Choosing Manaka Sajyou or the Morgan le Fay who seemingly arrived in Fuyuki through 'transmigration'...?
Upon seeing the prompt in his vision, Alvin fell into a brief silence.
Meanwhile, Mordred let out a quiet sigh of relief, though her heart soon filled with more worry.
When she first saw Morgan le Fay and Altria, she had already felt the urge to retreat.
Though Mordred had absolute confidence in her strength, facing both Morgan le Fay and King Arthur at the same time... even the rebellious knight didn't have the courage to take on this pair of British sisters simultaneously.
Now, seeing their attention drawn to Alvin, she could blend into the background... perhaps even escape while the opportunity was there.
But—
Could she really abandon her father and flee?
Despite her reputation as a rebel in the Arthurian legends, Mordred harbored deeply complex feelings toward both Altria and Alvin.
"Lancer, withdraw from this place now." At that moment, Kayneth's voice suddenly reached Mordred's ears.
The latter froze for a moment before urgently replying, "Master, I can't abandon my father—"
"Don't forget, this is the Holy Grail War. In the end, neither Morgan nor King Arthur would kill him. Your worries are meaningless," Kayneth said slowly. "Tonight's situation has already exceeded my expectations... If we don't leave now, who knows what other surprises might arise."
Morgan le Fay's appearance tonight had completely thrown Kayneth's plans into disarray.
If Morgan had appeared as a Servant, at most, Kayneth would have been shocked.
But for her to participate in the Holy Grail War as a Master... and to have summoned her own sister, no less.
Morgan le Fay of Britain combined with King Arthur...
Could anyone in Fuyuki's Holy Grail War truly defeat this duo?
Kayneth's heart grew heavy at the thought.
At this moment, the "battlefield" already featured five Servants: Saber, Archer, Rider, Caster, and Lancer.
The only two Servants yet to appear were Berserker and Assassin.
In fact, however, these two remaining Servants had been present from the start, but under their Masters' orders, they had not revealed themselves to others.
Assassin could be set aside for now.
In past Holy Grail Wars, Assassins were never particularly strong in direct combat, often at a disadvantage against other Servants.
What Assassins excelled at was gathering intelligence and delivering fatal strikes to enemy Masters.
As for the other, Berserker...
On the rooftop of a certain high-rise building, the biting cold wind howled.
Maiya Hisau lay prone on the rooftop, observing the battlefield through military binoculars.
Behind her, the faint sound of heavy breathing could be heard.
It came from a man with silver-gray hair, sporting a pair of dazzling wings on his back... almost like a "fairy" from legend.
Despite being a Berserker, with an immense amount of magical energy, he had perfectly concealed his presence, undetected even by the Servants present.
However—
Ever since Morgan le Fay and King Arthur appeared, Berserker seemed to struggle to contain his impulses, as if he might charge out of the darkness at any moment.
Noticing the disturbance behind her, Maiya Hisau spoke in a respectful yet calm tone. "Berserker, now is not the time. Don't forget our original plan."
Berserker's heavy, excited breathing echoed across the rooftop, like an ancient dragon gasping in the wind.
His skin was an eerie, bloodless white, and his right hand wasn't human, it resembled... a dragon's claw.
"...Don't worry, I know it's not time yet."
He elegantly raised his right hand, admiring the sharp claws under the moonlight. "It's just that seeing Saber makes me uncontrollably excited... I can't help but want to rip out his heart with this hand and drink every drop of his blood."
This guy... Maiya Hisau cast a deep glance at the Servant behind her.
Even she felt a chill from the depths of her heart when looking at him.
Originally, the Einzbern family had intended to summon Britain's King Arthur...
Who could have imagined that the one who ultimately answered the summons would be this guy?
"You hate Saber?"
Maiya Hisau suddenly asked.
"Hate? How did you come to that conclusion?" Berserker tilted his head curiously, smiling brightly. "I'm quite fond of that child."
A grin spread across his face as he spoke. "After all, Saber is the one who killed me and inherited my power."
As soon as he spoke, a man's low voice came through the communicator in Maiya's hand.
"Maiya, have you located Lancer's Master?"
Maiya withdrew her gaze and replied, "Berserker has confirmed Lancer's Master's position... Currently, we can confirm that four Masters have appeared."
"But if we make a move against someone now... won't it provoke the other Masters to temporarily ally or counterattack?"
"In the Holy Grail War, everyone is an enemy. Once a chaotic battle begins, they won't have the leisure to talk about cooperation."
Kiritsugu Emiya was positioned on another building, opening a long weapon case.
A heavy sniper rifle gleamed with a chilling black luster under the dim light.
This was a high-powered sniper rifle with a range of nearly two kilometers.
Its bullets were forged from special materials, capable of injuring even the most powerful mages.
No matter how strong Manaka Sajyou was, in the end, she was just a fragile human.
If caught off guard, a single well-aimed shot would be fatal.
Kiritsugu set up the sniper rifle, his voice calm and cold. "Execute Plan A. Once Saber's Master is dead, according to Berserker's intel, Saber will have a period of 'independent manifestation.'"
"During that time, Saber is highly likely to go berserk... and then, let Berserker stop him."
Maiya took a deep breath and exhaled slowly. "Understood."
Hearing this, a curious smile also spread across Berserker's face.
"He's not even my Master, yet he's so good at giving orders... Kiritsugu Emiya."
The one who summoned Berserker was not Kiritsugu but the 'homunculus' from the Einzbern Castle, Kiritsugu's wife, Irisviel.
"Whatever... Since you've set up a chance for me to face Saber alone, I'll forgive your insolence this time."
His tone was lofty, as if an supreme king were commanding his vassal.
In facr, he had indeed been a king in life.
The one who betrayed Britain, led a rebellion, and nearly claimed the land for himself, yearning to restore the Age of Gods, the original White Dragon... Even now, in modern Britain, many still trembled at the mention of his name.
—Oberon Vortigern.
...
...
Back in a corner of Fuyuki's streets.
Five Servants stood facing each other, each with their own thoughts, but all were filled with curiosity about Morgan le Fay's appearance.
Though they didn't know her identity, from her conversation with Saber, it was clear that this Master who had just appeared on the battlefield was an old acquaintance of Saber's.
And... she was blatantly trying to poach Saber right in front of his Master.
That was quite the spectacle.
Even Gilgamesh remained silent, his crimson eyes gleaming with interest.
No one in any era, including Servants, could resist a good drama.
Even this king of heroes was curious about how Saber would choose.
Manaka Sajyou stood between Alvin and Morgan, looking up directly at the legendary 'witch' of Britain.
The atmosphere grew tense for a while.
"Saber, don't you think it would be better to stand by my side?"
Morgan le Fay gracefully extended her hand toward Alvin, her voice through the veil laced with an indescribable allure: "I can provide you with an endless supply of magical energy... and even hand over this Holy Grail to you."
"And... Caster is on my side, isn't she?"
From start to finish, she didn't spare a single glance at Manaka Sajyou, nor did she care about Manaka's earlier mockery.
All her attention was focused on Alvin.
This scene caused Manaka Sajyou's gaze to grow even colder, though she made no further moves.
Rather than forcing Saber to choose her, she wanted to see what choice he would make on his own.
Though Manaka didn't know how she would feel if Alvin ultimately chose Morgan.
After all, she had gone to great lengths to summon Saber, and though they had only been together for two days, those two days were the happiest of her life.
Alvin took a deep breath in silence, exhaling slowly.
Under Manaka Sajyou's gaze, he stepped forward to stand before Morgan le Fay and then gently took her slender, pale hand.
Almost at that moment, the expressions of the servants present changed subtly.
The Conqueror King and Gilgamesh looked at each other with deep meaning, while Mordred, still debating whether to follow her Master's orders to retreat, fixed her gaze on Alvin.
Altria, meanwhile, showed a faint smile, though it quickly faded.
For some reason, when Alvin chose their side, she didn't feel as happy as she had expected... Instead, there was an inexplicable sense of loss.
"Sorry."
But just as Morgan was about to smile, Alvin spoke in a tone filled with apology.
"Though I'm sorry, in this Holy Grail War, the one who summoned me is her, so..."
Though he didn't continue, upon hearing this, Morgan le Fay's exquisite, captivating face froze.
Manaka Sajyou, on the other hand, was stunned for a moment, instinctively looking up at him.
When she saw Alvin step forward, it felt as though a piece of her heart had been hollowed out, overwhelmed by a profound sense of loss, yet she was powerless to say anything more.
But... he actually rejected Morgan?
For her, he turned down the sisters of Britain?
In an instant, overwhelming joy surged through her heart as a sweet smile spread across Manaka Sajyou's fair face, her beautiful eyes sparkling brightly.
Compared to the Manaka who had ruthlessly killed Matou Zouken earlier, she now resembled a young girl in love, her eyes seeing only Alvin.
[Congratulations on unlocking a special CG achievement: The Choice of the Shura Field: Part Two (Upon completing this achievement, you will receive a special golden title)]
In the CG scene, amidst swirling snow and wind, a thinly dressed blonde girl gazed with longing at the back of the black-robed Servant, while before him stood the stunning sisters, Morgan le Fay and Altria.
"So this is your choice..."
Morgan le Fay took a deep breath but, surprisingly, didn't grow angry.
Instead, a seductive curve formed on her lips beneath the veil.
"As expected... If you had abandoned your Master to choose me, you probably wouldn't be the person I know."
"But this way, I can rest assured."
Alvin hesitated. "Rest assured about what?"
"Don't you know me, Saber?"
Morgan le Fay smiled radiantly, her voice charming: "Is there anything in this world more delightful than taking what someone else loves and claiming it for yourself?"
From her chest, a faint red thread seemed to quietly extend, winding toward Alvin.
"This woman..."
A flash of coldness flickered in Manaka Sajyou's eyes as she immediately reacted.
Though she didn't know exactly what Morgan le Fay had done, she could feel the 'contract' between her and Saber weakening.
Morgan le Fay... this woman was trying to forcibly make Saber her Servant!
Manaka was about to step forward, but at that moment, Altria swiftly raised her staff, the Sword of Selection, and swung it.
A surge of magical energy blasted out, forcing Manaka to retreat.
Altria stood in front of Manaka, saying slowly, "Though I don't want to do this... since I've accepted her summoning, I will fulfill her requests."
Manaka's face darkened, but against an extraordinary Servant like Caster, she had no chance of breaking through her defenses in the short term.
"Huh...?"
At this moment, Morgan le Fay suddenly made a surprised sound and subconsciously looked at the young man in front of her.
Despite being restrained by the magecraft she had prepared in advance, Alvin was on the verge of breaking free from her bindings...
"It seems your resistance to magic is quite high," Morgan le Fay said with a charming smile. "In that case, I'll just have to 'cheat' a little..."
She elegantly raised her right hand and snapped her fingers.
In this space, dense True Ether silently flowed into Morgan's body.
In the next moment, her magical energy grew even more potent, and the 'connection' between Alvin and Manaka Sajyou began to fade further.
However, at that instant, a brilliant glow of magical energy suddenly flared in the distance.
The Conqueror King raised his sword high, letting out a thunderous roar.
In the next moment, a beam of light erupted from the chariot beneath his feet, piercing the darkness, beautiful yet filled with a terrifying power.
Boom!
The chariot, accompanied by the Conqueror King's resounding roar, charged toward Morgan le Fay.
Morgan was forced to quickly retreat as she looked up sharply and said, "Rider... must you interfere in matters between him and me?"
The Conqueror King stood atop his chariot, gazing down at the stunning yet dangerous woman below.
"Putting aside the fact that each Master can only have one Servant... even if that were left aside, the touching bond between Saber and her Master just now was enough to move anyone."
"If only for that reason, I can't let your plan succeed, Caster's Master!"
What a troublesome guy... Morgan le Fay narrowed her eyes but could only watch as Alvin broke free from her carefully crafted magecraft and returned to Manaka Sajyou's side.
"Are you okay, Saber?" Manaka asked instinctively.
"Servants don't get hurt unless they die... Besides, she didn't do anything to me," Alvin said, shaking his head.
Morgan le Fay merely tried to make Alvin her Servant but didn't cause him any harm.
After all, as a top-tier Servant in the Holy Grail War, he wouldn't be injured so easily.
Still, he hadn't expected to see such a panicked expression on Manaka's face... It was quite surprising.
Looking at Manaka Sajyou's pure and delicate face, and her concerned gaze, Alvin couldn't help but smile inwardly, instinctively reaching out to pat her head.
But just as he stretched out his hand—
Bang!
In the darkness of the night, a bullet tore through the air with a piercing sound.
Under countless stunned gazes, the bullet pierced through the girl's chest, blood splattering everywhere.
Manaka Sajyou's eyes slowly widened, and then she collapsed onto the snowy ground.
The snow beneath her gradually turned red, like a blooming mandala, vivid and bewitching.
Looking at the young man standing in the wind and snow, still in a daze, Mordred's body involuntarily shivered as she murmured.
"This is really going to change everything..."
.
.
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