Shirou's clones number 30 million

"conquer……"

After issuing three Command Spells in succession, Waver breathed a sigh of relief.

His own magic was holding Rider back; he hoped the Command Seals would work.

Sensing the sudden increase in magical power, Iskandar laughed, stopped in place, and began to command his army in battle, abandoning the mindless tactic of a swarm attack.

Chapter Eighteen: Adding Some Flowers to the Journey

Section 18, Chapter 18: Adding some flowers to the journey

On the other hand, two hours earlier, the Nero Festival Master Tournament had just ended.

Matou Kariya handed the golden apple, the prize he had won, to Shirou, said goodbye to Sakura, and then hurriedly left.

Although he made an excuse that he had something to do, he actually had nothing to do.

The reason I left was simply because I felt I was somewhat superfluous there.

'Sakura has Shirou with her, so I don't need to worry about her anymore.'

'After what just happened, Tokiomi has probably begun to reflect on his actions…'

At this moment, Matou Kariya felt a sense of self-satisfaction and relief, but mostly a sense of bewilderment.

Previously, his goal was to save Sakura and beat up Tokiomi.

Now that both goals have been achieved, he has absolutely no idea what to do next.

"Ugh……"

As I sighed, Kiritsugu Emiya, who was standing on the side of the street smoking, suddenly came into view.

Having heard Shirou's account of the future, he was no stranger to Kiritsugu Emiya.

A partner of justice, though somewhat extreme, is probably a good person, right?

In the match just now, Kiritsugu Emiya lost to Kirei Kotomine, but it was clear that he did not use his full strength.

Furthermore, from Shirou's account of the future, we know that if Kiritsugu Emiya fights desperately, he should be able to kill Kirei Kotomine.

Kariya Matou unconsciously walked over and tried to strike up a conversation:

"Would a man like you be interested in something like the Apple of Gold?"

"You seem to know me quite well?" Kiritsugu Emiya asked without looking up.

"It's alright. I know your dream is to become a champion of justice, and I also know that you've been killing one person to save three."

Kiritsugu Emiya suddenly raised his head, a sharp glint flashing in his eyes.

Unexpectedly, there was an enemy in this Holy Grail War who understood me so well, and the other party was none other than Matou Kariya, whom I had never paid much attention to.

"You... your intelligence is different from what I've gathered."

"Really? Yes, I have changed a lot in the last two days."

Kariya Matou smiled unconsciously, and her mindset gradually relaxed.

Do you believe that anyone can see the future?

"prophecy?"

"Something like that. There's nothing in this Holy Grail War that can fulfill your dream. The Holy Grail has long been corrupted; it's impossible for it to grant your wish."

"What do you mean by that?"

"During the Third Holy Grail War, the Einzbern family summoned... Therefore, the Holy Grail was ultimately useless and was ultimately just a waste of time."

Kariya Matou smiled and shook his head, thinking to himself:

I must have been crazy to say so much to him.

Although he will be Shirou's father in the future, he hasn't given up on the dangerous idea of ​​saving the world, making him no different from a terrorist.

Kiritsugu Emiya frowned slightly, mentally analyzing the possibilities of what he had said.

The Holy Grail is contaminated and cannot be used.

This is easy to prove. If you just ask Irisviel, you will soon find out who the previous Master of the Einzbern family was. He had no need to tell such a clumsy lie.

"Then...why are you participating in this Holy Grail War?"

"I did it to save Sakura, and also to beat up that guy Tokiomi."

Mentioning Tokiomi's name, Matou Kariya unconsciously gritted his teeth, a surge of anger rising within him once more.

"That guy Tokiomi didn't bother to investigate the Matou family's inner workings at all, and just pushed Sakura into the wolf's den."

"He said it was for Sakura's own good, but there were clearly many better ways, yet he chose the worst one."

"However, after what just happened, he should reflect on his actions."

Emiya Kiritsugu carefully analyzed what he said and quickly came to several simple conclusions.

Why are you telling me all this?

"It was just a passing whim," Matou Kariya paused for a moment. "Perhaps there were also some thoughts of advising you to give up."

"Your wife is the Lesser Grail; she will die if more than five of your Servants perish in battle."

"If you want to save her, you must prepare in advance."

Emiya Kiritsugu paused, and after a long while, he hesitantly asked:

"Can you save her?"

“I can’t, but Her Majesty Nero should be able to. I asked her, and she said she could.”

What are your terms in exchange?

"What if I asked you to give up the Holy Grail War?"

This time, Kiritsugu Emiya remained silent for a long time, seemingly engaged in a fierce internal struggle.

He took out a cigarette, lit it, took a few puffs, and then stubbed it out again.

After a long pause, he nodded slightly.

"Okay, I agree."

Huh...?

Kariya Matou was slightly surprised. He actually agreed? And so quickly.

He thought Matou Kariya was the kind of person who was single-minded, so he didn't really have any hope before speaking.

Actually, it was just a casual remark.

Even this idea came to me suddenly.

As for Nero being able to save Irisviel, he casually asked that question a couple of days ago during dinner, just to ease the tension at the table.

"In that case, I'll take you to Her Majesty Nero. You can discuss the details with her."

"Thank you for your help."

Shortly afterward, the two met Nero backstage outside the arena.

At this moment, the Master Tournament has ended, but registration for the Citizen Tournament is still ongoing.

Nero, the referee, had nothing to do and was slacking off.

Upon hearing the purpose of their visit, Nero fell into a five-second silence.

Finally, she nodded slightly and said with a smile:

"Sure, I have a general understanding of your wife's condition. We can give her a heart transplant and some treatment to improve her health."

“I am not good at this kind of thing. Normally, I can only ask Wang Fu for help.”

"But this time is a little different. Before I went into battle, I specially brought the Primal Flame, the strongest costume given to me by the King."

“If you replace your heart with the primordial fire, your wife will surely be saved.”

Upon noticing that she touched the red longsword at her waist a few times while speaking, Kiritsugu Emiya quickly realized that the Mystic Code: Primal Flame was probably that sword.

Her attitude suggests that it was not only a very precious treasure, but also a gift from her beloved.

In this situation, it was really difficult for Kiritsugu Emiya to ask her for a favor.

However, thinking of his wife Irisviel, his resolve gradually strengthened:

"Your Majesty Nero, what price must I pay for you to use your formal attire to save my life?"

"It's very simple."

Nero smiled slightly and said loudly:

"Add some flowers to adorn my journey, so that I may depart in glory of victory. Then I will bestow upon you this precious ceremonial garment, the Primal Flame."

Kiritsugu Emiya realized what was happening instantly and quickly lowered his head:

"Leave it to me, I will do everything in my power to help you win this Holy Grail War."

The Holy Grail has lost its power and can no longer be used to fulfill wishes.

It's highly unlikely that Matou Kariya is lying about this.

Therefore, if he could exchange this for his wife's rescue, it would be a very worthwhile deal.

Chapter 19 Kiritsugu Emiya's Actions

Section 19, Chapter Nineteen: Kiritsugu Emiya's Actions

Afterwards, in order to help Nero win the Holy Grail War, Kiritsugu Emiya and Kariya Matou discussed for nearly half an hour.

During this time, Kiritsugu Emiya not only obtained information about all Masters and Servants, but also learned that Berserker was one of his own.

There are only seven Servants in total, three of whom are on our side, so victory is practically within reach.

However, there is still one major variable, and that is Gilgamesh.

After learning about Archer's abilities from Matou Kariya, Emiya Kiritsugu remained silent for a long time, but he still couldn't find a way to win in a direct confrontation.