My transformation into a beautiful girl started with a hemorrhage.

“Berserker is gone…” Waver couldn’t believe it. That incredibly powerful god was dead. No, Heroic Spirits weren’t living beings to begin with; they should have just left the stage.

"Ah, they've indeed left." Gilgamesh was very certain, because the portion of the Gate of Babylon that Hui had taken from him had returned.

After confirming several times, everyone was finally certain that Hui had indeed left the stage. The gloom in their hearts vanished, and they even felt that the cold weather was no longer cold.

Hidden in the shadows, Kiritsugu Emiya watched the footage of Kei's departure over a dozen times through the surveillance cameras. Even after confirming that there were no suspicious points in every frame of the video, he still asked Maiya for clarification.

"Maiya, have any Servants near the Matou residence reacted?"

Mai, who was monitoring the area near the Matou family's residence through her familiar, replied, "No."

"I understand." Kiritsugu Emiya seemed relieved. "Continue to monitor the situation and let me know if anything happens."

Strictly speaking, in the Holy Grail War, defeating the opponent should mean killing both the Master and the Servant.

Otherwise, if a Master kills a Servant alone, the Master can form a contract with other Servants who have lost their Masters; if a Servant kills a Master alone, the Servant can also form a contract with other Masters who have lost their Servants.

Even if Matou Kariya dies, Kei can still re-sign contracts with the remaining six Masters.

However, the remaining six Masters, except for Ryunosuke who was an ordinary person, all reached a consensus: the existence of the Berserker was a bug, that level of power was too strong and should not exist in the world, and the Holy Grail War should return to its original track!

Therefore, the remaining Masters tacitly refrained from seeking out Hui to sign a contract, waiting for Hui to disappear due to the exhaustion of her magical energy.

Now, everyone can finally confirm that Hui has indeed left the stage.

All the Masters breathed a sigh of relief.

“Since Berserker has left the stage first, then it’s time for our ‘battle’ to begin.” Iskandar looked at Artoria. “Now it’s your turn, Saber. Tell me your wish.”

Under their gazes, Artoria pondered for a moment before slowly revealing her reason for pursuing the Holy Grail: "My wish is to save my homeland."

"..."

Upon hearing this, Iskandar and Gilgamesh fell silent, their expressions darkening slightly.

Artoria, oblivious to their expressions, continued, "Use the omnipotent wish-granting machine to change the fate of Britain's destruction."

After Artoria finished speaking, Iskandar put down his wine glass and stared intently at her: "Hey, King of Knights, you just said you wanted to change fate, did you mean you wanted to overturn history?"

“Yes. If the Holy Grail is truly omnipotent, then even wishes that cannot be fulfilled by miracles can be granted…” Artoria said decisively, but she was interrupted halfway through her sentence by Gilgamesh’s laughter.

"Mmm... Haha... Hahaha..."

"What's so funny?" Artoria questioned Gilgamesh.

Gilgamesh laughed so hard he couldn't speak.

Iskandar continued, "Um... Saber, let me confirm first, that country called Britain, it perished in your era, right? It perished under your rule, right?"

"That's right, that's why I can't forgive myself, that's why I regret it, and I want to change that ending; it's my responsibility..."

"Hahaha..." Gilgamesh laughed so hard his shoulders shook. "Did you hear that? He calls himself a king, and he's called a king by others, and this kind of person actually says he 'regrets' it, hahaha..."

“Saber, are you trying to deny the actions you yourself wrote into history?” Iskandar asked.

"Yes, why are you surprised, why are you laughing? The homeland that gave me the sword and made me appear for it has been destroyed. I am heartbroken by this, so what is there to laugh about?"

"Hey, did you hear that, Rider?" Gilgamesh sneered. "This little girl who calls herself the King of Knights has the nerve to talk about sacrificing herself for her country."

Artoria couldn't help but stand up and question Gilgamesh: "Why are you laughing?"

Her voice was filled with anger and emotion.

"As a ruler, one should naturally step forward to ensure the prosperity of the country one governs," Artoria continued, outlining her path to kingship.

However, Iskandar completely denied this: "No! It is not the king who sacrifices himself, but the nation and the people who sacrifice themselves for the king, not the other way around."

Artoria exclaimed incredulously, "What did you say? Wouldn't that just be the rule of a tyrant?"

“Indeed,” Iskandar said. “We become heroes precisely because we are tyrants.”

He looked at Artoria: "But Saber, if a king regrets his rule and the end of his kingdom, then he is just a foolish ruler, not even as good as a tyrant."

“Iskandar, didn’t you also lose your lineage and the empire you built eventually split into three? Don’t you have any regrets about this ending?” Artoria questioned.

“No.” Iskandar’s expression was firm. “If this is my decision, and the end result of my followers’ lifelong struggle, then destruction is inevitable. I will mourn and weep, but I will never regret it.”

“How could this be…” Artoria said in disbelief, “You, who take destruction as your honor, can only be a soldier. How can a king not protect the weak?”

Boom!

Iskandar slammed down his cup: "A king without desire is not even worth a vase."

……

While the three were engaged in a heated debate.

Several kilometers away in a secluded mountain forest, a European-style villa, exuding both romance and solemnity, shines brightly in the dark night. The villa is constructed entirely of solid wood planks, and its pointed roof allows the snow covering it to slide naturally to the ground, revealing the crimson roof above.

This is the Tohsaka residence, far from all the hustle and bustle of the city, its tranquil and secluded atmosphere revealing a touch of mystery.

The Tohsaka family's basement workshop.

There are no modern electric lights here, not even a trace of modernity; kerosene lamps are still used for lighting.

Tokiomi Tohsaka asked, "How is the situation?"

“It has been confirmed that Berserker has disappeared,” Kirei Kotomine replied from behind him.

"Is that so?" Tokiomi Tohsaka breathed a sigh of relief. "It's good that such an extraordinary being has left the stage."

"Speaking of which, Kirei, what are your thoughts on the difference in combat power between Rider and Archer?"

Tokiomi Tohsaka believes that after Berserker's departure, Archer is the strongest Servant, and among the remaining Servants, Rider is the one to be concerned about.

As for Artoria, she's just a little girl with a crippled hand, so she's not worth mentioning.

Kirei Kotomine pondered for a moment before truthfully replying, "That depends on whether Rider possesses an ace Noble Phantasm that surpasses Kamui Wheel."

Tokiomi Tohsaka agreed: "Yes, now that Rider and his Master are enjoying the banquet without any precautions, it is the perfect opportunity to launch a sneak attack."

In this situation, whether or not there is a chance of winning is not the issue.

Even if Assassin fails, as long as we can grasp the difference in combat power between ourselves and the enemy, our objective will be achieved.

"Now we can begin, Kirei."

Tokiomi Tohsaka stared at Kirei Kotomine, awaiting his reply.

When Kirei Kotomine ordered the Assassins to assassinate Kariya Matou with all their might, they had already used up all their Command Seals. However, even after that, the Assassins did not betray him because Kirei had no Command Seals left. They were still willing to respect him as their master and obey his orders.

This puzzled Tokiomi Tohsaka greatly, but it has made things much more convenient now.

Kirei Kotomine ordered Assassin to attack Iskandar.

He wanted to probe Rider's trump card. Of course, killing Rider directly would be best, but if that wasn't possible, getting all the Assassins out of the game would also be good.

Only after witnessing Assassin kill Matou Kariya did he suddenly realize just how strong Assassin was.

He should have noticed earlier that each of the more than one hundred clones was equivalent to a heroic spirit.

Although their individual strength is not great and they are no match for other Heroic Spirits, their numbers... are power!

Even if Assassin is weak, killing a few magicians is still easy for him.

“No objections. It will take about ten minutes to gather all the Assassins.” Kirei Kotomine said expressionlessly, his thoughts unknown.

"Alright, issue the order. It's a huge gamble, but luckily we won't suffer any losses."

“Yes, teacher,” Kirei replied.

……

In the flower bed.

The argument among the three was nearing its end.

Artoria's "willing to serve the people" approach to being a queen was rejected by Iskandar and Gilgamesh, who believed she was unworthy to be queen.

But Artoria did not give up; she always believed that her position was correct.

It should be said that none of the three were wrong.

There is no such thing as right or wrong in the world; there is only right and wrong.

Only Europe, deeply influenced by narrow religious monotheism, has this binary way of looking at things, believing that the world is either black or white.

They were all kings, but Gilgamesh wanted to enjoy himself, Iskandar wanted to conquer the world, and Artoria wanted to serve the people... those were all their own choices.

You are not a fish, how can you know the joy of fish?

Hui, who had seen through this long ago, left the scene early on, having no interest in listening to the three of them bickering.

Having studied history in her previous life, Hui had long understood that if you want to point fingers at outsiders, you can't rely on how correct your thoughts or theories are, but rather on how big your fist is.

If your fist is big enough, everything you say is the truth.

Just as the banquet was ending.

Assassins suddenly appeared one by one and launched a fierce attack on Iskandar.

Even though Hui killed half of them, there were still dozens of Assassins, all of whom were individuals with strength comparable to the original Assassin.

Even though they no longer have the buffs they had when facing Hui Shi, their sheer number is still considerable.

Unfortunately, they were unlucky enough to encounter the anti-army Noble Phantasm [King's Army], which countered them.

In the end, all the Assassins died.

Tonight, a servant who is truly leaving the stage has appeared.

……

Chapter 401 Waiting

Fuyuki City.

At first glance, all was quiet.

The streets were deserted, with only the faint light of the streetlights. Although the rain and snow had stopped, the cold wind was still biting, occasionally making a "whoosh" sound.

The low-hanging sky appeared gray and hazy under the moonlight, as if shrouded in mist, making it almost impossible to breathe.

The few buildings still lit up are the only signs of life here.

However, Chancheng, which is only thirty minutes away, is a completely different world.