As Will's group in the real world descended deeper through London's underground passages, Guinevere's party in the dream realm was ascending the inverted tower.
However, the tower was still swarming with monsters.
Yet, unlike the diverse horde of fantastical beasts Will had encountered, Guinevere's group faced only one type of enemy now—
The immortal, faceless ones.
These faceless creatures were identical to those Guinevere and the others had faced in the grand hall when they confronted Shakespeare. The only difference was that these monsters skipped the grotesque ritual of gouging out their eyes—their pale, paper-like masks already in place from the moment they appeared.
Still, the sensation of being watched by unseen gazes emanating from behind those masks was just as dreadful.
Worse yet was their immortality. No matter how they were hacked, slashed, or torn apart, they couldn't be killed. Severed into dozens of pieces? They'd reattach through tendrils or grow new limbs from their wounds. They weren't strong individually, but they were persistently hard to deal with.
And now, inside the tower, there wasn't exactly a convenient lake nearby to toss them into again.
Out of options, Guinevere came up with a plan—not elegant, but practical.
"We'll just brute force our way through."
He sighed as he eyed the faceless ones.
"Mordred, carry me."
"Huh?"
Mordred blinked in surprise, and Bavanzi practically leapt in protest.
"Wait, what?! Now of all times? What the hell for?!"
"Relax. Just listen," Guinevere waved her off. "We can't kill them, so it's a waste of time to engage them. These things aren't particularly fast or strong, so we're better off just charging straight through. Mordred is fast. If she carries me, I won't slow anyone down."
"Oh, is that all…" Bavanzi paused, then quickly blurted, "Then why don't I carry you instead—"
"Oh come on, sis," Mordred rolled her eyes. "Now's not the time to be petty. I'm stronger. Besides, are you really worried I'll fall for him or something?"
With a smirk, she looked toward Guinevere.
"You're okay with a princess carry, right?"
"Would it matter if I wasn't?" Guinevere sighed. "Time is of the essence. Whatever's most convenient. Just… be gentle this time."
"Don't worry. We've been through enough together—I've got you."
Stripping off her armor to reveal her casual wear, Mordred crouched slightly. One arm wrapped around Guinevere's back, the other swept under his knees, and with practiced ease, she lifted him off the ground. Reflexively, Guinevere wrapped an arm around her neck.
"Hang on tight!"
With a stomp that cracked the floor, Mordred launched forward like a bullet, bursting past the faceless ones before they could react.
"What the hell?!" Bavanzi stomped her foot. "Why are you two so practiced at this?!"
Grumbling, she sped after them, with Jack and Frankenstein following closely behind.
Thus began their upward sprint through the tower's many levels.
They passed through sections styled like London's clock tower, then into old brick corridors, and finally into an ancient cavern tunnel.
They didn't know how far they'd climbed when an overwhelming surge of magical energy stopped Mordred in her tracks.
Even without seeing it, they could feel the pressure ahead—an oppressive power so strong it could only be one thing: the Holy Grail. Even the wind flowing from the tunnel ahead carried a suffocating weight.
"You okay?" Mordred gently set Guinevere down.
"I'm fine. My body's stronger now—this bit of jostling isn't enough to faze me."
He shook his head to clear the dizziness, then turned back. He could still hear the footsteps and guttural roars of the faceless ones chasing them.
"This is perfect," Guinevere said, eyeing the narrow tunnel behind them. "One person here can hold them off. They're weak, but if they crash our final battle, it'll be a problem."
"Rrrahhh—"
Frankenstein suddenly growled. Guinevere turned and saw her dragging Jeanne toward the tunnel's mouth.
"Frankenstein… you're volunteering to hold the line?" he asked.
"Mm!"
She nodded firmly.
"That works," Guinevere said. "Your weapon's blunt. Even if you can't kill them, smashing them back should work."
Then his gaze turned toward the ever-obedient Jack. He hesitated for a moment, then added,
"Jack… you stay here too. Watch over your sister Frankenstein."
One servant should've been enough, but given how dangerous things were getting, Guinevere didn't want a child like Jack involved in what came next.
"But…"
Jack looked reluctant, her voice trailing off. Guinevere quickly shot Mordred a glance.
Catching on immediately, Mordred added, a bit hesitantly,
"Jack, listen to your daddy, okay? He needs you here."
"…Okay!"
If both her beloved mommy and daddy said so, Jack couldn't refuse. She nodded firmly:
"Jack will be good! I won't disappoint you!"
"Then I'm counting on you two."
Guinevere exhaled in relief, then turned without delay. Passing through the final tunnel—
...
After what felt like an eternity of endless tunnels, Guinevere emerged into a vast, ominous cavern.
It reminded him of that moment in Singularity F when they arrived beneath Ryuudou Temple with Ritsuka and the others.
The chamber was bathed in purple-black light. Far ahead, a tall platform burned with an ethereal flame that licked the high stone ceiling above, casting flickering shadows like an eerie twilight.
But the flame's glow couldn't fully reach the ceiling—it was too far. From below, it looked less like a stone roof and more like a swirling night sky.
Along the cavern wall, a massive mechanical device churned rhythmically, like a beating heart. Thick fog poured from it in all directions.
"It's almost like Fuyuki's Greater Grail…" Mash whispered. "Such powerful magical energy—this core is insane."
"I'm reading it too," came Roman's voice from above. "This must be the source of the fog. It's enormous… befitting of the name Angrboda. She really does live up to her giant namesake."
"Not really the point," Will cut in coolly. "Look—here comes the final boss."
As he spoke, a blue-haired man slowly stepped forward from the fog in front of the massive machine.
"Astonishing," he muttered. "Just as von Hohenheim predicted. You've reached this place not only in the dream, but in reality as well—!"
Before he could finish, the air exploded. In the blink of an eye, Will closed the distance and lunged for his throat—
But his hand passed straight through.
"…An illusion?"
Will narrowed his eyes.
"Barbatos must've given you the intel, right?" Makiri's illusion said, brushing off the attack. "Not surprising. He was never truly committed to our cause. But I didn't expect you to be this powerful. If I'd left my real body here, you would've wiped me out instantly."
"It was lucky Hohenheim encountered you first and sealed you in the real world. Otherwise, you might've ruined everything."
The illusion didn't linger. It walked past Will and stood at the cliff's edge.
"Your split-strategy isn't bad—very clever. By reaching this place in reality, you've blocked our second plan entirely."
He turned back with a faint smile.
"I know how powerful you are. Even as a Demon Pillar, I wouldn't stand a chance. So I never intended to fight you at all."
"I placed all my bets… in the dream realm."
"Yes, that's right."
"I didn't even leave a single Servant to activate the fog with electricity here."
Will's expression darkened instantly.
"Ritsuka! Contact Nursery Rhyme!" he shouted. "What's going on in the dream realm?!"
...
"Yeah, it's a real mess!"
Guinevere shouted back in response to the inquiry from the real world.
Before him now—mounted on a black horse, wielding a black lance—stood one Artoria.
Floating behind her—four crystalline swords at her back, a crown of four rhombus marks upon her brow—was another Artoria.
And together, they were relentlessly overpowering Mordred and Bavanzi.