Cards of Type-Moon: Servants

Meanwhile, Irisviel, who was locked in a fierce battle with Emiya Kiritsugu, began to tremble uncontrollably. This wasn't a sign of her performance dropping; rather, her magical energy was draining at an alarming rate.

With the souls of four Servants within her, she had formed a deep connection with the Greater Holy Grail. Logically, she should have been able to withstand any kind of Servant consumption.

But now... she couldn't hold on!

"More! Kiritsugu!" Irisviel kissed Kiritsugu with a desperate hunger, as if plundering him. She needed more magical energy!

"I can't... Help me..." Emiya Kiritsugu looked at the empty blue pill packet on the table, tears of sorrow streaming down his face. A man couldn't say he couldn't.

But he really couldn't! What was Saber even doing?! Why was Illya consuming magical energy so quickly?

Maiya Hisau, standing nearby, watched Emiya Kiritsugu struggling and Irisviel in her frenzied state. After a moment of silence, she decided to let Kiritsugu rest and take his place in replenishing the Lady's magic.

After all, Irisviel was the primary source of magical energy output, a fact even a blind person could sense. Maiya Hisau removed her towel, embraced Irisviel, and said coldly to Emiya Kiritsugu, "Saber is likely heading for a decisive battle, otherwise he wouldn't be this frantic. You should rest for a while."

With that, Maiya Hisau kissed Irisviel. Women could also replenish each other's magic. Otherwise, why would Mikaela have asked Maiya Hisau to stay?

"Th-thank you, Maiya," Emiya Kiritsugu gasped, feeling as if his entire body was about to fall apart. His kidneys ached terribly! Even healing magic had no effect!

Chapter 121: Retreat! Retreat!

Once, Mikaela had also used the power of King Hassan.

However, that was King Hassan from Illya's Dream Summoning deck. In the previous world, Mikaela, a mere mortal, had used that card just once and was nearly drained dry, never using it again.

But now, to kill Gilgamesh faster and more certainly, Mikaela wasn't planning to use Illya's Dream Summoning. Instead, he would directly transform into the true body of King Hassan.

Mikaela wasn't incapable of transforming into male characters, nor did he particularly prefer female characters. The reason was his lack of funds for energy supplements and the like in the past.

He had to train himself, manage his energy consumption, and still earn money!

This posed a great difficulty for Mikaela at the time, as his mother was in prison and his father was missing. He was the sole support of the family, and even though he knew he had a treasure trove of potential, he was powerless to tap into it.

During his experiments, Mikaela discovered that transforming into female characters consumed significantly less energy. "Trap" characters were practically zero-cost. Conversely, transforming into male characters caused a sudden surge in consumption.

This was why Mikaela leaned towards female transformations. At the time, he genuinely couldn't transform into male characters; the consumption was simply too immense. One wrong move could deplete his energy entirely, leading to his death.

After numerous experiments, Mikaela also realized that his transformations seemed to involve a matter of "compatibility."

For instance, as is widely known, Mikaela's appearance is quite feminine. Therefore, transforming into beautiful girls and lolis was a perfectly normal occurrence.

Although Mikaela was initially around 1.78 meters tall, his height gradually decreased with repeated use of his transformation ability... and his appearance became increasingly cute.

This was a side effect, or rather, a matter of compatibility. If Mikaela's guess was correct, the more he transformed into a particular character, the stronger his compatibility with them would become, and the less energy he would consume. If it reached a point of zero energy consumption...

Then the ultimate outcome would likely be him becoming that character.

As the saying goes, the dragon slayer eventually becomes the dragon. If one continuously transforms into another, then one day, Mikaela would resemble them.

But now... who cared about the consumption! Irisviel was replenishing Kiritsugu's magic, and she was directly linked to the Greater Holy Grail! A staggering 60 years of accumulated magical energy! Enough for Mikaela to go wild!

"You damn bastard!!!!"

Gilgamesh's pupils contracted. He could clearly sense the terrifying nature of the being that "clown" had transformed into.

And more importantly!!! He felt that the Servant's Spiritual Foundation was of the highest rank—Grand!

"Swish swish swish—!!!"

Gilgamesh, who had intended to mock Mikaela, became serious. The King's Treasure behind him opened fully, golden ripples filling the sky!

"..."

Gripping the giant black stone sword in his hand, Mikaela truly felt... it was so good, so good to have someone providing him with magical energy! If he had dared to play like this in his previous life, he would have already died.

"Boom—!!!"

Blue flames erupted from beneath Gilgamesh's feet. These flames held no heat, but instead exuded a chilling coldness!

"Tsk!" Gilgamesh seemed to sense the danger and leaped away, dodging the chilling blue flames.

"Die!" Gilgamesh no longer cared about critiquing the "clown's" performance. He deeply felt the "threat" and knew that if he didn't eliminate that guy quickly, he might be killed by this "fake" with a Grand-ranked Spiritual Foundation!

"Boom boom boom boom boom—!!!"

Like a bomber's carpet bombing, countless Noble Phantasms poured from the King's Treasure. The ground was gouged into a deep crater, and the surrounding streets suffered from the shockwaves. Streetlights and chairs placed along the streets were completely destroyed by the residual force of the Noble Phantasm bombardment.

Even Waver, who was quite a distance away, was "blown" away by the impact. He hadn't expected Gilgamesh to become so agitated upon seeing that "swordsman"! Releasing so many Noble Phantasms to bombard him without a word.

"Useless."

Like the whisper of death, a dull voice sounded in Gilgamesh's ear. At some point, the skeletal swordsman had appeared beside him. He... was completely unharmed!

"What?!" Gilgamesh instinctively reached for Gae Bolg, but the skeletal swordsman was faster!

"Swish—!!"

With just one strike, the skeletal swordsman severed Gilgamesh's hand as he tried to grasp Gae Bolg. Blue flames burned in the skeletal swordsman's eyes, and he spoke in a low tone, "King of Heroes, farewell."

Mikaela didn't want to give Tohno Shiro a chance to recall Gilgamesh.

Unless the Servant's Spiritual Core was destroyed, even if his limbs were severed, he could recover with sufficient magical energy. Therefore, a one-hit kill was necessary!

"Dong—!!!"

As Mikaela swung his final sword, a dull bell chimed, as if bidding farewell to an existence.

"Waaah—!!!"

Gilgamesh's head was cleaved from his body! His body and brain were forcibly separated.

"..." Mikaela showed no emotion. He calmly swung his sword, piercing Gilgamesh's heart with unerring accuracy. This way... the strongest participant in this Holy Grail War would truly be eliminated.

"Damn you!!! You clown!!!"

Gilgamesh died filled with hatred. He never imagined that the clown he had always looked down upon hid such a powerful trump card!!

However, no matter how much he hated it, he could not revive. His body dissolved into particles and disappeared from this world.

"It's over."

Mikaela breathed a sigh of relief, his gaze turning towards the Einzbern castle. Five Servants had been eliminated, leaving only the Assassin.

"Let's start voting. Is it faster to commit suicide, or to fight for the Holy Grail against someone who can transform into the First Master?"

The Assassins had gathered. All the Hassan of the Hundred Faces had assembled. They had originally been tracking Gilgamesh, Mikaela, and the King of Conquerors, the three Servants.

Now that those three were gathered, the Hassan of the Hundred Faces naturally gathered as well.

They were currently holding a secret meeting.

"Hmph! So what if he can transform into the First Master!" one Hassan of the Hundred Faces stood up, his tone extremely hostile. "If he wants the Holy Grail! Then let him have it..."

"I think I'll die first out of respect. If you want to fight, then go ahead and fight."

One Hassan of the Hundred Faces slit his own throat, indicating he would leave first. It had nothing to do with him anyway, and he wouldn't be held accountable later!

"Mhm mhm mhm! Suicide is indeed faster."

"Yeah, yeah, let's not get on the First Master's bad side."

"Look at your cowardly selves!! Wait for me! I don't want to get on the First Master's bad side either."

The sixth Servant, the Hassan of the Hundred Faces of the Assassin class, officially withdrew.

Chapter 122: Golden Experience!

"It's over."

When Mikaela arrived at the Einzbern castle at extreme speed, he found Emiya Kiritsugu, his spirit withered, sitting in a chair, trembling as he lit a cigarette, as if his body had been hollowed out.

"...It seems the situation is even worse than I imagined." Mikaela casually crushed a card, and a dandelion appeared in his hand. He waved it slightly towards Emiya Kiritsugu, and a green light fell into the latter's body.

This was Hotarugusa's dandelion, possessing the power to heal others. Although Emiya Kiritsugu's body wasn't significantly abnormal, he had merely engaged in too much "magic replenishment" with Irisviel, leading to kidney deficiency... and mental exhaustion.

"This was supposed to be just a normal surprise attack, why did it turn into this?" Emiya Kiritsugu's hand holding the cigarette trembled slightly. He remembered the plan for tonight was just to kill the King of Conquerors and Diarmuid, right?!

Why were Gilgamesh and the Assassin also dead? This was completely different from the plan.

"I don't know. Perhaps the timing was too good, and I felt it was the best choice to launch the attack." Mikaela said calmly. "You should also be aware that our greatest enemy is that King of Heroes."

"No, I find it quite normal that you would kill the King of Heroes. But why is the Assassin also dead?"

Thanks to the healing effect of Hotarugusa's dandelion, Emiya Kiritsugu's hand was no longer trembling so violently. He took a deep breath, extinguished the cigarette, and threw it into a nearby trash can.

Now, six Servants had been eliminated. The only one remaining was Mikaela.

Undoubtedly, they had won. However, this victory had come too suddenly. The plan for tonight was supposed to be just a small skirmish, not the final battle.

But unexpectedly, their own Servant was so fierce that he wiped out all the other Servants, even the most stealthy Assassin had been slain!

"Assassin?" Mikaela tilted his head, a flicker of confusion in his eyes. Had he killed the Hassan of the Hundred Faces? Not at all... Could it have been Gilgamesh? Or the King of Conquerors who did it?

Never mind, since Emiya Kiritsugu said so, he believed that Irisviel must have sensed it, and the Hassan of the Hundred Faces had officially withdrawn.

"Let's go. Let's go see Illya one last time." Emiya Kiritsugu knew what would happen next, but he had to see his wife one last time.

"..."

Mikaela nodded. He was somewhat surprised why Irisviel hadn't turned into the Lesser Holy Grail yet, but it was quite advantageous for him that she hadn't.

Opening the door, Mikaela found that although there was a strange odor in the air in the room, it wasn't as strong as he had imagined.

"You still have time to take a bath?" Mikaela raised an eyebrow, looking at Maiya Hisau and Irisviel wrapped in towels. From the looks of it, they had taken the opportunity to take a shower.

However... it was probably Maiya Hisau who helped Irisviel bathe. As the vessel for the Holy Grail, although she had Avalon, the scabbard of the King of Arthur protecting her.

But with six Servants already eliminated, she was unable to act and her consciousness was rapidly fading.

In other words, she was currently like a blow-up doll.

"If you didn't bathe, you wouldn't like the smell." Maiya Hisau, wrapped in a towel, seemed to have just finished showering. She looked at Mikaela calmly and said, "For those who are 'replenishing magic,' it might be an aphrodisiac, but for outsiders, that smell is quite pungent. After all, Emiya Kiritsugu replenished magic for over ten hours."

"..." Hearing this, Mikaela glanced at the dispirited Emiya Kiritsugu and roughly understood why the latter had been sitting at the door with a cigarette in his mouth, looking like he had no will to live, waiting for his return.

"Let me check." Mikaela ignored Emiya Kiritsugu's mood and placed his hand on Irisviel's chest to feel the condition of her heart.

Or rather... Irisviel's heart was the 'Lesser Holy Grail.' Her heart area was the place where the six eliminated Servants were stored. Even if Mikaela held her heart now, she showed no fluctuation.

"..."

Mikaela placed his hand on her lower abdomen, feeling the 'scabbard' protecting Irisviel's body. Due to Mikaela having transformed into Artoria earlier and using the power of the scabbard, he had temporarily suppressed the ritual to summon the Holy Grail inscribed within her.

However, this was only a temporary suppression. If the magic dissipated, or if the 'Greater Holy Grail' couldn't wait any longer, Irisviel would eventually turn into the Lesser Holy Grail.

"How is it?" Emiya Kiritsugu didn't mind Mikaela's 'improper' handling of his wife. After all, in just a few days, he had come to understand that Mikaela was not a lecherous person. He was doing this, naturally, to check on Irisviel's current condition.

"Do you want her to live?"

Mikaela looked at Emiya Kiritsugu and said calmly, "No one can stop us now. If you want Irisviel to live, I have a way to let her shed the identity of the 'Small Holy Grail'."

If Mikaela had just arrived, he wouldn't have bothered talking to Emiya Kiritsugu. He would have directly sacrificed Irisviel, summoned the Small Holy Grail, and then used the black mud to reconstruct his own body.

But over the past few days, Irisviel had been accompanying Mikaela. Her kindness and gentleness reminded Mikaela of his mother, which is why he felt a pang of compassion at this moment.

"...What about the Holy Grail?" Emiya Kiritsugu looked at Mikaela calmly. He naturally knew that Irisviel was a very important person. Without her, he wouldn't be able to make his wish.

"I'll be the Small Holy Grail," Mikaela said very calmly. "Although I am a Servant, things have reached this point. The so-called 'Small Holy Grail' is merely a catalyst. As long as I place Irisviel's artificial heart into my own heart, I can naturally become the Small Holy Grail."

"...What's the probability of success?" Emiya Kiritsugu seemed to want to smoke, but when he took out his cigarette case, he realized he had already finished his cigarettes.

"One hundred percent."

Seeing that Emiya Kiritsugu had made his decision, Mikaela crushed a card, and a phantom figure appeared behind him. It was none other than Golden Experience!

"Puchi—!!"

Golden Experience threw a punch, and a large hole was immediately punched through Irisviel's delicate chest.

Chapter 123: The Holy Grail is Polluted

"Cough!"

His heart, or rather, his spiritual core, Mikaela roughly placed the Small Holy Grail's heart, which carried the souls of six Servants, into his own body.

"What... what is going on?"

Irisviel, whose heart had just been replaced, immediately regained consciousness like a robot. She blinked, a hint of confusion in her eyes. She had originally been in darkness, being pulled down by countless 'herself'.

But just as she was preparing to die, suddenly! Her consciousness returned to this body?! What was happening?