"I was set up."
In a pavilion amidst a sea of flowers, Merry and Naoki sat face-to-face.
He had returned to this sea of flowers once again. But this time, it wasn't because he was pulled in after falling asleep or because his dreams were disturbed—it was purely due to losing consciousness.
After that Shakespeare book automatically unraveled into blank pages that clung to him, Naoki lost consciousness. When he came to, he was already here.
"That great writer designed it meticulously. Though he said he'd write a work with you as the protagonist, he didn't write a single word. It was a blank literary book."
"The power you've shown is beyond the scope of his imagination. He couldn't fathom the situations you might face, so he gave up writing it himself and handed the authorship to you."
Merry's words made Naoki frown. "Handed the authorship to me?"
"Well, simply put, those book pages have merged with your body. They won't affect you at all, not one bit. They'll just faithfully record everything you experience, and after you die, they'll reassemble into a biography chronicling your entire life."
"Of course, since they've merged with your body, not only your present and future but even your past experiences will be recorded. Our great writer probably thought that rather than imagining unrealistic scenarios, it'd be better to directly depict your life. That's bound to be far more interesting."
"That bastard Shakespeare…"
Naoki sipped his tea irritably. "In the end, he still set me up."
"Isn't that a good thing?" Merry laughed. "This way, even after you die, your story will live on. Maybe after you're gone, that book will even become your Holy Relic."
"Am I guaranteed to become a Heroic Spirit?"
"More like, why do you think you're not worthy of being a Heroic Spirit? Or do you not want to be one?"
Naoki nodded. "Being a Heroic Spirit means staying in the Throne of Heroes, right? I don't know what the Throne of Heroes is like, but it probably means being stuck in some space forever?"
"Hm, theoretically, yes."
"Then I'm at a huge loss. If I'm stuck there, I won't be able to meet you, right?"
This sudden direct hit left Merry momentarily speechless. After a long pause, she replied with a distant gaze, "Well… I suppose not. As long as my ritual exists, in dreams, we could still…"
"But it's just a dream. I want to be with the real you—"
*CRACK!*
A bolt of lightning suddenly struck, cutting off Naoki's words.
Naoki looked up, puzzled. "It can thunder here too?"
"Maybe there's an issue with my ritual's performance. I'll check it later." Merry back to her usual expression, smiled as always. "Anyway, your body's about to wake up. I'll escort you out now."
"Merry, I—"
*WHACK!*
She sent Naoki—no, more like expelled him. Without giving him a chance to drop a third "bomb." Merry promptly threw him out of her world.
With a slightly flushed face, Merry lay on the table, glancing at the spot in front of her and sighing softly. "Haaah~ Really… what am I supposed to do now?"
[Still pretending to be innocent at your age?]
The sudden voice made Merry stiffen for a moment before she raised her middle finger. "I don't want to hear that from Manaka, who was ruthlessly discarded."
[You—]
◆━⊰✧⊱━◆
The Real World
As he opened his eyes, Naoki saw Mordred staring at him.
"Yo, Master, you're finally awake."
"Mordred, I…"
Sitting up, Naoki glanced around—not the ruins from before, but a plain that felt strangely familiar.
"Near the Greater Holy Grail? Why am I here?"
"Ask yourself." Mordred said, annoyed. "Earlier, while I and this cat girl were fighting the Black Faction here, we saw that flying Hanging Gardens suddenly collapse. I thought you might've destroyed it and wasn't going to bother, but then this girl noticed you falling from it, so we rushed to save you."
Mordred pointed to someone beside her as she spoke.
It was Atalanta.
"A guy like you falling from there—were the Hanging Gardens attacked?" Atalanta asked.
"Attacked… Maybe. First, I fought Karna, then Gray fought the Priest, and finally, there was Gray's Holy Spear release. Added up, it could've brought the gardens down."
Shocking details kept spilling from Naoki's mouth. Mordred, who already knew the specifics, wasn't too surprised, but Atalanta was genuinely stunned.
"You… fought Lancer? And the Priest and the Queen… why?"
"Long story. In short, ideological differences. Plus, if I didn't stop them, humanity would've gone extinct." Naoki said, spreading his hands. "If you want to hear, I can explain in detail later."
"No, forget it, no need."
Atalanta shook her head.
"I think I can piece together what happened here."
"Good, saves me the trouble… What's the Black Faction's status?"
"Completely crushed." Mordred replied. "No, more like Rider and Berserker were taken care of by me and this girl. As for Black Archer… that depends on Achilles' heel."
Achilles and Chiron?
Achilles had won before, and it seemed he did again. But even if he lost, Naoki wouldn't be surprised. In that one-on-one arena, victory or defeat hinged solely on individual skill.
"So, both the Black and Red Factions are nearly wiped out."
Standing, Naoki stretched his arms and legs. "But in terms of remaining combat strength, you could say it's a Red Faction victory. And right now, Atalanta, you're the only Red Faction Servant left."
"That's right. What are you getting at?"
"Will you claim your prize—the Greater Holy Grail?"
The Greater Holy Grail?!
Atalanta's eyes lit up briefly, but she soon glanced at Mordred. "No, per the rules, after the Black Faction's defeat, the remaining Red Faction Servants must fight internally to determine the final winner. Saber—"
"I'm no longer a Servant, and my wish has been granted." Mordred said. "On the first night, after destroying the Black Faction's castle, Master and I went to the Greater Holy Grail and made our wish."
"What? But the Greater Holy Grail is only for the winner—"
"Who said only the winner can make a wish?" Naoki laughed. "'The winner can make a wish'—that's just because, at that point, no one else is left to make one, so only the winner can. In reality, anyone who reaches the Grail can make a wish."
Atalanta struggled to process this. This Master-Servant duo had ignored the rules and made a wish on the first night? Wasn't there supposed to be a Ruler in this Holy Grail War to regulate things?
"Well, if you want to follow the rules, that's fine, but to become the final winner…"
Naoki turned to look behind him. Not far off, someone covered in wounds was approaching.
It was Achilles.
"Yo, Big Sis, and Saber and her Master—no, from your conversation, you're not Saber anymore?" Achilles, leaning on his cross-shaped spear, scanned the group before settling on Atalanta. "So, now it's just me and Big Sis left."
"Indeed. From the look of you, you defeated your teacher." Atalanta said, glancing at his heel—it was bleeding.
"His invincibility was broken? The leg strength he prided himself on is gone too."
Achilles gave a wry smile. "Teacher was incredible. Even though I beat him, he still used his Noble Phantasm to pierce my weak point in the end… Thanks to that, my strength's down to half."
"In this state, fighting Big Sis, who's barely injured, I'd definitely lose."
Even as he said this, Achilles pointed his spear at Atalanta.
"But don't expect me to give up. A warrior never surrenders, no matter what. Don't underestimate me just because I'm wounded, Big Sis."