"La la la~ Lia, do you think Kiritsugu's side has started fighting yet? With Sister Morgan's support this time, can Mordred take on Achilles?"
"I think they must have started by now. As for whether Mordred can fight Achilles... we've never faced him, so I don't know."
Out in the wilderness beyond Yggdmillennia Castle, as Kiritsugu repeatedly blasted Kirei to pieces, Guinevere finally gave up on the idea that the enemy Assassin would attack her directly.
Did he go with Kirei to meet Kiritsugu? Guinevere didn't think so. She believed that if First Hassan and Kirei could ever find common ground, it would only be on matters of faith.
Beyond that, he would never obey Kirei's orders.
Back with Guinevere, after making some progress in her swordsmanship and concluding that First Hassan wouldn't be coming, her plans certainly didn't involve going home to sleep or rushing to the nearby town.
"Let's go, Lia. We're taking Yggdmillennia's castle."
Just then, Guinevere received a message from Morgan: Mordred had engaged Achilles again, Chiron was being held up by Archer of Red, and Kirei Kotomine, having received his answer and been killed several times, was now locked in a desperate struggle with Kiritsugu.
Mordred had refused Morgan's help, so Morgan could only go assist Kiritsugu Emiya instead.
Meanwhile, Chiron and Achilles' Masters had encountered Sakura, who was protected by Gareth. Sakura was currently holding them both off in a one-on-two fight.
However, both sides knew Sakura's identity, and she knew they weren't corrupt Mages. They were fighting only to determine a winner, not to kill. This understanding led the other Master-Servant pairs on both sides to leave them to their battle.
"Lia, Achilles isn't here, and neither is Chiron. If Berserker Mordred shows up, that would be even better for me."
Having eaten some rations and rested enough on the King of Knights' lap, Guinevere sprang up like a salted fish and landed perfectly, standing straight as if she had just completed a gymnastics routine.
Hearing her words, the King of Knights nodded. But just as they were about to head to Yggdmillennia Castle, Berserker Mordred actually appeared.
At that moment, Berserker Mordred roared:
"ARTHUR!!!"
Instantly, Guinevere's expression turned complicated, as did the King of Knights'. She immediately materialized the Holy Sword in her hand, no longer bothering to conceal it with Invisible Air.
Before responding to Berserker Mordred and walking toward her, she said to Guinevere:
"Leave this to me. If she is truly as our Mordred theorized—filled with nothing but hatred for me—then she must be the Mordred from a timeline where you never existed. The Mordred whose life I took on Camlann Hill, the one I utterly rejected.
"I've said it before: her only rightful opponent is me!"
Guinevere didn't argue with the King of Knights. If this enemy Mordred was indeed like that, then her inner turmoil had nothing to do with Guinevere. For Guinevere to intervene would be merely seeking victory for its own sake.
Nodding, she allowed the King of Knights to slowly approach the enemy Mordred. Guinevere's gaze then shifted to Kairi Sisigou, who looked utterly mortified, his Command Spells reduced to a single remaining mark.
If the Mordred he summoned hadn't been a Berserker, and if that Berserker Mordred hadn't seen the King of Knights, then she might still be controllable. But he just had to trigger both landmines, didn't he?
"Stay out of it. Let the 'father and son' Mordreds have a proper fight."
"Kairi Sisigou, is your wish to break your family's bloodline curse so you can have children? Or is it to resurrect your deceased adopted daughter?"
"Never mind. Whichever it is, after you let them fight this out, I'll ask Merlin, Morgan, and even bribe the entire Clock Tower if I have to. I'll do everything in my power to grant your wish."
"The Holy Grail isn't an omnipotent wish-granting machine. It can only perform miracles within certain limits."
The battle had already begun, rampaging mana tearing up the ground. After speaking to Sisigou, Guinevere ignored him and turned toward Yggdmillennia Castle.
According to Merlin's message, the Merlin from the other world hoped she could resolve the situation within three to seven days. Guinevere didn't want any more delays; she would first try to solve it within three.
That meant, barring any unforeseen circumstances, she intended to end this Great Holy Grail War tonight.
As she walked, she pulled out her phone and checked Amakusa and the Empress's social media feed. They had gone to the sea. The latest photos showed the Empress applying sunscreen to Amakusa, and Amakusa chasing away guys who were trying to hit on the Empress.
They had even stumbled upon a wedding dress experience event, where they took a photo of themselves kissing in bridal attire.
"Looks like they really did go on vacation... Never mind, I won't call them. We don't need that many Servants to fill the Greater Grail anyway."
The Greater Grail was still the one from Fuyuki, just without the Lesser Grail's cheat-like function. Once five Servants were fed into it, the Greater Grail would be considered full again.
Since the Greater Grail had been moved here, no one had altered its Servant capacity.
"Siegfried, Cú Chulainn, the King of Conquerors... Mordred wasn't summoned by the Grail, so her recent withdrawal wasn't intercepted. That means we only need to sacrifice two more Servants."
Muttering to herself, Guinevere dialed Shiki Tohno's number. After a brief conversation, she learned that their Berserker had already sniffed out the true Roa's wish.
It seemed someone among the observers of this Great Holy Grail War had noticed Tohno's departure. Ciel the Bow and several members of the Burial Agency had appeared, offering their support for the hunt.
True Ancestor Roa—his name had been on the Burial Agency's hit list for a very, very long time.
"Shiki Tohno, I wish you success. I believe that not long after you kill Roa's true body, he will vanish from this world completely."
Guinevere was, of course, referring to Kirei Kotomine.
Over the years, as the Holy Church pursued Roa, all his spare bodies had either been killed or co-opted by the Church without exception.
And Kirei Kotomine? He was, naturally, a man of the Church.
BOOM!
A violent roar erupted from behind her as the "father and son" Holy Swords clashed. The King of Knights' swordsmanship steadily overwhelmed Mordred. Moreover, she now possessed memories from the Lion King, and the Holy Lance had been returned to her by Gray.
The King of Knights would undoubtedly win; it was merely a question of when she chose to.
As the clamor behind her intensified, Guinevere crossed the wasteland, passed through the forest, and arrived at the small meadow nearest Yggdmillennia Castle.
In the past, this area would have been riddled with Magecraft traps, with thousands of homunculi standing in formation, weapons at the ready.
But as Guinevere advanced, they had all vanished. Vlad III stood atop the castle's main gate, awaiting her arrival.
While he maintained the dignity of a king awaiting an audience with another kingdom's queen, his Master was already debating whether to continue coveting the Holy Grail or to take a step back and simply demand payment for the Great Holy Grail War construction bid he had originally proposed to Guinevere.
Ultimately, the Head of the Yggdmillennia Family dared not fight Guinevere to the death. If he couldn't wait for independent mages to resolve the Guinevere problem, he would have to settle for the next best option.
"Lady Guinevere..."
"You and your Lancer must fight with all your might," Guinevere declared, her voice ringing with challenge. "If you manage to kill me, it will be a testament to your skill. No one will hold a grudge against you for it—I guarantee it!"
Dragon wings sprouted from her back, lifting her slightly above Vlad III. She raised her sword in a formal salute, issuing her challenge.
On the other side, the Yggdmillennia Head's heart stirred. He turned to Vlad III and said simply:
"King, I'm counting on you."