At this moment, within Red Assassin's Noble Phantasm—the Aerial Garden of Vanity… all of Red's Servants, save for Caster, had gathered.
Standing before Shirou and Assassin were their own Archer, Atalanta, and Rider, Achilles.
"So… where are our Masters?"
Achilles gripped his spear, glaring with displeasure as he glanced around the grand, throne-decked hall.
"They are all alive, confined within rooms here in the garden. There was no need to kill them."
Amakusa Shirou Tokisada answered with a faint smile.
Achilles' brows furrowed. Rage blazed in his eyes as he glared at him.
"You bastard—!!"
This man had already told them that he had gathered all of Red's Masters together, placed them under some magecraft, and taken all their Command Spells for himself. Now, every Red Servant had to obey his orders. Worse still, their own Masters' lives were uncertain, yet they were forced to follow this man's will. The sheer gall of it made him seethe!
"Heh… people who only care about grabbing things before others are a nuisance."
Assassin crossed her arms, mocking him with disdain, the corner of her mouth curling in scorn.
"!!" ×2
Both Archer and Rider nearly stepped forward to strike her.
"You think only of yourselves—you're no different."
But Karna, leaning against a wall, cut them down with his cold voice.
"You—!"
"If I say their lives are unharmed, will you believe me?"
Shirou cut in before Assassin could continue, posing his question calmly. Beside him, the Empress turned her face away with irritation.
"Alive first, then we'll talk. Don't give us this 'should be' crap!"
Achilles clicked his tongue, snapping loudly.
"Very well… then I 'guarantee' they live. Is that satisfactory?"
Shirou did not anger; instead, he smiled faintly, casting him a sidelong glance.
"…Tch!"
Achilles folded his arms, refusing to reply.
Atalanta, however, thought for a moment.
"…There's no helping it. We must acknowledge you as our Master."
At last, she yielded. For the sake of the Grail, for her wish, she would endure. If the end was worthwhile, then so be it.
"Hey… don't lump me in with you, missy. You think this 'no choice' excuse solves everything? Me, I…"
Achilles leaned close to Atalanta's ear.
"I don't trust either of those two."
He muttered under his breath.
"…We'll discuss this later. But personally, I have no attachment to a weak Master. If abandoning him means victory, then I'll gladly do so."
At her reply, Achilles let out a weary sigh, then leveled his spear at Shirou.
"So you won't discard us in the end? If you dare say 'yes,' I'll run you through here and now."
"How could I? Your wishes will be fulfilled as well."
Shirou met his gaze squarely.
"…."
Achilles fell silent.
"Then, tell me—your wishes. Rider, you first."
"Hmph… My wish has never changed. To live as a hero. That is all."
Achilles stared at the silver gleam of his spear's blade, reflected in the hall's light… shining back into his eyes.
"I see~ how ordinary."
The Empress' tone dripped with mockery.
"There is no high or low in one's wish."
Shirou answered calmly.
"Heh… regardless, I am selfish—much like a certain empress."
Achilles shot back without hesitation.
"…You really dare say that."
Her face darkened, brows furrowing as her voice grew low.
"Heh…"
Achilles sneered, unfazed.
"Archer… what about you?"
Shirou turned toward the beast-eared huntress beside him.
"My wish is for a world where every child is loved."
Atalanta stepped forward, answering firmly.
"…Then your wish is rather foolish, Archer."
The Empress immediately mocked her.
"What did you say?!"
Atalanta's anger flared.
"The Holy Grail exists for such a purpose! If it cannot even realize this, what use is it?!"
She shouted hysterically at the others.
"Haa…"
The Empress sighed in weariness.
"The Holy Grail will surely grant your wish… and mine as well."
Shirou, like a preacher, spoke gently, sharing his grand wish with them.
"Hmph… To save all of humanity?"
Atalanta frowned, asking quietly.
"Yes…"
Shirou nodded.
"Lancer, what of you?"
Perhaps placated for the moment, Atalanta turned toward Karna, who had remained silent all this time.
At the question, Karna opened his blue eyes. Rising, he stepped forward, the sound of his golden armor scraping crisply.
"One of those Masters summoned me. Therefore, my duty is simply to continue wielding this spear."
Whoosh!
The golden spear spun in his hand before pointing toward the group, heat radiating faintly in its wake.
"You intend to serve your original Master still? How amusing."
The Empress' eyes narrowed dangerously, sharp as a serpent's.
"That is my wish. Or rather, it is the duty a Servant must uphold—a promise to the Master who summoned him."
His gaze swept across them all.
"However… I too have a personal wish."
Shifting his tone, he lowered the spear.
"Your own wish?"
The Empress arched a brow.
But Shirou already knew. Smiling faintly, he asked:
"To face Black's Saber once more?"
Karna nodded.
"Indeed. If that can be fulfilled, I will burn away all who dare steal the Grail—for she and I swore to meet again in battle!"
"I see… Then—"
Clack!!
"Tch…"
The sudden sound of the door opening made the Empress press her hand to her forehead in irritation.
"Comrades~! News! Caster is out!"
Red Caster, Shakespeare, burst into the hall loudly, as if he owned the place.
"Then the one before us is a ghost? Begone, before you soil my sight."
The Empress waved him off with disdain.
"No, no… I mean Black's Caster, of course…"
Flustered, he explained hurriedly.
"By whom?"
Rider asked.
"By Black's Saber!"
"Tch… that damn woman!"
Rider clicked his tongue, recalling bitterly how she had beaten him before.
"I see… just as expected. Black's numbers have been drastically reduced. Now she alone is their last main force."
Shirou chuckled.
"So, if we kill that lightning woman, victory is ours? Hm?!"
Rider was already raring to fight.
"No… Saber is for Lancer. That is my promise to him."
"Much obliged."
Karna answered simply before vanishing into spirit form.
"Hey! Why?! Wouldn't it be faster if we all attacked together? No matter how strong she is, she can't withstand us all at once!"
Rider roared in frustration.
"Not necessarily…"
Caster chimed in at just the wrong time, earning Rider's furious glare.
"What?!"
"Caster is right. From beginning to end, Saber has never fought with her full power. She holds many secrets still. We must not take her lightly. Besides… we have other matters to prepare. There is no need to fixate solely on Saber."
Shirou strode toward the throne. Yet he did not sit; instead, he turned sideways, his eyes cold and dangerous as they swept over the gathered Servants.
On the other side, within the Black Faction's fortress—
Though the castle had been largely destroyed, a few intact rooms remained. For now, everyone had gathered in one of these, a meeting chamber once used by the Yggdmillennia family.
The chairs were broken and scattered, chunks of plaster had fallen from the walls during the tremors, but they had cleaned the space as best they could. Fortunately, the chandelier was still functional, providing light.
As for the exterior damage to the castle, it could not be repaired quickly. Months of work would be required.
Jeanne now recounted everything she had witnessed within the Aerial Garden of Vanity—including what Chiron had not mentioned before: that Amakusa Shirou Tokisada had imprisoned all of Red's Masters, stripped them of their Command Spells, and seized control of every Red Servant.
"…That is all that I and Archer experienced."
"…" ×N
When she finished, silence fell across the room.
Aside from Chiron, who had seen much of it firsthand, the Shogun, who leaned against the wall indifferent, and Fiore, who sat deep in thought with lowered eyes, everyone else stared in shock. The silence stretched for several minutes.
Sitting to Fiore's left, Caules' thoughts wandered. Darnic, Celenike, Roche—all dead. He never imagined he would be among the last survivors. It was strange, really—he had always thought he would be the first to die.
Was it only thanks to his sister?
He turned his head to glance at Fiore, seated now in the position of family head at the long wooden table. Then his eyes flicked toward the woman in the short kimono standing by the wall. Lowering his gaze again, he quietly bowed his head.
For the present… Fiore was undoubtedly the head of the house. Though unwilling, she had become one of the youngest family heads.
"…Another Ruler? Amakusa Shirou Tokisada, you say?"
After a few seconds, Fiore's soft, delicate voice broke the silence, carrying clearly to all.
"And that Ruler holds the three Command Spells of every Red Servant?"
"Yes. I do not believe his words were false—that was indeed true Command Spells."
Jeanne nodded gravely.
"So then? If that is the case, he must intend to make a wish upon the Grail. Otherwise, why go to such lengths?"
Gordes spoke.
"Yes… He said it himself. His wish is 'to save all humanity.'"
Jeanne sighed as she relayed this.
"What?! 'Save all humanity'?! Hahahahaha!!"
Gordes erupted in unrestrained laughter, utterly mocking the idea. How naive, how absurd! A man who couldn't even manage his own affairs dared think of saving humanity? Ridiculous! It nearly split his sides with laughter.
I see…
The Shogun's heart stirred slightly at Jeanne's words. No wonder Amakusa had spoken those strange words to her when they first met. In hindsight, they fit. Still, that insufferable preacher's manner remained grating.
"Indeed, he truly said that."
Chiron confirmed, nodding to the questioning looks.
(Hahahahaha!!)
Gordes' boorish laughter continued to echo like a barbell clattering, grating to the ear—but the others ignored it.
"Hmph… To dare spout such nonsense!"
Finally catching his breath, Gordes scoffed with disdain.
The Shogun lowered her gaze, looking toward Fiore.
"Can such an unrealistic ideal truly be achieved? With that… Holy Grail?"
She asked quietly.
"Yes… In the end, the Greater Grail is nothing more than a crystalization of magical energy. Stripped of theory and process—if it is only results one seeks, then yes, it could be done."
Fiore nodded lightly, explaining softly.
"How absurd! Impossible—!"
Gordes shouted in protest.
"But… what if Amakusa truly knows a way to save humanity?"
Caules interjected.
"…." ×N
Again, silence fell, his question leaving them all at a loss.
[Would such a method truly save humanity… or only bring calamity upon them?]
At that moment, a voice spoke within her mind. None could hear it but her.
[That kind of method feels unreliable, unrealistic. Or rather…]
'Handing over one's most cherished ideal to an unfamiliar third party to realize—it's utterly meaningless. Is that what you mean?'
The Shogun finished her words seamlessly, perfectly understanding Ei's will.
[Yes… You know me well. Just as I sought to make Inazuma an eternal land, I would never place Inazuma in another's hands. Even if another could fulfill my wish, I would not entrust it. I could not trust them. That is why I entrusted it to you, Shogun.]
[Because I trust you completely.]
Still… she was not speaking against all wishes. A desire like Fiore's—to regain the use of her legs—was worth attempting. But "saving all humanity"? Leaving such an impossible task to the Grail—was that not arrogance?
Chiron too voiced a thought similar to Ei's: could such "salvation" truly be achieved? Or would it only bring calamity?
"If it requires any means… Say, to become the world's greatest magus, one could slaughter every other magus. That too would fulfill the wish, would it not?"
Chiron turned to Jeanne with the question.
"What?!"
Gordes started in shock.
But Jeanne nodded.
"In theory, it is possible… No, in certainty, it could be done."
She corrected herself to affirmation.
"Impossible!! Such a thing can never be forgiven!"
As ever, Gordes' outburst filled the air. His blustering served well to stir the atmosphere, but in truth only returned them all to silence once again.
"Whether it can or not, we cannot allow it. Instead, we must consider what comes next."
Fiore, calm throughout, once more broke the silence.
The girl took a black cone marker and set it upon the map in the center of the table, at their current position.
"This is where we are."
She placed another marker to the far southwest, then drew a straight line between them with a black pen.
"If they move with the Aerial Garden, by distance alone we could intercept them. Rider has his own mount, but as for the rest—we'll use aircraft."
Her slender fingers slid across the map.
Watching the girl plan strategy so deftly, the Shogun almost imagined taking her back to the Shogunate in Inazuma… though it remained only a thought. Fiore was indeed capable.
"But… Red Faction has an Archer. Is flying really wise? And our Servants are already so few."
Chiron frowned slightly.
"Indeed… This is bad. Red has four Servants, and with Amakusa, that makes five. Counting his own Servant, that's six!"
Caules muttered, face drawn. Red had nearly regained the numbers they'd lost.
"How many remain for us?"
Rider asked idly.
"Saber, Archer, Rider…"
Caules glanced toward Fiore.
"And one Assassin…"
"Exclude her."
Gordes waved in disdain.
"Then only three remain!"
Caules gaped, raising three fingers.
"No… four, with me."
Jeanne rose to her feet.
"Still far too few!!"
"Bah, who cares. We have Saber! Round it up, and it's even. Right, Saber~?"
At Gordes' flattery, the Shogun merely sighed lightly. Still, she gave a small nod.
Was such praise wise? What if they failed? She could only scoff inwardly.
For now, this was the only path. Black's side was already at a disadvantage, with chaos at every turn. None could say what might come. They could only proceed step by step. Yet she herself held confidence—she had promised Fiore, and would see it through.
"Master, do not grow careless. Red's Servants are not so easily dismissed."
Chiron reminded gravely.
"I know… I was only speaking lightly."
"Mm… Then Fiore's proposal is our best course."
"Flying?"
"Yes. Otherwise we may never even approach the Aerial Garden. Since only Servants will fight, there is no danger to the others."
Chiron still favored Fiore's simple, direct plan.
"There are enough planes. On that point, rest assured."
Fiore reassured them. Yggdmillennia could bear the cost.
"Uh… very well."