The silver-haired girl was not alone.
From the shadows behind her stepped a towering figure.
Over two meters tall. A body packed with muscle so dense it looked forged from iron rather than flesh. His presence crushed the air around him, raw and feral.
Rin's breath caught.
"That thing… just judging by magical output alone, it's higher than Saber's."
She didn't need to think twice.
The giant was a Servant.
What shocked her was the scale of his aura. It rolled outward in violent waves, heavier than anything she had ever felt.
And Artoria was currently operating at peak condition thanks to Rowan.
Magical energy didn't equal victory.
But it was still a reliable indicator.
Archer narrowed his eyes.
"Berserker-class," he said quietly. "With pressure like that… in a normal war, he could probably fight all six other Servants at once."
Then, after a brief pause, Archer glanced at Rowan.
"…Still. With this guy around, I'm not too worried."
Rowan Mercer remained an enigma.
Archer had no sense of where Rowan's limits were.
Instinct alone told him that even this monstrous Berserker might not be enough.
Maybe not even against Artoria, now restored to her true strength.
Rowan, on the other hand, looked pleased.
"Well, how considerate of them to come to us."
Tracking down unknown Masters would have taken time. Some might not even be in the city yet.
The Grail War's battlefield was centered here, but Masters could summon their Servants anywhere before being called in.
Just like Lancer's former Master, who had summoned overseas and only recently arrived before being assassinated by the priest.
So having a Master walk straight into his path?
Convenient.
As for the Berserker…
Impressive.
But still an ant.
A large ant.
Artoria's gaze suddenly sharpened.
"…Illya."
Rowan turned to her.
"You know her?"
Artoria nodded once.
"We met briefly in the previous war. She is Kiritsugu Emiya's daughter."
"Ilyasviel von Einzbern."
Shirou froze.
"Wait… you're saying she's my sister?"
Kiritsugu had been his adoptive father.
Which meant Kiritsugu's biological daughter would be—
Artoria shook her head gently.
"Technically, she is your older sister. By about a year."
Shirou stared at the small silver-haired girl.
She looked ten at most.
Older than him?
That made no sense.
Rowan's eyes drifted toward Illya, interest finally sparked.
"Her body has undergone extensive modification."
At first, he hadn't paid her much attention.
But the name Einzbern changed that.
Records from the Matou family described the Einzbern as one of the three founding lineages.
Artificial humans.
Every single one of them.
Rowan's perception swept through Illya.
The amount of magical energy inside her was staggering.
More than that, he sensed something deeper.
A strange structural presence.
Similar to what he had once felt inside Sakura Matou.
A vessel-like quality.
"…A Lesser Grail?" Rowan murmured.
Einzbern homunculi were traditionally used as containers for the Grail system.
Which meant Illya herself was likely designed to become the core of this war's ritual.
That only raised more questions.
Why did Sakura carry a similar signature?
Interesting.
Very interesting.
Shirou took an uncertain step forward.
"Illya… if we're family, maybe we can talk first—"
The moment he called her by name, Illya's calm expression cracked.
A vein twitched at her temple.
"Don't call me that."
Then, cold and sharp:
"Kill him."
The hatred behind the words was naked.
For her, the emotions were tangled.
Kiritsugu abandoned her.
Never came back.
Left her in a household that turned her into a tool.
Endless modifications.
Endless pain.
Meanwhile, he adopted another child.
Raised him.
Protected him.
Loved him.
So what was Shirou to her?
Proof.
Proof of betrayal.
The word "sister" ignited everything she had buried.
Berserker moved.
The ground detonated beneath his foot.
A thunderclap.
In an instant, he was in front of Shirou, massive axe swinging downward toward his skull.
Too fast.
Too sudden.
Before anyone else could react—
Rowan was already there.
He stood between Shirou and death.
Two fingers, wrapped in faint golden light, closed around the descending axe.
The impact released a shockwave.
Rowan didn't move.
With a casual front kick, he sent Berserker flying back to his original position.
Shirou collapsed onto the ground, pale.
"Rowan— what are you even saying?! We just met!"
Rowan pulled him to his feet, smiling.
"Relax. I was joking."
Artoria stepped forward, Invisible Air coiling around her blade.
"My Master, this was my failure. Allow me to handle it."
She had not expected Illya to target Shirou immediately.
Especially when Shirou was no longer even a Master.
The battlefield had just become personal.