The assassin of countless magus, stained with blood, fell before Ryou.
Gazing at Kiritsugu Emiya's corpse, a strange expression flickered momentarily across his face.
From what he understood, the holy relic used to summon Saber—Avalon—should have been inside Kiritsugu Emiya's body.
But now, with Kiritsugu Emiya fatally pierced through the heart, he was unquestionably dead.
The system's task progress indicated to him that the Saber faction had been eliminated.
Simultaneously, the system informed him that he had obtained the key to unlocking the Holy Grail—Irisviel's heart.
No matter how powerful Avalon was, without Saber's magical energy, it was merely a mystical artifact with some healing properties.
It could not possibly revive someone whose heart had been ripped out.
So, where exactly had the sword sheath gone?
However, without Excalibur, even if he obtained Avalon, it wouldn't be able to display its full power.
Despite his envy of the sword sheath's absolute defense, with a formidable enemy nearby, Ryou had to abandon his search for it temporarily.
Meanwhile, the teams of Medb and Waver, and Ayame and Anastasia, had finished their battle.
As the ice mountain melted, the two figures still standing in the field were Ayame and Anastasia.
Ryou returned to the courtyard as well.
Following his earlier instructions, Medea, who had been hiding near Artoria, immediately darted out and swiftly ran to his side.
Ayame excitedly looked Ryou up and down, but when her gaze landed on Lantoria, who sat calmly on her horse, a hint of disgust crossed her face.
"There's always someone who comes out to interrupt my date with Father~"
Unexpectedly, Lantoria, usually so composed, retorted sharply.
"Sorry, but I don't recognize a lunatic like you as my granddaughter."
Ayame was instantly infuriated.
"Huh? What nonsense are you spouting, you old hag! You...!"
A dangerous glint appeared in Lantoria's eyes as she swiftly raised her holy lance and swept it across the air.
A giant golden crescent-shaped blade of light immediately slashed toward Ayame and Anastasia.
Ayame spat in annoyance and dodged the terrifying blow.
"If you don't know what manners are, I can teach you."
Lantoria said nonchalantly.
Ayame ground her teeth in anger but did not provoke her further. After fusing with Princess Sakura, Ayame's heightened senses detected the terrifying energy radiating from Lantoria—overwhelming, like the sun itself.
She was no match for her.
For the sake of her ultimate goal, Ayame quickly decided to retreat.
She glanced fearfully at Lantoria before turning to Ryou.
"It seems today isn't a good day for a date. Please forgive me for taking my leave, for now, Father. I look forward to our next meeting."
With that, she even blew Ryou a kiss before she and Anastasia melted into the shadows.
From start to finish, neither of them came within a hundred meters of him, clearly wary of his close-range combat capabilities.
Ryou frowned but did not stop them from leaving.
He had a hunch that, with the number of participants rapidly dwindling, the final battle was approaching.
However...
Looking at the ruins of the castle, Ryou glanced somewhat sheepishly at Lantoria.
What had begun as a pleasant tea party had ended with the host and landowner, who provided both the venue and refreshments, dying in such a tragic manner.
And he had contributed to the chaos...
As if sensing his gaze, Lantoria looked back at him.
To his surprise, there was a hint of amusement in her eyes, and something else—an inexplicable emotion—swirled in those sacred azure irises.
"Not bad. This tea party was quite interesting; I liked it."
A simple compliment, yet it made Ryou feel something strange.
It felt like the unconditional praise of a son-con mother: "My child is the best! My child is wonderful!"
Then, Lantoria added:
"I've stayed in this world long enough. It's time for me to go; otherwise, those two petty individuals will throw a tantrum."
"You're giving up on the Holy Grail War?"
Ryou was momentarily taken aback.
Though Lantoria had intervened a few times, she had always held back, and most of the time, she played only a minor role. Now, she was suddenly proposing to forfeit.
So, what had she come here for in the first place?
Ryou asked her directly.
Lantoria looked at him with a playful smile.
"I came here to see you."
"!"
Recalling everything that had happened, Ryou was 99.9% certain that he shared some mysterious connection with this sacred Empress of the British Empire.
Before he could fully grasp it, Lantoria gave him a cryptic smile and lightly slashed her holy lance through the air.
A massive three-meter-wide rift appeared in space, revealing a wondrous dimension.
Through the glass-like opening, one could see an endless sea of flowers, at the center of which floated a fairytale-like castle, predominantly white and adorned with colorful crystals.
"We'll meet again. I'll be waiting for the moment our fates intertwine."
With those words, she and her steed, Dun Stallion, moved toward the spatial rift.
Watching her retreating figure, Ryou opened his mouth as if to call her back.
Although this was their 'first' meeting, Ryou felt a strange sense of rapport with Lantoria, as if there were a peculiar harmony between them.
Even though they were both participants in the Holy Grail War and naturally opposed to each other, Ryou found it oddly relaxing to be around her.
What a strange feeling.
But in the end, he did not voice his desire to make her stay.
Just as Lantoria was about to step through the spatial rift, she suddenly stopped.
"Oh, right. A word of advice: what you see is not always the truth."
Leaving behind this cryptic remark, Lantoria disappeared into the rift.
As he stared at the now-vanished rift, Ryou suddenly spoke.
"Medea-chan, let's go."
Medea, who had been daydreaming nearby for quite some time, showed a dumbfounded expression.
"Huh~ Master, are we leaving now?"
"What, you want to spend the night here?"
Ryou teased.
Medea looked around at the ruined castle and quickly shook her head.
"Master, what about her..."
Medea subtly hinted toward Saber, who stood in the ruins.
Ryou glanced at her, his expression calm and indifferent.
At this moment, Saber's eyes were lifeless, like an empty shell without a soul. She slowly walked toward Irisviel's body, knelt beside her, and stared blankly at Irisviel's lifelike face.
"She's just a walking corpse. Whether I kill her or not makes no difference," Ryou said flatly.
A strange look appeared on Medea's face.
Both of them had traveled back from ten years in the future.
Saber would become a formidable enemy in 'ten years.
However, Ryoudidn't want to kill Saber.
After using the Time Gem to return to the past, that predetermined future had already become irrelevant to him.
To avoid any unnecessary changes, Ryou had no interest in altering the course of events. The immense power of time was too overwhelming for him to handle at this moment.
The key to surviving long enough was to act within one's limits when power was insufficient.
After all, only by staying alive and growing stronger could one become truly powerful.
When everyone had left, only Saber remained, kneeling alone in the ruins beside Irisviel's lifeless body. She was motionless, like a statue that had lost its soul.
"Ugh!"
At that moment, Irisviel, who had been dead for some time, suddenly let out a painful groan and coughed up a mouthful of black blood.
"Irisviel!"
Saber's eyes lit up with hope as she quickly supported Irisviel, pulling her into her arms.
"How are you feeling?!"
But Irisviel weakly shook her head. Her face was ashen, her breathing faint, as though she could die at any second.
"I'm dying. Without my heart, I'm only being kept alive by Saber's sheath," Irisviel spoke in a weak, halting manner.
Saber's eyes brightened.
"So my sheath was with you all along, Irisviel. That's great! You'll be saved!"
The noble Knight King had no intention of blaming Kiritsugu for hiding her sheath. At this moment, her heart was filled with joy at the chance to save Irisviel.
Saber gently placed her hand on Irisviel's chest and slowly channeled her magical energy into her. Awakened by its original owner's magic, Avalon within Irisviel's body began to emit a radiant, multicolored light. The gaping wound in Irissviel's chest began to heal at a visible rate.
However, after the external wounds fully healed, Irisviel coughed up fresh blood, and her life force began to fade rapidly.
"The wounds have healed, so why?! Why isn't she getting better?!"
Saber's face filled with a hint of despair. She instinctively placed her hand on Iriviel's chest again, preparing to channel more magical energy.
But this time, Irisviel gently grasped her hand, stopping her.
"It's no use, Saber. The sheath can heal external injuries, but it can't reconstruct my heart. My heart was the Lesser Grail, the key to unlocking the Greater Grail."
Avalon's powers were indeed strong, almost comparable to a true divine artifact in certain aspects. But Avalon wasn't omnipotent. It could only keep Irisviel in a state of agonizing limbo—neither fully alive nor truly dead.
Irisviel took a breath, though even breathing seemed to drain the last of her strength.
"So now, I need you to do something for me…"
"Just say it, Irisviel. I'm listening."
Saber leaned in close to Irisviel's lips. Then she heard Irisviel softly whisper:
"Take Avalon from me... and live on…"
"No! That would kill you!"
Saber refused without a moment's hesitation.
"Listen to me, Saber. Avalon is only keeping me in this half-dead, half-alive state. I'm in so much pain. Please, Saber, help me. Let me be free… Let me go to Kiritsugu."
"No! I can't!"
For the first time, Saber's face showed a look of panic, an expression she had never shown before.
Irisviel smiled gently, as if the person before her wasn't about to take her life but was instead the closest of companions.
"You will help me, won't you, Saber? The Knight King can't refuse a lady's request."
"But… but this is too much…"
Saber's voice even carried a hint of a sob. Irisviel said nothing more, only gazing at her quietly, waiting for her final decision.
Saber bit her lip, almost hard enough to draw blood, her heart filled with endless regret.
It's all my fault. If only I were stronger…
Facing Irisviel's gentle gaze, Saber's trembling hand slowly moved to cover her chest. Radiant light blossomed, and from Irisviel's body emerged a sheath of gold and blue, as if it were a masterpiece of art—Avalon.
What had once been a beautiful, radiant object now struck Saber as utterly loathsome.
As the sheath was extracted, Irsviiel's life force rapidly diminished. In her final moment, Irisviel's lips moved, though no sound came out, and she gently closed her eyes, like a sleeping beauty.
"Thank you…"
Saber miraculously heard Irisviel's final words. That single word of thanks was like a battering ram, shattering the strong emotional walls Saber had built up over the years.
"Ah!!!"
She clutched the sheath tightly and let out a heart-wrenching cry toward the sky.
...
At the Fuyuki Church, the thick stench of blood filled the sacred space.
Under the cross, Risei Kotomine lay prostrate on the floor, blood pooling beneath him. His eyes were wide open in death, filled with shock and disbelief, as if despair clung to his very last breath.
Next to the old priest's body stood Kirei Kotomine, dressed in his black clerical robes. His mouth twitched, and his face bore a strange expression as if he wanted to laugh but was restraining himself with great effort.
His fists were stained with blood, making it clear who the murderer was.
Finally, it seemed Kirei could no longer contain himself. A fit of hysterical laughter suddenly echoed through the church.
Kirei tilted his head back, covering his face with one hand, his body shaking as if in a seizure.
"Heh, heh, hahaha! What is this? I feel joy! I feel pleasure! Was my father raising a beast all along?!"
As if releasing decades of repressed emotions all at once, Kirei alternated between mocking himself and laughing wildly, bending over in fits of laughter.
"It seems you're enjoying yourself, Kirei."
A voice sounded from the church entrance. Ayame stood there, arms crossed, her voluptuous chest forming an enticing arc.
She gazed at Kirei with great interest, as if she had discovered some new and fascinating toy.
Upon seeing someone arrive, Kirei immediately collected himself and spoke in a cold tone.
"So, it's you, Assassin."
Though Kirei's face was composed, the amusement in his eyes betrayed him.
"What's the matter, Kirei? You don't seem happy to see me."
Ayame's eyes sparkled.
"How could that be? Thanks to you, I've learned how to derive pleasure from others…"
In the next moment, Kirei's tone shifted.