Assembly Complete, Shadow Servants

The satellite phone confirmed that it was settled. The other side replied that it was in progress and expected results in two days.

Next came the wait for news. Still, there had been no word of Rider charging alone into Caster's territory these past two days. I was honestly worried they might do something reckless.

Two days later, Holy Grail War overseer Risei Kotomine officially issued a mission, requiring all Masters and Servants to cease fighting one another and jointly deal with Caster, who had been harming ordinary people.

Whoever made the greatest contribution would receive a Command Spell as a reward. For the moment, everyone's target was Caster.

That day, the Holy Church evacuated all ordinary people around the Matou Estate and set up a magecraft barrier.

Night had just fallen when all the Servants assembled. Five Servants stormed inside—Assassin was playing dead and offline. As one of Fuyuki City's Three Great Families, the Matou Household's magecraft barrier was not to be underestimated, and it was filled with highly lethal magical traps.

Yet before the power of five Servants, they did not waste much time. Rider took the lead, charging from the courtyard to the manor entrance. He had not stopped to wait for the others; rather, three shadows stood before the door.

They looked vaguely humanoid, but each was nothing more than a mass of darkness. The presence emanating from 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 seemed slightly overdue on payment, asked, "Do those count as Servants?"

I had Mother explain it to him. "They're called Shadow Servants. The recent disappearances and deaths were all to cultivate these things."

"If they were alive, they should all have been Servants. But once created as Shadow Servants, they cannot use Noble Phantasms. Other than that, there's no difference. Be careful."

Through my familiars, I could clearly identify them: Fairy Knight Tristan, Fairy Knight Gawain, and Fairy Knight Lancelot. Everything had gone exactly as I predicted.

Suddenly, the manor doors opened. Zouken Matou and Morgan emerged. In a body that looked ready to fall apart at any moment, he said, "Why couldn't you have come a few days later?"

"My long-cherished wish was just one step away from fulfillment. But it isn't too late. As long as I wipe all of you out in one stroke, I can still accomplish it. Hahaha."

Zouken Matou had already begun to lose himself to madness, though I could not rule out the possibility that it was an act.

Then Morgan spoke. "Little sister, have you made even the slightest improvement?"

The Spiky-Haired King immediately retorted, "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's settle this." 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 a stance, ready to fight at any moment.

Mother likewise drew her sword and prepared herself.

A great battle was about to erupt.

Although we appeared to hold the advantage in numbers, Diarmuid Ua Duibhne could only be considered a tagalong. It was not that I looked down on him, but in terms of strength, it felt like a husky had somehow wandered into a pack of wolves.

Zouken Matou's strength was equally unfathomable. He probably would not be at a disadvantage against Diarmuid Ua Duibhne.

Gilgamesh clearly did not look like he intended to go all out, and this was Morgan's territory. Right now, it felt like the odds were barely even.

What remained was to see just how much effort everyone was willing to put in.

Iskandar charged first aboard the Gordius Wheel. He chose Fairy Knight Gawain as his opponent. Faced with the Gordius Wheel's charge, Fairy Knight Gawain did not evade at all, seemingly intending to receive it head-on with brute force.

Whether that was a lack of intelligence or absolute 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 traded blows with Fairy Knight Tristan. I did not even want to complain anymore.

Diarmuid Ua Duibhne, as expected, faced Zouken Matou. They appeared evenly matched, but upon closer inspection, they were simply standing there.

I told Mother to deal with Fairy Knight Lancelot. After all, in the original story, the Spiky-Haired King had defeated Gilles de Rais. Here, then, she should be the one to kill Morgan. It could be considered a battle of destiny.

Sure enough, the Spiky-Haired King rushed in with her sword. Yet she remained suppressed the entire time. Her fingers had been injured by Diarmuid Ua Duibhne's Noble Phantasm during the dock battle, leaving her unable to activate 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.

Unexpectedly, Gilgamesh was the first to determine a victor. Fairy Knight Tristan was the first to fall. But after winning, Gilgamesh had no intention of making another move and simply became another spectator.

Iskandar held the absolute advantage, and victory would only take a little more time. Diarmuid Ua Duibhne and Zouken Matou continued their evenly matched battle.

Mother activated Genji's Martial Training and used peerless martial skill to suppress Fairy Knight Lancelot. Only the Spiky-Haired King was being steadily driven back.

Although the Spiky-Haired King could not win, she still kept talking, saying things like, "Sister, how could you fall so low? You actually slaughtered ordinary people for power."

Perhaps she had grown tired of hearing it. Morgan finally said, "The killings have nothing to do with me. At most, my Master merely provided me with materials for processing later."

"I never asked him to do so. He simply offered them of his own accord, and I conveniently made use of them."

Such a casual answer only made the Spiky-Haired King angrier. She kept demanding why Morgan had not stopped him, why she had allowed him to act so wantonly. All I could do was sigh that a king did not understand the human heart.

Not long after, Iskandar finished his battle as well, and I had Mother end hers in turn. To keep the others misunderstanding Mother's true strength, I had always made her suppress herself.

Seeing this, Zouken Matou withdrew from the battle and said, "Why haven't you ended this yet? Do you want to lose like this?" Diarmuid Ua Duibhne also withdrew and looked around, only to find that he and Saber were the only ones who had yet to finish.

Morgan forced the Spiky-Haired King back and said, "Fine, I've indeed had enough fun. My dear younger sister does not seem to have improved in the slightest." She even revealed a disappointed expression.

Then she forcefully drove the staff in her hand into the ground. The surrounding environment completely changed. That was right—an ultimate achievement of magecraft, a Reality Marble.

At the same time, she pulled everyone present inside. Gilgamesh seemed somewhat interested now, a pleased smile appearing on his face. The others looked around and found themselves amid birdsong and blooming flowers, as though standing within a painting. Birds flew through the sky, fish swam in the lake, and the scene was breathtakingly beautiful.

Then Morgan said, "This shall be your burial ground."