Shinji Matou At Your Service

The bright moon hung high, casting a hazy moonlight that illuminated Kiritsugu's cold and stern face, as well as the thick, unyielding shadows in the corners.

A smooth hand, as if made of white jade, emerged from the shadows and firmly grasped Kiritsugu's M950, just before he could pull the trigger.

"That's enough," a deep and melodious female voice echoed in the corridor.

Kiritsugu couldn't help but furrow his brow; he recognized the owner of the hand.

"Assassin?"

"Release the Master of Lancer."

With a forceful twist of her wrist, Scáthach shattered the barrel of the M950 into pieces. The Queen of the Shadow Lands, who roamed within the shadows, calmly gazed at Saber's Master.

"As a reward, I'll give you some information. Kirei Kotomine has invaded the forest, and the two women accompanying you are trying to stop him."

Facing the Assassin alone, Kiritsugu, who still maintained an expressionless demeanor, finally changed his expression. Scáthach could sense a tremendous emotional upheaval on his face, including shock, worry, and fear.

Kiritsugu quickly released his grip on the M950 and said, "Thank you" to Scáthach. He then shattered the window on the third floor and jumped out from the corridor.

Assassin had plenty of opportunities to kill him, and her decision not to attack indicated she meant no harm. There was no need for him to be on guard. His immediate priority was to reach the side of Irisviel and Maiya.

"Please, let them be safe," Kiritsugu silently prayed as he used magecraft to counteract gravity while leaping through the air.

...

The contract between a Master and a Servant was an invisible yet undoubtedly existing bond that connected them. Although this bond was not tight enough to provide real-time awareness of each other's condition and actions, it could still convey certain information in critical moments—such as command spells and life-or-death crises.

As a result, the dire situation that Kenneth was facing quickly reached Lancer, who was still in the forest.

"What?!" Lancer turned around abruptly and looked towards the direction of Einzbern Castle, precisely at the moment when they had just defeated Caster's monstrous army and were preparing to confront Caster alongside Saber.

Until this moment, Lancer finally realized that his Master, whom he thought was observing the battle from the rear, had charged into the enemy ranks and was engaged in another battle.

Lancer's momentary hesitation created a precious opportunity for Caster, who was in dire straits.

In Caster's hands, the Prelati's Spellbook emitted a surge of magical energy.

Saber, naturally, would not give Caster another chance to summon.

"Give up already!"

Saber brandished her sword and charged forward.

However, Caster was not foolish enough to chant an incantation before the blade. He didn't even utter a single syllable of an incantation. He simply released the chaotic flow of magical energy generated by his Noble Phantasm.

Although the previous summoning magecraft had been nullified, the sea of blood that stained the land was still connected to the magical energy channels. The uncontrollable magical energy flowed into the sea of blood, bursting and vaporizing without forming any specific shape.

From the beginning, Caster had no intention of completing an incantation. He forcefully activated a magecraft that was destined to fail. The blood of the new monsters he tried to create instantly boiled and vaporized due to the saturated magical energy, turning into a mist that spread around. This was a reckless skill that could only be executed with a massive supply of magical energy provided by a Noble Phantasm.

The blood mist blocked Saber's vision as she approached, and even Lancer halted his steps, not daring to act recklessly.

This was precisely the effect Caster wanted to achieve. He was insane but not foolish. He knew that he couldn't turn the tables.

Taking advantage of the moment when the blood mist obstructed Saber and Lancer's vision, Caster immediately released his materialization and left the battlefield, without even having time to deliver a line.

Caster's successful escape had an element of luck. The King of Knights, due to her unique circumstances, couldn't materialize and had no tracking ability. Lancer, who possessed such abilities, gave up on pursuit due to his Master's crisis.

"Damn it, this guy is too despicable."

Saber muttered angrily and summoned the Invisible Air from the surrounding atmosphere.

A serene wind blew from all directions, dispersing the impurities of the blood mist. When the two Servants regained their vision, Caster had not only disappeared, but even the presence of his spiritual body had vanished.

"Lancer, what happened?"

Saber calmly inquired without questioning Lancer, who could have easily pursued the enemy but instead watched Caster escape. Judging from his sudden change in expression, something must have happened.

"My Master encountered a crisis. It seems he left me behind to attack your base," Lancer reluctantly explained.

"It must be my Master's doing," Saber immediately grasped the situation. "Lancer, quickly go to assist your Master."

Faced with Saber's prompt urging, the spearman first was stunned, then sighed deeply and lowered his head. To Saber, that decision was as if she were betraying her Master. Delaying Lancer here to buy time to kill his Master was an obvious choice for winning the Holy Grail War.

However, Lancer did not feel the need to save Saber earlier. He didn't consider himself foolish, so now he couldn't think that Saber was foolish for clearing a path.

"King of Knights, I'm grateful."

"It's nothing. We both swore to duel as knights. Let us uphold this honor together--"

Before Saber finished speaking, she suddenly raised her sword towards the direction of the castle.

"Someone is approaching, this presence... is it Assassin?"

Just as she spoke, Scáthach, dressed in a black bodysuit, appeared in their field of vision. In her right hand, she was carrying someone like a sack, and Lancer immediately recognized that it was his Master, Kenneth, the one he had pledged his loyalty to.

"My Lord!"

"Take him away immediately, Lancer." Scáthach casually tossed the unconscious Kenneth to Lancer. "Your Master lost in a duel against Saber's Master. Although I've provided emergency treatment, he is severely wounded. Find a place for him to rest as soon as possible."

Lancer carefully caught his Master and bowed respectfully to Scáthach. "Thank you very much, Queen, of the Land of Shadows."

Although he didn't know the details, he could tell that without Scáthach's intervention, his Master might have already died.

"No need for excessive courtesy. As I said, I like top-notch warriors. I helped Saber last time, and now I'm helping you. It's only fair."

Scáthach waved her hand casually at Lancer and then turned to Saber.

"Your Master is also in a bad situation. Don't linger here."

"Understood."

"Thank you once again."

Saber and Lancer once again expressed their gratitude to Scáthach and disappeared into the night, each going in opposite directions.

Scáthach, who had been traveling throughout the night, ran her fingers through her hair and looked up at the dazzling starry sky, whispering.

"This should be enough, my little Master."

PS: According to Type-Moon's explanation, some people have a Lolita complex, which is likely innate and stems from primal impulses. No matter how many times you reincarnate, you'll still have a Lolita complex.