Chapter 1167 1167 ‘Instrument’

Chapter 1174 ‘Weapon’

“Asshole…Asshole, asshole…”

His sobbing voice was suddenly drowned out by a burst of joyful laughter from behind.

He slowly approached Kariya with a cane, and insects avoided this old and short figure. It was none other than the person Kariya hated, Matou Zouken.

“Kareya, you are really miserable like this.”

The old magician used his cane to lift Kariya’s chin and forced him to raise his head. Kariya no longer had the energy to scold him, but he still stared at him with hatred and murderous intent with his only remaining right eye. Just looking down on his opponent had exhausted him.

"Don't get me wrong, I don't blame you at all. You're still alive after being so badly injured - Kariya, I don't know who saved you. But you seem to have good luck in this battle."

Zou Yan, who spoke softly to his "son" as if he was caressing a cat, was in a particularly good mood today - so his smiling face was full of evil.

"Three Servants have been dealt with, and there are only four left. To be honest, I didn't expect you to be able to hold on until now. It seems that - I may still have a chance to win this gamble."

Just like that, Zou Yan suddenly stepped back a few steps to distance himself from him.

"Perhaps it's not a bad idea to put another lock on you. Kariya, now that things have come to this, I will give you the 'trump card' that I have hidden for today, come on -"

Gu, the cane suddenly pressed against Kariya's throat, forcing him to open his mouth. Immediately, Zou Yan's cane moved upwards like a mouse and stabbed into Kariya's mouth.

"Ah, wu...!?"

Kareya fainted in pain. The worms ruthlessly ate through his mouth into his esophagus, and finally reached his cramping abdomen. Even if he wanted to vomit now, it was too late.

Then—it was as if a red-hot iron block was placed in his abdomen, and a fierce burning sensation burned him from the inside of Kariya's body.

"Oooooh... Ah!?"

Kareya struggled in pain, and the shackles on his hands made a rattling sound. The blood that seemed to have stagnated began to boil violently, and his heart began to beat wildly as if it was about to burst.

That was a concentrated block of magic power. The engraved worms began to move again in Kariya's temporarily rejuvenated body. Kariya's simulated magic circuits throughout his body also began to pulsate as never before, and his limbs began to feel pain as if they were torn apart—but this also meant that Kariya's paralyzed hands and feet regained consciousness.

Seeing that the "trump card" worked, Zōken mocked loudly.

"Hehe, it really works immediately.

Do you know? The magic block you just swallowed came from a lustful insect. It was the one that first absorbed Sakura's virginity. How is it, Kariya? The essence of the girl that has been absorbed for a year - is it the best magic?"

Perhaps this series of cruel actions satisfied his sadistic heart, and the old magician turned around with a smile on his face. When he was about to leave the insect warehouse leisurely, his sarcasm once again pierced Kariya's eardrums.

"Go to fight, Kariya. Burn the life that was taken from Sakura. Don't be stingy with your flesh and blood and bring back the Holy Grail! If someone like you can do it."

Then, as the warehouse door was heavily closed, there was only cold darkness and the noise of crawling insects around.

Kareya choked silently.

·············

The warm afternoon sun gently warmed the outer wall of the warehouse, gradually tilting to the west.

But the air in the warehouse was still silent and cold. A few rays of sunlight shone in through the small skylight, and the warehouse seemed to be bathed in the light dusk of dusk.

Saber sat on the ground against the wall, waiting for that moment to come.

In the magic circle beside her, Irisviel was still lying on her back with her hands crossed on her chest. She was still sleeping. Since she brought her here in the morning, Saber had been staring at her sleeping profile motionlessly.

Will the magic circle she and Irisviel drew together yesterday work as expected?

For Irisviel, who is a cyborg, it seems that resting in this magic circle is the only way to recuperate. In the past, a ceremony would be held at the same time, but in the current situation, that seems to be a very distant past.

It was really a long night.

Caster, who joined the battle midway and hindered the battle, was finally defeated.

Afterwards, the duel with Lancer ended in a heartbreaking way.

Last night, the Holy Grail War made great progress, and two Servants withdrew from the battle. Regardless of the situation, Saber has fulfilled the most important responsibility.

It would be a lie to say that she is not tired. But now she was more worried about Irisviel's condition.

She remembered that there had been signs since this morning. Irisviel called it a defect in the function of the android. But Saber couldn't figure out what happened yesterday that caused her physical condition to suddenly deteriorate. It wasn't because of an injury, nor was it because she did too much intense exercise. If this happened to a Master who had officially signed a contract with Saber, it was most likely because Saber was tired and the increase in magic power supply had increased the burden on the Master. But if that was the case, it shouldn't be Irisviel, the acting Master, who fell, but Kiritsugu.

The soft sunlight shines in through the skylight, and as it passes noon, the angle of the sunlight gradually changes.

Finally - Irisviel moved slightly, and the still air seemed to ripple.

Saber immediately opened her eyes wide and saw Irisviel groaning uncomfortably as she slowly sat up.

"...Saber...?"

Lazily brushing the silver hair from her eyes, she stared blankly at Saber, who was guarding her.

"Irisviel, how is your health?"

"...Uh, um. It should be fine now."

This is impossible, Saber was about to retort, but saw that the color on Irisviel's face had returned to its usual healthy state. It's hard to imagine that she was still asleep just now.

Ah, she stretched a little, as if she woke up happily in the morning after getting enough rest.

"Well - it seems I've made you worry."

"No, no. It would be great if everything is fine...but..."

"Well, I understand what you're going to say, Saber."

Irisviel smiled bitterly, combed her long hair with her hands, and straightened her slightly messy clothes.

"It seems that a lot of problems have arisen since I got here. If I just stay quietly like this, it should be fine, but - Saber, I may not be able to support you by your side in the future."

"Irisviel..."

Irisviel said somewhat dejectedly, which actually surprised Saber slightly.

"I'm sorry, although it's embarrassing, but compared to being a burden to you——"

"No, it's not like that. I hope you can be more careful about your body. This is all my fault. I think this is a reminder to me that it's because I forced you to fight constantly that you..."

Saber stopped, afraid that what she said next would hurt her. Irisviel smiled lightly and said.

"You don't have to worry about this. We androids are different from humans and have a very clear understanding of our own body structure. Just like a car, if a car doesn't light up to warn you when it runs out of fuel, then it's really broken down."

"..."

Although this is true, the metaphor is not appropriate. Saber fell silent gloomily upon hearing this. Then she looked at Irisviel from the front with a very serious look.

"...Irisviel. Although you are indeed an artificial human, I have never thought of treating you differently from ordinary humans. So no matter what, you don't need to describe yourself as so humble."

Saber put it bluntly. This time Irisviel gave in.

"...Saber is so gentle."

"Everyone who has come in contact with you will think so. Irisviel, you are a very charming person."

Saber deliberately joked in a light tone in order to make the conversation less heavy.

"For women, there will always be discomforts in the body of one kind or another, so you don't have to be embarrassed."

When she said this, even Irisviel could only smile in embarrassment.

"If you put it like that, Saber, you are also a girl - well, wouldn't it be troublesome? You have to act as a man at that time."

"No, this is-"

Saber couldn't help but breathe a sigh of relief when she saw the smile on Irisviel's face returned to before, so she continued in a more relaxed tone than usual.

"You don't know, I was protected by the Noble Phantasm during my lifetime. Not to mention disasters, even aging has stopped, so I won't have any discomfort on my body. Even after ten years, I will still be like this."

"..."

At this point, Saber suddenly noticed that Irisviel's expression became worried, as if she was a little uncomfortable, so she hurriedly stopped.

Although she didn't understand why this small talk topic made her depressed, Saber discovered that Irisviel was not in the mood to talk or laugh with her at the moment.

"——In short, Irisviel, you don't have to worry about anything. Indeed, I will feel more at ease with your cover, but there are not many enemies now. Even if I act alone, I am absolutely sure to win."

"...Saber, if you really acted 'alone', then I wouldn't worry about it."

When Saber realized the true meaning of Irisviel's words, she couldn't help but feel a bitterness rising in her throat.

Yes, she did not act alone. The Master who made a contract with the Servant Saber is still on the same battlefield.

"Hey, Saber...can you treat Kiritsugu as a companion and fight alongside him in the future?"

She couldn't answer right away. This move clearly showed the entanglement in the heart of the Knight King.

"...If the other Masters are all seeking the Holy Grail for their own selfish desires, I think the Holy Grail should be obtained by Kiritsugu. For this reason, I have no objection to becoming his 'sword'."

Saber answered in a suppressed tone while frowning as if she couldn't hide her distress.

"——But I hope that it is enough that I am the only one who becomes the 'Sword'. I do not want to get involved in Kiritsugu's actions again."

Recalling Diarmuid's end, Saber couldn't help but feel her heart ache.

No matter how much she understood the man named Kiritsugu and how much concession she was willing to make, that scene was something Saber could never forgive.

"Now we need to stage a battle that has to make Kiritsugu feel recognized. As a Servant, I can win without getting the Master's hands dirty, right? The remaining three Servants can't defeat me no matter what. of."

Irisviel nodded. She could only nod. Thank God that Saber was still able to maintain her fighting spirit after witnessing Kiritsugu's despicable behavior. But on the other hand, she also knew that Saber now very much expected Kiritsugu to trust her at the lowest level, but Kiritsugu couldn't do that at all. The meaning of the word "true victory" is completely different for the "Knight King" and the "Magician Killer".

Until victory is achieved, with unyielding will and perseverance to get back on track no matter how many times we fail——

Thorough consideration to completely eliminate all possible causes of failure——

Although the purpose of the two is the same, the process is fatally different.

"...To me, the Holy Grail is equivalent to myself. Because from the moment I was born, I have had the 'vessel' that can make it come."

After hearing what Irisviel said, Saber nodded.

"I heard that your mission is to be the 'Guardian of Instruments'."

However, Saber and her work together 24 hours a day, but it is still unknown how and where she hid the 'Holy Grail Vessel'. Since they trusted each other, there was no need for her to ask. After Saber wins all the battles, all he has to do is take the 'weapon' from her.

"...So, no matter what happens, I hope that my 'baby' can be handed over to the hands of the people I love - Kiritsugu, and you, Saber."

Irisviel said like a prayer, and Saber nodded resolutely.

"Before, when I was first summoned, I had sworn to protect you and win the final victory. I do not intend to break this oath."

"..."

Irisviel could only smile ambiguously and nod.

If the original goal of the "Founding Three Families" is to be achieved - "reaching the root" - Saber, who has defeated all the Servants, must commit suicide through a command spell, and use all seven heroic spirits as sacrifices to the Holy Grail to end the war. However, what Irisviel and Kiritsugu placed their hope in the Holy Grail was not such a wish. Although the desire to “change the world” that would bring an end to all struggles seems very great, in the final analysis it cannot escape the realm of “miracles.” The changes that occur as a result can only be done "inside the world" at best, which is really much easier than the "outside" of the world where the target is the "vortex of origin". But if you just want to achieve miracles in the real world, then you don't need the ancient Winter Saint herself as a 'vessel' to fully awaken the Great Holy Grail. As long as he can defeat six other hostile Servants, it will be enough to replenish the magic power to make Kiritsugu and Saber's wishes come true.

But as the two go through a brutal battle for survival, what Irisviel is worried about - more importantly than the strength of the enemy, is the disagreement between Kiritsugu and Saber.