In Britain, the Noble Phantasm: Divine Key

So, with only one Command Seal left and an incomplete Archer, what made him so sure he would win in the end?

Is it because of Berserker? Or some other unknown trump card?

“Archer’s Master,” Saber suddenly spoke, her beautiful brows furrowing slightly, “I don’t know why, but that man gives me a very dangerous feeling.”

"Danger?" Kiritsugu Emiya was slightly taken aback. Tokiomi Tohsaka was at most a magician with decent skills, so how could he possibly make Saber, as a Servant, feel threatened?

“It’s not the kind of danger in terms of strength.” Saber carefully considered her words, searching for the right description. “Although that man seemed very gentlemanly and had a noble demeanor, I always felt that he was like a bottomless black hole, and I never knew what might emerge from it at any moment.”

Emiya Kiritsugu was completely bewildered; it was the first time he had ever heard of using a black hole to describe a person.

However, he didn't care about that. No matter what kind of person the other party was, they would eventually become his enemies. As long as he eliminated them all who stood in his way, that would be enough.

This is... for the salvation of all humanity!

Kiritsugu Emiya clenched his fist inwardly.

“Oh, right, Kiritsugu, there’s something I need to tell you.” Irisviel suddenly remembered why she had barged in and quickly said, “We’ve encountered the Assassins.”

Has the last Servant finally appeared? Kiritsugu Emiya's expression immediately turned serious: "Tell me the details of what happened to you."

Irisviel nodded and recounted how she and Saber were attacked by the Assassins on their way back.

After listening, Kiritsugu Emiya remained silent for a moment, then turned to Saebr: "What are the characteristics of an Assassin?"

"His aura concealment level is extremely high; even my intuition couldn't detect him. His speed is also very fast, at least A-rank. He's using a small knife, but I'm not sure if it's a Noble Phantasm or a disguise," Saber said.

What about appearance?

Saber recalled carefully that although the fog was heavy and the light was poor, as a Servant, such an environment would not affect her vision: "The clothes were black, and she was wearing a red hood, so I couldn't see her face clearly."

"Is that so?" Kiritsugu Emiya pondered for a moment, then shook his head. "Tokiomi Tohsaka came to us for cooperation, clearly because he thought we were the least threatening party. Now even the Assassin attacked us first. It seems we have been underestimated."

"You mean Archer's Master came to ask us to cooperate?" Saber's eyes widened slightly.

“That’s right.” Kiritsugu Emiya nodded very slightly. “He wants to join forces with us and Berserker to eliminate Lancer first.”

"And what's your opinion, Kiritsugu?" Irisviel asked, sounding slightly nervous.

“I agreed to his request,” Kiritsugu Emiya said calmly. “The Lancer group currently holds an absolute advantage. If we don’t defeat them first, we have no hope of obtaining the Holy Grail.”

“But…but…” Irisviel hesitated, unsure whether she should tell Lancer what he had said.

She knew very well how much Kiritsugu craved the Holy Grail, and if she were to tell him this cruel truth at this moment...

"Speak your mind, Alice." A rare hint of gentleness appeared in Kiritsugu Emiya's eyes, the only remaining human emotion in this man who had dedicated his life to "justice."

“But… the Holy Grail has… been corrupted,” Irisviel said cautiously.

Kiritsugu Emiya's face immediately froze, his eyes filled with obvious astonishment.

"The Holy Grail... has been corrupted?" he murmured. "Impossible. It's an omnipotent wish-granting machine. Nothing could possibly corrupt it."

"Kiritsugu..." Irisviel looked at her lover with a complicated expression. "Kiritsugu, do you remember the Servant summoned by the Einzbern family in the last Holy Grail War?"

"You mean, Angra Mainyu?" Kiritsugu Emiya was slightly taken aback. Before coming, he had read through all the records of the Einzbern family about the Holy Grail War, so he naturally wouldn't forget this.

“In the previous Holy Grail War, the Einzbern family originally intended to summon Angra Mainyu, the chief of evil gods in Persian mythology, but for some reason, the Angra Mainyu they ultimately summoned was an incredibly weak Servant.” Irisviel sat next to Kiritsugu Emiya, gently holding his hand, hoping to calm him down with her warmth. “Angra Mainyu died on the fourth day of the Holy Grail War, and therefore, the Einzbern family lost its qualification to compete for the Holy Grail.”

"The Einzbern family has always believed that Angra Mainyu is so weak because of his Spirit Origin, but that is not the case."

“Angora Maneuver in Persian mythology is the oldest evil in the world, the original demon god. Such a being cannot be summoned by the Holy Grail. The Angora Maneuver summoned by the Einzbern family was just an ordinary human being given this title.”

"So, that Angra Mainyu is just a symbol?" Kiritsugu Emiya's eyes showed a thoughtful expression. Over the years, he had traveled to all corners of the world and had seen such customs in many remote rural areas.

Because they cannot find salvation, ignorant people can only vent their resentment in this way.

“Yes, that Angra Mainyu was just an ordinary person expected to bear all the sins of the world. He was not a ‘hero’ created by himself, but by the wishes of those around him.” Irisviel gently rested her head on Kiritsugu Emiya’s shoulder. “That’s why he was so weak.”

"But what does this have to do with the Holy Grail being contaminated?" Kiritsugu Emiya asked, his brow furrowed slightly.

“Angola Mainyu is a hero created through wishes. After he was absorbed by the Holy Grail, it was equivalent to making a wish directly. The Holy Grail then accepted the wish imposed on him by humanity: ‘I wish you were all the evil in this world.’ It is precisely because of this that the colorless power of the Holy Grail was affected by Angla Mainyu’s ‘absolute evil’ and was imbued with endless malice,” Irisviel said softly.

"This is the truth behind the Holy Grail's corruption."

Silence, a long silence, the not-so-spacious reception room was now deathly still.

After a long pause, Kiritsugu Emiya took a deep breath and said, "Did Ahadeon tell you this?"

“No.” Irisviel shook her head. “Lancer told me.”

"Lancer?" Kiritsugu Emiya frowned again. He knew, of course, that Lancer possessed clairvoyance, which meant that the other party was likely not just making things up, but had actually seen something.

So...should we give up?

So much was sacrificed, so many ties severed—family, friendship, love—all the precious things were gambled away, one's life was trampled beyond recognition, and so many deaths were overcome before a glimmer of hope was finally seen.

Just like that... give up?

Do not make jokes.

The bewilderment on Kiritsugu Emiya's face vanished instantly; at that moment, the cold-blooded and ruthless magician assassin returned once more.

"Kiritsugu?" Irisviel seemed to sense something and looked at her husband with concern.

"No need to say anything, Alice." Kiritsugu Emiya's voice was as calm as a still lake. "I will not give up."

Saber, standing to the side, raised an eyebrow slightly.

“But Lancer has already said that the Holy Grail is already…” Irisviel grabbed Kiritsugu Emiya’s arm anxiously, her face showing obvious worry.

"Can the Holy Grail still grant wishes?" Kiritsugu Emiya asked.

“…Okay.” Irisviel was still somewhat unwilling, “but Lancer said that it would be achieved in a very distorted way.”

“Even so…” Kiritsugu Emiya turned his head slightly, “it is enough for me.”

Because... I only have the Holy Grail left as my choice.

"Kiritsugu..." Irisviel opened her mouth, but didn't know what to say. Her ruby-like eyes gradually dimmed.

"So, Saber, what about you?" Kiritsugu Emiya turned to Saber. "What's your opinion?"

“I’ve said it since our first meeting: my only goal is the Holy Grail, and I’m willing to do anything for it.” Saber’s tone was very calm, then her face showed undisguised disgust. “But if it’s for something so filthy, I don’t think it’s worth fighting for.”

"You really trust Lancer that much?" Kiritsugu Emiya's expression was slightly complicated. "Perhaps he just sees the future of our three-way alliance and wants to sabotage it ahead of time."

“It’s my gut feeling,” Saber said, her tone unchanged.

If that's the case... Kiritsugu Emiya lowered his gaze slightly, looking at the bright red Command Seals on the back of his right hand.

“However, what you said makes sense. Making judgments blindly before seeing the truth with your own eyes is indeed not a wise thing to do,” Saber said, arms crossed, her tone unchanged.

Kiritsugu Emiya secretly breathed a sigh of relief, but his expression remained unchanged; he simply nodded slightly and said, "It's good that you understand."

"Alright, now that you two have resolved your issues, it's my turn."

Saber's pale gold eyes narrowed into a dangerous arc.

"Tell me, Kiritsugu Emiya, what exactly is going on with Irisviel's body?"

Chapter Twenty-Seven: Weber Velvet's Awakening

Weber Velvet, who uses suggestive magic to disguise himself as the grandson of an elderly couple, was living in a second-floor bedroom when he woke up as usual.

The sun was already high in the sky. If it were his usual routine, he would have already started preparing for his studies for the day. However, they had just participated in the battle against Caster's Noble Phantasm yesterday. Although he had used Command Seals to replenish Rider's mana beforehand, the intense battle had still greatly depleted his already meager mana, and along with it, his physical strength, which was just as scarce as his mana.

So now he just wants to lie lazily in bed, not thinking about anything, not doing anything, and ideally, he can stay like this forever.

But this is obviously impossible. If he, who already has a poor foundation, doesn't work harder, how can he stand out in the Clock Tower, a place full of talented people, and how can he prove the correctness of his paper?

But looking at the two remaining bright red Command Seals on the back of his hand, Waver fell silent. His purpose in participating in the Holy Grail War was to prove his talent and strength as a magician. For this, he even went so far as to steal his master's treasure, a heinous act. But his master didn't care at all and summoned an even stronger Servant in return.

Even now, he can't forget Lancer's heroic figure when facing Archer. The immense pressure he felt, like that of a towering mountain, was exactly the same as when he faced Professor Kenneth.

Is this the foundation of a magic family that has been passed down for generations? Webber clenched his fist somewhat unwillingly, then lowered his head dejectedly, feeling an overwhelming sense of defeat.

He believed that Rider's strength was no less than Lancer's, but as a Master, the gap between him and Kenneth was simply too great.

Putting everything else aside, Rider almost completely drains his mana by using his Noble Phantasm once, and that's with his Reality Marble kept to a minimum. Unlike Lancer, who can use all his Noble Phantasms without any worries about mana consumption.

Without any warning, Weber suddenly recalled the scene he had seen in his dream: the legion that marched on the battlefield with high morale, singing and following the king as they advanced towards the endless sea. They were all such heroic men, yet because of him, they were confined to a small area and could not even unleash their original strength. They must be very dissatisfied with me.

Perhaps I was wrong, Webber thought with a bitter smile. A magician with such poor talent and such a terrible personality was simply not worthy of that king who had such boundless dreams.

The person who tries to overturn the theory of bloodline on their own is the biggest fool of all.

"Hey kid, I'm back."

Rider, beaming, shoved the door open with his pectoral muscles and waved the package in front of Weber as if showing off a trophy: "Look, I just got the first-edition limited edition of 'Admiral's Grand Strategy IV'! Hahaha, my luck is truly legendary! How about we play together? I even bought an extra controller!"

“Hey, Rider,” Waver said, lying on the bed staring blankly at the ceiling, “do you think I’m a useless, idiotic, stupid Master? I can’t provide you with magic power, and I even faint on the battlefield. I’m such a terrible Master…”

He buried his head in the blanket and said, his voice trembling with tears, "If you could partner with an excellent Master, you would definitely be able to win more easily against either Lacner or Archer."

After a moment of silence, Rdier said calmly:

"Ah, that's true."

See? It was just as I expected...

"Indeed, if you were a bit more muscular, you would look even better."

"Rdier!!" Weber, whose anger was completely ignited by Iskandar's half-joking reply, jumped out of bed. Just as he was about to explode, a book was suddenly placed in front of him.

That was the atlas that Rider had stolen from the library when he first summoned him; it was a colorful world map that was now displayed in front of him.

"Alright kid, look here, this is the enemy in front of us."

On a flat surface the size of A2, a map of the entire world is depicted; the enemy Rdier refers to is this entire world.

"Come on, try to draw what we both look like right now next to our enemy, and compare us side by side."

Faced with Iskandar's nonsensical question, Weber sighed helplessly: "Don't be ridiculous, how can you draw that?"

"You can't draw it, no matter how fine the pen you use. Even if you use the tip of a needle, it's too thick. Compared to the enemy in front of us, we are the same, just tiny dots."

"Therefore, there is no need to worry about whether it is suitable or not."

The tall Rider laughed heartily:

"This body is but a drop in the ocean compared to what I am meant to conquer, but that is precisely why I feel even more motivated!"

"The smaller one is, the more one must use this insignificant body to rise above the entire world. This is the most exciting feeling, this is the pounding of my heart, the King of Conquerors!"

Weber stared blankly at Rdier, his throat bobbing involuntarily as he swallowed hard.