[152] Feigned Death, But Not Entirely Feigned

The information about the person who kidnapped Miyu was neither too much nor too little.

After all, apart from being moved by watching Sakatsuki's battle, the man had not spoken a single word to Miyu.

But even so, the appearance of that man and the information leaked from their conversation was enough for Sakatsuki to take his deductions a step further.

The shadow servant in the forest, who called himself "Nameless," rejected the protection of the Counter Force and seemed to have foreseen the future...

As his golden eyes flickered, Sakatsuki had already made up his mind.

His hand was tugged, and when he looked down, Miyu was gazing at him, whispering.

"He said that I was the one hindering you from obtaining the Holy Grail. Berserker also said that because of me, you had to revise your plans overnight..."

No, that's not it.

Sakatsuki wanted to refute, but Miyu's sudden embrace stopped him from speaking.

"Promise me, don't worry about me, okay?"

Nestled in Sakatsuki's arms, the girl's soft plea reached his ears. Sakatsuki couldn't help but tighten his embrace around her slender figure, feeling her tremble with unease and guilt.

"I want to see you win after giving it your all, Master."

After a moment of silence, Sakatsuki exerted strength in his arms, lifting her up to face her directly, letting her see the confident smile on his face.

"I promise you."

Not as her brother, but as her Master, he made this vow to his Servant.

***

A moment later.

"Are you ready, Miyu?"

"I'm ready."

Miyu looked at Sakatsuki standing at the door of the house, feeling a bit uneasy.

"But are you sure this is okay?"

"Huh? Of course, it's fine."

Sakatsuki patted the house behind him and smiled.

"This house was secretly purchased by Kiritsugu, and there's even a fuel truck hidden inside. Destroying it in one go is perfect, and it'll also give Kiritsugu some trouble."

"...I wasn't talking about that."

Miyu pouted in dissatisfaction.

"I meant you, Onii-chan. Are you really not going to get hurt?"

Sakatsuki was taken aback for a moment, then couldn't help but laugh.

"Don't worry, your brother isn't someone who gets hurt so easily. Come on, Miyu!"

"Okay."

Miyu wasn't one to hesitate. Hearing this, she reached into the card pouch strapped to her thigh and pulled out a Class Card.

A swordsman holding a Western-style sword stood upright, marking the class of the card.

Class Card: Saber.

"Install!"

As the girl's voice rang out, a familiar and sharp aura instantly enveloped her body. When the light of the replacement magic faded, Miyu had already donned an outfit similar to Artoria's, and the golden sword in her hand shone brightly!

"Hurry, Miyu. This will definitely attract Saber's attention since we're using her power."

Sakatsuki leaned against the doorframe, calmly reminding her.

Miyu nodded almost imperceptibly, raising the holy sword high. As magic power poured into it, countless starlights gathered.

"Ex—calibur!"

The torrent of starlight surged forth, obliterating the entire house. Something inside exploded, and the flames, along with the rushing light, shot into the sky. After a long while, it slowly dissipated, leaving no trace.

After the Install was released, Miyu looked at the completely destroyed house and the lingering sacred aura, pursed her lips, and disappeared.

A moment later, a silver car sped over, screeching to a halt in front of the ruins.

The gull-wing door opened, and Saber, with her golden hair and green eyes, stepped out. Along with Irisviel, she surveyed the scene before her, her expression shifting from confusion to disbelief.

"Indeed, this is the aura of my holy sword! But how...?"

"Look here, Saber!"

Irisviel's voice called out. Saber walked over and saw Irisviel bending down to pick up a crystal.

"This is a magically treated crystal that can reflect images from a certain period."

Irisviel explained, then activated the image.

A magical screen unfolded, and under the stunned gazes of the two, a petite girl with a figure similar to Saber's, though her face was unclear, swung a golden holy sword, releasing a beam of light that engulfed the house and a white-haired, golden-eyed young man.

"Sakatsuki?!"

Saber and Irisviel exclaimed in unison as if they could still hear the young man's teasing laughter fading away.

A moment later, the crystal fell into Kiritsugu Emiya's hands. The magus killer, with a cigarette in his mouth, made a decision after a brief contemplation.

"I will hand this over to the Church as evidence and announce the 'death' of Caster's Master."

***

The next morning.

Sakatsuki, who had been "blasted" by Excalibur, opened his eyes in the depths of Mount Enzou's cavern.

In the dim cave, his body was enveloped in a white-gold light, making him look incredibly peculiar.

He had spent the entire night using the Third Magic to study the Holy Grail War system.

"Indeed, the consciousness of the 'Winter Saint,' Justeaze Lizrich von Einzbern, has been completely erased. After breaking through the 'firewall' set up by that old worm, the entire structure of the Holy Grail system is almost laid bare."

Justeaze Lizrich von Einzbern, the Winter Saint.

Two hundred years ago, she was the head of the Einzbern family, one of the three families that orchestrated the first Holy Grail War. She had offered herself as a living sacrifice, becoming the core of the entire Holy Grail system.

Makiri Zolgen, also known as the old worm, had used her as the foundation to construct the ritual of the Holy Grail War, where seven Masters and Servants would fight to summon the Holy Grail.

To this day, although Justeaze still presided over the core of the Holy Grail system, her personality had long since vanished.

"Actually, this is better. If her personality still existed, it would be even more terrifying."

Sakatsuki felt the countless spiritual veins hidden beneath Mount Enzou, his gaze deep.

After all, in the Third Holy Grail War, the Einzbern family had illegally summoned the Avenger-class Servant, Angra Mainyu. After Avenger's death, his soul was absorbed into the Greater Grail, and the colourless power of the Greater Grail was tainted by the evil wishes that formed Avenger, turning into black mud.

If Justeaze's consciousness still remained, she would have likely fallen into corruption as well.

"Now that I've mostly figured out the structure of the Holy Grail system, even though I only understand the 'how' of many techniques, it's enough for me to manipulate this war..."

Sakatsuki mused, flipping through several cards in his hand, then suddenly chuckled.

"But before that, I need to deal with the mess the Holy Church has created."

Last night, he and Miyu had put on a show and handed the evidence to the Saber faction.

If Kiritsugu wasn't a fool, he would take the bait and bring this evidence to the Holy Church to demand Command Spells.

To maintain their impartiality, the Holy Church would surely pay the reward and announce Sakatsuki's death. Once the news spread, the other participants, relieved by Sakatsuki's supposed death, would let their guard down, making it easier to exploit their weaknesses and defeat them one by one.

Of course, this was the crudest method.

"Feigning death to escape is indeed suitable for someone as cunning as me, don't you think, Assassin?"

"My deepest apologies, Master."

A shadow slowly emerged, and the purple-haired Hundred-Faced Hassan knelt on one knee, her tone somewhat hesitant.

"But now, none of the participants believe in your death. Instead, they've become more vigilant and increased their surveillance."

***

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