Recaps

Rider charged Gilgamesh under Kayneth’s Command Spell while Berserker attacked, prompting Gilgamesh to unleash the Chains of Heaven. Enkidu joined the battle, and the song of his approach made Gilgamesh recognize his old friend, leaving him ready to fight at full strength.

• Kayneth used a Command Spell to force Rider to charge Gilgamesh, and Rider warned that Kayneth would regret it.
• Gilgamesh directed his attacks at Rider, but Berserker used the opening to close in and strike him.
• Gilgamesh restrained Berserker with the Chains of Heaven, then blasted him away when he tried to seize them.
• Darnic ordered Lancer to join the attack against Gilgamesh, and Enkidu accepted the command without hesitation.
• Enkidu approached while singing, causing the Chains of Heaven to tremble and Gilgamesh to laugh as he summoned hundreds of Noble Phantasms.

Gilgamesh and Enkidu reunited in a spectacular battle until Tokiomi Tohsaka used a Command Spell to summon Gilgamesh back. Roland predicted that the interruption would turn the friends against each other and revealed his Master’s Command Spells to Kirei.

• Gilgamesh and Enkidu exchanged matching barrages of Noble Phantasms as Rider prepared to evacuate Kayneth and Saber readied himself to protect his Master.
• Gilgamesh escalated the fight and reached for a golden key, while Enkidu urged him to take their battle elsewhere.
• Tokiomi Tohsaka struggled to sustain Gilgamesh’s output and used a Command Spell to force him back, drawing Gilgamesh’s furious shout as he vanished.
• Roland laughed at Tokiomi’s decision and told Caster that Tokiomi’s distrust of Servants had made him interrupt Gilgamesh and Enkidu’s reunion.
• Roland asked Kirei what he thought, while Kirei watched Roland’s visible Command Spells with a conflicted expression.

Roland urged Kirei Kotomine to accept his nature and promised that true happiness could be found in Heaven. Kirei swore loyalty to Roland, who sent him to indulge himself while hinting that a path to Heaven might come later.

• Kirei Kotomine discussed Tokiomi Tohsaka's strategy for controlling Archer with Roland and agreed that the pairing was fundamentally flawed.
• Roland asked Kirei Kotomine whether he had found an answer, and Kirei admitted that he found pleasure in others' pain but still could not understand his nature.
• Kirei Kotomine questioned why he had been born and whether his life had meaning, while Roland suggested their meeting was guided by Gravity.
• Roland told Kirei Kotomine that Heaven offered a way to create a world where he could find happiness and asked him to join his side.
• Kirei Kotomine knelt and swore loyalty to Roland, who told him to let himself loose and hinted that a way to Heaven might come in time.

The opening battle continued after Gilgamesh withdrew, as Berserker attacked Saber and Kayneth tried to force Rider to help. Roland and Caster watched the battle end and planned their next moves, with Roland revealing that Darnic was trapped by a Self-Geas Scroll.

• Darnic ordered Lancer to retreat, but Kariya Matou sent Berserker to attack Saber after losing control of him.
• Berserker recognized Saber as Arthur and resumed fighting him, then Saber defeated him and Kariya recalled his Servant.
• Kayneth ordered Rider to help Berserker attack Saber, but Rider refused and explained that their bond was a partnership rather than master and servant.
• Roland and Caster reviewed the identities and strengths of the other Masters and Servants, and Roland said Darnic was bound by a Self-Geas Scroll.

After finding the Matou Residence destroyed, Roland concluded that an unknown eighth Servant had attacked it and ordered the Shadowkhan to search for clues. Sensing a powerful presence connected to the Greater Grail, he returned with Caster and asked her to make an item to test his hypothesis.

• Roland and Caster saw flames burning near the Matou Residence and found the mansion reduced to a crater.
• Roland reasoned that a Servant had caused the destruction and declared that an eighth Servant had appeared.
• Roland sent the Shadowkhan to search Fuyuki City for the unknown Servant and Master.
• Roland sensed a powerful connection from Mount Enzou that reminded him of the traces inside Irisviel.
• Roland asked Caster to use Item Construction to make a special item to test his hypothesis.

Angra Mainyu plotted to use the Twelve Talismans and the Greater Grail to become a true god of evil. At Roland’s home, he learned that Berserker’s Master had come calling and set out to confront him and eliminate Berserker.

• Angra Mainyu reflected that the first battle had claimed no Servants and trusted that the Masters’ malice would drive them to further slaughter.
• He examined the ten Talismans in his possession and planned to use the Grail’s accumulated mana to activate them and seize the other two.
• Roland carved a Mystic Code while Medea praised his skill and worried about Sakura going out alone.
• Roland sensed Berserker’s Master had arrived and decided to question him about the bombing of the Matou Family.
• Roland left to confront Berserker’s Master and planned to get rid of Berserker as well.

Kariya Matou found Sakura Matou and tried to take her back to the Tohsaka Family, but she refused and declared her loyalty to Roland. Roland appeared and had his Shadow Ninjas overwhelm Kariya, who called for Berserker as he was beaten.

• After learning that the Matou estate had been destroyed, Kariya Matou wandered the streets searching for Sakura Matou.
• Kariya found Sakura in the shopping district, but her Protective Charm injured him when he reached for her.
• Sakura refused to return to the Tohsaka Family and told Kariya she belonged only to Roland.
• Kariya decided to take Sakura by force and summoned an Insect Swarm, while Sakura prepared to defend herself with her Bracelet.
• Roland appeared, and his Shadow Ninjas surrounded Kariya and beat him until he vomited black insect corpses.
• Kariya called for Berserker.

Roland confronted Kariya Matou over his attempt to take Sakura and exposed his desire for revenge against Tokiomi beneath his claims of saving her. Kariya ordered Berserker to kill Roland, who answered with a powerful beam of light.

• Kariya recognized Roland as Caster's Master and demanded that he return Sakura, but Roland refused.
• Roland asked why Kariya wanted Sakura back, and Kariya declared that he wanted to make Aoi, Rin, and Sakura happy by changing the world of magi.
• Roland challenged Kariya's claim, arguing that Kariya cared more about taking revenge on Tokiomi than saving Sakura.
• Roland called Kariya a selfish man hiding his hatred behind good intentions, and Kariya broke down and ordered Berserker to attack.
• As Berserker lunged, Roland raised his hand and unleashed a blazing beam of light.

Roland severed Kariya Matou’s contract with Berserker and decided to use the rampaging Lancelot to confront Saber. As Roland unleashed his own power, he proved strong enough to overpower Berserker, leaving Kariya stunned by the strength of a Master who seemed practically Superman.

• Medea bound Kariya Matou, severed his contract with Berserker, and transcribed his Command Spells.
• Berserker continued rampaging without a Master, and Roland chose to use him to force Saber out of her dream of restoring her kingdom.
• Roland attacked Berserker with powerful flames, but Lancelot endured the assault and charged at him with a makeshift Noble Phantasm.
• Medea explained that her Reinforcement Magecraft had little effect on Roland compared with the magical energy from his soul.
• Roland perceived Lancelot’s attack clearly, caught his descending weapon, and slammed Berserker into the ground.
• Kariya Matou watched Roland overpower Berserker and thought that Roland was practically Superman.

Roland defeated Lancelot, forced a contract on him, and learned that Zouken Matou might still be alive. Kariya Matou mentioned bringing Rin Tohsaka back to Fuyuki, prompting Roland to question whether Rin had come to the city.

• Lancelot attacked Roland with a steel rod, but Roland caught his strikes and melted the weapon with flames from his hand.
• As Lancelot grappled with Roland, Roland blasted through his armor with heat vision, then Killer Queen pierced Lancelot through the heart.
• Roland seized Lancelot's Spirit Core and established a new contract, ordering him to obey and help hone Saber.
• Roland asked Kariya Matou about the destruction of the Matou Family, and Kariya said Zouken Matou might still be alive.
• Kariya recalled taking Rin Tohsaka back after she ran off, and Roland stopped him to ask whether Rin had come to Fuyuki City.

Roland transformed Kariya Matou into a powerful monster and sent him to kill Tokiomi Tohsaka, then activated a locator for his sealed divine powers. The locator detected at least one nearby Talisman, with its signals pointing toward the city center, Mount Enzou, and straight ahead.

• Roland suspected that Ishtar had manifested within Rin Tohsaka as the Eighth Servant.
• Roland offered Kariya Matou a final chance to pursue his hatred of Tokiomi Tohsaka and infused him with leftover fire energy.
• The fire energy transformed Kariya into a scaled, clawed monster that could become a Blazing Storm if he failed to control it.
• Kariya accepted Roland's challenge and left without saying goodbye to Sakura Matou.
• Roland showed Sakura the completed Talisman Locator and activated it.
• The locator's dragon carvings lit up and pointed toward three directions, revealing that at least one Talisman was nearby.

Rin Tohsaka, sharing her body with the goddess Ishtar, went to the Matou Residence at night to check on her sister Sakura despite her fear and her father’s warning. Ishtar admitted she had lost her divine beast Gugalanna just as Rin entered the Matou grounds.

• Rin argued with Ishtar, who wanted to find a venue where she could display her power and receive offerings.
• Rin recalled becoming Ishtar’s Pseudo-Servant and agreeing to let Ishtar control her body at night in exchange for using Servant powers.
• Rin explained that she had come to see Sakura, whom her father had sent to the Matou Family, and remembered meeting the frail-looking Uncle Kariya.
• Rin reached the dark Matou Residence and asked Ishtar to protect her if the family posed a threat.
• Ishtar confessed that she had lost Gugalanna, and Rin pushed open the Matou Family’s gates anyway.

Rin Tohsaka entered the Matou Residence to find her sister Sakura and discovered the horrific insect-filled workshop below it. After Zouken Matou told her Sakura was dead and showed her remains, Rin ordered Ishtar to destroy the place.

• Rin Tohsaka entered the Matou Residence with Ishtar’s help and found no one in its ordinary rooms.
• Rin descended into the workshop and discovered a vast, foul-smelling tide of insects.
• Zouken Matou emerged from the swarm and told Rin that Sakura had failed to inherit the Matou legacy.
• Zouken showed Rin Sakura’s gnawed bones, and Rin struck his head with a Curse Bullet.
• Rin ordered Ishtar to destroy the workshop, and Ishtar unleashed a dazzling blast that engulfed Zouken and the insect swarm.

After destroying the Matou mansion, Rin Tohsaka and Ishtar found a powerful dragon-carved Talisman that restored Rin’s magical energy and amplified it. The next morning, Rin followed a trail of gems into a trap and came face-to-face with a young man wielding a strange dragon-headed implement.

• Ishtar searched the crater for Zouken Matou and found the Talisman he had tried to protect, believing he would come after it.
• Rin discovered that holding the Talisman replenished her magical energy, then accidentally used it to blast the Matou ruins with an amplified beam.
• Ishtar spotted a fiery disturbance in the sky, fled the Matou grounds with Rin, and kept control of Rin’s body overnight.
• The next morning, Ishtar followed a trail of gems and persuaded Rin that collecting them was worth the risk.
• Rin picked up the last gem, watched her magical energy meter overload and explode, and heard a young man say, “Found you.”

Roland and Medea captured Ishtar and used Rin Tohsaka’s worry about Sakura Matou to make Rin regain control of her body. Roland sealed Ishtar’s soul inside Rin, leaving the goddess unable to emerge.

• Roland baited Ishtar with gems, and she attacked him before shadow ropes and Medea’s chains restrained her.
• Berserker seized Ishtar’s Maanna while Roland’s barrier stopped her bombardment.
• Roland revealed that he knew Rin Tohsaka and asked whether she wanted to see Sakura Matou, who was in his hands.
• Rin took control of the body, and Roland touched her forehead to form a black mark that freed her from the chains.
• Rin returned to her child form in Roland’s arms, while he explained that the mark had sealed Ishtar’s soul inside her.

Roland negotiated with Rin Tohsaka for the Dragon Talisman and discovered that it was depleted and had been summoned across dimensions by Shendu's Contract Spirit. After the Talisman bonded with him, Roland concluded that the other Talismans might also need vast amounts of magical energy to recover and embraced his growing ambition to reclaim them.

• Roland told Rin Tohsaka that Sakura was safe and asked Rin to return what belonged to him.
• Rin returned the Dragon Talisman, then gathered the gems she had mistakenly offered in its place.
• The Dragon Talisman bonded with Roland and absorbed a large amount of his magical energy, changing from dull gray to lustrous jade.
• Roland realized the Dragon Talisman was severely depleted and reasoned that Shendu's Contract Spirit had summoned the Talismans across dimensions using the Holy Grail.
• Roland considered using pure magical energy to restore the Talismans and declared that what belonged to him could only be his.

Roland offered Rin Tohsaka and Ishtar a fortune in gems in exchange for helping him find his stolen talismans, which would let him use Ishtar’s Noble Phantasm to blast open Mount Enzou. They accepted the deal, and Roland revealed that Rin’s seal could be undone by keeping it dry.

• Rin Tohsaka warned Roland that she would not let him use Ishtar to interfere in the Holy Grail War, and he said he only wanted to blast open Mount Enzou to retrieve his talisman.
• Rin consulted Ishtar, who refused to help because Roland had ambushed her and offered no payment.
• Roland revealed a jar of gems as a deposit and promised tens of thousands of times more if they found all his talismans.
• Ishtar agreed to help, and Rin accepted the transaction on her behalf.
• Rin asked Roland about the seal restraining her, and he said its taboo and method of undoing it were the same: she must not get it wet.

Gilgamesh confronted Kirei Kotomine about Tokiomi Tohsaka’s plan to sacrifice all seven Heroic Spirits to reach the Root and offered Kirei a chance to replace his Master. Kirei pledged allegiance to Gilgamesh while privately remaining devoted to Roland and Heaven.

• Archer visited Kirei Kotomine’s basement and condemned Tokiomi Tohsaka’s wish to reach the Root.
• Gilgamesh revealed that six Heroic Spirits could grant a wish, but all seven were needed to open the way to the Root, making him ineligible for Tokiomi’s plan.
• Kirei confirmed the sacrifice requirement and explained that Tokiomi was a traditional mage, exposing his Master’s deception.
• Gilgamesh offered Kirei the chance to betray Tokiomi and become his new Master, then asked whom Kirei would follow.
• Kirei declared Gilgamesh the only sun in his heart, but privately reaffirmed that Roland and Heaven were his sole salvation.

Rin Tohsaka reunited with Sakura Matou at Roland’s home and learned that Sakura was safe and happy with him. Meanwhile, Zouken Matou tracked them down to reclaim the Dragon Talisman, but Roland destroyed the body that reached for it.

• Rin Tohsaka rushed to Sakura Matou, apologized for what had happened, and was comforted by her sister.
• Sakura Matou praised Roland and invited Rin Tohsaka to tell her how she had met him.
• Roland noticed uninvited guests and went to confront Zouken Matou while Caster continued strengthening the Workshop’s Barrier.
• Zouken Matou searched for Rin Tohsaka because she had taken his Dragon Talisman during the previous war.
• Roland showed Zouken Matou the Dragon Talisman, and Zouken reached for it before its fiery light erased his hand and upper body.

Roland and Zouken Matou negotiated over the Dragon Talisman, and Zouken offered the Matou family's assets and help obtaining the Holy Grail in exchange for its return. They formalized the deal in a Self-Geas Scroll Contract, with Roland promising to return the Talisman if Zouken brought him the Greater Grail.

• Roland rejected Zouken's complaints about their alliance and learned that Zouken had possessed the Dragon Talisman for sixty years and that Darnic had one too.
• Zouken offered the Matou family's holdings and Kariya's Berserker as payment, but Roland revealed that Kariya had lost his Master status and Berserker was already in his hands.
• Zouken proposed helping Roland obtain the Holy Grail and activate the Greater Grail in exchange for the Dragon Talisman after Roland made his wish.
• Zouken drafted a Self-Geas Scroll Contract, and Roland signed it, promising to return the Talisman if Zouken brought him the Greater Grail.

Rin Tohsaka reluctantly asked Roland to take her home, where his warm conversation and flirtatious praise left Aoi Tohsaka intrigued. The chapter ended with Aoi deciding she could make Roland a friend while she and Rin agreed to keep the day's events from Tokiomi.

• Rin Tohsaka woke beside Sakura Matou and refused Roland's offer to take her home until she realized she would be late.
• Rin asked Roland for help, and he used his power to bring her to Aoi Tohsaka at the Zenjo Family home.
• Roland charmed Aoi with his domestic skills and praised her before leaving to return to his own family.
• Aoi wondered whether Roland had also been unable to choose his marriage and decided that becoming his friend would be acceptable.
• Aoi told Rin not to tell Tokiomi about the day's events, and Rin agreed in exchange for Aoi keeping her after-school wanderings secret.

Roland agreed to Kirei Kotomine’s offer to take control of the Tohsaka Family after its assets were liquidated. Unaware of the deal, Tokiomi prepared for victory in the Holy Grail War and entrusted Rin and the family to Kirei in his will.

• Roland decided to approach the Einzberns that night, then agreed to take control of the Tohsaka Family when Kirei called and said he would provide the money through the Matou Family.
• Tokiomi answered Aoi’s call impatiently, told her to accept whatever changes followed the war, and hung up before she could respond.
• Kirei told Tokiomi that he had arranged to convert the Tohsaka Family’s assets, except for its leyline sites, into liquid funds.
• Tokiomi explained that the funds would let him complete a Mana Furnace and supply Archer with mana.
• Tokiomi gave Kirei his will, appointing him Rin’s guardian and entrusting him with managing the Tohsaka Family.
• Tokiomi declared that the Holy Grail War was as good as won.

Roland and Medea invaded the Einzbern estate so Roland could see his daughter Illya, and he confronted Irisviel and Saber at the castle. When Saber charged him, Roland summoned Berserker to intercept her.

• Roland and Medea discussed Einzbern’s Rhine Gold and Roland’s promise of wealth to Rin Tohsaka as they approached the estate.
• Roland entered the Einzbern forest openly and greeted Irisviel, asking to see Illya.
• Irisviel refused to let Roland see their daughter, and Saber stepped forward to protect her.
• Medea fired magical blasts at Saber as Saber charged Roland, but Saber stopped after her instincts warned her of danger.
• Roland summoned Berserker, who charged at Saber and roared, “Artoria-!”

Roland had Medea use All-Disease Healing and Repair to remove Lancelot’s Mad Enhancement, revealing Berserker’s true identity to Saber. Lancelot recognized Saber as his king and, despite his embarrassment, accepted the duel as a knight.

• Saber attacked Berserker with his concealed Sacred Sword, but Berserker caught the blade and showed he knew Saber’s weapon and fighting style.
• Roland ordered Medea to use All-Disease Healing and Repair to remove the curse-like effects of Lancelot’s Mad Enhancement.
• The mist and Berserker’s monstrous appearance faded, revealing Lancelot in his armor and restoring his reason.
• Lancelot recognized Saber as King Arthur, but was horrified that this version of the king was male.
• Saber urged Berserker to reveal his identity and face him as a knight, and Lancelot declared himself and accepted Saber’s challenge.

Saber and Lancelot recognized each other as knights from different worlds and began a duel while Roland took Irisviel to Einzbern Castle. Roland revealed he wanted Lancelot to lose so he could manipulate Saber, and Illya greeted him as her father.

• Saber realized that he and Lancelot came from different worlds, and Lancelot apologized for his past actions toward his king.
• Saber urged Lancelot to set aside his guilt and fight, while Roland took Irisviel away and Lancelot blocked Saber from following.
• Lancelot drew Arondight and charged at Saber, warning him that he was strong in one-on-one combat.
• Irisviel questioned Roland about leaving Lancelot to fight Saber, and Roland said he wanted Lancelot to lose so Saber would be easier to manipulate.
• Roland brought Irisviel to Illya, who ran into his arms and called him Father.