The night grew late, and the banquet ended with everyone harboring their own thoughts.
And when faced with Emiya's request for Saber as he was leaving, Guinevere once again chose to refuse.
But shortly after all the guests had left...
"Archer?"
"A late guest has arrived."
Amidst the low mountains, Ryudou Temple drew the eyes of outsiders. On another peak not far from Ryudou Temple, Archer brought Rin back here, his gaze fixed on the steps at the foot of the mountain.
As he had seen, the only Master and Servant pair that had not yet arrived finally appeared. Among them, Berserker deliberately released her aura, challenging the three people in the temple.
"Assassin, aren't you coming out yet? I specially waited for the wedding in the temple to end before coming to send you on your way."
"Aren't you afraid I'll strike you again? Have you thought about how to protect yourself?"
They had drunk some wine and eaten some food, but Saber had eaten ninety percent of the food at Guinevere's table.
This meant that when the two of them stood at the Temple Gate, Saber's lower abdomen was slightly bulging, as if Guinevere had done something to her a few months ago.
Looking at the two in their casual clothes, Illya's smile did not fade. She stood on Berserker's palm and was then placed on the ground by Berserker's side.
"That Kirei Kotomine came to form an alliance with me. If you attack me, his Goldie will come to protect me."
At this point, Illya still insisted that Berserker was the strongest; she accepted the alliance only so she wouldn't be left behind, and because the terms Kirei Kotomine offered were good.
As a gift for the alliance, Kirei Kotomine gave her so much, so much information on Kiritsugu Emiya, and he even said that he and Kiritsugu shared a karmic bond, their souls entwined.
Because of this, Illya more or less regarded Kirei Kotomine as Kiritsugu's friend; she believed that even her mother didn't know Kiritsugu this well.
And it was also because of Kirei Kotomine that Illya learned the full story of the Fourth Holy Grail War. While she hated Kiritsugu for abandoning her, she also understood that he chose to destroy the Holy Grail in order to save more people.
Illya understood that on the scales of life, her own life did not outweigh the many lives Kiritsugu sought to save.
Though Kiritsugu didn't save any, and instead caused the "Great Fire" that destroyed half of Fuyuki.
"Tear them to shreds! Berserker!"
She understood, but she was furious. Amid her turbulent emotions, Kirei Kotomine's words acted as fuel.
Thus, she came to repay the humiliation of last night tonight.
Meanwhile, facing Berserker, who could close the distance in just three seconds, Guinevere chose to send Saber forward first to engage him.
Was it the terrain? Had she simply eaten her fill today? Or had she gained experience from last night's battle?
In any case, facing Berserker's stone axe, Saber was no longer as disheveled as she had been last night. She could swing her sword more steadily and inflict more wounds on Berserker.
"Saber, aren't you able to do things today that you couldn't do yesterday?"
After only a few weapon clashes, more than half of Ryudou Temple's entrance steps were shattered. Standing over thirty meters away, Guinevere could still feel the fierce wind pressure cutting through her hair.
And just as she had said, and as everyone witnessed, Saber's swordsmanship was indeed a cut above last night's.
During the four-hour dance in the afternoon, Guinevere had identified over a dozen flaws in Saber's sword techniques, using pain to force her to correct several poor habits when swinging her sword.
"Saber, never say that I can't do anything anymore!"
"Assassin, shut up!"
It was frustrating, especially since she was already locked in a desperate struggle. No matter how much her swordsmanship improved or how much more experience she gained from yesterday, all of this could not make up for the gap in stats between her and Berserker.
With Strength Rank A+, and all other basic stats being Rank A except for Luck, which was Rank B, Berserker also possessed the Rank B [Madness Enhancement] skill, which could further boost all his basic stats at the cost of losing his reason.
In contrast, because her Master was the rookie Shirou Emiya, Saber's Strength was Rank B, Mana Rank B, and Luck Rank B, while her remaining stats—Endurance, Agility, and even her Noble Phantasms—were all Rank C.
Last night, if she hadn't drunk a lot of the King of Heroes' wine, she wouldn't have even been able to unleash her Holy Sword.
"Assassin, your Saber is about to lose."
Not only her wedding dress, but even her casual clothes had been shed. After using magecraft to put the temple's occupants to sleep, the Caster and her Master, who should have been in the bridal chamber, were now standing beside Guinevere in combat stances.
Having fulfilled her wish and received Kuzuki's declaration of love, Caster Medea was already satisfied.
What she was thinking about now was no longer how to obtain the Holy Grail, but simply how Kuzuki could be kept safe in the war to come.
She understood that against both the King of Heroes and the Berserker before her, she had not the slightest hope of victory.
And to strive to survive the Holy Grail War and hope to stay with Souichirou Kuzuki longer? Medea had this hope, but she did not believe it could be realized.
She simply felt that if she continued to be greedy, she would lose her beloved husband along with her.
In her eyes, the Holy Grail War was still a cruel war where seven Master-Servant pairs fought each other, eventually leaving only one Servant.
And she also understood that if a Master lost their Servant and returned their Command Spell, such a Master could survive according to the rules.
"Souichirou, go learn magecraft, find a way to obtain magic circuits, and then find a way to summon me again outside the Holy Grail War."
Caster was already resolved to die, and she also understood Kuzuki's feelings for her. She knew that if she said nothing, after her death, her husband would surely follow her into the afterlife.
"Souichirou, if I die, I will return to the Throne of Heroes, but if you die, you will probably go to hell, so you must not die. If you die, then we will truly never be able to meet again."
Kuzuki clenched his fists, while Guinevere was surprised that Caster actually said these words.
"Assassin, the three of us together, we can't even defeat Berserker, can we?"
"Caster, what are you trying to say?"
She was already dressed as a Witch, but before saying the next words, she still stood on tiptoe and kissed Kuzuki. In her eyes, Saber should be able to hold out for a little longer.
And standing beside them, watching them finish this kiss, only to see countless magic circles appear in the sky, densely packed Bombardment Magic already charging in the air.
This was Ryudou Temple, the Territory established by the Witch from the Age of Gods.
"Assassin, take Souichirou and your Saber and leave. I will do my best to kill Berserker as many times as I can!"
As Guinevere's Master, Caster understood her attributes clearly, knowing she was all bluff and no substance.
At the same time, she also knew that after Saber and Guinevere had killed Berserker last night, they should no longer be able to cause him any harm.
For example, right now, Saber's Holy Sword struck Berserker's vital points time and time again, but it couldn't even break his skin.
"Assassin, thank you, but please just leave me behind! Don't let Lord Souichirou die!"
Hearing this and seeing it, Guinevere already knew Caster's thoughts. Was she really going to leave her behind?
"Saber, you take Kuzuki and leave first. Lend me your Holy Sword."