Saber was lying on the ground, her eyes closed, seemingly unconscious. Her once gleaming armor had been shattered in the previous attack, now tattered and broken, with even the inner lining badly damaged and scorched, still emitting faint wisps of smoke. Large patches of her pale skin were exposed.
The power of Excalibur had indeed exceeded Kaguya's expectations. She hadn't anticipated that by using her own power, Excalibur would release such immense strength—almost comparable to the force of a Tailed Beast Bomb. Taking such a powerful blow, even Kaguya herself would have been injured, let alone a Servant whose abilities were dependent on their Master.
Perhaps if Saber had Masters like Rin Tohsaka or Sakura Tohsaka, she would have been able to display her full potential. However, even then, as a Servant, her power would still not match that of her original self.
Kaguya reached out and picked Saber up, carrying her on her back. Luckily, Saber wasn't very tall; otherwise, a small figure carrying a larger one would have looked rather awkward.
"I wonder if this counts as corpse looting?"
Kaguya thought mischievously.
Right now, Saber had no strength to resist. Even if she could, she wasn't a match for Kaguya.
Additionally, since Saber wasn't technically dead—having been summoned by the Holy Grail at the moment of her death—she couldn't dematerialize. Without being able to go into spirit form, even escaping wasn't an option.
Suddenly, Kaguya seemed to think of something, a mischievous smile curling at the corners of her mouth. Her eyes sparkled with a hint of mischief, and she reached out toward Saber, who was completely unconscious and defenseless, like a lamb waiting to be slaughtered.
Her hand got closer and closer, and finally, her fingers grabbed Saber's ahoge (her antenna-like hair strand).
Kaguya had always been curious about why Saber's ahoge remained so stiff, never getting messed up no matter how intense the action. Could it be different from normal hair?
However, upon touching it, she realized there didn't seem to be anything unusual—it felt just like the rest of her hair. So why did it stick up like that?
By the way, Kaguya also noted that the King of Knights' chest was exceptionally flat.
Even with her five fingers pressed together, Kaguya could only feel a slight bump, like a small mound of flesh.
Just look at Nero, another Saber-class Servant. Although she was shorter than King Arthur, her chest was much larger. Hmm, though not that big, either.
At that moment, Kaguya seemed to sense something. Her brows furrowed, and with a wave of her pale arm—
"Hidden Mist Jutsu."
Thick mist immediately surrounded her, obscuring her and Saber from view.
"Lurking in the shadows—is that really what the King of Heroes would do?" Kaguya suddenly turned her head and spoke to the distance. "Gilgamesh."
In the distant air, faint golden light spots gathered to form a figure. The figure was handsome, lean, and muscular, dressed in golden armor. Who else could it be but Gilgamesh?
"Lurking?" Gilgamesh laughed, walking forward arrogantly. "I'm merely observing what rightfully belongs to me. What's wrong with that?"
It seemed Gilgamesh believed that anyone becoming his subordinate was an honor for them, and they should be grateful.
"Sorry, I'm not a 'thing,' and certainly not yours." Kaguya stepped out of the mist, frowning as she said, "So, why don't you go cool off somewhere else and stop bothering me?"
But somehow, her words sounded a bit awkward.
"How dare you speak to me like that? Up until now, you're the only one who's ever done so," Gilgamesh said with a slight smile.
"The first?" Kaguya chuckled, mocking him. "Well, then, I guess I'm honored."
"Naturally," Gilgamesh nodded, as if it was obvious. He crossed his arms and said, "If it were anyone else speaking to me like this, they would receive the harshest punishment, forced to contemplate their sins in the depths of eternal night."
"Sorry, but I'm not interested in becoming your 'thing,'" Kaguya said, glancing at him. "Besides, why are you here in the first place?"
"It's nothing. I sensed a surge of magical energy, so I was curious and came to take a look." Gilgamesh laughed, the corners of his mouth lifting. "I didn't expect to find you here—how amusing."
"I don't find it amusing at all, especially after being disturbed," Kaguya said, frowning.
Gilgamesh stared at Kaguya, his eyes narrowing as he spoke in a deep voice, "Your body..."
As someone with immense power, he had clearly noticed the difference in Kaguya compared to before.
Just as Gilgamesh was about to continue speaking, he paused. A look of displeasure crossed his face as he muttered, "Tokiomi grows bolder by the day. A mere servant dares to command me to do such a thing."
It seemed that Gilgamesh had just received a message from Tokiomi Tohsaka.
"Listen, woman," Gilgamesh turned around and said, "Although Tokiomi is a rather dull fellow, he asked me to deliver a message to you. He hopes that you'll release Saber."
"Release Saber?" Kaguya frowned slightly, confused. "Why should I do that?"
"It's all for the so-called 'honor' of a magician. He wants to win the Holy Grail War using proper magical methods—how utterly foolish." Gilgamesh scoffed, laughing disdainfully.
Although Kaguya found Tokiomi's request somewhat surprising, it was also within expectations. Tokiomi Tohsaka was a proud and dignified magician, unwilling to resort to such methods to achieve his goals. He had immense confidence in his eventual victory in the Holy Grail War, which was why he made this decision.
"If that's the case, I suppose I'll have to give him a bit more credit," Kaguya's lips curled into a smile. "Things are getting more and more interesting."
Kaguya sneered at Tokiomi's reasoning. Such arguments were little more than the sentiments of a naive schoolchild. No matter how much pride Tokiomi had as a magician, he wouldn't pass up the chance to eliminate an enemy. His real motive was likely to use Saber—or more accurately, use Emiya Kiritsugu—to weaken his other opponents.
But this suited Kaguya just fine. She hadn't intended to kill Saber in the first place. If Saber were eliminated too early, it would have been too boring.