The character models constructed from spiritual energy carried a faint trace of Kurumi's aura.
Due to the crude nature of the construction spell, it could only last for ten seconds. But for Kurumi, who was experimenting with Raikiri, that was enough.
She didn't plan on using these spiritual constructs for prolonged combat.
Nearly transparent in the dim forest, these spiritual constructs were hard to notice unless closely observed.
After ten seconds, the faint spiritual energy dissipated into the air.
On the battlefield, Saber's gem-like green eyes locked in a direction!
It was from there that she sensed the witch's energy fluctuations! The energy had a sacred quality, unlike normal human magic.
Saber couldn't identify it, but any experienced reincarnator would instantly recognise this wasn't magic!
Gathering her inner magic, Saber raised her sword to her side, her left hand lightly gripping the hilt, enduring the pain from her injured tendons.
The once arrogant Caster was now silent, cautiously guarding against Saber.
The magical fluctuations from the forest made him wary!
Though he had never seen a deity, this magic was filled with a sacred aura! Even if the user wasn't a god, they were undoubtedly related!
To Caster, such people deserved to die!
They were the ones who had turned his beloved and noble Holy Maiden into what she was now!
It was their fault!
Caster's imagination ran wild, fueling his desire to tear everything apart!
Clearly... the Holy Grail had already responded to him, so why this trial?!
It felt like a trick by those deceitful gods, something he despised!
But he had no choice; he had to rescue Jeanne from the filthy, hypocritical mire!
The "Prelati's Spellbook" in Caster's hand began to emit a sinister aura, an eerie sensation that made Saber even more tense.
In this, she synchronised her spiritual energy with Raikiri's frequency in the forest's shadows, causing three spiritual blades to rise again!
Saber and Caster were taken aback while the surrounding monsters roared but didn't advance.
It was unclear if they were inherently fearful or following Caster's orders.
Suddenly, dozens of shadowy figures rushed out from the forest! Each shadow carried the sacred aura that Caster loathed!
Moreover, these figures were surrounded by spiritual blades!
Caster instantly realised someone was interfering!
In an instant, a large portion of his monster army was decimated, and lightning danced among them, turning them into blackened, charred remains!
Caster's face darkened. Ordering an attack would send the monsters to their deaths, but if he attacked himself, Saber would be watching like a hawk.
From the look of things... the newcomer was an enemy, not an ally!
Calculating in his mind, Caster continued to direct the monsters to fend off Saber while retreating, wary of the scoundrel in the forest!
"Slash!"
Blood spattered high as Saber scowled, missing her chance to strike!
She wouldn't have let Caster escape if not for her injured tendons!
She understood that using such a lightning-infused Noble Phantasm consumed a lot of magic; even that witch wouldn't be able to sustain it for long.
The witch Saber mentioned was with Red Queen, excitedly watching various data!
"According to current information, as long as someone is deemed an 'ally,' the 'Blade of Spiritual Protection' effect will appear. Crude spiritual constructs imbued with your aura are also recognized as allies."
"So... it seems that as long as you have enough mental power to control these crude constructs, the 'Blade of Spiritual Protection' can be infinitely extended."
"Of course, this is just a hypothesis. After all, this sword's energy is fundamentally different from ours."
Kurumi rubbed her chin. It sounded like a way to effortlessly mow down enemies, and the crude constructs barely consumed any spiritual energy.
However... these constructs had virtually no defence. Even with a 50% defence boost, they were still fragile.
Despite their fierce performance against the monsters, that was due to lightning's firm counter against them!
Even ordinary human soldiers could easily wipe them out in a different combat scenario!
"A chicken rib—tasteless to eat, a pity to discard."
Red Queen rolled her eyes, "We can improve the basics, and this technique only occupies a trivial amount of your memory."
"Alright~" Kurumi turned, noticing the two energies moving farther away.
"Master, Kayneth has arrived, and Lancer has sensed Saber's presence and is heading to the battlefield."
"So, does that mean we're no longer needed?"
Red Queen uncertainly replied, "That should be the case."
"Maybe we could observe their battle," Red Queen suggested.
"Whose battle?"
"What about Kirei Kotomine?"
"You want to watch that homunculus wife, don't you?"
"Well~" Red Queen rubbed her hands sheepishly, "The Einzbern family is quite skilled in homunculus research. Despite many limitations, it's not without merit."
"Can you locate them?"
"Nightmare is patrolling the skies, monitoring every battlefield!"
Kurumi shrugged, "Then let's check out Kirei Kotomine, the man without desires."
"Hehe~" Red Queen seemed to have a naughty idea, encouraging, "Master, try using 'Charm' on him to see if he reacts."
"Relax, compared to the Einzbern homunculus, he's at least human. Humans have desires, so this experiment is pointless."
Red Queen pouted, "Irisviel is more humane than Kirei Kotomine."
Kurumi gave her a look, her magic slightly fluctuating as she and Red Queen moved like the wind towards the forest edge near the mansion.
Soon, Kurumi and Red Queen saw Irisviel being brutally beaten by Kirei Kotomine as she tried to stop him from finding Kiritsugu Emiya...
For some reason, neither Kurumi nor Red Queen felt sympathy. Instead, they felt a bit amused.
They watched Kirei Kotomine with a dumbfounded look.
Wearing a fitted black clerical suit, Kirei Kotomine gripped Irisviel's neck, lifting her into the air!
Without a hint of compassion, Kirei's eyes were void of emotion as she discussed 'her' origin with Irisviel.
However, Kirei didn't understand why these two women stopped him from finding Kiritsugu Emiya.
Did that man have a screw loose, not letting them escape but instead...
The more Kirei thought about it, the less sense it made.
So, he pressed the Einzbern homunculus for answers!
Although her skin was as white as snow, her long silver hair flowing to her waist, and her figure perfect, Kirei did not react!
Instead, he gripped her neck, lifting her to interrogate her about Kiritsugu!
"Can someone still speak when their neck is gripped?"
After hearing her master's question, Red Queen was silent momentarily, "It's possible, but it's usually complicated."
"Doesn't Kirei know that?"
"Maybe he thinks this method is more effective."
Red Queen added, "Only a blockhead would do something stupid like this to seek 'pleasure.'"
Kurumi looked at Kirei Kotomine and nodded silently.
In his black clerical suit, Kirei continued to interrogate Irisviel, gripping her neck tightly...
Couldn't he see she was struggling to breathe?
Or did he think homunculi were tough and didn't care?
This delicate Irisviel wasn't living in Dragon Ball!
Beside Kirei, the air twisted, and an Assassin in strange attire appeared.
"Master, the witch is here too. Your father and teacher have ordered you to retreat."
"A witch?"
Kirei nodded, "It's time to leave."
"Slap!"
Releasing his grip slightly, Kirei shifted his hand from Irisviel's neck to her face, covering her mouth tightly!
"Slash!—"
A blade entered her flesh, three claw-like sharp iron weapons piercing through Irisviel's back.
Blood spurted in lines, gleaming in the moonlight.
Kirei glanced at her, indifferent, "I thought you'd be different, but your blood is just as red as anyone else's."
Then, like discarding a broken sack, he tossed Irisviel to the ground, letting blood flow from her abdomen.
"Assassin, let's go."
His tone remained unchanged, but under the 'witch's' pressure, he quickly chose a safe direction to run.
"Am I that scary?"
"In some ways, if he encounters you, he has no chance of survival."
"If there's no pursuit, why not embrace death as relief?"
Red Queen pondered, "Maybe... he's lost?"
"Ah, forget it! Saber will be here soon. I need to gather some data quickly."
Saying this, Red Queen removed the magical barrier, openly appearing before Irisviel and Maiya.
"You!"
"Me?" Red Queen looked around, "Surprised?"
Irisviel smiled bitterly, "Maiya, I've dragged you down."
The short-haired woman, lying on the ground and severely injured, used all her strength.
"Don't... say that, M-Madam."
Red Queen looked left and right, saying melancholically, "Don't do this. You're making me look like the villain here. It's that sexless priest who couldn't control his desires and pressed you to the ground to satisfy his..."
"Mmph! Mmph~!"
"Master, what are you doing?!"
"Do your job, stop talking."
Red Queen was about to retort, but upon seeing her master's stunning face, she suddenly deflated. "I get it, I get it. Villains always talk too much."
Over on Irisviel's side, she was on high alert. Severely injured along with Maiya, even with the 'Ideal of the Holy Maiden' inside her, the combination of Kurumi and Red Queen brought immense pressure!
Even if Saber were here, Irisviel would still be extremely worried, not to mention Caster was holding up Saber while this enigmatic witch appeared before her!
The witch didn't seem to have any killing intent, not even a hint of hostility, but Irisviel couldn't relax for a second!
She couldn't tell if she was hypnotised or if she was indeed awake!
Irisviel's mind was a mess. Beyond anything else, this witch's appearance could be written into history, bringing her immense pressure!
Even the Heroic Spirits could be easily bewitched by her, let alone Irisviel!
What to do now? Saber mustn't come here. Yes, she absolutely mustn't come!
In Irisviel's fearful gaze, Red Queen slowly collected the blood flowing from her abdomen and... pulled out a strand of her long hair.
Irisviel bit her lip lightly. A weak aura surrounded her as if several thugs had bullied her.
'What does the witch want to do?'
Irisviel didn't know and didn't want to know. Collecting blood and hair... was it for a curse?
Or... did she want to turn her into a puppet?!
Irisviel silently activated her inner magic. Although she was a homunculus with inherently weak combat abilities, that didn't mean her magic was lacking!
Aside from that, she didn't dare make any other moves.
This witch's skills rivalled those of Saber and Lancer, and her strength was comparable to Berserker's!
Most importantly... Irisviel had never seen her use magic!
Even the 'Charm' magic seemed to be an auxiliary effect of her otherworldly beauty!
Like the 'Radiant Face'!
Though Irisviel could easily resist such magic, this witch didn't have Lancer's scruples!
Irisviel could swear she wasn't mistaken. The witch had a vast amount of magic within her!
A true witch in the name!
Yet she had never used any spells...
Irisviel didn't know what restrictions there might be, but she understood that Saber wouldn't be able to stop her once this witch used her inner magic!
Even the Heroic Spirits participating in the Holy Grail War would...
"Snap~"
Another strand of silver hair was pulled out, shining faintly under the moonlight.
"Well~ that should be enough."
Red Queen blinked her big eyes, constantly scanning Irisviel, looking just like a street thug!
No! Worse than a thug!
Irisviel felt a chill like this alchemical doll could see through her entire being.
It was very uncomfortable as if all her secrets were laid bare!
'What to do?'
Irisviel was highly anxious. The witch stood there motionless, smiling at her as if... inspecting merchandise?
"Irisviel!"
"Saber?!"
Irisviel's voice was not joyful. Instead, she urged, "Leave quickly! Kiritsugu needs you!"
Saber ignored Irisviel and instead pointed her sword at Kurumi.
"Witch, you are indeed here."