"And so in short, the reason why the war is canceled is probably because Irisviel got possessed and we need to work together to destroy the Grail." Chloe said. Rin, Sakura, Luvia, and Henriikka, along with Saber and the two Casters(or would technically be four) that were in Spirit Form had all just heard the very complex story Chloe had to tell on the Grail's corruption. That was assuming she wasn't lying, but given what Assassin had told Saber, everything lined up.
After Rin and Luvia had been saved, Saber and Caster dealt with the yakuza thugs Assassin made come with them to the Einzbern Castle. The Tohsaka and Edelfelt factions were free from the Fujimura Group's grasp and met back up. Then there was still the matter of the homunculus they had kidnapped, Chloe von Einzbern. It was useful to have a Lesser Grail available to them if they won the Holy Grail War so they decided not to let the homunculus go. Chloe just stayed quiet and didn't make any moves to escape. Rin felt bad keeping Chloe confined considering she herself knew what it was like to be imprisoned.
The Tohsaka-Edelfelt alliance decided to spend the rest of the day and night recuperating from the previous battle. It was nice to just relax for a bit, but it didn't last.
The group got the call from Kirei about the war's cancellation and how everyone needed to meet up at the church. Henriikka was upset that she'd have to reveal herself to all the other Masters and Servants after working so hard to stay hidden. She tried to argue that this was a trap, but Rin knew Kirei well enough to know he was serious and in control of his faculties.
Now that the war was over, there was no reason to imprison Chloe any longer and so she was freed. Chloe decided to accompany the group to the church since she could meet up with her allies there and she had to go anyway since she was a Master. Along the way, Chloe regaled Rin and her allies on why the war was probably being canceled due to the corruption of the Greater Grail and how Irisviel was acting as the Grail's vessel. It was a lot of information and was pretty convoluted, but it was consistent and made sense. Kirei had already told Rin about how two of the Einzbern homunculi claimed the Grail was corrupted, so the information wasn't technically new, it was just that Rin and her allies were learning more details that made such claims more credible.
Rin and Sakura's connection to Kirei also came to light as they traveled to the church. There was no way they could hide it long term at this point so it was better to just admit it and downplay how much help Kirei had given. Luvia accepted the information neutrally while Henriikka was off put by it given her paranoia.
Upon opening the doors to the church, the only person among the pews was Kirei. It had been a few days since Rin last saw him and she had to admit that he was a sight for sore eyes. He provided a kind of comfort and stability with his mere presence that made Rin feel safe after multiple days of constant anxiety.
"Kirei!" Sakura ran over and hugged the priest.
"It's good to see you, Sakura." Kirei put a hand on the purple haired girl's head. "I'm happy to see you too, Rin. I see you've…lost some things."
"It's good to see you too." Rin said telepathically. "As you can see, I'm down an arm and most of my other hand, and I've also lost my teeth and tongue."
"That is quite unfortunate." Kirei's eyes were actually wide. Getting any change in expression out of Kirei was crazy. "We'll have to see about getting you replacements. Dentures will fix the teeth problem. The arm, hand, and tongue will be more difficult. We'll talk later. I see you are accompanied by other Masters. It is good to see you Ms. Edelfelt, Ms. Einzbern. May I ask who you are?" Kirei looked at Henriikka.
"I am Henriikka Edelfelt. I am Luviagelita's sister." Henriikka was forcing every word out through several walls of anger and annoyance. "Due to the unique traits my sister and I possess, we are both considered Master of Caster and we each summoned a different version of the same Heroic Spirit."
"I assumed as much. Would you mind showing your Servants to me? I want a headcount of all active Servants. We will also need to discuss their abilities, but that can be done later."
Saber and both Casters(or would it be all four?) physically materialized.
"Thank you. I can tell they will be excellent allies for the coming fight. Chloe, where is your Servant?"
"He'll be here later. It's complicated." Chloe crossed her arms.
"As long as they arrive soon. We mustn't waste time. You may go anywhere in the church while we wait for the other Masters and Servants to arrive."
"How many others have shown up so far?" Luvia said telepathically.
"The Berserker team is already here. There's also a pair of Servants who will be difficult to explain so I'll wait until everyone is here. Rider and his Master are already dead so we are waiting on the Lancer, and Assassin teams. There is actually an eighth Master-Servant pair, but I don't know what Servant they have."
"We know. I talked with Chloe and, to make a long story short, we think my Saber is an extra Servant who was summoned due to a glitch in the Grail's summoning system that was taken advantage of by the Counter Force. That 'eighth team' is probably the real Saber team." Rin raised a finger as she explained. "Also, my Saber is me from an alternate future timeline."
Rin saw an emotion on Kirei's face that she had never seen before. His eyebrows were high and his mouth hung open. He was well and truly befuddled to learn that there was a version of Rin who was a Servant summoned in this very Holy Grail War. It was so out of left field that it would have been weirder if Kirei wasn't stunned by that information. The only reason Rin and Sakura hadn't been so surprised is because they slowly realized the truth over time.
"Well, Rin, that is good information to know." Kirei was actually struggling to come up with something to say. Rin had to stifle a laugh, as did Sakura at seeing their father figure so taken aback.
"So you're Rin?" Kirei asked Saber who waved back while giving her usual smug smile.
"Nice to meet you." Saber said.
"It's good to meet you as well." Kirei scratched at his nose with his thumb. "I'm proud to know that a student of mine is worthy of serving the Counter Force."
"I don't actually know if you were my mentor in my timeline." Saber stepped closer to Kirei and walked around him, inspecting every inch of his body. "I definitely knew you, but my mind only conjures feelings of annoyance at best and hatred at worst."
"Well that's disconcerting." Kirei said. "I dread to imagine what paths I could have walked in other histories."
"I honestly can't imagine you being any worse than Caren." Sakura bobbing back and forth with excitement. She was so happy to be back home.
A man with long hair entered the room. He probably heard the commotion.
"Professor?" Luvia knew this man. "I didn't realize you were participating."
"Hello, Ms. Luviagelita. You are speaking telepathically. May I ask why?" Luvia opened her mouth to reveal her missing teeth and tongue. "The Holy Grail War has been unkind to you. That is regrettable. I might be able to contact Touko Aozaki for you, though I can't guarantee anything. I see your sister is here too. Greetings, Ms. Henriikka."
"It's good to see you, Lord El-Melloi II." Henriika said.
"El-Melloi? You're Lord El-Melloi II?" Rin said. The man nodded and Rin realized she was in the presence of not only one of the Lords of the Clock Tower, but a veteran of the Fourth Holy Grail War. "It is an honor to meet you." Rin bowed and Sakura followed her lead. They needed to make a good impression for when they would eventually study under him at the Clock Tower. "I am Rin Tohsaka, head of the Tohsaka family."
"I am Sakura Tohsaka, her younger sister." Sakura added.
"It is good to meet you both. How much do you know about the present situation?"
"According to Chloe, that's Chloe by the way, she's an Einzbern homunculus and a Lesser Grail," Rin pointed at Chloe. "there is a mass of curses in the Greater Grail because it absorbed an Avenger class Servant in the Third War. Avenger wants to incarnate in Irisviel von Einzbern's body and flood the World with curses."
"You know the gist in that case." Waver said. "It is good to meet you by the way, Ms. Einzbern."
"Chloe. Don't call me Einzbern." Chloe's fingers formed a claw shape as if she was planning on disemboweling someone with her bare hands.
"Duly noted. My apologies. I know what it's like to be called the wrong name."
"It appears that everyone is acquainted, so as I said before, you may roam the church as you wish." Kirei put his hands behind his back. "Just stay out of my daughter Caren's bedroom; she prefers her privacy."
And so the crowd of magi and Servants passed the time while waiting for the other Masters and Servants to arrive. Rin decided to discuss both the events of the war so far and the upcoming threat with Lord El-Melloi II. The conversation took place in the sparse dining room of the church where Luvia and her sister joined the conversation. While Henriikka tried to keep the conversation focused on the war and the present danger, Luviagelita was more willing to bring up any topic that caught her fancy. Kirei talked with Saber in his office, the Servant probing various bits of information out of him while Sakura napped in her bedroom. Rin briefly met Reines, Lord El-Melloi II's sister, but it was brief and didn't go beyond simple introductions. After Sakura woke up she met Reines and apparently they got along rather well. The two 'difficult to explain Servants' didn't show themselves. One of them was sleeping according to Lord El-Melloi II, but that just raised more questions given that sleeping is not normally one of a Servant's pastimes. They only slept because they enjoyed it or because they needed to recover energy at a faster than normal rate.
After a couple hours had passed, Rin heard a commotion in the entrance area of the church. The next arrivals were here so Rin excused herself from the table and went to go see the new group.
Rin entered the main church area and saw a group of four enter. Three were Einzbern homunculi and one was a blonde woman wearing a black suit. The latter figure was most certainly a Servant and one whose bearing was noble in a way that made her feel in command of all within her reach. Her existence overshadowed those of the three homunculi around her who would have otherwise been an attention grabbing and question raising sight.
Those homunculi became the center of attention when Rin heard Chloe enter the room and yell, "Sella! Liz!" Chloe ran over to two of the homunculi and embraced them.
"We're so happy you're safe." One of the homunculi said.
"Chloe okay?" the other said.
"I'm fine. Are you two alright?"
"We're perfect now that you're here."
"Chloe." A voice said followed by the appearance of another Servant. They were a dark giant with an intense presence like the blonde woman's, but the difference was that while the woman felt radiant and breathtaking, this man's aura was heavy and ineffable. Chloe swapped from hugging the two homunculi to wrapping her arms around the giant. Well, it wasn't really around the giant since her arms couldn't even reach the other side of his torso.
"I missed you Archer."
"Chloe." The homunculus that looked like she could be Chloe's twin spoke up with tears in her eyes "I'm sorry."
"For what?" Chloe's head tilted.
"I couldn't protect you from getting kidnapped."
"That's no big deal."
"But you could have died!" The woman's yell made Chloe lean back uncomfortably.
"It's not like anyone else was able to save me either. Don't put all the blame on yourself." Chloe gripped the distressed woman's hand.
"I promise that I'll get stronger." Determination flickered across the face of Chloe's twin. "I'm gonna get strong enough to make sure we don't lose anyone ever again."
"I'm sure you will." The blonde Servant put a hand on the crying woman's head.
Saber and Caster kidnapping Chloe had been a trying experience for the homunculi's allies and loved ones. Even though it wasn't under her order, Rin felt guilty about her involvement in the abduction. It wasn't like Rin decided to give Chloe back once Assassin was no longer in charge. Instead she decided to keep Chloe confined for her own use as a Lesser Grail. Rin was just doing what she had to in order to win the Holy Grail, every other Master would have done the same thing in her shoes and yet she still felt remorseful. Rin wanted to be as cunning and collected as her father, but she was too soft.
"Excuse me." Rin telepathically spoke up and everyone stared at her. She realized she just interrupted a private moment and became very self-conscious to the point that her face turned red. "I'm sorry to interrupt, but I'm Rin Tohsaka, a Master in this war."
"Hello." The blonde Servant said. "My name is Artoria Pendragon. I am a Servant from the Fourth Holy Grail War." So she was the third Saber. She had survived the last war, that explained a lot. "I hope we can get along."
"I do as well, though that may not be possible."
"And why is that?"
"I am the Master of one of the Servants that kidnapped Chloe. I'm sorry." Chloe was clutched tight by the homunculi with a ponytail and she along with the other two homunculi had death glares directed at Rin. The giant was unreadable and Artoria looked like a mama bear ready to protect its cubs. "I wasn't the one who ordered the abduction. To put it briefly, myself and another Master were captured by Assassin and his Master. Our servants were forced to help Assassin kidnap Chloe. I just wanted to apologize given we will be working together soon." Rin bowed.
"We'll have to work together?" Chloe's twin said.
"Yes. To put briefly, your ally, Irisviel von Einzbern, has been possessed by the corrupted Greater Grail. The overseer has gathered us together to destroy the Grail and save the world."
"I knew it." Artoria wasn't surprised like Rin expected. She didn't look ready to cry either, just drained and depressed. "You wouldn't happen to know anything about a Saber Servant named Mordred would you?"
"No, I'm sorry. I do know that while Chloe was being captured, Assassin planned to attack Irisviel and her group while they were leaving the city."
"So it was him who initiated Irisviel's transformation?"
"Most likely."
"I see." Artoria wasn't releasing any magical energy and yet Rin still felt the raw might of the blonde Servant radiating from her. The Servant's anger was barely being contained.
"I'm sorry." Rin repeated.
"It's alright. I am willing to leave any grievances in the past since our conflict was merely a byproduct of a war we all chose to participate in." Artoria's tone softened. "It is also transparent that you've come face to face with plenty of your own hardships and so I have sympathy for you. We have a great enemy to face so we lack the luxury of holding grudges. That all said, there are those who were more affected by Chloe's abduction who I have no right to speak for."
The huddle of homunculi still had their guard up sans Chloe.
"It's fine guys." Chloe squirmed her way out of the ponytail toting woman's grasp. "They're alright people. The whole time I was with them it was clear that they were just trying to survive."
"Are you sure?" The ponytail homunculus was a half-step away from pulling Chloe into another embrace.
"It's cool. I was their captive, but they treated me alright. They didn't hurt a single hair on my head. It's like Artoria said, we don't have time to waste on grudges when humanity's in danger." The giant returned to Spirit Form. "See, Archer trusts her."
"Alright." The ponytail homunculus relented, as did the other two. Chloe's twin seemed the most reluctant given her death glare towards Rin persisted.
Artoria offered a hand and Rin shook it.
"Let us work together and save the world."
"Let's."
The front doors opened and interrupted the moment. A single individual walked in, though their Servant was certainly with them in Spirit Form. Rin inhaled sharply and felt the immediate urge to punch the person who just entered the church.
The Master of Assassin, the boss of the Fujimura Group, silently eyed everyone in the room. Everyone else was quiet, feeling the tension thicken the atmosphere.
"Rin, do you know this person?" Artoria had noticed Rin's rage.
"That's Assassin's Master." Rin's words sunk into everyone and all the ire that was being contained by Artoria and Chloe's group was directed at the yakuza boss. One wrong move and things would devolve into a brawl. The only thing keeping everyone in check was the fact that nobody was willing to make the first move.
The yakuza took a step forward followed by another. She began to slowly walk deeper into the room. Chloe's twin was about to move, but Chloe put a hand on her shoulder which made her stop. Each of the swordswoman's steps echoed loudly. Everyone just stared as the yakuza progressively got closer to the door at the back of the room which led into the rest of the building. She went through the door and thus was gone, though the tension was still as intense as ever.
"That bitch is responsible for everything." Chloe's twin nearly yelled. "There's no way we can work with her."
"Illya, we have no choice. We need every asset we can acquire." Artoria was frustrated but reasonable.
"We don't need her."
"If we really are up against the power of a Holy Grail then every piece we have on our side has the power to make the difference between victory and defeat."
Illya punched one of the pews. Rin knew how she felt. Rin wanted to strangle that yakuza bitch to death, but there were more important things to worry about at the moment. Once the Greater Grail was defeated, then everyone could get their revenge on the swordswoman. She would face justice in time.