The Eve of the Decisive Battle and Preparations

How long does it take for a Heroic Spirit to return to their complete state?

It depends on the Master's quality, the quality of their magic, and how long the Greater Grail can provide support.

However, the Black Knight's recovery speed far exceeded everyone's expectations.

In less than two hours, the Black Knight felt he had returned to his peak condition, his body filled with power, and his fighting spirit burning fiercely in his eyes.

"Master, and King of Knights, I am ready."

His voice was firm and strong, echoing in the air.

Shiki looked at the Black Knight, who was full of vigor and fighting spirit, and nodded silently, his heart filled with emotion. He said, "Mr. Lancelot, at this final moment of farewell, I only wish to express my gratitude. Thank you for your dedication and hard work along the way. May your dreams be realized, may you gain enlightenment at the moment you achieve your ideals, and may your future path no longer be uncertain."

With that, Shiki used three Command Spells, bestowing three wishes upon the Black Knight.

Feeling the bonds of his contract loosened, the Black Knight knelt on one knee, equally moved.

"Master, I also deeply thank you for your dedication and hard work. May your ideals be realized, and may your life's journey be smooth. And..."

He recalled the slightly flustered look on Shiki's face when he draped a cloak over Irisviel in the Great Cavern, and couldn't help but chuckle before continuing, "Master, finally, I wish you could marry several wives in this life and have many descendants."

Shiki was filled with gratitude upon hearing the earlier wishes, but he was stunned by the latter part.

Marry several wives?

In modern society, that would be against the law and morals.

Moreover, with his ordinary yet pleasant appearance, he would be content if he could marry one beautiful wife with a curvaceous figure.

How could he possibly respond to the feelings of several wives, and who would be willing?

However, Shiki was quite pleased with the Black Knight's wish for "many descendants." He said sincerely, "Thank you for your kind wishes, Mr. Lancelot."

Saber, standing nearby, showed a relieved smile upon witnessing this scene.

It was truly fortunate that her dear friend had found a Master like Shiki. In contrast, her own situation was a bit more complicated.

Irisviel, the proxy Master, was a kind person, and they got along well. However, her true Master, Kiritsugu Emiya, was a man of reckless actions.

At this moment, the frantic Kiritsugu and Kirei Kotomine emerged from the house, happening to witness Shiki using his Command Spells.

Seeing the Command Spells on his own hand that he had never used, Kiritsugu fell silent for a moment before raising his hand and activating their power.

"Holy Grail, in my name, grant the power of my Command Spells entirely to my puppets."

As he spoke, the three Command Spells slowly dissipated, transforming into a powerful surge of magic that flowed into Saber.

In this final battle, Kiritsugu knew the Command Spells would be of little use to him. It would be better to strengthen Saber, allowing her to defeat Berserker, thus giving him a sliver of hope to obtain the Holy Grail.

The power of the three Command Spells surged into Saber's petite form, yet she skillfully contained this immense magical energy without any leakage.

This outstanding control over magic greatly amazed Shiki; Saber's magic level was far superior to the Black Knight's.

Strengthened by the Command Spells, Saber felt the surging magic within her body. Her physical abilities also instantly rose to an extremely high level, supported by this powerful magic.

Even Saber, usually so composed, couldn't help but feel a moment of excitement.

But she quickly remembered Irisviel, her mood gradually calming. She looked at Kiritsugu and said plainly, "Kiritsugu Emiya, even if you do this, I will not forgive you. I am not fighting this battle for you."

From Kiritsugu's words when he used the Command Spells, Saber could clearly sense his attitude towards Heroic Spirits.

He treated Heroic Spirits as mere "puppets" to be manipulated at will, which Saber found extremely repulsive. Compared to the way Shiki had used his Command Spells earlier, the difference was like night and day.

Kiritsugu merely nodded in response, calmly replying, "I understand."

He knew in his heart that the relationship between him and Saber had already fractured because of Irisviel.

Now that Irisviel was gone, he didn't know where she was. But the Holy Grail War was nearing its end, with only two Heroic Spirits remaining. Even if he found Irisviel, what good would it do?

It was all too late.

Although Irisviel had formed a proxy Master contract with Saber, linking Avalon and the Holy Sword to protect Irisviel as much as possible, five Heroic Spirits had already died in the war. Among them, Archer's heroic soul was incredibly powerful. Even Avalon's magic could hardly protect Irisviel completely.

At this moment, Irisviel had likely already become the Holy Grail.

Kiritsugu forcefully suppressed the sliver of pain deep within his heart and looked at Shiki, saying, "Servants have their battlefield, and Masters should have theirs. Do you dare to fight, boy?"

He was certain that Shiki would accept the challenge.

This was not a psychological game or a provocation, but rather a judgment based on Shiki's words and actions, which indicated that this boy was by no means timid or cowardly and would bravely respond to a challenge.

As expected, Shiki agreed without hesitation: "Alright, where shall we fight? You choose the place, preferably somewhere advantageous to you."

Kiritsugu quickly named the location: "Then let's go to the Civic Hall in the new city, boy."

"Fine, you go ahead and make preparations. I'll give you time to get ready."

Shiki's demeanor was very magnanimous.

Kiritsugu gave Shiki a deep look filled with confidence before turning to leave.

He had no worries that Shiki would break his promise; someone like Shiki would surely keep his word.

Kirei Kotomine silently followed behind Kiritsugu. He had not spoken a single word to Shiki from beginning to end.

Watching their retreating figures, Saber shook her head helplessly.

To her, these two allied Masters had no chance of winning.

At times, Saber even felt a touch of pity for Kiritsugu. His lifelong wish and ideals had driven him to the brink of madness, perhaps a side effect of his pursuit of Magecraft and the awakening of his Origin.

Just like his name, "Kiritsugu," which carried meanings of cutting and combining, perhaps a nerve in him had snapped the moment his Origin awakened.

Of course, these were things she had heard from Irisviel during their conversations.

Saber stopped paying attention to Kiritsugu's actions and turned to the Black Knight, saying, "Kiritsugu chose the terrain first. While I strongly disagree with his ideals, he is, after all, the Master who sustains my existence. In a way, we are one. Now, it is your turn, Lancelot, to choose the location of our battle."

Upholding the principle of fairness was also a manifestation of knightly spirit.

The Black Knight understood immediately and did not refuse. He said, "King of Knights, how about the abandoned industrial park northeast of the new city? If necessary, we can also head to the Einzbern forest."

That was the very place where he had previously fought Langser.

Saber expressed her approval. The more remote the battle location, the better. This way, it would not attract unwanted attention and would also prevent harm to innocent bystanders.

If necessary, as the Black Knight suggested, heading deep into the Einzbern forest would be the most ideal choice.

"Lancelot, then let us depart."

As soon as Saber finished speaking, the two Heroic Spirits vanished from the mansion in an instant.

A light breeze stirred the Boy's hair.

Shiki blinked and remarked, "These two are truly fast. Heroic Spirits, as expected of the powerful forces nurtured by the world, are truly terrifying. To reach the realm of Heroic Spirits, or even surpass them, I still have a long way to go."

However, he was not in a hurry, knowing that such things could not be rushed.

"I'll take my time. The most pressing matter right now is to deal with Kiritsugu and that 'Joyful Monster,' Kirei Kotomine. Since they are participating in the Holy Grail War, they shouldn't blame me for showing no mercy. After all, neither Kiritsugu nor Kirei Kotomine can be considered good people."