A few minutes before Rider sped toward Ryuudou Temple...
Ryuudou Temple, the Great Hollow.
Shinji, acting as the conduit to channel mana into the Holy Grail system, opened his eyes after completely dismantling the foundation of the Grail system from within.
"Just enough mana, and just enough mental strength. Time to go home and get some sleep. I really am feeling a bit tired," he muttered softly.
He turned to leave but was halted by the sound of footsteps approaching.
Seeing Gilgamesh stop in front of him, hands in his pockets and looking displeased, Shinji showed a hint of resignation.
"Oh dear, it seems my wish to simply go home and sleep tonight might be a bit difficult to fulfill."
"You've got guts, Shinji. Dismantling the King's treasure without proper resolve!"
"Well, King-sama, if begging for mercy counts as resolve—"
Swish!
Boom!
Seeing the B-rank sword thrown at his feet, shattering a nearby rock, Shinji stopped mid-sentence, scratched the back of his head with a wry smile, and grew serious.
"Fine, I understand 'settle today's matters today.' It's just a pity I didn't get to see that priest's final expression. It must have been quite entertaining."
Why didn't I think of that?
Gilgamesh was startled. Yes, how could he not have thought to see Kirei's last expression? It must have been amusing!
"Alright, Gilgamesh, let's begin."
With that, Shinji pulled out an ordinary-looking long sword from the void (system space).
Gilgamesh was slightly displeased by being addressed so casually, but his curiosity was piqued by the ability so similar to his own, yet clearly self-made.
"Don't misunderstand. I don't have as many treasures as you. I only have two or three self-made weapons in my space, the highest being B-rank. This one is the best I've crafted so far."
"Hmph!"
Gilgamesh snorted, "I underestimated you, Shinji. But... for the crime of dismantling the King's treasure, it's not enough to warrant death. But those two words are different. The King will execute you personally!"
Glancing at the hilt with the inscription "King's Order," Shinji smiled and casually waved his sword.
"Come, Gilgamesh!"
...
After encountering Illya and the others and understanding the situation, Shirou was in disbelief when he heard Illya's guess about the mastermind.
"Shinji?! Shinji did this?!"
"That kid?" Lancer was surprised. "I didn't expect it to be him. Unbelievable. Hey, Saber, why are you glaring at me? Want to fight? Fine by me! I'm about to disappear anyway!"
Ignoring Lancer, Saber focused intently ahead, fists clenched.
This Holy Grail War had seemed secure. Despite her personal grudge against Illya, she acknowledged Berserker's strength.
They could have dealt with the remaining Servants, and then, believing she wasn't weaker than Berserker, Saber would have secured the Grail!
But now, before it even started, the prize had vanished. What was going on?
Noticing Saber's changing expression, Illya sighed softly, "Saber probably wants to personally ask Shinji why he did this. After all, Saber has an extraordinary obsession with the Grail."
"I want to ask him too!" Rin, carried by Archer, angrily clenched her fists. "It feels like he tricked us! We fought so hard for the Grail, and he dared to...!"
"We've been played by him from the start..." Archer snorted, "From the first night, we were tricked. Every event seems linked to him, with every result driven by his hand. Working with Berserker against Caster, Emiya Shirou's alliance with Illyasviel, even our cooperation with Rider might have been his doing."
Shirou protested, "No, these events have nothing to do with Shinji! While it's true that the initial non-battle was due to him, the subsequent events weren't connected to him!"
"Just because he didn't directly intervene doesn't mean he wasn't involved, fool!"
Archer's biting words spared no feelings, even towards his past self.
Shirou, indignant, retorted, "Who are you calling a fool? Only fools call others fools!"
"Shut up and listen, idiot!" Archer shouted before explaining, "What makes that man terrifying isn't direct intervention. It's how he subtly manipulates seemingly trivial details to change events!
"He understood everyone—Illyasviel, Emiya Shirou, Tohsaka Rin, this mage from the Association, Lancer, Rider, and even me… probably all seen through by him."
"That's impossible! He can't be that formidable!" Rin doubted.
"Though I hate to admit it, he grasped the Holy Grail War's direction from the start, tweaking minor details to steer events. His understanding of human nature surpasses all of us."
"No! That's not true! He saved and helped me! He must have had a reason!"
Hearing Bazett's outburst, Rin was stunned, stammering after a while, "Wait… Bazett, you're saying Shinji saved you? Wait, let me get this straight. He saved and helped you? So, Rider is..."
Bazett remained silent, possibly still reluctant to associate Shinji with the dangerous Holy Grail War.
Seeing Rin's twitching eyes, Archer snorted again, "Do you see now, Rin? The most dangerous enemy in this Holy Grail War isn't Berserker but the man everyone overlooked! If he wants the Grail, he'll get it!"
"But wait, Archer," Rin continued, "If that's true, why dismantle the Grail system? If he continued, he would be the likeliest to obtain the Grail, controlling the war's direction..."
"Perhaps… he saw the truth of the Grail during the process."
"The truth?" Rin was puzzled.
Illya nodded, "Maybe he realized the Grail isn't an omnipotent wish-granting device and gave up his original goal. Of course, he's still a mystery to me, and his true intentions are known only to him."
Shirou asked, "Wait, you mean Shinji gave Rider to Lancer's original Master? But Shinji didn't summon a Servant, right? Rin also said he had Command Seals but no Servant..."
"Perhaps Zouken summoned Rider before his death and entrusted her to Shinji, along with his true wish."
Based on all the information, Illya speculated:
With Shinji's help, Zouken recalled his true wish at the end.
He freed Sakura and used his authority to summon Rider, entrusting both the Servant and his wish to Shinji.
But Shinji didn't follow Zouken's plan to summon another Servant to increase his chances in the Holy Grail War.
Instead, he chose to manipulate the war's direction and control it from the shadows.
During this process, Shinji likely discovered the Grail's corruption and dismantled the system to prevent greater harm.
Realizing this, Illya had a new understanding of Shinji—a patriot concerned for the world's welfare, a just companion!
"Illyasviel, what do you mean the Grail isn't an omnipotent wish-granting device?" Saber suddenly stopped, pointing her sword at Berserker, halting him, and coldly asked.
"Saber, now isn't the time for this. Didn't Rin say Shinji is in danger? We should hurry..."
"No, tell me! Illyasviel!"
Seeing Saber's overly serious expression, Illya sighed again, "Alright, we'll talk as we go. I'll tell you everything I know..."
Just then, Shirou noticed something and, eyes wide, pointed to the blinding light from the explosion at Ryuudou Temple!
"That… that's...!"
Rin, decisive, said, "Archer, no more delays! Let's move quickly!"
...
Five minutes earlier, in the Great Hollow.
Shinji looked at the half-shattered King's Order sword in his hand, sighed, and tossed it aside.
He knew Gilgamesh had held back, never throwing anything above B-rank. Yet, even so, he had no chance to get close, overwhelmed by the countless Noble Phantasms.
"Gilgamesh, my best weapon is broken, but I have one last move. Want to try it? My strongest move I've never used..."
"Oh?" Gilgamesh showed interest, recalling his weapon.
"If you want to try, let's go outside. This place can't withstand such power."
With that, Shinji leapt to a higher point and headed toward the cave's exit, with Gilgamesh leisurely following.