Chapter Summaries

After Gilgamesh withdrew, Ibaraki Douji rejected Alexander’s offer to become his subordinate, and the fighting resumed. Kenneth forced Diarmuid to ambush Rider, but Anno intercepted him while Emiya Kiritsugu remained unable to shoot under Assassin’s watch.

• Gilgamesh dismissed the other Servants as mongrels and dematerialized, leaving Ibaraki Douji wounded by the Key of Heaven.
• Alexander asked Ibaraki Douji to become his subordinate, but she refused and charged at him.
• Kenneth ordered Diarmuid to ambush Rider or Rider’s Master, and Diarmuid resisted until Kenneth used a Command Spell to compel him.
• Irisviel noticed Lancer’s strange behavior, and Anno prepared to protect Rider while asking Kiritsugu to find Lancer’s Master.
• Diarmuid rushed Alexander alongside Ibaraki Douji, but Anno blocked his spear and forced him back.
• Kiritsugu did not shoot because Assassin was watching him, and the battlefield split into two fights.

As Ibaraki Douji fought Alexander, Anno intervened to stop Diarmuid from launching a sneak attack. Ibaraki Douji withdrew at Ryuunosuke Uryuu’s plea, and Kenneth ordered Diarmuid to retreat, ending the confrontation for the night.

• Kenneth used a Command Spell to restrain Diarmuid, while Anno rebuked him and stopped him from attacking Alexander by surprise.
• Alexander used the Divine Bull to strike Ibaraki Douji and challenged her to continue fighting despite her injuries.
• Ryuunosuke Uryuu pleaded with Ibaraki Douji not to die, and she stopped fighting before vanishing in spiritual particles.
• Kirei Kotomine told Sakumura Anno to withdraw, but Anno remained on a streetlamp to watch the battlefield.
• Alexander challenged Kenneth, and Kenneth ordered Diarmuid to withdraw rather than risk his defeat against Saber and Rider.
• Diarmuid thanked Anno, bowed to him, and vanished in spirit form.

After the dock battle, Saber Anno and Irisviel reflected on the formidable Servants in the Holy Grail War, while the other Masters and Servants regrouped. Ryuunosuke Uryuu resolved to keep pursuing the Holy Grail War with Ibaraki Douji, and Sakumura began playing a game based on his own life as he and Kirei Kotomine discussed their enemies.

• Saber Anno thanked Irisviel for her protection, and the two considered the power of the Servants who had gathered at the docks.
• Ibaraki Douji confronted Ryuunosuke Uryuu, who said joining the Holy Grail War might help him discover what he was pursuing.
• Sakumura gave Kirei Kotomine a camera-equipped familiar that he had found, identifying it as Emiya Kiritsugu's surveillance device.
• Kirei Kotomine offered Sakumura a chance to play <Sakumura Anno's Strange Tales of Black River Mountain>, and Sakumura accepted the controller.
• Sakumura judged Lancer and Berserker unthreatening, dismissed Caster and Rider as less dangerous, and said he could not confidently defeat either of the remaining two Servants.

Sakumura Anno reflected on a game adaptation of his experiences before leaving Kirei Kotomine to ponder his past. At Emiya Kiritsugu’s base, Anno stayed silent about Kiritsugu and Maiya Hisau’s relationship as Kiritsugu asked whether Saber could defeat Gilgamesh.

• Sakumura Anno criticized the game’s portrayal of Okita Soji and other events, though he had enjoyed playing it.
• Kirei Kotomine asked Anno for his thoughts on the game, and Anno left to play Tokimeki Memorial.
• Kirei picked up the controller and wondered what kind of life had shaped Sakumura Anno.
• At the temporary base, Anno considered Emiya Kiritsugu’s relationship with Maiya Hisau and chose not to rebuke him.
• Emiya Kiritsugu reviewed the Holy Grail War’s known factions and asked Saber about his chances against Archer, Gilgamesh.

Emiya Kiritsugu prepared to attack Kenneth El-Melloi Archibald’s Lancer team while keeping Saber assigned to protect Irisviel. Matou Kariya and Manlio set out for a convention to seek possible allies among Assassin and Rider, leaving the next move uncertain.

• Emiya Kiritsugu judged Archer difficult to target because Tohsaka Tokiomi could direct him remotely, and identified the Lancer team as a more vulnerable opponent.
• Emiya Kiritsugu told Saber to protect Irisviel and planned for her to escort Irisviel to a new base the next day.
• Emiya Kiritsugu and Maiya Hisau discussed a surprise raid on Kenneth El-Melloi Archibald’s base after confirming its location.
• Matou Kariya and Manlio dismissed the news report’s explanation for the harbor damage and set out for a convention under concealment magecraft.
• Matou Kariya and Manlio planned to seek Assassin or Rider as allies and agreed to flee if they could not win a confrontation.

Sakumura and Kirei Kotomine returned to the convention, where Sakumura discussed anime and figures with Kirei and later met Alexander and Gilgamesh. The chapter left Sakumura and Gilgamesh exchanging threats as Alexander watched.

• On the drive to the convention, Sakumura told Kirei Kotomine he had bought a phone, contacted Rei Ijuin, and ordered Sailor Moon figures online.
• Sakumura invited Kirei Kotomine to go to the movies after the convention.
• At the convention, Alexander approached Sakumura and again asked him to become his subordinate, but Sakumura refused.
• Alexander and Sakumura discussed their reasons for visiting the convention before noticing Gilgamesh nearby.
• Gilgamesh insulted Sakumura and Alexander, and Sakumura and Gilgamesh traded threats.

At the convention, Sakumura Anno and Gilgamesh nearly fought before Rider steered them toward their own activities. Sakumura then met fans who recognized his gaming forum post and asked him for an autograph, including the man who had won the Sakumura Anno cosplay contest.

• Matou Kariya and Manlio watched as Assassin Sakumura Anno, Rider Alexander, and Archer Gilgamesh reunited at the convention.
• Rider intervened when Sakumura and Gilgamesh traded hostile words, and Sakumura returned to the doujinshi line.
• Alexander went to look for Waver Velvet, while Gilgamesh headed to an arcade machine and Sakumura continued shopping.
• Matou Kariya and Manlio debated whether to approach Assassin or follow Rider, then noticed someone arriving.
• Inagaki greeted Sakumura as Mr. Okita and recognized him as the forum user who had cleared Rei Ijuin's hidden ending.
• A second fan recognized Sakumura as a GAL game master and asked him for an autograph, revealing himself as the winner of the Sakumura Anno cosplay contest.

Sakumura and Kirei declined invitations to join an anime club before Matou Kariya and Caster approached them to propose an alliance in the Holy Grail War. Kirei considered attacking them, but Kariya argued for cooperation and asked whether they would join forces.

• Dao Huan invited Sakumura and Kirei to join her anime club, but both declined, and Kirei exchanged contact information with the two young fans.
• Sakumura and Kirei encountered Matou Kariya and Caster, who insisted they had come to speak peacefully with the Assassin group.
• At a nearby café, Kariya said he and Caster had removed the surveillance around them and asked whether Kirei truly wanted to keep following Tohsaka Tokiomi.
• Kirei said he and Assassin could deal with Kariya and Caster without disrupting his teacher’s plan.
• Matou Kariya proposed that he and Kirei join forces in the Holy Grail War.

Matou Kariya tried to recruit Kirei Kotomine into an alliance, but Kirei refused and explained that he and his teacher would remain enemies. Meanwhile, Assassin Sakumura Anno and Caster Manlio Ferdino Springer discussed the other Servants and agreed that teaming up would not let them overcome Saber and Archer.

• Matou Kariya asked Kirei Kotomine to join forces, but Kirei said he had no wish for the Holy Grail and would remain his enemy.
• Matou Kariya explained that the meeting's public setting kept Kirei from attacking, and Kirei acknowledged the precaution.
• Manlio Ferdino Springer discussed an alliance with Sakumura Anno while teaching him how to soften coffee with milk and sugar.
• Manlio suggested eliminating Berserker and Lancer first, but Sakumura said alliances were pointless if only one pair could win.
• Manlio described Saber and Archer as the war's greatest threats, and Sakumura doubted that even a combined force could defeat them.

After negotiations with Matou Kariya failed, Sakumura Anno joined Kirei Kotomine and Alexander to see what Gilgamesh was doing at the convention. They found Gilgamesh humiliating an arcade-game opponent, and Sakumura challenged him to a match.

• Matou Kariya ended his negotiations with Kirei Kotomine without reaching an agreement.
• Alexander arrived with Waver and invited Sakumura Anno to see what Archer was doing at the convention.
• Alexander stayed behind after noticing Matou Kariya had other matters to discuss with him, while Sakumura followed Kirei Kotomine out of the café.
• Sakumura and Kirei found Gilgamesh beating a player at Street Fighter II and kicking him after his defeat.
• Sakumura challenged Gilgamesh to settle things in an otaku way, and they selected Ryu and Zangief for their match.

Gilgamesh repeatedly lost to Sakumura at Street Fighter II before Alexander arrived and challenged him to a match. Sakumura and Kirei Kotomine wagered on the outcome, and Alexander appeared to be gaining the advantage.

• Gilgamesh lost three Street Fighter II matches to Sakumura and blamed the arcade machine.
• Alexander and Waver arrived, and Alexander became eager to play after recognizing Street Fighter II.
• Alexander took Sakumura's seat to challenge Gilgamesh while Kirei Kotomine and Sakumura watched.
• Sakumura bet on Alexander, while Kirei bet on Gilgamesh, with Sakumura wagering that he would not be bound by Command Spells.
• Alexander and Gilgamesh began an even match, but Sakumura judged that Alexander was likely to win.

After Alexander beat Gilgamesh at a game, Sakumura and Kirei Kotomine headed to a movie theater, and Alexander persuaded Waver and the others to join them. The group arrived at the theater together, while Sakumura reflected on Gilgamesh’s interest in Kirei and his contempt for Sakumura.

• Alexander defeated Gilgamesh at a game and softened the humiliation by saying he had practiced beforehand.
• Sakumura and Kirei Kotomine set off to watch Kamen Rider J, and Alexander insisted that he and Waver come along.
• Alexander decided to invite Caster and the others, and Sakumura waited while they gathered.
• Kirei Kotomine drove Sakumura, Matou Kariya, Gilgamesh, and Waver to the theater while Alexander and Manlio followed in spirit form.
• Sakumura sensed Gilgamesh’s tyrannical nature and recognized that Gilgamesh was interested in Kirei Kotomine, then announced that they had reached the theater.

A group of Holy Grail War participants went to see Kamen Rider J while Emiya Kiritsugu prepared to destroy Kenneth’s hotel. In a hidden corner beneath Fuyuki, Ryuunosuke Uryuu tested his potential on a child, then left the child facing flames.

• Gilgamesh, Kirei Kotomine, Sakumura Anno, Matou Kariya, Alexander, Manlio, and Waver gathered at a theater to watch Kamen Rider J.
• Manlio and Gilgamesh read the film flyer, while Matou Kariya reacted uneasily to its story about cyborgs.
• Emiya Kiritsugu and Maiya Hisau confirmed that Kenneth had turned the lower floors of his building into a large Magic Workshop and prepared to set a fire to evacuate guests before destroying the hotel.
• Ryuunosuke Uryuu stabbed his own hand during a test and laughed as he concluded that the experience had confirmed his potential.
• Ryuunosuke Uryuu told the frightened child he had brought there that he could leave, but the child found flames blocking the way out.

After the group left the theater, Gilgamesh was left alone and grew furious, while Kenneth berated Diarmuid over his performance against Saber. The chapter ended with an elegant woman appearing to challenge Kenneth’s claim that Diarmuid was incompetent.

• Waver, Kirei Kotomine, Alexander, Matou Kariya, and the others discussed the film as they left the theater, while Matou Kariya cried over its plot.
• Sakumura and Kirei Kotomine drove away, Alexander took Waver off in his flying ox cart, and Matou Kariya departed with Manlio.
• Gilgamesh realized he was the only one left without a Master or companion, heard a child call him strange, and vanished in spirit form with a roar.
• Kenneth El-Melloi Archibald scolded Diarmuid for losing ground against Saber and wasting a Command Spell.
• An elegant woman interrupted Kenneth and called him incompetent.

Sola challenged Kenneth’s decisions in the battle, but Diarmuid defended his Master. When an arson attack triggered the hotel alarm, Kenneth sent Diarmuid to intercept the intruders and trusted his elaborate defenses, unaware the attacker was a Master acting without a Servant.

• Sola argued that Kenneth should have used Lancer and his magecraft to attack the opposing Masters during the battle.
• Diarmuid objected when Sola’s criticism became an insult to Kenneth, and Sola gave her fiancé a perfunctory apology.
• A hotel alarm and telephone call alerted Kenneth to a fire on the lower floors, which he recognized as a deliberate attack meant to clear the hotel.
• Kenneth ordered Diarmuid downstairs to intercept the enemy and boasted that his magical defenses would secure victory.
• Kenneth and Sola remained confident, not realizing their opponent was an unorthodox Master with no Servant.

Emiya Kiritsugu detonated the hotel where Kenneth El-Melloi Archibald and Sola-Ui Nuada-Re Sophia-Ri remained, then withdrew after Maiya Hisau confirmed they had not escaped. Later, Matou Kariya and Manlio discovered a murdered child's remains and began tracking the suspected culprit, whom Kariya believed was Berserker.

• Emiya Kiritsugu used suggestion magecraft to convince a police officer that Kenneth El-Melloi Archibald and Sola-Ui Nuada-Re Sophia-Ri had evacuated.
• Emiya Kiritsugu remotely detonated explosives, causing the hotel to collapse, and Maiya Hisau reported that neither target had left the building.
• Emiya Kiritsugu heard a child crying, turned away from the disaster, and ordered Maiya Hisau to withdraw.
• Matou Kariya and Manlio found the dismembered remains of a child at Fuyuki City's estuary and detected traces of a Servant.
• Matou Kariya asked Manlio to track the perpetrator and contacted Matou Byakuya to report the murder to the Holy Church.
• Matou Kariya told Matou Byakuya that the evidence pointed to Berserker as the likely perpetrator.

Kirei Kotomine reported the convention encounters to Tohsaka Tokiomi, who weighed alliances and planned to target Saber. After Risei Kotomine revealed that a mage or Servant was behind Fuyuki's serial murders, Sakumura reacted with fury.

• Kirei Kotomine told Tohsaka Tokiomi that he had met the Rider and Caster groups and Archer, identified Caster as Manlio Ferdino Springer, and reported Matou Kariya's request for an alliance.
• Tohsaka Tokiomi regretted that Kirei had not allied with Matou Kariya and considered eliminating Caster before turning his attention to Saber and the homunculus Master.
• Kirei Kotomine agreed to send familiars to investigate the Saber group's movements.
• Risei Kotomine told Tohsaka Tokiomi that the Matou Family had linked Fuyuki's serial murders, which had claimed more than a dozen victims, to traces of magical power.
• Sakumura stopped drinking his cola and reacted with surprise and fury to the news of the murders.

Risei Kotomine suspended the Holy Grail War and ordered the Masters to eliminate Berserker and his Master, offering an extra Command Spell as a reward. After learning that Tohsaka Tokiomi planned for Archer to claim the kill, Sakumura decided to hunt Berserker himself, with Kirei Kotomine’s approval.

• Risei Kotomine announced that the Masters must stop fighting one another and join forces against Berserker and his Master, promising an extra Command Spell to whoever killed Berserker.
• Risei Kotomine told Tohsaka Tokiomi that six familiars had attended, leading them to conclude that the El-Melloi Lord had survived the explosion.
• Sakumura told Kirei Kotomine that he was angered by Berserker’s threat to the peace people had fought to secure, and criticized Tohsaka Tokiomi and Risei Kotomine for plotting to claim the reward.
• Kirei Kotomine revealed that Tohsaka Tokiomi intended for Archer to kill Berserker, and Sakumura condemned the plan as self-serving.
• Sakumura changed into his old kimono and Crane Haori, vowed to cut off Berserker’s head, and set out after Kirei Kotomine told him to go.

Matou Kariya and Waver formed a plan to hunt Berserker for the Command Spell offered by the Holy Church, while Emiya Kiritsugu’s group also prepared to act. The chapter ended with Kiritsugu studying a map of Fuyuki City to plan their next moves.

• Matou Kariya and Waver discussed the surviving Masters and the danger posed by Emiya Kiritsugu and Kenneth El-Melloi Archibald.
• Alexander encouraged Waver to overcome his doubts, while Matou Kariya recognized that Waver had come to the Holy Grail War to prove himself.
• Matou Kariya revealed that he and Caster had supplied the Holy Church with information and said Berserker had to be defeated for the offered Command Spell and Fuyuki City’s safety.
• Matou Kariya and Waver agreed to have Caster track Berserker and to strike first when they found him.
• Emiya Kiritsugu’s group agreed to pursue Berserker and prevent another participant from claiming the Command Spell.
• Maiya Hisau reported that she had sent familiars to investigate, and Emiya Kiritsugu spread out a map of Fuyuki City to discuss their arrangements.

Emiya Kiritsugu briefed Irisviel, Maiya Hisau, and Anno on Fuyuki’s key leyline sites and suspected Kirei Kotomine of colluding with the Tohsaka Family. Alone with Irisviel, he admitted his fear and asked whether she would flee with him, but she reminded him he could not abandon his mission; after she left, Kiritsugu addressed Saber, who had approached him.

• Emiya Kiritsugu identified four leyline locations in Fuyuki that could support the Holy Grail’s descent and explained their limitations as bases.
• Emiya Kiritsugu told the others to investigate the people targeting Berserker and said he suspected Kirei Kotomine had colluded with the Tohsaka Family.
• Emiya Kiritsugu assigned Maiya Hisau to find Berserker, while Irisviel was to maintain the castle barrier and make surveillance Mystic Codes.
• Emiya Kiritsugu asked Irisviel whether she would flee with him, but she said he could not escape his guilt over failing to save humanity.
• Emiya Kiritsugu confessed that he feared the battle would be meaningless, and Irisviel comforted him by promising that she, Saber, and Maiya would protect him.
• After Irisviel left, Emiya Kiritsugu recognized Saber’s arrival and asked what she wanted to say.