"Archer, Assassin, Caster, Souichirou; Lancer, Shinji; Berserker, Illya—they're all dead, basically, at the hands of those two," Dante recounted, sitting and meditating. "If I hadn't acted quickly, Sakura would surely be dead too."
The room fell silent; Shirou and Rin remained thoughtful, especially Shirou, considering what had happened when Gilgamesh appeared and kidnapped Saber.
"Why do you think he did that?" Rin asked, referring to the attack on Sakura.
"Before, when I first saw Sakura, I sensed something from her, an unimaginable and dark source of power, something that reminded me of when I saw the Holy Grail a few days ago," Dante explained.
"What do you mean?" Rin asked, distressed.
"She probably had fragments of the Holy Grail from the last war, given to her by Zouken, making her a lesser grail, almost on par with Illya."
"The guy also took something from Illya when he killed her," Shirou said, drawing their attention. "He took something from inside her; "At first, I thought it was his heart, but now that I think about it more closely, it didn't seem that way."
"It was probably the Lesser Grail, but..." Rin began.
"But why would Gilgamesh want something like that?" Dante continued, looking at Shirou. "What did he say when he took Saber?"
"He said he would make Saber his wife and together they would rule the new world that would rise from the ashes." He looked at Rin. "That doesn't mean..."
"Yes, the incident from the previous Holy Grail War, but on a larger scale," Rin explained, sounding annoyed.
Shirou slammed his fist on the table, but it had no effect.
"I can't let that happen, but... I don't have the strength to stop it," he said to himself, looking at the floor before turning to Dante. "You said you had a way to make me stronger; please, help me become stronger." "That has nothing to do with the war anymore."
"That's a lie," Dante interrupted. "Tell me, if you had to choose between saving Saber or stopping Kirei, which would you choose?"
Hearing Dante's question, Shirou's eyes widened in worry and uncertainty.
"What do you mean?" Rin asked.
"Gilgamesh, you don't need the Lesser Grails, not to mention I don't see that guy, so proud of his own power, embedding it to function with that malevolent mass." With those words, Rin understood what Dante meant. "Most likely, we'll face a Gilgamesh alongside a Kirei fused with all the malice and accumulated power of the Holy Grail."
"If we fight one, the other will most likely come too," Rin concluded. "Ideally, we'd fight separately."
"Yes, and that's why I ask: what do you prefer, to continue with your ideal of a hero of justice or to save your beloved Saber?"
Upon hearing that, Shirou didn't quite know what to choose. After a few moments, he was about to speak, but Dante quickly grabbed Rin by the hips and Shirou by the chest, and they rushed out of the residence.
The moment they left, a hail of directed swords destroyed the entire place.
"Let's not expect much from you, being..." Gilgamesh's voice rang out.
Dante, surveying the destroyed house, looked at Gilgamesh with a hint of annoyance. At that moment, Rider materialized before the three of them, weapons at the ready.
"Oh, so you brought your lapdog this time?" he mocked.
"What brings you here, former king of Babylon?" Dante demanded.
"I was looking for you to invite you to my wedding with Saber, a mere show of respect for who you are. Of all those here, you're the only one I'm willing to have as my subordinate," he declared proudly.
"What a great honor," Dante replied mockingly.
Gilgamesh merely glared at him, then smiled.
"A specimen as rare as you, with such a strong will, naturally won't be trampled on, so I don't mind putting you in your place, but that will have to wait."
At that moment, Shirou stood up and faced Rider, ignoring Rin's warnings.
"Give Saber back!!" Shirou demanded, but Gilgamesh only gave him a brief glance, as if he were too insignificant to be looking at Dante.
"Just so you know, only you are invited; if anyone comes with you or in your place, they will be killed with my entire arsenal," the King of Heroes warned, his eyes glowing red, before vanishing in a blur of light.
Shirou could only clench his fists in shame and wounded pride at being ignored by Gilgamesh.
Seeing the Golden One leave, Rider lowered his weapons to look at his master.
"Well, that's a good thing," Dante declared, drawing everyone's attention.
"What do you mean?" Shirou questioned.
"The two of them will be separated, perfect for fighting one against one without the other bothering them, but for it to go well, both fights must be at the same time," Dante explained, taking a piece of dirt and making some drawings for everyone to see.
"Gilgamesh has clairvoyance that allows him to see the future, and he's been using it for a while now, so he saw something, and that's why he only wants me to go," Dante said, glancing sideways at Shirou as he continued his explanation. "So we can split into two groups: me and the others, but Su Kirei has the Holy Grail and its corrupted mud; it must be very dangerous for Rider to go alone, so the idea is for the two of you to go against him, to prevent Rider from being corrupted."
"But will we be enough?" Rin asked.
"I know how you are, no, but if I can unleash the full power of this blockhead, then I have a chance to defeat him," Dante said, looking at Shirou, somewhat tired of being insulted. "But for that, we need manpower and some very special magic."
...
Elsewhere in the world, two women were at a resort in the Bahamas. Both were wearing bikinis, sunbathing alone in a secluded area that kept everyone else away.
"Oh, how wonderful! didn't I tell you I'd reward you for everything you've done for me?" said the redhead.
The brunette, having just finished her drink, looked at her friend.
"How did you get the money for this trip?" she asked.
"I did a little job where I got the money for the trip, the hotel, the food, everything," she said cheerfully.
"And the return trip isn't true, because since you said you'd pay for everything, I came back without a penny." The moment the return trip was mentioned, the redhead fell silent.
The brunette stared at her friend with blank eyes, sweating profusely.
"Well, I was planning to ask Dante not to clean up," I said, a little nervously.
"But wasn't he involved in that Holy Grail ritual? How long does it take?"
Just as I was about to answer that, a portal opened in front of them, and Dante stepped out, holding his scythe.
"Aoko, Alice, I'm so glad I found you. I need your help with something," Dante said.
At that moment, the two looked at each other, Aoko with a smile and Alice with a death glare; she thought how lucky her friend was.
"Sure," Aoko declared, jumping into Dante's arms, while Alice covered herself with a towel.
...
When Alice and Aoko passed through the portal, already dressed, the Third Magic mage frowned upon seeing Touko there as well. She looked around for her niece.
"She's not here. She was busy with her sorcery classes, so I came without her," Touko said, flicking her cigarette butt to the ground.
At that moment, Dante appeared with several boxes of non-perishable food and water; he placed them next to other boxes containing the same items.
"Alright, I think we have enough volumes, and with Alice joining us, we can extend the time limit without much trouble," Dante declared, looking at the five women and Shirou, who were staring at him, unsure of what he wanted to do.
"Now that we're all here, can you tell us why you brought us here?" Touko asked, sounding a little tired.
"Everyone's already aware of what's happening, but to achieve our goal, we need two things: defeat these two guys. But Shirou doesn't have the strength to support Rider, and I don't think I have enough power to kill Gilgamesh quickly. That's why I need you to lock us up for a day in a confined space-time field, and for that, I mainly need Aoko, the user of the fifth magic."
"Wait, are you saying you want to lock yourself up with that guy and this monkey in a space where time is dilated?" Aoko questioned.
"No, I'm going to lock myself up with Shirou for a whole day along with Kis-shot to train him in a space where time is dilated and then send him with Rider to kill that priest. After that, you'll lock me up with the golden one so I can fight him with all my power," Dante explained, handing each of them some papers.
"I'm going to lock myself up with Shirou for a whole day, along with Kis-shot, to train him in a dilated space and then send him with Rider to kill that priest. After that, you'll lock me up with the golden one so I can fight him with all my power," Dante explained, handing each of them some papers.
"I'm going to lock myself up with him for a whole day." "These are the seals I invented long ago to release the seals on my body; you'll use them now and when I fight Gilgamesh, but that's when I do it. First, I'll have to distract him so you can create the enclosed area without him noticing."
Dante possessed brute strength, but perhaps Haki alone wouldn't be enough to overcome the arsenal of the King of Heroes, and more specifically, Ea, especially when he was using his clairvoyance to see the future.
"Hmm, maybe your idea will work, but most of it depends on her," Alice commented, glancing at the stamp register to look at Aoko.
"Well, I've never thought about it. It would be the first time I've used magic for that, but I don't think it'll be complicated," Aoko stated confidently, though Touko couldn't help but sigh, seeing that her sister hadn't researched the Fifth Magic at all.
"Alright, let's get the place ready," Dante said, signaling everyone to move.
...
In the vicinity of the residence, Emiya was with Touko, Aoko, Alice, Rin, and a reminiscent Sakura, creating the bounded field, sustaining it, and preventing its destruction by Gaia. Sakura was there primarily to attend to the others' needs, such as food and water.
The place was stocked with enough food for several months and was a spot where the sun never reached.
"We're ready here," Dante said, looking at Aoko.
"Alright, let's begin," Aoko said, activating the fifth magic. Simultaneously, Rin, Alice, and Touko activated the boundary field, watching as the space where Dante and Shirou stood distorted, leaving only a blurry image. Amidst all this, several seals and runes covered the area.
"It's done," Touko declared.
At that moment, Rider materialized, who was there to protect them should the golden one or the priest of doubt proceed.
Her teacher told her she could use all her strength to defend herself at four o'clock, and that's what she intended to do.
"I can't see anything inside," she said to herself, staring at the enclosed area. There was a lot of movement and things inside, but it was all so fast that it was blurry; she couldn't make anything out.
Aoko looked at the clock beside her, marking the time she had to remain there holding both the enclosed area and the seals.
...
*Within the marked area*
Shirou stared at a blurry Rin, who was completely frozen, motionless. He tried to make a gesture, but there was no reaction.
"It's as if time has stopped," Dante said, approaching Shirou. "A day here is two minutes outside." With that, he slapped his sword hard enough to make Shirou double over and wince in pain. "But that doesn't mean we'll stay out there; follow me."
With that, they both, one rubbing his sword, reached a rooftop where Kiss-shot was fanning herself.
"This is my wife, Kiss-shot. Now I need you to stand next to her," Dante ordered, and Shirou walked hesitantly beside him.
"Relax, kid, I'm not interested in you, at least not in that way," Kiss-shot told him.
"And in what way do you find me interesting?" Shirou asked, now at his side.
"In the sense of being able to use me as a punching bag," he replied with a smile, showing his sharp teeth.
Shirou felt a chill at this.
"I need you to stand side by side so I can see this properly," Dante said, making them both stand side by side.
With that done, Dante closed his eyes, and when he opened them, they were completely blue with various strange shapes.
"Is this it?" Shirou questioned.
"Hmm, I see, so that's Haki," Dante commented, nodding.
Dante was looking at the Haki that was in Kiss-shot's body; since their souls were intertwined, it wasn't very different from seeing his own composition and soul.
"Well, I've never done anything like this before, but luckily I have a specimen to test it on," Dante said, walking over and standing in front of Shirou.
"What do you want—?" Shirou couldn't finish his sentence, as Dante plunged his hand into his chest, drawing blood.
Shirou didn't have time to scream from the wound as he began to scream from another, more intense pain. He felt his soul being modified and his body being molded from the smallest detail as something he had never felt before entered his body.
"The body is a reflection of the soul; let's see how strong your will is, Shirou Emiya," he said with anticipation and a smile.
...
*Outside the enclosed field*
Several hours had passed since Dante, Kiss-shot, and Shirou entered the enclosed field.
Night had fallen, and a few more hours were needed to reach the end of a day.
The most affected of them all was clearly Rin, who was used to sleeping.
Alice, Touko, and Aoko were used to not sleeping for days at a time, the first two due to their magical research, while the latter's reasons wouldn't be mentioned now.
Rin was already feeling the effects of sleep deprivation and the exhaustion of maintaining the enclosed field, as she felt that with each passing second, something was trying to break it open. Without the combined efforts of the four of them, it would be impossible to understand.
"And to think that in the age of the gods, this was so easy to create," Rin commented.
"What do you mean, Tohsaka-senpai?" asked Sakura, who wasn't far from her.
Rin looked at Sakura for a moment, her emotions a mix of feelings, before turning her attention back to the seals.
"There's no need to call me Tohsaka-senpai; you can call me Rin," she said.
"Okay, Rin," Sakura replied, sounding somewhat hesitant.
"What we have here is a replica, or an attempt to create a world," Rin explained.
"A replica?" Sakura questioned.
"Yes, it's like an attempt to create a reality out of marble, but without the barriers that distinguish this world from ours. Usually, when something like this is done, it leads to another dimension, but that wasn't the case here. That's why Gaia, when she detected it, tried to destroy it."
"Is that right?" Sakura questioned.
"Something like that." Touko's voice came from afar as she listened to Rin's explanation.
"There are some things that get overlooked, since incorporating the fifth magic complicates the whole procedure, but that doesn't mean it's not a bad idea to try and turn all of this into a true marble reality; that way we wouldn't have to be included," Alice commented.
"But if that were the case, I wouldn't be able to use my magic to dilate time," Aoko corrected.
"That's true," Alice confirmed.
"Boo, I'm already getting bored; on top of everything, we have to do this again for Dante's fight with that weird guy," Aoko complained.
"There's no other way; it's that or the world, humanity, is destroyed," Touko scolded her.
With that, the three of them focused their attention on the marked field, waiting for the day to end.
Sakura wanted to say something more to Rin, but she changed her mind at the last moment, only to sit by her side, waiting for her to need something.
Rin noticed this and could only silently thank Sakura for her help, since her tsundere personality still hadn't allowed her to express her feelings to her sister in such a short time that their lives had become intertwined once again.
Rider was perched atop a poster; he heard everything while keeping watch to ensure nothing suspicious approached the area.
...
*Elsewhere*
The sun was already rising, heralding a new day.
At Ryuudou Temple, the entrance to the Holy Grail was open; with only two Servants remaining in the war, it activated its final phase, inviting them to enter and claim the Grail.
Amidst all this, an amalgamation of black and red lines enveloped something like a hood.
A hand emerged from it, followed by another, forcing it open and revealing the one inside.
This was Kotomine Kirei, now with the two Lesser Grails within him, accepting all the evil of Fuyuki.
His skin grew paler, his hair turned grayer, and several red and black lines appeared on his body.
His metamorphosis was complete, and he had merged with all the mud and, by default, with Angra Mainyu, all the evil in the world; along with all the mana provided by the Holy Grail, he felt invincible.
"Well, let's see if my guests come to witness the world change from the front row."
...
In the forest, more specifically, in the Einbern castle, Saber could be seen, now bound by chains and seals that prevented her from moving.
Her eyes showed worry and fear, especially because she expected Shirou to come and die at Gilgamesh's hands.
During these days of the war, Saber had been slowly developing feelings for Shirou, something she didn't know if she should acknowledge, and now she regretted not having confessed her feelings sooner, as she might never see Shirou again.
Gilgamesh sat on a golden throne awaiting his guest, knowing he would come.
Since Enkidu's death, Gilgamesh had been going through a period of utter boredom. When he was summoned for the Fourth Holy Grail War, he had hoped to see something new, but in the end, he was only met with disappointment.
So, encountering Dante, a being beyond human, just like himself, with unknown power and, above all, the title and achievement of having killed a god, was what caught Gilgamesh's attention.
What he truly wanted was a battle where each would give their all, where he could unleash his full arsenal and fight with all his might, just as he had done with his friend. However, in this case, he would simply be facing an entity whose characteristics and history didn't entirely displease him compared to the others.
Gilgamesh knew of Dante's plan; he knew about those four women, but if in return he could witness his rival's full power and make him sweat, then he would allow it.
Kidnapping Saber here was in case Kotomine's plan were to succeed by some twist of fate.