Or, you guys find another savior

"I'm pretty much the same. Since there's no hope either way, I won't say anything more to avoid adding to any regrets," Xi Jianxi zipped up his jacket and turned to face Morgan.

Morgan's eyebrows rose slightly. "Actually, it's not that complicated. I just want to obtain the ritual for the Third Magic, to analyze its principles."

"Magic that materializes the soul..." Xi Jianxi sounded quite surprised, but he didn't ask why.

It wasn't unreasonable for a magus to desire something on the level of magic.

Besides, Morgan's strength far surpassed that of modern magi. If she wanted to understand the principles of the Third Magic and then achieve it, it wouldn't be difficult.

"You're not curious."

"Don't ask about things you shouldn't, that's my principle," Xi Jianxi gave her a bright smile. "This won't affect my trust in you. Please believe me too, I will absolutely not betray you for the Holy Grail."

Morgan sighed leisurely. "I already know."

She already knew, more clearly than anyone.

"As for me, I really don't have any wishes," Xi Jianxi gave a wry smile. "I hope you can understand."

"...Mm." Morgan nodded.

He had been pushed onto this battlefield and had figured everything out himself. Morgan had no intention of pressing Xi Jianxi for anything beyond that, not now.

"Also..." Xi Jianxi walked over, sat beside Morgan, and took her hand.

With a slightly surprised look, she watched Xi Jianxi's actions.

"I don't know how else to use Command Spells, so not only did I not use them, I have an extra one," Xi Jianxi said, and the Command Spells in his hand slowly lit up. "However, Command Spells themselves are valuable magical energy resources. If you use them, they can definitely be put to better use."

After he finished speaking, the room was illuminated by a red light, and then it returned to its original state.

Those four Command Spells had transferred from him to the back of Morgan's hand, which was as fair as if it were transparent.

"To actually hand over Command Spells to a Servant, my husband is truly a groundbreaking magus in every sense of the word," Morgan looked up at Xi Jianxi. "Trust your wife, she won't let your expectations down."

Feeling that the atmosphere had suddenly become ambiguous because of his actions, Xi Jianxi felt a little embarrassed and quickly changed the subject.

"I'll go see if Sakura and Karen are asleep. Once they're sound asleep, we can depart." Xi Jianxi stood up a little awkwardly and slowly left the room.

Morgan didn't stop him, only watched him disappear outside the door. Then, she caressed the patterns of the Command Spells with her hand, as if stroking a treasure more precious than the Command Spells themselves.

Having composed herself, Morgan also walked out of the room, taking a stroll through the entire Xi Jianxi residence.

In just a few short days, she felt a sense of closeness as if she had lived there for over a decade.

The Holy Grail War was drawing to a close, and the infamous witch was also about to bid farewell to all of this and return to her original place.

Therefore, she wanted to engrave the present moment into her memory.

As she passed a corridor with a view of the garden, she saw Artoria standing in the garden, bathed in moonlight.

"What are you looking at, Artoria?"

Perhaps it was the last chance to speak with Artoria Pendragon like this, Morgan initiated the conversation.

"Nothing, I'm just looking at this sky," Artoria turned and walked a few steps towards Morgan. "Even though the times and countries are different, the sky remains exactly the same."

"Even the moon shining on you is the same one," Morgan said in a somewhat poetic tone.

"Is that so." Artoria nodded, then looked at Morgan and smiled at her. "I almost forgot, I should thank you, Morgan."

"I don't recall doing anything that would require your thanks," Morgan replied.

"But thanks to your attempt to make my heart yield, I realized something I had inadvertently overlooked," Artoria turned her face away and looked at the starry sky again. "I wanted to save Britain, I wanted to change the fact that Britain was destroyed, but I forgot that the world is not just Britain."

"...It's not too late." Morgan's voice lowered.

"If my wish had been granted, perhaps the people of Britain could have enjoyed a sky like tonight forever, but the human world would have been swept by disaster because of it," Artoria said with a wry smile. "If that were the case, the price would be too high."

Morgan looked at Artoria. "Judging by your tone, it doesn't sound like you think your wish was wrong, just that you had to give it up."

"It's not giving up, it's choosing to protect the broader world of humanity," Artoria lowered her eyelids. "Although I'm still unwilling, although there are still things I'm reluctant to let go of, but... let this wish remain a wish."

"Is that so. Then do as you see fit," Morgan said with a slight hint of amusement. "If you go to Avalon and meet the magus I've confined there, remember to mock him fiercely with this outcome. After all, that incubus, even now, is secretly watching all of this with his eyes that can see the present, yet he does nothing."

Uncharacteristically, Artoria and Morgan found common ground. "Yes, I was planning to do just that."

Then, as if remembering something, she added, "Also, you are not the Morgan I know, are you?"

"...Does that matter?" Morgan was noncommittal.

"You're right, it doesn't really matter," Artoria sighed deeply. "This Holy Grail War is truly beyond imagination, both the Masters and the Servants."

The night passed in silence, and the final moments before heading to the battlefield were drawing closer.

Chapter Eighty: Ryuudou Temple

At midnight, as the clock struck one in the morning.

The group split into three, approaching Ryuudou Temple via different routes.

Iskandar's carriage, with Waver.

Artoria riding a motorcycle, with Irisviel.

Xi Jianxi, using his most skilled teleportation magic, arrived with Morgan on the roadside outside Ryuudou Temple to survey the situation.

"...This magical energy is so foul it's nauseating," Morgan raised her hand, partially covering her mouth and nose, and commented with displeasure.

In reality, the magical energy emanating from Ryuudou Temple had no discernible scent.

Morgan was merely making a qualitative assessment.

The air was damp and saturated with moisture, clinging to the skin like a mucous membrane.

It was brimming with life force, almost as if it were alive, the entire mountain seeming to breathe.

"It has completely become a visceral organ that inhales and exhales magical energy, waiting to further devour the souls of Servants to complete the Holy Grail's form."

Xi Jianxi couldn't help but gasp. He raised his hand, and a powdery purple butterfly formed from magical energy flew from his palm, ascending the stairs. Midway up, it suddenly exploded, bathing the entire slope of Ryuudou Temple in light.

Faerie Fire.

A magecraft used to detect invisible enemies, Xi Jianxi had specifically developed it to counter the Assassin's Presence Concealment abilities.

It was hard to say how effective it would be, but one thing was certain: once this magecraft was deployed, any enemy that appeared within its range would be completely exposed, even if they concealed their form and presence again.

"They didn't have the Assassin arrayed at the temple gate, did they?" Morgan mused, analyzing the situation. "They're probably stationed somewhere else."

It didn't take long to travel from Xi Jianxi's home to Ryuudou Temple. Following closely behind, Artoria and Iskandar, along with their respective Masters, also arrived.

Clearly, they had encountered no obstacles on their journey. After gathering, everyone confirmed each other's presence and prepared to ascend the temple steps together.

Gilgamesh's whereabouts were unknown, so the utmost vigilance was required.

At that moment, a dark figure emerged from the shadows and slowly walked towards them.

Kiritsugu Emiya had also arrived; he couldn't bear to let his wife go into battle alone and insisted on accompanying her.

No one objected. They took to the long staircase in a formation with the Servants leading and Xi Jianxi covering the rear.

Upon reaching the temple gate, they discovered that a red light had already enveloped the entire Ryuudou Temple. Red phosphorescence scattered in the wind, and though it was late at night, the temple was brightly lit with an ominous aura.

Behind the buildings, a vibrant color seeped out, like a viscous darkness.

"They're here. I've been waiting for you."

On the roof of Ryuudou Temple, a figure in golden armor stood tall.

Clearly intending to face multiple Servants alone, Gilgamesh no longer held the playful attitude he had displayed during the day.

"Archer, did you and Kirei forcibly activate the Holy Grail?" Irisviel stared intently at him.

Gilgamesh snorted. "Isn't it obvious, doll? This King has no interest in the Holy Grail. If Kirei said he wanted to activate it, then it was activated. Though Tokiomi was surprisingly capable. I thought he was just a useless nobody, but I didn't expect him to be so useful as a vessel. The souls of just two Servants were enough to activate the Holy Grail."

"Tokiomi..." Xi Jianxi's pupils contracted.

As Irisviel had predicted, once the core was stolen, it would lose its vitality within a day if left unattended. Therefore, a vessel was necessary.

However, the homunculi of the Einzbern were merely the conditions for the normal activation of the Lesser Holy Grail.

If the intention was merely to utilize the vast stored magical energy, any magus, or even an ordinary person with a trace of magical bloodline, could serve as a vessel.

"You knew Tokiomi for a long time, didn't you? You're perfect for sending him off on his final journey, fellow named Xi Jianxi," Gilgamesh said, looking at Xi Jianxi. "Scum like you should just disappear quickly. The only ones I care about are Servants and this guy."

Morgan couldn't help but chuckle at his words. "It seems your strategy has failed, my husband."

"It's too early to say," Xi Jianxi said, gripping his right hand with his left. He still had one extra Command Spell that he hadn't given to Morgan.

It was a reward for his service from the Holy Church. By keeping it, Xi Jianxi had anticipated a situation like this.

"Let's go, Iris."

Kiritsugu, the first to discern Xi Jianxi's intention, immediately grabbed Irisviel and ran towards the backyard.

Iskandar also patted Waver on the back. "Kid, hurry up. We've got this covered here."

Stumbling forward a few steps, Waver finally made up his mind, clutching the four Command Spells in his hand.

"By Command Spell, I command you to win, Rider; by Command Spell, I command you not to fall in battle, Rider; by Command Spell, I command you to do what you wish and never retreat; and finally, by Command Spell, I command you... to sweep away all enemies before you!"

As if in a fit of desperation, he surrendered all his Command Spells. However, everyone could feel the magical energy from the four Command Spells amplifying Iskandar's aura to its absolute limit.

"I leave this to you, Rider," Waver said, taking a deep breath and speaking with resolve.

The King of Conquerors laughed and drew his sword. "Since my Master has said as much, I shall take the vanguard! At the very least, it's worth staying to witness my Noble Phantasm."

Accompanying his hearty voice, a dry, scorching wind swept across the entire Ryuudou Temple.

He was about to unleash his ultimate Noble Phantasm, transporting everyone to a new battlefield.

This heat wind, born from beyond common sense, began to distort and erode reality.

A scorching sun burned the earth, offering boundless visibility. Far in the distance, the horizon, obscured by raging sandstorms, was nothing but a cloudless blue sky.

A great incantation that eroded reality, a Reality Marble.

Of course, Iskandar could not achieve this alone. There was also the army slowly advancing from behind everyone, those heroes who had once ridden alongside Iskandar across battlefields and conquered territories.

The crystallization of their collective hearts was the source of all this.

"With this, there will be no problem."

Before setting out, Xi Jianxi had already heard the King of Conquerors reveal that he possessed another Noble Phantasm: a Reality Marble.

Therefore—

"I offer my Command Spell to my wife!" Xi Jianxi also seized the moment when neither side had gained a firm footing and activated his sole Command Spell. "Go to your battlefield!"

"Leave it to me. I won't hold back."

Without any resistance, he left the place under the guidance of the Command Spells.

"It's a shame my boy can't be transferred like this," Iskandar said.

Xi Jianxi summoned his Red Spear and moved to the front.

"The battlefield is the same no matter which side you choose, Waver. Just pick one."

He twirled his spear, its tip pointing towards Gilgamesh on the other side of the desert.

Chapter 81: Fierce Battle

Rider had only managed to showcase one Noble Phantasm, 'Chariot of the Conqueror,' in this Holy Grail War.

It wasn't until the strategy meeting a few hours ago that he revealed his second Noble Phantasm out of necessity.

'Ionian Hetairoi.'

Everyone was somewhat surprised that a Servant of the Rider class possessed an innate bounded field, a great sorcery typically mastered by mages.

But now, having truly witnessed the form of the Noble Phantasm with their own eyes, they felt somewhat relieved.

These glorious, elite cavalrymen, their bond with King of Conquerors Iskandar as king and subject, transcended the barriers between the living and the dead, transforming into eternally immortal warriors.

No matter where the battlefield was, as long as their king needed to display his past dominance once more, his subjects would immediately rush to his side, no matter the distance.

Gazing at the warriors marching towards them with immense power, Artoria frowned deeply, then closed her eyes with some reluctance, no longer looking at the scene.

"Don't mind it, King of Knights," Xi Jianxi said, his back to the King of Conquerors and his army. "There's more than one way to be a king. I once accompanied a queen who guarded the land of the dead and the realm of spirits. She bore an eternal responsibility all by herself, and aren't you the same? Isn't the radiance of the holy sword you carry proof of your kingship?"

Artoria turned her face and looked at Xi Jianxi, who was speaking these words of encouragement to her.

He also looked at her, a smile on his face, "Or perhaps, your kingly capacity and demeanor have long been surpassed by your sister?"