Shirou, who returned from the Fairy Kingdom

But this confidence didn't come from the protective magic, but from his close contact with Lady Avalon just now...

Seeing her face, Shirou couldn't help but recall the seductive expression she had given him when she was riding on top of him.

"Well……"

Shirou quickly shook his head: The battle is about to begin, I can't react again!

Just then, I caught a glimpse of the female magician's chest out of the corner of my eye.

Did she also remove the bite mark I just left with magic...?

"Why is your face red again?" Lady Avalon squatted down next to Shirou.

"It's nothing!" Shirou forcefully pushed away her outstretched hand, then propped himself up on his legs to stand up.

"let's go."

"Uh-huh."

The two remained silent and began climbing the steps leading to Ryudong Temple.

After walking for a while, one of them broke the silence.

"Hey, Master."

"what?"

"Comfortable?"

"……………………Um."

Upon hearing this, Ms. Avalon smiled happily.

Shirou turned his head: "If we all survive tonight, then..."

Big sister Avalon, would you like to stay and live with us from now on?

Once the Holy Grail is destroyed, the Servants will return to the Throne of Heroes.

Shirou was well aware of this, but for some reason he felt that Lady Avalon had the ability to remain in this era.

So he took advantage of the opportunity and spoke his mind.

"........."

Ms. Avalon was stunned.

Her face, which had regained its composure, flushed again as she stared blankly at the boy: "Um... could this be...?"

Shirou nodded earnestly.

Although they had only known each other for less than a week, to him, Big Sister Avalon was already an irreplaceable family member.

and so--

Ms. Avalon covered her mouth in astonishment: "Master wants me to be your long-term flirt?"

"No way! Why would you think that?!"

……

……

After walking for about five minutes, the two arrived at Ryudong Temple.

The temple, said to be hundreds of years old, even older than the Holy Grail War, is shrouded in an ominous magic.

Shiro and Lady Avalon proceeded cautiously forward.

Passing through the ancient-style mountain gate—

They were greeted by a wide, flat open space.

Even though it was night and the temple was unlit, the surrounding area was almost as bright as day.

Right there—

Even though Shirou had never seen it in person, he recognized it at a glance – it was "that one".

The Holy Grail is right there.

The golden cup exists in space, several meters above the ground.

It doesn't float; it exists.

It is not floating due to the influence of any organization or machinery.

Highly concentrated magic, invisible vortexes, flameless fire...

Shirou's mind kept conjuring up descriptions like this: just by looking at that object, he could be sure it was the Holy Grail.

At the same time, I understood why the temple was so bright in the dead of night: the magical light emanating from the Holy Grail illuminated everything.

Shirou silently projected the "Blade of Chaos," and just then—

"The flying insects drawn by the radiance of the Holy Grail have finally arrived. They made me wait so long."

Shirou turned his head in the direction of the voice.

He saw Saber, who was shrouded in black and looked like a stranger, and a red-haired girl standing next to her.

Volume 1, Chapter 111: The cannon shots weren't fired for nothing! A combined attack with Merry!

"No way……"

Shirou looked incredulously at the red-haired girl not far away.

Soft, long hair as fiery as flames.

With a beauty as delicate as a fairy and as lovely as a princess, and striking elf-like pointed ears that make her stand out.

Her skin was slightly pale and sickly, but in contrast, she had a stunningly curvaceous figure and a slender height approaching that of an adult male.

Shirou gasped.

That's the behind-the-scenes maneuver Irisviel mentioned earlier, Avanger of the Third Holy Grail War, "Curse God" Cornunos.

He had expected it to be a monster with large horns, but instead, a girl appeared before him—

He looks remarkably similar to someone in Shirou's memories.

　...Bavanshi?

The first friend he met on his pilgrimage with the fairies of the paradise was waiting for him at Ryudouji Temple.

Could it be that Bawanshi has traveled to the pan-human history?

No, wait a minute, Shirou... wait a minute! Calm down!

Imagine what you'll encounter in this Holy Grail War!

Thinking he had caught the scent of Melyuchina, it turned out to be a stone unearthed from an archaeological site in England!

I thought Morgan participated in the Holy Grail War as Saber, but it turned out to be me (King Arthur) in the pan-human history!

You shouldn't make the same mistake more than three times!

She is clearly not Bavanxi, she just looks exactly like Bavanxi!

Just as Shirou was gazing intently at the red-haired girl, Lady Avalon beside him noticed something amiss.

"What's wrong, Master? Is it someone you know?"

"No……"

Shirou was also unsure, and his mind began to feel confused.

"……Um?"

Avanger also noticed the intense gaze Shirou was giving him.

She frowned, clearly displeased. "Why are you staring at me like that? Haven't you ever seen a pitiful and beautiful girl before?"

And she even had that expression that looked like she was about to cry, ugh... how disgusting!

Shirou: "…………"

The Bavanshi he knew would never speak like that.

The Avanger before him was vastly different from the fairy girl Shirou remembered as being kinder and gentler than anyone else.

But why...

Shirou always felt that she was the one he knew.

He shook his head.

Try to concentrate as much as possible.

Now is not the time to be distracted.

Shirou turned his gaze from Avanger's face to the black presence in front of her—

Saber, clad in jet-black armor.

At first glance, Artoria appears as if a layer of color has been faded in the black aurora.

Her blonde hair faded to a pale gold, and her already fair skin was now almost translucent.

Her figure and height have not changed, but her aura is completely different.

If Saber is a serious and beautiful girl in her daily life, she transforms into a dragon with the appearance of a young girl when she's in battle.

So the black Saber before us is merely in standby mode, yet it exudes the aura of a dragon—

Moreover, it was an evil dragon, its entire body permeated with ominous magic power resembling pitch-black sludge.

"...Why aren't you refuting it? Aren't you always so talkative, kid?"

Avanger crossed his arms over his chest and questioned Shirou aggressively.

Speaking of which, this kid... I feel like he's somewhere... Ugh! ?

The red-haired girl pressed her throbbing forehead.

As an Avenger class summoned illegally, Avanger does not have complete memories.

All she possessed was a hatred for pan-human history, born from the curse she bore.

Thinking about how Shirou had been staring at her, she couldn't help but wonder: Could this brat... be someone I know?

"Hey... kid..."

The red-haired girl bit her lip, wanting to know the answer.

Shirou snapped out of his daze and smiled slightly: "Sorry... it was wrong of me to keep staring at you."

I never expected Avanger to be such an ugly woman; I was just a little surprised.

"ugly……"

The red-haired girl's eyes widened, and her delicate face contorted into a ferocious expression.

"Kill this brat! Saber!"

Avanger stomped her high heels on the ground while screaming hysterically.

"I will absolutely kill you! I'll chop you into a hundred pieces! Even if you kneel down and kowtow, I won't let you go!"

A dazzling light emanated from the red-haired girl; it was undoubtedly the light of the Command Seals.

"------"

But Black Saber remained unmoved.

She gave Shirou a deep look, and then, under the force of the Command Seals, she finally took action.

With a surge of scorching magic power like a volcanic eruption, the black swordsman shattered the earth with one foot and charged toward Shirou.

"...!"

Shirou forcefully swung the "Chaos Blade" with both hands.

The twin blades, wreathed in flames, shot out and clashed head-on with Black Saber, but the latter simply swung her arms and slashed away the "Blades of Chaos".