Illyasviel's head throbbed as she was dragged out of sleep by the sounds of metal clashing and stone fragmenting. The last thing the girl remembered was sparring with Fujimura. Now she felt herself getting jostled around as her chest was pressed into something. She was on someone's back.
The homunculus opened her eyes and saw that she was in the middle of a battle. She was on her mom's back, her mother using her invisible sword to deflect daggers thrown her way while simultaneously dodging the strikes of people wearing masks. It wasn't only her mom combating the fifty or so assailants amongst the church's pews. Chloe, Leysritt, Archer, Sakura, Luviagelita, Henriikka, Medusa, Trimmau, Fujimura, Assassin, Mordred, and the Lion King were all fighting the attackers. Lord El-Melloi II, Reines, and Sella were watching over a line of unconscious people who wore casual clothes like the enemies assaulting the church, barring the skull masks. The Gorgon Sisters were probably still patrolling the river to make sure Gilles couldn't make use of it. Kirei and both Rins were nowhere to be seen, probably somewhere else on the premises.
Henriikka used a Finn Shot which blew apart the mask on one of the attackers' faces. The enemy fell unconscious and was tossed over to Lord El-Melloi and company to be watched over with the other insensible people. It didn't take anything more for Illyasviel to put together that these masks were controlling civilians and they would be freed if the masks were destroyed. This had to be the work of Hassan given the Assassin-esk fighting style all the controlled people were using.
The fight was going surprisingly well. Such a large force of powerful enemies would be too much for a normal group of Servants and magi, but the Heroic Spirits present were some of the best. Mom, Medusa, and Leysritt played defense, deflecting incoming attacks and protecting the ranged attack team of Chloe, Sakura, Luviagelita, and Henriikka while they unleashed suppressing fire. Trimmau, Assassin, Fujimura, and Mordred were on long range offense, running into the enemy ranks and brawling with them. Archer and the Lion King were basically doing everything, moving around the room and simultaneously attacking and defending. The group of allied magi and Heroic Spirits had become a well-oiled machine that gradually put pressure on the thralls and destroyed their masks. The biggest issue seemed to be that the enemies kept trying to take their own lives, or at least threaten to do so, but doing that left them open for Archer or any of the other ranged fighters to snipe their masks before they could go through with their ultimatums. The cramped hall was falling apart in the chaos of the combat, but everyone was too focused on the fight to worry about that. Illya wanted to jump in and help, but she feared she would throw off the flow her allies had created and so instead she stayed on her mom's back and telepathically announced that she was awake.
"I'm up and I've got the gist of what's happening."
"Are you okay?" Mom said.
"I'm fine. Can I help?"
"Just wait for a moment where I can stop and put you down. I don't want to just throw you off while in the midst of this."
"Got it. Hopefully it won't take too-"
The doors at the front of the church opened. A golden haired man entered and everyone immediately stopped fighting, both Illyasviel's allies and the brainwashed innocents. The presence the man held was that overpowering. Only mom and Archer's could compare to it. There was no need to question the newcomer's identity. He was the biggest threat the Lion King mentioned, Gilgamesh the King of Heroes.
"What an unseemly display." The man's upper lip curled as he looked at the possessed people. "To be forced to see a contender for one of the most disgusting Noble Phantasms makes me deeply aggravated. Puppeteering common mongrels. You're lucky you're useful for occupying those unworthy of my time or I'd kill you for being such an eyesore."
"Archer." Mom said under her breath.
"Saber, my Saber." Gilgamesh's sour expression sweetened. "The doyenne of foolish idealists who took my life. It is good to see you again."
"Are you the only one here, or are even more Servants coming?"
"This place is crowded enough as it is, I'd never dare bring even more distractions when all I want is time with you alone."
"You wish for revenge?" Mom held her blade at her side as she got ready to lunge forward.
"I wish for you to be my bride. We shall rule with me in the new world born from the Primordial Sea the Grail shall recreate."
"What?" Mom flinched right as she was starting to dash which made her fall to her knee. "I am not in the mood for jests."
"I speak with complete sincerity. You have won me over." Gilgamesh put one hand on his chest while the other was directed towards mom. "You are one of the few individuals of worth among humanity, one radiant enough that I can't help but want to have you. You will sit at my side as queen of my new kingdom."
Illyasviel couldn't believe how ridiculous this guy was. His audacity was staggering.
"I already have a woman I love. I would never betray her for another, and even if I wasn't committed to anyone, I'd never love you." Mom's teeth were bared.
"You act as if you have a choice in the matter. You shouldn't waste time thinking about Irisviel for she has already given us her blessing, not that I need it."
"The thing that you serve is not Iri."
"Iri? I never took you for the type to indulge in pet names." Gilgamesh had the same expression one would have when admiring a cute animal. "The disparity between your cold demeanor and your more vulnerable side makes you all the more enticing."
"I think that's called gap moe." Lord El-Melloi said to himself.
"Don't think Artoria is the only one you should concern yourself with." Heracles stepped forward. "She is far from alone here."
"Heracles. I must admit that I wish to fight you." Gilgamesh's stance became less casual and his muscles flexed. "But I'd rather save that for the finale. A grandiose duel between the King of Heroes and the most famous hero of all will be a good way to cap off the war that will decide humanity's survival. Right now I'm not concerning myself with anything beyond acquiring my bride."
"You don't have a choice in this." Heracles fired an arrow at Gilgamesh that stopped inches from his face, the bolt getting caught within a floating ring that froze it in place through an unknown force.
The area shook and something rose up from the floor, tearing it apart. A golden surface appeared below Gilgamesh and broke apart the church as it ascended into the air. The King of Heroes summoned some kind of flying machine below him in the ground and then raised it up to catch everyone off guard. From a portal by Gilgamesh's shoulder, a chain shot out and wrapped around mom's thick gloved hand. The flying machine with green wings and a golden body shot upward into the sky, destroying the remains of the church's roof and taking mom with him, Illyasviel coming along for the ride. Archer and the others unleashed arrows and ranged spells to try and shoot down the ascending ship, but hatches opened up the machine's bottom from which turrets came out. Lasers burned away the incoming projectiles and the ship continued rising. The ancient plane stopped high in the twilight sky, Illyasviel and her mother dangling by a chain that began receding to pull them up. They were brought up to the top of the machine, mom putting Illyasviel down. The view from atop the flying machine stole Illysviel's breath away. She could look down upon all of Fuyuki as it was dressed in the light of dusk.
"I wanted to have a private romantic moment with you, Saber. I hoped you would appreciate that rather than bringing your child along. That's poor decorum." Gilgamesh sat atop a throne at the back of the ship's 'standing area.'
"I think poor decorum is absconding with an unwilling woman to force her to sate your lust." Mom held her sword at the ready and so did Illyasviel, taking the cloth sheath off her Origin Sword.
"Lust? My attraction to you is more than simple lust. It is an admiration for the beauty that permeates your entirety. I love your totality, not just your sexual appeal."
"We're done talking. Illya, stay close." Mom dematerialized her gloved hand that was caught in Gilgamesh's chain, the loss of the glove creating space between mom's hand and the chain. That allowed her to pull her hand free before Gilgamesh could tighten the fetter. Mom used a tactic the Lion King mentioned using to free herself of Gilgamesh's chains when they fought in the mountain.
Mom ran towards Gilgamesh, Illyasviel using Square Accel and following behind. The golden haired Archer opened gates all around the mother-daughter duo. The walking space atop the flying machine was already small, but now there was nowhere to go. Weapons fired and the wind around mom's sword shot forward as she thrust the blade ahead, Strike Air blowing the Noble Phantasms ahead of the pair off course. The projectiles wouldn't be able to hit their targets and thus a path mom and Illyasviel could take to safety was created. The duo continued heading for Gilgamesh as the Noble Phantasms crashed behind them.
A layered wall of shields cut off the way to Gilgamesh, so mom and Illyasviel jumped up and onto the top of the barrier. Gilgamesh preemptively opened portals around that spot since he knew that's where the pair would have to go to continue forward. Chains began shooting out and Illyasviel's eyes met her mother's for an instant. That was all that was necessary for the pair to decide what to do. The homunculus braced herself as mom kicked off her, the mother using her daughter as a platform to jump off of and propel herself. Mom flew past the chains before they finished coming out of the gates.
"I don't need to capture you, homunculus." Gilgamesh clicked his tongue and made the chains he summoned thrust towards Illyasviel to run her through while mom continued flying towards the oldest hero, deflecting more Noble Phantasms along the way.
"Avalon!" The homunculus was protected by the domain of the fairies so the chains failed to reach her. Illyasviel was getting used to the pain of using the scabbard, though it was still far from pleasant, nor was it sustainable.
Mom reached Gilgamesh and she swung the Invisible Air for the King of Heroes' neck. The man raised an arm as his magical energy wove into golden armor. Gilgamesh's forearm stopped mom's sword in its tracks. The armor was too tough to receive even a scratch. Mom landed on her feet and continued slashing at Gilgamesh over and over. The man blocked with his arms each time. Portals opened up on the floor and pikes rose through them, mom jumping back to avoid getting skewered. Illyasviel jumped down from the wall of shield and ran at Gilgamesh, keeping up the protection of Avalon to make sure the King of Heroes couldn't stop her. The homunculus got right in Gilgamesh's face and thrust her Origin Sword towards his body's trunk. She planned to deactivate Avalon right before the moment of impact. The blade's ability to destroy magecraft and Magic Circuits would let it go right through Gilgamesh's armor and he'd get impaled in the chest. His Magic Circuits would get mangled and his immense amount of magical energy would cause his own demise.
The exact moment when Illlyasviel deactivated Avalon, the very same moment that the Origin Sword was about to break through the golden armor, Gilgamesh punched the homunculus in the gut. He knew exactly when Illyasviel would become vulnerable. The blow knocked the wind out of Illyasviel and pushed her away. Her intestines popped like balloons inside and began healing by Avalon's power. She soared through the air and into the arms of her mother.
"I may have been taken off guard by that sheathe last war, but now I know to watch out for it." Gilgamesh still hadn't left his throne. "I'll put it in my collection after I kill you, homunculus."
"I'll die before I let you touch one more hair on Illya's head!" Mom put Illya down and moved between her and the King of Heroes. Magical energy surged around the woman once named King Arthur. She still had wounds from Lancer all over her body that prevented her from using her full strength, and yet her power spiked to her former peak as her emotions intensified. It was as if her entire body was being enhanced by a constant Mana Burst, a battle aura born of her fury and love, limits and consequences be damned. "I've lost enough of my family. No more. All I have left is Illya! If you try to kill her, I'll make you suffer more than you could ever comprehend, King of Heroes!"
The sheer might that mom was radiating made her feel like the axis that the whole universe revolved around, but then that sensation shattered. A familiar disgusting magical energy filled the air and made it putrid. A mass of power was rising up towards the flying machine. Illyasviel felt like a tidal wave was about to crest and wipe away the meager pebble that she was. It wasn't a wave that was coming, though. It was a pillar of mud atop which was a woman that looked just like Illyasviel. It was her mama, now dressed in black curses. A path of mud connected the tower to the ship and the thing using mama's body walked over to her former family and Gilgamesh.
It really was true. Mama had become the Black Grail.
"Hi, Artoria. Hi, Illya. It's been a bit." The way the thing with mama's face spoke playfully, not addressing the elephant in the room, made it obvious she wasn't mama anymore.
Illyasviel's soul was being torn apart by the sight. Her mama, the one person who had been with her throughout her whole life, the one person she felt closest to, had been transmogrified into a perverted caricature of who she once was. It made Illyasviel sad, but even more so, she was furious. How dare this monster puppet her mama's body around? They would pay.
While Illyasviel was handling the appearance of her corrupted mama relatively well, her mom was not. Mom's face was an essay, different emotions laid out clear to see and with intricate detail, each line and curve of her expression coming together to create a bigger picture of just how much a stake through the heart seeing mama was for her. The only reason she didn't start crying was probably because she had already managed to release her building sadness and mourn when she met the Lion King and the new Mordred. That didn't mean this didn't hurt her. Mom's wife, the mother of her children, was standing in front of her while wearing a dress made of coagulated hatred.
If mom's face was an essay, then mama's was a poem. Her expression was complicated and unclear, full of meaning and yet nothing was actively stated. It was up to interpretation as to what mama or the Black Grail or whatever she was truly felt in that moment as she looked upon her wife and daughter, but one thing was for sure. Whatever she was feeling was strong.
"What's wrong, Artoria? Did you finally break?" The Black Grail said. "Is that why you don't have anything to say to me after you botched protecting me, and Gray, and Mordred?"
"Mom didn't fail. Don't talk to her that way." Illya stepped in front of her mom with her blade pointing at the Black Grail.
"You'd point a sword at your mother? How ungrateful. Then again, your priorities have always been skewed so this is nothing new."
"You aren't my mama, not anymore. You're just the Grail's lackey now, a simulacrum of the real Irisviel von Einzbern that's been drenched in mud like a pig." Illyasviel balked at the very concept of the thing standing before her being her mama.
"How vulgar." The Black Grail looked past Illyasviel to mom. "Well, darling, do you think you failed to protect us?"
"Of course I did." Mom didn't hesitate to answer.
"Then you also must realize that you need to repent. Joining my side would be a good way to do so." The Black Grail slowly took steps towards mom and Illyasviel. "I want to make a better world. The Grail will give us a clean slate by turning the planet into a new Primordial Sea like when the World first began. The cruel humans like the Einzberns and the incompetent ones like you will all perish, only the strong surviving alongside the new life that will be born from the primordial soup of curses. A new society will be created with Gilgamesh as its ruler, and you can be his queen."
The Black Grail stopped right in front of Illyasviel and mom, her daughter holding the Origin Sword right up to her throat.
"Artoria, the mud can cleanse you." A globule of curses formed in the Black Grail's hand. "You fail because the you that you are now is imperfect. You and I both know you aren't good enough as you are, but the mud can remake you to be a worthy ruler. The new you can sit alongside Gilgamesh and help guide the society born after the Grail floods the planet. Let's make a better World together. Please, Artoria."
Illyasviel had no idea how mom would respond. Normally mom's righteous heart meant that she'd never even consider such a proposal and would instead only be infuriated by it. The issue was that this was a request from her wife, and it was one that offered a chance at redemption. Mom had been more emotionally fragile lately than ever before, so whether she would remain strong or give in to despair and accept the offer was anyone's guess.
Dread filled Illyasviel's heart at the possible worst case scenario. Mom would never really go along with this nonsense, right? She was too strong of heart for that, too wise.
Right?
"Iri, I love you." Mom said. "You're right in that I am imperfect. I couldn't protect you from the Grail's influence, I couldn't stop Gray from losing herself, and I failed to keep Mordred from dying. By all accounts, I am a complete and utter failure. Nothing I try to do ever seems to work and I can't tell if I'm born under an unlucky star or if I really am that all encompassingly incompetent. It is also true that there are many people that are failure's like me, and that there are cruel people like the Einzberns who abuse others for their own gain. This world has harmful systems in place that are so fundamentally ingrained into its societies that they may never be truly dismantled. For example, there's the colonialism that the descendants of my subjects and countrymen indulged in to enslave foreign peoples, a system that still has reverberating effects to this very day. In many ways this world is rotten. The flaws of this world were part of what drove Kiritsugu to try and make it a better place. He wanted to save everyone, and I suppose that is also what you want if you're telling the truth."
"Mom?" Illyasviel shuttered.
"I'm glad you understand me." The Black Grail held out the mud in her hand for mom to take and immerse herself in.
"But your plan is still wrong, plain and simple." Mom said.
Illyasviel turned around and saw her mom's new expression. It was firm and clear. Calm and proud.
"Why?" The Black Grail's arm receded.
"I simply can't condone a plan that would cost the lives of most of humanity, and I don't think the human species is so fundamentally rotten as to be unsalvageable. I have another reason that is even more convincing as to why I shouldn't go along with your plan. Well, it's convincing to me at least."
"And what is it?"
"Iri would never go along with this plan. She loved life, the world and the people in it. She felt immense joy at getting to explore the planet beyond the bounds of the castle she was raised in. She had an appreciation for the little things, the things that truly gave life meaning. Those tiny beauties were treasures to her, and they would all be destroyed if your plan succeeded. Iri, I don't know how much of you is in that body anymore, but the old you would never want Avenger to flood the world. That's all the motivation I need. To honor the legacy of the old you who is now gone, I'm going to stop you with all that my body, mind, heart, and soul can provide." Mom held her sword out, its tip pointed towards the Black Grail's neck. Excalibur lost its cloak of wind so its golden edge could show all its splendor as it sat beside Illyasviel's Origin Sword. "I'm going to stop you, and not only that. I'm going to save you. Do you hear me, Iri? I'm going to free you of the Greater Grail once and for all and then we're going to live as a family again."
Illyasviel swelled with pride for her mom. She should never have doubted her. She was a hero through and through. She'd never give in to the sanctimonious words of a temptress.
"Ah, you truly are my Saber." Gilgamesh practically swooned. "If you actually gave in to such petty persuasion then you wouldn't be the woman I chose to be my wife. The only Saber worth having is the one you can only acquire by force."
"You just can't help disappointing me." The Black Grail sighed. "It's like you do it on purpose. Whatever. I wanted to see you break, but I can still make you comply."
The Black Grail raised her hand and the Command Spells on the back of it glowed. She was going to supersede mom's will and force her to let herself be corrupted. Illyasviel had to destroy the Command Spells before the Black Grail could state her order. The problem was that the Black Grail had already jumped back, surfing backward on mud below her feet. With both the homunculus and her mom's swords right at the Black Grail's neck, they would have been able to easily pierce her throat, or they could have swung their weapons horizontally to sever the hand with the Command Spells. Now that the Black Grail was moving away from them, propelled my materialized curses, they'd have to hit her hand in one perfect slash before she got away or it would be too late. The problem was that Illyasviel was the one whose sword was closer to the Black Grail's raised hand. With Illyasviel's arm in the way, there was no way mom could swing Excalibur fast enough to hit the Command Spells. It was up to Illyasviel. She wasn't the best at slashing attacks, she preferred thrusts. She'd just have to improvise. It was like she learned from Fujimura, she had to focus less on techniques and styles, and instead on whatever position her body had to be in for the current moment. Illyasviel twisted her arm and swung horizontally towards the Black Grail's hand. The homunculus' whole body twisted with the slash, her full body weight being put into it. Square Accel was pushed to the limit as the Origin Sword got closer to the Black Grail's hand. Mama's body was getting further and further away. It was too far to cut directly into her hand. The only hope was that the Origin Sword would be able to graze the Command Spells. The Origin Sword's ability to mangle Magic Circuits would be able to destroy the Command Spells with just a weak hit since they're basically Magic Crests which are composed of Magic Circuits. The sword was so close, but the hand kept inching away. Illyasviel didn't let herself be intimidated. She had to focus only on swinging her sword.
Illyasviel felt the slightest resistance against her blade. Did something get in her way? No. The resistance was from the Origin Sword's tip slicing into the Command Spells. The sword just barely cut into it. Illyasviel hadn't even cut deep enough to actually pierce into the Black Grail's hand, but the Command Spells were cut apart and re-tied by the power of the Origin Sword. The marks faded away, mom now safe from their power.
Mud emanated from the Black Grail's body and formed a wall with lashing tendrils. Both Illyasviel and her mom juked and jumped around the tentacles as the wall quickly approached, decreasing the amount of space the two had. The wall was going to push them off the edge of the flying machine. What was worse was that more mud was trailing across the bottom of the ship to come around and flank the mother-daughter duo. A dome of curses formed around the pair, not even a sliver of light coming through the concentrated hatred. The sphere would just have to collapse inward to drown and dissolve Illyasviel and her mom.
Before mom could blow away the mud with a Mana Burst, a different Mana Burst of gold and black did it for her. The entire sphere was scattered and two figures landed next to Illyasviel and her mom.
It was the Lion King and Mordred Alter.
"And yet more people come to ruin my rendezvous with Saber." Gilgamesh's fingers pressed into his forehead.
"Thank you for the assistance." Mom said. "How did you two get here?"
"My King grabbed me and propelled us up here by firing magical energy from the tip of Rhongomyniad." Mordred pushed out his chest.
"Well look at that, it's a family reunion. Though that may be a stretch given that three-fifths of us are very different from who we used to be." The Black Grail said.
"This isn't a reunion. This is the enacting of justice for what both you and Gilgamesh have done, which includes nearly killing my King!" Mordred's grip on Clarent's handle was so great that Illyasviel worried it would snap.
"You're a whiny little lapdog. I liked the old Mordred better. He was more fun."
"You call me a lapdog when you're just a slave of the Grail? Your ability to introspect is the same as a jellyfish's."
"You still have the old Mordred's lip. If anything about you was gonna change, getting rid of that would have been nice."
"And getting rid of your constant complaining and pessimism would have been nice. Instead you've only gotten worse." Mordred was speaking from his memories of his other self.
"Ah, the old Mordred's memories are in your head. I forgot."
"They are and he really cared about you. He didn't know you for long, but he really admired your strength of will. You were a maternal figure he never truly had and so he appreciated you immensely." Mordred swallowed some spit. "He died protecting you."
"A Hell of a lot of good that achieved. If Assassin had killed me, then none of you would be in this mess, would you? He's just like Artoria, every time he tries to help he only makes things worse." The Black Grail's words got more of a reaction out of Mordred Alter than Illyasviel expected. He looked genuinely hurt.
"Don't talk about Mordred that way!" Mom said. "It's thanks to him that you're still here for us to return to normal. If you had died, then you'd just be gone. You may be possessed now, but we're going to turn you back to normal and you're going to thank Mordred for protecting you to the end."
The Black Grail rolled her eyes, but the genuine love in mom's speech made Mordred Alter's tense figure become looser.
"Thank you." Mordred Alter's helmet disassembled and he looked mom in the eye. There was a spark in Mordred's expression, a passion that Mordred Alter had heretofore lacked. It was like that of the old Mordred.
"I'm simply speaking the truth." Mom put a hand on her son's shoulder. "I love you, Mordred. You're my precious son."
Mordred Alter's eyes became glassy and he looked back towards the Black Grail and Gilgamesh.
It was then that a spontaneous utterance interrupted the moment.
"Mama." The Lion King said in a voice that sounded unfitting for her. She usually possessed a calm and mighty voice. She spoke dryly, though not thoughtlessly. Just now, as she uttered that singular word, she spoke with an innocent lilt and a higher octave. Her voice was so soft it was like velvet. That cadence when paired with the fact that she called the Black Grail mama created an implication that caught everyone's attention. "It's me, Gray."
"Wh-" That's all the Black Grail said in her confusion.
"It's a little presumptuous of me to say that, since it isn't entirely true." The Lion King's posture was unconfident, knees buckled and arms hanging in front of her torso. "I'm still the Lion King, but parts of Gray's psyche persist within me. I think the unusual nature of my incarnation caused the process to be faulty and so Gray's Mind and Soul weren't entirely deleted. I also think Gray's desperate desire to not be erased contributed. Right now I'm letting the remnants of Gray in me take center stage." The being that spoke like Gray looked at Mom and Illyasviel. "I'm sorry I never told you. I didn't want to burden you with more information and potential worries until the Grail was dismantled."
Neither mom or Illyasviel said anything. Illyasviel was too taken aback to have any sort of precise emotional reaction beyond a general sense of surprise . She did start thinking about the implications of Gray not entirely being gone. If Gray was still sort of alive, then perhaps she could be restored to normal, or at least some facsimile of it. It was then that an anxiety over how to do that hit Illyasviel and she understood why the Lion King had kept this a secret. She didn't want Illyasviel or mom to get distracted from the fight by their desire to help Gray.
"Why are you bringing this up now?" The Black Grail said.
"Because Gray's situation is a lot like yours. She too was taken over by an external force that defiled her autonomy. You were corrupted by the Grail, and Gray was possessed by a Divine Spirit. You aren't alone in this, and Gray proves that you can be saved."
"How so?"
"Gray is still inside me, parts of her at least. She was injected with the Saint Graph of a Divine Spirit and yet she managed to not get completely overwritten. That shows how durable her Mind and Soul are, but also that the ability of mighty existences to overtake others isn't absolute. Gray survived my power, and you can survive the Greater Grail's."
"Of course I can survive it, I already have. I am in my right mind at this very moment. The Grail doesn't control me."
"Yes it does. It's amplifying your negative emotions for its own gain. It sees you as a puppet and nothing more. Why else would your plan involve Avenger incarnating into your body to become a Beast? Do you think your consciousness will remain after that? It's using you."
"That's ridiculous!" The Black Grail snapped. "I'm doing this of my own accord. The Grail's just showed me the truth, it made me realize the depths of humanity's depravity!"
"The Greater Grail blinded you and buried the true Irisviel, the kind and empathetic woman you really are." The Lion King stood up straighter, her voice becoming more confident, yet still not sounding like how the goddess normally spoke. It still felt like Gray. "I know parts of you, of Irisviel still exist deep within all the curses that you've been filled with. I know because you're strong, you endured these same curses for ten years without giving in. You can resist this, and we can save you. I want to save you, mama."
"Enough of this stupidity!" The Black Grail generated mud from her dress. "Gilgamesh, kill these people already!"
"Don't go ordering me around like that. You're lucky I already planned to kill all these mongrels for interfering with my romantic rendezvous with Saber."
Golden portals opened from which various Noble Phantasms peeked out. Both mud and weapons were about to rain down on the Pendragon family. That didn't deter them or make them afraid. They were ready to face anything if it meant saving mama and the World. The reveal that Gray still lived lit a fire in all their hearts that would make them fight harder than ever before.