001 - What Makes it Hard to Go Home ?

"Saber..." Shirou's voice, filled with concern and a hint of confusion, could be heard.

"Shirou, don't call me Saber anymore. I'm no longer a Servant. Call me Artoria from now on," Artoria said firmly.

"I see. So that's why my Command Spells disappeared—because you're no longer a Servant... But that's not what I wanted to ask."

"What is it?"

"Why do you have horns on top of your head?" Shirou asked, pointing at the two horns protruding from Artoria's head.

What Shirou said was true. After coming back from somewhere with Rei and Echidna, Artoria had returned with horns, leaving him puzzled.

"These are my Dragon Horns," Artoria replied casually.

"Dragon?" "Horns?" Rin and Illya, who were also present, asked in unison, curiosity evident in their voices.

"When we went back to the past, Rei decided this was better for my body," Artoria began explaining.

After they found her real body, frozen in time alongside the world, Rei immediately noticed how unique her body was.

With her Dragon Heart, which made her essentially half-dragon, Rei decided not to simply revive her as she was. Instead, he chose to make her a full dragon in human form.

He wanted to see what a dragon with a human body could achieve since dragons in the Sky Realm were vastly different from those in other places.

As a result of becoming a full dragon in a human body, Artoria experienced a side effect—with horns now constantly appeared on top of her head.

Rei mentioned she should be able to hide her horns with her own power, so right now she was still learning how to control that ability.

But the changes weren't just physical. Her Power and Mana had increased dramatically.

Her instincts and Mana Burst rank had become significantly more potent, leaving her eager to test her newfound strength.

"Also, why are you still in that form? I thought you'd revert to your original form before changing into this one," Rin asked this time, her curiosity piqued.

Even though Artoria had become human again, she was still in her Alter form. The only noticeable difference was the two horns adorning her pale blonde hair.

"Because this is the current me. Using this form makes me feel like I've already abandoned my ideals and come out as a different person," Artoria explained.

"If you're a dragon, shouldn't you have a tail?" Sakura asked curiously.

"A tail...? Hmm, that's true. I just realized I don't have one," Artoria muttered to herself.

"That's because your body will change the more you use your dragon power," Rei's voice came from the kitchen.

Right now, everyone was seated at the dining table, waiting for Rei and Liz to finish cooking.

Sakura, who usually helped with cooking, was too curious by Artoria's appearance to lend a hand today.

"So, the more dragon power Sabe—uh, Artoria—uses, the more her body will resemble a dragon?" Sakura asked.

"Yes, but for now, she shouldn't use more than this until she learns how to hide her horns," Rei responded.

Rei sat down at the table, glancing toward the kitchen, where Liz was still cooking. She had said she could handle the rest, but with so many people in the house, it was clear she couldn't manage it alone.

"Liz, if you're done cooking, just leave it there. I can use my power to bring it here," Rei called out loud enough for Liz to hear.

Not long after, Liz finally emerged from the kitchen, and they were ready to start their breakfast—even though it was still 5 a.m.

"Where's Echidna?" Shirou suddenly asked, noticing her absence while everyone else was already present.

"She's inside me," Rei said casually.

"Pffft! Cough Cough" Rin spat out her drink and started coughing violently.

"What do you mean she's inside you?? I didn't even get the chance to feel you inside me!" Illya said instantly, without a hint of hesitation.

"Well, basically, going back to the past was really bad for her. As soon as she came out of the portal, chains immediately appeared around her body," Rei began explaining what had happened during their time in the past.

It turned out that having two of the same archetype existing in the same world and timeline was a terrible idea. The moment Echidna entered the past, chains appeared and bound her, restricting every aspect of her being.

As her power weakened more and more, Rei made the decision to absorb her into his wings temporarily.

Rei admitted that he didn't fully understand what had happened to her, as he didn't know much about Archetypes or Gaia's workings.

But he speculated that it might be some kind of fail-safe mechanism—perhaps a rule enforced if an Archetype broke the natural order or failed to perform their intended role.

"Does it feel comfortable inside your wings?" Ayane was the one to ask this time.

"Probably. She'll be fine; the others are probably already greeting her," Rei replied casually.

"The others?" Fujino, realizing what Rei meant, immediately followed up.

"Basically, there are a lot of primal beasts inside my wings—and archangels too. If I explained everything, it'd take too long. We should just finish eating and head to the shrine," Rei said, returning his attention to his meal.

Although the others were still curious, they eventually set aside their questions and continued eating.

Their peaceful breakfast proceeded smoothly, and by 7 a.m., Rei had already prepared to head to the Ryuudou Temple.

"So, everyone's coming with me?" he asked, looking at the group.

He could understand why Rin, Sakura, and Shirou wanted to come as they wanted to help Shinki but he was puzzled about why Illya, Ayane, Berserker who had been invisible since before, and Archer were tagging along.

"We're going to fight Caster, right? So having more Servants is better to counter Caster's spells," Illya said confidently.

"No, we're not going to fight Caster. The only one fighting at the Ryuudou Temple will be Artoria. She's going to face the samurai guarding the door," Rei clarified.

"Eh? You know, this Holy Grail War is so weird," Rin interjected. "From what I've read, the Holy Grail War is supposed to involve Masters fighting other Masters while their Servants fight each other. It's a bloody contest where people will do anything to win the grand prize—the Holy Grail."

"But so far, except for the fight at the church, Servants haven't fought each other at all. And now, we're not even going to fight Caster."

What Rin said was true—this Holy Grail War had become a failure the moment Rei was summoned into this world. His overwhelming power had drastically altered the dynamic of the war.

"I think it's better like this," Sakura said, looking on the bright side. "This way, we can reduce the casualties."

"That's right. Let's just go," Rei agreed, supporting Sakura's perspective. He prepared to teleport them all to the temple.

"Have a good day Illya-sama, Rei-sama and everyone" Liz and Sella said as the group began to disappear.

"Don't forget to bring me later," Justeaze reminded Rei.

And with that, they vanished from the Tohsaka mansion.

-----

"Welcome, foreigner," a voice greeted them as they reached the top of the stairs at the Ryuudou Temple gate.

Standing before them was a samurai swordsman with long indigo hair tied into a ponytail and matching indigo eyes. He wore a traditional light purple umanori hakama and kimono, light purple tabi, black zori, and a purple haori with tekkou. His sword, Monohoshi Zao, rested on his back.

"Looks like you've brought some guests, but I'm afraid I've been tasked to let only you in," he said, glancing at the group accompanying Rei.

Seeing Sasaki Kojiro appear, Rei immediately sensed something off. Unlike typical Servants, Kojiro seemed weaker, his origin blurry, as if he lacked one altogether.

"It seems your Master already expected our arrival," Rei remarked.

"You've no idea," Kojiro replied with a shrug. "After you appeared in this world, she changed drastically, hiding herself away immediately."

"But," he added, "she also knew you'd show up sooner or later, and there's nothing she could do about it."

"I see," Rei said calmly. "Then I'll go inside and meet your Master."

The others watched silently as Rei walked through the gate, which closed behind him, leaving them outside with Kojiro.

"So, how do we get in?" Rin asked, breaking the silence.

"The only way to get in is to bypass me," Kojiro explained. "But with a group like yours, I'm sure it'll be easy."

He was fully aware he didn't stand a chance against their overwhelming numbers. Still, he was following Caster's orders to protect the gate and prevent anyone from entering.

"Huh... Then I'm really sorry for you," Rin said, realizing his predicament.

"That's fine. It's my job, anyway," Kojiro replied, drawing his katana from his back.

"So? Is everyone going to fight me, or…?" he asked, scanning the group.

"I'll be the one to fight you," a voice declared as Artoria stepped forward.

"And you are?"

With her cloak concealing her appearance, Kojiro couldn't identify her—at least not at first.

"My name is Artoria Pendragon," she said, tossing aside her cloak.

Kojiro's eyes widened at the sight of her.

"Horns? And your name... I didn't know Arthur had horns."

"But this feeling—you're not a Servant? How are you alive?"

"That doesn't matter. I'm here to follow my Master's orders," Artoria replied, unsheathing Rei Excalibur from her left waist.

The others instinctively stepped back to avoid getting caught in their impending clash.

"Go beat him, Artoria, so I can follow Rei again!" Illya called out playfully.

Kojiro's eyes narrowed as he observed her sword. The aura emanating from it and the danger it posed made him shudder.

Both moved to the middle of the stairs, facing each other with their swords drawn.

"You know this isn't a fair fight at all," Ayane murmured to Sakura. "With Artoria's dragon power, she can definitely beat Kojiro easily."

Sakura nodded, sharing the same sentiment.

Artoria, aware of the imbalance at first had already decided to hold back.

"Are you planning to hold back, Artoria?" Kojiro suddenly asked, interrupting her thoughts.

Her reaction confirmed his suspicion.

"Fight me with all your power, Artoria. I don't care about Medea's plans—I'm guarding this gate because I thought I'd face a strong opponent," Kojiro said, settling into his stance. "But who would've thought I'd fight someone like you? So don't hold back—fight me with everything you've got!"

Hearing that make Artoria sighed, acknowledging his seriousness.

"Sorry for considering holding back. May I have your name?" she asked, gripping her sword tighter.

"Sasaki Kojiro. Let's have a good fight, Artoria Pendragon."

"Then I, Artoria Pendragon, will use my full capabilities to fight you, Sasaki Kojiro."

As she spoke, Artoria activated her dragon power. Her dragon heart pounded, accelerating the mana coursing through her body. Her eyes shifted, becoming golden slits like a dragon's.

The stairs beneath her cracked under the pressure, and a powerful wind whipped around her, causing the nearby trees to sway violently.

"Here I come!" she shouted, leaping toward Kojiro to strike.