Even when facing any powerful enemy, this man could stay calm, even face life and death with composure.
But even someone like him had his own weak spots, Illya and Irisviel.
"I'm not planning to do anything special. I'm just going to return what you've done, in another way."
Standing at the entrance of the forest, Sajyou Manaka looked up at the castle ahead and said with a gentle smile, "If you carry a gun, you should be ready to be shot. I think from the very first day you joined the Holy Grail War, you were already prepared for that, right?"
Kiritsugu Emiya tried his best to stay calm, ["Why should the Holy Grail War drag other people into it—"]
"Other people?"
Sajyou Manaka tilted her head and looked at the silver-haired beauty in front of her, who was breathing lightly, forcing herself not to lose consciousness.
"The master of berserker, that shouldn't count as 'other people,' right?"
The moment Sajyou Manaka's clear and pleasant voice sounded, not only Kiritsugu Emiya, but also Irisviel, who was confronting her, widened her eyes and stared at the girl in disbelief.
"You, how do you know—"
"I can see through everything in this world that I want to know. Everything except saber."
When she said the last word, Sajyou Manaka closed her eyes in a daze, her hands clasped in front of her chest like a devout believer praying, "I never thought saber would choose me. So even if it's for him, I want to stay with him forever."
"For that, I need the Holy Grail War to go on forever and ever."
"Because once the Holy Grail War ends, he'll still leave my side."
This girl had power like a god, yet her understanding of her own feelings was so pale. She had the ability to change the world, but the world inside her heart was very small.
So small that it could only hold one person.
And so, between Morgan le Fay and Sajyou Manaka, when Alvin chose the latter, the girl completely made up her mind.
She wanted to stay with him forever. And for that, she needed the 'Holy Grail.'
Her delicate and refined face was full of longing and yearning for love. The elegant and beautiful gothic long dress highlighted her temperament perfectly. Cherry lips, smooth skin, and a sweet smile on her face.
But Irisviel's eyes were filled with fear and caution, and she instinctively held her daughter tightly in her arms.
From the moment this girl who called herself Sajyou Manaka headed to the Einzbern Castle, to breaking through all the magic barriers, it had taken less than two minutes.
In just two minutes, she silently broke every magic barrier, slipped into Einzbern Castle, and then brought her and Illya into the forest.
Was that really something a magus could do?
Even assassin couldn't manage that, right?
"It's not just about the master, is it?"
At that moment, Sajyou Manaka's voice sounded again. She looked gently at Irisviel and said softly, "Irisviel, she is not only a master of the Holy Grail War, she is also the 'core' of this Holy Grail War."
"I'm not wrong, am I, Miss Irisviel?"
The snow fell heavier and heavier, the sky growing darker, making Sajyou Manaka's blue eyes look even deeper.
The forest was so quiet there wasn't a single sound. Irisviel parted her lips, but it felt like something was stuck in her throat, and she couldn't speak for a long time.
"Since the Einzbern family never really planned to follow the rules of the Holy Grail War from the start, then if I cheat a little now, that shouldn't be a problem, right?"
The magic power behind Sajyou Manaka surged like a rising tide. Golden flames gathered in her palm, lighting up the side of her delicate face.
["Master of saber, you—"]
Just as Kiritsugu Emiya tried to stall for time, Sajyou Manaka interrupted him impatiently, "Even if I don't do anything, when the Holy Grail War reaches its end, you'll still sacrifice your wife."
"You're the kind of person who would sacrifice yourself for justice, even sacrifice your loved ones without hesitation, aren't you?"
"A partner of justice, Mr. Kiritsugu Emiya?"
Sajyou Manaka hung up the phone.
As she looked up at Irisviel, the snow on the ground began to melt rapidly, turning into water that flowed across the earth, then quickly evaporated into white steam.
The space itself seemed to tremble slightly. In front of Irisviel, silver threads wove together into a complicated giant net, blocking the space between her and Sajyou Manaka, trying to stop her from approaching.
However, the golden flames grew brighter and brighter. At this moment, Sajyou Manaka seemed to stand between illusion and reality.
She didn't step closer to Irisviel, yet her magic power, carrying godlike authority, slowly pressed forward, like a mountain bearing down.
Irisviel glanced at the daughter in her arms, gritted her teeth, and raised her right hand. The silver threads turned into countless 'giant eagles' and shot toward Sajyou Manaka like bullets.
But before those silver threads could even get close, they quietly broke apart. She had meant to buy time, yet no matter how she struggled, it felt useless. Even her legs were starting to feel weak.
Normally, no matter how powerful the magus, she wouldn't feel such helplessness.
But in front of this girl, just sensing that endless magic power, a thought rose in Irisviel's mind, 'Is this really magic power that a magus should have?'
The magic behind Sajyou Manaka grew stronger and stronger. The light of magic slowly rose, until at last it gathered into a vortex of magic, like a sun rising into the sky.
Irisviel stared in shock at the dazzling sight before her, like a myth coming to life. Thoughts flashed through her mind, then her gaze froze slightly as she murmured, "The calamity of the Root?"
———
At the same time, on the rooftop on the other side.
When Alvin drew the Sword of the Promised Victory, golden magic tore through the layers of dark clouds.
The sacred light lit up the entire dim rooftop like daytime, and also illuminated Vortigern's pale face, full of shock.
He instinctively took half a step back, staring fixedly at the weapon in Alvin's hand.
The Sword of the Promised Victory, a blade meant to save the stars, no less powerful than the Holy Lance.
In theory, the only one who could perfectly unleash the power of the Holy Lance and the Holy Sword was the Red Dragon, the King Arthur.
Earlier, Vortigern had been fearless because he knew Alvin didn't have the Holy Lance, and after losing his master's magic supply, even in a drawn-out fight, the final victor would definitely be him.
But now, Alvin, who had [Independent Manifestation], plus the Sword of the Promised Victory in his hand, Vortigern had already started thinking about retreating, though he still forced himself to stay calm.
He knew very well that the moment he made any move to retreat, the magic of the Sword of the Promised Victory would explode toward him in an instant.
"I didn't expect we'd meet in the Holy Grail War like this. Normally, berserker servants have their 'reason' stripped away. Looks like you cheated, huh?"
Alvin stared silently at the fairy-like man from myth and said slowly, "Your master should be Irisviel, right?"
A flash of surprise passed through Maiya Hisau's beautiful eyes.
Since the start of the Holy Grail War, they had never revealed anything about Irisviel.
They had hired Kiritsugu Emiya to participate, making everyone think he was one of the seven masters. But in truth, berserker's real master was Irisviel.
Maiya Hisau believed they had done it flawlessly. She never expected saber had known the secret all along.
Vortigern was stunned for a moment, then quickly laughed, "You guessed right. My master is indeed not Kiritsugu Emiya, but give up. My master isn't within your range of perception."
"Alvin, unlike you, when I accepted the summoning, I already had my master hide in advance."
"After all, once a master dies, a servant who loses magic supply quickly becomes worse than a familiar, and in the end turns into nourishment for the Holy Grail."
"If I were you, I'd save some magic power, then quickly find the next master and beg her to make a contract with you…"
Vortigern studied Alvin, then glanced warily at the Sword of the Promised Victory in his hand.
He slowly circled around Alvin, "We used to be enemies, sure. But now that we're both dead, there's no need to decide a winner anymore, right?"
"If we drag this out, the one who'll die in the end will definitely be you."
"Are you stalling for time?"
Alvin seemed to see through something, his golden eyes behind the mask quietly watching Vortigern.
He was the White Dragon. And so was Vortigern.
In the game CG, they had completed the transfer of power between the old and new White Kings. And now, both the new king and the old king appeared in the same Holy Grail War.
This should have been a world-shaking battle.
But Vortigern had already backed down first.
Or rather, the moment he saw the Sword of the Promised Victory, he had grown afraid.
No one wanted to fight a cornered beast on the verge of death, especially when that beast held a sword meant to save the world.
"Are you thinking that since I lost my master's magic supply, there's no need to fight me to the death?"
Alvin's voice echoed quietly across the silent rooftop, "In servant form, I can't bring out the Sword of the Promised Victory at its full power, that's what you're thinking, right?"
Vortigern's eyes flickered. For some reason, he suddenly felt something was off.
Normally, after losing Sajyou Manaka's magic supply, Alvin's magic should have been draining constantly.
But from just now, not only had Alvin's magic not decreased, it even seemed like something unseen was supplying him.
"There's no sign of your magic draining, someone's supplying you with magic?", Vortigern finally sensed something strange.
Alvin said nothing, only watching him through the white mask.
"The Sword of the Promised Victory is a Noble Phantasm beyond EX rank. Under normal circumstances, a servant can only use it once before nearly exhausting their magic."
"Now let me ask you—"
"Guess how many times I can use the Noble Phantasm in my current state?"
For some reason, Vortigern's heart suddenly pounded hard.
Under his uncertain and frightened gaze, Alvin slowly raised the Sword of the Promised Victory.
The power of the Root poured wildly into his body. The golden magic of the Sword of the Promised Victory shot into the sky, completely lighting up the night.
Blazing and dazzling golden magic gathered within the Sword of the Promised Victory, as if it had completely lit up the night.
Vortigern's pupils suddenly shrank. At that moment, a familiar feeling rushed over him.
Back in Britain, he had once devoured the light of the Holy Sword in the form of a demonic dragon. Even the Knights of the Round Table had struggled to resist his power. If not for Alvin and Morgan's plan, and the existence of the Holy Lance, perhaps Britain would have already returned to the Age of Gods.
And now, that damned sense of deja vu was back.
Only this time, the Holy Lance that killed him had become the Sword of the Promised Victory, said to be able to cut down the stars themselves.
Even in servant form, the power of the Sword of the Promised Victory was not something to look down on.
Vortigern instinctively wanted to retreat, but there was nowhere to go. Alvin had locked onto him from the very beginning.
"You're overestimating yourself, Alvin! So what if it's the Sword of the Promised Victory? You're just a servant body. There's no way you can unleash its strongest power!"
Vortigern finally broke through his fear and roared hysterically, "I devoured the Holy Sword before, and I can do it again!"
Compared to his earlier calm, he now truly looked like a berserker, completely mad, fighting on instinct alone.
And at that very moment, a sacred voice seemed to echo from within the Sword of the Promised Victory.
["Round Table vote, begin!"]
Under normal circumstances, the Noble Phantasm of the Sword of the Promised Victory also possessed EX-ranked anti-fortress power.
But EX was the limit of the Noble Phantasm, not the limit of the Sword of the Promised Victory.
When the Round Table vote began, from within the thirteen restraints, voices of "Agree" seemed to echo faintly one after another. Arthur, Bedivere, Gareth, Lancelot, Mordred, Galahad, Kay.
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