"I also think Emperor Nero sang better." Kiritsugu Emiya nodded slightly in agreement.
The victor had been decided!
Realizing this, Artoria lowered her head in disappointment.
Even when Irisviel and Taiga Fujimura later supported her together, she paid them no attention, merely immersing herself in self-reproach over her defeat.
"I'm sorry! My King, it was all my fault."
Lancelot also lowered his head, his gaze fixed tightly on the ground, his heart filled with regret.
There were only five people in total. If he had spoken before Kariya used his Command Seal, the King would have won.
"No, it has nothing to do with you, My Lord Lancelot."
Artoria shook her head slightly and let out a soft sigh.
This Holy Grail War had come to an end.
Seeing this, Nero smiled and said:
"It seemed that I had won. Then, King Arthur, whose appearance is identical to mine, tell me—what wish did you seek to fulfill?"
"What meaning is there in saying that now?"
"Oh...? It seemed you had quite a few unspeakable troubles."
Nero's gaze instinctively shifted toward Kiritsugu Emiya.
Kiritsugu Emiya nodded in understanding, then activated a Command Seal.
"By Command Seal, I command you, Saber: honestly reveal what is in your heart."
Artoria immediately glared at him, but constrained by the Command Seal, she began speaking of that wish despite herself.
"I often wonder whether things would have gone better if the one who pulled out the sword had not been me, but someone else."
'The King does not understand the hearts of men.' Those words have always echoed endlessly within me.
"What exactly is the human heart? No matter how long I ponder it, I can never find an answer."
"Therefore, my wish is to return to the past, restart the selection of the King, and choose a more suitable King."
As soon as she finished speaking, the Command Seal's effect gradually faded. She immediately gripped her sword hilt tightly and glared at Kiritsugu Emiya, looking ready to cut him down at any moment.
"Bastard! How much longer are you going to humiliate me?"
At that moment, Lancelot felt as though he had a thousand words he wanted to say.
He wanted to tell her that Tristan, who had said, "The King does not understand the hearts of men," often regretted speaking without thinking.
He wanted to tell her that the King had already done well, and that there was no one more suited to the throne than her.
He wanted to tell her that the past was already past. No matter how painful or unwilling one might be, one had to keep moving forward.
Yet in the end, he could not say a single word.
Because as a traitor, he believed he had no right to say such things.
After a long while, Lancelot picked up his sword and slowly walked over.
"My King, the victor of this Holy Grail War is already destined to be Emperor Nero."
"As long as five Servants die, the Grail will take shape."
"Other than Assassin, only one of us may remain."
"So, please."
By the end, the blade in his hand was already pointed at Artoria.
"Very well."
Within the Colosseum, the two familiar figures began their long-awaited duel.
Watching the two who had already begun fighting, Kariya Matou could not help falling into thought, his heart filled with emotion.
So even Heroic Spirits whose names endured through the ages still had things they could not let go of.
Compared to her, what did my little troubles even amount to?
"Mr. Emiya, could you..."
Seeing that he had suddenly fallen silent halfway through his sentence, Kiritsugu Emiya asked in surprise:
"What is it?"
"No, it's nothing."
Kariya Matou shook his head slightly and sighed.
Originally, he had wanted to ask Kiritsugu Emiya to take better care of Shirou in the future.
But before the words left his mouth, he suddenly remembered that Shirou's parents were still alive. There was no need to trouble Kiritsugu Emiya.
At that moment, a piercing pain suddenly surged through his body.
Kariya Matou coughed up blood several times, his gaze instinctively shifting toward Lancelot, who was fighting Artoria in the distance.
Has my body already deteriorated to this extent? Lancelot hasn't even used his Noble Phantasm.
Sensing his Master's condition, Lancelot could not help pausing.
Taking advantage of his distraction, Artoria charged forward.
Her sword pierced through Lancelot's chest in an instant, while her own heart was also stabbed by the sword in Lancelot's hand.
Looking at Lancelot's stunned expression, Artoria said with a smile:
"I'm sorry, My Lord Lancelot. This was one of the things I had always wanted to do."
"I wanted to apologize to you. If I had revealed that I was a woman from the start and had not married Guinevere, none of us would have reached such an ending."
At that moment, the guilt in Lancelot's heart deepened further.
"No, it was all my fault. I joined the Holy Grail War so I could see my King once again, hoping that you would personally punish me."
"But I never expected that not only had my sins not diminished, they had instead become even greater."
"If we meet again next time, I will never repeat my mistakes."
As they continued lowering their heads and apologizing to each other, their bodies turned into Spirit Particles and gradually vanished.
Seven minus two left five Servants.
Realizing this, Nero unconsciously lowered her head to look at the Crystal in her hand.
A black light flickered. In the blink of an eye, it transformed into a black cup.
"So this is the Holy Grail?"
"It seemed this is the Holy Grail." Kariya Matou nodded slightly and sighed. "Unfortunately, the Grail has already been corrupted and cannot be used. How does Emperor Nero intend to handle it?"
"Of course, I shall leave it to my Master to deal with."
"That works too. In that case, this Holy Grail War has come to an—"
Before he could finish, the Colosseum's spectator stands, walls, trees, and ground gradually faded, turning into countless flower petals before vanishing in an instant.
"Are we leaving? Wait a moment, I haven't said goodbye to my Master yet."
As she spoke, Nero's figure flashed and disappeared from before Kariya Matou and the others.
"Is it over already?"
Kariya Matou's eyes were filled with confusion as he thought:
Assassin is still alive, and Kirei Kotomine has not yet lost his qualification as a Master. Is the end of the Holy Grail War determined by who possesses the Grail?
Or did something happen on Kirei Kotomine's side that caused Assassin to disappear?
Elsewhere, Shirou, who was comforting Rin Tohsaka together with Sakura, suddenly noticed the table disappearing. He hurriedly pulled them to their feet to keep them from falling over.
"The City of Rome is disappearing. Is that a sign that the Reality Marble is about to close?"
"That's right."
Nero appeared out of thin air beside Shirou, handed him the Black Grail in her hand, and said with a smile:
"This Holy Grail War has ended. It is time for me to leave as well."
"Huh...?"
Shirou's face was full of astonishment. I haven't even done anything. The Holy Grail War ended while I was just out taking a walk?
"Was it Kariya's doing?"
"That's right, little Master. I'll leave the Holy Grail in your care. Though it cannot be used to grant wishes, it still has some value as a collectible."
"You're leaving just like that?"
Nero seemed to be in a good mood. After laughing for a while, she turned serious and said:
"This journey has been most enjoyable. Then... until we meet in another world, my Emperor's Husband."
From Today On, My Surname Is Tohsaka
Section 25: From Today On, My Surname Is Tohsaka
Several days after the Holy Grail War ended, within the White Mist Space.
"Kariya still died. What a pity," Coachman Shirou said with a sigh.
"There was nothing to be done about it." Young Shirou shook his head slightly. "On one hand, he would rather die than eat a Devil Fruit and become an insect. On the other, no one can save a person determined to die."
"Didn't you say before that no one would voluntarily seek death?" Celestial Dragon Shirou chuckled.
"I take that back. People are different."
At this point, Young Shirou stretched out both hands, his expression strange.
"Oh, right. Something huge happened on my side today—something that could affect the rest of my life. It's too troublesome to explain, so just shake hands."
"What kind of huge thing? Did Kiritsugu Emiya decide to adopt you? Or are you going to become Shirou Kotomine again?"
Coachman Shirou suddenly realized something and asked in surprise:
"Don't tell me you ended up in an orphanage?"
"Shake hands."
"Don't rush me! At least give us time to reason it out."
"Is that necessary? It seemed you were still too well-fed."
Young Shirou sighed speechlessly, then suddenly reached out and touched each of them on the face.
The instant their skin touched, brand-new memories flooded into all three of their minds after they separated.
After a long while, Celestial Dragon Shirou looked confused and asked in astonishment:
"You were adopted by Aoi Tohsaka? So your name will be Tohsaka Shirou from now on? A member of the Tohsaka family?"
"Why does it sound so strange coming from you?" Young Shirou frowned slightly. After a pause, he continued, "That's right. From now on, I'm part of the Tohsaka family."
"Tohsaka Shirou..." Celestial Dragon Shirou murmured softly, then began laughing again. "That name... makes it sound like you married into Rin Tohsaka's family."
For some reason, Coachman Shirou looked around as he spoke absentmindedly.
"Isn't that pretty good? Back when your surname was Kotomine, you often went to the Tohsaka family home. Your relationship with Rin and Sakura was basically like siblings."
"No, strictly speaking, it should be older sister and younger brother." Shirou, who had already changed his surname to Tohsaka, sighed. "After all, Rin was born before me."
"That's true. I can already imagine her forcing you to call her big sister for a while afterward."
"Things like age can be ignored. We're only a few months apart anyway."
"Wait! Do you hear something?"
"Huh...?"
Celestial Dragon Shirou and Tohsaka Shirou exchanged a glance, fell silent, held their breath, and began listening carefully to the sound in the distance.
Before long, a faint snore reached their ears.
Before you continue