A few moments earlier,
Shirou Emiya walked home and smiled to himself, feeling good about Sakura's newfound happiness.
Yes, the sudden appearance of the newly transferred student, Black Von Einzbern, as Sakura's boyfriend, had taken him aback at first.
However, spending an entire evening with Sakura, Black, and Taiga (Shirou's Guardian and a teacher at the academy) had cleared many things up.
Still, Shirou could tell that Black was genuinely interested in Sakura.
Shirou had always known Sakura's feelings for him. It's not like he didn't like her.
The matter was that Sakura, being the little sister of his classmate Shinji, had always carried a soft spot in his heart… but only as someone he needed to protect.
It was much better, Shirou confirmed within his heart, to let Sakura find happiness in Black rather than let her chase him and then hurt her feelings.
He just hoped that Shinji and Sakura's grandfather wouldn't treat her badly because of Black forcing her to stay at his place.
Shirou suddenly paused, letting out a sigh.
I should go and apologize personally to her grandfather, he thought, turning around.
So, when Shirou reached the Matou Mansion and found walls of red hue covering everything, his heart skipped a beat.
Sakura… Shirou's face lost all color.
As if dictated by fate, he rushed toward the red hue, hoping he wasn't too late.
The moment he stepped in, his eyes landed on the girl levitating midair. Even though her hair had turned white, and she was covered in a strange, ominous dress, Shirou recognized her.
He also recognized Black, holding a dagger against her chest.
Shirou's face gained a stunned and terrified look.
That's how he remained, locked in Spacetime.
…
Unhinged magical fluctuations manifested in the sky, but within the Bounded Field.
Unconcerned with the Time and Dimension Lock Spells, the Counter Force summoned the Ruler-Class Servant to counter the inevitability of Angra Mainyu's Incarnation.
Of course, being a Ruler-Class Servant, the said Heroic Spirit's strength must be enough to stand up to the monstrous task of taking down Dark Sakura before the Grail Corruption truly manifested through her.
A strange hum took over the world.
The sound of metal grinding over metal pervaded the surroundings, strangely sounding holy.
It was like millions of chains were rising and falling like waves of an ocean during a storm.
From these fluctuations, a figure manifested, wearing white clothes, their long, green hair flailing behind them like a banner.
Their face held a serenity like none other, and, surrounding them, was a greenish-golden hue, declaring their holy presence.
They were The Oldest Adventurer from Babylonia — The Chains of Heaven —
— Enkidu!!!
…
Gilgamesh, wearing a black jacket over blue jeans, stared at the corpse in the halls of the Ryuudou Temple.
Ryuudou Temple offered the optimum place to summon the Holy Grail at the end of the War. Thus, he had been keeping an eye on the place.
Gilgamesh had known that a man, hiding his true nature as a killer, lived at the temple.
But, of these lowly lives, he didn't care much. It was only now, when Kirei had gone to take care of a bug, that he had returned here, finding the man dead.
Gilgamesh could sense it.
The presence of evil in the surroundings.
Unknowingly, the corners of his mouth lifted, finding the turn of events quite interesting.
Why would a Heroic Spirit, especially one this capable, go out of its way to kill a man who wasn't even a Mage?
Suddenly, just as Gilgamesh was trying to find a meaning in this ridiculous business, he sensed a presence.
Gilgamesh's entire body jolted.
This presence… he recognized it…
It can't be… Gilgamesh thought, turning around with a jerk. Are you… "HAHA!"
With a massive boom, destroying the entire Ryuudou Temple, Gilgamesh disappeared, laughing in joy.
…
Not much time had passed since the coming of Ainz Ooal Gown and the Order's strange Contestant.
Despite the Grail Corruption intensifying in front of his eyes, Black let himself hang, locked in time.
It wasn't like he couldn't break through it.
However, Ainz Ooal Gown wasn't some random Character that he could ignore.
Black needed to find out just how powerful this Overlord was, what his goal was for him to come here, and how far he was willing to go to achieve it.
Surprisingly, it was the Contestant, Betty Shaw, who unnerved Black.
As if that bizarre fight between the Overlord and Contestant wasn't enough, the unthinkable happened: the Counter Force summoned the Ruler-Class Servant.
And it was none other than Enkidu — a servant on par with Gilgamesh.
No. If he waited any longer, then he would go beyond the point of no return, Black knew.
A bloody hue shone on the back of Black's right hand, holding the dagger, as he used a Command Seal, belonging to Medea, through the Ad Infinitum.
The Rule Breaker let out a devious, purplish glow.
In the next moment, the entire surroundings, including the Bounded Field, shattered as the Noble Phantasm broke all the spells.
With a speed that couldn't even be quantified, the dagger kept going and lodged itself deep into Sakura's chest.
"SAKURA!" Shirou screamed, rushing toward as if he hadn't lost any time. His face paled even more as he saw Black stabbing her chest.
Up in the sky, the moment he sensed his spells getting broken, Ainz Ooal Gown knew he had miscalculated.
The Fifth Holy Grail War didn't offer the Greater Grail unless Dark Sakura remained alive, he had learned. So, for his plans to work, the white-haired girl must come alive, regardless of the corruption she carried.
Learning the dagger's nature as it was used against his Spell, Ainz Ooal Gown knew things wouldn't play in his favor if the artifact was used on the girl.
The Overlord let out a sigh.
As the green-haired, terrifying existence above him opened its eyes, Ainz Ooal Gown raised the staff in his left hand.
"Know that I was not left with any other choice," The Overlord said, casting the spell. "FALLEN DOWN!!!"
******************
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