C323

The Tailed Beast Bomb exploded over Fuyuki City like a small nuclear blast. The impact even triggered a hurricane of magnitude 7 or 8, and the entire population of Fuyuki City was jolted awake by the deafening roar.

Some people thought war had broken out—fearing a nuclear strike from a foreign power—and panicked, rushing to hide in their basements.

Boom!

Fists and feet collided, and the resulting shockwave leveled every nearby building.

Even with a 20-fold increase in power, Kain's strength was still being pushed to its limits as he fought the blonde female Servant. Each blow he delivered thundered with fury, venting his overwhelming might onto his opponent.

Crack!

Ka-ka-ka!

The ground caved in beneath them. Dozens of fissures spread outward from their feet. Kain's arm fractured under the pressure, and the armor on the blonde Servant's arm shattered into glittering fragments.

But in the next second, magic surged. Wounds closed. Armor reformed. For a Servant, as long as mana remained, any non-fatal injury could be healed.

Even Tohsaka Rin, watching from afar, was left stunned. She had assumed Kain's abilities leaned toward magecraft—but his physical prowess in melee combat was terrifying.

The sheer shockwave from their clash disrupted the battle between Medea and Saber. Had they been any closer, they would have been pulled into the collision's vortex.

Ironically, this devastating force allowed Emiya Shirou to escape the giant stone hand that had restrained him, though not without injury.

"Damn it, this guy is too strong... Where's Sakura?"

Guarded by Saber, Shirou scanned the area for Matou Sakura, but there was no sign of her. Even if she were nearby, Rider would never let him approach.

Saber fired several beams of magical energy and warned sternly, "Shirou, this place is too dangerous. We need to leave."

"But—"

"Who gave you permission to leave?"

Medea's soft laughter echoed as she raised her hand. Countless violet ripples appeared in the air, and once again, she summoned a magical barrier.

"Shirou, look out!"

Saber shoved Shirou away and charged at Medea, but she was quickly overwhelmed—struck repeatedly by blasts of magical energy. She wouldn't last much longer.

Medea's true goal was to capture Saber. With a single glance, she noticed Saber was low on mana and struggling to breathe after such an intense fight.

Saber—one of the top-ranked Servants—had been rendered helpless before she could even unleash her full power. Medea scoffed at the weakness of her Master. He should have been replaced long ago.

If Saber were her Servant, Medea knew she could bring out Saber's full potential. She also saw something else: Saber's noble, righteous spirit. The idea of corrupting someone so pure brought a strange satisfaction.

"None of you are leaving," Medea declared. "Saber, bringing such a weak Master to battle... Don't expect to take him back now."

Seeing Saber's vulnerability, Medea redirected 70% of her magic blasts toward Emiya Shirou.

Shirou's current magical capabilities couldn't defend against those attacks. If not for Medea's own barrier weakening the blast radius, he might have barely blocked one or two. But now, even a single hit would cause serious injury.

Boom!

Saber was sent flying, coughing up blood mid-air before crashing into Shirou and knocking them both back several meters.

Medea smiled in triumph. "Saber, you belong to me now."

Saber's mana was completely depleted. Emiya Shirou had no way to restore it—unless he used a Command Seal.

But Shirou didn't know that. Rin Tohsaka hadn't told him. She felt it would be a waste to use a Command Seal just for mana restoration.

As Medea spoke, she suspended Saber mid-air with magic. Her body arched unnaturally, restrained like a puppet on invisible strings.

"Saber!"

Seeing her in danger, Emiya Shirou shouted, heart pounding with anxiety. He grabbed a steel bar lying nearby, infused it with reinforcement magic, and charged toward Medea, desperate to take Saber back.

"Oh? Almost forgot about you."

Medea chuckled. As a defender, Saber was now useless. As for Emiya Shirou—he may have been connected to Matou Sakura, but Medea didn't care. Her Master was Kain, not Sakura. Killing Emiya Shirou meant nothing to her.

As for the rule that a Servant disappears after their Master's death—Medea didn't consider it an issue. There was always a delay before the disappearance took full effect. During that window, she could forcibly claim Saber as her own.

"Go to hell, foolish boy!"

With a casual wave of her hand, dozens of purple light bullets formed in the air, then shot toward Emiya Shirou like a deadly swarm.

I'm dying...

That was the only thought in Shirou's mind as he froze in place, staring at the incoming barrage of glowing death.

"You idiot! Don't rush in if you don't have the strength!"

Just before the light bullets struck, he heard a familiar voice. Tohsaka Rin appeared in front of him, casting a protective barrier just in time.

BOOM! BOOM! BOOM!

A cascade of magical explosions rocked the area. The force nearly made Rin cough up blood. Her mana drained rapidly—but thankfully, she had brought a string of magic gems beforehand. Without them, she and Shirou would have died on the spot.

BOOM!

Elsewhere, the blonde female Servant kicked Kain back several meters, then turned toward Rin with a glare.

"Tohsaka, you're using too much mana! It's affecting me!"

"Stop whining!" Rin snapped. "Your Master's in danger. You should be protecting me! I need mana too!"

Rin was nearly at her limit. Blocking Medea's last barrage had taken most of her strength—and she barely had the energy left to argue.

Medea raised her hand to attack again—but when she saw the blonde Servant appear instantly beside Rin, she clicked her tongue in frustration.

This Servant wasn't easy to deal with. That kind of speed and power meant that if Medea made a single mistake—even in midair—she'd be in range. And for a mage like her, close combat was suicide.

"Retreat," the blonde Servant said coldly. "You can't even provide me with enough mana. If this continues, you might as well withdraw from the Holy Grail War."

Rin nodded in reluctant agreement. "That's the only option. I'll leave it to you, then."

"Don't worry. I still have a bit of confidence."

Just as the blonde Servant finished speaking, the space nearby twisted—and Kain reappeared via teleportation.

"Oh no. Why is this guy completely unharmed?" Rin muttered under her breath. "Can you still get us out of here? I've got a few magic gems left—I can give you one final boost."

Rin slowly reached into her pocket, drawing energy from one of her gems.

"Don't worry. I can—"

The blonde Servant grabbed Rin with one arm and Emiya Shirou with the other. But before she could finish her sentence, Kain interrupted.

"You came here. What about Yoko? Did you leave her somewhere safe?"

"She's… home," the blonde Servant replied.

Before she could say more, her eyes widened—realizing too late. "Spiritual magic?"

She had been so caught up in the fight that she let her guard down. Kain had used a subtle spiritual charm on her—just enough to loosen her lips.

"So it was you," Kain said with a smirk. "Even if it's just a martial arts technique on a World Master level, you nearly broke me. I almost had a breakdown."

Before he could finish, the blonde Servant—Tsunade—suddenly sprang into action. She leapt hundreds of meters into the air, vanishing from sight in a matter of seconds.

Seeing this, Medea immediately tried to intercept.

"Trying to run now?" she sneered.

"Forget it," Kain sighed. "Let's call it a day. Restoring all these buildings and erasing memories is already a pain."

He looked around, feeling a headache forming. Nearly everything within a kilometer had been destroyed—there wasn't a single intact building in sight. Restoring the area would take a massive amount of mana.

But leaving it as-is wasn't an option. Kain flew into the air and began restoring the Matou family villa to its original state. Under his immense magical power, the ruined estate seemed to turn back time.

Chunks of debris and shattered wood rose into the air, returning precisely to their original positions. Even the trampled flowers and plants were restored, settling back into the soil as if nothing had happened.

Once the Matou house was fully restored, Kain moved on to neighboring buildings. He even repaired the roof two kilometers away that had been crushed under Tsunade's foot.

With the buildings fixed, Kain then began erasing the memories of nearby residents. Although he and Tsunade had tried to avoid harming civilians, there were likely some injured—fortunately, no one had died.

As Kain continued the memory erasure, Jeanne d'Arc suddenly appeared. After surveying the surroundings, she approached him and asked, "Foreigner, what happened here just now? Who was fighting?"

"Just a small misunderstanding. It's over now."

While erasing another person's memory, Kain added, "Nothing to worry about. You should go back."

The area did appear peaceful—flowers bloomed, buildings stood undamaged—but Jeanne could sense that a violent battle had taken place. It was obvious Kain was covering it up.

Still unconvinced, she pressed further.

"The battle was intense. If this continues, the common people may realize the Holy Grail War is happening. If that happens, I'll be forced to invoke God's Judgment."

"I understand, Holy Maiden. If you've got nothing else to do, please go back and rest."

Kain's patience began to wear thin. He raised his voice slightly.

"If you're not needed here, then leave. Otherwise, prepare to return to the Holy Grail."

His voice, amplified by magic, echoed across the area—clearly heard by every Servant nearby.

After suffering a sudden ambush, wasting so much mana, and still getting manhandled by Tsunade, Kain couldn't even summon the will to stay angry.

"Damn it, this guy's way too arrogant!"

"Is he some kind of special descendant? I want to know what trump cards he's hiding… I'm sure he was involved in that battle."

On a distant rooftop, two figures stood watching the aftermath.

Hearing Kain's voice, Gilgamesh's expression darkened.

"That mongrel dares speak to this king in such a tone? Does he truly believe he can match my strength? Shall I put him in his place?"

"Please wait a moment, King of Heroes," Kotomine Kirei interjected, gesturing toward Jeanne in the distance.

"The Judge is still here. She won't allow another battle between Heroic Spirits tonight. And with the sirens blaring in the distance, it's likely the military and police will surround the area soon."

"Tonight is ill-suited for battle. If you must, choose tomorrow night or another time. Unless, of course, you plan to face the full might of the commoners' army and police."

Hearing this, Gilgamesh furrowed his brow. As much as his pride burned, both the presence of Jeanne and the threat of modern weapons forced him to reconsider.

He didn't want to face either of those variables—not the holy judgment of Jeanne d'Arc, nor the chaotic interference of an armed civilian force. Though he had lived in Fuyuki for a decade, drawing attention now would be reckless.

Grudgingly, Gilgamesh backed down.

"That mongrel will not live another day in peace. Daring to insult a king—hmph!"

Golden ripples shimmered behind him—his Gate of Babylon—as he vanished into its golden light.

The approaching sirens and deployment of emergency forces soon prompted the remaining Servants to withdraw as well. Their reasons mirrored Gilgamesh's: risk versus reward.

But most importantly, none of them had forgotten the sky-shattering explosion and the earth-rumbling shockwavefrom earlier. If that was a Noble Phantasm, then its rank had to be EX or beyond.

Moreover, Kain didn't just have one Servant on his side—he had multiple, and a powerful magical barrier as well.

Even if two Servants joined forces against him, they might not gain any advantage. On the contrary, if they rushed in recklessly in a fit of rage, they'd likely be walking to their deaths.

Only a Mad Warrior, unrestrained by their Master, might act so irrationally. No other Servant would dare.

Soon, the military blocked the surrounding streets, and the police sealed off the perimeter. But they found nothing. Kain had erased the memories of all nearby residents, and those closest to the Matou residence had their recollections completely altered.

Though the authorities would spend the entire year finding nothing, Kain had already used the Imperius Curse on every high-ranking official in Fuyuki City. He instructed them to evacuate the area after dawn—and never speak of this incident again.

Tohsaka's Side

After Tsunade dropped Tohsaka Rin and Emiya Shirou off at the door, both of them immediately bent over, covering their mouths, almost vomiting.

The continuous high-speed leaps, combined with the cold wind rushing into their lungs, left them dizzy and nauseated. Emiya Shirou, in particular, felt incredibly unwell from being carried like luggage in Tsunade's arms.

"Ugh…"

"Ahem… Thank you, Tohsaka," Shirou managed to say, still breathless. "If it weren't for you, I might not be here right now…"

The image of Medea's deadly magic bullets flashed through his mind again—it was terrifying. At that moment, he had truly come close to death. And counting this incident, it was now twice that Tohsaka Rin had saved him.

Rin weakly waved him off. "I told you not to act impulsively. You're lucky to be alive. But now, even Saber is—"

Before she could finish her sentence, Emiya Shirou suddenly felt a searing pain on the back of his hand. He looked down—his Command Seals had disappeared.

"Saber!"

Regret surged through Shirou's chest. He had been just about to use a Command Seal to summon Saber back—but now they were gone. Vanished.

Rin's eyes narrowed when she saw this. "Looks like the enemy has some method to forcibly break the contract. You've lost Saber as your Servant. For now… let's calm down and talk things through."

She hadn't fully recovered yet. Despite having eaten earlier, the intense magical drain had left her body feeling completely empty. She needed food—and rest.

After a pause, Rin suddenly reached out and grabbed Tsunade's wrist, her eyes sharp with barely restrained fury.

"You'd better explain everything that just happened—clearly!" she said through gritted teeth. "And while you're at it… who are you Berserker?!"

…

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