Shirou, who returned from the Fairy Kingdom

"………………Why."

She evaded Ayaka Sajou's perception technique and escaped the sight of so many people present.

The highest-level divine magic, "Spatial Transfer," combined with the Assassin's class's "Presence Concealment," are two completely opposite abilities.

In this "vanity garden in the sky," there is only one person capable of achieving this.

"She actually betrayed her ally. She really is the wicked woman who can't be trusted, just like the rumors say... I should have killed her first... cough cough..."

Upon hearing Aika's words, the garden mistress, still bearing the sword wound, revealed a bewitching smile.

"Since I am in the form of an Assassin spirit, I naturally have some knowledge of assassination techniques."

If you must blame someone—blame yourself for presuming to consider me one of your own kind.

"..."

The girl fell to the ground, and the Holy Grail in her arms rolled to the side.

Originally, the snake venom, which the Empress had concocted to torment the "Black" archers and which had killed many Greek heroes, flowed through her heart and throughout her body, instantly burning through the magical circuits connecting her to the source.

It hurts……

The girl, whose sight had been robbed by a deadly poison, murmured to herself.

I'm sorry, Saber...

I tried my best, but I still couldn't help you in any way...

I'm sorry, nothing has changed...

The world you love most is about to come to an end...

"Aiko!!!!"

--------

Volume 5, Chapter 244: The Ultimate Judge, Jeanne d'Arc (Mettatron)

"…………"

The sudden change left Joan of Arc and the others stunned and dumbfounded.

"Aiko!!!!"

Shirou was the first to rush forward.

Ignoring the golden cup that had rolled to the side, he rushed over and picked up Aika.

“Saber…?”

The moment her hand was grasped, Aika Sajo murmured aloud.

"Don't worry, I'll implant Avalon into your body right now!"

Shirou shouted as he summoned the golden scabbard and placed it into the girl's pierced chest.

"I'm so happy..."

Sajou Aika felt the warmth of his palm and smiled happily.

My vision became incredibly blurry, and I couldn't hear what the other person was saying.

"Thank you for always believing in me..."

"Stop talking for now!"

The poison that Aika Sajou was poisoned with was "Hydra venom".

In Greek mythology, it was a deadly poison that killed many heroes.

In terms of toxicity alone, it wasn't particularly outstanding among the deadly poisons of the mythological era, yet it achieved the strongest "results"—

The reason is that the pain caused by "Hydra venom" is so intense that even the most powerful heroes cannot endure it.

Legend has it that it was the ultimate agony that drove the great hero Hercules to suicide and made the sage Chiron willingly give up his immortality.

Because the snake venom hit the heart, it spread throughout Ayaka Sajou's body in an instant, leaving her no chance to be saved.

Right now, she should be experiencing excruciating pain all over her body, as if strong acid were coursing through her veins—a pain that defies description.

However, aside from being sweating profusely, Sajō Ayaka did not show any signs of writhing in pain on the ground.

The reason is quite ironic: as a girl (goddess) born from the connection to the source, she lacked a certain part of being human from a young age—that is, the real feeling of being alive.

If it weren't for her encounter with Shirou that restored her humanity, she probably wouldn't even be able to feel the snake venom corroding her body.

But Ayaka Sajou still felt a lot of pain.

It hurts so much, it really hurts.

So happy, so happy.

I finally understand your feelings; all my wholehearted efforts were not in vain.

I'm so happy to be able to give everything I have for you, the one who made me a normal human girl.

I'm so sad, so sad.

I can no longer hear your voice clearly, and I can no longer see your face clearly.

I never imagined it would end so suddenly; I thought it would never end.

I long to see your smile one last time...

"Wait, Aika...!"

Shirou noticed that his vision was dimming and his thinking was becoming sluggish.

This indicates a significant decrease in the magical energy supply from the Master.

Even though her physical body possesses extraordinary magical power and she has the strongest Albion core on the planet, Ayaka Sajou is still the key to maintaining her ability to appear in this world.

With Aika's circuits burned out and her life fading away, Shirou's own performance has also dropped to its lowest point.

The girl with platinum blonde hair used her last bit of strength to gently touch Shirou's cheek with her delicate hand.

"………………I love you, Saber."

With a final smile, the girl's presence vanished completely, and she quietly closed her eyes.

……

……

"Master!"

Although she suffered a fatal wound in the battle with Mordred, Semiramis will not die easily as long as she remains in the courtyard.

She staggered over, picked up the Holy Grail that had rolled to the ground, and threw it at Amakusa Shiro in the distance.

Semiramis recalled the conversation she had when she was first summoned.

What if I don't agree with your plan?

At that time, Amakusa Shiro smiled and said that without your support, I can't do anything, so I will give up this time and wait for the next opportunity.

He casually said, "I'll wait for the next chance to be summoned as a Servant."

Semiramis had no intention of becoming anyone's servant.

Anyone who thinks they can be her equal will be betrayed by her, just like that little girl over there who claims to be all-knowing and all-powerful.

Master, Amakusa Shiro Tokisada, was no exception.

Semiramis planned to betray him after the Greater Grail was activated.

All of humanity will be saved, but in that new world—

Semiramis will reign supreme over all and become the eternal ruler of the world.

However, for now, the Empress has temporarily forgotten her wishes and ambitions, and is only focused on handing the Holy Grail over to her Master.

"...You won't succeed!"

Joan of Arc charged toward the point where the Holy Grail would land.

After Ayaka Sajō lost consciousness, the eight Heroic Spirits returned to the Greater Grail—

In other words, the Holy Grail is currently in a state where it can be forcibly activated at any time.

Whoever touches the Holy Grail first will be the key to everything.

Amakusa Shiro was positioned closer.

He opened his arms to receive the golden cup, but—

Just as Amakusa Shiro was about to touch the Holy Grail, Joan of Arc threw out her Holy Banner.

"Ah...stop...do you know what you're doing?!"

Amakusa Shiro's face contorted—he sensed the malice emanating from the saintess.

This woman... actually harbored the idea of ​​destroying the Holy Grail, and threw out the banner of pouring out the power of baptismal chants!

Joan of Arc made the judgment that the Holy Grail was too dangerous and could not remain in the world.

It's perfectly fine to use the all-powerful wish-granting machine for one's own selfish desires.

However, its power is so great that it is enough to shake the foundations of the world.

If one is not careful... the magic spilled from the cup could overwhelm millions of people.

The spearhead of the holy banner knocked the Holy Grail away—

Unfortunately, it is not something that can be destroyed by force alone.

To completely destroy it, at least the sword at her waist (the Crimson Saintess) would be needed.

Jeanne d'Arc's failure to use her "Special Attack Noble Phantasm" decisively was a misjudgment.

Amakusa Shiro collapsed to the ground, clutching the Golden Cup tightly.

Sixty years of obsession, four hundred years of sorrowful vows, and two thousand years of karmic obstacles all transformed into a roar in this instant.

“Jeanne Dalque! How could I possibly lose to you! With your level of obsession, how could you possibly overcome my obsession! This is the hope of all mankind! I will not give it to anyone!”

Successful.

The Holy Grail is now in my hands.

Nothing can stop me from saving humanity and the world—

What kind of phenomenon was the "miracle" that Amakusa Shiro originally wanted to achieve?

The young priest analyzed himself over the course of sixty years and unraveled these phenomena.

It is his two arms that are able to connect all the magic disks.

Alchemy, spells, baptismal chants... he can connect to the magic base carved on the ground without hesitation and activate magic (miracles).

In other words, he can use all the magic that exists in this world without even realizing it, including black magic, alchemy, kabbalah, necromancy, and summoning.

He analyzed his own magic circuits, which were supposed to become fixed organs after the switch was turned on, but instead they changed continuously every second, and sometimes even the number of circuits would increase or decrease.

So that's why I'm regarded as a "saint"—

If he hadn't been born in modern times, after the end of the Warring States period in Japan, he would probably have been considered a valuable and special specimen and "sealed away" by the Mage's Association.

Amakusa Shiro possesses rare magical talent, yet he is not a magician.

He has no regrets about being born in an era filled with war, hunger, and ignorance.

He firmly believed that he should live to save the world and humanity.

The Third Holy Grail War, the reason that brought Amakusa Shirou to this place now, is the Greater Grail of Fuyuki.

That thing—to put it bluntly, is a magic circuit left behind by the android named "Yostisa".

The Winter Saintess sacrificed her life to preserve the "Formula for the Establishment of the Third Magic" forever.

Yustissa's consciousness no longer exists.

She is a giant electronic mind, solely responsible for managing the system's operation.

The Holy Grail itself does not possess consciousness, which gave Amakusa Shirou the opportunity to intervene.