Xingyue, is Xiaokai also considered Kai?

"Fran, what are you doing? We're all on the Black side, why are we helping that guy?"

That's right, it wasn't Atar or Semiramis who cheered for Achilles, but Frankenstein.

“If I help Siegfried, then there will be no one for Speedy Big Brother, so Fran should help the weaker side.”

"OK then……"

Ultimately, however, their cheers and encouragement were merely meant to liven up the atmosphere and had little impact on the outcome.

As time went on, Siegfried and Achilles remained locked in a stalemate, each exerting all their strength to try and break the other's wrist. Their arms trembled as they struggled against each other, and each exertion of force would surely have caused earth-shattering damage in a normal duel.

Just then, Achilles suddenly noticed a slight opening in Siegfried's defenses. He quickly seized the opportunity and exerted a burst of force, attempting to pin down the dragon-slaying hero's wrist. However, Siegfried reacted just as quickly, increasing his power output almost simultaneously and successfully blocking Achilles's attack.

The contest between the two reached a stalemate once again. The sounds of breathing, heartbeats, and the cheers of Fran and Alfred mingled together, like a stirring symphony. Then, Achilles noticed that Siegfried, who was facing off against him, smiled. Just as he was puzzled, Siegfried slowly spoke:

“Achilles, I used to wrestle with a man who loved to go shirtless on the cold earth, which naturally included arm wrestling.”

"Ok?"

"His name is Beowulf, and I'm basically the one who loses every time."

Based on Beowulf's Heroic Spirit stats, both his Strength and Endurance are A-rank, so Siegfried's physical stats are simply inferior to that of the King of the Norse.

"But judging from your expression, you don't seem to feel any regret about it."

Achilles now understood the meaning behind Siegfried's smile; it was very cheerful and he looked quite satisfied.

"Yes, because we're friends, I don't feel bad about it. I'm not obsessed with winning or losing."

Under a clear sky, the great hero who slayed the dragon spoke.

Although my body is in the modern world, my heart seems to be recalling the scenery from a thousand years ago.

"……Yeah."

Achilles smiled with a troubled expression, while Siegfried continued.

"But that only applies to Beowulf and Avia. As for others, I will do everything in my power to prevent my lover from showing any displeasure."

After hearing this, Achilles felt as if he saw a faint light in Siegfried. At the same time, Siegfried quickly gained the upper hand, slowly pressing Achilles' wrist down onto the bench, while Achilles tried his best to resist.

However, as Siegfried's strength continued to increase, Achilles eventually could not resist, and his arm was slowly pressed down onto the bench.

At the moment the match ended, as Chiron blew the final whistle, both of them smiled.

"The winner is Siegfried, the black swordsman."

"Wow, Siegfried, you're quite formidable too! If fate allows, let's fight again!"

"It's just that luck is on my side."

"I knew it! Siegfried, you were sure you could win!"

"Not bad, Achilles."

"Don't be sad, big brother with super speed. There will be a next time."

The three spectators around them also gathered around. Afu smiled, Chiron patted the two on the shoulder and praised their performance, and Fran also laughed out loud.

"Hey, little girl, stop calling me Speedy."

Suddenly Achilles called out to Fran, “I have a name, Achilles.”

"Oh, is that so? I heard that older sister say that you can just call Achilles 'Speedy Legs'."

"...Ahem, if that's the case, then so be it."

Following the direction Fran was pointing, Achilles realized that she was referring to Atalanta, so he could only hold back for now.

Neither the black nor the red side said anything more after that.

In the comfortable breeze, the sound of cicadas began to rise.

The noisy, powerful, buzzing sound seemed to fill the entire castle. If it weren't for the Servants, the heat alone would be stifling, making one want to fan themselves vigorously. Suddenly, a familiar voice rang out—

"It seems you all get along quite well."

"Your Excellency the Sun God."

Chiron turned around, and Novia, who had experienced Amakusa, the golden-haired white-faced man, Joan of Arc, and the God Ancestor in the room, came out of the room and came here.

"Haha, seeing it with your own eyes really gives you a real sense of awe..."

Achilles smiled, then, noticing that Novia was alone, asked, "Oh, by the way, where is His Majesty the Ancestor of Gods? Could it be that he has already returned ahead of schedule?"

"Yeah, he's gone."

"That's it."

Achilles' voice became calm, but the smile on his face remained. "I don't know why, although I know I am no match for you, I still want to have a contest."

"Next time, you can't hold on much longer now."

"It was indeed very tiring to fight Siegfried, but it wasn't a complete loss. It's a pity I still lost, hahaha."

Novia could see that Achilles' smile was genuine, so she spoke to him again:

"I'll grant your wish next time, Achilles. Even though it's a dream that can never be fulfilled for you, you are still beautiful because you keep challenging yourself."

"Alright, it's a deal, Your Excellency."

As the magic completely dissipated, which was also the moment of his return, Achilles found the person before him beautiful, and the way he fulfilled others' dreams beautiful. Therefore, even if there was no possibility of victory, continuing to challenge was his purpose as a hero...

"I wonder if Achilles can gain anything from this challenge..."

Chiron said, watching the blue light dissipate.

"It's as if Lord Zeus himself is teaching us!"

"But he is your student, so he must be very outstanding. That's why no matter how much hardship he suffers, he can not be defeated and continue to move forward. Chiron, your students are all like that, aren't they?"

"Hehe, thank you for your compliment. I am so glad that I was able to meet you, a stranger in a foreign land, with them."

Red cavalryman, Achilles, leaves the field.

Black archer Chiron is eliminated.

"Achilles is gone."

Siegfried sighed as he watched the guy who had just been grappling with him leave.

"Since that's the case, and the Greater Grail has been destroyed, then I should be leaving too, Avia."

"Aren't you going to stay a little longer?"

"No need."

Siegfried smiled and shook his head. "My purpose in participating in the Holy Grail War was to see you. Now that I see you are doing well, I am at ease."

“You clearly said before that you had no wishes.”

"Since we've already met then, there's no need to say anything. But now that we're parting, it's better to say it. Isn't that what you taught me? If there's something hidden in your heart, it's better to say it out loud so that the person who wants to know can know."

Siegfried's breath surged into the dazzling sky.

The sun, high in the universe, is dazzling, and there are countless stars to be seen, but for him, it's enough to meet the friends around him.

Mordred sat on the rock, stretched out his legs, and asked.

"Um, may I ask a question? Has Father King gained your approval?"

Perhaps because she was taught a lesson and given a Command Spell, Mordred's attitude is no longer so unrestrained.

“I don’t know your father, and it was your father’s choice. Rather than me choosing her as the Storm Queen, it was her choice to become the Storm Queen of Britain.”

"But the King of Storms..."

Mordred's shoulders slumped, and he looked like he had shrunk in size.

She hugged herself tightly, curling up more and more, as if she were about to disappear from this world.

She muttered to herself as if she were in great distress.

"That's how it is... but..."

“You are Mordred, not that Knight King. You should have your own will. Whether you become the Storm King or not, it should be up to you to decide. I am known as the King of Kings, the Storm King, the Wild Hunt King. Therefore, I will not deny your will because of your failure in the challenge. Moreover, the king of Britain should be chosen by the people of that land.”

In an instant, an incongruous scene unfolded before Mordred's eyes—a memory from the distant past.

He also noticed some similarities between the Sun God and the Knight King before him. Both loved the pebbles by the roadside because they saw in those pebbles a past more precious and poignant than anything else. But unlike his father, he also loved the shining gems.

“…I see. I understand.”

Then Mordred spoke telepathically to her Master, Shishikage:

I should go now, since the Holy Grail War is over. But I'm so happy to have become your partner, Master. Yes, I'm really happy...

The red swordsman, the black swordsman, Siegfried, and Mordred all exit the field together.

"Hey, hey, hey, why are you all walking so fast? Doesn't that mean I should go too..."

In just over ten seconds, four people left the scene, which made the irrational Afu feel that he should do the same.

But before that, he wanted to do something so that when he met his King Charlemagne in the future, Charlemagne would be envious.

"Lord Avia, come give me a hug~"

“No, Your Excellency, Fran doesn’t think you can be Fran’s grandmother.”

Just as Afu was about to rush up and hug Novia one last time, Fran, wielding a giant hammer, rushed out and knocked him away.

"...I just wanted a hug, you know. If I did that, Ciel would kill me, I'm not kidding..."

However, Fran was too lazy to listen to him. After knocking Alfredo away, he said to Novia:

"I hope Father can see Grandpa next time he appears, or maybe it's Edmund, they've been wanting to see you for a long time too."

Novia smiled and nodded in response.

"But Grandpa, don't mind Father's...unreliability. If he talks nonsense, Fran will teach him a lesson..."

As Fran dissipated, perhaps to prevent Afu, who was seeing stars, from repeating his previous actions, he simply pulled him away.

Black cavalryman, Astolfo, leaves the field.

Frankenstein, the black Berserker, is eliminated.

As the Servants left one by one, only Semiramis and Atalanta remained around Novia.

"boring……"

The Greek huntress had no interest in going up and chatting with these guys she barely knew.

She had initially mistakenly believed it was related to Artemis, the moon goddess she believed in, and even wanted to meet her. But it turned out to be an all-powerful deity from another land, so it was normal for her to be related to the moon goddess... Moreover, Atalanta even felt that continuing the fight wouldn't be a bad idea, mainly because she genuinely had a wish she wanted to fulfill. Unfortunately, the Greater Grail had already been destroyed, so it didn't matter anymore.

Ata's dream is to create a world where children can be loved, because pure and innocent beings should not be cruelly devoured.

However, in an instant, an incongruous scene unfolded before her eyes: the 'Malignant City Babylon,' the foggy city where Jack was born. In the moment before being severed from the present world, some unknown miracle occurred, and she glimpsed this world, which was equivalent to an innate barrier.

Just like Novia at that time, she also saw the atrocity of children being abandoned in the age of man after the age of gods had passed.

So the huntress cried, because this was a past etched into the planet's history. In other words, for this era, the decision to abandon those children was correct, and protecting them was wrong. That's how the world was back then, regardless of simple justice or evil.

That was a silent weeping, a cry for those who could not be saved.

In that instant, Ata felt an urge to use "Divine Punishment Boar"—

However, this action was stopped by a silver-haired girl who appeared beside her at some unknown time.

When Ata looked at the child, a collection of resentment, with a puzzled expression, she seemed to understand Ata's confusion and thus smiled and explained:

"It's alright, sister. We've already been saved, in a world different from this one."

"then you--"

“Because ‘Mom’ was there, I stayed behind alone.”

Following the girl's words, Ata saw London created by the dim and cold resentment, where the sense of distance was distorted to an eerie degree. It seemed unbelievably vast, yet also incredibly cramped and oppressive. Standing in the center was someone like the sun.

"But please don't tell 'Mom' because I ran away from home secretly, and 'Mom' will be very angry if she finds out."

"...Oh, that's great."

This seemingly plea gave Ata a sense of redemption.

When Ata came to her senses again, everything before her eyes returned to normal.

My own wish could not be fulfilled, but the children's miracles have happened. Although there is still sadness in my heart, my heart is full of hope.