Romania, Sigishvara.
In a vast hall, several figures were gathered.
They were none other than the Servants of the Red Faction.
Karna, manifested as Lancer, stood with his arms folded against a wall, his eyes closed in quiet rest.
Achilles, manifested as Rider, leaned against a statue and whistled frivolously.
Atalanta, manifested as Archer, still held the Sky Bow as she stared ahead.
Besides those three Servants, the Red Faction's Assassin was also present, carrying a uniquely decadent air, a poisonous-flower-like smile blooming on her exquisitely beautiful face.
These four Servants surrounded the only Master present.
The priest of the Holy Church's Eighth Sacrament Society, Shirou Kotomine.
This Master had his eyes closed, as though he were mentally communicating with some unseen presence.
Only after a while did he finally open his eyes.
"Oh?"
The Servants all immediately reacted, turning their gazes toward Shirou Kotomine.
"Well?"
Assassin stepped forward and questioned her Master.
Atalanta also fixed her gaze on Shirou Kotomine.
Yet Shirou Kotomine fell silent.
Seeing him like this, the others seemed to understand something.
"Did it fail?"
Rather than disappointment, Achilles wore an almost gloatingly sarcastic expression.
"Even my Treasure Tool wasn't enough?"
Atalanta frowned.
Only Karna remained leaning against the wall with his eyes closed, ignoring everything happening around him.
Under such circumstances, Shirou Kotomine raised his eyes.
Then, with a helpless smile, he delivered the news.
"Berserker has been eliminated."
That simple sentence made everyone's hearts jolt.
The Servants present were not foolish enough to misunderstand what that meant.
"Was he killed instead?" The gloating vanished from Achilles' face, replaced by a tongue-clicking expression as he asked Shirou Kotomine, "Didn't you already notify the Master over there and have him use Command Spells to summon Berserker back?"
"I did indeed do so." Shirou Kotomine nodded truthfully,