Moon of the Card Servant

"You're awake, Irisviel," Mikaela said, a trickle of crimson blood flowing from the corner of his mouth. He looked at Irisviel, who had just woken up, and gave a slight nod. He felt terrible at the moment.

The heart that had just been installed was rejecting him far more strongly than he had imagined!

"Uwa—!!"

Mikaela hadn't shown such a lack of composure even when facing the Sea Demon, Diarmuid, the King of Conquerors, Gilgamesh, and others. Now, as a Servant, the forced implantation of an artificial heart was causing him immense pain.

Blood splattered on the ground. Irisviel finally came to her senses and quickly scrambled to her feet. Ignoring the bath towel that slipped off, leaving her completely naked, she cried out emotionally, "Aila-chan!! Quickly destroy that heart! The Holy Grail has been corrupted! If you don't destroy that heart immediately, 'that existence' will be summoned!"

"What?!" Emiya Kiritsugu looked at Irisviel in disbelief. Although he was weak, he didn't think Irisviel was joking.

Because even at the last moment, Irisviel had always supported him, stating that it was all for that child, and she would have no regrets even if she died.

Now, after only being unconscious for a little over ten minutes, Irisviel had suddenly changed her attitude! She declared that the Holy Grail absolutely could not descend?! What was going on?!

"Kiritsugu!! Stop Aila-chan quickly! I'll explain it to you later!!" Irisviel couldn't spare a thought for her naked state. Her expression was one of extreme panic. What she had just 'seen' was absolutely not an illusion. If not for King Arthur's scabbard protecting her.

And if Aila-chan hadn't given her a brief moment of consciousness, she would have died with regret and despair. Because this Holy Grail! It wasn't a wish-granting machine at all, but a corrupted Holy Grail, filled with 'malice' and 'despair' within!

"No, it's too late. He's coming out!"

Mikaela gritted his teeth and instantly materialized away, disappearing from his spot. No one knew where he had gone.

Emiya Kiritsugu wanted to use a Command Seal to summon Mikaela back. Then, his pupils constricted slightly, and he suddenly realized that he had used the Command Seal, but Mikaela had not been summoned back.

"Command Seal?! It failed?!"

Life had taken a drastic turn. On one hand, Emiya Kiritsugu was still grieving the impending loss of his wife. Now! He was completely lost, not knowing what had happened. But a Command Seal failing could only mean one thing.

That his Servant had 'died'!

"Boom—!!"

Suddenly, a loud noise erupted not far away. Emiya Kiritsugu rushed out.

"Ma'am." Maiya Hisau stayed behind to accompany Irisviel. Although she had been through countless battles, she truly had no idea what was happening.

"Quickly, we must stop that 'existence'. If that thing is released, everything will be ruined, both the Holy Grail War and this city." Irisviel threw on her bath towel, unable to forget what she had just seen!

She knew very well that this was not what Kiritsugu wanted, nor what the Einzbern family pursued. That Greater Holy Grail had already been corrupted!

Emiya Kiritsugu, who had already run out, widened his eyes. He saw a scene that could only be described as hell!

On a distant mountain peak, black and red muddy water flowed down like an avalanche towards the foot of the mountain. Even from afar, Emiya Kiritsugu could deeply sense that the magic power was filled with ill omens!

This was not colorless magic power, but filthy, disgusting stuff stained with negative emotions!

"Aila-chan... seems to have realized something, which is why they went so far away?"

Irisviel and Maiya Hisau also ran out. Irisviel looked at Emiya Kiritsugu, who was in disbelief, and said with great sorrow, "Kiritsugu, while I was unconscious, my 'soul' entered a strange place. If nothing unexpected happens, that is the inside of the Greater Holy Grail, the inside of what is called the wish-granting machine."

"According to the knowledge recorded in my mind, the Holy Grail space should originally be pure and flawless, filled with colorless magic power. But that place was filled with all sorts of negative emotions. If you were to make a wish there, the outcome would likely be the worst possible..."

In fact, even without Irisviel saying it, Emiya Kiritsugu could guess the general situation by looking at the black and red muddy water continuously flowing down the mountain.

The Holy Grail was corrupted!

The Holy Grail for which he had sacrificed everything, his ideals, his dreams, was merely a corrupted thing.

"Rai-chan!! Quickly notify the Tohno family! And the Church!! If that thing continues to spread, it will definitely reach the residents at the foot of the mountain!! If we don't stop it, things will only get worse. We must notify them and use their power to stop this!"

Even though he was weak and his spirit had been severely struck, Emiya Kiritsugu made the most correct decision at this moment.

However, he looked at the other mountain peak with a complex expression, saying with some regret and relief, "If Saber hadn't left in time, we would have been caught in it too."

Undoubtedly, the failure of the Command Seal pretty much proved that Saber, Mikaela, had died.

When he suddenly disappeared earlier, he must have sensed the malice of the Holy Grail. To avoid dragging them down, he had left quickly!

"He's just a fifteen-year-old boy, and his wish was simply to return to his original home. Why has the Holy Grail been corrupted?" Emiya Kiritsugu felt deeply saddened, but he would not give up this opportunity to save more people.

After all, Emiya Kiritsugu had always made choices: sacrificing the few to save the many!

Sacrificing Mikaela alone to save the majority of the populace was worthwhile in Emiya Kiritsugu's heart.

"Understood."

Although Irisviel had just returned from that space and was still shaken, she forced herself to assist her husband in stopping this!

Chapter 124: The Fourth Holy Grail War Ends

"No, it's too late. He's coming out!"

Mikaela gritted his teeth and instantly materialized away. He moved at the fastest speed possible, arrived outside the castle, and crushed the card he had prepared beforehand.

"Rule Breaker!"

Holding Rule Breaker, Mikaela stabbed himself! He severed the contract between himself and Emiya Kiritsugu.

"I have to thank Kayneth for this too." Blood flowed from Mikaela's mouth. He wiped it away with his hand, revealing a slight smile. If it weren't for Kayneth's research, he wouldn't have been able to so smoothly use Rule Breaker to sever his contract with Emiya Kiritsugu.

Mikaela still had a contract with Irisviel because he still needed Irisviel's magic power to sustain his existence in this world. The magical connection could not be broken, but the Command Seal contract that enslaved him! Mikaela had to sever it.

After severing the connection with Emiya Kiritsugu, Mikaela continued to maintain his materialized form and ran towards the nearby mountaintop. When he finally reached the summit, he let out a sigh of relief.

The Lesser Holy Grail... had appeared.

Or rather, the Lesser Holy Grail had appeared within Mikaela's body. It should have appeared after absorbing the souls of the six Servants.

However, due to the suppression of Avalon, the Ideal of Distant Lands, Irisviel did not become the Lesser Holy Grail.

Once Mikaela extracted Irisviel's heart, the Lesser Holy Grail, and forcibly placed it within himself, the suppression of Avalon was lifted, and the Lesser Holy Grail naturally manifested.

It was just that this body was not a vessel built for her, and she was firmly fixed within Mikaela, unable to come out at all.

"Want to come out? Don't even think about it!!! I still need your power in the future to find my way home!"

Mikaela crouched on the ground in pain, preventing the Lesser Holy Grail from appearing in the outside world. He understood clearly that he had materialized, and although he could survive in this world.

But survival was not Mikaela's original intention; he wanted to go home, back to his original family!

For this, he needed power, immense power! Only then could he find hope of returning home. For this, he needed a high-intensity magic crystal like the Lesser Holy Grail!

For some Heroic Spirits, materialization was a good thing, like Gilgamesh... he materialized, and his strength was not weakened at all!

But Mikaela was different. The reason he could slaughter Gilgamesh was entirely due to the immense magic connecting Irisviel and the Greater Holy Grail, which allowed him to become King Hassan, this Grand Assassin.

If he materialized and no longer had a Master providing him with mana, his strength might be slightly stronger than in his previous life, but at best, he would only be a mid-to-low-tier Servant. Facing Diarmuid and the King of Conquerors again, he would surely die a miserable death.

Mana had become Mikaela's primary source of energy. Without it, relying solely on the energy stored in his physical body... he would not be able to smoothly activate more powerful weapons or transform into more powerful forms.

"Ugh—!!"

A mouthful of black-red mud spewed from Mikaela's mouth. By forcibly keeping the Lesser Holy Grail within himself, he had also forcibly kept the black mud within himself. Soon... centered on him, black mud carrying various negative emotions erupted from his body.

Mikaela's body was torn apart. Not being a Holy Grail vessel to begin with, the consequence of forcibly keeping the Lesser Holy Grail within him was naturally rejection.

His body was not flesh and blood, but a body composed of mana.

After emerging from Mikaela's body, the Lesser Holy Grail emitted a sacred golden light, but unfortunately... the substance flowing from the Lesser Holy Grail was filled with a foul stench.

Mikaela was engulfed by the black mud and lost consciousness.

In the darkness, Mikaela slowly opened his eyes.

"Aila~ Are you awake?"

A familiar voice, a familiar place, and a familiar person...

Mikaela's mother, Mikarua, a married woman with regrettably small breasts, looked at her child with a gentle expression and chuckled, "Why are you waking up so late? Your father is getting impatient."

"Mhm..." Mikaela's nose felt a pang, and tears welled up in his eyes. He didn't say much, just quietly followed his mother back to the 'familiar' home of his memories.

"So slow." Sitting in the living room, watching television, a beautiful woman with long black hair turned her head and looked at her son with a helpless expression, "Aila, why are you up so late today?"

Although it sounded strange, this beautiful woman with long black hair was Mikaela's father, Mikarot.

This was because the Mika family had beautiful faces for generations, simply put, they were naturally beautiful. When dressed as women, they looked exactly like beautiful girls, to the point where one couldn't tell unless they were stripped.

"Because I had a dream," Mikaela said naturally as he sat on the sofa. Mikarua went to the kitchen to cook.

"I dreamed that you, Father, were lying in the hospital, still unconscious, and Mother had just been released from prison. I became a so-called hero, working as a teaching assistant at U.A. High School."

"It's a bit strange, but I hated heroes so much as a child. But due to life's circumstances, and with Mother just out of prison, I needed to earn more money. Later, All Might gave me a hero license that you had obtained. With this, and some approvals, I eventually became a hero, gained a lot of popularity, and took on many advertisements to earn more money..."

Mikaela spoke of the hardships he had gone through. Mikarot listened quietly, without interrupting.

"You must have worked very hard then," Mikarot said with a gentle smile after Mikaela finished speaking, like a Yamato Nadeshiko, "But you don't have to work hard anymore. You're already home."

"No, Father," Mikaela looked up, meeting his 'father's' gaze, his voice slightly choked, "I haven't reached home yet. I still have to keep going."

"'The world' has already reclaimed your Spirit Core as a Servant. As an ordinary person, you can't do anything," 'Mikarot' maintained his gentle smile and continued, "Without your Spirit Core, even if you materialized, you would only have an ordinary human body. Although you are not a legendary Heroic Spirit, your soul is indeed very powerful. If you were to leave here."

"You're not an idiot; you know what kind of consequences would arise from the conflict between an ordinary body and a powerful soul."

"Why not stay? Let's live happily together as a family," 'Mikarot' said with a gentle smile.

"Stay," Mikarua also came out of the kitchen, looking at her 'child' with gentle eyes, hoping they would stay.

"My journey has just begun. I need to return to my true family."

Mikaela crushed the card, his eyes burning with fierce flames. He looked at his 'father' and 'mother' and said very seriously, "I'm sorry, I cannot stay in this world constructed from my memories."

"I want to go home!"

From the black mud, a small, jade-white hand suddenly emerged. It forcefully grabbed the Lesser Holy Grail and pulled it into the black mud.

"Splash—!!"

In the black mud, Mikaela was naked. He forcibly placed the Lesser Holy Grail at his heart.

This time! They wouldn't escape. He wanted the Lesser Holy Grail! And the Greater Holy Grail's core! But for now, he had to deal with the 'hole' in the sky!

"Get lost!" Mikaela's eyes were tightly shut. He crushed the card, and a holy sword radiating golden light appeared in his hand.

"Excalibur—!!!"

Although a lot of black mud flowed out, Mikaela, who had now escaped the Holy Grail's illusion, swung the holy sword instinctively towards the 'hole,' unleashing an anti-city Noble Phantasm, even though he couldn't see anything.

"Boom—!!!"

The beam of light shot straight into the sky. Emiya Kiritsugu, Tohno Shiro, and Father Risei in the distance were all stunned.

"Is that Saber's final attack?!" Emiya Kiritsugu looked at the divine pillar of light, his eyes filled with sorrow. He could feel that Saber was launching her last strike to save the world.

"You'd better explain yourself properly later, you filthy Magus Killer!!!" Tohno Shiro's expression was extremely displeased. This morning, he had been so excited, believing he would win the Holy Grail War.

And now, before the day was even over, all five remaining Heroic Spirits were gone?! The Holy Grail War was over?! He felt like he was about to explode!!!

My Wife.jpg

Chapter 125: Aftermath and a Mysterious Woman

Even though Mikaela had blown up the 'hole', the disaster was still spreading. Although some people were evacuated with the help of Emiya Kiritsugu, Tohno Shiro, and Risei Kotomine, a portion of the population had still been affected before they could act.

No one knew how the aftermath was handled. Anyway, according to the media, someone had thrown a cigarette butt on the mountain, causing a forest fire. The forest fire then ignited a natural gas pipeline, leading to an explosion! That's what caused all this disaster.

Those affected by the flames had their medical expenses fully covered, thanks to the help of an unknown Church and a local 'tycoon'.

"So, is it finally over?"

Waver, carrying his bag, left Fuyuki City by car overnight. Logically... he should be seeking refuge with the Church now.

But his own teacher was killed by an Assassin protected by the Church. How could he walk right into a trap? To avoid implicating the elderly couple, Waver also moved out of their home.

Although the old man had tried to persuade him to stay, Waver knew that if he remained, they too could be killed by the Assassin.

Kayneth's death was still fresh in his mind, and Waver didn't want to bring disaster upon anyone else.

"To participate in the Holy Grail War full of confidence, only to leave with nothing?" Waver couldn't forget the final battle: Saber transformed into a skeletal swordsman, and Gilgamesh unleashing his full power...

At that time, if it weren't for the Magic Crest his teacher had given him, he might have been severely injured by the shockwave from Gilgamesh's Noble Phantasm explosion.

Waver had been closest to Gilgamesh and Mikaela at that moment. The shockwaves from their battle were no less than a natural disaster descending upon him.

If Kayneth hadn't handed over all the useful Magic Crests to Waver before he died, Waver would either be hospitalized now or blown to smithereens by that shockwave.

"Teacher, you've saved my life twice."