At this moment, the lights were once again lit in Einzbern Castle, which had been silent for 60 years. The Saber team's strategy meeting was proceeding in an extremely somber atmosphere.
"…There are two places that are the center of the entire region. One is the Tohsaka residence, and the other, as you all know, is Mount Enzou. All the ley lines in the surrounding area converge on Mount Enzou. The detailed situation is as Chief Zwert Einzbern explained."
As Kiritsugu Emiya spoke, he noticed Irisviel sighing several times and her body trembling slightly.
"Irisviel, are you too tired? Just leave the operation to me, you go rest."
In response to her husband's concern, Irisviel hid her melancholic expression and smiled, shaking her head.
"It's nothing, I'm not tired. Kiritsugu, please continue."
Irisviel urged Kiritsugu Emiya, who looked at his wife with worry before continuing to share various intelligence about Fuyuki City. On the table in front of them, a map depicting the entire Fuyuki City was spread out, along with various collected paper intelligence materials.
"A powerful barrier will be set up with Ryudoji Temple on Mount Enzou's summit as the base. This way, apart from Servants, all other natural beings can only enter the barrier via the mountain path. Saber, pay attention to this when you act."
Such a reminder to Saber should have been directed to her personally, yet Kiritsugu Emiya still did not look at the girl in men's clothing standing behind Irisviel.
The main reason for the heavy atmosphere was Saber's resolute rejection of Kiritsugu. This attitude from Saber was not new; it had only become more pronounced since arriving at Einzbern Castle.
"Although I don't know why, Caster has mistaken Saber for Jeanne d'Arc and is relentlessly pursuing her. This is our advantage; we don't need to search, Caster will come to us. Once Caster appears, there's no need for us to confront him directly. Irisviel, you just need to maximize the advantage of the geographical location, moving around with Saber to distract the enemy."
Irisviel was greatly surprised, and Saber, upon hearing Kiritsugu Emiya's words, was even more stunned with anger.
Irisviel said incredulously: "Not… engage Caster?"
"There's no need. All the other Masters are already targeting Caster. We don't need to act; others will deal with Caster. There's no need for us to do anything extra. Our target is those who are pursuing Caster."
"Thump!"
Unable to bear it any longer, Saber slammed her hands heavily on the table, her holy blue eyes burning with rage.
"Master, just how despicable are you?!"
In Kiritsugu Emiya's eyes, there was neither human ethics nor the pride of a Magus. He discarded all emotions and external factors, deriving hunting methods purely according to the law of the jungle, like a computer's deduction formula.
However, Saber, who valued honor more than life, could not agree with such a Master at all. It could be said that throughout the Fourth Holy Grail War, Saber and Kiritsugu Emiya were the most incompatible pair, to the point of being utterly irreconcilable.
"Kiritsugu…"
On one side was her husband, and on the other was the knight who protected her in battle. Caught in the middle, Irisviel was in a dilemma. The relationship between the two should have been that of cooperative comrades, yet at this moment, they were at loggerheads.
"…Kiritsugu, do you have any plans for the Berserker team? The Rin and Berserker team, both Master and Servant, are impeccably strong. If you and Saber don't cooperate closely, it might be impossible to defeat them."
The prerequisite for cooperation is not a common goal but a common enemy. An enemy powerful enough to be unbeatable alone can naturally lead two opposing people to cooperate. This is what Irisviel thought.
Unfortunately, Kiritsugu Emiya's battle strategy was clearly beyond Irisviel's conjecture. Perhaps from the beginning, Kiritsugu Emiya had not considered Saber as a combat force.
"Clashes with Tohsaka Rin should be avoided as much as possible; dodge if you can, and try to let Archer deal with her. I must say, Archer and Berserker in this Holy Grail War have shown strength far beyond the norm. If Archer can win, his Master is the breaking point. If Archer fails… Irisviel, remember what Tohsaka Rin said last night? She cared more about Tohsaka Tokiomi's safety than the Holy Grail."
"Hmm." Irisviel nodded, "Rin said that compared to the Holy Grail, bringing her father back to her mother safely was much more important… Could it be, Kiritsugu, you intend to…"
"Since that's the case, if Archer fails, we'll first seize Tohsaka Tokiomi and use him to force Tohsaka Rin to order Berserker to commit suicide…"
Kiritsugu Emiya spoke of his thoughts emotionlessly, like a machine, ignoring Irisviel's shocked expression, and also… "Kiritsugu Emiya!!!"
A storm suddenly erupted; the valuable conference table and the intelligence papers blown by the wind were split in two by an invisible sword energy. The Invisible Air was pointed at the person it should never have been pointed at. Kiritsugu Emiya alertly retreated, and Irisviel selflessly shielded him in front of Saber's holy sword.
"Saber!…"
"Kiritsugu Emiya, you are insulting a Heroic Spirit. I participated in this war to avoid bloodshed. To contend for the Holy Grail, without unnecessary bloodshed, minimizing sacrifices, one person bearing the mission of destiny in place of a thousand armies to compete here—that is what we Servants should do. Why do you not entrust the responsibility of fighting to me? It was the same last night when attacking Lancer's Master; one wrong step led to tragedy. I have already agreed to a rematch with Lancer; you do not need to resort to such despicable methods! Be it Archer or Berserker, I will defeat them by gambling my entire life and honor! Furthermore…"
Saber's eyes were already filled with murderous hostility.
"Furthermore, as a daughter, Rin merely wants to protect her father in war, yet even that wish is to be exploited by you. Do you have even a shred of human emotion left in your heart?! Are you not a father? Do you have no familial affection at all? Is your love for Illya merely a false expression, and in reality, you are just a ruthless beast who will stop at nothing to achieve your goals?!"
"Saber!!!"
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