The satellite phone confirmed that it was taken care of. The other side replied that it was in progress and that results were expected in two days.
All that remained was to wait for news. Still, there had been no word these past two days of Rider charging alone into Caster's territory, which made me worry that they might do something reckless.
Two days later, Holy Grail War overseer Risei Kotomine officially issued a mission, demanding that all Masters and Servants cease fighting one another and unite against Caster, who had harmed ordinary people.
Whoever contributed the most would receive a Command Spell as a reward. For now, everyone was united against Caster.
That same day, the Holy Church evacuated all ordinary people from around the Matou Estate and set up a magical barrier.
Just after nightfall, all the Servants had assembled. Five Servants charged inside—Assassin was still playing dead and offline. As one of Fuyuki City's Three Noble Families, the Matou Household's magical barrier was not to be underestimated, and it was filled with countless devastating magical traps.
Yet before the strength of five Servants, they did not waste much time. Rider took the lead, racing from the courtyard to the western mansion's entrance. He had not stopped to wait for the others; three shadows stood before the door.
They looked vaguely humanoid, except each was a mass of darkness. The aura of every one of them was no weaker than that of any Servant.
As the standoff continued, the other five Servants arrived as well. Iskandar, whose intelligence was slightly overdue on payment, asked, "Do those count as Servants?"
I had Mother explain it to him. "They are called Shadow Servants. The recent disappearances and deaths were all meant to cultivate these things."
"If they were alive, they should all have been Servants. But once they have been created as Shadow Servants, they cannot use Noble Phantasms. Other than that, there is no difference. Be careful."
Through my familiars, I could clearly identify them. They were Fairy Knight Tristan, Fairy Knight Gawain, and Fairy Knight Lancelot. Everything had happened exactly as I had predicted.
Suddenly, the mansion doors opened, and Zouken Matou and Morgan emerged. With a body that looked as though it could fall apart at any moment, he said, "Why couldn't you have come a few days later?"
"My long-cherished wish was only a tiny step away from being fulfilled. But it isn't too late now. As long as I wipe all of you out in one stroke, I can still accomplish it. Hahaha!"
Zouken Matou had begun to lose himself to madness, though it was not impossible that he was pretending.
Then Morgan spoke. "My royal sister, have you made any progress at all?"
The Spiky-Haired King immediately retorted, "Royal sister, you actually harmed ordinary people just to achieve victory. I will never forgive you." With that, she raised the Sword of Promised Victory.
Iskandar said, "Enough chatter. Let us decide this here." He raised his sword high.
Gilgamesh sat atop the Vimana, silently watching the scene below as though admiring the scenery.
Diarmuid Ua Duibhne took up his stance, ready to fight at any moment.
Mother likewise drew her sword and prepared for battle.
The great battle was on the verge of erupting.
Though it seemed that we held the advantage in numbers, Diarmuid Ua Duibhne could only be considered a bystander. It was not that I looked down on him, but in terms of strength, it felt like a husky had somehow mixed into a pack of wolves.
Zouken Matou's strength was equally unfathomable. He should not be at a disadvantage against Diarmuid Ua Duibhne.
Gilgamesh clearly did not intend to go all out, and this place was Morgan's home ground. At the moment, it felt like a barely even match.
What happened next depended on how much everyone was willing to contribute.
Iskandar was the first to charge forth aboard the Gordius Wheel. He chose Fairy Knight Gawain as his opponent. Faced with the charging force of the Gordius Wheel, Fairy Knight Gawain did not dodge at all, seemingly intending to take it head-on with brute strength.
Whether that was due to insufficient intelligence or complete confidence, I did not know. The genuine Fairy Knight Gawain possessed B+ Strength, but it remained unclear how much a Shadow Servant could imitate.
Gilgamesh and Fairy Knight Tristan were trading blows head-on. I could not even be bothered to complain.
Diarmuid indeed faced Zouken Matou. They seemed evenly matched at first glance, but upon closer inspection, they were just standing there.
I had Mother deal with Faerie Lancelot. After all, according to the original plot, the Spiky-Haired King had defeated Gilles de Rais. Here, she should likewise be the one to kill Morgan. It could be considered a battle of fate.
Sure enough, the Spiky-Haired King charged in with her sword, only to remain suppressed the entire time. During the dock battle, Diarmuid Ua Duibhne's Noble Phantasm had injured her fingers, leaving her unable to unleash her Noble Phantasm.
I did not know whether Diarmuid Ua Duibhne would break his Noble Phantasm here to lift the curse. As an observer, all I could do was watch the show.
Surprisingly, Gilgamesh was the first to determine a victor. Fairy Knight Tristan was the first to fall. Yet after winning, Gilgamesh had no intention of making another move and simply became another spectator.
Iskandar held the absolute upper hand, and victory was only a matter of time. Diarmuid and Zouken Matou continued their evenly matched battle.
Mother activated Genji's Martial Training and suppressed Faerie Lancelot with peerless skill. Only the Spiky-Haired King was retreating again and again.
Though the Spiky-Haired King could not win, she was still trying to talk Morgan down, saying things like, "Royal sister, how could you have fallen so far? You actually slaughtered ordinary people for power," and so on.
Perhaps she had grown tired of hearing it. Morgan finally said, "The killing has nothing to do with me. At most, my Master provided me with materials for processing afterward."
"I never asked him to do any of this. At least, he simply offered them of his own accord, and I conveniently used them to create things."
That casual answer made the Spiky-Haired King even angrier. She kept demanding why Morgan had not stopped him, why she had allowed him to run wild. All I could do was sigh that kings did not understand the human heart.
Soon after, Iskandar also finished his battle, and I had Mother end hers as well. In order to make the others continue misunderstanding Mother's true strength, I had always kept her suppressing herself.
Seeing this, Zouken Matou withdrew from the fight and said, "Why haven't you finished yet? Do you want to lose like this?" Diarmuid also withdrew and looked around, discovering that only he and Saber had yet to finish their battles.
At that moment, Morgan forced the Spiky-Haired King back and said, "Fine, I have indeed had enough fun. My dear royal sister does not seem to have improved in the slightest." She even wore a disappointed expression.
Then she drove the staff in her hand forcefully into the ground. The surrounding environment changed completely. That was right—the highest attainment of magecraft, a Reality Marble.
At the same time, she dragged everyone present inside. Gilgamesh seemed somewhat interested now, and a delighted expression appeared on his face. The others looked around and found themselves in a place filled with birdsong and flowers, as though they had entered a painting. Birds flew through the sky, fish swam through the lake, and the scenery was exquisitely beautiful.
Then Morgan said, "This shall be your burial ground."