Journey to Find Heroic Spirits

"Yes! Yes! Yes!"

The army echoed the King of Conquerors' words, their thunderous cheers reaching everyone's ears.

Yuxian watched quietly, understanding that this was the charisma of the King of Conquerors, Iskandar.

You could admire his great deeds, or despise his atrocities, but you could never ignore his existence.

The King of Conquerors drew the Scepter of Ciprus and pointed it forward. His army closely followed his steps, charging bravely in the direction he indicated, crushing Hundred Faced Hassan with overwhelming force.

The banquet, disrupted by the uninvited guest Hassan, lost its appeal. It quickly dispersed.

Chapter 13: A New Gatekeeper at Ryuudou Temple

The Holy Grail War continued.

Kiritsugu made the first move against Kayneth.

Perhaps it was fate's mockery, or perhaps Lancer's luck was truly only E-rank. Diarmuid still couldn't escape the fate of being forced to commit suicide.

This warrior, who had wholeheartedly wished to offer his loyalty, let out a curse of despair the moment Kayneth used a Command Spell to order him to kill himself.

Artoria was very displeased with Kiritsugu's actions, feeling that her knightly spirit had been insulted.

Kiritsugu didn't care. He only cared about the outcome of victory and would use any means necessary to achieve it.

The next day.

Yuxian found Irisviel. Due to the withdrawal of three Servants, she, as the Lesser Grail, was too weak to withstand the immense magical energy.

Fortunately, Artoria's scabbard, Avalon, was within her, allowing her to barely remain conscious.

Seeing Irisviel lying in the magic circle, Yuxian asked Kiritsugu, "You want to save everyone, yet you can't even save the one you love the most. Is it worth it?"

"To win the Grail and save the world, I am simply using the most suitable means."

Kiritsugu's words were devoid of any personal emotion. He was a man who would stop at nothing to achieve his goals.

"That's why the people around you are leaving one by one: Shirley, Natalia, now Irisviel, and soon Illyasviel."

Yuxian's words were sharp. He disagreed with Kiritsugu, finding the pursuit of justice through wicked means both laughable and tragic.

"You can't even save those close to you, yet you aspire to save the world. Kiritsugu Emiya, in the end, you will have nothing left but endless sorrow."

Kiritsugu calmly replied, "I will use the Holy Grail to end this unending chain, to make the blood shed in Fuyuki City the last blood humanity ever sheds."

Hearing his answer, Yuxian secretly shook his head. Kiritsugu was not someone he could persuade. He stopped trying to advise him and said instead:

"The Greater Grail is in the Great Chasm beneath Mount Enzou at Ryuudou Temple. Take Irisviel there."

Kiritsugu was somewhat surprised that Yuxian told him the location of the Greater Grail. It wasn't strange for the Three Founding Families to know its location, and he didn't believe Yuxian would deceive him with such meaningless information. Thus, he agreed to the plan.

Transferring Irisviel to the Great Chasm, even if they couldn't prevent the Black Mud from overflowing from the Greater Grail in the end, it would at least ensure that Fuyuki City wouldn't be destroyed by fire.

Mount Enzou, Great Chasm.

Irisviel wanted to hand Avalon over to Kiritsugu, but Yuxian stopped her, saying, "This is your last hope of life. You need it more than Kiritsugu."

After speaking, he looked at Kiritsugu, wanting to see what choice this man would make at this moment.

"Iris, I will win the final victory of this war." With that, Kiritsugu turned and left without another moment's delay.

"He loves you deeply in his heart."

"I know."

Yuxian said, "Then don't give up easily. I'll try to help you."

"Why?" Irisviel asked.

"For Illya," Yuxian replied.

Irisviel gently shook her head, "I'm not her mother."

"I'm talking about your daughter in Germany, Illyasviel," Yuxian corrected her. "You rest well. We'll go outside to guard against any other attackers."

The mountain gate of Ryuudou Temple.

Yuxian sat on the steps, looking down at the long staircase.

Mash asked, "Senpai, is it okay for us to guard here?"

"Yes, they will definitely come."

This was the only path to Ryuudou Temple. The temple had a protective barrier, preventing Servants from entering through other means. This staircase was the sole route.

Mash sat beside Yuxian on the steps, "I've always known you were a kind person at heart, Senpai. That's why so many Servants with different personalities at Chaldea are willing to follow your command."

"Perhaps," Yuxian replied faintly. He only commanded them in games and had never truly met these Servants with their varied personalities.

"You want to save Miss Irisviel, even though she has already given up on herself," Mash said softly. "Both Mr. Emiya and Illya know that you are a reliable Master, Senpai. We all believe in you."

"Thank you, Mash."

Mash gently shook her head, indicating that Yuxian didn't need to be so polite. She said sincerely, "Mash is very happy to be able to fight alongside you, Senpai."

Mash's understanding deeply moved Yuxian. The events of the past few days had been more intense than all his previous days combined.

"Yo, Master, are you on guard duty?" Mr. Emiya appeared before Yuxian, holding a food box.

"And me, and me, I'm here to visit Master too!" Illya jumped out from behind Mr. Emiya, saying eagerly.

Mash immediately stood up. "Mr. Emiya and Illya are here."

"I brought you guys some food so you wouldn't go hungry." Mr. Emiya raised the food box in his hand, explaining his purpose.

"Thank you, Mr. Emiya." Mash took the food box and said to Yuxian, "Senpai, it's time to eat."

Yuxian nodded at Mr. Emiya, then asked Illya, "Have you two eaten?"

"We ate! We ate at home before coming over," Illya quickly replied. "Master, hurry up and eat."

Yuxian was also hungry, so he didn't stand on ceremony and started eating with Mash.

After they finished eating and returned the empty food box to Mr. Emiya, Yuxian looked at Illya apologetically. "I'm sorry, Illya. I promised I'd take you to the amusement park today."

"It's okay! Illya is already an adult, not an ignorant little child." Although Illya felt a bit disappointed, she acted nonchalant and maturely.

Yuxian smiled and gently patted her head. The sight of a child pretending to be an adult was too cute.

Illya was very happy. She loved it most when Master patted her head; it made her feel so close to him.

Yuxian continued, "Mash, take Illya to play inside Ryuudou Temple for a while."

Mash understood that Yuxian had something to discuss with Mr. Emiya and didn't want Illya to hear.

She took Illya's small hand, and the two walked towards the inside of Ryuudou Temple.

Seeing them walk away, Yuxian turned to Mr. Emiya and asked, "What's the situation now?"

"Tokiomi Tohsaka is dead. Kirei Kotomine is now Golden Flash's new Master."

Kirei Kotomine actually made a move? Yuxian understood that Golden Flash had induced the pleasure-seeking soul within him.

"Anything else?" Yuxian continued to ask.

"Kariya Matou learned of Tokiomi Tohsaka's death and is somewhat out of control. I don't know what he'll do," Mr. Emiya frowned, realizing that trusting Kariya from the start had been a mistake.

Kariya Matou was already a broken man. He hysterically wanted to kill Tokiomi Tohsaka, but the moment Tohsaka died, Kariya's own life also ended.

Yuxian had initially wanted to help him, considering him a pitiable person, but after seeing Kariya's actions, he abandoned that thought.

Kariya's heart was already consumed by hatred; no one could save him.

Yuxian waved his hand. "Don't worry about him. What about the other two pairs?"

"No news from the other two pairs."

"Alright. We just need to wait here. Golden Flash will definitely come here. If we defeat him, this Holy Grail War will be over."

Yuxian said no more and sat back down on the steps.

##

Section 14: The Importance of the Luck Attribute

Yuxian sat on the steps in front of Ryuudou Temple, with Mr. Emiya standing beside him.

Both were silent, lost in their own thoughts.

Just then, Mash ran out, panting. "Senpai, Illya went to the Great Chasm!"

Yuxian was startled and immediately stood up.

Then he seemed to recall something, sat back down, and shook his head helplessly. "Never mind. Illya isn't a child who truly knows nothing. She must have already known about Irisviel.

She specifically came to Ryuudou Temple today, so she must have had a plan in mind. Let her go."

With that, Yuxian chuckled happily. "She's such a clever girl. It's amazing she could hold back for days without asking us. So this was her plan all along."

Mash said with a worried expression, "Will Illya be alright?"

Mr. Emiya spoke up. "Don't worry. She spent so much time at Chaldea; she's not an inexperienced child."

"Yeah, she is a Magical Girl, after all," Yuxian nodded. Although he wished Illya could stay away from all this conflict, if it was her own decision, Yuxian wouldn't forcibly stop her. He would choose to respect her.

Inside the Great Chasm.

The absence of light made it extremely dim. The slightly damp environment made the air in the cave feel thick and uncomfortable.

Illya moved slowly and cautiously in the darkness, taking small steps and not daring to speed up.

She couldn't see clearly into the cave; it was pitch black all around, only able to see a few steps ahead.

Being in the darkness, in an unfamiliar place, she felt a little scared, her whole body tense.

Illya held up the Ruby Wand with her small hand, trying to bolster her courage. She decided that if there was the slightest disturbance, she would smash the Ruby Wand.

"Who…?" Alice felt the sound of footsteps and weakly asked.

"Ah!" The sudden voice startled Illya.

But hearing the familiar voice immediately made her lower her guard and relax her body.

She identified the direction of the voice and quickened her pace forward, her earlier caution completely gone.

Illya arrived in front of Alice and saw her lying in the center of a magic circle. She asked with concern, "Are you hurt?"

"Illya…" Hearing Illya's childish voice, Alice knew it was the little girl with the same name as her daughter.

She struggled to lift her hand, reaching out with her remaining strength, trying to touch Illya.

Illya quickly took her trembling hands in both of hers, pressed her body close, and leaned in front of Irisviel:

"You look exactly like my mom, but you talk more like a lady."

Irisviel finally got a clear look at Illya's face, and she was momentarily lost in thought, a look of longing appearing on her features. "Yes, my daughter is also named Illya, a cute child just like you. She's eight years old this year..."

"Then I'm older than her! I'm eleven this year and already in fifth grade," Illya said happily, puffing out her chest.

"I wish she could grow up as happily as you," Irisviel's face was filled with worry.

"Um... where is little Illya right now?" Illya felt a bit awkward, but she was very curious about this sister who shared her name.

"She's in Germany..."

"That's so far away!" Illya was a little disappointed. She had been hoping to meet her if possible.

"Yes, very, very far away..." Irisviel murmured, so far away that she would never see her daughter again.

Irisviel snapped back to reality and quickly said to Illya, "You should leave here quickly."

Illya shook her head. She had gone to great lengths to trick her Master into coming here, and she wasn't going to leave just like that.

Cough cough! Cough cough!

Seeing that she wouldn't leave, Irisviel became anxious, worried that any ensuing battle might affect Illya.

In her distress, she choked and began to cough uncontrollably.

"Oh no, are you okay?" Illya became flustered, unsure of what to do.