Seeing the monstrous figure fully materialized, everyone present widened their eyes in shock.
"That thing is a Servant..." Rin murmured.
"Now is not the time to be thinking about that!" Illya said, gritting her teeth. She glanced worriedly at Shirou, who was almost out of mana. It looked like he was about to force himself to use Unlimited Blade Works again.
But using it one more time could kill him!
Gilgamesh, who was floating above, seemed unwilling to let anyone else intervene in the battle. But at this rate, not only would they fail to save Miyu, but Shirou would also die!
Illya couldn't afford to hesitate anymore. She immediately gave Berserker an order.
"Berserker, target... that golden guy in the sky!"
"Roar—!"
As Berserker leaped, Illya took the opportunity to rush toward Shirou. He couldn't handle this alone!
"Fate? Don't make me laugh!"
Shirou looked up, tears glistening in his eyes, and shouted with all his strength.
"If you really believed in that, why would you show such an expression? The expression that says, 'Someone please save me'! Miyu!!"
Inside the giant's body, having completely given up hope, Miyu began to cry at Shirou's words.
"Shirou! Stop talking and accept my mana!" Illya, now behind Shirou, grabbed his wrist with a serious expression and started transferring her mana to him.
By the way, transferring mana doesn't always require physical contact with bodily fluids; skin contact can also suffice, though it requires a highly skilled mage. Only a mage capable of activating Harmony Mode can do it!
"Illyasviel, I'm counting on you."
Saber also stood up, her expression resolute as she stared at the gigantic creature.
"Saber..."
Shirou was surprised by Saber's sudden change in attitude. He had thought she couldn't accept the fact that Miyu was the Holy Grail.
"Sorry, Shirou. I lost my composure earlier. Whether Miyu is the Holy Grail or not can be dealt with later. Right now, the most important thing is... we must defeat this guy!"
"Saber," Illya looked at her seriously, "what will you do after we defeat him and rescue Miyu?"
For Illya, Miyu was the only person in this world who was like her, and over the past three months, they had become true friends.
"I don't know. But we can't just stand by and do nothing!"
Seeing Saber's determined expression, Illya hesitated for a couple of seconds before starting to transfer her mana to Saber.
"Well said, boy! Let me help you too!"
With Gilgamesh in the sky being constantly harassed by Berserker, Lancer found an opening and approached Shirou.
"After all, the mission needs to continue. We can't retrieve the eighth card without defeating him."
Bazett, flexing her wrist, also walked over.
"Looks like we have the same mission," Rin said, placing her hand on her hip, while Luvia crossed her arms and stood beside her. Though Archer looked displeased, he said nothing and just crossed his arms.
Seeing everyone gearing up for a fight, Shinji, who was watching from the hill, shook his head and sighed. Although the scene was touching and motivating, the guy in the sky might not be too pleased.
The ensuing group battle didn't need much explanation. Despite their numbers, they couldn't defeat young Gilgamesh because he was just too skilled!
Archer's arrows, Illya's "Tears" and "Sword," Rin and Luvia's gem attacks – he blocked them all with his shield. When facing Lancer, he used the Chains of Heaven, and against Shirou, Saber, and Bazett, he resorted to overwhelming firepower, leaving them no chance.
Despite Illya's orders, Berserker continued to jump around fighting Gilgamesh but couldn't land a hit.
"You're such persistent creatures. Originally, I planned to send only this boy off," young Gilgamesh sighed, drawing EA. His expression changed as he glared coldly at Shirou and the others.
"No choice. Since there are multiple Heroic Spirits on your side, I'll use a bit more of my power. Remember, you forced me to do this."
Seeing young Gilgamesh draw EA, Gilgamesh, who was teasing Berserker, frowned, feeling somewhat displeased.
This guy is already forced to use EA?
Doesn't he know that only those worthy can witness EA?
If not, what is he but a fake?
As EA's segments began to rotate, a powerful windstorm erupted, tearing up the ground and trees, creating a dark red vortex that ravaged the entire forest.
Archer fired an arrow to stop him, but it was blocked by the shield, making him click his tongue in annoyance as he prepared another barrier.
Saber, knowing they had to endure, raised Excalibur high, using all the mana Illya had transferred to charge up.
The result was that Excalibur lasted only a few seconds before breaking. The final shield, formed by the combined efforts of Archer and Shirou, barely held on.
Lancer, chained up, couldn't help but try to assist, but the Chains of Heaven tightened, immobilizing him.
Then Bazett prepared to use Fragarach, but she saw young Gilgamesh summon a golden Noble Phantasm specifically to counter her!
She couldn't use Fragarach!
Bazett realized this as she saw the new Noble Phantasm floating in the air, clearly designed to counter her weapon.
Shinji, watching from afar, was equally shocked. He hadn't expected a non-showboating Gilgamesh to be this strong, targeting each person's weaknesses so precisely!
Clearing the Holy Grail War in one night was no joke!
…
The final shield, held by Archer and Shirou, started to crack. Seeing this, Shinji knew it was time. He extended his right hand and summoned a dark gold card with intricate golden edges.
Seeing the card in Shinji's hand, Kirei thought, Is he going to intervene now? What's that card?
…
"Ahhhh!!" ×2
Shirou and Archer yelled together, desperately holding up the final shield. If it broke, they were dead.
"On my mark, move. One!"
The voice in their heads made Shirou and Archer hesitate for a moment, with Shirou taking a bit longer to process it.
Archer quickly reacted, dodging to the side while kicking Shirou in the opposite direction.
An indescribable, silent, seemingly weightless black arrow pierced the shield where they had stood.
The black arrow effortlessly cut through the final shield and collided with EA's red energy.
A bizarre scene unfolded!
The moment the black arrow touched EA's red energy, it devoured all the red light. The arrow moved without resistance, devouring everything in its path!
In that instant, Gilgamesh, playing with Berserker, narrowed his eyes and looked intently, not at the outcome of his fake counterpart but at the direction the arrow had come from.
Seeing Shinji standing not far behind the group, Gilgamesh frowned in displeasure. He was about to reprimand him when he noticed the fading figure of a woman with purple hair and a crown, holding a crossbow.
That woman…
Watching the woman dissipate into stardust and return to the card in Shinji's hand, Gilgamesh pondered.
"Phew…"
Shinji almost stumbled, but managed to steady himself.
He hadn't expected that using the Empress card would completely drain his mana. The consumption was terrifying!
Still, he had grown stronger. The first time he used the Empress card, he had to overextend his life force to fire an arrow. This time, he didn't have to, which was progress.
The black arrow, silent and seemingly weightless, which ignored defenses and had an annihilation attribute, caused the materialized card Servant to disintegrate into stardust.
It all happened without sound or detectable energy, enveloping everyone in a feeling of terror.
"What's wrong? This isn't the welcome I hoped for," Shinji said.
Everyone turned and saw Shinji, who looked almost the same as before, except for his longer hair.
He still had that annoying smirk, with his hands in his pockets.
"You should have helped sooner, you jerk! You were definitely watching and waiting to make a flashy entrance!" Rin yelled, clenching her fists in frustration, though she was secretly pleased to see him again.
"That attack was from Matou Shinji…"
Luvia stared at Shinji in disbelief. The man she considered her "subject" was this powerful!
"You're finally back, kid!"
Lancer, who had been chained up for so long, grinned and greeted him.
"Shinji…"
Shirou, holding the fallen Miyu, looked at Shinji with gratitude. He was about to thank him when several golden Noble Phantasms appeared before Shinji!
Clang! Clang! Clang!
Shinji quickly summoned the Sword of Kingship to block them.
"Hey! That's too much, Gilgamesh!"
"Silence! Shinji! Your audacity grows! You left the King's court without permission! Punishment is necessary!"
"I'm not your vassal!"
"Using that name (King's Order) and stealing from the King's treasury, your crime is unforgivable!"
"Stealing?"
Shinji blinked, then noticed the invisibility cloak wrapped around his arm.
"Do you believe me if I say I didn't steal this?"
"Face the King's punishment!"