Chapter 176

The clouds obscured the moon for a moment, darkening the forest leading up to Ryuudou Temple. When they passed and revealed the white moon's glow again, a new figure stood at the foot of the stairs. Raising their head to look at the temple gate, they started heading towards, taking the stairs one by one without haste. The smooth click of tough leather soles clicked against the worn stone steps, forming a steady beat as she traveled upwards.

Before she reached a third of the stairs, she sensed a change in the air ahead. Craning her head, she saw a person walking through the gate, standing at the end of the stairs right in the middle, challenging her presence there. In her hands, a spinning, writhing long patch of air indicated the presence of something there, though it was hidden well. One look at her appearance though, and most people would guess that she was holding a sword.

Resplendent silver armour with blue lines forming the sigils of the fairies on the breastplate glinted clearly under the moonlight, blue and white silky fabric running down her legs beneath the metal plates at her sides. On her feet, greaves and sabatons stood guard, encasing the slender, feminine limbs that were wrapped in black tights during the daytime. Both hands were protected by gauntlets, the stiff finger joints doing little to impede her grip as she held her weapon with practiced ease. Everything else remained unarmored, the plain yet elegant dress beneath the armor exposed all around her body. On her head, a tight bun wove her hair into a spiral behind her head, fastened with a blue ribbon to prevent the blonde threads from interfering with her fights. Yet a single strand poked upwards from the top of her head, waving loosely in the night breeze.

Emerald eyes fiercely stared down at the shadowed figure below on the steps, conveying her determination before words were even spoken.

"Intruder, state your class before you go further."

A clear voice pierced the air, easily reaching the person below her. In response, they moved from the shadows, exposing their face and appearance.

"Avenger, Mordred Pendragon."

Saber's face contorted in shock as the modern business suit cut to her son's figure melted away, replaced by the battle attire that the Knight of Rebellion wore in her later years. A sleek black set of plates that concealed the gender of the wearer, compact and utilitarian in design, with only the helm featuring a more expressive form with the suggestive shape of a dragon sitting atop her neck, complete with two horns jutting from either side. Instead of having her entire body covered however, like Saber remembered, there were areas that remained bare, sacrificing protection for flexibility, shedding weight for speed. It made for an odd image, with the loose strips of fabric intermixed with the hard armor, but it also mirrored Sabers own set that covered several crucial areas.

Saber settled into a guarded stance, both hands on her sword as she narrowed her eyes against the enemy, but she responded in kind.

"My class is Saber, my name, Arturia Pendragon."

She would never have expected Avenger to suddenly arrive on their doorstep, her identity actually being less of a surprise considering what they knew. Still, if she came looking to kill them, then she would do her utmost to defend their base and protect her Master and his allies. Behind her, she could feel the presence of Caster monitoring everything that was occurring. She knew that it would be useless, but she spoke up anyways.

"Take one more step Avenger, and you will face my blade."

If she heard the warning, she gave no sign of it, steadily advancing up the stone stairs with the broken Clarent in her hands, the eye slits dotted with two ruby circles glowing within, crimson lightning starting to dance randomly across the black armor plates. The breeze stilled, and the leaves scraped across the floor away from her, settling under the eaves of the trees next to the stairs as her presence repelled them.

Her blood ran cold as she felt Avenger's eyes affix themselves on her, a crushing weight falling on her back as the memories rushed through her mind. The effect Avenger had on her was noticeable as well, though Caster was already mitigating it as best as she could with her blessings and unique magecraft operating through the Bounded Field that was derived from her Noble Phantasm. Stilling the trembling in her hands, she controlled her breathing, refusing to allow her emotions to overtake her as she prepared to intercept the dark warrior advancing on her.

Caster sat in the middle of the courtyard behind Saber, just inside the gate she was defending. Her full uniform was on, instead of the casual white dress she usually wore, the navy blue hat balanced on her head with the tip hanging out far ahead, a blue bow ribbon over her chest and mini-doublet the same color as her hat slung over her shoulders. The shortsword sheathed on the back of her waist wasn't the only weapon she had on display, with several other catalysts stabbed into the ground around her for easy access, and golden rings floated around her, emitting a low-pitched buzz as they hovered in the air. The other residents of the temple had been put to sleep, so she was free to concentrate her energy into the problem that lay ahead, monitoring the entire situation from her location in the courtyard. Besides Saber and Avenger, she was also keeping an eye on Shirou and Kuzuki. If anything happened on either side, she was in position to provide assistance, and giving advice or a quick boost in power could be easily achieved.

Shirou dashed through the trees right next to Kuzuki as they headed for the spot where Caster said the enemy would be. They had no idea who it was, but them appearing at the same time as Avenger was too much of a coincidence, and they were sure that the two were somehow connected, though it wasn't out of the possibility that it was someone completely unrelated. If it was another Master though, they would retreat and alert Caster to the other Servant's potential presence. If it was a magus, they would try to engage, and fall back if it seemed unwinnable. Or at least, that was the idea.

In reality, Shirou could feel his heartbeat unnaturally in his chest, even with him sprinting to keep up with his teacher and now fellow Master, his hands cold and clammy despite the enchantments woven around his body to ward off harm. One moment they had been sitting there eating dinner and chatting pleasantly, the next Caster had bolted upright and left the dining hall, telling them to follow suit while the monks all collapsed in their seats, falling over like knockout gas had been released. Which in a sense, was essentially what occurred magically.

Knowing that Caster was there watching did nothing to ease his knotted guts, but there was nothing else he could do. He wouldn't flinch in the face of danger, regardless of the consequence he would still plunge to meet it, since at most he would only sacrifice his life. It was really a small price to pay for the safety of others. So he would jump into a fight with a mage far out of his depth with no complaint, this time without being ambushed or attacked out of nowhere. He had been dragged into this war without his free will, but he was going to stay in it and save as many as possible by ending it without letting the Grail get into the wrong hands.

The old man watching their progress through his familiars smiled. The night was just getting started.