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Yuto didn't waste a second. The moment he decided to catch some sleep, he was out, leaving Medusa staring at his peaceful, handsome face, her thoughts a tangled mess. She'd braced herself for an explosion of anger after their latest clash, but instead, she felt like she'd swung at nothing and hit soft cotton. It was maddening.
"Why's this guy so damn carefree?" she muttered, glaring at him. Yet, despite her irritation, she couldn't stop herself from quietly tucking the blanket over him. It was a small, begrudging act of care she'd never admit to.
...
Night fell like a heavy curtain over the town. The moon glowed bright overhead, streetlights flickered on, casting faint pools of light beside swaying tree shadows. Everything seemed calm, almost too perfect. But beneath that stillness, something darker was brewing; a storm waiting to break.
"Tonight's the final showdown, Archer. Are you ready?" Artoria asked, her voice soft as she nestled into Yuto's arms, small and trusting like a rabbit seeking shelter. The night wind howled past them, sharp and restless.
Yuto grinned, giving her head a playful pat. "Ready? My magical energy's practically overflowing. How about you? Are you feeling okay after last night?"
Her face flushed a deep red, the memory of his "training" still fresh. Overnight, she'd shed the last traces of girlhood, her aura now tinged with a quiet, alluring charm. Her golden hair framed her rosy cheeks, making her look more captivating than ever.
"Archer… if the war ends, will you leave this world?" Her voice dipped, heavy with worry. She'd heard from Rin Tohsaka how Servants relied on the Holy Grail's power to stay in reality. If the war ended, would he vanish back to the Throne of Heroes, leaving her behind?
"Hey, Artoria, relax," Yuto said, his tone warm but easygoing, like he was brushing off a minor inconvenience. "I'm not your average Servant. Once this is over, I'll stick around without any problem." He flashed her a confident smirk, the kind that made it hard not to believe him.
Her eyes softened. "I trust you, Archer." Though he hadn't been in her life long, Yuto had already carved a permanent place in her heart. Losing him wasn't an option she could stomach and with his reassurance, she let the fear slip away.
....
Deep in the mountains, Medea, the so-called "Witch of Betrayal", hovered over a pool of water, her face tight with unease. She fiddled with a massive container, something like a steel furnace etched with strange, unreadable patterns. Magical energy pulsed from it in waves, strong and unsteady. She was forging a small Holy Grail, a task forced on her by the tyrannical Hero King, Gilgamesh.
Normally, Medea wouldn't bend so easily. But against Gilgamesh's cruel dominance, she had no choice, obedience was her only play. "That Archer guy… he'll show up today, right?" she murmured, her mind racing. She couldn't crack this trap on her own. Her only hope was Yuto and his group stirring up enough chaos to give her an opening to slip away.
What she didn't know was that the Holy Grail she had been longing for was already corrupted, dripping with sinister black mud.
...…..
"Merciful Lord, forgive these ignorant sinners," Kirei Kotomine chanted, hands clasped under the moonlight, his voice low and steady. He looked every bit the devout priest, until you noticed the lake behind him, its surface churning with dark, cursed sludge.
"You never get tired of that, do you, Kirei?" Gilgamesh drawled, lounging with a glass of wine, her long legs crossed. Her crimson eyes glinted with amusement as she watched him pray over the tainted Great Holy Grail. For her, a queen who thrived on chaos, his hypocrisy was a delightful show.
"Your Excellency, this is the duty of a priest. A priest recognized by the church must complete his daily duties even if there is no one supervising him."
"Tsk."
The lake had once been pristine, but now it was a nightmare. Black mud spewed from the Grail at its center. Summoning the Grail required a spiritual vein, and this remote spot was Gilgamesh's pick. Medea, wary of the mud's deadly pull on Servants, kept her distance, her gaze flickering between the Grail's malice and her slim chances of escape.
"Why's it leaking that stuff?" she muttered, tugging her purple hood lower. The Grail should've been a tool of power, not this oozing evil. Something was off, and Gilgamesh's plans were starting to feel like a disaster she didn't want to stick around for.
Just when the Caster was planning about running away, several undisguised came from the barrier.
Yuto, Artoria, and their allies closed in, the air growing thick with an ominous chill. The closer they got, the stronger the magical energy hit them, vast and unrelenting like an ocean tide.
"Hmph, the hyenas finally showed up," Gilgamesh sneered, turning to face them. She'd swapped her casual look for golden armor, radiating arrogance. Even against three Servants and three Masters, she didn't flinch. Victory was already hers in her mind.
"Is that… Kirei Kotomine?" Rin froze, spotting the priest beside Gilgamesh. He wasn't supposed to be here, not as a neutral overseer turned enemy.
"Rin," Kirei said, his voice gravelly as he turned, a twisted smile spreading across his face. "I've waited ten years to see that shocked look on you."
Rin's eyes widened. "Why you?!"
He laughed, a sick, gleeful sound. "Since we're past pretending, guess what else I've got to share. Here's a hint: ten years ago."
Her breath caught. "What about ten years ago?"
"You're smart, Rin. You should know." His grin widened. "Your father, Tokiomi Tohsaka, my mentor, I killed him myself in the Fourth Holy Grail War."
"You bastard!" Rin's fists clenched, her usual calm shattered. "You deserve hell! Lancer, take him out!"
"On it," Scathach replied, her red spear gleaming as she aimed for Kirei. But before she could strike, golden ripples split the air.
Whoosh! Whoosh! Whoosh!
One after another several weapons fell from those golden ripples.
"Who said you could move, mongrel?" Gilgamesh snapped, arms crossed midair.
"Like I'd let my father's killer walk!" Sakura Tohsaka shouted, her rare anger flaring. "Saber, finish him!"
Medusa, Saber class, swung her golden sword, a Noble Phantasm tied to the monster Chrysaor. A white Pegasus burst forth, followed by Chrysaor himself and a swarm of snake-bodied Echidnas. The golden light blazed like a rising sun, the monsters charging towards Kirei with terrifying speed.
Kirei dodged, black keys flashing between his fingers.
But he couldn't keep up forever. A sharp bite from an Echidna tore into his chest, blood staining his robes. Just as the Tohsaka sisters were preparing to deliver a finishing blow, Kirie, now desperate, bolted straight into the black mud.
"Is he crazy?" Rin blinked, confused.
Just when the girls were puzzled, bubbles popped on the lake surface and black-mud monsters: spiked,tentacled horrors erupted from the surface. Thousands of them screeched, a living nightmare spawned from the Grail.
"What the hell is that?" All the girls present were horrified.
"Hahaha, this is the 'Holy Grail,' you are pursuing." Kirei said, rising from the mud, a grotesque mouth forming over his wound. He stood, sane despite the corruption, reveling in their horror.
"That's the Grail?" Artoria's voice dripped with disgust.
"Exactly," Kirei smirked. "Ten years ago, the Lesser Grail broke, and the Servants' souls got trapped in the Great Holy Grail. This is the result."
"Those things… are Servants?" Rin's voice shook.
Medusa cut in, sharp and steady. "Hold on. He's hiding something. There can't be this many Servants."
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