C340

Who would want to recreate the Fourth Holy Grail War in the Castle of Separation, and why?

And those replicated Servants are nothing but mere imitations! Their power pales in comparison to the genuine Servants Shirou encountered nine years ago during the Fourth Holy Grail War in Fuyuki City!

But... what was it that attacked him? Despite using black muds to mend his wounds, he still experienced lingering pain.

During the Fourth Holy Grail War, Shirou had faced countless hardships and suffered severe burns from Gilgamesh's Ea. He had also undergone numerous life-and-death situations over 1,500 years ago during the Camelot era.

However, there were only a few things capable of breaching the defense of the black muds. Yet this unknown entity not only shattered the black muds but also broke through the shields and his projected armor.

Shirou was completely unaware of the true nature of this entity, but there was no denying its overwhelming power... It was truly immense!

High above in the sky, Iskandar rode his chariot, streaking through the heavens. The thunderous roar generated by the chariot echoed across the land like a merciless whip.

"Boom rumble rumble rumble rumble rumble—!!!"

Wherever it passed, nothing remained unscathed.

Lorelei's magus forces had prepared themselves to confront Iskandar, yet the speed of his chariot proved too fast. It effortlessly evaded the reach of their spells.

Lorelei's gaze hardened, her expression growing colder. She wiped away the bloodstains from her face, readying herself to personally intervene.

However, Gray, being one step ahead of her, swiftly transformed the sword in her hand into a scythe and began chanting, "Gray... (Dark) Rave... (Unsteady) Crave... (Desire) Deprave... (Degradation) Engrave (Carve into) Me. A Grave (Dig One) for you."

"Simulated personality terminated. Magical energy collection rate exceeds the set value. Initiating removal of the second-stage restriction."

"Sacred Lance... remove restrain!"

"Rhongomyniad!!"

A brilliant radiance burst forth from the scythe, transforming into a huge lance of light. This vibrant display lit up the surroundings and bathed the nearby angelic statues in an aura of utmost holiness.

"Shirou, um, isn't that your lance?" Arcueid glanced at it, her surprise evident.

Shirou nodded, his gaze on Gray's manifested lance of light. He explained, "Although I don't know who made that thing, most of the mystery has been preserved without losing much of its power."

As he witnessed Iskandar being utterly obliterated by the divine lance, he couldn't help but let out a sigh of relief.

This was the fifth Servant, leaving two more to be defeated. If the pattern continued to replicate the Fourth Holy Grail War, then one of the remaining Servants would be Saber - Artoria, and the other... would be Caster!

But could this imitation of the Holy Grail War, created by an unknown individual, replicate even him?

...

Waver and Orlocke hurriedly made their way to the garden alongside Rosalind Istari.

Meanwhile, with the relentless assault by Gilgamesh and Iskandar on the buildings, the magi who had been hiding in their rooms started rushing out in a panic, one after another.

And it made sense—when the rooms were no longer safe, people's immediate instinct was to flee and seek a place of safety.

"Crackling..."

The angelic statues scattered throughout the castle began to loosen their grip.

"Hehehe..."

Eerie laughter echoed from every direction, sending shivers down the spines of the magi.

Golden beams of light arrows flew from all directions, effortlessly claiming the lives of two magi. Among the chaos, three arrows targeted Waver, yet he skillfully thwarted them using his black muds.

"Quick! Set up defensive spells!" Waver urgently shouted.

The magi swiftly cast their defensive spells, providing a momentary respite to evaluate the situation.

"They're angels!" the magi exclaimed in disbelief. Adorable childlike angels were the culprits behind the slaughter of golden beams of light arrows.

Waver spoke in a deep voice, "No! Those things are not angels, they are evil spirits!"

Orlocke let out a weary sigh and remarked, "Did that old man actually create these spirits in such a form? He certainly has a rather twisted sense of humor."

With Waver's timely reminder, the magi finally understood the truth behind these supposed angels. Filled with determination, they stood firm, casting defensive spells and launching a fierce counterattack.

The arrows gleamed as they clashed with magical projectiles, creating a chaotic and intense scene. Thankfully, these evil spirits were of low level and couldn't really hinder the magi much.

Hope sparked within the magi, as they glimpsed a glimmer of victory.

However, right at that very moment—

"Ah, ahhh!!"

Intense screams erupted, shattering the air.

All heads turned to the source of the screams, and beads of sweat formed on their foreheads. Fear gripped them to their core. Inexplicably, a magus was suspended in mid-air, as if captured by some monstrous creature.

Gradually, he was being squeezed into a pulp!

Blood splattered, and shattered organs littered the ground, creating a gruesome sight. Eyeballs popped out, bloodshot and horrifying, before landing on the bloodstained earth. The sky held a figure, a ghastly mass of flesh and gore. The spine protruded from its skull, while the sharp sternum jutted out from its exposed chest cavity.

It was an unbearable scene of bloodshed.

An intense wave of fear swept over the area, sending shivers down everyone's spines.

"W-What... what is that...?"

"Could it be the castle's defense spell?"

"But I didn't see the activation of any spell!"

Terrified, the magi were so overwhelmed by fear that they even forgot to cast their defensive spells, leading to the tragic death of three more magi struck down by the evil spirits' light arrows.

Waver's expression turned solemn, and he shouted, "The enemy comes from a different space! Use your defensive spells!"

The surrounding magi snapped out of their fear-induced stupor, shaken back into action, and swiftly began constructing defensive spells with a newfound sense of urgency.

Waver turned his gaze towards Orlocke and made a request, "Would you mind assisting me in creating a magical spell that emulates imaginary numbers?"

"Of course. But aren't these attacks coming from Heroic Spirits? Are you planning to confront them, young lord? I don't think you have the power to defeat them."

"These Heroic Spirits are mere imitations, pale in comparison to the Servants who participated in the Fourth Holy Grail War in Fuyuki City. With the Noble Phantasm entrusted to me by the King, I am more than capable of handling them."

"The Eternal King, huh..." Orlocke nodded and said, "Understood, young lord. I will take charge of crafting the spell."

As the current head of the Caesarmund family, a lineage within the magi community that boasted centuries of history, Orlocke possessed the necessary expertise to construct a spell that simulated imaginary numbers.

Since his reincarnation, he had become remarkably agile in his actions, proving himself to be just as capable as Lorelei's magi. With deftness, he swiftly pieced together the spell, creating a pathway that led into the Mirror World.

Just as Waver was prepared to charge forward, the moment the pathway to the Mirror World opened, a putrid and dense black water surged forth, emanating a foul odor. Wherever it flowed, be it evil spirits or the magi's protective spells, they were mercilessly swallowed and shattered.

From the midst of the black water, a humanoid figure emerged, leaving Waver utterly dumbfounded. "Is... Is this some kind of twisted joke? They've even replicated him?"

The figure that emerged from the black water bore the form of a young boy, with six arms crafted from the same black water behind him. It was an unmistakable form that Waver could never forget!

To his disbelief, the figure that materialized was none other than his former comrade-in-arms from the Fourth Holy Grail War—the youthful manifestation of the Eternal King, Caster, known as Fujimaru Shirou!

"Roarrrrrr—!!!"

With a resounding roar, Fujimaru Shirou, in his Caster form, emerged from the Mirror World, accompanied by the cascading black water. As soon as he stepped into view, a powerful surge of magical energy emanated from him, filling the air with an overwhelming aura.

The ground around them shook violently, sending nearby magi flying in all directions.

Orlocke Caesarmund wiped the cold sweat off his face, his expression filled with alarm. "This... This kind of magical energy... young lord, it's unlike anything we've encountered before. It surpasses even the previous Heroic Spirits!"

Waver didn't need the old man to elaborate any further; he felt it too. Standing before them, Caster remained eerily still. However, the sheer magnitude of magical power radiating from him far exceeded even the thunderous assaults they had witnessed from Iskandar before.

Simply put... They were not on the same level!

The black mud, carried by Waver, surged forward, enraged as if it had seen its own counterfeit version. The once pitch-black mud now took on a fiery red hue, morphing into a colossal arm that launched a ferocious attack on Caster.

Responding swiftly, the six hands behind Caster extended and intercepted the colossal arm.

But the arm refused to relent, extending even further and reshaping itself into a wicked dagger, aiming for Caster's chest.

With a resounding "crack," the dagger pierced straight through Caster's abdomen.

Caster didn't die when the dagger retracted. His chest, now devoid of a heart, was exposed. In its place, there was a card.

It came as no surprise to Waver. He was well aware of the truth behind these Heroic Spirits. They were nothing more than replicas created by the Class Cards. 

Each Heroic Spirit possessed their own Class Card, representing their specific class.

However, there was something strange about Caster's Class Card.

Waver saw it clearly. Unlike the others, this Class Card was completely white, devoid of any patterns or class description.

A blank card!

"Roarrrrrrrr—!!!!" Caster let out a thunderous roar, unleashing a surge of magical energy that empowered his six black water arms, pushing back the colossal arm.

The sheer intensity of the magical energy caused the ground beneath them to rise by three feet.

"Run! Let's head to the garden!" Waver shouted urgently.

Together with Orlocke and Rosalind Istari, he swiftly made his way towards the backyard where Shirou was located. Witnessing their retreat, the other magi promptly followed suit, aware of the gravity of the situation.

...

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