However, the current head of the Ainzuberen family quickly lost his smile.
Because right before his eyes, the defensive barrier he had placed so much faith in lasted only a brief moment against that massive slash—before shattering like fragile glass.
With the barrier gone, the enormous Ainzuberen castle itself was exposed.The residual force of the slash did not weaken in the slightest, cleaving straight through the structure—
The entire castle was split cleanly down the middle, as effortlessly as slicing a cake in two.
"I don't want to cause unnecessary slaughter," Ren Kuroda said calmly."Even if they're homunculi. That's why I'd prefer to resolve this peacefully."
After cutting the entire Ainzuberen castle in half with a single strike, Ren turned his gaze back toward the family head and explained why his blade had not been aimed at them directly.
It wasn't because he couldn't.
It was because he didn't want to.
Having witnessed such an overwhelming gap in strength—and then glancing over to see Modoredo, now freed from the suppression of the magic arrays, venting her frustration by cutting down homunculi one swing at a time—the Ainzuberen head could only sigh and concede.
There was no other choice.
He had severely underestimated the power of these two Servants. By choosing to initiate combat earlier, they had already torn away all pretense of civility.The fact that Ren was now offering them a chance was already an act of mercy.
"May I ask something, if you'll indulge me?" the Ainzuberen head said seriously, looking at Ren."Why do you require the Ainzuberen family's homunculus technology to save Illya?"
Given the situation, he had no choice but to lower his stance.
Truth be told, even if it meant death, the Ainzuberen family had no intention of letting their homunculus technology leak outside the family.
But now, the problem was simple—If they didn't hand over something soon, then starting tomorrow, the Ainzuberen family would cease to exist.
And if the family was wiped out entirely, what Third Magic would there be left to pursue?
At this point, the Ainzuberen head simply wanted to know why Ren needed the technology—to see if there was some alternative solution that could preserve their core secrets.
Before Ren could respond, Kiritsugu Emiya spoke up impatiently.
"Ainzuberen head—we need the homunculus technology to create a new body for Illya."
Because his wife had been Irisviel, Kiritsugu understood better than anyone how important homunculus technology was to the Ainzuberen family.Handing over their techniques was equivalent to giving up their lifeline.
But if it was merely a homunculus body, the odds of success were much higher.
Upon hearing Kiritsugu's words, the Ainzuberen head visibly relaxed.
If it was only a homunculus body, then while research might still reveal some secrets, it would not threaten the core of their technology.
Just as he was about to generously offer several new bodies for Illya—
Ren interrupted him.
"I need the technology," Ren said flatly."Not a few disposable, low-grade products."
"And let's get one thing straight—this isn't a negotiation.The moment you decided to attack us, the nature of this changed completely."
"I hold the knife now. You're the fish on the chopping block.You can think of this as a robbery."
"Hand over the technology—or I'll wipe out your entire family and dig it out of the ruins myself.It'll take a bit longer, sure—but the result will be the same."
Before coming to Ainzuberen, Ren had already thought this through.
If the goal were only to save Illya, then the bodies Ainzuberen was willing to provide would likely have been sufficient.
But now—
Ren wanted more than that.
Ainzuberen homunculus technology didn't just create lifelike artificial bodies—it could also manufacture artificial magic circuits.
That sparked an idea in Ren's mind.
If he remembered correctly, Yokai Power Crystals had the ability to demonize humans, didn't they?
Then if he combined homunculus technology with Yokai Power Crystals…
Wouldn't it be possible to mass-produce half-yokai?
—No, wait. Scratch that.Mass-produce a batch of half-yokai.
After the main world changed, yokai had begun rampaging everywhere.Although his mother and sister were protected by Tsuchigumo and Nurikabe, Ren had always worried that such protection might not be enough.
The rise of yokai in the main world was accelerating rapidly.If he didn't start developing some forces of his own, then when yokai truly dominated, even self-preservation might become difficult.
If homunculi could store magic power through artificial circuits—
Then they should be able to store yokai power as well.
Homunculi used magic crystals as their energy source.Ren could simply replace those with Yokai Power Crystals.
Hearing Ren's blunt declaration of robbery, the Ainzuberen head was furious—his beard practically bristling with rage.
But there was nothing he could do.
Just as he was considering handing over outdated homunculus techniques to placate Ren—
Ren's next proposal erased that thought entirely.
And turned the Ainzuberen head into a complete sycophant.
"Hasn't the Ainzuberen family always pursued the Third Magic?" Ren said casually."Aren't you curious how I plan to save Illya?"
"I'll be frank—I can extract a soul from the body, allow it to manifest in a special form, and transfer it into another body."
"Sure, it's still far from true soul materialization as defined by the Third Magic.That's largely due to limitations imposed by this world's laws."
"But even so, wouldn't this count as a major breakthrough toward the Third Magic you've been chasing for centuries?"
"Don't you—Ainzuberen family head—want to witness it up close?"
The moment Ren finished speaking, the Ainzuberen head's breathing visibly quickened.
Because the temptation placed before him—
Was impossible to refuse.
Over the years, Ainzuberen's homunculus creation techniques had grown increasingly refined.Yet in the domain of souls, they had made virtually no progress.
And that was absurd, considering homunculi were originally created to pursue the Third Magic, the Heaven's Cup.
They had invested all their skill points in the wrong tech tree.
But souls were among the most mysterious phenomena in existence.Failing to make breakthroughs was understandable.
Yet now—
This Servant before him claimed he could manifest souls in a special form.And he was even willing to let them observe.
How could the Ainzuberen head possibly refuse?
"I cannot deny this temptation," he said slowly."But I would like to know—what exactly do you want, and what price must the Ainzuberen family pay?"
At that moment, the Ainzuberen head felt as though he were making a deal with the devil.
He knew Ren was dangerous.
But the offer was irresistible.
"You don't need to pay anything extra," Ren replied."Just hand over your most complete homunculus technology."
"If I'm not mistaken, you were planning to fool me with inferior versions earlier, weren't you?"
"But you should understand—the quality of the technology you provide directly affects the success rate of the soul transfer."
"You probably don't care whether Illya lives or dies.But witnessing a spell that approaches the Third Magic—don't tell me you wouldn't want to see that with your own eyes?"
In the end, the Ainzuberen head yielded.
Not only did he hand over the homunculus technology, he also decided to personally accompany Ren and the others back to Fuyuki City.
After all, preparing a new body for Illya required an experienced technical guide.
Ren's Onmyōdō knowledge regarding soul extraction was, frankly, half-baked at best.
But he wasn't alone.
They also had a first-rate mage from the Age of Gods.
Although soul research often fell into the category of forbidden black magic, Medea had never exactly been a saint in her era—and had dabbled extensively in such arts.
After studying Ren's onmyō talismans for a single night, she refined them significantly.Not only did she reduce the difficulty of the ritual, she also increased its success rate.
With a divine-era mage, a homunculus expert, and Ren Kuroda—the only Onmyōji in the Type-Moon world—
The chances of successfully extracting Illya's Lesser Grail rose dramatically.
"Earlier, you mentioned that our inability to complete the Third Magic is related to this world's laws," the Ainzuberen head asked cautiously."Could you elaborate—"
Aboard the Ainzuberen family's private jet, the white-haired old man's attitude toward Ren had undergone a complete one-eighty.
To return to Fuyuki City as quickly as possible, the obscenely wealthy Ainzuberen family had prepared a private aircraft—purely to curry favor with Ren and extract more information about the Third Magic.
And that wasn't all.
Ever the schemer, the Ainzuberen head had even prepared several voluptuous homunculus "assistants," intending to help replenish Ren's mana that night.
Servants didn't require their Master specifically for mana transfer.
The homunculi he prepared were not only flawless in appearance—they were also generous in supply.
Worried that Ren might have… special preferences, the crafty old man had even prepared homunculi spanning multiple age ranges.
Unfortunately for him—
Before he could deploy this ultimate trump card, the plane suddenly shook violently, as if it had flown into severe turbulence.
"What's going on?!" the Ainzuberen head snapped."Does the pilot not realize that everyone on this plane is an honored guest of the Ainzuberen family?!"
Just as Ren was about to answer his question, the sudden turbulence disrupted everything, leaving the old man seething.
Ren sighed, his gaze turning cold.
"So even overseas, there's no peace, huh…""These guys ignore Saber and come straight for me instead."
..
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