Chapter Summaries

Sajyou Manaka revealed that her connection to the Root had awakened into love for Roland, giving her purpose and driving her to prepare a betrothal gift for him. Meanwhile, Rin Tohsaka arrived in Tokyo to enter the Fifth Holy Grail War with a borrowed Holy Relic and confidence in the Heroic Spirit it would summon.

• Sajyou Ayaka noticed Sajyou Manaka's new radiance and questioned the Command Spell marking on her chest, which Manaka called a ticket to a happy betrothal.
• Sajyou Manaka told Sajyou Ayaka that Love's True Magic had given her a reason to live, then began practicing cooking for Roland.
• Sajyou Manaka's connection to the Root had made her an all-powerful Root Princess, but meeting Roland had awakened her feelings and made her future uncertain and meaningful.
• Sajyou Manaka prepared gifts for Roland and hoped the remaining mages would arrive so she could offer him everything.
• Rin Tohsaka arrived at Tokyo Airport carrying a borrowed Holy Relic and resolved to win the Fifth Holy Grail War, believing its Heroic Spirit would secure her victory.

Sakura Matou considered summoning a Divine Spirit for the Holy Grail War before encountering Francesca, a veteran observer who proposed an alliance. Roland appeared, reunited with Sakura, and ordered Francesca to stay and watch the war with him.

• Sakura Matou realized she could not interfere with the Holy Grail System and considered using her compatibility as a vessel to summon a Divine Spirit.
• Francesca emerged from Sakura’s imaginary-number shadows, introduced herself as a Master, and offered to help Sakura win with fusion material.
• Sakura rejected Francesca’s offer, and Roland appeared to take Sakura’s hand and reassure her.
• Roland recognized that Francesca had inferred the Holy Grail War’s true purpose and warned that she would be dead if she had harmed Sakura.
• Francesca accepted punishment without fear, and Roland ordered her to stay with him and watch the Holy Grail War through to the end.

Roland let Francesca go and learned that Sakura wanted to join the Holy Grail War, while Sajyou Manaka confronted Francesca aboard her airship and pressed her to help advance the ritual. Francesca then received guidance from Solomon, who urged her to push the war beyond recovery, and learned his identity as the King of Magecraft.

• Roland explained to Sakura Matou why Francesca could not be restrained by a contract, then told Sakura to kill Francesca whenever they met.
• Sakura Matou chose to participate in the Holy Grail War, hoping to prove she had grown strong enough for Roland.
• Francesca returned to her concealed airship and planned to remove her Command Spell by repeatedly dying and restarting.
• Sajyou Manaka appeared aboard the airship, warned Francesca not to cause her trouble, and ordered her to work harder in the Holy Grail War.
• A man wearing nine rings urged Francesca to exploit the war and push the world beyond recovery, then identified himself as Solomon.

Rin summoned Saber, believing she had called King Arthur, while Manaka summoned Karna as Archer and assigned him to handle the Holy Grail War’s threats. Roland completed a separate summoning, bringing forth a regal figure wearing ten golden rings.

• Rin used King Arthur’s scabbard as a catalyst and summoned a petite Saber, whom she mistook for Arthur Pendragon.
• Manaka asked Ayaka for advice about choosing a sacrifice, then decided to summon a powerful, obedient Heroic Spirit.
• Manaka summoned Karna, recognized him as the son of the sun god, and named him Archer.
• Manaka noticed a Grand-class being had descended, and Karna promised to fight without fear before she left the battles to him.
• Roland completed his ritual and watched a regal, pale-haired figure appear wearing ten golden rings.

Bazett Fraga McRemitz summoned Scáthach instead of Cú Chulainn in a Tokyo hotel, and the two formed a contract. Scáthach revealed that she had come to the Holy Grail War to vanquish a goddess of beasts who should not exist in this era.

• Bazett prepared a summoning circle in her hotel room and used her earrings as a relic to summon Cú Chulainn.
• Darkness interrupted the summoning, and Scáthach appeared as Lancer, explaining that she had borrowed the opportunity meant for her pupil.
• Bazett recognized and revered Scáthach, who accepted her as a compatible Master and told her to call her Lancer.
• Scáthach explained that she had no wish for the Holy Grail but hoped the war might offer a chance to fulfill her deepest wish.
• Scáthach told Bazett that her mission was to vanquish a goddess of beasts who should not exist in this Holy Grail War.

Roland and Solomon discussed the modern era and the unusual Servants in the Tokyo Holy Grail War before Roland took Solomon to try strawberry cake. In Fuyuki, Caren Ortensia received a Command Spell and unexpectedly summoned Jeanne d'Arc as a Ruler, then began scolding her over Medea's summoning circle.

• Solomon told Roland that he admired the modern world and could see only the immediate future, then identified several powerful Heroic Spirits and foretold that two remaining participants would be outside the usual seven classes.
• Roland invited Solomon to try strawberry cake, and Solomon followed him despite his uncertainty about the food.
• Caren wondered whether she could join the Holy Grail War, then discovered a Command Spell shaped like a black longsword on her hand.
• Caren went to the summoning circle at Roland's residence, where it activated without an incantation and summoned Jeanne d'Arc as a Ruler.
• Caren warned Jeanne not to damage Medea's treasured summoning circle, and Jeanne apologized nervously while Caren decided she was worth training.

Rin Tohsaka and Saber encountered Archer, who challenged Saber and overwhelmed her with powerful fire attacks. Though injured and badly outmatched, Saber refused to retreat and declared her intent to defeat him.

• Rin Tohsaka accepted that her Saber was the female King Arthur, while Saber resolved to win the Holy Grail after recalling the losses of her previous war.
• Saber sensed a powerful presence near Central Park, and Archer appeared above Rin and challenged Saber to a fight.
• Rin left the battle to Saber, who charged Archer as he unleashed a storm of fiery arrows.
• Saber cut through the arrows and reached Archer, but he answered with a massive torrent of flames that injured her and transformed the street around them.
• Archer revealed that his flames came from Mana Burst and told Saber she had no chance of winning, but Saber declared that she intended to take his head.

Saber pushed through Archer’s flames and reached close range, but Archer’s Golden Armor turned her decisive strike aside and left her exposed. As Archer prepared to finish her, a crimson spear flew toward him, while Rin Tohsaka’s fight with Bazett was interrupted by Roland’s arrival.

• Saber endured Archer’s barrage by relying on Instinct, then used Avalon to emerge unharmed from his concentrated Flame Arrow and charge him.
• Archer revealed that his fully powered Golden Armor could absorb Saber’s attacks and exploit the disparity between their Masters, then knocked her back and readied another shot.
• A crimson spear flew toward Archer as he prepared to strike Saber again.
• Bazett shattered Rin Tohsaka’s jewel barriers, explained that her Servant had gone to fight Archer, and prepared to defeat Rin as another participant in the war.
• Roland appeared on the shopping street, greeted Rin, and asked whether she had dropped the ball again.

Roland intervened when Bazett attacked Rin, and Rin secured his help by offering to work for him until she repaid her debt. Roland overwhelmed Bazett and defeated her Fragarach, then claimed her as his own, leaving her unconscious.

• Rin asked Roland to save her from Bazett and offered her labor until she repaid everything she owed him.
• Roland made a deal with Rin, but Bazett refused to withdraw and warned that she would treat him as an enemy if he joined the fight.
• Bazett attacked Roland with her reinforced strength, but he shattered her arm and used martial arts to inflict severe injuries.
• Bazett activated Fragarach, hoping its causality-reversing strike would kill Roland, but he overrode its priority and the Noble Phantasm pierced Bazett instead.
• Roland healed Bazett, claimed her as his own, and watched her lose consciousness.

After defeating Bazett, Roland healed Rin Tohsaka and brought her along to stop the Servants’ battle, while Scáthach and Karna faced Saber. Roland arrived above the battlefield and declared that the fighting would end, or every Servant there would die.

• Roland defeated Bazett, reflected on her Noble Phantasm, and healed Rin Tohsaka’s broken arm with the Horse Talisman.
• Rin Tohsaka realized the approaching battle could destroy much of Shinjuku, and Roland decided to intervene; he caught Rin in the shadows and made her accompany him.
• Scáthach’s surprise Magic Spear wounded Karna and interrupted his duel with Saber, after which Scáthach and Karna prepared to fight both Saber and each other’s opponents.
• Scáthach told Saber that her Master would lose to Scáthach’s Master, and Saber resolved to defeat Lancer quickly to protect Rin.
• Roland descended onto the battlefield, identified himself as the victor of the previous Holy Grail War and Caster’s Master, and threatened to kill everyone if they did not stop fighting.

Roland used Rin Tohsaka and Bazett as hostages to force Saber, Scáthach, and Karna into a battle, then challenged the three Servants to endure one attack. His Crystal Wall overwhelmed their combined defense, and Karna unleashed his Noble Phantasm as Roland’s attack turned into a devastating force.

• Roland revealed that he had captured both Rin Tohsaka and Bazett, then taunted Saber by repeatedly making Rin appear to fall into a shadow vortex.
• Karna attacked Rin with Heat Vision, but Roland intercepted it with Electrifying Eyes and pierced Karna’s heart; Karna survived by restoring himself with crimson flames.
• Roland offered to spare the Masters if the Servants endured one attack without evading, and Saber accepted the terms despite her anger.
• Roland released a blood-red Crystal Wall that withstood the combined assault of Saber, Scáthach, and Karna without a ripple.
• The Crystal Wall reversed into a crushing force, and Karna moved first, invoking “O Brahma, curse my body!” as his golden-red flames collided with Roland’s attack.

Roland overwhelmed Saber, Karna, and Scáthach in battle, then let them withdraw while Francesca prepared for the Beast Goddess’s arrival. After Solomon used the Greater Grail to monitor the Leylines, he confirmed Roland’s suspicion that another divine spirit had manifested through possession.

• Roland’s inverted Divine Purification Light clashed with the Noble Phantasms of Saber, Karna, and Scáthach, leaving Central Park and the surrounding streets reduced to a vast crater.
• Karna and Scáthach accepted defeat and withdrew, while Roland warned Saber to comfort her Master and then departed; Saber was left worrying about the battles ahead and her lack of power.
• Francesca discussed Leyline preparations with the King of the Sun, then eagerly welcomed the arriving Beast Goddess.
• Solomon assessed the known Servants for Roland and reported that the two remaining unknown Servants included a Ruler, presumably a modern-era saint.
• Solomon revealed that the Holy Grail’s view of the Leylines had confirmed another divine spirit had manifested through possession.

Caren and Jeanne assessed the devastation from the Shinjuku Gas Explosion and decided to raise money to help its victims, with Caren persuading Jeanne to wear a revealing missionary outfit. Meanwhile, Rin Tohsaka planned to find Sakura and urge her to withdraw from the war, but a mysterious goddess appeared and revealed herself as Sakura’s Servant.

• Caren and Jeanne saw news of the Shinjuku Gas Explosion and recognized the scale of destruction caused during the Holy Grail War’s first night.
• Caren explained that their finances were strained by Jeanne’s need to eat and proposed missionary work to earn money for disaster victims.
• Caren persuaded Jeanne to consider wearing stockings and garters by appealing to her desire to help people displaced by the battle.
• Rin Tohsaka decided to find Sakura and persuade her to withdraw from the Holy Grail War before the next battle.
• A mysterious silver-haired girl trapped Rin Tohsaka with her power and introduced herself as Sakura Matou’s Servant, a goddess who wielded authority over love.

Kama revealed that Sakura Matou had willingly summoned her to fulfill a wish, then subdued Rin Tohsaka and took control of her Contract with Saber. Kama used her Command Spells and a mass of souls to transform Saber into Artoria Alter, who stood at her side as Kama prepared to confront the humans.

• Kama told Rin Tohsaka that Sakura Matou had chosen to become her vessel and that Sakura resented Rin for their unequal childhoods, though she did not blame her.
• Kama overcame Rin's resistance, left her unconscious, and took ownership of Saber through Rin's Command Spells.
• Saber attacked Kama to protect Rin, but Kama stopped her with a Command Spell that exposed her buried regrets and memories.
• Kama ordered Saber to accept her true nature and fed her a mass of souls, transforming her clothing and Sacred Sword into dark forms.
• Saber emerged with cold, dragon-like golden eyes, and Kama named her Artoria Alter before inviting her to help trample humanity.

Roland met Sajyou Manaka in a flower-filled park, accepted her confession, and agreed to marry her. As they prepared to leave together, a red projectile suddenly shot toward them from the darkness.

• Roland rested in a sealed-off Shinjuku park and recognized that Sajyou Manaka might be responsible for a nearby surge of power.
• Sajyou Manaka appeared beside Roland, gave him a lap pillow, and introduced herself.
• Sajyou Manaka confessed that she wanted to become Roland's wife, and Roland accepted her proposal.
• Sajyou Manaka revealed that she had entered the Holy Grail War as its administrator and killed intruders who threatened Roland's plans.
• Roland agreed to obtain a marriage certificate with Sajyou Manaka, and they rose to leave together.
• Sajyou Manaka noticed something in the darkness just before a red streak shot toward them.

Sajyou Manaka interrupted Scáthach’s attack on Roland, then withdrew after Roland calmed her and granted her a kiss. Scáthach challenged Roland for the chance to fulfill her wish, and when he overwhelmed her in combat, she summoned the Land of Shadows to begin their second round.

• Scáthach attacked Roland with Gáe Bolg Alternative, but Sajyou Manaka caught the spear and erased its effects.
• Sajyou Manaka argued with Scáthach over Roland, then left after he told her not to interfere and kissed her as a reward.
• Scáthach offered herself to Roland if he would fulfill her wish, and Roland agreed to fight her.
• Scáthach opened with a True Name Release, but Roland caught one spear and kicked her through several walls, shattering her Spirit Core.
• Scáthach revealed that Runes had preserved her undying nature and summoned the Gate of the Land of Shadows, bringing the death-filled demon realm down on Roland.

Scáthach replaced Shinjuku with the true Land of Shadows and staked its limited lifespan on a final battle with Roland. After she unleashed her full technique, Roland caught her spears and prepared a devastating counterattack, leaving the fight unresolved.

• Scáthach transformed Shinjuku into the Land of Shadows, creating a battlefield that would last about 251 seconds.
• Scáthach restored her true power and charged Roland with a rain of Magic Spears as the realm fully descended.
• Roland answered with overwhelming flames that lit the Land of Shadows and became visible across Tokyo.
• Scáthach launched a mortal strike, using her perfected spearmanship to lock onto Roland and attack his throat.
• Roland caught Scáthach's spears, halted her movement, and unleashed a radiant attack that swept across the Land of Shadows.

Roland unleashed his full power against Scáthach, shattering the Land of Shadows, but she survived by merging more deeply with the Reverse Side of the World and demanded a final fight. Roland revealed that he had already decided the outcome, as his Familiars spread through the ruined realm ahead of the approaching Ultimate Darkness.

• Scáthach recovered from Roland’s attack through the Land of Shadows’ deathly energy and explained that she could not die because her authority over death had become part of her.
• Roland rejected Scáthach’s advice about battle purity and transformed his AT Field into a destructive power that devastated the Land of Shadows.
• Scáthach survived the destruction by relying on the Land of Shadows’ existence on the Reverse Side of the World and challenged Roland to a final fight to the death.
• Roland said the outcome had been decided when he shattered the Land of Shadows, and Scáthach saw his Familiars marching through the ruins as the Ultimate Darkness approached.

Roland overwhelmed Scáthach by replacing her Land of Shadows with his own Shadow Realm, then defeated her in their final clash. He spared her and named her the queen of the Shadow Realm, leaving their new bond established.

• Roland eroded the Land of Shadows and created a Shadow Realm that treated him as its master.
• Scáthach recognized Roland's plan to pursue transcendence through both her power and other terminal devices, then challenged him with a spear thrust carrying the force of her life’s experience.
• Roland absorbed Scáthach's attack into the Shadow Realm and defeated her as her strength ran out.
• Scáthach awoke alive after the battle and asked Roland what he intended to do with her.
• Roland named Scáthach the queen of the Shadow Realm.

Roland made Scáthach queen of the Shadow Realm and revealed his plans to challenge the Counter Force, then turned to face another enemy. Meanwhile, Kama trapped Karna and prepared to kill him with her Saber, only to discover that Saber had vanished.

• Roland offered Scáthach authority over the Shadow Realm, and she accepted his rule and pledged her spear to him.
• Roland explained that he planned to overcome the Counter Force, possibly by becoming the god of a New World, and said he would test his approach against another Beast.
• Scáthach kissed Roland before her Spirit Origin returned to the Holy Grail, and Roland sensed a familiar figure and announced that he would begin round two.
• Karna followed an unfamiliar presence into an Imaginary Space, where Kama tried to recruit him and then threatened to eliminate him.
• Kama summoned her supposed support to defeat Karna, but when no one appeared, she realized her Saber had disappeared.