When Sakura Matou woke, it was already noon the following day.
Her body felt light—relaxed beyond belief.
No pain.
No worms crawling inside her flesh.
For the first time in years, she felt… comfortable.
Sitting up, she looked down at her smooth skin in disbelief. The scars, the agony, the corruption—all gone.
She remembered fainting in her sister's arms. Yet in a single night, everything had changed.
How?
The door creaked open.
Rin Tohsaka stepped inside, clad in a short skirt, balancing a tray of fragrant food.
When her eyes met Sakura's, she smiled softly.
"You're awake. How's your body? Does it hurt anywhere?"
Sakura shook her head, her voice faint but clear. "No… it feels good."
Relief flickered through Rin's eyes. Still, she checked carefully, weaving magic over her sister's body until she was certain. Only then did she set the food down and sit beside her.
"Here, eat."
But Sakura refused. She didn't resist—only declined politely.
The atmosphere between them was fragile, uncertain. Yet Rin felt her chest ease.
At least Sakura wasn't pushing her away.
She had expected hatred. She had prepared for rejection—even blows. Yet here her sister sat, quietly taking in the food and warmth.
Then, suddenly—
Tch. Tch.
Tears began to drip from Sakura's pale face, sliding down her cheeks, spattering against her trembling hands.
Rin's arms wrapped around her instantly.
"I'm sorry," she whispered, voice breaking. "I'm so stupid. If I had known you were suffering like this every day… I would have taken you back, no matter what it cost me."
"No…" Sakura shook her head, sobbing. "This… this is wonderful."
Sweet food.
Clean clothes.
A body freed of torment.
She hadn't lived such a day in years.
Not since Shinji Matou, talentless in magic, had turned his bitterness upon her.
Every day after school, he would drag her into his room. The tortures never ended.
Shouting was useless.
Crying was useless.
Needles.
Whips.
Endless pain.
Day after day.
Did she hate him?
Yes. In the beginning. But eventually, when her body went numb, hatred itself slipped away.
All that remained was emptiness.
She had become a walking corpse.
Even death had been denied her—her body locked in place by Zouken's insects. She had been nothing more than a tool, screamed over and tormented for the old worm's amusement.
He called it "liveliness."
But now…
"It's over," Rin said fiercely. "It's all over. The Matou family is destroyed. Shinji—the bastard who hurt you—is locked in my dungeon. He'll live in filth with the dogs, and I'll make sure his suffering never ends until death finally takes him."
Sakura's eyes widened. "Destroyed? The Matou family… gone?"
She had thought Rin only defeated Zouken and dragged her free. But to annihilate an entire family…
"Yes," Rin said. "The insect curse in your body is purged. And from now on, I'll teach you Eternal Meditation. We'll both serve as God's apostles. No one will hurt us again. And… we can even bring Mother back."
At that, Sakura's lips trembled. Then—finally—she smiled.
The thought of her mother, Aoi Tohsaka, alive once more was like a beam of light piercing her endless night.
For so long, maternal love had been the one thing she longed for. Yet Aoi had died too soon, leaving her with nothing but despair.
Now… hope returned.
Elsewhere in Fuyuki, Shirou Emiya frowned. He hadn't seen Sakura at school in days. He stood outside the gates, waiting, hoping she would appear.
But she never did.
The gates closed.
His chest tightened. What's happened to her?
Several nights later, as the bell tolled midnight, the Holy Grail War officially began.
But this time… it was unlike any before.
For Gaia had chosen to interfere.
A breaker had been added. A being who should never have walked this earth again—Angra Mainyu, the vessel of All the World's Evils.
The ultimate curse incarnate.
Black markings crawled across his flesh, his very existence radiating corruption. To gaze upon him was to risk collapse into depravity.
Alaya's voice echoed across the Root.
"Why did you release him?"
Gaia's answer was cold. "Because the Grail's filth must be purged. It has festered too long. Let it spill out."
"He is disaster incarnate!" Alaya snapped. "You endanger the world!"
"No," Gaia whispered. "This is for the world. And… to test. To see if that so-called God truly exists."
For endless ages, Gaia had guarded the planet, shackled by duty, with no hope of release. Perhaps only the transcendent Eternal could bring true salvation.
And so she had rewritten the Grail War.
Not seven Servants—but twenty-one. And beyond them, Angra Mainyu himself.
A cataclysm unlike any other.
Circles flared. Mana surged.
One Hero after another emerged in Fuyuki.
Saber: Altria Pendragon.
Saber: Nero Claudius.
Saber: Gawain.
The Sabers alone had multiplied.
Elsewhere, Kirei Kotomine—Yanfeng Kirei—summoned Cu Chulainn as his Lancer. But even he paled at the surge of mana saturating the city.
"This… this isn't right. The fluctuations… they're triple the recorded values!"
The war he had calculated so carefully was spiraling out of control.
Gilgamesh, meanwhile, felt it too. A strange ripple in the air. He vanished, soaring into the sky.
On a distant rooftop, a man with long green hair stood smiling faintly.
Gilgamesh's crimson eyes narrowed. "…Enkidu."
His only true companion. His other half.
Memories long buried surged like a tide.
Enkidu tilted his head, gave a quiet smile—and vanished.
When Gilgamesh returned to the church, fury burned in his eyes. He seized Kirei's collar.
"Dog! What kind of Holy Grail War have you crafted? Why is Enkidu here?!"
This was madness. Enkidu was no Heroic Spirit. His summoning broke every rule.
Kirei only stared. "Do you think I know? Did you not feel it yourself? Nineteen Servant auras. Nineteen! This is no normal war."
Above Fuyuki, a massive magic circle pulsed, sealing the city.
Until the war ended, no one would escape.
At Fuyuki Airport, a girl wrapped in bandages sighed, staring at the Command Seal on her hand.
"I never intended to be a Master. Why me?"
Her pale blue hair shimmered under the light, her golden eyes full of sorrow.
Her name: Karen Ortensia. Daughter of Kirei Kotomine.
For days she had felt the consciousness pressing at her soul, driving her toward Fuyuki. If she did not obey, she would never see her father again.
A pale green figure appeared beside her.
"Well? What did you find?"
"Somewhat troublesome," Enkidu answered softly. "Your father commands two Servants. And… I've seen my old friend."
Karen blinked at him. "…Congratulations, then?"
Enkidu only smiled. "Yes. This time, let me test myself against him."
At Shirou's house, the Servant that appeared was not the King of Knights.
But another Saber.
A fiery-haired woman in a bold crimson dress.
Nero Claudius.
She placed a hand on her hip, her smile radiant.
"Are you my Master? Then let us revel in this battle together!"
Shirou blushed scarlet. "Uh… could you maybe put on something less… revealing?"
Her attire was more scandalous than any model's—Shirou didn't dare look straight at her.
"Hah! Still a boy, then. So be it. You'll learn."
But her golden eyes narrowed in puzzlement.
"I was on the Moon Cell… and now, suddenly, I am here. Strange indeed."
She remembered her last Master's death, the long slumber that followed. For her to awaken now, on Earth itself, was unnatural.
Within the Tohsaka estate, Sakura had summoned Altria Pendragon as her Saber. The two had bonded quickly, and now sat together, sharing food.
Elsewhere in the manor, Rin Tohsaka was at work.
There was no summoning contract. No Grail ritual.
Only her own faith.
"Great God of Eternity," she prayed, kneeling. "I, Rin Tohsaka, your devoted servant, beseech you. Lend me one of your goddesses, that I may triumph in this Holy Grail War."
A figure shimmered within her mind.
She had chosen carefully. Not a Heroic Spirit. But a goddess.
The most terrifying—Kaguya.
But a voice answered softly in her mind:
"My power is too great. Let my sisters go in my place… wait."
Rin hesitated. Could it be changed?
In the Eternal Realm, Kaguya turned to another. "Wanwan, a priest in the lower world calls for aid. You understand what the God desires."
Wanwan's lips curved into a sly smile. "Of course, sister. Leave it to me."
Kaguya frowned. She could see the killing intent blazing in Wanwan's eyes. If Wanwan descended, she would slaughter without restraint.
"…Perhaps another would be better," she murmured.
"Don't, sister," Wanwan purred. "Have you already forgotten the little gift I gave you yesterday?"
The other goddesses nearby gasped.
Bribery. Seduction. Shameless manipulation.
Kaguya sighed, but said nothing more.
And thus, the Enchantress Wanwan prepared to descend upon Fuyuki.