Did the Heroic Spirit I conquered become a reality?

Once the Holy Grail War ends and Merlin leaves... this woman may only be able to continue to be 'locked' in this castle, living a monotonous life until the end of the homunculus's life.

If you repeat the same day over and over again... then what's the difference between a day and a lifetime?

"After the Holy Grail War ends, I will indeed disappear... but we will meet again."

Under Irisviel's gaze, he extended his hand with a smile.

"See you again as Yu Tohsaka."

Volume 1: Chapter 74 The Arrival of the Greater Grail, The Enemy of the Three Kings (6K)

After leaving that promise to Irisviel, Tohsaka Yu did not linger long at the Einzbern castle and soon bid farewell to the two and left.

He knew that although his plan sounded far-fetched, the more allies he gained, the greater his chances of success would be.

Having bid farewell to Merlin and Irisviel, Yu Tohsaka's figure, like a ghost blending into the night, silently left the castle grounds.

However, instead of immediately returning to his apartment in the new city, he went to a remote, snow-covered forest on the outskirts of Fuyuki City.

He closed his eyes, took a deep breath, and then... slowly released the magic power within him, the "Sea of ​​Life" that shared the same origin as Tiamat, without reservation!

A deep blue magical radiance emanated from him, spreading outwards. This unique aura, filled with primal life force yet carrying a hint of the principle of "return," was like the most tempting bait, clearly transmitted throughout the tense and wary spiritual vein network of Fuyuki City.

He knew very well that if the plan to use Ayaka Sajou and Tiamat to forcibly "pass" the Holy Grail War was implemented, it would inevitably provoke the hostility of all Servants.

Therefore, before this grand "ceremony" begins, one must first find a powerful enough ally... Merlin is just one of them.

And another ally... before this, he had always been an enemy.

But Yu Tohsaka always felt that the other person might be able to become her friend.

...Gordon.

Sure enough, shortly after Yu Tohsaka released the aura of the "Sea of ​​Life," a terrifying aura filled with endless resentment and a destructive will swept in from another direction of the city at an astonishing speed, like a shark smelling blood!

A massive, oppressive figure slowly emerged from the shadows.

Her long, dark purple hair, composed of countless demonic snakes, danced wildly in the night wind, and her eyes, covered by an eyepatch, emitted an ominous red light.

“Caster…” Gorgon’s hoarse, brutal voice echoed through the forest, “How dare you show your face before me…”

However, before she could finish speaking, a slightly weak and hoarse voice came from the shadows beside her.

"Berserker, wait."

Matou Kariya slowly walked out, leaning on a simple wooden cane.

His face, pale and haggard from the infestation by the marking insects, was now filled with complex vigilance and bewilderment.

Yu Tohsaka calmly met his gaze, concealing the fluctuations of her magical power, and said bluntly, "Kariya Matou, I've come to see you tonight to discuss a 'collaboration' with you."

"Cooperation?" Matou Kariya let out a hoarse, mocking laugh, his still-intact eye fixed on Tohsaka Yu. "Tohsaka brat, do you think I'd agree? What good would cooperating with you do me?"

He harbored an irreconcilable grudge against Tokiomi Tohsaka. And Tokiomi's adopted son, Yu Tohsaka, was naturally seen as one of them.

However, Tohsaka Yu simply shook his head slightly, a somewhat helpless yet incredibly sincere smile on his face: "No, Matou Kariya, cooperating with me... will not do you any good."

“But,” he paused, his tone becoming extremely serious, “this is of paramount importance to Sakura, to Rin, to my mother… and to all the innocent people who might be affected by this erroneous Holy Grail War.”

Kariya Matou stared intently into Tohsaka Yu's eyes, finally breaking the silence: "Explain yourself."

Yu Tohsaka said, word by word, "I want to completely sever this Holy Grail War. I want to make the 'Holy Grail,' this source of curses and tragedies, disappear from Fuyuki City completely. That way, Sakura and Rin will no longer be affected by the Holy Grail War."

Upon hearing this, Matou Kariya was completely stunned.

For the first time, an incredulous shock and... a hint of violent tremor appeared in his eyes, which had become clouded by pain and hatred.

He participated in the Holy Grail War and endured inhuman torture, all for the sake of winning the Holy Grail, saving Sakura, and... enabling Aoi and Rin to escape the "cold-blooded" magician Tokiomi Tohsaka and live a happy life.

And now, this boy, whom he should have considered an enemy, is telling him that there is a way to solve all of this at its root...?

Is it a trap, or... does he really...?

Matou Kariya was filled with inner turmoil and struggle. He stared intently at Tohsaka Yu, and after a long silence, he finally nodded with difficulty.

"I can promise you."

"I hope you won't disappoint Sakura..."

Upon hearing the end, Tohsaka Yu finally breathed a sigh of relief, and a bright smile quickly appeared on her face.

"You will soon see my determination... Kariya."

……

As night falls, the port area of ​​Fuyuki City becomes exceptionally quiet, with only the whistling sound of the sea breeze blowing through the old warehouses and the rhythmic sound of waves crashing on the shore from the distant dock.

In the center of a relatively empty container area, Yu Tohsaka, Aika Sajou, Morgan, and Tiamat stood quietly.

"Yu-kun, are you ready?"

Ayaka Sajou's face was filled with barely suppressed excitement, her emerald green eyes gleaming strangely in the night. "The 'door' connecting to the Root is about to open for you."

Yu Tohsaka took a deep breath and nodded.

He knew that the upcoming ritual would be the most crucial and dangerous step in this Holy Grail War.

Sajou Aika said nothing more. She slowly closed her eyes, and within her petite body, an indescribable, terrifying power that transcended all magical concepts began to awaken.

She simply stood there, and the surrounding space began to distort subtly and visibly, as if the "rules" of the entire world were submitting to her, the "Princess of the Origin".

Immediately afterwards, an invisible "crack"—neither light nor a physical entity, but more like a "concept" itself, leading to the "outside world"—slowly opened in front of Ayaka Sajou.

That is the power of the "root," the beginning and end of all things, the ultimate wisdom that all magicians pursue throughout their lives.

Almost the instant the "crack" appeared, Tiamat, who had been quietly standing beside Tohsaka Yu, suddenly lit up her ruby-like eyes, which were filled with the most primal desire.

She could clearly sense that from that "crack" was emanating an extremely pure magic that was countless times more "delicious" than the core of the Greater Grail she had devoured.

"Gudong..."

She subconsciously swallowed, expressing her desire to "take a bite".

"...You can't eat this, Tiamat."

Sajō Aika opened her eyes, a graceful smile on her face, and softly reminded, "If something goes wrong with it, Yu-kun's wish won't be able to come true."

Yu Tohsaka stood not far away, watching all of this warily.

He still feels lingering fear about Sajo Aika's attempt to "purify" the Great Sage's Cup at Ryudouji Temple, which resulted in a Kama incident.

He finally breathed a sigh of relief after confirming that the ritual in front of him seemed to be progressing smoothly in the direction of "connecting to the Root" rather than summoning some new terrifying being.

Without further hesitation, he channeled the immense EX-level magic power within him into Tiamat through the soul anchoring connection between them.

And at this moment——

The moment when the "fuel" from Yu Tohsaka was injected into Tiamat's "engine," and connected to the "Root" through Ayaka Sajou's "path"—

boom--!

A massive pillar of magical energy, indescribable in any words and a mixture of the deep blue "Sea of ​​Life" and the pure "Root" aura, suddenly shot into the sky from the center of the three, instantly tearing apart the night sky of Fuyuki City!

Yu Tohsaka's expression became increasingly subtle. He could clearly feel that the fluctuation of this power had far exceeded his imagination.

Although I guessed that there would be a big commotion tonight, I didn't expect that the power of the Greater Grail would cause such a huge disturbance after passing through the Root... Now, it's impossible for all the participants in Fuyuki City to not notice it.

But at the same time, a cold voice with a hint of approval rang out from behind him.

“Caster, you certainly...did not disappoint me.”

Morgan's figure had appeared behind him at some point. She looked at the magical pillar of light that pierced the heavens and the earth, her icy blue eyes flashing with unprecedented excitement and... anticipation.

She walked up to Ayaka Sajou and said in an unquestionable tone, "Ms. Sajou, Caster is now in your hands."

Sajou Aika said calmly, "I know without you telling me."

The next second, Morgan took the initiative to terminate the master-servant contract with Yu Tohsaka.

Almost at the same time, Yu Tohsaka felt that the broken contract between him and Ayaka Sajou had been reconnected in a more solid and profound way!

Immediately afterwards, an almost inexhaustible, immense magical power from the "Root" surged wildly into his body through the new contract between him and Ayaka Sajou!

……

Fuyuki City, the Tohsaka family mansion, inside that magic workshop that always maintains absolute elegance and tidiness.

Gilgamesh, the hero-king who was enjoying fine red wine with his eyes closed, suddenly opened his scarlet eyes without warning.

In that instant, an indescribable, terrifying pressure belonging to the most ancient king, like a giant beast awakening, suddenly filled the entire workshop, even causing the magic flowing in the surrounding space to stop and submit.

His gaze seemed to pierce through layers of walls and spatial barriers, landing precisely on the massive magical pillar of light in the distant port warehouse district that stretched from heaven to earth, a beam of light that blended the aura of the "Sea of ​​Life" and the "Root."

"Humph……"

Gilgamesh's lips curled into a smile filled with amusement and... a barely perceptible hint of displeasure at being preempted by his "boring" opponent. He gave a cold snort and muttered to himself in a voice only he could hear:

"So you did use that boring method again to end this Holy Grail War prematurely, Caster..."

……

Meanwhile, in another secret hideout in Fuyuki City.

Artoria, who was discussing the next steps with her Master, suddenly looked up.

Her usually serious and determined emerald green eyes suddenly turned toward the port warehouse area, filled with disbelief, shock, and solemnity.

"Lancer, what's going on?"

Kenneth keenly noticed the unusual behavior of his Servant and immediately asked a question.

He could sense that the magic in the air was violently agitated in an extremely unusual way, as if some "existence" capable of overturning the rules was forcibly descending.

Artoria did not answer immediately. She simply gripped the Holy Lance tightly in her hand, feeling the immense aura of "miracle" itself, both familiar and strange, emanating from the direction of the port.

After a moment, she slowly spoke, her voice carrying an extremely complex meaning that she herself was unaware of, and said softly, "Someone has summoned the omnipotent wish-granting machine."

boom!

One sentence, like a thunderbolt from the blue, caused Kenneth's pupils to dilate suddenly.

"How can it be?!"

He blurted it out almost immediately, and for the first time, an expression of utter shock appeared on his handsome face, which always maintained an aristocratic composure.

"The Holy Grail War has only just begun. According to the rules, the Greater Grail should still be far from being revealed. How could this be..."

Artoria was silent for a moment, and the figure she had seen at the entrance of Caster's apartment not long ago involuntarily surfaced in her mind, as well as... the ambiguous relationship between her and Caster.

Her brows furrowed unconsciously, and a deep doubt flashed in her emerald green eyes.

“Perhaps…” Artoria’s voice carried a hint of uncertainty, “this is not in accordance with the ‘rules’.”

"Perhaps it's the result of that guy's dirty tricks in the dark."

Kenneth's eyes flickered, and he said in a low voice, "You mean..."

Artoria looked up at her master and said, slowly and deliberately, "Morgan LeFey."

……

Inside an abandoned, dark underground parking lot in Fuyuki City.

Rider Osmandis, who had been resting with his eyes closed as if indifferent to all the conflicts in the outside world, suddenly opened his golden eyes, which always carried absolute confidence and majesty, without any warning!

He suddenly raised his head, his gaze like that of a sharp eagle, piercing through layers of concrete structures and precisely aimed at the distant port warehouse area.

"Oh?"

For the first time, a genuine expression of surprise and... intense interest appeared on the face of the Sun King.

"Someone actually dares to open the path to the 'Root' right in front of me? Truly... how audacious, and how... interesting!"

“Rider…” A slightly timid, yet cold and calm girlish voice, incongruous with her age, came from the shadows behind him.

"What happened?"

Sakura Tohsaka slowly emerged from the shadow of an abandoned car.

Her pale face was expressionless, but her dark eyes were also fixed on the direction of the harbor, flashing with an unfathomable and complex light.

"Hmph, your senses aren't too dull, little girl."

Osmandis did not turn around, but slowly said in a tone full of supreme majesty, "The Greater Grail... has manifested."

Upon hearing this, Sakura Tohsaka unconsciously clenched her small hands a little tighter. A clear look of surprise flashed in her dark eyes, but then, as if realizing something, that surprise was quickly replaced by a deeper understanding.