Gilgamesh just sipped his wine and listened to the ramblings of the clown in front of him about how he would conquer the world after seizing the Holy Grail.
"I've decided — I'll personally come down and kill you myself," Archer declared, but Iskandar just smiled.
"Hahaha. You say that with such confidence, as if it'll be easy. Don't worry — I won't only take the Grail from you. I'll conquer you and seize everything in your vaults as well," Gilgamesh shot back.
Caster then looked toward Rider. "Now it's your turn, Rider. What's your wish in this Holy War?"
"Me?... My wish was fulfilled the moment my master summoned me," Allen said, holding his master tightly.
"What do you mean by 'fulfilled'?" Iskandar asked.
"All I ever wanted was a family, and I got one from my master. Now they are my family," Allen answered.
Medusa was genuinely surprised by the declaration — it was the first time she'd heard him speak his heart so plainly.
"Family, huh." Iskandar nodded in understanding.
"What a boring wish," Gilgamesh muttered, already bored of Rider; the desire didn't impress him, and he didn't elaborate further.
He then turned his attention to Saber. "What about you, Saber?" Gilgamesh asked.
"Yes — Saber, I'm curious about your wish. You know, I lived in London and I've often heard tales of your heroics," Allen said casually, munching on a bag of potato chips that seemed to have appeared from nowhere; apparently no one had noticed. He even fed a chip to Medusa so she could eat with him.
"Oh — and speaking of you, I'm sure your teacher Merlin is watching us now from Avalon. Sometimes I wonder how Morgan managed to imprison him there so easily," Allen added.
"Ohhh, so you know a lot about King Arthur and Merlin, kid," Iskandar said.
"Yes. My family keeps records about that lecherous man," Allen replied nonchalantly. I'd love to meet him — if Merlin were freed from Avalon, it would be great for research; maybe I could study him too.
Meanwhile in Avalon, Merlin felt the hairs on his neck rise — a sense of danger prickled through him.
"What the—? I feel something dangerous," he muttered, peering through the veil at a man who had just collapsed in a facility in Antarctica. The man looked like he'd fainted from exhaustion after staying up far too long.
"Hahaha — is that true, Saber? It sounds like your teacher is being roasted by this kid. Aren't you mad about it?" Iskandar mocked, but Saber only shook her head.
"Yes. Rider's master was right. That man really is a lecher. He's been punished by my father more than once for his behavior," Saber admitted.
"If you're the kind of person who can tolerate someone like that, I'm impressed — and I'm curious what you'd wish for with the Grail," Iskandar said.
"My wish… I only want to save my homeland. I want to use the Grail's wish to rescue my kingdom from destruction," Saber replied.
A heavy silence fell. "A king from the Knights — did I hear that right? You want to change your kingdom's fate and rewrite history?" Iskandar asked.
"That's right. If my wish can't be granted by miracles alone, then the Grail can make any desire come true. If that relic is truly omnipotent—" Saber began to explain but.
"Let me ask — did your kingdom fall while you still sat on the throne as its ruler?" Iskandar cut in.
"Yes. That's why I cannot forgive myself. That regret is what drives me: I want to change the destiny of my kingdom because my mistakes led them to ruin," Saber said.
"Hahahahahaha," Gilgamesh laughed at Saber's words.
Saber felt insulted. Why was Archer suddenly laughing at her, when there was nothing funny about what she had said?
"Why are you laughing, Archer? What's so amusing about this?" she demanded.
But Archer only laughed harder, because out of all of them, Saber was the funniest in his eyes.
"Hey, you who dare call yourself a king — you're truly ridiculous. A king chosen by her people, and yet you still wallow in regret? Isn't that laughable? Truly, Saber, you are a masterpiece — the funniest clown among all the self-proclaimed kings I've ever met. Hahahaha!" Archer kept mocking her.
"Wait a moment," Iskandar interjected, his voice now serious. "So, King of Knights, you want to reject the fate you forged with your own hands, and erase the history already written?"
"That's right! What's so shocking about that? And what's so funny? I raised my sword to defend my kingdom with everything I had, I gave my very life — and all I achieved was ruin. So yes, I feel sorrow. What's wrong with that?" Saber shot back.
"Hey, Saber, your era ended long ago. Why are you still clinging to it? Look at Iskandar — after his death, his empire shattered and was divided. And do you even realize? After your death, Britain actually grew stronger than it was in your time, even if it was divided and conflicted then," Allen spoke up,
'Changing history? Is Saber insane? That's the same as erasing entire timelines just to fix her own regrets. That perverted Merlin clearly never taught her about the reality of this world. Not that it matters — her wish is impossible anyway. The timeline is locked by Alaya's Quantum Time Lock. No matter what, history will never change,' Allen thought to himself.
"Allen has a point. Saber, have you ever considered just moving on?" Iskandar pressed.
"What's wrong if I can't move on? What's wrong if all I want is to save my kingdom, to preserve its prosperity forever?" Saber retorted.
"There's nothing wrong with wanting that," Caster said softly. "But in my eyes, it's not the king who should sacrifice herself for the kingdom. It's the kingdom — and its people — that must sacrifice for their king."
Saber's heart sank a little at Caster's words, while Archer continued to mock her, and Rider's Master claimed her kingdom deserved to fall — especially under her rule, and to be reborn as something new.
"What are you saying, Caster? Isn't that tyranny?" Saber argued.
"Exactly. Because we were tyrants — and that is why we became heroes, why we were engraved upon the Throne of Heroes."
"Caster's right," Archer sneered. "Saber, you're just a weak little girl, unfit to be a king. In fact, you're even worse than the tyrants you despise."
Saber seemed unwilling to listen to Archer's mockery, then turned to Caster.
"And what about you, Caster? Didn't your kingdom suffer the same fate as mine? Your realm was divided, and the heir was killed. Do you not regret that?"
"No."
Caster looked at Saber with pride.
"This was the decision of a king—a choice I made and my followers accepted, even though it led us toward downfall and ruin. I may feel sorrow and grief, but I will never regret it."
"How can that be?" Saber asked in disbelief.
"Because regret would only be a mockery that tramples upon the pride of those who followed me, sacrificed for me, and carved history alongside me."
"Only a warrior would call destruction a form of glory," Saber shot back.
"Ordinary people don't think like that. What they desire is safety."
Iskandar merely shrugged.
"I don't understand what you mean."
"It is the duty of a king to be just, to uphold proper order. That is what subjects expect from their ruler," Saber declared firmly.
"A just king? Or a just slave, Saber?" Iskandar countered.
"That is not how mankind finds joy in life."
"Of course you would say that," Saber replied coldly.
"As a king, you cannot expect to live like an ordinary man. You, a conqueror who lived as a tyrant, could never understand. You only ever cared about yourself."
Caster spoke with calm authority, his tone firm yet tinged with pity.
"A king who carries no desire, no ambition… is worth no more than a decoration."
He turned his gaze to Saber, studying her as though she were some fragile, pitiful thing.
"You speak endlessly of ideals and sacrifice. Now, I understand you. You are pure—untainted, untouched, sacred even. But the road you walk, this path of sacrifice you so proudly bear… it has long since gone too far. It has crossed into extremity. Saber, perhaps your justice and your ideals may save your country, your subjects—for a time. Such deeds may etch your name into legend. But we both know the fate of those who walk that path."
Saber faltered, her steps carrying her back a single pace.
"What… what do you mean by that?"
"You save your people, yes. But you never guide them. Never once did you show the hunger, the desire that makes a king truly sovereign. You abandoned them, Saber. You offered them only the hollow shadow of your ideals. You are not a true king—you are a girl shackled to the fantasy of kingship, living not for yourself, but only for others."
His words struck like a spear, calling to mind the bitter truth Lancelot had once hurled at her. Saber tried to speak, but her lips would not move. Her mind was dragged back into memory—the rebellion of Mordred, the clash of her own knights, the endless piles of corpses forming mountains of the dead, rivers dyed crimson with blood. She saw again the fall of Camelot, the countless subjects slain by her own hand, friends and loved ones alike.
Before she could answer, Allen stirred. His senses caught the shift in the air, the presence that drew near. His form shifted smoothly.
"It seems we have an uninvited guest," he said, glancing casually toward Archer.
"Is this your doing, Archer?"
"Tsk… this is Tokiomi's hand," Archer muttered, irritation flashing.
And then, the shadows split. Countless Assassins emerged, encircling them on every side.
Waver stumbled toward his Servant. "Caster, what do we do now?"
The King of Conquerors, clad in robes of a magus, only chuckled softly.
"Do not panic, boy. They are guests who have come to the banquet of kings. And so, we must welcome them properly."
Saber moved closer to Kiritsugu, still unconscious at her side, raising her blade against the encroaching Assassins.
"Do you intend to invite them to our banquet as well, Caster?" Archer said as he sat down casually.
"Of course," Caster replied smoothly. "Is it not a king's duty to meet with his people—be they ally or enemy? Naturally, I will welcome them all."
Medusa silently drew her twin blades, ready to strike at the slightest motion.
"Drink!" Caster declared, slapping his hand against the great cask of wine. "Whosoever wishes to speak, come forth! Drink this wine as though it were your blood!"
A dagger flew, shattering the cask in an instant. The Assassins' laughter filled the air, echoing as though the night itself mocked them.
"…So be it," Caster said, rising to his feet. "If you would spill the wine, then let blood be spilled instead."
From his body, prana surged forth like a storm. Winds howled, and the sky above turned dark, clouds blotting out the light. The Assassins hesitated, unnerved by the force pressing down upon them.
Medusa shielded Allen with her body, bracing against the gale.
"Thank you, Rider," Allen murmured.
She gave a small nod, though her eyes remained sharp.
Then Caster's voice thundered, carried by the storm.
"Saber! Archer! Rider! Answer me this: must a king truly walk alone in his sovereignty?"
Medusa replied plainly, her tone steady and detached.
"I am no king. I cannot say."
"Ah, my apologies. I nearly forgot," Caster said with a smile. "But your loyalty is unquestionable. I envy your Master for that much."
His gaze shifted to Saber.
"If one walks as a king," Saber said firmly, "then they are fated to walk alone."
Caster shook his head, calm yet resolute.
"You are wrong, Saber. No one walks alone—not king, not warrior, not man. Very well. Let me show you… what it means to be a true king."
With that, his prana erupted once more. The Einzbern castle vanished in blinding light, swept away as if the world itself had been overturned.
A Reality Marble had swallowed them all.