The intense battle finally reached its end.
With one last, massive clash, a huge shockwave blew across the roof.
Scathach spun her spear perfectly, knocking the golden sword right out of Gilgamesh's hand.
She stopped her sharp red blade just one inch from his neck.
Gilgamesh froze.
He looked at the deadly spear, and then he looked into Scathach's fierce, beautiful eyes.
Slowly, the golden armor on his chest began to break apart into glowing light.
He had lost.
But Gilgamesh did not look angry about the defeat.
He was an incredibly prideful king, but he could accept a loss when fighting someone of equal standing.
"You are magnificent, Queen of Shadows,"
Gilgamesh smiled, his voice full of honest respect.
"I have not felt a thrill like this in thousands of years. I accept my defeat."
As his body started to disappear into golden dust, Gilgamesh slowly turned his head to look at Elias.
He expected the strange boy to be watching the grand finish.
Instead, his sharp red eyes went completely wide in absolute shock.
Elias was casually tossing the very last golden sword into his own glowing portal.
"Wait,"
Gilgamesh gasped, looking around at the completely clean, empty concrete floor.
"What are you doing?!"
Gilgamesh quickly opened his own Gate of Babylon to check his legendary vault.
He reached his hand inside, but he felt absolutely nothing.
The weapons he had thrown during the fight were completely gone.
"My treasures!"
Gilgamesh yelled, his calm acceptance instantly turning into pure panic.
Normally, his weapons returned to his vault all by themselves!
Why are they not coming back?!
Gilgamesh looked closely at Elias's glowing portal.
He instantly understood exactly what had happened.
"You... you opened your own Gate!"
Gilgamesh realized, his face turning red with sudden anger.
"Because our portals are exactly the same, the returning magic is completely confused! They think your empty vault is my vault!"
Elias just smiled happily and closed his glowing portal.
"Thank you for the weapons,"
Elias said politely.
"You absolute thief!"
Gilgamesh cursed loudly, completely losing his royal manners.
"I take it back! You are the worst kind of—!"
Before the golden king could finish his angry curse, his body completely turned to dust.
He disappeared into the night sky, his soul returning to the Throne of
Heroes without his favorite weapons.
The roof became very quiet.
Elias raised a hand and gently scratched his cheek.
He looked at Rin and Luvia, who were both staring at him with their mouths wide open.
"What?"
Elias asked innocently.
"Who told him to litter all over the roof? I was just cleaning up."
Scathach let her massive red spear vanish.
She walked over to Elias and smiled brightly.
She felt incredibly satisfied.
Fighting a strong, proud opponent like the King of Heroes was exactly what she had wanted.
"That was a wonderful battle, Master,"
Scathach said happily.
She looked up at the empty sky where Gilgamesh had just vanished.
"Though,"
Scathach giggled softly.
"I seriously doubt the King of Heroes feels the exact same way, especially after you robbed his legendary treasury blind."
Elias shrugged his shoulders, not feeling guilty at all.
"He had way too many swords anyway,"
Elias said calmly.
"He should learn to share."
Rin let out a tired sigh and rubbed her forehead.
"You are unbelievable, Elias,"
Rin muttered.
Elias just smiled. He closed his dark eyes again and reached out with his massive perception.
His senses swept over the quiet, dark streets of Fuyuki City.
A few seconds later, his eyes snapped open.
"I found the next target,"
Elias announced.
Luvia crossed her arms.
"Who is it this time?"
She asked.
"Another arrogant king?"
"No,"
Elias answered, looking a little confused.
"It is a little kid. A young girl with white hair."
Rin's face instantly went pale.
"A little girl with white hair?"
Rin repeated, her voice dropping to an anxious whisper.
"Yes,"
Elias nodded.
"She is very small. But the Servant standing next to her is absolutely massive. He feels like a giant, angry monster. His magical energy is completely wild and out of control."
Rin bit her lip. She looked very worried.
"That is Illyasviel von Einzbern,"
Rin explained softly.
"Everyone just calls her Illya. And her Servant is from the Berserker class. He is easily one of the most dangerous and violent Servants in the entire war."
Elias frowned deeply.
"Why is a little kid fighting in a deadly magical war?"
Elias asked.
"She should be playing safely at home, not hunting for the Holy Grail."
Rin looked down at the concrete roof. Her blue eyes looked very sad and heavy.
"The magical world is incredibly cruel, Elias,"
Rin said quietly.
"Ancient mage families only care about winning the Grail. They do not care about age or innocence. The Einzbern family created her specifically for this war. She doesn't have a normal life. Fighting and winning is her only purpose."
Elias listened carefully. The deep, heavy feeling in his chest returned.
"That is not right,"
Elias said, his voice completely serious.
"Nobody should be forced to fight and die just because their family built them as a tool."
Scathach stepped closer to Elias. She rested her hand gently on her red spear.
"What do you want to do, Master?"
Scathach asked respectfully.
Elias looked out toward the dark forest at the edge of the city, right where he felt the little girl and the giant monster waiting.
"We are going to find her,"
Elias decided firmly.
"If her giant Servant wants to fight, we will fight him. But I want to talk to the little girl first."
Elias and his group quickly left the tall building.
They jumped from roof to roof until they reached the dark, quiet forest at the edge of the city.
In the middle of the dark trees, there was a small, open clearing.
Standing perfectly still in the moonlight was a little girl with pale skin and bright white hair.
She wore a thick purple winter coat. It was Illya.
When Illya saw Elias, Rin, Luvia, and Scathach step out of the shadows, her red eyes widened.
She took a nervous step back.
She was just a kid. She had felt the massive burst of magic when Gilgamesh died earlier.
She knew these people were incredibly dangerous, and she felt genuinely scared.
"Stay back!"
Illya cried out, her small voice shaking.
Suddenly, the ground violently shook.
A massive, dark shadow leaped out from the thick trees and landed heavily right in front of Illya.
It was Berserker.
He was a giant, muscular monster made of dark, unbreakable skin and pure rage.
He held a giant, heavy stone sword and let out a deafening, terrifying roar to protect his tiny Master.
Scathach didn't flinch.
She simply stepped in front of Elias and spun her red spear.
He was very big and very angry,
But he was just a wild beast. He was not Gilgamesh.
Berserker roared again and charged at Scathach like a speeding train.
He swung his massive stone sword with enough power to cut a mountain in half.
But Scathach easily stepped to the side.
She moved like a purple blur.
Because she had Elias's Adaptivity flowing through her, the giant's wild, predictable attacks were far too slow for her.
She dodged his heavy swing effortlessly.
With a quick, powerful twist of her spear, she slammed the blunt end right into the back of Berserker's knees.
The giant monster lost his balance and crashed hard into the dirt.
Before he could even try to get back up, Scathach pinned him down to the ground.
She pressed her boot against his back and held the sharp, deadly blade of her red spear directly against the back of his thick neck.
She completely subdued him in just a few seconds.
But she did not kill him.
"Stay down, big guy,"
Scathach warned him firmly.
Illya completely panicked. Seeing her unstoppable giant defeated so easily broke her brave front.
"No! Please don't hurt him!"
Illya cried, tears spilling down her pale cheeks.
"Berserker is all I have!"
Elias raised his hand, signaling Scathach to hold her position.
He slowly walked past the trapped giant and stopped a few feet away from the crying little girl.
He gently knelt down on the grass so he was at the exact same height as her.
"It is okay,"
Elias said. His voice was incredibly soft, warm, and safe.
"I am not going to hurt him. And I am definitely not going to hurt you."
Illya wiped her tears and sniffled.
She looked at Elias with confused, fearful eyes.
"You... you aren't going to kill us?"
Illya asked, her voice trembling.
"But we are enemies. This is the Holy Grail War."
Elias just smiled and shook his head.
"I don't care about the rules of this war,"
Elias told her simply.
"Rin told me about your family. She told me that the Einzbern family forced you to come here and fight. They created you just to win the Grail for them."
Elias looked deeply into her red eyes.
He spoke to her not as an enemy Master, but as an older brother trying to understand a lost child.
"But I don't care what your family wants,"
Elias asked gently.
"I want to know about you, Illya. Forget about the war and forget about the Einzberns. If you could have any wish in the entire world, what do *you* actually want?"
Illya sniffled and wiped her eyes.
She looked down at her small winter boots.
"What do I want?"
Illya repeated, her voice very quiet and sad.
"I don't have a wish. I don't want anything from the Grail at all."
She looked back up at Elias, her red eyes full of deep loneliness.
"I was just forced to come here,"
Illya confessed, her voice shaking.
"My family made me for this exact purpose. If I lose the Holy Grail War, I am nothing. I am completely useless to them. They will just throw me away, or... or they will kill me."
Hearing her sad voice, the giant monster on the ground went absolutely crazy.
Berserker roared furiously.
He struggled violently against
Scathach's boot, desperately trying to break free.
He didn't care about the war or the Grail either.
His only instinct was to protect the little crying girl.
Elias looked at the struggling giant.
He could feel the deep, honest loyalty radiating from Berserker.
Elias looked up at Scathach and gave her a simple nod.
Understanding her Master's order, Scathach lifted her boot and pulled her red spear away.
The moment he was free, Berserker jumped up.
He raised his massive stone sword high into the air, ready to smash Elias into the ground.
"Stop, Berserker!"
Illya yelled loudly, holding out her small hands.
The giant monster froze instantly.
His heavy stone sword stopped just inches above Elias's head.
"Don't attack them,"
Illya ordered softly, walking over and gently touching the giant's thick leg.
"They let you go. They are not trying to hurt us."
Berserker let out a low, rumbling growl.
He slowly lowered his weapon and stepped back, standing right behind Illya like a massive, protective wall.
He was completely calm as long as she was safe.
Elias smiled warmly at the little girl and her giant protector.
He thought about his big, crazy house in Kuoh Town, and he thought about Dee's sweet smile.
Elias clapped his hands together once.
"Alright,"
Elias said cheerfully.
"I have made a decision."
Rin and Luvia both looked at him, wondering what crazy idea he had now.
"You are not going back to the Einzbern family,"
Elias told Illya directly.
"You don't have to fight in this stupid war anymore. From now on, you are coming home with me. You are going to be my daughter. Illiya Thorne!"
The entire forest went completely dead silent.
Rin almost choked on her own spit. Luvia's jaw dropped to the floor.
Even Scathach blinked in surprise.
"D-Daughter?!"
Rin yelled, throwing her hands in the air.
"Elias, you are too young! You can't just adopt a kid in the middle of a magical war!"
Elias completely ignored Rin. He kept his warm, kind eyes focused entirely on Illya.
Illya stood frozen. Her pale face turned bright red. Her heart beat wildly in her chest.
"Your... your daughter?"
Illya whispered. She stepped closer to him, her eyes wide with disbelief.
"But... I am just a tool for the Grail. Do you... do you really want me?"
Tears welled up in her big red eyes again, but this time, they were not tears of fear.
This was the very first time in her entire life that someone actually wanted her just to be their family, not a magical weapon.
"Of course I really want you,"
Elias smiled, reaching out to gently pat her white hair.
"You will have a big family, a safe home, and you can play as much as you want. What do you say, Illya?"
Illya looked at his warm smile. She looked back at Berserker, who gave a low, gentle grunt of approval.
With a loud sob, Illya jumped forward and wrapped her small arms tightly around Elias's neck.
"Yes!"
Illya cried happily, burying her face in his shoulder.
"I want to go home with you, Papa!"
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