Irisviel von Einzbern, a homunculus created by the Einzbern family, held another identity...the Lesser Holy Grail.
In this Fourth Holy Grail War, beyond serving as Berserker's Master, Irisviel had another crucial role.
That was to collect the souls of defeated Servants until the end of the war, when the Greater Holy Grail would complete the final special ritual.
At this moment, what Manaka Sajyou was doing was transferring the Lesser Holy Grail into her clone.
During this process, Manaka came into contact with something special, the "Greater Holy Grail"—and in doing so, awakened a lingering consciousness hidden deep within it.
—Justeaze Lizrich von Einzbern.
Her other identity was one of the creators of the Fuyuki Holy Grail system, the head of the Einzbern family known as the "Winter Saint."
Manaka Sajyou's eyes brimmed with surprise and curiosity as she looked at the woman before her, whose aura was now starkly different from Irisviel's.
Even she hadn't expected that, while transferring the Lesser Holy Grail, she would awaken the consciousness of Irisviel's ancestor, the "Winter Saint."
And now, the Winter Saint was possessing Irisviel's body...
Compared to Irisviel's usual fragility, the woman before her now exuded a colder, more divine presence.
"This Holy Grail War is far more interesting than I imagined."
Manaka's eyes sparkled with excitement as she couldn't help but reach out to gently touch Irisviel's or rather, the Winter Saint's—face.
At the same time, the Winter Saint looked up at the girl before her, a trace of confusion in her cool crimson eyes. "The Root Princess...?" She said softly.
Though her movements were restricted, with her unique perception, the Winter Saint could still sense the distinctive magical energy emanating from Manaka.
A mage's magical circuits were their foundation... yet Manaka's body was as if she had none at all.
Because her magical energy came from the ultimate pursuit of all mages—the Root.
"I never expected a 'monster' like you in this Holy Grail War..."
The Winter Saint's voice was crisp and melodious.
Despite being tightly bound by the "silver threads," her tone and demeanor remained gentle and calm, possessing a strange, soothing magic that could pacify even the most restless heart.
"Though you look very similar to Miss Irisviel, upon closer inspection, you're quite different."
Manaka marveled as she looked the silver-haired woman before her and spoke. "Your magical energy is identical to the Greater Holy Grail in this city... No, it's completely the same."
"You must be the great mage who slumbers within the 'Greater Holy Grail,' the former head of the Einzbern family, right?"
The Winter Saint's gaze carried a gentle compassion, as if pitying the world.
Even bound, she exuded an otherworldly elegance.
Yet her crimson eyes held a trace of bewitching allure.
The world was full of beautiful women, but it was rare to find someone so ethereal, as if detached from the mortal realm.
She silently gazed at Manaka and said softly, "You're transferring the 'Lesser Holy Grail' to ensure the 'omnipotent wish-granting device' falls into your hands?"
Manaka replied calmly,
"Don't misunderstand. I have no interest in you or the Holy Grail... I only want the Holy Grail War to continue forever. That's all."
"As for awakening you... that was purely an accident."
"You want the Holy Grail War to continue forever...?"
Hearing her words, the Winter Saint was stunned for a moment.
Even she couldn't comprehend what Manaka Sajyou was trying to achieve.
Logically, every Master participated in the Holy Grail War to obtain the omnipotent wish-granting device.
Yet this girl went to such lengths just to make the Holy Grail War eternal?
"Though I don't know what you're planning, you should give up, Root Princess."
In the next moment, the Winter Saint spoke.
Her voice was ethereal and gentle, almost illusory, as if it didn't belong to this world, carrying a hazy beauty.
"The Greater Holy Grail was not created to fulfill someone's selfish desires... What you're doing will only lead to your own downfall."
"That's not for you to worry about," Manaka Sajyou replied lightly.
As the two conversed, the transfer ritual for the Lesser Holy Grail was nearly complete.
Manaka closed her eyes as if savoring the sensation, seemingly intoxicated by the feeling of controlling the "rules."
"The Greater Holy Grail, a special construct formed by the 'Third Magic,' isn't it? No wonder I couldn't directly alter the Holy Grail's rules at first."
Her tone was filled with delight.
In the Type-Moon world, anything deemed 'magic' carried immense prestige, and the Third Magic was no exception.
Deconstructing the Winter Saint's magical circuits to create a cosmic human framework...that was the concept behind the Greater Holy Grail.
Even Manaka couldn't directly modify the Grail's rules from the surface.
But now, after transferring the Lesser Holy Grail, she could appropriately alter the "Holy Grail rules."
"Speaking of which, the Holy Grail War is a ritual where Servants fight to the death, and the defeated Servants' souls are used to fill the Grail with magical energy to trigger its miracle, right?"
Manaka suddenly looked at the silver-haired beauty with curious eyes, saying, "If one or two Servants survive until the end and there isn't enough magical energy, will the Greater Holy Grail still manifest?"
The Winter Saint didn't respond, but from her demeanor, Manaka gleaned something and smiled faintly.
"It seems it won't, huh?"
"In that case, let's start by rewriting one of the Holy Grail's rules."
"...What exactly are you trying to do?" The Winter Saint asked instinctively.
"Since it requires enough defeated Servants to make the Greater Holy Grail manifest... why not just add a new class to this Holy Grail War?"
Manaka gently touched her cherry lips with her fingertip, tilting her head with a radiant smile.
"As long as we fill it with more magical energy, the Greater Holy Grail will appear, won't it?"
"Because of your overwhelming power, you act without restraint..."
The Winter Saint quietly closed her eyes and said softly, "Your arrogance will be your downfall, Root Princess."
"If I could actually fail, that would be a fascinating experience. I'm rather looking forward to it,"
Manaka replied with a light smile.
She wasn't deliberately boasting; the girl genuinely believed that tasting 'failure' could be a beautiful thing.
Manaka fell silent, closing her eyes to begin analyzing the structure of the Lesser Holy Grail and modifying its rules.
At the same time, the Winter Saint's fingertips subtly twitched.
In the adjacent mage workshop, a little silver-haired girl, who was previously in a 'comatose' state, slowly opened her eyes.
Her crimson eyes were clear and pure, as if untouched by the ways of the world.
Illya!
When Manaka had infiltrated the Einzbern Castle, she had captured both Irisviel and her daughter.
However, because Illya was so weak, Manaka didn't paid her much attention and just confined her in another mage workshop.
"Illya..."
At that moment, Illya suddenly heard a woman's voice abruptly echo in her mind.
Initially confused, Illya's eyes widened as she recognized the voice. "...Mom?!"
"Where are you? Why can't I find you?"
Her clear, pleasant voice carried a hint of panic.
"Don't ask too many questions for now. Listen carefully, Illya... What I'm about to say is very important."
The woman's voice continued,
"I've used the 'silver threads' to open the door for you. Follow the path guided by the threads, leave this place, and find someone..."
...
The Holy Church.
In the hall, a man dressed elegantly sat on a wooden chair, watching a priest praying to 'God' in front of him.
Neither had spoken since earlier.
After an unknown amount of time, Kirei Kotomine finally broke the silence. "Things seem to be much worse than we imagined."
"Berserker... I never expected he'd be the first to be eliminated."
Among the Servants, Berserker's combat strength was undoubtedly among the top tier.
According to the intelligence from Assassin tonight, Berserker's identity was suspected to be Britain's 'Old King,' the White Dragon Vortigern.
"Archer is already getting restless. If Caster's side hadn't intervened tonight, he might have already made a move," Tohsaka Tokiomi said gravely.
Though he had confidence in the Hero King, Alvin's display of power tonight still filled Tokiomi with awe.
Under normal circumstances, the gap between two Servants wouldn't be particularly significant... unless one of them was an exceptional, rule-breaking Servant.
Gilgamesh and Alvin clearly fell into the latter category.
Even so, thinking about everything that happened tonight, Tohsaka Tokiomi couldn't shake the unease and anxiety in his heart.
Even though Saber had lost his Master, no one knew how long his [Independent Manifestation] could sustain him.
"Tonight, Assassin brought back another piece of information."
Kirei Kotomine spoke in a low tone. "The Master who summoned Caster visited the Matou residence tonight."
"There's another matter of concern... Tonight, all the Masters made an appearance, except for the Matou family, who should have participated in this Holy Grail War but didn't have a Master present."
Hearing this, Tohsaka Tokiomi lowered his eyes, a fleeting shadow crossing his gaze.
"So, Caster's Master was hired by the Matou family to participate in this Holy Grail War...?"
"It seems we'll need to find an opportunity to investigate Caster's side."
...
The Matou residence.
After seeing Matou Kariya off, Morgan rose and left the Matou estate.
Outside, snow fell heavily.
Her elegant dress accentuated her graceful figure, and a veil concealed her ethereal beauty.
Her clear, mirror-like eyes reflected the winter snow, exuding an aloof, unapproachable aura.
Altria silently followed behind her.
Compared to Morgan le Fay, she wore a white dress, her cascading golden hair flowing naturally.
Beneath her skirt, black thigh-high stockings hugged her slender legs, faintly revealing the snowy skin of her thighs.
Each sister alone was stunning, but together, their charm multiplied exponentially.
As they neared the edge of the Matou estate, Morgan paused and glanced back at her sister.
"You don't have to follow me."
"No matter how our relationship was in the past, during the Holy Grail War, since I chose to accept your summoning, you are my Master... Ignoring my Master's safety would go against a Servant's duty,"
Altria said calmly.
However, even thought she said that, wasn't she really just worried about Morgan acting recklessly on her own?
Morgan pursed her lips but didn't call her out.
"In that case, don't interfere later... This is an order from your Master. Any objections?"
A trace of doubt flickered in Altria's eyes.
"Alright... I understand."
Though puzzled, under Morgan's gaze, she ultimately agreed.
...
"How can I find Manaka?"
That night, Alvin sat by the bedside, watching the sleeping Matou Sakura, lost in thought.
Under normal circumstances, if Manaka Sajyou wanted to see him, a single Command Seal would suffice.
But she clearly didn't want to be found or discovered to be alive, so she had used some special magical barrier to conceal her presence.
As a result, he had no leads to track her down.
The winter snow battered the glass windows outside. Alvin glanced at the sleeping girl, quietly turning off the bedside lamp.
Tick...
At that moment, a deep blue ripple suddenly spread through the room.
Like a drop of water hitting a lake, it sent out waves of ripples.
...An intruder!
Alvin's senses immediately went on high alert.
After tonight's battle, every faction would want to avoid him, wary of being dragged down by a 'dying' Saber.
Yet someone dared to come knocking at this critical moment...?
Alvin quickly collected his thoughts, rose, and left the room, his senses locking onto a corner of the living room before he said in a low voice, "Come out. I know you're there."
As his words fell and he looked, a silver-haired girl quietly emerged from the shadows in the corner, cautiously peering at the young man before her.
Her petite frame was draped in a white dress, revealing slender, snow-white legs that gleamed like crystal.
Her bare feet were as pale as snow, and her delicate aura was almost pitiable... strikingly similar to her mother.
Alvin was stunned for a long moment before finally coming to his senses as a name surfaced in his mind.
...Illya?!
Why was she here?
Illya took a few steps forward, clutching Alvin's sleeve and whispering, "Save..."
"What?"
Alvin didn't catch her words, but before he could ask, the silver-haired girl collapsed, completely unconscious.