys are here after all."

Rider's voice was cold.

"Of course, we are here to take back Saber and Archer!"

Emiya Shirou shouted.

"Well then, Emiya Shirou, Toosaka Rin, according to the Master's arrangement, the two of you can go in directly."

Chapter 158 Emiya Shirou

The one who spoke was the Servant standing on the other side - Assassin.

This time, Assassin did not wear a kimono like before, but changed into a more flexible outfit. Of course, the most eye-catching thing was the light green haori.

"That's... the Shinsengumi?"

When Emiya Shirou and Toosaka Rin, who were Japanese, saw the light green haori, they remembered that it was the iconic attire of the famous slasher group during the late Edo period - the Shinsengumi. They then understood the identity of the girl in front of them.

"If that's the case, then you must be the genius swordsman - Okita Souji!"

"Hmm... I was recognized after all~"