The alleys of Miyama Town are very old, and the roads are not only narrow but also complicated. It usually takes at least half an hour to reach the river where Caster is, but this common sense does not apply to the Servant who is beyond common sense.
With the A-rank riding skill in effect, Saber drove Irisviel’s Mercedes-Benz sports car and displayed driving skills that even professional stunt drivers could hardly match.
She turned the steering wheel with a skill that was just a hair's breadth away from a car crash, and the silver-white body of the car slid around the corner of the narrow road. The abnormal speed made people wonder whether the constraints of the laws of physics really existed. It took only a few minutes to pass through the complicated alleys, which was faster and more efficient than Shinji's "feather shoes stepping on air".
The Mercedes-Benz sports car rushed from the alley to the road along the river, and finally made a sharp turn beautifully and stopped. Saber jumped out of the car without waiting for the gull-wing door to open completely and ran up the river bank.
The fog is thick enough to make ordinary people lose their vision, but it has no effect on Servants or magi whose vision is enhanced by magic.
Soon, Saber saw Caster standing in the center of the Miyuan River, and Caster also saw Saber.
"Welcome, Saint. It is an honor to see you again."
Caster's unchanged politeness made Saber's eyes burn with anger.
"You are a heretic, and you still don't repent? What do you want to do tonight?"
"I'm so sorry, Jeanne... You are not the guest of honor at tonight's banquet."
Caster replied. His expression twisted into a creepy evil smile, revealing an unprecedented madness.
"However, it would be a great pleasure for me if you would honor me with your presence. Please enjoy the Death and Corruption hosted by Gilles de Rais—"
Suddenly, a silver light appeared in Saber's field of vision. This silver light passed through the thick fog at a terrifying speed and shot straight at Caster who was speaking. It also exploded a ball of dazzling fire on Caster's chest. The high temperature and abnormal magic power contained in the fire could be felt across the river.
Only at this time did the ear-piercing explosion sound finally come - the hit comes first, and the sound comes later. This is the characteristic of supersonic weapons, the most common of which are bullets fired from rifles.
However, bullets in the conventional sense cannot produce the effect of thermobaric bombs. Looking around Fuyuki City, there is only one set of equipment that meets this standard - "God Gun Bow and Sword" and "Rune Magic Bullet"!
Shinji arrived only a few tens of seconds later than Saber. He didn't waste time talking to the enemy, but locked onto the target and shot directly.
"Sharpshooter Bow and Sword" is fully loaded, in sniper mode, with maximum output.
The "Rune Bullet" is a special magic bullet refined by Scathach, with the original eighteen runes "FEHU" (transliteration), symbolizing the original, unrestrained, and unfettered fire. In the Age of Gods, this rune stone could turn the entire river surface into a sea of fire. Even in the modern times when the mystery has faded, it can release a high-temperature flame that can instantly melt steel.
This is Shinji's strongest long-range method at the moment.
However, such flames and the powerful kinetic energy brought by supersonic speed still failed to take Caster's life. The powerful magic wrapped around Caster's body gave him an invisible armor, which offset most of the kinetic energy of the magic bullet and the original flame. The injury caused to Caster by this sniper shot was only a skin wound on the chest and a small area of burns on the body.
Seeing this result, Shinji, who was floating in the air with his flying shoes on, sighed regretfully.
"Sure enough, Servants are not that easy to kill. The master is right. The restricted original rune is still a little weak in killing power. To kill a Servant, you still have to rely on the Servants."
At the same time, the magical power fluctuations on Caster's body became stronger and stronger. The dark water at his feet suddenly began to surge, and the countless monsters gathered at the summoner's feet slowly extended their tentacles.
Surprisingly, the tentacles gradually swallowed up Caster's robed figure standing above his head.
At first glance, the scene before him seemed to be an attack caused by the betrayal of the familiar, but Caster, whose entire body was wrapped in tentacles, not only did not panic at all, but instead let out a high-pitched, complacent, and sharp laugh that was almost like a foreign sound.
"The guests are here, so let's start the party tonight."
The foaming water swelled up, pushing Caster, who was being swallowed by the tentacles, upward. The group of monsters under his feet had grown in number without him noticing. Considering the depth of the river, just imagining their number was terrifying.
"Now, let us once again raise the banner of salvation! Gather the abandoned people, gather the despised people. Let me lead you! Let me lead you! The resentment of us who have been bullied will soon be conveyed to God! Lord in heaven! I will praise you in the form of accusation!"
The number of monsters gathered around the summoner's body continued to increase. The summons of the "Luo Yancheng Textbook" were truly endless. Tens of millions of tentacles intertwined and merged, gradually forming a mass of flesh.
It was simply a bloody sandbar covered with disgusting filthy slime, a flesh island. But the collection of monsters still seemed unsatisfied and continued to expand.
Only the voice of Caster, who had been absorbed by the flesh and could no longer be seen, resounded in the surroundings like a song of victory.
"Arrogant God! Cruel God! We will pull you down from the throne! God's beloved lambs! People with bodies similar to God's! We will humiliate and tear you apart! The mockery of us rebels will knock on the gate of heaven along with the wails of God's Son!"
The filthy piece of flesh gradually expanded and took shape. No, this was the true form of the alien monster. All the familiars that Caster had manipulated so far were just fragments of this object.
"That is..."
Against the backdrop of the night, the alien shadow loomed. Its terrifying and powerful appearance made everyone hold their breath.
Even the whales or giant squids that dominate the deep sea do not have such a huge body. This aquatic giant is the nightmare that dominates the ocean of another world, and it is truly a "sea monster".
Although there was no one on the riverbank due to the curfew, every household on the opposite bank had turned on the lights, and chaotic sounds were carried over in the wind.
Witnessing such an amazing and bizarre sight would certainly cause a commotion. Fortunately, due to the thick fog blocking the view, the places where the monster could be seen were very limited. The monster could only be seen in a small area, and the panic of the residents was limited to a specific area.
Nevertheless, the default principle that the Holy Grail War must be conducted in secret has been completely violated.
"I underestimated him... I didn't expect him to summon such a terrifying monster!"
"No, even if he is a Servant, the level of the familiars he can summon to command should be limited... However, if we don't consider how to 'command', then this condition will not limit it."
Irisviel, who had been very calm, showed fear in her voice this time.
"If you don't care how to control it after summoning, just summon it... no matter how powerful the monster is, it can be summoned in theory. All you need is the magic power and spell to expand the gate..."
"... Are you saying that the monster is not under Caster's control?"
"That's right."
The one who answered was not Irisviel, but a female Servant who had transformed from an illusion into a reality.
"Assassin!"
The female Servant who had come running all the way from the Fuyuki Bridge nodded to Saber and Irisviel first, then waved to the Master who kept muttering "Danger, San value is decreasing, San value is decreasing" in the air, and then continued.
"The so-called magic refers to the 'art of manipulating magic'. But 'that thing' is not such a simple concept. It is the real devil. It does not belong to this world. It is an existence older than the earth. It is the darkness in the depths of the universe. It is the taboo of the so-called Old Ones. Although it is only a tiny part of the main body, it is also the limitation of the concept of endless greed and devouring. It can no longer be called magic."
Saber clenched her fists tightly in anger, and she pondered Caster's madness.
"So, the monster wasn't fighting anyone..."
"Yes, it was just invited to 'eat'; that's all. A city like this would be eaten up by it in less than a few hours."
"!!!"
Caster no longer cared about fighting or winning. He planned to destroy the ritual called the Holy Grail War and bring all life in this city to nothingness.
Familiar thunder and lightning were heard in the sky, and a glittering divine chariot landed right in the park square where the four people were. The giant servant holding the reins gave an arrogant and unruly smile to the guests who had arrived earlier.
"Hey, Knight King, Queen of the Demon Realm, what a beautiful night... I wanted to say this, but now doesn't seem to be the time to say hello."
"The King of Conquerors!"
Seeing Saber taking a defensive stance, Rider calmly raised his hand.
"Don't get excited. Let's call a halt tonight. It's impossible to have a good fight if we leave that big guy alone. I've been gathering people from a while ago. Lancer has agreed to help and should be here soon."
"...What about the other Servants?"
"Let's not talk about Berserker for now. As for Archer, it's useless to call him that. People with his personality won't cooperate with others."
Saber nodded, and placed the gauntlet on her chest with a serious expression.
"I understand. I agree to fight alongside you. King of Conquerors, although this alliance is only temporary, I swear to be faithful to you."
"Hehe, you're pretty clear-headed during the battle. Where's Assassin?"
"I have no objection either." Scathach nodded, "I promise in the name of a warrior."
"Masters, do you have any objections?"
Facing Rider's pressure-filled question, Shinji waved his hand casually.
"No, I have left the battle to Assassin. Her attitude is my attitude."
"You really found a good Master." Rider praised sincerely and patted Waver, "Hey, kid, show your attitude too."
"Ah, I get it. A truce is required until Caster is defeated!" Waver reluctantly poked his head out of his seat. He was not objecting, but was just being cautious of the Einzbern camp that had caused him unpleasantness last night. Irisviel also had the same vigilance.
They have never been to the battlefield, so naturally they don't know how to take it off. For people who live on the battlefield, taking the enemy's life and establishing an alliance are both calm judgments that do not allow any personal feelings to be mixed in.
The most important thing at this stage is to stop Caster. As long as the oaths they made to each other are trustworthy enough, working together is the smartest decision.
"The Einzbern promised a truce."
Irisviel's words meant that the alliance had been formed, and the next step was to discuss the battle plan.
"Assassin, you seem to be constantly chasing Caster. Do you have any good strategies?"
"We must defeat him quickly. The clone of the Great Old One is still relying on the magic power provided by Caster to stay in the real world. Once it starts hunting for food and becomes self-sufficient, it will be very difficult to deal with."
Scathach, who had entered combat mode, spoke directly to the point without any hesitation.
Saber nodded in understanding.
"That guy's magic book."
The autonomous summoning magic furnace, "Rayan Castle Textbook" - that treasure with strange power now becomes the heart of the sea demon together with Caster's body.
"I see. So we have to decide the winner before it comes ashore to eat. But—"
Rider frowned in disgust, looking at the huge dark green body that was constantly twisting and wriggling.
"The most important Caster is hiding deep inside the meat ball. What should I do?"
"Drag him out, that's the only way."
A voice answered from behind Rider, and a figure holding two guns appeared in the light of the street lamp. Lancer also boarded the battlefield a little later than the chariot flying in the sky. The four major servants who were to fight against Caster's alliance had finally arrived.
"As long as I can make his Noble Phantasm appear, my 'Demon Breaking Red Rose' can destroy the spell with one strike... But I don't think that guy can be easily hit by the same move twice."
"Lancer, can your spear projectiles hit Caster's Noble Phantasm from the shore?"
Saber's question made Lancer smile coldly.
"This level of effort is effortless. Don't underestimate the Heroic Spirit of the Spear."
"Okay. Then Rider and I will be the vanguard."
"There's no need for that. Everyone come together." The rune light shone, and two rows of runes quickly took shape as Scathach's hands outlined them.
"That's fine with me... My chariot doesn't need a road to move, but how are you going to attack the enemy in the river?"
In response to Rider's question, Scathach showed a confident smile, and two rows of runes moved in the air like two spirit snakes, one coiled around her and the other hovering at Lancer's feet.
"This is a rune of water repellency. It allows the recipient to walk on the waves for a short period of time."
Rider raised an eyebrow curiously: "What about Saber?"
"I do not need such protection. I am under the protection of the Lady of the Lake. No matter how deep the water is, it cannot stop me."
"This is a rare ability... I am increasingly eager to recruit you."
In another situation, Rider’s joke would have triggered Saber’s rebuke, but this time she simply glared at Rider and let it go.
"One day I will make you pay for your nonsense. The most important thing now is to get Caster out."
"Haha, that's right! Then let me lead the way!"
With roaring laughter, Rider whipped the bulls pulling the chariot and rushed towards the sky with a loud thunder, ignoring the shrill screams from Waver who seemed unprepared.
"Let's go too."
Scathach winked at the two servants who came from the same hometown as her, and jumped into the river first.
Saber and Lancer were unwilling to fall behind, and the curtain was raised on the crusade against Caster.