However, the King of Conquerors summoned by Waver was obviously not someone easy to fool. Or rather, after answering the summons, the King of Conquerors developed an intense interest in all kinds of things in the modern world.
And now he actually wanted to jump straight into the "trap" that Saber had set himself.
"A trap?"
Iskandar looked at Waver in confusion and said, "If it really is a trap, then all we need to do is crush it under iron hooves. Besides, Saber is clearly issuing a direct challenge here. As the King of Conquerors, how could I not respond to his expectations?"
Waver opened his mouth, but before he could say anything, Iskandar raised his right hand high. Amid a resounding shout, the inky clouds in the sky began to churn and gather, lightning flashing within them.
The special Noble Phantasm known as the Ionioi Hetairoi: Army of the King came charging in, pulling the divine chariot at full speed.
Like lifting a little chick, he grabbed Waver by the collar and tossed him onto the chariot.
"Let's go, kid. Come with me and meet them!"
———
Sajyou Manaka was walking along the winter streets late at night.
Not long ago, when Alvin mentioned that he planned to go to the Tohsaka house, she had already guessed what he intended to do.
For a master in the Holy Grail War, dealing with the opposing master first was the fastest way to secure victory.
Once it became known that Saber was not by her side, people would set their sights on Sajyou Manaka. That was obvious.
Even Matou Zouken, the hidden master behind the Matou family, would not let such an opportunity pass.
Of course, not long ago Matou Zouken had just suffered a huge loss at Saber's hands. Now he would only be more cautious. It was not impossible for him to hide from now on until the Holy Grail War ended.
After all, Matou Zouken had waited far too long for the Holy Grail. This setback might very well make him give up for the moment and hide until this Holy Grail War was over.
Alvin's method of "fishing" was, in truth, a gamble. A gamble that Matou Zouken would not be able to resist making a move.
Because Sajyou Manaka's appearance was far too deceptive. No one would imagine that a pure-looking girl of fifteen or sixteen could possess magical circuits so far beyond the norm.
The deep night in Fuyuki was utterly silent. Amid the swirling snowflakes, a disgusting-looking insect flapped its wings and silently flew into the vintage Tohsaka residence.
It clung to the window, as if peering through the glass to spy on the scene inside the hall.
A black-robed servant sat in the hall, unhurriedly savoring the red tea on the table. Tohsaka Tokiomi sat opposite him, watching with a guarded expression.
Without a doubt, this was indeed Saber.
In a corner of some alley in Fuyuki, an old man slowly opened his eyes. A trace of cold malice appeared in those gloomy gray-white pupils.
'He really let his master go out alone, should that be called stupidity, or absolute confidence in his master?'
'But in the end, she is just a little girl.'
'Saber… you will soon pay the price for this arrogance!'
Matou Zouken lightly tapped his cane. In an instant, his body turned into countless black insects and vanished into the alley.
———
In this silent night that had become like a city of ice and snow, black clouds rolled endlessly. If one looked closely, they would see that within one mass of cloud, countless insects were surging toward Sajyou Manaka's location.
Sajyou Manaka seemed completely unaware that above her head, a cloud formed of "crest worms" had already gathered.
She walked along the road home until, at some point, she quietly came to a stop.
"By the way, you've been secretly watching me this whole time. Are you still checking whether there are any traps set around here?"
Sajyou Manaka's voice was crisp and pleasant, her smile gentle, "Living this long really does have its reasons, doesn't it, Matou Zouken?"
Behind Sajyou Manaka, countless crest worms silently gathered, forming the figure of an old man.
Hunched over, he stared gloomily at the girl before him and said slowly, "So Saber really did guess that I would come straight for you. Even so, he still let you face the danger alone. Looks like he doesn't care much about whether his master lives or dies."
"You're wrong, Matou Zouken."
Sajyou Manaka maintained her bright smile, "It's precisely because he trusts me that he let me face this so-called danger alone."
"Relying on magical insects to temporarily piece together a special body. In the end, you can't even be called 'human'. Saber knows I could never lose to someone like you."
Matou Zouken suddenly laughed and said slowly, "It seems it's not just Saber, even you are full of confidence in yourself, little girl."
"But no matter how extraordinary your strength may be, you're still far too lacking in combat experience."
Matou Zouken suddenly raised his cane. Unbeknownst to her, dense masses of crest worms had already appeared behind Sajyou Manaka. They seemed to be devouring the mana in the air, forming a gigantic net, as if they intended to chew her petite body to nothing.
As an old fox who used insects, Matou Zouken was cunning and cautious.
Even so, even knowing this might be a trap, he still did not believe that Saber's master could handle him.
His earlier conversation with Sajyou Manaka had merely been to distract her attention. He had already secretly released his insect magecraft in advance.
Sajyou Manaka raised her right hand and snapped her fingers.
A water element condensed and formed a towering wall behind her, isolating her from the countless crest worms.
"A water-attribute magus, hm, what a pity. If it were fire, I might actually feel a bit wary," Matou Zouken sneered.
Every magus was born with a special "magecraft aptitude": earth, water, wind, fire, or void. Each magus had attributes they excelled in.
And the Matou family, as magi who manipulated "insects," feared fire above all else.
Matou Zouken had originally been a little concerned that Sajyou Manaka might be hiding some trump card. But when he saw her use water-element magecraft, his last trace of worry completely vanished.
More and more insects poured toward Sajyou Manaka in a sky-covering swarm, nearly engulfing her small body entirely.
Seeing that the water walls surrounding Sajyou Manaka were about to be eroded by the crest worms, a smile appeared on Matou Zouken's aged, grotesque face.
Though he was old, when it came to magical endurance, there were very few magi in Fuyuki who could rival him.
If this dragged on, Sajyou Manaka would soon lose because she could no longer withstand the erosion of the crest worms.
The old man who had lived for five hundred years had long pushed crest worms to their limits. Every single one within his body could provide him with a certain amount of mana, and they could also absorb others' mana for his use.
As long as it turned into a battle of attrition, no modern magus could possibly defeat him.
However, at that very moment, the snowflakes drifting down from the sky began to melt as if scorched by extreme heat.
Matou Zouken froze. Soon, with a look of shock and uncertainty, he stared at the girl ahead of him, who was already wrapped up like a dumpling by insects. His thoughts stalled for a moment.
For some reason, a very bad premonition rose in his heart.
BOOM!
At that instant, centered on Sajyou Manaka, fire element compressed to the extreme erupted violently.
Countless crest worms fell weakly onto the snow-covered ground, giving off the scorched smell of roasted meat.
That was fire-element magecraft taken to the absolute extreme!
Born connected to the Root and possessing the unique authority of "omniscience and omnipotence," Sajyou Manaka had been able to control all five great elements since birth, and the magecraft she released far surpassed that of modern magi.
Sajyou Manaka raised her hand again and sent an ordinary-looking fireball toward Matou Zouken.
Then, just as it reached him, it exploded violently like a solidified fuel-air bomb.
Matou Zouken's pupils shrank as he retreated quickly, simultaneously driving the crest worms to resist Sajyou Manaka's assault.
He knew that this kind of extreme fire-element magecraft consumed an enormous amount of mana. As long as he dragged it out, the other side would exhaust her mana on her own.
After nearly half a minute of continuous attacks, Sajyou Manaka's spellcasting speed did indeed slow down, and even the power was far weaker than before.
"So not only has your water element reached the extreme, but your fire element as well?"
Matou Zouken said with admiration, "No wonder Saber feels so at ease about you. A dual-attribute magus, and both controlled to the extreme. You truly are a genius."
"But such high-intensity spellcasting can't be sustained for long. Remember this lesson today, Saber's master—"
Sajyou Manaka tilted her head slightly and said, "Who told you that I need mana to cast spells?"
Matou Zouken froze.
BOOM!
Before he even had time to react, the raging torrent of fire element suddenly surged under Sajyou Manaka's control.
Broken walls, shattered paving stones, streetlights melted by the intense heat, and snow. All of it began to slowly rotate around Sajyou Manaka at the center. Her gothic long dress seemed to dance and bloom within the flames.
Mordred, who had just arrived at the scene, came to a dead stop, staring at the girl ahead of her in a daze.
'Water, fire… even the wind element is being controlled by her to the extreme. She even fused three elements together!'
Beautiful, as if she did not belong to this world.
Hidden in the shadows, Kayneth was likewise stunned, either awed by the breathtaking spectacle or shocked by the magecraft she wielded.
'And you're telling me this is a magus?'
At this moment, everyone understood why Saber's master dared to use herself as "bait." Because she herself was a monster beyond human norms.
Under Matou Zouken's blank stare, Sajyou Manaka raised her hand and swept it forward.
The extreme fire element and wind element stirred the turbulent currents in the air, then erupted in the next instant!
Dazzling, blazing might formed a fire tornado. The two elements merged perfectly, and the fiery cyclone completely enveloped Matou Zouken.
Scorching heat and crushing pressure struck simultaneously. The crest worms within Matou Zouken's body, as if sensing the fear of death, frantically fled from him. But before they could escape the range of the fire tornado, they were already roasted into charcoal and completely ground into nothing.
"Why? Who are you… what exactly are you?"
Matou Zouken finally broke through his inner fear, staring fixedly at the girl, now rendered sacred and noble by the firelight.
After such a prolonged battle of attrition, she should not have been able to use such high-intensity magecraft anymore.
Yet at this moment, he could clearly feel that, her mana showed no sign of weakening at all.
Even with EX-rank magical circuits, this kind of endurance should not be possible—
Suddenly, as if realizing something, his pupils widened sharply as he stared at Sajyou Manaka.
"I see… so that's it… so that's how it is!"
Matou Zouken muttered, his expression crazed and fervent, "The Root… your magical circuits are connected to the Root. You are a magus who has reached the Root!"
What he had pursued his entire life, the path to the Root, someone had already walked it.
'This girl, she is an existence connected to the Root!'
Matou Zouken reached out unwillingly, trying to grasp the girl, but within the fire tornado, he vanished completely, along with his five-hundred-year obsession with immortality.
Sajyou Manaka calmly withdrew her gaze and used special magecraft to directly transmit her voice to Alvin's ear.
"Saber, you can come back now."
Her voice was calm and composed.
From the very beginning, Sajyou Manaka had already known the outcome of this battle, so there was nothing surprising about it.
Still, she was looking forward to Saber's reaction.
As if thinking of something amusing, a faint curve appeared at the corner of Sajyou Manaka's lips as she turned to leave.
However, at that moment, a bolt of lightning suddenly flashed in the distance, accompanied by the arrival of a chariot and a boy's scream.
The chariot came to a stop at the street ahead. The King of Conquerors held Waver in one hand, scanning the "battlefield." A meaningful smile quickly appeared on his rough face.
"Looks like you're Saber's master, then?"
Compared to the King of Conquerors, Sajyou Manaka appeared especially small.
She looked up at the man on the chariot for a moment and softly said, "The King of Conquerors, Iskandar?"
Her omniscience and omnipotence had already glimpsed his identity at the first instant.
Iskandar rubbed his chin and smiled with interest, "Oh? Even a little girl like you has heard of my name. Looks like my deeds have spread all over the world, hm?"
"She's clearly investigated your identity. Be careful, Rider, I've got a bad feeling about this one!", Waver finally couldn't help muttering.
That was only natural. After the fierce battle between Sajyou Manaka and Matou Zouken, the street had been devastated beyond recognition.
On top of that, the terrifying mana still lingered around the girl. No matter how you looked at it, she was extremely dangerous. Even though at this moment, she appeared sacred and beautiful, bathed in the firelight that had yet to fully fade.
But before Waver could say anything else, a man's voice filled with authority and danger suddenly rang out on the street.
"Waver, it looks like you've been having quite a bit of fun in Fuyuki after stealing my relic—"
Waver's body trembled instinctively as he cried out, "T-teacher?"
This time, stealing Kayneth's relic and coming to the Far East to participate in the Holy Grail War had only been to prove his own ability. He had never imagined that, by sheer coincidence, he would run into his teacher in this very Holy Grail War.
The King of Conquerors seemed to sense something and instinctively looked to the side.
At the far end of the street, a knight clad in silver armor, carrying a greatsword on her shoulder, was slowly walking into everyone's view.
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