Capítulo 453: Secret News
"Daddy!"
Seeing Kiritsugu, Illya ran over excitedly and leaped into his arms.
Kiritsugu lovingly patted Illya's little head.
Illya was supposed to be in Einzbern Castle in Germany, but everything had changed since the appearance of that unbelievably beautiful silver-haired girl.
Just a few days ago, something unexpected happened— the Lesser Grail inside Irisviel suddenly vanished. This shocked not only Kiritsugu but also Jubstacheit von Einzbern, the head of the Einzbern family, who was still in Germany.
The Einzbern family, one of the three founding families of the Holy Grail War, was known for its expertise in alchemy, excelling in the manipulation of precious metals. As one of the creators of the Holy Grail War system in Fuyuki City, their alchemy was unparalleled. However, their specialization in alchemy had left them somewhat weaker in direct combat magic.
Because of this weakness in magical combat, Irisviel and her daughter Illya were chosen as the vessels for the Lesser Grail to give Einzbern an advantage in the war. Having the Lesser Grail on their side provided a sense of security.
But now that the Lesser Grail had mysteriously disappeared from Irisviel's body, it left Jubstacheit in utter shock.
Although the reason for the disappearance was still unclear, Irisviel was no longer a viable vessel. Even if they tried to reseal the Grail inside her, there was no guarantee that a similar incident wouldn't happen again.
To address this massive setback, Jubstacheit decided that Illya, who was supposed to serve as the vessel for the Fifth Holy Grail War, would continue her mother's unfinished mission: reclaiming the Lesser Grail and sealing it within herself.
This decision explained why Jubstacheit allowed Illya to come to Fuyuki City. It was a last resort. Originally, Jubstacheit had planned to use Illya as leverage against Kiritsugu or, if the Fourth Holy Grail War failed, have her serve as the vessel for the Fifth War.
But now was the time for a decisive choice— either abandon this war and prepare for the next one or retrieve the Lesser Grail and continue the unfinished battle.
Jubstacheit clearly leaned toward the latter. Despite Kiritsugu being hard to control, he was immensely capable. In the long history of the Holy Grail Wars, such a calm, powerful, and determined Master was a rare gem, and it would be difficult to find another as outstanding as him.
Moreover, there was a sense of unwillingness. After so much preparation, Jubstacheit couldn't accept failure because of a sudden incident. It was something he couldn't tolerate.
But Kiritsugu didn't share the same perspective. If there was anything left in the world that Kiritsugu cared about, it was Irisviel and their daughter Illya. There had been a time when he considered abandoning the Holy Grail War and retiring to a peaceful life, all because of them.
Now, however, Jubstacheit wanted to make Illya the new vessel and have her continue the Holy Grail War, putting her in grave danger. This was something Kiritsugu could never accept.
After confirming that the Lesser Grail was now within Kaguya, Kiritsugu had already devised a plan and thought of the best solution: imprison Kaguya. She could serve as the vessel for the Lesser Grail, allowing Kiritsugu to take control of it and keep Illya out of harm's way.
"Illya," Kiritsugu suddenly said.
"Hm?" Illya looked up, puzzled. "What is it?"
"Daddy will always protect you," Kiritsugu whispered as he held her tightly.
"Mm-hmm." Illya smiled brightly, her delicate face glowing as she nodded enthusiastically.
Meanwhile, in the Einzbern underground chamber, Kaguya remained trapped within the barrier.
Kaguya frowned, her usually calm and beautiful face now showing rare signs of seriousness.
The strength of the Einzbern's magical barrier exceeded her expectations. Known for their mastery of alchemy, the Einzbern family's control over precious metals had reached its pinnacle. The enormous barrier around her was created using precious materials like mithril and gold, which served as mediums for immense magical power. Through her Celestial Eyes, Kaguya could even see the nearly tangible streams of magic coursing through the barrier.
In the original story, after the Holy Grail War, Kiritsugu had attempted to go to Einzbern Castle in Germany to see Illya, but the castle's powerful barrier thwarted him each time. In the end, Kiritsugu never saw his daughter again.
Now, Kaguya found herself in a similarly awkward situation. If she were at full strength, breaking through this barrier would be no problem. But she had already used up most of her power, and the energy she had gained from her recent meals was far too limited. At best, she had recovered only about ten percent of her full strength.
Kaguya was now in an unprecedentedly embarrassing predicament. Was she really going to wait here for the Holy Grail War to end?
This was, of course, unacceptable.
At that moment, Kaguya thought of a risky method she had been avoiding. She hadn't planned on using it unless absolutely necessary. But now, with few options left and no desire to sit around wasting time, this seemed like her only choice. While it might take some time, it was still better than doing nothing.
Deciding there was no time to hesitate, Kaguya raised her fair arm and spread her fingers. A brilliant purple flame burst forth.
At the same time, Kiritsugu, Saber, and Irisviel set out for Fuyuki City, beginning their next move.
Since Irisviel was no longer the Lesser Grail vessel, she hadn't lost her five senses like in the original story, and her body wasn't as weak.
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