Discussion and Passing the Buck

The golem, its connection to the earth severed, has drastically reduced its power; it is now nothing more than a simple combination of stone and mud. As a result, the wound on its chest, pierced by the Noble Phantasm thrown by Wang Xiaoming, has yet to heal.

"... Is this my fate?"

After several attempts, Avicebron, realizing she was powerless to change the situation, gave up the chance to continue struggling and muttered to herself.

Although he had long been prepared to withdraw and be resented by his former "allies," at this moment, his supposedly invulnerable mental defenses finally cracked slightly.

"If this can even slightly lessen the sins I committed against 'Roche'... then that would be good..."

Unfortunately, no one heard Avicebron's dying words of atonement. On the ground, the Sabers of [Black] and [Red] faced the falling golem and mercilessly unleashed their Noble Phantasm—

"[Fantasy Greatsword: Balmung]!"

"[Clarent Blood Arthur (Clarent Blood Arthur)]!"

The crimson lightning bolt shot forward in a straight line, directly blasting the golem's head away. The twilight-colored sword energy that followed simultaneously pierced through the core of the furnace located in the golem's heart.

As a result, the golem, having lost its ability to repair itself and the two Spirit Core that supported its existence, reverted to a lifeless combination of soil and rock, unable to even maintain its human form, and collapsed in mid-air, turning back into sand.

At the same time, the "paradise" that had materialized due to the appearance of the golem withered away along with the golem's disappearance, and the earth returned to its state before the golem's appearance.

"You think you can change the world with a lousy puppet? Go back to Heroic Spirit if you want to dream!"

Looking at the "wreckage" that had become a pile of wasteland, Mordred raised her middle finger and laughed and cursed. Beside her, Siegfried also breathed a slight sigh of relief.

As for the Avicebron within the golem's body, no one detected him, though his Servant aura had vanished from everyone's perception.

In other words, Avicebron), finally made his exit thanks to the combined efforts of everyone.

"Ah, it's finally over."

Wang Xiaoming stretched, and after a moment of reflection, he reverted to his previous lazy and listless state.

Ruler, who should have been overjoyed by Avicebron's departure, wasn't paying attention to it. His gaze remained fixed on Wang Xiaoming's back, his eyes filled with disbelief.

"How is that possible...?"

As a Ruler, she possesses the skill [True Name Discernment], which allows her to identify the true names of Servant. Previously, due to the Servant aura emanating from Wang Xiaoming, she subconsciously focused her attention on him, but unexpectedly discovered something that surprised her greatly.

Meanwhile, at the Red Faction's main base, on the air fortress--

"Hector, you bastard!"

"Lancer, please stop Rider for me."

Amakusa Shirou, his face contorted with stomach pain, saw Rider walking angrily out of the room and turned to Lancer, who was standing to the side, pleading for help.

"Lancer, to be honest, I'm furious right now. If you want to fight, I'm happy to oblige."

Seeing Karna blocking his way with his long spear, Achilles also drew his weapon.

"Rider, calm down!"

On the other side Atalanta, who couldn't stand it any longer, frowned and shouted.

If we were to fall out with each other before the final battle with Ruler, it would be a huge joke.

"Big sister, don't you understand yet? That guy..."

Upon seeing Archer, Achilles forcibly suppressed his inner rage and turned to confront Amakusa Shirou, demanding:

"Hey, Amakusa Shirou, since you were the previous Ruler, you must recognize that guy's identity, right!"

"You mean 'Kadoya'?"

Before Amakusa Shirou could finish speaking, he heard Rider's reprimanding voice.

"What, Kadoya? That guy is Hector!"

When Achilles saw the golden meteor piercing the puppet in the Projection, he instantly recognized the true name of the Noble Phantasm. Unlike the fake created by Chiron, Achilles dared to swear on his honor that the Noble Phantasm was indeed the "Durindana" possessed by his nemesis, Hector Troy.

Therefore, Wang Xiaoming's true identity as someone who possesses this Noble Phantasm is self-evident. It's just a pity she didn't recognize him immediately.

"That guy... he must be secretly watching me make a fool of myself!"

"Oh dear, this is troublesome."

Amakusa Shirou scratched his temples, looking troubled, but little did anyone know that he was more surprised than anyone else inside.

[Mr. Kadoya, it seems you have many more hidden cards than I thought.]

But this is for the best...

Raising his head and looking at Rider, who was gritting his teeth, Amakusa Shirou's lips curled into a smile similar to before, "Rider, since your goal is 'Hector (Kadoya),' then we, who share a common goal, have the possibility of joining forces, don't we?"

Besides, even if you rush to the [Black] faction's stronghold now, can you be sure that 'Hector' will definitely fight you?

"..."

Although Rider remained impatient, Amakusa Shirou's last question stumped him.

Based on his understanding of his "arch-enemy" (as he called himself), if he were to stubbornly go looking for him now, what awaited him would probably not be a one-on-one fight as he expected, but rather a one-sided gang beating.

"Tsk, that guy..."

Rider was secretly annoyed at the thought, but his desire to confront Hector had become quite weak.

"Three days. Considering the time needed for intelligence gathering, preparation for tracking, and the tracking itself, Ruler and his team should be able to catch up with us."

"Oh?"

Everyone present was captivated by Amakusa Shirou's words.

"However, Ruler must successfully persuade the Magecraft of Yggdmillennia and unite the remaining Servant —this is a necessary prerequisite."

"In that case, I'll take care of Hector from now on."

"Of course, I think the only one here who could handle 'Hector his gleaming helmet' with ease is you, Rider."

"Hmph, no need to flatter me."

Rider snorted coldly, his spear piercing the floor, then asked Amakusa Shirou one last question with a serious expression:

"One last question... Where is our Master, and what is his/her condition?"

They are still alive.

After Amakusa Shirou said those words, both Rider and Archer glanced at Lancer.

For the unparalleled hero Karna, any verbal explanations or deceptions are completely ineffective.

He's telling the truth.

Lancer nodded slightly to Rider and Archer.

"Then I have no further questions."

Having said that, Rider placed the gun at his feet. He did not bow in salute, but remained standing. This gesture meant that he had not yet acknowledged Amakusa Shirou's status Master, but he would not deliberately resist his "request."

Rider felt nothing for his Master, whom he had never met. He only asked the question out of Servant's duty; now that he knew the Master was still "alive," that was enough.

Upon seeing Rider's actions, Amakusa Shirou Shiro breathed a sigh of relief and then revealed a warm smile.

"That was a huge help, Rider."

Chapter 257. Discussion and Blame-Shifting

Fiore, who became the leader of the tribe after Darnic's death, invited Ruler and Wang Xiaoming's group into the meeting room to discuss a plan for the upcoming battle against the Red Faction.

Of course, the remaining leaders and followers of the [Black] faction also attended the meeting.

Although the Millennia Fortress is in a state of partial collapse, it still has a considerable number of rooms. Everyone is currently gathered in the family meeting room.

The interior decorations had been ruined by the Avicebron golem, and the chandelier had fallen to the floor and shattered into pieces, but Fiore and Gordes quickly restored them to their original state using Magecraft.

Nevertheless, even with Fiore and Gordes's abilities, it was impossible to completely repair the half-destroyed fortress in a short time; they could only spend more time and repair it little by little.

"--That's all that happened on the battlefield."

After restoring the room to a conversational environment, Ruler shared the information she had gathered with the [Black] Master who were unaware of the details.

After Ruler's explanation, a heavy silence immediately fell over the room.

The all-out war between the [Black] and [Red] factions, aimed at seizing the Greater Grail, temporarily ended with the death of Avicebron.

Overall, although the Red Faction lost Berserker, Saber and Caster left their side. However, due to Berserker's characteristics, he was never included in the Red Faction's fighting force from the beginning, and Saber and Servant had been Independent Action until now.

Furthermore, all the Command Spell of the Red Faction are currently concentrated in the hands of Amakusa Shirou, and all the remaining Servant in the Red Faction are now great heroes.

It can be said that the Red Faction's combat strength has not suffered any loss compared to before the war began; in fact, their operational capabilities have become even stronger due to the Master's unification.

On the other hand, the [Black] faction suffered extensive damage to their stronghold, the Millennia Fortress. The strongest fighters Vlad III, Darnic, the leader of the Yggdmillennia Clan, and Berserker of [Black], were all killed. They also suffered the betrayal of Avicebron, and finally lost their last trump card— the Greater Grail.

These events, one after another, were like adding insult to injury, crashing down on the [Black] camp. If it weren't for Saber and Archer turning the tide at the crucial moment, joining Ruler and others to defeat Avicebron, then the [Black] Master would probably have perished on the spot.

Even so, Fiore and the others had to admit that they were in a completely disadvantageous position.

"The opponent's Master is the previous Ruler, isn't he...?"

Perhaps due to the shock, Fiore and Gordes, the two Masters from the Yggdmillennia Clan, both from the [Black] faction, fell silent. The one who broke the silence was Caules, who was leaning against a corner, having lost his Servant.

"He's a Servant himself, yet he orders Servant... This kind of thing..."

"This matter has nothing to do with the Servant's opinions or pride. As long as Amakusa Shirou still possesses the Command Spell he seized from other Master, they have no choice but to obey his orders."

Ruler's words once again plunged the room into silence.

The three Servant of the Red Faction —Rider, Archer, and Lancer—are the main force of the "Red" faction, but even they cannot defy the constraints of the Command Spell.

Because Magic Resistance below level B cannot even withstand the power of a single Command Spell.

The ideal scenario is that the Red Faction's Servant, dissatisfied, would raise the banner of rebellion against Amakusa Shirou, and then be ordered to commit suicide by him using Command Spell.

But if it were him...

Ruler recalled the scene of Amakusa Shirou revealing his true identity to all the Servant in the chapel without hesitation. In a situation where the slightest mistake would have made Servant an enemy of all the Servants, he did not waver in the slightest—he even had a smile on his face the whole time.

If it were him, he should be able to make Servant obey his commands even without using Command Spell.

"What does Ruler plan to do with the Holy Grail?"

Fiore, snapping out of her reverie, managed to squeeze out a few words. Her voice was already delicate, and it was even softer than usual. But perhaps because the room was completely silent, her voice carried clearly to everyone present.

Archer then answered her question--

"His aim appears to be to save all of humanity."

"You call it relief? How dare he utter such a stupid thing..."

Seeing Gordes's dismissive and mocking attitude, Wang Xiaoming, who was playing with Jack the Ripper in his arms, suddenly sighed:

"You're the stupid one, Fatty. Isn't the Holy Grail something that exists to fulfill such foolish and absurd wishes?"

"You--"

"Uncle, please calm down."

Fiore calmed the indignant Gordes, and at the same time retorted to Wang Xiaoming:

"Although Uncle's words were a bit extreme, what he said wasn't entirely unreasonable... The Greater Grail, to put it bluntly, is just a simple mass of magical energy. It should indeed be able to grant most wishes, and it can omit all the theories and processes, bringing only the result. But conversely, it must have processes that can be omitted in order to grant wishes."

In other words, Amakusa Shirou must have a corresponding method to fulfill his wish in order to complete his act of salvation.

How do you know he has no way out?

When Wang Xiaoming asked a question, Chiron) added, seemingly to the side, revealing Amakusa Shirou's plan. "It seems he intends to use the Holy Grail to make all humans immortal."

"Immortality? And for all of humanity? That's impossible, and how can that be considered relief!"

"Everyone has a different definition of salvation. But Amakusa Shirou believed that immortality was a form of salvation for humanity."

Facing the shocked and furious Gordes, Wang Xiaoming shrugged and replied:

"I have a friend who used to believe that world peace could be achieved through killing."

"This is utterly absurd..."

"Hey, I'm telling you! What you're saying right now is completely meaningless."

Fiore's incomprehensible mutterings were interrupted by an impatient voice, "Whether you want to obtain the Holy Grail or stop those guys from getting Holy Grail, the first thing to do is defeat them, right? What's the point of discussing his goals now?"

Standing aside, listening to everyone's conversation, the increasingly impatient Mordred suddenly interrupted the topic.