Type-Moon, is this really not the Reverse Side of the World?

On the national highway back to the Einzbern castle.

Just as Lin Jiuan was sitting in the passenger seat of the sports car, contemplating his next move...

SCREEECH!

The sound of tires frictioning against the ground was ear-piercing. The violent inertia threw Lin Jiuan's body forward, but thankfully, he was wearing his seatbelt.

"What's wrong?"

"There's someone up ahead."

Lin Jiuan looked up. At night, this highway was usually empty, but now, a few dozen meters ahead, under a lone streetlight, stood two figures.

"Archer!" Artoria's face became grim, as if facing a great enemy. She immediately got out of the car, her magic armor appearing as she gripped her holy sword, staring warily at Gilgamesh. "What are you doing here?"

Gilgamesh shot a disdainful glance at Artoria, her gaze then falling on Lin Jiuan, who had also gotten out of the car and was standing behind Artoria with Irisviel.

"Jiuan, don't be afraid. I've come to take you home," Aoi said gently.

"Don't be afraid?" Looking at Aoi standing next to Gilgamesh, Lin Jiuan was completely baffled. What is this situation? When did Kiritsugu cuckold Tokiomi? And what am I supposed to be afraid of?

"You're Mrs. Tohsaka?" Irisviel suddenly spoke.

Aoi didn't even look at her, continuing to speak gently to Lin Jiuan. "Jiuan, don't worry. I have become Archer's Master. No one can hurt you anymore. Not Tokiomi, and not this Einzbern woman."

"I hurt him?!" Irisviel's voice rose a few octaves. She stood in front of Lin Jiuan like a protective mother hen. "You're the one who hurt him, aren't you? A married woman, doing that kind of thing to Jiuan. Causing him to be hunted by your husband and left to wander the streets! If I hadn't found him, who knows what would have happened to him because of a shameless woman like you!"

"Could there be some misunderstanding here?" Lin Jiuan interjected. "I wasn't coerced by Mrs. Irisviel. I came with her willingly."

Only then did Aoi look at Irisviel—at this woman who was blocking her view of Jiuan, who had stolen her Jiuan. Looking at her flawless, doll-like, perfect face, Aoi's expression gradually turned cold. "I see. You seduced Jiuan, threatened him. Don't worry, Jiuan, I will save you."

What do you "see"?! But there was no time for Lin Jiuan to explain. Aoi had already bowed slightly to Gilgamesh. "Archer, I request that you bring Jiuan safely back to my side."

"Do you think I'm afraid of you? I will not hand Jiuan over to a wanton woman like you!" Irisviel's voice was uncharacteristically fiery. "Saber, show this shameless hussy your power!"

The sound of clashing steel rang out. As a longsword slammed against Artoria's holy sword, knocking her back several steps, Gilgamesh lifted her leg, clad in golden armor, and kicked out, striking Artoria squarely in the abdomen. Artoria, who was already on the verge of collapse, was sent flying, her holy sword clattering to the ground.

Then, Gilgamesh walked over, planting a foot on the abdomen of the struggling Artoria, looking down at her. Her blood-red eyes were full of contempt and mockery. "Is this all you've got, Saber?"

Artoria gritted her teeth, her bruised and bloodied face filled with humiliated and powerless anger.

"How boring." Golden portals appeared behind Gilgamesh, and several chains shot out, binding Artoria. One chain wrapped directly around her neck, tightening, choking her. Artoria clawed at the chain, her face contorted in a mask of suffocating pain.

"Saber!" Irisviel watched, her small hands clenched tightly, but she was completely helpless. She didn't even have a chance to use a Command Spell; Gilgamesh already had a sharp Noble Phantasm aimed right at her.

Nice one, Artoria! You truly are a Pendragon! Even Lin Jiuan, who had anticipated this, felt a headache coming on. He had thought Artoria might lose to a CQC-focused Archer-class Gilgamesh, just like Proto-Arthur, but he hadn't expected it to be this brutal.

"Mrs. Irisviel, give this to Saber in a moment."

"Eh?" Irisviel was startled as Lin Jiuan handed her a black, mud-like substance. She took it subconsciously. "What is this?"

"Consider it a part of my body. Tell Saber that if she wants the power to defeat Archer, she should eat it."

As Lin Jiuan explained, he walked toward the center of the battlefield. "Enough!"

Aoi, Gilgamesh, and Artoria all looked at him.

"Mrs. Tohsaka, I'll go with you. But for this one time, please don't harm Mrs. Irisviel and Saber."

The smile on Aoi's face faded, replaced by a look of hurt and confusion.

"When your husband was hunting me, they saved my life. So please, let them go this once. And only this once."

"Is that so?" Aoi bit her lower lip. She really wanted to kill this bitch who had seduced her Jiuan, but she didn't want to make him angry. After a few seconds of hesitation, Aoi looked at Gilgamesh. "Archer?"

Gilgamesh's blood-red eyes swept over the black substance in Irisviel's hand, which emanated an aura of extreme evil and depravity. A playful smile curled her lips. She waved her hand. The Chains of Heaven binding Artoria retracted. She then kicked Artoria, sending her flying dozens of meters to Irisviel's side.

"She's just a piece of trash I can deal with anytime anyway. Get lost."

Artoria bit her lip so hard it could have bled, her face a mask of humiliated rage. He saved me again. And he did it by sacrificing himself. Artoria didn't want to survive like this, but she had to. Because she had something more important to do. She needed the Holy Grail. She needed to save her country.

"Damn it!"

"Saber." Artoria looked up. Irisviel was looking at her, her watery eyes already filled with tears of humiliation. Artoria knew that watching the boy she liked be taken away by another woman, Irisviel's humiliation and anger were no less than her own.

"I'm sorry, Iri. I'm so sorry."

Irisviel shook her head, knelt, and held out the black mass Lin Jiuan had given her. "What is this?"

"This is what Jiuan gave me before he left. He said to give it to you. If you eat it, you'll become stronger, and then we can get him back!"

"Stronger?" Artoria looked at the substance, which radiated an incredibly evil and corrupting aura. Before, she would have destroyed it without hesitation, let alone eaten it. But now... even though she had survived, Artoria realized the huge gap between herself and Gilgamesh. Under normal circumstances, it would be very difficult for her to win this Holy Grail War and save her country. And thinking of the boy stepping into the 'sea of fire' to save her...

Artoria snatched the black mass and shoved it into her mouth.

THUMP!

The next second, her heart jolted violently. Immense magical energy, accompanied by a malevolent aura, spread from her body. She clutched her chest and fell to her knees. The color of her hair darkened from brilliant gold. The blue and white armor she wore turned jet black.

A long time later, Artoria slowly rose. Her cerulean eyes had turned a dark gold. She opened her palm and looked down at her hand.

"So this is... the feeling of power?" she murmured. A corner of her mouth suddenly lifted into an excited grin she would never have made before.

I want more. She wanted much more. Just thinking of that boy made her heart race, her breath turn hot. She wanted more. She wanted to completely 'devour' him!

"Saber?"

Artoria looked up and saw Iri looking at her with trepidation. "Sorry, Iri. I was a bit out of it for a moment." Artoria put on her previous sunny smile, but her lips soon curled into that grin again, adding a bewitching quality to it.

"Let's go get Jiuan back."

Jiuan is mine!

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In Type-Moon: Creating a Magecraft Family Lineage 100 Chapter

Type-Moon, is this really not the Reverse Side of the World? 63 Chapter