Fuyuki City — the Tohsaka estate.
Inside a spacious, well-lit reception room on the left side of the second floor, Tokiomi Tohsaka sat at the dining table, quietly studying the black-haired young man across from him—who wore the same severe expression.
"Would you like something to eat, Mr. Waver?" Tokiomi finally asked after a long silence.
"No, Lord Tohsaka."
Waver lifted a hand and politely declined. He was hungry—starving, even—but not enough to eat here.
Not only did he refuse every pastry Tokiomi had prepared—he didn't even drink the tea. He merely held the cup as a prop, never letting it touch his lips.
And he reminded himself: these fingers couldn't touch his mouth later, either. Who knew if he'd taste something like bitter almonds?
You could never be too careful.
Kayneth had already proven that with his life.
If Waver kept trusting people like an idiot, then the life he'd barely managed to keep would be gone just as quickly.
"…"
Tokiomi could tell—Waver's guarded posture, his distrust of every movement, the way he treated even a teacup like a trap. Tokiomi's brows knit slightly.
It felt like the boy was looking down on him.
Still, no matter how irritated he was, Tokiomi wasn't stupid enough to start an internal conflict right before the decisive battle. He pressed down his displeasure.
"Then, Mr. Waver… about the challenge letter we agreed to send to the Einzberns and the Matous—how did it go?"
"It's done," Waver answered. "The location is as we decided: the forest outside the Tohsaka grounds. You don't need to worry."
"That's good…"
For once, an unambiguously good piece of news—something rare in the chaos of the last day. Tokiomi exhaled slowly, tension easing from his shoulders.
"Then they can't hide in their base and lay traps. The initiative is in our hands."
"Yes." Waver paused, then asked the question he hadn't let go of. "But before that—Lord Tohsaka, regarding Assassin… is there truly no way? If we could add one more Servant, our advantage would be far more decisive."
"I'm afraid not." Tokiomi shook his head gently. "My student, Kirei Kotomine, has formally completed his apprenticeship and withdrawn from the Holy Grail War. We can no longer rely on Assassin."
His tone was complicated—there was relief in it, and regret, and a thin strand of reluctant acceptance.
He was relieved that Kirei had escaped cleanly. He was glad for him. And yet he couldn't help regretting how early he'd said what he said—because now he lacked a portion of fighting power.
Still, regret was only regret. Tokiomi didn't consider it fatal.
In a way, this ending was even… tidy.
His wish should be achieved by his own hands. Kirei had helped him enough. Now the man was even caring for his wife and daughters. Tokiomi couldn't demand more.
Besides—Assassin's combat strength was limited. Compared to the Conqueror King and the Hero King, it was nearly negligible. In Tokiomi's view, whether Assassin existed or not didn't matter.
As long as he still had those two "supreme" kings, that was enough.
In fact, Tokiomi's mind had already begun drafting the next steps with cold clarity.
Once they eliminated the greatest threat to the Hero King—King Arthur—he could finally bare his fangs and clean the board.
He would quietly take a portion of Command Seals from his old friend Risei Kotomine.
Then he would use those Seals to wage war against the Conqueror King.
And once every other Servant was dealt with, he would use his remaining three Seals to force the Hero King to take his own life.
Perfect. Seamless. Inevitable.
For the first time in a long while, Tokiomi felt something like happiness.
He could almost feel the wind of victory at his back.
"I understand…"
Even though he'd already verified it, hearing the answer again still disappointed Waver.
Unlike Tokiomi's rigid magus mindset, Waver had been thinking differently. Assassin might be individually weak in direct Servant combat—but Waver had already devised a strategy around a hundred bodies.
It was inspired by that red Assassin.
Give each of them a modern weapon. Put them in the dark. Have them stalk the enemy Masters and fire from concealment.
Whether it killed or not, it would grind them down. It would exhaust them. It would break their nerves.
But that plan was dead now.
Because not long ago, Kirei Kotomine had returned yet again and formally handed in his resignation. He declared his withdrawal, and the vanished Seals on his hand were proof enough.
Waver had no choice but to believe it.
He felt the loss—but there was no time for lament.
The sky was already darkening.
The final war was about to begin.
He would win it in one decisive push.
For his ambition.
And for the wish to revive Kayneth.
…
Fuyuki Church.
With all remaining work finished, and with no longer any mana supply, the Hundred Personas Hassan finally reached their end.
Kirei Kotomine looked back at the many figures whose bodies were dissolving into golden particles. He slowly closed his Bible, offering them their last rites.
And then—before long—
"Archer… no. Great Hero King, Gilgamesh."
Kirei faced him with a strange lightness, a calm that looked almost like relief. "As you can see, I have formally withdrawn from the Holy Grail War."
Gilgamesh frowned, irritation rising in his crimson eyes.
"Do you understand… what you're doing?" he asked, voice sharp with impatience.
"Yes." Kirei lifted his head. "Abandoning the Grail. Abandoning everything I've done so far. And then… searching again. I believe you can see it, can't you? The change in me."
Of course Gilgamesh could.
He'd seen Kirei's contradiction long ago—his inner void, the missing piece, the source of his confusion.
At first it bored Gilgamesh, so he didn't bother guiding him. Later, Tokiomi's arrogance became annoying enough that Gilgamesh decided to use that void as part of a game.
But—
How did it end up like this?
Kirei had broken free on his own.
"Listen, Kirei," Gilgamesh said, eyes narrowing. "You still haven't truly found it, have you? With my power, I need only take this seriously. The Grail is nothing more than a toy I can grab at will."
He stepped closer, voice low and coaxing.
"If you join me and use the Grail to make your wish, you won't need to search anymore. Otherwise, you might never find what you lack—your whole life."
He watched Kirei like a predator watching prey that should have flinched by now.
Come on. Face your heart. Accept desire. Bow to me.
"No."
Kirei shook his head without hesitation. "Hero King, the Grail cannot give me that answer. You, my teacher, anyone—no one can hand me the truth I seek. That answer can only be found by my own hands."
His gaze was steady.
"There is no doubt left in me."
Gilgamesh's fingers curled lightly against his sleeve. His chin rose. He stared at that unwavering look, and something in him stirred.
Humans could not escape desire.
Humanity itself was built from that flaw.
When something was missing, they sought to fill it—by any means—stealing, hurting, destroying, if they had to.
Gilgamesh didn't hate such humans. Devotion to desire was, in its own way, pure.
What he despised were those who had desire yet hid behind hypocrisy—wavering, confused—committing crimes without even understanding their own ugliness.
And yet—
Here was someone who had stepped beyond desire.
Someone who had shattered the fate he'd been following.
Gilgamesh found it novel.
But more than that, he found it… unpleasant.
Because that answer denied him. It suggested his earlier assumptions were wrong.
Was fate truly breakable?
Or was it simply that he had never needed to surpass it?
"What a tedious farce," Gilgamesh snorted.
He turned away, dissolving into light before Kirei's eyes.
"Zasshu. You irritate me," his voice echoed in the church. "But since you've transcended your fate and grasped the essence, I'll grant you a single praise."
"Remember what you feel right now. To transcend fate and tear free from shackles—that is your honor."
"Don't let this dull world toy with you again."
The voice faded.
Because he had seen too much human ugliness. Because the world had repeated itself too many times without meaning.
And so, when something truly different appeared, even he could not help but feel—
Expectation.
He wanted to see how far a human who could transcend fate might go.
Very well, then.
Let him witness with his own eyes what change the remaining pieces could bring to this iteration of the world.
"…Yes. Farewell, Hero King."
Kirei watched the direction Gilgamesh vanished, then glanced up at the stained-glass window overhead. He closed his Bible, and from his pocket drew the mercury blade Tokiomi had given him upon "graduation."
A different emotion flickered in his eyes—part blessing, part prayer, and something else besides.
Something like anticipation.
Below, the Hundred Personas Hassan—who had waited quietly for their end—finally dissolved into light completely, vanishing from the church.
"A-men."
…
Einzbern Castle.
"Saber."
As the promised time drew near, Irisviel finished her preparations and stepped out to stand behind Saber.
"Master," Saber turned, "are you ready?"
"Yes." Irisviel raised the hand bearing three Command Seals and nodded. "I'm ready."
"Then we should depart," Saber said. "Mr. Ritsuka has already sent word—he's setting out as well."
"Ritsuka has left already?" Irisviel blinked, surprised. Then she nodded. "All right. Let's go."
Saber inclined his head, then hesitated—eyes thoughtful.
"Master… in your view, what kind of person is Mr. Ritsuka?"
"What kind of person…?" Irisviel paused, then answered after a moment's reflection. "He's warm. He makes people feel safe. Reliable."
"I feel the same." Saber nodded. "He seems like the sort you can entrust your back to. I can sense his purity—his straightforwardness."
Though they had met only once, the black-haired boy from last night had left an impression Saber couldn't easily erase.
He wanted to trust Ritsuka.
But even trust had limits.
"Master," Saber said slowly, "I am willing to place trust in Ritsuka. But I cannot ignore the information Ahdawon gave us."
"You mean… Makiri Zolgen?" Irisviel immediately recalled the name they were warned to beware.
Then her eyes widened as another fact snapped into place.
"Ritsuka… is Makiri Zolgen's descendant?"
"That is precisely what troubles me," Saber replied. "He took the relic meant to summon Morgan—but the Servant he produced was a French marshal instead."
"I cannot rule out the possibility that Morgan cannot be summoned because she never truly died… but I can't shake the feeling there's more to it."
"I can trust Ritsuka. But I cannot trust a monster who has lived for centuries."
Saber's voice hardened.
"So I must ask you: no matter what happens tonight, do not lower your guard."
His gaze drifted to Irisviel's chest—where the scabbard was sealed.
By Irisviel's sensing, Lancer and Assassin were gone. Tonight would be a four-Servant deathmatch—the true final decisive battle.
If anyone intended to make a move, they would not waste this opportunity.
That was why Saber worried.
That was why, to protect Irisviel, he had once again refused the scabbard that did not belong to him.
"I understand, Saber." Irisviel nodded, her eyes firm. "Don't worry. I'll be careful."
It was only reassurance, but hearing it eased Saber's heart all the same.
Even knowing the danger, he had no alternative.
Last night's ambush had already sounded the alarm.
Some things, he had to do—no matter what.
Not only for himself…
But for the comrades who had died because of it.
"Good," Saber said, gripping his holy sword, voice turning iron-hard. "Tonight is our counterattack."
"This time, Rider will pay for what he did last night."
"And I will avenge Lucius."
He drew a long breath.
"This time… I will not fail again."
Join here to read ahead.
In Star Rail, Ultra-Beast Armored — Have I Caught "Equilibrium"? l (Chapter 80)
Uma Musume, But I Only Have Five Years Left to Live (Chapter 175)
Zenless Zone Zero: I'm a Doctor, Not a Bangboo (Chapter 115)
Ben Tennyson Wants to Join the Justice League (Chapter 126)
TYPE-MOON: Redemption Beginning with the Holy Grail War (Chapter105)
Yu-Gi-Oh! — Transmigrated into the White Dragon Girl (Chapter100)
"Is this chat group even serious?" (Chapter82)
I, Lord Ravager, Utterly Loyal! (Chapter134)
Can Playing Games Save the World? 65
Crossover Anime Multiverse: The Demon Hunter of an Unnatural World 70
From Junkman to Wasteland 66
Weekly Refresh of Overpowered 31
I'm Grinding Proficiency Like 46
From Kiana, Lord Ravager, Onwa 87
Honkai: Is This Still the Prev 42
Elf: My Starter Pokémon Is Inc 65
Warhammer: My Primarch Is Remi 79
From Demon Slayer to Grand Ass 64
The Way the Umamusume Look at 68
Uma Musume, but My Cheat Power 73
Naruto: Weaving the Future, Be 45
Zenless Zone Zero, but Kamen R 49
Multiverse Crossover: The Perf 45
My Cyberpsycho Girlfriend 45
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