"Saber, don't you think it would be better to stand on my side?"
Morgan le Fay gracefully reached out her hand toward Alvin. Beneath the veil, her voice carried an indescribable charm, "I can grant you an endless supply of magical energy. I can even hand this Holy Grail over to you."
"And besides, Lily is on my side too, isn't she?"
From beginning to end, she never once looked at Sajyou Manaka. She did not care about Manaka's earlier mockery either. All her attention was on Alvin.
That scene made Sajyou Manaka's gaze grow colder and colder, yet she did not make another move.
Compared to forcing Saber to choose her, she wanted to see what he would choose on his own.
Although she herself did not know what she would feel if Alvin ultimately chose Morgan.
She had gone to great lengths to summon Saber. Even though they had only spent two days together, those two days had been the happiest moments of her life.
Alvin quietly took a deep breath and slowly let it out.
Under Sajyou Manaka's watchful gaze, he walked toward Morgan le Fay.
Then, he gently took hold of Morgan's slender, soft, pale hand.
At that very instant, the expressions of several Servants present shifted subtly.
Iskandar and Gilgamesh both looked on with meaning in their eyes. Mordred, who had been hesitating about whether to obey her Master's order to retreat, also fixed her gaze on Alvin.
As for Artoria, a faint smile appeared on her face, only to vanish in the next second.
For some reason, when Alvin chose their side, she did not feel as happy as she had imagined. Instead, there was an indescribable sense of loss.
"I'm sorry."
Just as Morgan was about to smile, Alvin suddenly spoke in an apologetic tone.
"Although I'm sorry, in this Holy Grail War, the one who summoned me was her, so…"
He did not continue, but at those words, the expression on Morgan le Fay's exquisite and beautiful face froze at once.
Sajyou Manaka, on the other hand, looked stunned and subconsciously raised her head to look forward.
When she saw Alvin step forward earlier, she felt as if a piece of her chest had been hollowed out, a strong sense of loss washing over her, yet she had no strength left to say anything.
But the result, he had refused Morgan?
For her sake, he had refused his sisters of Britain?
For a moment, overwhelming joy filled her heart. A sweet smile bloomed on Sajyou Manaka's pale and lovely face, and her bright eyes sparkled.
Compared to the Sajyou Manaka who had just mercilessly killed Matou Zouken, she now looked more like a girl in love, her eyes holding only Alvin.
[Congratulations, you have obtained the special CG achievement: Shura Field Choice Part 2. After completing this achievement, you will receive a special golden title.]
In the CG image, wind and snow intertwined. A thinly dressed blonde girl gazed with longing at the back of the black-robed Servant. Before him stood the exceptional sisters, Morgan le Fay and Artoria.
"So this is your choice…"
Morgan le Fay took a deep breath, yet unusually, she did not get angry. Instead, beneath her veil, her red lips curved into a tempting arc.
"I suppose... if you had abandoned your Master and chosen me, then you wouldn't be the person I know."
"But this way, I can rest assured."
Alvin hesitated, "Rest assured about what?"
"Do you really not understand me, Saber?"
Morgan le Fay smiled brightly, "Forcefully taking and claiming what others cherish. What could be more delightful than that?"
From her chest, a faint crimson thread seemed to quietly wind its way toward Alvin.
"This woman…"
A chill flashed through Sajyou Manaka's eyes as she reacted at once.
She did not know what Morgan had done, but she could feel the 'contract' between herself and Saber gradually weakening.
'Morgan le Fay, this woman wants to forcibly turn Saber into her own Servant!'
Sajyou Manaka was about to step forward when Artoria immediately raised the staff known as the Sword of Selection and swung it.
A burst of magical energy shot out, forcing Sajyou Manaka to retreat.
Standing before her, Artoria said slowly, "Although I do not wish to do this either… since I accepted her summoning, I will accept her request."
Sajyou Manaka's expression darkened. Facing a Servant of irregular rank, there was no way she could break through Caster's defense in a short time.
"Hm?"
At that moment, Morgan le Fay suddenly let out a surprised sound and looked at the young man before her.
He had clearly been restricted by the magecraft she had prepared in advance, yet Alvin was about to break free of her restraints.
"It seems your Magic Resistance really is quite high…"
Morgan smiled sweetly, "In that case, I'll just cheat a little."
She gracefully snapped her fingers.
In this space, dense True Ether quietly flowed into Morgan's body.
In the next instant, her magical power grew even stronger, and the 'connection' between Alvin and Sajyou Manaka gradually faded.
But at that very moment, a brilliant surge of magical energy lit up in the distance.
Iskandar raised the sword in his hand and let out a thunderous roar.
The next second, a beam of light burst forth from the chariot beneath his feet, like a blade piercing the darkness. It was beautiful, yet filled with power that made one tremble.
Boom!
Accompanied by Iskandar's booming shout, the chariot charged toward Morgan le Fay.
Morgan had no choice but to retreat quickly. She suddenly looked up and said, "Rider… must you interfere in the matter between him and me?"
Standing atop his chariot, Iskandar looked down at the beautiful yet dangerous woman on the ground, "Putting aside the fact that each Master can only have one Servant. Even ignoring that, the moving bond between Saber and his Master just now is enough to stir the heart."
"Even for that alone, I cannot let your plan succeed, Caster's Master!"
'What an annoying fellow,' Morgan narrowed her eyes, yet she could only watch as Alvin broke free from her carefully prepared magecraft and returned to Sajyou Manaka's side.
"Are you alright, Saber?", Sajyou Manaka asked instinctively.
"As long as a Servant doesn't die, nothing really happens, and she didn't do anything just now," Alvin shook his head.
Morgan had only intended to turn Alvin into her Servant. She had not harmed him at all.
In the end, as a Servant standing at the peak of the Holy Grail War, he would not be injured so easily.
Still, to see such a flustered expression on Manaka's face, that was quite unexpected.
Looking at Sajyou Manaka's pure and delicate face, and her concerned little gaze, Alvin could not help but smile inwardly. He raised his hand, wanting to pat her head.
But just as he extended his hand—
BANG!
In the darkness of the night, a bullet shot out with a sharp whistling sound.
Before countless stunned eyes, the bullet pierced through the girl's chest, blood splattering.
Sajyou Manaka's pupils slowly widened, and then she collapsed into the snow.
The snow beneath her gradually turned red, like a blooming mandala flower, vivid and enchanting.
Watching the young man standing in the wind and snow, seemingly not yet recovered, Mordred shivered uncontrollably and muttered, "This time, the sky's really going to change."
No one present could have anticipated that shot from high in the distant sky. It pierced straight through the girl's heart, completely unexpected.
Alvin's pupils slowly expanded, and for a moment his mind seemed to go blank.
At that instant, a special interface notification quietly appeared in his field of vision.
[Congratulations, you have obtained the special CG achievement: Shura Field Choice Part 3.]
[Congratulations, you have obtained the special achievement: Root Link Gold.]
[Root Link: The imperial princess born all knowing and all capable saw through everything in the world, yet her own life was blank as paper. Until your appearance brought her vibrant color. Before 'life' faded, she made a major decision, sharing with you the qualification to reach the Root.]
The cold notifications in his mind, along with the snowflakes falling onto his face, finally brought Alvin back to his senses.
Even though he had completed this special achievement, he did not feel happy at all.
In a sense, the all knowing and all capable Sajyou Manaka herself was a bug.
A being like that, how could she fail to notice a bullet from afar?
And the CG collection for Sajyou Manaka was not even complete yet, right?
How could she die? How could she possibly die?
At that moment, it felt as if Alvin stood at the intersection of light and shadow. Countless voices seemed to be shouting in his ears. Unbelievable and bizarre scenes flashed through his mind like a film projector gone out of control, flickering rapidly.
On a distant streetlamp, Gilgamesh remained indifferent from beginning to end, coldly watching the girl who had completely lost her life.
That shot had been too lethal. It had been meant to kill in a single strike, and the bullet had hit Sajyou Manaka's heart without the slightest deviation.
Alvin bent his knee and crouched beside Sajyou Manaka, taking one of her small hands.
Perhaps because of the winter snow, or perhaps because her life was slipping away faster and faster, the temperature of her skin gradually turned cold, as if even her blood was beginning to chill.
Yet the snow beneath Sajyou Manaka was melting, even starting to give off steam.
Gilgamesh faintly sensed something unusual and looked at Alvin in surprise.
Clearly, the Master was dead, yet Saber's magical power had not weakened in the slightest?
No, more than that, Alvin's magical power not only had not diminished, it was far more terrifying than when he had first been summoned.
Was it because of Independent Manifestation?
No, after a Master dies, some Servants can indeed continue through Independent Manifestation, but without a supply of magical energy, his power should have weakened.
But now… Morgan le Fay subconsciously looked at Alvin, and she too noticed something unusual, "The manifestation of a Beast?"
The white dragon was a creature of myth, but in a sense, it could also be a Beast.
Even without a Master supplying magical energy, Alvin's own magical power was enough to sustain him for a very long time.
In an instant, his immense perception almost covered most of the area. His gaze abruptly locked onto a certain rooftop in the distance.
"Morgan, help me watch over Manaka."
Morgan was about to speak, but when she looked at Alvin, she froze. His eyes were filled with barely restrained fury, savage like a wild beast.
'Is it because of his feelings for Sajyou Manaka, or something else,' Morgan could not help but wonder.
The next moment, Alvin's figure vanished into the night, leaving only the four Servants at the scene.
Gilgamesh looked at the girl lying in a pool of blood and said slowly, "Attacking the Master directly to win the Holy Grail War? It seems this Master does not have much trust in their own Servant."
'But at this rate, perhaps we will get to see Saber's other Noble Phantasms,' Thinking of this, Gilgamesh watched the rooftop of the distant building with great interest.
"Rider, let's leave first, alright? This place feels a bit dangerous," Waver said, his voice trembling slightly.
Seeing that even such a powerful magus like Saber's Master had been sniped in one shot, it was impossible not to feel fear.
At this moment, Waver wished he could immediately escape this dangerous place.
"Don't rush, let's watch a bit longer."
Iskandar said, "Besides, the opponent's original target was Saber's Master. Now that the plan has succeeded, he won't stay here."
"But of course, whether he can leave after killing that girl is not up to him."
Waver froze for a moment, "The other side must have a Servant with them, right? As long as they provide cover, Saber probably won't be able to do anything—"
"Not necessarily."
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