Shirou, who returned from the Fairy Kingdom

Why would they take such a huge risk to retrieve the Holy Grail when the outcome of the war was still uncertain?

Just then, a gust of wind blew Joan of Arc's hair.

When she realized what was happening, she discovered that it wasn't the wind, but Shirou flying into the air like an arrow.

……

……

"What!?"

Semiramis's eyes widened.

After a whole night of hard work and overcoming countless difficulties, she finally saw the Holy Grail she had been dreaming of.

Even though it was right in front of them, the "black" swordsman suddenly rushed out.

The red-haired boy flew towards the Greater Grail in a straight line; at this speed, he would snatch it before the Sky Garden could successfully retrieve it.

"I see, flight is achieved through 'magic release'..."

Father Kotomine stroked his chin with great interest, gazing intently at Shirou in the picture.

After Joan of Arc sensed Spartacus's movements and left the Hanging Gardens, he was finally able to return to his base.

"However, if they hadn't known our plans beforehand, it would have been impossible to react so quickly. Is it really just a coincidence?"

"That kind of thing is fine no matter what...!"

Semiramis bit her red lips and raised her hand to command the Hanging Gardens to launch an attack.

The eleven black coffins surrounding the floating fortress turned their cannons around and fired powerful magic bullets.

If Shirou hadn't known her attack methods from the start, he might have been shot down by Semiramis.

Unfortunately, he had already experienced that kind of attack once before.

The light cannon, which emphasizes suppression, is not good at attacking small targets. As long as you focus on dodging, you can dodge even "Magic Release".

And so, amidst Semiramis's furious expression, Shirou took the Greater Grail that was floating in mid-air in front of everyone.

"It's not over yet...!"

Semiramis persisted, ordering the black coffin to unleash an even denser barrage of fire, while also increasing the suction at the base of the garden.

Perhaps it was the Holy Grail that slowed Shirou down, as one of the magic bullets hit him directly in the back.

For Saber, who possesses "magic resistance" of A rank or higher, a single magic bullet is not enough to cause serious damage.

However, the powerful kinetic energy still caused the boy holding the Holy Grail to plummet towards the ground while still smoking.

Joan of Arc: "Artoria!"

Aigo: "Saber!"

at this time--

"Okay~~~ Here we go!!"

Accompanied by a sharp, bird-like cry, a phantom that did not exist in reality ripped through the sky.

The "Black" cavalryman flashed past on the back of a hawk, catching Shirou as he fell at breakneck speed with his arms outstretched.

Are you alright, Saber?

Astolfo looked at the boy lying in his arms and said.

"Ah, this is a huge help."

While Shirou is likely to survive a freefall from several hundred meters in the air, the Holy Grail is a different story.

"Won't your Master say anything if you do this?"

After Shirou asked this question, Astolfo tilted his head and thought for a moment:

"Oh no! I'm going to get locked up by my Master again when I get back... Oh well, whatever!"

He switched from a frown to a happy smile in an instant:

"You saved that child before, I still owe you a favor~"

As he spoke, the "Black" cavalryman Asashirou winked at him.

"..."

Witnessing this scene of flirting on horseback, Aegean and Joan of Arc's foreheads twitched slightly.

Who is this woman?

--------------

Volume 5, Chapter 223: Is Aika's Command Seal on her back... or her chest?

When the eagle returned to the ground, Joan of Arc and Mordred were already waiting there.

The adjudicator rushed forward aggressively, grabbed Shirou's arm, and forcibly dragged him away from the "Black" cavalry.

Astolfo: "?"

"Okay, it's about time we retreated. Thanks for earlier."

"Okay~ Don't hesitate to tell others if you encounter any difficulties in the future~"

After thanking Astolfo again, Shirou said he was ready to run away.

The Hanging Gardens are moving this way, and not only that, the magical reactions of other Servants from the "Red" and "Black" factions are also converging here.

That's for sure—

After all, Shirou is currently holding the Greater Grail in his arms.

Although it is now fully light, fighting between Heroic Spirits is prohibited in principle...

But neither Yggdrasil, whose Holy Grail was taken from them, nor Assassin, whose plans were disrupted, will likely let this go.

Staying here might escalate the situation, so it's safer to retreat first.

Shirou led Mordred away from the battlefield at lightning speed, with Jeanne following behind.

"Hey, hand over the Holy Grail to me, okay?"

"Here's a Command Seal for you. Give it to me for safekeeping."

"Ugh... Two! That's the most I can go! This is my bottom line!"

Of course, Shirou completely ignored the saintess's words.

……

……

The "Red" assassin, Semiramis's Great Treasure Art "Hanging Gardens of Vanity".

An awkward silence hung over the interior of the floating fortress.

Last night, the "Red" faction mobilized all its forces to seize the Greater Grail from the Yggdrasil Clan, but returned empty-handed.

The good news is that the "Black" faction no longer possesses the Greater Grail, but the Grail has fallen into the hands of an even more troublesome individual.

The alliance formed by the "Black" swordsmen and the "Red" swordsmen—

Their threat now clearly surpasses that of the Yggdrasil race.

Danic, the patriarch of the Yggdrasil clan, has died; Saber, one of the two aces, has left the scene; and Lancer has left the camp and disappeared.

Now all that's left are Archer, Rider, Caster, and Berserker.

Of these, only Archer can be considered a formidable enemy to be wary of; the rest of the Servants are all third-rate...

No matter how you look at it, this clan is already at its last gasp.

On the "Red" side, in addition to the original plans being disrupted and forcing them to devise new strategies, the morale of the troops within the ranks was also severely shaken.

It's almost time.

Atalanta, Achilles, and Karna are all heroes known for their keen senses.

The fact that the Masters have not shown up despite the war escalating to this point is quite unusual.

Their doubts reached their peak.

Atalanta was the first to launch an attack and force the emperor to abdicate.

Last night, after telling Shirou about the situation within her faction, he bluntly warned her that "the Red faction has probably been usurped by Assassin and her Master."

Now she is increasingly convinced of this claim.

"What exactly is going on... Can you give me a reasonable explanation, Assassin?"

"……what?"

Semiramis raised an eyebrow in displeasure.

She's still furious that the Holy Grail, which was practically within her grasp, was snatched away.

Although she had a private agreement with the Master of the "Black" Swordsman (Aika Sajō), it was also true that the Empress lost face.

"Stop playing dumb. Where is our Master? He should be imprisoned by you, right?"

Karna narrowed his eyes upon hearing her words, while Achilles exclaimed in surprise, "Huh? Is that true, boss!"

Atalanta sneered and turned to the white-haired youth who stood beside Semiramis like a servant:

"No... to be precise, it should be... that I was imprisoned by you, Father Kotomine."

"Don't get too carried away, Archer."

Semiramis was furious, but Father Kotomine stopped her.

Even with the sharp gazes of the heroic spirits focused on him, he still wore a calm smile.

"There is no need to hide it anymore now."

Then, the young priest raised his arm and rolled up his sleeves.

"........."

The Servants of the "Red" faction gasped when they saw his hand.

Like crimson stigmata, wrapped around the priest's arm were all the Servants of the "Red" faction, except for Mordred—

In total, there are eighteen Command Seals.

"As Archer said, I peacefully obtained the three Command Seals transferred by the Masters."

"Very peacefully—?"

The white-haired youth nodded, glanced at Karna, and said:

"After all, the 'Red' Lancer is a hero who is good at seeing through other people's lies, so I must try my best not to lie, and things must proceed according to my plan."

That's why I specifically issued the order through my master.

"That's right, the Masters weren't lying. Even now, they still believe they gave instructions based on their own judgment..."

"So that's how it is. No wonder Ruler has been running around the battlefield all night..."

So, the violator she was looking for was you.

Father Kotomine continued with a relaxed expression:

"My true identity is Amakusa Shiro Tokisada, the Arbiter who was summoned in the Third Holy Grail War held sixty years ago."

"...?"

Amakusa Shiro's words left everyone except Assassin speechless.

"It would be troublesome if Ruler became aware of my existence too early. I won't let anyone get in the way of my dreams."

The boy's voice carried a resolute will.

His statement just now revealed that he began planning this Holy Grail War sixty years ago.

"—Amakusa Shiro Tokisada, what exactly is your purpose?" Karna asked.

"Of course, it's for the 'salvation of all mankind'."