He gave a disdainful snort, then drew from the Gate of Babylon the renowned Sword of Rupture.
Originally, Circe's Reality Marble had the effect of forcibly compelling others to take a seat at the banquet and eat. But as the sword was drawn, the surrounding space seemed to tear apart, and the enforced effect of her Reality Marble was instantly broken.
A cold light flickered in Gilgamesh's eyes as he looked at Circe as though she were nothing more than a clown.
"You think such inferior food could tempt me? What a joke!" he mocked.
Seeing that the compulsory effect of her Reality Marble had failed, Circe waved her staff and ordered the magical beasts and maidens around her to attack Gilgamesh.
"Attack! All of you!" she commanded.
In an instant, thousands upon thousands of magical beasts and maidens surged toward Gilgamesh within the Reality Marble.
Yet faced with this tidal wave of assault, Gilgamesh revealed a ferocious, exhilarated grin.
He raised the Sword of Rupture high. In that moment, it felt as though the very fabric of space was being torn apart by the blade in his hand.
"Behold—Enuma Elish!" he shouted, pointing the tip of the sword forward.
At that very moment, Haruka Kasugano's voice rang out beside Gilgamesh's ear. "Now!"
He swiftly activated his skill [Designated Exchange], instantly swapping positions with Circe. He appeared directly before Gilgamesh, becoming the target of his attack.
A flicker of surprise crossed Gilgamesh's eyes—but even more so, disdain.
"You? Caster's Master? How laughable. If you seek death, I shall grant it to you!" he sneered.
However, just as he was about to unleash his attack, Haruka Kasugano pulled a silver sphere from his coat.
"Reverse Light Sword!" he muttered sharply.
The Reverse Light Sword activated. In a flash of silver, it pierced toward Gilgamesh's heart at a speed even faster than Gilgamesh's own strike.
It was a distortion of causality—a rewriting of sequence.
Before Gilgamesh's attack could even reach Haruka Kasugano, his own heart had already been pierced by the Reverse Light Sword.
"This… how is this possible…" Gilgamesh clutched his chest, his eyes filled with confusion and disbelief.
Haruka Kasugano, however, wore a triumphant smile.
In the end, Gilgamesh fell from the air and crashed heavily onto the ground.
Meanwhile—
With Gilgamesh's defeat, his Heroic Spirit immediately flew back into the sphere of light cradled in Irisviel's arms.
At that moment, the sphere of light left Irisviel.
She awoke from her slumber and saw it departing.
She understood that the Holy Grail War had reached its final stage.
Thus, she prayed silently in her heart for Haruka Kasugano, hoping he would return safely.
The sphere of light flew into the city hall and transformed into the shape of the Holy Grail.
Elsewhere—
Artoria walked, leaning against the wall, her legs too weak to support her weight.
Her clothes had been torn to shreds by Haruka Kasugano, leaving only fragments of armor that clung to her snow-white skin, creating a strangely sexy appearance.
But she also sensed the Holy Grail's manifestation.
So she struggled towards the City Hall.
---------
After Gilgamesh fell to the ground, Haruka Kasugano paid him no further attention.
With his spiritual core destroyed, he would inevitably dissipate and become part of the energy forming the Lesser Grail.
Circe was the same—when she saw that Haruka Kasugano had defeated Gilgamesh, she ran over excitedly and leapt straight onto him.
Her slender, smooth legs wrapped tightly around his waist.
"Piglet, you're amazing~!" she said, showering his face with kisses.
"That was really dangerous just now—good thing I had you~!"
"Hah, you're my woman. Of course I won't let you get hurt!" Haruka Kasugano said smugly.
"Piglet~~" Circe clung to him even tighter.
[Ding! Circe's Infidelity Progress +10!]
[Reward: New Skill — "High-Speed Chanting A." Increases skill activation speed by 80%. If the host studies magecraft, chanting speed increases by 80%!]
Immediately afterward, Circe dispelled her Noble Phantasm.
The surroundings returned to the garden plaza.
With the Reality Marble canceled, Gilgamesh's spiritual foundation began to disperse.
Then, a burst of golden light blossomed outward.
Suddenly, from within the golden radiance, a naked woman with snow-white skin, long limbs, and golden twin-tails dashed out.
Hidden within the golden glow, she cast some unknown spell, forming a white barrier in midair. She stepped forward with her long legs, which instantly sank into the barrier—clearly attempting to escape through it.
Haruka Kasugano and Circe both noticed at once.
With a flick of her hand, Circe fired a magic bullet at the golden-haired beauty.
"Ah—!" A melodious cry rang out.
The naked beauty still managed to escape into the barrier, but something fell from her body.
Haruka Kasugano and Circe hurried to where Gilgamesh had fallen.
They saw the remaining golden light flying toward Irisviel's direction.
Only a lingering fragrance remained in the air.
It must have been left by that golden-haired beauty.
At the spot where she escaped, a golden card had fallen.
Haruka Kasugano picked it up—astonishingly, it was a card with the back of an Archer card.
But the front was blank.
What was going on?
Why did the Hero King Gilgamesh's corpse produce a golden-haired beauty—and why did she drop a card?
None of this existed in the original storyline…
Haruka Kasugano was utterly baffled.
Circe couldn't make sense of it either.
Everything had happened too fast to even see what the woman truly looked like.
However, the Holy Grail had successfully manifested in the city hall.
That meant the one who had been lying in wait at Ryūdō Temple—Emiya Kiritsugu—would now be heading to city hall as well.
No time to worry about the rest. First, deal with Kotomine Kirei and Emiya Kiritsugu.
"Let's go. Time to claim the Holy Grail!" Haruka Kasugano laughed.
"Oh yeah~!" Circe bounced excitedly.
------
Haruka Kasugano arrived at the city hall.
At the center stage of the grand theater, a beautiful Holy Grail shone brilliantly.
Using [Presence Detection], he searched the area but found no trace of Kotomine Kirei.
Either Kirei had the ability to conceal his presence—or he had already fled.
Having lost his Servant Gilgamesh, fleeing would be the wisest choice.
So Haruka Kasugano decided to wait there for his prey.
-------
About half an hour later.
It was now 5 a.m.
A little over an hour remained before dawn.
Through [Presence Detection], Haruka Kasugano sensed the arrival of both Emiya Kiritsugu and Artoria.
Kiritsugu was as cunning as ever—he sneaked into the underground parking lot, planning to slip in through there.
Artoria, on the other hand, entered openly from the front.
However, she wasn't walking very quickly, clearly not yet accustomed to her newly changed body.
"Caster, go face Saber. I'll deal with her Master," Haruka Kasugano instructed.
"Ah~! Piglet, she's my good sister. I don't really have the heart to let her die. What if Piglet gets upset?" Circe teased playfully.
"Heh heh. You said she's your good sister—don't you get it?" Haruka Kasugano replied with a smile.
"Heehee~!" Circe stuck out her tongue mischievously.
She knew Haruka Kasugano wasn't interested in the Holy Grail—and neither was she. Her wish had already been fulfilled.
So their goal now was to capture Kiritsugu and seize Saber's Master rights, making Saber serve Haruka Kasugano forever.
Circe dematerialized to confront Artoria.
Lancelot followed as well.
Haruka Kasugano then went to greet Emiya Kiritsugu.
Compared to Kotomine Kirei, Kiritsugu had already lost his value.
Keeping Kirei alive might even trigger the next Holy Grail War earlier—allowing Illyasviel to leave the Einzbern family sooner.
That would bring only benefits.
But Kiritsugu was different.
He had no more value.
Now, he could die.
------
Five minutes later.
Emiya Kiritsugu moved stealthily down a corridor, assault rifle in hand.
He entered a warehouse.
According to the city hall map he had studied, this warehouse connected directly to the stage above. He intended to find that passage.
But the moment he stepped inside—
He saw Haruka Kasugano standing in the center of the warehouse.
Kiritsugu froze.
He was confused by this unfamiliar opponent.
Yet the man seemed familiar… Irisviel and Artoria had once helped him before.
In the next second, the logic clicked.
"You're Caster's Master? The injury before—it was staged?" Kiritsugu demanded.
"As expected of you. Very clever!" Haruka Kasugano clapped his hands lightly.
Kiritsugu had guessed correctly—but he still couldn't understand the reasoning.
"You… what were you trying to do getting close to me? You didn't seem to do anything."
Haruka Kasugano smiled faintly.
"Oh, I did."
"Your wife—Maiya—was wonderful."
============
Bonus Chapter
Power stones 50 + 1 chapter
Power stones 100 + 1 Chapter
power stones 200 + 1 chapter
power stones 400 + 1 chapter
============