Shirou's current magic qualifications are "Wind," "Water," and "Sword." The first two were snatched from Kayneth, while the latter represents Shirou's own origins.
"It's impossible! At this age, you can use such a powerful magic trick!?"
Zouken roared angrily, but Diarmuid didn't intend to give him a chance to continue spewing insults.
"The souls of the dead under my spear dare to bark like this!"
The crimson tip of the spear slammed into the wall. But Diarmuid didn't stop there; in order to make sure that Zouken was dead and couldn't be revived, he pulled out the crimson spear and stabbed it again. After the final strike was completed and the golden worm had been completely crushed into the wall, Diarmuid withdrew the crimson spear.
"Well done."
Shirou nodded with satisfaction when he saw Diarmuid's actions, and then said, "Destroy the altar while you're at it."
"Yes, Master!" Diarmuid nodded hurriedly.
When Diarmuid was finished, Shirou returned to the altar and sat back on the motorcycle. Then, Shirou set his sights on the quiet forest below.
"That's the Einzbern castle over there."
Matou Zouken set up a base in this kind of place probably in order to instruct Kariya and monitor the battle situation. It was at this time that Shirou's magically enhanced vision saw a black van parked on the side of the road beyond the woods.
"Tohsaka Tokiomi..."
...
Einzbern Castle. The dreary air caused Irisviel to sigh several times.
"Are you tired, Irisviel?" Saber asked.
Irisviel hid her melancholy expression and shook her head with a smile. "It's nothing. I'm not tired, just a little restless."
"Why?" asked Saber, confused.
Hearing this, Irisviel took a deep breath, looked out the window at the forest that seemed extremely quiet in the night, and spoke. "I always feel like something terrible is going to happen..."
Saber couldn't help but frown as she looked at Irisviel's worried expression. Before this, she had rarely seen Irisviel with such an expression. And Irisviel's perception is more acute than that of ordinary people; maybe something truly will happen tonight. Saber didn't voice the doubts in her heart but silently clenched her right hand. If something really happens, she must protect Irisviel.
At this moment, a woman dressed in black walked into the room, causing Irisviel to frown.
"Did something happen, Maiya?"
"The familiars that were arranged near the Tohsaka Mansion were killed. Kiritsugu suspects that Tohsaka Tokiomi has noticed our prying eyes and that he left the Tohsaka Mansion before he eliminated the familiars. This means it is very likely he used other means to arrange a delayed elimination magic spell to make us make a wrong judgment!"
Maiya's expression was as calm as ever, even though she was telling her something terrible, so Irisviel didn't feel any panic.
"Tohsaka Tokiomi has most likely arrived outside the castle and is lurking in the forest, waiting for an opportunity. The enchantment we arranged cannot stop them!"
"We must get out of here as soon as possible. Kiritsugu's order is that Saber and I escort you to evacuate the castle while he goes to deal with Tohsaka Tokiomi."
"This..." Irisviel didn't know what to say for a moment. But the situation is so urgent that even a second can be fatal.
...
In the forest, Tohsaka Tokiomi and Kotomine Kirei split into two routes: one toward the Einzbern castle, and the other to make a detour from the side, cutting off any possibility of the enemy's retreat. And the reason why Tohsaka Tokiomi dared to act so boldly was because of one person.
Archer, who came with them!
Above the forest, Archer was riding the ship of light, Vimana. His ruby-like red eyes flashed with interest, and he smiled happily as he sipped a glass of wine.
"Hopefully tonight is a good night, Saber."
Then, he set his eyes on Kotomine Kirei, who was sneaking through the forest. Archer didn't intend to follow Tohsaka Tokiomi from the beginning but followed Kotomine Kirei instead. After all, for him, the man Kotomine Kirei is much more interesting than the rebellious minister Tokiomi.
Tohsaka Tokiomi, who was originally regarded as a courtier, is now just a mongrel in Gilgamesh's eyes after it was discovered he has no true attitude as a courtier at all. Especially after being taught the true meaning of pleasure by Archer, it makes Archer feel even more happy to see Kirei's inner struggle while maintaining a surface of quiet patience. Perhaps, in the future, he can find even more pleasure in the man Kotomine Kirei. With this expectation in mind, Archer watched the man's every move in his priest's disguise.
...
Tohsaka Tokiomi, confident in his magic skills, arrived at the main entrance of the Einzbern castle. Facing the tightly closed gate, Tokiomi lifted the magic staff inlaid with a huge ruby in his hand and cast a magic spell on the castle gates.
"Break through the obstacles in front of me with a raging fire!"
In an instant, the sweeping flames turned into dragon-like snakes and rushed toward the closed castle gates.
Boom————!
As if hit by a cannonball, the gate exploded. The heavy wood turned into a cloud of dust floating in the heavy air. Seeing this, Tokiomi nodded with satisfaction at the results and stepped into the castle. The castle was unusually quiet, as if it had never been inhabited, but Tokiomi smiled mockingly.
"Are you hiding? It would be naive to think that this would work against a magus!"
As he spoke, Tokiomi cast a magic trick to enhance his five senses. Although this magic would not make his perception stronger than that of a Heroic Spirit, it was not too far behind. With such an increase, Tokiomi could easily detect any noise within ten meters, and his line of sight could observe abnormally moving objects immediately.
At the same time, Tokiomi took out a gem to cast magic as quickly as possible. The magi of the Tohsaka family usually use gems to store their magic. However, using the magic power contained in the gem causes the container to shatter.