Holy Grail War
Though it bore the name of a war, it was not truly a war in essence. It was merely a contest for the "omnipotent wish-granting machine"—the Greater Grail.
The first Holy Grail, and still the only one to date, had been created jointly by The Three Founding Families: Tohsaka, Einzbern, and Matou.
With Einzbern's finest homunculus, Justeaze Lizrich von Einzbern, as its core, they completed an artificial construct that reached the realm of True Magic.
At first, the Holy Grail War had not drawn the Mage's Association's attention. Compared to the West, the Far East's magecraft was generally unimpressive. What could a bunch of country bumpkins from the backwoods possibly accomplish? That was the Mage's Association's one-sided view of reality.
It was only after the Third Holy Grail War that the Clock Tower began to take the Holy Grail War in Fuyuki somewhat seriously, which led to Kayneth's tragedy.
However, in one timeline, during the Third Holy Grail War, one of the seven Masters, Darnic Preston Yggdmillennia—and Justeaze up there had an absurdly long name too—colluded directly with the military and dug up the Greater Grail to take it away.
The method had been simple and brutal, but The Three Founding Families had exploded over it. Matou in particular, since Old Bug had been counting on that thing all along.
Incidentally, during the Third Holy Grail War, Darnic had exchanged several rounds of remarkably harmonious and friendly combat with the old man of the Matou family.
But do not think Kayneth could live in peace just because Fuyuki's Greater Grail was gone. After that, a Subspecies Holy Grail War appeared, and Kayneth went to join in the fun—then promptly died. By now, the grass on his grave could probably be measured by the foot.
Some people really were not suited for this sort of thing. But this was not a story about Kenneth's miserable fate. It was another story, supposedly one about humanity fulfilling its wishes.
Though hardly anyone actually fulfilled one.
Romania, Trifas
In the castle's grand hall, where there was not a single light, all of Yggdmillennia's strongest forces had gathered. Seated upon the platform was the first Servant to be summoned, Black Lancer Vlad III. Standing at his side was his Master, Darnic, head of the Yggdmillennia clan.
On the other side of the platform stood Caster's Master, a twelve-year-old dollmaker, Roche Frain Yggdmillennia.
Below the platform stood the remaining Masters of the Red faction in this Holy Grail War:
A bloated middle-aged man, Gordes Musik Yggdmillennia, a magus who used Einzbern alchemy.
A young woman with purple paint smeared across the bridge of her nose, Selenike Icecol Yggdmillennia, a magus who practiced witchcraft.
A girl in a wheelchair, Fiore Forvedge Yggdmillennia, who had been designated as the next head of the Yggdmillennia clan.
A bespectacled boy, Fiore's biological younger brother, Caules Forvedge Yggdmillennia.
Their expressions were solemn, because what they were about to perform might be the highest-ranked magecraft of their lives.
"Silver and iron as our essence. Stone and the Grand Duke of Contracts as our foundation. Let black be the color we offer. Let the surging wind be barred by four walls. Close the gates in all directions. Emerge from the crown, and wander at the fork in the road leading to the kingdom."
When the four spoke the first verse of the chant, the summoning circles before them began to shine with the distinctive radiance of magecraft.
The wind began to blow.
"Declaration."
"Thy body shall be beneath me, and my fate shall be upon thy sword.
Answer the summons of the Holy Grail. If thou wouldst submit to this will and this justice, then answer."
"I hereby swear:
I shall accomplish all the good deeds of this world;
I shall destroy all the evil deeds of this world;
I am the one who grasps those chains."
"Thou, clad in the Seven Heavens of the threefold word, come forth from the Wheel of Restraint, O guardian of the scales!"
When the light faded, what answered the four of them were not four Servants corresponding to them, but—five Servants!
A silver-gray-haired swordsman clad in armor and carrying a broadsword on his back; a tawny-haired archer in leather armor, with a bow and quiver at his waist; a young person with long pink hair, dressed extravagantly but of indeterminate gender; a red-haired young man in a red-and-white trench coat; and a cowlick-faced girl with short cherry-blossom hair, wearing the same style of trench coat as the former, only in different colors and a female cut.
"We, the Servants of Black, have answered the call of your summons. Our fates are bound to Yggdmillennia, and our swords shall be your swords."
Once all the Servants had more or less arrived, Darnic, standing at the highest point of the hall, exchanged glances with the Servant seated beside him—Black Lancer, Romania's guardian demon general, Vlad III—then stepped forward and shouted, "There is no need to fear, for we already possess the omnipotent wish-granting machine: the Greater Grail!"
The red-haired young man was naturally Shirou. In order to let him display greater combat ability in the Holy Grail War, Alaya had specially prepared an adult body for him.
Listening to Darnic, Shirou's expression did not change, but inwardly he had already looked down on Darnic several times. No need to fear? When the other side comes to raid your home in airplanes, let's see whether you panic or not!
The grave atmosphere Darnic had created did not last long. After a brief flicker, the light bulbs installed in this "King's Chamber" switched on—this old castle had lighting facilities.
"Hehe, looks like I've joined some incredible, strange, and interesting Holy Grail War! Well, I don't mind at all." So said Black Rider, Astolfo. He then looked around and discovered a very serious problem.
"Wait, Saber, Archer, Rider, Berserker... Hey! Why are there five Servants?" Astolfo counted them all, then pointed at Shirou and Okita Souji.
For a moment, everyone's attention turned to Shirou, Okita, and Shirou's Master, Caules.
Because the room had been too dark just now, Okita Souji, who wore darker clothes, had gone unnoticed. Once the lights came on, she naturally could not remain hidden.
Even Vlad III and Darnic on the platform looked over. It was clear that they took this matter very seriously as well.
"Oh, you mean Okita? She's my Servant. Her class is Alter Ego!" Shirou said, pointing at Okita Souji.
"Then what about you?" Afu asked again.
"Me?" Shirou pointed his thumb at his own chin and tilted his head. "I'm obviously Berserker! What is it, Rider? Do you have a problem with that?"
"There's a huge problem!" Astolfo cried in frustration. "Why is Berserker so rational? That doesn't fit the definition of a Berserker at all!"
Before you continue