Boom!
At the peak of Enzou Mountain, two figures were clashing.
Perhaps due to the surge of magical energy, Manaka Sajyou's eyes seemed to glow golden at this moment, surrounded by a special kind of magical energy.
Her gaze swept over the mountaintop, now a battlefield, searching for Kiritsugu Emiya's figure in the darkness.
Her innate connection to the Root gave Manaka exceptional perception.
Even if Kiritsugu Emiya used the terrain to hide, she could pinpoint his location in an instant.
The reason she didn't attack immediately was that she sensed this battlefield didn't just contain Kiritsugu Emiya as an enemy.
Which meant that there was another Servant hiding here.
Though omniscient and omnipotent, to ensure she could kill this Servant without fail and survive until the end of the Holy Grail War, Manaka Sajyou chose to go all out.
Snowflakes fell on her face, cold and slightly damp.
The icy sensation made her feel thoroughly irritated.
Even for the most powerful mage, their shoes and socks would inevitably get wet in the snow.
There was still some time before the Greater Holy Grail fully manifested.
Perhaps that's why the other Masters hadn't shown up yet..
So, it's better deal with this nuisance quickly and change into dry clothes..
With this thought in her mind, magical energy began to surge quietly beneath Manaka Sajyou's feet.
A nearly translucent wave of magical energy spread out, and in an instant, her powerful perception seemed to capture everything around her in her mind.
Soon, a delighted smile appeared on her face as she sharply turned to look at a rooftop behind her.
"There, huh?!"
The elements in the air were instantly mobilized, fire and wind intertwining.
The tiles on the rooftop were blown off, and Kiritsugu Emiya, who had been hiding there during the skirmish, slid down to the ground.
Just as he steadied himself, a piercing whistle of wind came rushing toward him, mixed with shards of metal buried in the snow, swirling like a tornado.
The rotational speed at the center of the tornado was astonishingly intense.
Kiritsugu's pupils contracted slightly.
He had seen tornadoes before, and the magecraft unleashed by the girl before him was eerily close to a small-scale natural tornado.
If he were caught in it, his bones would likely be shattered in an instant!
But at this critical moment, a figure emerged silently from the darkness.
Grabbing Kiritsugu by the back of his collar, they yanked him out of the tornado's range.
Manaka Sajyou looked up, and when she saw the figure of this Servant in the darkness, a playful smile bloomed on her face.
"So it really is you.. A Master outside the standard rules of the Holy Grail War."
After the rules of this Holy Grail War were altered, two additional Servants could be summoned.
One was Ruler, summoned to balance the Holy Grail War.. and the other was an equally unique Servant of a special class.
It had to be said, Kiritsugu's battlefield judgment was indeed razor-sharp.
On the very day the Holy Grail War's rules changed, he had already summoned a Servant as a fallback to secure his strength.
But he had underestimated Manaka Sajyou.. Or rather, even the mage killer hadn't anticipated that a monster like her would exist in this Holy Grail War.
"Master, we should retreat for tonight," The ninth Servant said in a low voice, clearly intent on concealing their identity.
They could sense that, while the Greater Holy Grail had appeared, it was still some time away from fully "descending"..
At the very least, if the other Masters didn't show up tonight, it wouldn't manifest immediately.
In this situation, clashing head-on with the Root Princess wasn't the right move.
Kiritsugu's face darkened, his emotionless gray eyes fixed on Manaka Sajyou.
However, even though he was quite reluctant, he eventually let out a low "mm": "Retreat for now."
"Trying to escape just like that..? Don't you think you're underestimating me a bit too much?!"
Manaka Sajyou said with a smile.
Suddenly, a string of fiery lights sparked within the tornado that had nearly dissipated.
With a whoosh, the fiery light suddenly surged into the sky, the flaming tornado instantly illuminating the night!
Like a fire dragon, it roared toward Kiritsugu Emiya's position.
But at that moment, a calm and low female voice chanting emerged from the darkness.
In the midst of that chant, the blazing firelight quietly extinguished, as if the world had returned to silence.
Although he didn't know what it was, Kiritsugu Emiya didn't hesitate any longer.
He turned and swiftly retreated from the "battlefield" with his Servant.
Manaka Sajyou narrowed her eyes, turning to look not far from her side.
There, at the steps, a woman was slowly descending from the sky.
She seemed like a true goddess of the heavens, her presence overwhelmingly powerful, her alluring red eyes strikingly vivid in the darkness.
"Ruler, huh.." Manaka Sajyou said softly.
At this moment, appearing on Enzou Mountain was none other than Ishtar, the Ruler of this Holy Grail War.
"Even though I was the one who summoned you, you cut off our contract the moment you were summoned.. You really can't be trusted, can you?"
Manaka Sajyou said soon after, her tone carrying a hint of teasing.
Ishtar gave a faint, cold smile and said calmly: "The one who truly summoned me wasn't you, but this Holy Grail War."
"Saber's former Master, if I were you, I'd leave this place now and stay away until the Holy Grail War reaches its conclusion," Ishtar said, gazing at the petite girl before her. "I need to ensure the fairness of the Holy Grail War."
At the same time, a faint glow of a Command Spell flickered in her hand.
Manaka Sajyou quietly scrutinized the woman before her, a charming smile soon appearing on her delicate, lovely face.
"I refuse."
Restless magical energy seemed to surge faintly beneath her feet, as she continued as if talking to herself: "Ruler, while you may have the authority to use two Command Spells on each Servant.. you seem to have forgotten that Command Spells have no effect on Masters!"
In the next moment, she sharply raised her head, her magical energy instantly coalescing in a surge.
But at that moment, Manaka Sajyou saw a faint, cold smile appear on Ishtar's face as well.
"Who said my Command Spell just now was meant for you?"
Manaka Sajyou froze, a sudden chill running down her spine as she spun around abruptly, only to see an all-too-familiar figure quietly appearing behind her.
"Saber..?"
She blurted out, her tone laced with confusion, as if genuinely shocked.
"Why is Saber here..?"
Ishtar, meanwhile, wore a faint smile.
As Ruler, she could sense any Servant's approach immediately.
So when Alvin had concealed his presence and approached earlier, she had already begun setting the stage for him.
The moment he got close to Manaka Sajyou, she used a Command Spell to replenish his magical energy, enabling a decisive strike.. It was a plan so perfect it couldn't be more flawless.
With this thought, a delighted smile spread across Ishtar's face.
Manaka Sajyou seemed to realize something as well, and the moment she did, her expression suddenly ice-cold as she said quietly.
"You're still trying to stop me, Saber—"
At the same time, magical energy from the Root seemed to coalesce fiercely in an instant!
"Saber, hurry now!"
Ishtar shouted immediately.
Alvin knew this was a rare opportunity.
From the moment he infiltrated Enzou Mountain, his goal had been to get this close to Manaka Sajyou.
So, under the gazes of the two, as he approached Manaka Sajyou, he tightly embraced the girl's soft, delicate body.
"Manaka, I love you."
The coalescing Root magic seemed to shatter in an instant.
The girl known as the Root Princess blinked, seemingly unable to process the words, her entire being stunned.
After what felt like an eternity, she instinctively raised her head and looked at Alvin.
Her snow-like, exquisite face seemed to flush with a drunken blush in the dim light, the coldness in her eyes fading. Her small, enticing cherry lips parted slightly, but she seemed to remain in a state of utter bewilderment and disbelief.
"Eh..? Eh?!!"