In the air, fragments of the "Greater Grail" scattered across the ground, leaving everyone present dumbfounded.
Ishtar stood frozen like a white statue, as if she might dissolve into the wind at any moment.
After an unknown stretch of stunned silence, she seemed to snap back to reality, her inner soul letting out a silent scream.
Huh—?!
What the heck?! What's going on?!
How could one Noble Phantasm destroy the Greater Grail?
The Greater Grail was a special construct built on the foundation of the Third Magic, how could it be shattered by a single Servant's Noble Phantasm?
Ishtar was clearly losing it.
Beside her, Alvin stood rooted in place, staring blankly at the Greater Grail before Manaka Sajyou, now reduced to countless fragments.
After what felt like an eternity, the corner of his mouth twitched slightly. Despite his efforts to stay calm, he couldn't help but let out a "What the hell?"
He had long known that Ishtar's tendency to "drop the ball" was practically hereditary, but he never could have imagined that the arbiter of the Holy Grail War, as Ruler, would personally shatter the Greater Grail into pieces.
"How could this..."
Tokiomi Tohsaka was clearly in disbelief, muttering to himself as he stepped forward.
When he saw that the fragments littering the ground were no illusion, his knees buckled, and he collapsed into the snow, his hollow gaze fixed on the scene in front of him.
For Tokiomi Tohsaka, the Greater Grail was more important than anything in the world.
He had prepared for the Holy Grail War for far too long, yet now it had been destroyed in such a dramatic fashion by Ruler, the divine spirit inhabiting his daughter's body...
For a moment, he couldn't accept this reality.
"Ruler, what have you done?!"
From a distance, Kayneth finally snapped out of his shock.
If Mordred hadn't held him back, this Clock Tower Lord might have marched up to demand what kind of stunt Ishtar had pulled.
He desperately needed a Holy Grail War victory to prove himself to his prospective father-in-law, yet... the Greater Grail had been destroyed in such a manner.
...What did he even come to Fuyuki in the first place?
In that moment, a surge of intense anger welled up within his heart.
Kiritsugu Emiya had been silently observing from the darkness since earlier, his dark pupils fixed on the fragments beneath Manaka Sajyou's feet.
Clearly, he harbored doubts, unable to believe the Greater Grail had truly shattered.
Morgan narrowed her beautiful eyes slightly, silently gazing at the countless fragments of the Greater Grail scattered across the snowy ground.
After a long pause, her red lips parted, her icy voice laced with a hint of amusement. "Should I say you're running from the fight, or do you have some other plan, Root Princess?"
As she spoke, her gaze locked onto Manaka Sajyou.
Her words caused everyone to freeze for a moment. Ishtar, in particular, snapped her head up as if seeing a glimmer of hope, blurting out.
"What do you mean by that? Are you saying I didn't destroy the Greater Grail?"
Hearing this, Alvin instinctively glanced at Manaka Sajyou.
Since summoning the Greater Grail, she had been standing still, motionless.
Her golden hair fluttered as the wind and snow whipped her long dress backward, faintly revealing a glimpse of her pale, delicate calf, shimmering like crystal.
Her refined, ethereal face showed no expression, as if this entire affair had nothing to do with her from start to finish.
Seeing her expressionless silence, Alvin couldn't help but feel a twinge of doubt.
Upon reflection, Ishtar wasn't even a proper Servant this time, just a special existence inhabiting a young girl's body.
Likewise, her magical energy and Noble Phantasm were significantly weakened.
The Greater Grail, no matter how you looked at it, was a special construct built on the foundation of the Third Magic.
Even if it was struck by mistake, it shouldn't have been obliterated by a single Noble Phantasm from Ishtar, right?
Could it really be that Manaka had tampered with something?
"Saber, you trust me, don't you?"
At that moment, Manaka Sajyou suddenly turned to look at Alvin, a smile breaking across her face like ice melting.
'I trust you, but I also trust that your knack for causing trouble is second to none... 'Alvin said. "...Of course, you're my Master. During the Holy Grail War, no matter what, I'll trust you."
Hearing the boy's response, Manaka Sajyou's smile grew even brighter.
Her small boots crunched lightly on the Greater Grail's fragments, grinding them repeatedly into the snow with a "shh-shh" sound.
The shadows around her twisted faintly, exuding an overwhelmingly terrifying aura, making the girl even more dangerous.
Aside from Alvin, everyone present looked at the girl with eyes filled with hostility... and a deep-seated wariness buried in their gazes.
For a girl like Manaka Sajyou, born omniscient and omnipotent, she had no aspirations.
In her sixteen years of life, she had never felt even a sliver of joy.
Falling in love with a Servant whose future she couldn't foresee, who was handsome and spoke eloquently... for the girl, it was a novel and thrilling experience.
But she had always been plagued by insecurity, because Alvin was a married man... and his wife was also present in this Holy Grail War.
Yet, in both instances of choice, he had stood by her side.
For the girl, this was undoubtedly a shot of confidence, allowing her to glimpse the "joy" of life.
As long as she could be with Alvin, the Holy Grail War, even the Greater Grail itself, was unimportant.
Manaka Sajyou ground the fragments of the Greater Grail into the snow with the sole of her shoe, a gentle smile spreading across her refined, delicate face.
"I knew I didn't misjudge you, Saber."
Ishtar's gaze locked onto Manaka Sajyou as she spoke in a heavy voice. "Did you do something to the Greater Grail?"
Right now, she was only concerned about whether she'd take the fall for this.
If word of this got out, she'd become a laughingstock in Fuyuki... no, in the entire magecraft world.
The arbiter of the Holy Grail War, personally destroying the Greater Grail and causing the war to end due to a loss of magical energy supply... It sounded utterly ridiculous.
But if it was Manaka Sajyou pulling strings behind the scenes... wouldn't that sound much better?
"I only made it a little 'fragile,' but the one who destroyed the Greater Grail was indeed you, wasn't it?"
Manaka Sajyou said.
Hearing that it was indeed Manaka Sajyou's doing, Ishtar let out a slight breath of relief, only for a surge of anger to rise from within.
"Why would you do this?"
"Because you're all in the way. I joined the Holy Grail War just to be with Saber, but you're all fighting to the death over some broken cup, even interfering with our normal life together."
Manaka Sajyou smiled charmingly. "Archer, Rider, even the Assassin who's been watching me from the shadows... If everyone getting in my way could just die, that'd be nice, wouldn't it?"
Despite her adorable appearance and her light, cheerful tone, her words sent an inexplicable chill down everyone's spines.
Tokiomi Tohsaka's body trembled faintly.
He could tell that Manaka Sajyou's words held no trace of jest..
This girl genuinely believed that everyone participating in the Holy Grail War and interfering with her deserved to die.
Just to live with the Servant she summoned... someone would join the Holy Grail War for such a reason?
This was a realm Tokiomi Tohsaka couldn't comprehend.
At that moment, particles of light began to appear on the bodies of Alvin and the other Servants.
They were starting to fade, about to vanish from this Holy Grail War.
With the Greater Grail destroyed, the Servants could no longer sustain their spiritual forms, not even Manaka Sajyou's Servant was an exception.
"You... What are you trying to do?! If you want to be with my father, why would you destroy the Greater Grail?!"
Mordred charged at Manaka Sajyou in a fury, but her fingertips barely grazed the girl's body before they passed through, her form turning illusory.
The latter ignored Mordred, merely reaching out to gently touch the boy's face, though her fingers soon passed through his body's surface.
"What exactly are you planning, Root Princess?"
Morgan gazed at her coldly, a hint of frost rippling in her beautiful eyes, her veiled face exuding an enchanting and mysterious aura.
For a woman like her, even without seeing her face, her figure and presence alone were enough to be considered breathtaking, a peerless beauty.
But anyone familiar with Morgan knew that this ancient British witch was truly enraged.
Having gone to great lengths to cross into the modern world, she hadn't even had a chance to make her move before Manaka Sajyou flipped the entire board.
But would she really give up on Alvin?
The answer was no.
The Root Princess... what exactly was she planning?
"I'm merely pursuing my own love, and I no longer wish to continue this meaningless Holy Grail War. That's all."
Manaka Sajyou's voice was soft as she spoke. "Of course, if Princess Morgan wishes to continue, I'm happy to entertain her."
Even Morgan le Fay couldn't possibly know that the real Alvin was actually at the Clock Tower, could she?
In the Holy Grail War, she might have had to worry about the two sisters, or even Ishtar and others, vying for him.
...But at the Clock Tower, none of these troublesome people would be around.
At this thought, Manaka Sajyou's heart filled with growing anticipation, a captivating faint smile spreading across her face as she turned to the boy, speaking in a gentle voice.
"Wait for me, Saber."
"I'll find you... very soon."
Her words carried a deep, meaningful undertone.
...
...
The heavy snow continued to fall, but the once-lively scene had suddenly fallen silent.
All the Servants, and even the Greater Grail itself, had completely vanished.
The Masters present clearly harbored deep resentment toward Manaka Sajyou.
Morgan silently observed everything, her gaze soon settling on the girl ahead.
Manaka Sajyou was also looking at her.
"Are you still planning to make a move?"
She asked with a giggling smile.
Morgan didn't respond to Manaka Sajyou.
Instead, what met the Root Princess was an endless cascade of dark shadows spilling from beneath Morgan le Fay's feet.
And in the darkness, the barrel of a gun was aimed at Manaka Sajyou's back.
Kiritsugu Emiya's fingers trembled slightly.
This man, who had always been utterly composed, now had eyes filled with frenzied killing intent.
He had accepted the Einzbern family's commission, even going so far as to marry into their ranks to participate in the Holy Grail War, all for the Greater Grail, for his ideals.
Yet now, someone had trampled both the Greater Grail and his ideals underfoot... and all for something as trivial as "love"?
To abandon the justice of saving the world for personal affection...
What did this girl, supposedly connected to the Root, think justice was?
The heavy panting grew increasingly rapid, his finger slowly tightening on the trigger.
But at that moment, a clear, cold, and melodious female voice suddenly rang in his ears.
"The Greater Grail never had the ability to save the world from the start. Give it up, Mr. Emiya."
Kiritsugu Emiya instinctively turned his head.
When he saw the silver-haired beauty emerging from the darkness, he almost blurted out: "Irisviel?!"
"...You're okay? You're alive?!"
He had assumed Manaka Sajyou had already killed Irisviel, perhaps even Illya, but he never expected her to appear before him alive and well.
"No... you're not Irisviel..."
But Kiritsugu quickly shook his head, his eyes filled with wariness as he aimed his gun at the silver-haired beauty.
"Who are you?"
Irisviel... or rather, the consciousness of the "Winter Saintess," gazed at the man with an indifferent expression, calmly stating. "You may call me the creator of the Grail."
Kiritsugu's eyes flickered, as if realizing something: "Justeaze Lizrich von Einzbern?"
When the Einzberns hired him for the Holy Grail War, Kiritsugu had also learned some things about the family.
Justeaze was Irisviel's ancestor and one of the heads of the three founding families of the first Holy Grail War, the Einzberns.
Later, she became the foundation of the Greater Grail, known as the "Winter Saintess," a great magus.
And yet... she wasn't dead?
Kiritsugu's expression quickly turned cold as he asked. "What did you mean by that just now?"
The Winter Saintess looked up at the night sky, where snowflakes gently fell, her icy demeanor blending with the snow in a way that made her seem almost otherworldly.
"From the moment I created the Greater Grail, I already realized it could never hold the potential to save all of humanity."
"The Third Magic is a finely woven construct, but it takes years to save a single person... As for all of humanity, even the Greater Grail could never fulfill such a wish."
Kiritsugu froze, then the chill in his eyes deepened: "Impossible... That can't be..."
Though he said this, for some reason, a faint fear, or rather, a wavering—stirred in his heart.
Having experienced countless tragedies, personally killing his childhood friend, his father, and even the foster mother who raised him, achieving his justice through the Greater Grail was Kiritsugu Emiya's sole emotional anchor.
Now, learning that the Greater Grail was nothing but a deception... this revelation sent his heart into violent turmoil.
The Winter Saintess looked at Kiritsugu with pity in her eyes.
"Emiya-san... you still hold some emotional attachment to Irisviel and that homunculus daughter who shares no blood with you, don't you?"
Kiritsugu frowned.
"What do you mean?"
"I was created by the disciples of the Third Magic's magus, and later, I offered myself as a living sacrifice to create the entity known as the Greater Grail. Since then, the homunculi specially crafted by the Einzbern castle have all served the Holy Grail War."
Under Kiritsugu's slowly widening gaze, the Winter Saintess continued softly. "If I told you the Greater Grail could still be restored, but it would require sacrificing Irisviel or Illya as the Lesser Grail... would you accept that?"
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