ACT-15 "To the Greater Grail"

...And so, that's how I became Berserker's Master.

Hmm. I see... Hey, kid. Does everyone in this Holy Grail War have a tragic story like that?

So has that clueless optimism of yours finally gotten embarrassing?

Huh? Why?

...I was stupid for asking.

So... Matou was it? Now that you've taken out Archer. What do you plan on doing next?

Finishing off Tohsaka Tokiomi, of course. He's powerless without a Servant. So, this time...

Right.

Bleh!

You punched him? Punched him?! Isn't that going to kill him?!

Hey, Matou Kariya. Who did you want to protect? Who should you save first?

That... would be Sakura...

So if you killed that Tokiomi guy, would the situation change for her right away?

But...without the Grail, Zouken is going to...

So would finishing off Tokiomi be the fastest way to get the Grail?

...

Geez... So your need, priority, and capability aren't lining up in the least, you fool.

You're not worthy of sharing my path of conquest yet! Time to go, kid.

Huh? Where?

To conquer and pillage, of course!

...Huh? Hmm... What?

Unfortunately, it seems the mastermind is out.

Well, I burned all the bugs in that basement to a crisp, so let's call it a day for now. By the way, I brought this girl here with me.

S-Sakura?! You...saved her?

Don't be stupid. I'm not a savior. I'm a conqueror. That makes this girl part of my plunder. She's my slave.

What!?

H-Hey. What are you saying!?

But now that she's my slave, I'm willing to trade her on my own terms.

Do you want to pay her way out of bondage? Matou Kariya, I'll do that for the appropriate price.

Y-You want to solve this with money?

Not at all. That right hand of yours will do. Give it to me, along with your Command Spells.

!?

Huh? But wouldn't that...

Well with your current state, it's possible you'd die. It's your one life, you decide what to do with it.

Do you take the chance to save this girl and possibly live your days, or fight to the end with Berserker? You decide.

Sakura...

...Okay. Take my right hand.

Got it. Then clench your teeth hard and endure it.

Gah...

Good. It seems the crest worms came along with the hand. I'm sure they'd pick the Command Spells over their host.

W-Will...he be okay?

The rest is up to fate, though his chances are low. Kid, take care of him as much as you can.

I-I am not that good with healing spells!

Hey, Mithrenes!

This girl and half-dead boy here. Take them out of Fuyuki, find a building with a red cross on it, carry them there, and return.

...Is that the kind of job you would ask a Heroic Spirit to do?

You're the one who had me get water from a river, and you want to say that?

Well, there is no other course. We must hurry and head to the next battle.

The next? You're going to fight them all? Without Berserker?

You worried, kid?

What are you saying? You're stronger than everyone.

I don't think we'd lose, even if all the Servants came at us at once!

Hahahaha! Well said! Now, let us hurry to the decisive battle!

M-My manor is burning! My cute bugs are dead?

That Kariya! What did you do!? And where's Sakura!? They ran out on me!

Gah!! Those damn brats!

uaaaaa...

...Huh? Berserker? His magical energy has been used up and he's about to disappear...

...These are... Kariya's Command Spells? He turned his back on the Holy Grail War and ran!

But for him to cut off his hand and dump it here... That's not something a coward like him would do...

uaaaaa...

Aww, there, there. You're upset you've been betrayed too, huh? You're just like me. I just can't let this go.

Guess we'll just have to show them...what happens to savages who oppose the Matou family.

I can't believe it... The Greater Grail is tainted by an Anti-Hero!?

Seeing is believing. It's faster to just have you see the real thing.

The dismantling of the Greater Grail... If you knew a way to solve the problem at its root, why didn't you do it?

Well... This is kind of like taking out nitroglycerin from a huge vat.

If you're not careful, the container will break and it could spell disaster. In order to do it safely, you need preparations.

It couldn't just happen over a night or two.

And yet now, you're just riding in here without any preparations...

I reconsidered my methodology.

If we have enough firepower to blow away our vat along with its explosive contents, it's possible things would go our way.

Based on a quick estimate, in addition to us from Chaldea, if we can get at least three more Servants...

We could do what we needed to.

Oh, but if we could unify the three factions...

Yes, only four Servants would end up defeated, achieving our goal and resolving the issue at hand in a peaceful way.

Foou.

Had we won over Rider's faction, we wouldn't have needed to deal with the Greater Grail.

So we've excluded the possibility of dismantling the Greater Grail this time, but...

I didn't think the Counter Force would become involved. There couldn't be a better ally if we had him on our side.

No matter when or where we're called for battle, we will always shed blood for purposes beyond human intellect.

It is not unusual for us to find ourselves against everyone, without being understood by a single person.

...So this is a strange feeling. It's been a long time since I've worked with someone...Huh?

Yes, they were caught in my Bounded Field as well. As I thought. I guess Presence Concealment doesn't work against a better Assassin.

I'm also good at lurking in the shadows. Both of us are aware of what the other is capable of.

...An Assassin Servant!? You two are amazing. I couldn't tell at all!

How dare you... Don't think you're going to win just because you prevented my first strike! I'm going to get you all this time!

Watch out. They're different than the fragments we've dealt with up until now. They're going to mobilize everyone else left.