"A guest... at a time like this?"
Hearing the words of the Winter Saintess, Irisviel tilted her head slightly, her eyes filled with confusion.
After all, she had spent most of her life in the Einzbern castle.
As a homunculus, she had no friends to speak of... not even anyone particularly close to her.
Yet the Winter Saintess was saying there was a guest?
After a brief moment of thought, Irisviel seemed to recall something and murmured softly.
"The person you're talking about... is it...?"
As the hired mage-killer of the Einzbern castle, to outsiders, Irisviel and Kiritsugu Emiya appeared to be a married couple.
But only Irisviel herself knew that their relationship was less like husband and wife and more like a partnership.
From the moment she understood her identity as the "Lesser Grail," Irisviel had already prepared herself for her fate.
To collect the souls of Servants and, at the end of the Holy Grail War, serve as the medium to bring forth the omnipotent wish-granting machine known as the Greater Grail in Fuyuki, using it to fulfill the Einzbern family's wish.
Similarly, Kiritsugu Emiya had accepted the Einzberns' commission for the sake of the Greater Grail.
Given his personality, it seemed unlikely he would go out of his way to come find her...
Irisviel instinctively said.
"The person you mean... is it Kiritsugu Emiya?"
The Winter Saintess smiled and nodded. "After the Greater Grail's descent, my consciousness has fully detached from it. Not long ago, he also summoned a Servant. If he wishes, he'll surely be able to find you by following my presence."
"He might already be on his way to find you as we speak."
Irisviel froze for a moment, then gently shook her head, her voice soft.
"Lady Justeaze, let's head straight to Mount Enzou."
"You don't want to see him one last time?"
Justeaze asked.
"He won't come."
Irisviel said with utmost calm.
Though Kiritsugu Emiya hadn't been employed by the Einzbern family for long, she had come to understand the man to some extent.
For the sake of his ideals, even knowing that she and Illya were here, he would still choose the Greater Grail...
After all, how could a champion of justice abandon their ideals at such a critical moment?
Though they were husband and wife on the surface, there was no true marital bond, and even their daughter was a homunculus...
With no foundation for their so-called feelings, their relationship was naturally fragile.
And now after all these things that happened in past few days....she didn't want to see him.
The Winter Saintess fell silent for a moment before saying slowly.
"Very well... Let's depart now."
"If things go as expected, a great battle has likely already erupted there."
"All the Servants are probably there, right?"
Irisviel said softly, then, as if sensing a concerned gaze, turned to look at her daughter, speaking in a gentle voice.
"Illya, wait for me here. Mom will be back to keep you company soon."
Though there was still worry in her eyes, Illya nodded lightly.
"Will the place you're going to let you see Saber?"
"I want to thank him in person again. If it weren't for him, I might not be able to see Mommy right now."
Irisviel paused, then said gently.
"When I see Saber, I'll pass on your words to him. Don't worry."
After a brief conversation, Irisviel gently patted the silver-haired girl's head, then stood up and left the room, heading toward Mount Enzou.
...
..
And just as Justeaze had speculated, a grand battle had indeed erupted on Mount Enzou at this very moment.
Alvin gripped the Sword of Promised Victory, but, despite the magical energy supplied by Manaka Sajyou, he seemed to be locked in a bitter struggle.
On one hand, Artoria, as the Red Dragon, was in no way inferior to him in terms of magical energy.
On the other hand, the interference from other Servants made it difficult to determine a victor in a short amount of time.
Of course, there was another reason—Alvin didn't want to fight this battle at all.
'They have no idea that if I had rejected Manaka just now, we'd probably be fighting a fully corrupted, final-boss version of her by now, right?'
Alvin sighed inwardly.
After all, while the Holy Grail War would inevitably crown a victor in the end, weren't there still Servants hiding out there?
For example... Kiritsugu Emiya's side.
Given that man's personality, with such a massive commotion happening here, there was no way he'd retreat.
He was likely lurking in the shadows right now, observing everything and waiting for the perfect moment to strike.
"Lancer, go support Caster."
From a distance, Kayneth ordered Mordred to join the fray.
On one side was her father, on the other her mother... and now, in the clash between the Red Dragon and the White Dragon, she had to intervene and aid one of them...
In the past, Mordred might have hesitated or even outright refused Kayneth.
But before heading to Mount Enzou, she had already mentally prepared herself.
Upon hearing the command, she immediately charged toward Alvin's position.
Clang!
The golden holy sword collided with the greatsword crackling with red lightning.
The White Dragon's brute strength forced Mordred to stagger back two steps as she looked up at Alvin, opening her mouth. "Father..."
"In the Holy Grail War, we each have our own Masters. Whatever choice you make, I'll support you, Little Mo."
Alvin said.
Mordred felt a surge of emotion.
To the girl, Alvin's approach to guidance was entirely different from Morgan's or Artoria's.
He had always acted as a mentor, gently leading her along.
Mordred felt some guilt about raising her hand against her father, but Alvin's words eased that guilt, making it less burdensome.
At that moment, countless shadows suddenly surged behind Morgan, rushing toward Alvin's position.
This was one of the magecrafts from the Age of Gods, enveloping the space from all directions, sealing everything within and making movement nearly impossible.
Seeing this, Tokiomi Tohsaka couldn't help but marvel inwardly.
To be honest, when Archer was eliminated in such a manner, he had briefly thought that no one in this Holy Grail War could stop Saber.
But now, it seemed the true winner couldn't be determined until the very end.
Morgan le Fay and Artoria, this sisterly duo—who in the Holy Grail War could stand against them?
Alvin struggled fiercely, but the "chains" formed by the shadows bound him even tighter, as if his magical energy was being suppressed, like he was shackled with chains weighing a thousand tons.
"Don't worry, I won't harm you."
A faint smile glimmered in Morgan's eyes as she said softly:. "Once I deal with the Root Princess... using her as a sacrifice, the Greater Grail should still descend, shouldn't it?"
With that, she turned to look at Manaka Sajyou, who was not far away, currently clashing with Ishtar.
Under normal circumstances, a Ruler could not interfere in the Holy Grail War.
However, there were exceptions...for instance, if someone violated the rules first, the Ruler could exercise their authority, even expelling the rulebreaker from the Holy Grail War.
Kayneth looked warily at the enchanting yet incredibly dangerous woman.
Though he had long known of Morgan's danger, the fact that even Saber was restrained by her magecraft... this woman was truly terrifying.
Crack...
Just as this thought flashed through Kayneth's mind, he suddenly heard the sound of something shattering nearby.
Then, the sound of breaking grew louder and more frequent.
From Alvin's body, golden magical energy surged forth, his form radiating a vast, ocean-like power!
Bang!
Relying on his sheer brute strength, Alvin broke free from the restraints of the Age of Gods magecraft, then strode forward, shattering the shadowy tendrils that spread beneath his feet like vines!
The space trembled violently, and so did the hearts of the Masters, including Kayneth, who watched in shock.
It was said that the White Dragon's magical energy was inexhaustible, but seeing it now, his physical power seemed even more unreasonably overwhelming.
What Servant in this world could break through Age of Gods magecraft with sheer physical strength alone?
Especially when the one casting it was Morgan le Fay.
In the distance, Ishtar, who was holding off Manaka Sajyou, also noticed the commotion as she instinctively glanced over, a flicker of astonishment flashing through her eyes.
"Ruler, I'll keep Saber occupied. You use your authority to deal with the black mud behind the Root Princess first!" Morgan said in a low voice.
"Don't tell me what to do!" Ishtar shot Morgan an annoyed glare, irritated by the woman's high-handed tone.
But she quickly added, "You're not wrong, though... We need to deal with this black mud first to ensure the fairness of the Holy Grail War!"
With that, she shot into the sky, her right hand forming a gun-like gesture aimed at Manaka Sajyou's position.
Ishtar was not a complete divine being this time, merely inhabiting a human body compatible with her.
Even so, unleashing her most powerful Noble Phantasm was no difficult feat.
The air thrummed as countless streams of magical energy frantically gathered within Ishtar's body.
"It's over, Manaka Sajyou!"
Meanwhile, in the darkness, a pair of eyes was fixed intently on the scene.
Kiritsugu Emiya, hidden in the shadows, instinctively clenched his fists, a faint ripple of emotion flickering in his otherwise dull gray eyes for the first time.
He knew this battle was likely approaching its climax.
If the Root Princess died, it would be Saber's weakest moment, and the Greater Grail would descend at that very instant.
...This would be the perfect opportunity to fulfill his ideals.
As if sensing something, Alvin instinctively looked up, his expression shifting slightly.
No doubt about it... Ishtar wasn't holding back.
She intended to blast Manaka Sajyou to smithereens along with everything else!
Manaka Sajyou maintained her smile, but her eyes grew increasingly cold.
"If you were a true divine spirit, that'd be one thing, but you're just a parasite clinging to a human body...
You're overestimating yourself, Miss Ishtar."
Facing Ishtar, Manaka Sajyou slowly raised her right hand.
In that instant, the several shadows before her disintegrated.
In the air, streams of magical energy seemed to surge toward the back courtyard.
"Rumble..."
In the back courtyard, a force seemed to be descending, fueled by the sacrifice of Servants.
"She's summoning the Greater Grail!" Kayneth quickly realized, blurting out instinctively.
Ishtar sneered.
"Summoning the Greater Grail now? A bit too late for that!"
"Shatter—"
Her magical energy fully gathered, and she unleashed a dazzling beam of light toward the blonde girl below!
"Mountain-Shaking Star's Flame!"
"Boom!"
The scorching beam seemed intent on obliterating both the black mud and the enemy in one fell swoop.
Yet, at the same moment, before Manaka Sajyou, the omnipotent wish-granting machine, the "Greater Grail"—slowly materialized.
Though it still appeared somewhat illusory, it was clear that with just one more Servant's soul, it could fully manifest!
In that instant, the gazes of nearly everyone present burned with fervor.
The omnipotent wish-granting machine...every participant in the Holy Grail War had their own wishes and reasons for fighting, and they had battled this far for this very thing.
No matter what, they had to seize it!
At this moment, even Kiritsugu Emiya, lurking in the shadows, began to stir with anticipation.
However, at that very moment, Ishtar's Noble Phantasm...a beam brimming with destructive energy, came crashing down from the sky!
"Boom!"
It struck the surface of the Greater Grail.
In that instant, with the Greater Grail at the center, countless ripples of magical energy spread through the air, a buzzing hum forcing Kayneth and the other Masters to instinctively cover their ears.
Yet their gazes remained fixed on the Greater Grail, as if terrified it might be snatched away in the next moment.
"Crack..."
But then, a faint sound of shattering reached everyone's ears.
In that moment, the fighting among all parties fell silent in an instant.
They seemed to sense something, their eyes instinctively turning toward the omnipotent wish-granting machine.
At some point, a faint crack had appeared on the surface of the Greater Grail.
Seeing this, everyone's expressions shifted slightly.
Alvin was stunned.
Kayneth's face darkened, Tokiomi Tohsaka's gaze grew vacant, and Waver's mouth hung open in shock.
Even Morgan could barely keep her composure.
The Ruler of this Holy Grail War had personally attacked the Greater Grail and even cracked it?
After a brief moment of daze, Ishtar's face quickly adopted a calm smile as she tried to maintain her composure, breaking the eerie silence.
"Don't worry, the Greater Grail isn't that fragile. It's just a slight crack, no big deal..."
"Crack."
No sooner had she spoken than more cracks began to spread across the Greater Grail, dense fractures sprawling over its surface.
Finally, under Ishtar's stunned gaze, the Greater Grail of Fuyuki shattered with a resounding crash!
.
.