I brought everyone into the Great Hollow where the Holy Grail lay and showed them the existence of the Greater Grail.
The summoning ritual's magic circle for the Holy Grail had already been prepared here. All that remained was to place the catalysts within it and recite the incantation.
Everything was ready; all we lacked were the Command Spells. I confirmed it with everyone again. "In a moment, I'll use my authority to directly begin the Holy Grail War. When that happens, everyone will receive Command Spells. The eighth mage who doesn't exist in Fuyuki City won't get diverted."
After receiving your Command Spells, take your respective catalysts into the magic circles and summon your Servants. Once the summoning is complete, immediately communicate with your Servants so they don't accidentally injure our allies. If they refuse to listen, use a Command Spell directly. Understood?
"Understood." ×6
"Then the Fifth Holy Grail War begins. May fortune favor you all in battle."
Using my authority, I began the Holy Grail War. At that very moment, Command Spells appeared on the hands of seven people, and then seven incantations began. I recited mine: "Let silver and iron be the essence. Let stone and the archduke of contracts be the foundation. Let my ancestor be the great master Schweinorg. Let the rising wind be the wall that separates the four cardinal directions. Close the gates of the crown. Let the cycle turn four times, and let three be the way."
"Yet when filled, let it be abandoned. I declare: let your body heed my commands, and let my fate be with your sword. Answer the summons of the Holy Grail. If you are willing to follow this will and this principle, then respond. I hereby swear that I shall accomplish all the good in this world. I shall eliminate all the evil in this world."
"You who are bound by the seven heavens of the three great words of power, come forth from the Restraining Ring, Guardian of the Scales." ×7
During this time, I looked over everyone's catalysts. Waver still had a scrap of Iskandar's cloak. Hopefully it wouldn't go off-course and summon his younger version. There was quite a difference between a five-star and a three-star.
Why did Rin's catalyst look so familiar? Wasn't that the largest gemstone I had given Tokiomi Tohsaka back then? So after I'd been telling her for a whole year, she still hadn't prepared anything? She deserved to summon Red A.
Sakura's catalyst was a connected ring-and-bracelet set. It was hard to say exactly what it belonged to. Sakura had clearly prepared carefully, but I couldn't make out its origin. All we could do was leave it to luck. (There was no R-Sis here.)
Gray's catalyst was a spearhead. Could it be that spearhead of Hound Bro's? Had it somehow wound up in Gray's hands? Hound Bro's character was trustworthy.
Illya had a bone, except it was ridiculously large. (I couldn't find the specific catalyst used to summon Heracles.) It was obviously B-Bro's bone.
Shirou Emiya stood in the very center. In any case, he was definitely going to summon the Spiky-Haired King.
If Marisbury could summon Solomon, there was no reason I couldn't do the same.
As the incantations ended and the smoke dispersed, six voices said, "You are my Master." B-Bro only responded with a roar.
The one Shirou Emiya summoned was still that young girl, only she lacked a trace of Moonlight.
Illya had summoned Heracles. Hopefully, she could immediately keep B-Bro under control.
Rin really had summoned Red A. It seemed that no matter how I altered the plot, what was meant to come would still come.
Waver's eyes reddened because he had truly summoned Iskandar.
Sakura had actually summoned Stheno, the eldest of the three sisters—the one with absolutely no combat ability. I had praised Sakura for nothing.
Gray had summoned Scathach, a genuine Lancer. That purple-haired old hag, I muttered inwardly. It seemed Hound Bro had failed to leave the factory.
I had indeed summoned the Mage King Solomon. Solomon: Class Caster. Strength E, Endurance E, Agility B, Mana A++, Luck A++, Noble Phantasm A++. Three A++ ratings—truly splendid.
At this moment, a certain glittering golden individual threw a tantrum. "Mongrel! You actually didn't summon me! I even paid you a deposit—the Golden Apple! I'm furious! Forget it, we'll meet again anyway. I'll settle the score with you properly then."
The first reaction of all the Servants was to guard against their surroundings. Based on the information they had received, this should have been a chaotic battle among seven Servants. Seeing all seven appear at once left them somewhat bewildered.
I spoke up. "Heroic Spirits from distant ages, an unexpected complication has arisen in this Holy Grail War. This Holy Grail War is not for battle. It requires all of you to work together to save humanity."
The seven Servants communicated directly with their Masters and learned the full course of events. The tense atmosphere immediately shifted into mutual discussion.
Seeing that the timing was about right, I said, "Our objective this time is to destroy the corrupted Greater Grail. Please lend us your aid."
Iskandar was still the first to speak. "Long time no see, Berserker's Master. I suppose I should call you Caster's Master now. I heard the full story from Waver. Though I'm unwilling, I will support you."
The Spiky-Haired King spoke next. "We meet again. I have heard everything from my Master, and I now understand why Kiritsugu wanted me to destroy the Holy Grail. As a king who protects her people, I should assist."
Illya said, "I have no problem with it."
Was it because she knew she might die after this, and knew that Kiritsugu Emiya had not failed to bring back the Holy Grail because he did not love her, but because of the world? Did she refrain from acknowledging Shirou Emiya because she did not want to make him sad? I felt sorry for Illya.
Rin and Sakura both said they had no objections.
Gray did not speak. The one who spoke was Scathach. "Helping you is no problem, but before that, I hope to have a proper battle. If I'd known this was going to be such a boring matter, I wouldn't have come."
"Besides, there are some fated battles among us. I have no intention of letting them end so hastily." After saying that, she pushed Gray forward.
Actually, Gray had sensed changes in her body the moment Saber was summoned. Combined with their identical faces, Saber might not have noticed because Gray wore a hood, but Gray could see everything clearly.
This is the turning point of fate my teacher always spoke of. I can't be weak any longer. With that, Gray removed her hood.
Those who did not know the truth were all shocked. To save time, I explained the entire sequence of events to everyone.
After learning the truth, Saber bowed and apologized. "I'm sorry. Although saying sorry may be useless, I never expected that even after dying, I would still cause you so much trouble. I should atone with my life, but I have a mission now. So please allow me to cling to life for a while longer."
While everyone was still discussing the matter, Solomon finally spoke. "Master, please allow me to say a few words."
I said, "Of course."
Solomon said, "First, allow me to introduce myself. My name is Solomon, the Mage King Solomon."
"The Holy Grail has been corrupted and can no longer grant wishes, so it does indeed need to be destroyed. I support Master's idea. However, if the corruption occurred in the way Master described, then I have a method to remove the source of the corruption and restore the Holy Grail to its original state."
"However, there are risks. The chance of success is only around thirty percent."
Solomon's words shocked everyone, but no one doubted their truth.