The group rested in the forest for about ten minutes.
Ritsuka Fujimaru sat at the base of a large tree, her knees still trembling.
The escape just now had exhausted all her strength.
She was neither Servant nor Magecraft; she was just an ordinary human girl.
Running continuously for more than ten minutes was already my limit.
Mash crouched down next to her senior, holding her shield in front of them as a barrier.
Olga Marie leaned against another tree, closing her eyes and adjusting her breathing.
Her long silver hair was covered in ash and leaf fragments.
Cú Chulainn stood on the periphery of the group, his staff planted in the ground, his red eyes constantly scanning the depths of the forest.
"The magical reaction on Medusa's side has completely disappeared. She retreated with the magical beast."
Cú Chulainn said.
"There's no need to worry about her chasing after us for now."
Ritsuka Fujimaru of relief.
"Very good..."
Don't be too happy yet.
"Cú Chulainn said in a low voice."
"We're in Heracles ' territory now. Medusa isn't chasing us doesn't mean we're safe."
Ritsuka Fujimaru's body tensed up again.
Mash gripped the shield's handle tightly.
The forest was quiet.
The rustling of the wind through the leaves was the only sound.
The dark red sunlight, filtered through the tree canopy, turned into a dull orange-red, casting dappled shadows in the forest.
The air smelled of earth and fallen leaves.
It's completely different from the scorched earth hell of Fuyuki City.
The forest seemed to be protected by some force; the flames did not penetrate it.
A few more minutes passed.
No one spoke.
Just when everyone thought they were safe for the time being.
Cú Chulainn's body tensed abruptly.
His right hand moved off the staff and clenched into a fist.
The red eyes were fixed on the bushes about thirty meters ahead.
"--There's something there."
His voice was lowered to a whisper.
Mash immediately raised her shield.
Ritsuka Fujimaru up.
Olga Marie opened her eyes.
All attention was drawn to the direction Cú Chulainn was looking.
But there was nothing there.
Tree trunk, leaves, soil.
An ordinary forest.
Cú Chulainn stared at that spot for five seconds.
"... wrong."
His pupils contracted.
I didn't feel anything just now.
Not at all.
"It's not that there's nothing there, it's that the thing was already there, and I only just realized it now."
As soon as the words left his mouth...
A figure emerged from the bushes.
It looked as if it had grown out of the shadows.
One second there was nothing there, the next second a person was standing there.
He is over two meters tall.
Even Cú Chulainn appears enormous in comparison.
His skin was a dark reddish-brown, as if it had been stained by something.
White geometric tattoos can be seen on the bare arms and chest/abdomen.
His face was almost entirely covered by a hood.
Only the jawline and a small section of the ear are visible.
In the shadow of the hood, a pair of dark red eyes could be vaguely seen.
Left hand hanging at the side.
He held a huge wooden longbow in his right hand.
His hunched posture was taller than Cú Chulainn's entire body.
The rough wooden surface is completely undecorated.
It's like the craftsmanship of an ordinary person.
The aura emanating from that bow made everyone present feel oppressed.
It's like standing at the foot of a mountain and looking up.
You know that mountain won't collapse.
But it's there, so you can't ignore it.
Cú Chulainn held his staff horizontally in front of him, but did not raise it.
He knew it would be pointless to raise his hand.
If the opponent wanted to fight, he had already lost before he even felt anything.
"... Heracles."
Cú Chulainn called out that name.
A tall figure stood at the edge of the bushes.
Dark red eyes swept over several people from the shadows of the hood.
The silence lasted for about five seconds.
Then the figure spoke.
The voice was deep, yet surprisingly calm.
"You are the Master and Servant of Chaldea."
It is not a question.
It is a statement.
He knew who they were.
Ritsuka Fujimaru stood behind Mash, her orange eyes fixed on the giant in front of her.
My heart was pounding in my chest.
"I have something I'd like to ask you."
Heracles said.
Please.
When those two words came out of Heracles' mouth, everyone present reacted differently.
Ritsuka Fujimaru was stunned.
Mash lowered her shield slightly.
Olga Marie raised her eyebrows.
Cú Chulainn blinked his red eyes twice.
"... Heracles is asking someone a favor?"
Cú Chulainn muttered something under his breath.
The one who completes the God Hand.
The greatest hero in Human History.
An existence even the gods fear.
He was asking someone for a favor.
Everyone assumed that Heracles ' request must be something of earth-shattering importance.
For example, defeating an ancient demon god.
Or perhaps it could seal away a calamity that threatens humanity.
Or perhaps it's about reclaiming something from the gods.
In short, it must be earth-shattering.
Heracles spoke.
My Master is seriously injured.
"I need your help to save her."
The four of them were quiet for a while.
This request was completely different from what they expected.
It's nothing earth-shattering.
It's about saving one person.
Heracles turned around.
"Come with me."
His figure disappeared into the depths of the forest.
His pace was slow, but every step was steady.
Branches and bushes parted automatically as he passed, as if even the plants dared not block his way.
The group followed.
Cú Chulainn walked at the front, his staff slung over his shoulder.
He maintained a distance of about ten meters from Heracles.
As they walked, Heracles led the way and began to speak.
" The Holy Grail War in this world collapsed a long time ago."
"All the Master who participated in the battle have died, Servant have lost their Master, barely maintaining their existence with the help of the Greater Grail's magical power."
"My Master was the last to fall."
Heracles ' voice was flat.
"Back then, I was still a Berserker, and she was fatally wounded in my battle with the enemy."
"Later, out of Wrath, I forcibly rewrote my own Spirit Origin and killed the enemy, but it was too late. My Master's body couldn't hold on any longer."
He didn't stop.
"I used one of my Noble Phantasm, the Golden Apple of the Hesperides, to barely keep her alive."
Golden Apple.
The eleventh of the Twelve Glories.
The eleventh of Heracles ' God Hand was the taking of the Golden Apple of the Hesperides.
In mythology, it was the sacred fruit of the goddess Hera.
Here, it is used as a life-sustaining Noble Phantasm.
" The Golden Apple can stop death, but it cannot heal wounds."
Heracles said.
"She remained in a near-death state; her condition neither worsened nor improved."
"I've been watching over her in this forest for a long time."
It took about five minutes to walk.
Heracles continued.
"I tried to get the Holy Grail before."
"That corrupted Saber guarding Mount Enzou, she wields the Greater Grail and controls the Shadow Servant. I thought the power of the Holy Grail might be able to heal my Master."
"I defeated her."
But the Holy Grail doesn't contain what I want.
His tone remained unchanged.
"The Holy Grail is merely a container for storing vast amounts of magical energy. It can supply magical energy to Servant and maintain the operation of Singularity, but it itself has no ability to grant wishes."
So I didn't touch it; I left it there.
Upon hearing this, Olga Marie understood why Cú Chulainn had said earlier that " Heracles defeated King Arthur but did not take the Holy Grail."
It's not that I don't want to take it.
It's pointless to take it.
"You probably know what happened next."
Heracles said.
"A new Servant has been summoned to Mount Enzou and has taken possession of the Holy Grail."
"Then you came from Chaldea."
Heracles slowed his pace slightly.
"I've learned some information about Chaldea through my own channels."
He didn't specify what channel it was.
Chaldea has a Heroic Spirit Summoning System.
He paused for a moment.
"I want to use that system to merge my Spirit Origin into my Master, making her Demi-Servant."
"After she becomes Demi-Servant, my Noble Phantasm, or more precisely, the God Hand, can revive her and heal her injuries."
Everyone understood.
Heracles wants to transform himself into the Heroic Spirit within Illya's body.
Just like the Heroic Spirit within Mash.
Therefore, he must give up his independent Spirit Origin.
To relinquish one's existence as Servant.
Entrust everything to a little girl.
The trees in the forest began to thin out.
A building appeared ahead.
Grayish-white walls.
steeple.
Einzbern Castle.
Unlike the ruins in Fuyuki City, this castle is very well preserved.
The exterior walls were clean, the windows were intact, and the rooftop spire cast long shadows against the dark red sky.
The castle is surrounded by a low stone wall covered with ivy.
There is a gravel path in front of the door, with withered but unburnt shrubs planted on both sides.
Heracles has always protected this place.