Journey to Find Heroic Spirits

"Got it!" She fumbled in her pocket and found a delicate crystal vial.

The vial was no bigger than half her palm and contained medicine refined by Ruby. She'd kept it in her pocket for so long she'd almost forgotten about it.

Ruby would secretly refine medicine every night and then give it to Illya.

But Illya strongly resisted, hating the taste of the medicine.

This was because the effects of the medicine Ruby refined each time were different, always with some strange side effects.

Illya would absolutely not use it unless it was a last resort.

However, at this moment, Illya couldn't afford to be picky. She quickly opened the pretty stopper on the crystal vial and gave the liquid inside to Irisviel.

There was very little medicine, just a single mouthful. Irisviel obediently drank it down.

Not long after drinking Illya's medicine, her complexion immediately improved. Her spirit was no longer as listless as before, and her sense of weakness greatly diminished.

"Glad it worked," Illya breathed a sigh of relief, feeling fortunate. Her choice just now had been a panicked, random one, and she had been very anxious.

Ruby: Of course, the medicine I make works.

Illya said irritably, "The herbs and plants you use to make medicine are very suspicious. How could I possibly trust it?"

Ruby: ...

"Thank you, Illya," Irisviel felt much more at ease.

She didn't know what medicine Illya had given her, but she felt an overwhelming warmth in her heart.

Illya scratched her head, a little embarrassed, and giggled, "It's nothing. I didn't even know if it would work, I just grabbed it in a hurry. Hehehe..."

"I'm alright now. You should go back. There might be fighting here, and it's dangerous for you to stay," Irisviel continued to urge her to leave the great cavern.

"It's fine, you rest easy," Illya patted her chest, promising, "I'll protect you here. I absolutely won't let anyone hurt you. I'm a Magical Girl!"

She held the Ruby Wand in her hand up to Irisviel's face and introduced it:

"This is Ruby. Although she always does strange things, she's very reliable in a fight. Ruby, say hello."

Ruby: Hello.

"Hello..." Irisviel looked curiously at the Ruby in front of her. It was the first time she had ever seen a talking gem wand.

"Don't worry, Illya is very strong. Besides, the Master, Mash-senpai, and Brother are all guarding outside. They won't let any bad guys in."

Illya added, showing complete confidence in Yuxian and the others.

Hearing this, Irisviel no longer insisted. Being alone in this dark underground cave, she also longed for someone to be by her side.

"Thank you, Illya..."

"You're too kind," Illya blinked her eyes. "How about I tell you about how I became a Magical Girl?"

"That night, I was just about to take a bath..."

ps: Off to watch the HF movie

Section 15: Chapter Fifteen - The Fuyuki Bridge's Sturdy Quality

Irisviel listened with a smile as Illya colorfully recounted her story of becoming a Magical Girl.

Especially when she talked about Kuro, Illya's tone turned angry, as if Kuro (Chloe von Einzbern) were standing right in front of her, constantly listing her faults.

Yet, her eyes also revealed longing. Having been separated from Kuro for so long, without her sudden pranks, Illya felt unaccustomed, as if something was missing.

Irisviel listened patiently, occasionally responding. In that moment, she forgot her predicament and felt an unprecedented sense of ease.

Night slowly descended upon Fuyuki City. Tonight would be the most crucial night of this Holy Grail War.

After Golden Flash switched Masters to Kirei Kotomine, he completely let loose. He actively sought out the King of Conquerors for a battle.

He had been impressed by the King of Conquerors' performance at the Einzbern castle banquet and couldn't wait to kill him to experience the thrill of pleasure.

The two chose Fuyuki Bridge as the location for their decisive battle. They faced each other, sizing up their opponents, the battle on the verge of erupting.

This was an epic-level battle.

Waver Velvet used his three Command Spells. He was captivated by the King of Conquerors' charisma and declared himself a subject of the King of Conquerors, wishing for his victory in this battle.

The King of Conquerors pulled him onto his horse, and they fought side-by-side.

The King of Conquerors unleashed his Bounded Field, and along with his army, he attacked Golden Flash with full force.

Army of the King

Facing the King of Conquerors' momentum, Golden Flash drew his strongest Noble Phantasm, Enuma Elish, as a sign of respect.

This sword that cleaved the world had no blade and no tip. The cylindrical red body rotated slowly, covered in black patterns.

Enuma Elish, Star of Ruin

Enuma Elish emitted a red wind pressure, creating spatial rifts. Just as it was said to have cleaved the world in legend, it crushed everything in its path.

The King of Conquerors' Bounded Field collapsed and crumbled. His army was mercilessly consumed, and the Bounded Field was broken.

He was defeated.

He was not the victor of this Holy Grail War, unable to fulfill his longed-for wish to set foot on earth again and conquer the world.

But he did gain an excellent subordinate, Waver Velvet.

Waver watched the King of Conquerors perish with tears streaming down his face. Burdened with the mission to spread the King's deeds, he dared not close his eyes or leave.

Golden Flash, for once, did not mock Waver. He acknowledged the King of Conquerors' subordinate and turned to leave.

A dark corner in Fuyuki City.

Kariya Matou slumped to the ground, his back against the wall.

Garbage surrounded him, and he exuded a decaying aura, much like the refuse.

When the heart dies, the person dies.

The moment he saw Tokiomi Tohsaka die, the moment he saw Makiri Sakura's despairing face, he had already died.

Lancelot stood before him, silent. The once perfect knight waited for his Master to issue an order.

Kariya Matou looked up at Lancelot, his face devoid of emotion, his eyes unfocused.

"Do what you want to do," Kariya whispered, using up all the Command Spells in his hand. He no longer needed them.

Lancelot, with his remaining sanity, gave Kariya a knight's salute.

Then, a beast-like roar erupted from his throat, and his figure vanished instantly, going to make his final stand against his King.

Artoria found it difficult to cope with Lancelot's frenzied attacks.

This unknown Heroic Spirit before her possessed extraordinary martial skill, forcing her to maintain peak concentration to deal with him.

The battle between the two was exceptionally fierce.

When Lancelot drew his sword, Arondight, Artoria finally recognized the identity of the person before her.

"Lancelot..."

Lancelot of the Lake, once the strongest knight of the Knights of the Round Table, whom she had praised as the 'ideal knight'.

Upon realizing this fact, she broke down.

She couldn't understand what had driven this once upright and noble knight to such madness.

"Ar—thur—!!"

Lancelot attacked Artoria like a rabid dog.

Artoria's heart was filled with immense sorrow, devoid of any will to fight, and she retreated step by step.

She recalled what Yuxian had said at the banquet, 'You did not punish Lancelot for his mistakes, leaving him to endless regret and guilt.'

"Is that it? Lancelot... did I push you to this point? Is that why you hate me so much? Was it also me... who made you so insane?"

Artoria's heart ached with grief and self-reproach.

"Even so, I must obtain the Holy Grail. If I don't do this, I can never compensate you."

Artoria raised the golden sword in her hand, and golden light converged upon it, radiating brilliantly.

This was a sword that connected the past, present, and future, connecting the fallen lives of all soldiers on the battlefield, connecting the tragic yet noble ideals held in their hearts at their final moments.

Excalibur!

The golden radiance swept over Lancelot, and a look of relief appeared on his face.

"What a troublesome King..."

His body slowly faded into the wind along with his voice.

"Lancelot..." Artoria's expression turned resolute, and she turned away decisively. She was going to achieve the final victory; she was going to obtain the Holy Grail.

An underground parking lot somewhere in Fuyuki City.

Kirei Kotomine and Kiritsugu Emiya met here, engaging in a desperate battle, each a worthy opponent for the other.

In close combat, Kirei Kotomine was clearly superior. He was skilled in Baji Quan and wielded Black Keys, inflicting considerable damage on Kiritsugu.

Kirei Kotomine's condition was not much better.

As a Magus killer, Kiritsugu possessed the magecraft 'Time Control', which allowed him to manipulate time. Combined with the combat experience he had accumulated through constant fighting, he was not at a disadvantage in the melee.

They fought with their lives on the line, disregarding their own injuries, doing their utmost to harm the other, trading wounds for wounds, life for life.

A similar style.

Bang!

A gunshot rang out, and Kirei Kotomine collapsed weakly.

Maiya Hisau, who had been waiting at a distance, lowered her gun and slowly walked over. She had been waiting for an opportunity.

This battle was not a fair one-on-one from the start. Kiritsugu did not need fairness; he only sought victory.

Kiritsugu pulled a cigarette from his pocket, lit it with a click, took a deep drag, and exhaled forcefully.

"Let's go, Maiya."

Without tending to his still-bleeding wounds, Kiritsugu strode towards Ryuudou Temple.

He had abandoned all the ideals he'd once sought to achieve. Now, only one final step remained. Section 16: Ryuudou Temple Floor Tile Inspection Report

Golden Flash appeared on the steps in front of Ryuudou Temple.

"Mongrels, how dare you look down upon me."

Without another word, Golden Flash unleashed several Noble Phantasms from the King's Treasure behind him, firing them at Yuxian and the others.

"Senpai, be careful!"

Mash quickly shielded Yuxian, blocking the Noble Phantasms Golden Flash fired with her shield.

Yuxian stood up, dusted off his pants, and pointed at Emiya beside him, saying to Golden Flash, "Your opponent is him."

With that, he and Mash retreated into Ryuudou Temple, leaving the area to Golden Flash and Emiya.

Yuxian used one of his Command Spells to strengthen Emiya, saying as he walked away, "Emiya, take him down!"

"Yes, Master."

Emiya responded seriously, immediately drawing the twin swords Gan Jiang Mo Ye. The black-bladed sword was the Yang sword, Gan Jiang, and the white-bladed one was the Yin sword, Mo Ye.

Inscriptions: The crane's wings do not fall short, heart and skill reach Mount Tai, heart and skill cross the Yellow River, only the name separates heaven, both heroes are fated to part.