The Black Grail's mud surged from her dress and towards the four who were once her family. Mordred took point and swung his sword which released gold and black lightning that split the curses down the middle. Some mud sprinkled the Alter Servant's form, but his nature and the fact that the mud was how he was created meant it didn't do much to him. The Black Grail growled as she kept trying to bombard her targets with mud, only for Mordred to act as a wall she couldn't surmount. She regretted ever bringing Mordred back from the dead. If the Black Grail had time to build up enough mud, then she'd be able to flood the whole flying machine and claim victory, but she never had the chance thanks to the constant thrusts and slashes from Illya. The Black Grail had to focus primarily on dodging and creating barriers of mud to prevent her daughter from reaching her. That was a challenge given her daughter's Time Alter magecraft made her so fast that the Black Grail had to spend a lot of magical energy on enhancing her own senses just to keep up. The situation wasn't helped by the fact that Black Grail had no good way to keep her former children at bay long enough to prepare a decent counterattack.
Gilgamesh was handling Artoria and the Lion King. The former was the cynosure of the golden man's interest and affection, the goddess only being an annoyance he kept trying to swat away with various Noble Phantasms. Despite the Divine Spirit being weakened after her last fight with the King of Heroes, she was still a Servant of the highest level and was able to deflect Gilgamesh's projectiles with single swipes of her spear. She did have to watch out for Gilgamesh's chains given their ability to restrain those with Divinity made it the perfect way to capture and kill the Lion King, but the goddess was just a little too swift to get caught. Meanwhile, Artoria was having more difficulty knocking away Gilgamesh's raining weapons, but was still managing to do so. The King of Knights was having an especially difficult time given the Black Grail had just ended her contract with her, meaning she currently lacked a Master to provide her with magical energy. If Artoria kept on fighting as she was, she'd run out of power and disappear. Gilgamesh would probably incapacitate her and let the Black Grail corrupt her before she could completely disappear. At that point, Gilgamesh could finish the Lion King and then help with defeating Illya and Mordred. As long as the Black Grail held out for a little longer, victory was assured.
That plan hinged on Gilgamesh also holding out for long enough. The Black Grail assumed he would have no issue with that, but she was wrong. Two versions of King Arthur, one weakened, but the other a deity. This combined force proved powerful as the goddess fired waves of light that blew dozens and even hundreds of Noble Phantasms away, creating gaps in Gilgamesh's offense that Artoria was able to use to gradually get close to him. The King of Knights got to show off her superior skill in close combat as she unloaded a combination of slashes with Excalibur that were so perfect it was uncanny. Gilgamesh tried to fire more Noble Phantasms to push his bride-to-be away, but the Lion King kept using blasts of magical energy to defend Artoria by destroying the oncoming weapons. The King of Knights didn't pause for a second to even acknowledge the projectiles the golden man tried to fire at her, for she trusted her alternate counterpart, the woman who also possessed some fragment of her adopted daughter, to protect her. Gilgamesh started pulling out a variety of weapons for him to defend against Artoria's close range assault. He pulled out swords that froze what they touched, a scythe that passed through objects and absorbed magical energy, holy and demonic swords, axes, halberds, hammers, magic staves, and more. All of Gilgamesh's weapons had their unique abilities, from severing spacetime to destroying the soul, but these were only cheap gimmicks in the hands of a man who had never practiced using them. Artoria had a simple style of combat, but it was one she perfected over a lifetime. Her swordsmanship expertise let her deal with each new weapon Gilgamesh brought out before knocking them out of his hands. Gilgamesh tried to deceive Artoria by having her hit away a three-edged sword that arced through the air like a boomerang back towards the King of Knights, but she saw it coming and hit it again, this time hard enough to turn the blade to metal pebbles. Normally Gilgamesh had a distinct advantage over Artoria and nearly all other Servants. He had weapons of endless quantity and peak quality that let him overwhelm most opponents. That advantage was mitigated by the Lion King acting as a counter to Gilgamesh's attempts at ranged bombardment. This meant that Artoria could take advantage of her talent for close quarters dueling. When it came to actually wielding weapons in a traditional sense, Gilgamesh simply couldn't compare to his beloved Artoria. He was but a novice in the face of one of the greatest swordsmen to ever be. The tricks his armaments had were of little benefit when he lacked the technical ability to get the most out of them. From range he had both quantity and quality, but when it came to extended close quarters combat, he only had quantity.
Despite having been pushed into a difficult situation, Gilgamesh wasn't necessarily losing. He still had yet to take a wound and was holding his own decently well against Artoria. He wasn't completely unfamiliar with wielding weapons after all, and Sha Naqba Imuru gave the golden king knowledge on how to utilize each of his Noble Phantasms. He still lacked the personal experience and training to truly use his weapons to their full capacity, but he wasn't entirely out of his depth. Also, let no one forget that Artoria was running on fumes. The King of Knights was getting weaker with each passing second and each swing of Excalibur. If she was at her best, then she probably would have gotten a killing blow in by now, but she was far from her prime at the moment. To top it all off, Gilgamesh was taking this fight more seriously than any other the Black Grail had seen him in. He was up against someone he truly respected and he was wise enough to recognize that he was getting pressured. His pride wasn't getting in the way of him like it usually would. True, he was likely not using his true full strength, but only those closest to him could ever get him to use all he had.
At this point, whether Gilgamesh or the two King Arthurs would win depended on whether Artoria would run out of magical energy first, or if Gilgamesh would get overtaken by the skill difference. Both Gilgamesh and Artoria were sweating. Their eyes were blazing with intensity and were as focused as lasers. The King of Heroes was flush as his blood flowed and his admiration for Artoria continued to increase. The King of Knights' pallor made it clear she was on the brink of using up her remaining energy. Despite that, Artoria never acquiesced when Gilgamesh tried to put pressure on her. Her style remained aggressive, never refraining from taking an opportunity to move forward. Prickles moved across the Black Grail's skin every time she glimpsed Artoria remaining strong in the face of cruel odds. Irisviel's heart beat faster and-
No! The Black Grail couldn't let her former feelings distract her. She jettisoned her foolish enrapturement with Artoria when the mud showed her the truth. Artoria had to pay the piper for her stupidity and selfishness.
It was by a narrow margin that the Black Grail avoided getting stabbed by Illya's sword. She had to forget about Artoria and Gilgamesh's fight and focus on Illya and Mordred. The Black Grail created a stream of mud, but Mordred blew it away with another Mana Burst. Illya would try and attack next, that was the pattern Mordred and Illya were following. The knight defended, then the homunculus attacked. It was repetitive.
Pain in the Black Grail's gut. She just got tackled by Mordred. The vessel of the Grail let herself follow the pattern Illya and Mordred created, only for them to break it and disorient her. The dress the Black Grail wore wrapped around the son of King Arthur, burning into his armor. Mordred's resistance to the curses meant he wouldn't die quickly, but long enough exposure to enough mud would eventually kill him. This was a fact Mordred didn't appear too concerned over.
Mordred didn't just charge into the Black Grail. He also grabbed her and ran off the edge of the flying machine. The two began to plummet, the wind rushing past them as they accelerated towards and eventually reached terminal velocity. This was a ploy to get the Black Grail away from Gilgamesh and allow Illya to go help Artoria and the Lion King.
The Black Grail spawned more mud right in Mordred's face, the curses getting shot like a pressured water jet. The Knight powered through as the mud burned his face, reassembling his helmet to better block the Black Grail's attempt to push him away.
The ground was getting closer. Mordred pulled his sword back to plunge it into the Black Grail's chest. The jet of mud grew wider and more powerful. The knight was struggling to keep hold of the homunculus.
Armored fingers lost their hold on the Black Grail as they were lubricated by the mud. Mordred was pushed away, but he thrust his sword anyway, the blade shooting a torrent of black and gold lightning.
A shield of curses tried to absorb the attack, but there was too much lightning and the Black Grail couldn't generate enough mud fast enough. The mud and lighting exploded, and the Black Grail felt her bones tremble as the shockwave resonated with her body.
The Black Grail whimpered from the pain. She created more mud that formed a cushion below her. She was right on time for when she hit the ground, the curses diffusing the majority of the impact's kinetic energy.
The homunculus didn't move. She inhaled and exhaled through her teeth as she let herself bask in her physical anguish. Her whole body felt like it was being split apart, skin peeling away and her bones cracking. In truth, her body was in almost perfect condition thanks to her ability to heal and her functionally endless reserves of magical energy. It was just the pain that The Black Grail struggled with. She wasn't a fighter by any means and so she was unused to taking hits. She was experienced with pain thanks to living for ten years with the Grail's residual influence, but that was more of a slow building, droning agony rather than a sudden sharp burning like she was currently experiencing.
Looking around, the Black Grail saw that she was on the road that led to the church. She had no idea where Mordred was, but he was probably still alive given his durability was his best quality. He hadn't yet come to attack the Black Grail again, so either he ended up really far away, or he wasn't targeting the homunculus anymore. As for the latter possibility, there were three reasons why he'd avoid facing the Black Grail again. Option A: He knew he couldn't kill the Black Grail in the long run, especially now that she had time to build up curses and make some mud giants. That was a solid possibility. Option B: Mordred wanted to get back to the Vimana to help with the fight against Gilgamesh. It wasn't impossible, but it wasn't likely that Mordred could jump or propel herself back up to the ship. Option C: Mordred didn't want to kill Irisviel for the sake of the rest of their family since they wanted to save her. That last possibility all depended on whether Mordred Alter had been influenced enough by the old Mordred's memories and emotions.
No matter the reason, the Black Grail was no longer preoccupied with the Knight of Treachery and now had to decide what to do next. It wouldn't take too long for the homunculus to return to full health thanks to her healing magecraft, so it would be best if she went back to help Gilgamesh. Even with his might, the King of Heroes was already having difficulty against both King Arthurs, so having to deal with Illya too could be the straw that broke the camel's back.
"Master." The collective voice of Hassan Alter spoke to the Black Grail's mind.
"What is it?"
"We can no longer hold off the coalition of our enemies in the church. We'll die if we continue. Should we retreat, or self-sacrifice?"
"Shit!" The Black Grail bit into her hand, blood seeping out. There was no way she could waste Hassan on this fight, but if the other Masters and Servants were no longer being held in place, then at least some of them could go help fight against Gilgamesh. If even just Heracles got up there, then it would be a disaster. The Black Grail just wanted to get the jump on the enemy and take some of them out. This was meant to be more of a fun distraction than a serious operation, that was why the Grail didn't bring all her forces. Now she was at risk of losing some of her best pawns. "Retreat. The plan's fubar. As long as one of you survives, we can make more masks, so leave some of you behind to stall a little longer while the rest of you retreat."
"Yes, Master."
The Black Grail braced herself to talk to Gilgamesh next. Trying to convince him to retreat was going to be like walking on a tightrope made of piano wire.
"Gilgamesh." The Black Grail spoke to the golden man telepathically.
"What is it?"
"I think it would be best if we retreat. Hassan is near death and the other Masters and Servants will come your way. We shouldn't waste your time here anymore." It would be easiest to convince Gilgamesh if the Black Grail framed the fight as beneath Gilgamesh.
"Don't play to my pride like I'm some fool. I won't retreat when victory is at hand, and I certainly won't be leaving until I have my Saber."
"But at this rate, Saber will run out of magical energy. When Illya destroyed my Command Spells, it cut off my connection to Saber." The Black Grail lied as to not reveal Saber was near death due to her own choice to cut the connection. "If you keep pushing Saber while she isn't linked to anyone who can give her power, she'll disappear. If we leave, she can have one of the humans become her Master. You could try asking for a timeout until Saber can find a new Master, but they likely won't comply."
"You act as if I can't finish this before Saber discorporates. Also, why would Saber's allies not agree to a ceasefire so she can be saved."
"Her family may be willing to pause the battle, but do you think the Masters and Servants she's just met wouldn't take advantage of the ceasefire to attack you while your guard's down. You know how cowards fight. They may even take Saber hostage if they learn just how invested in her you are. They'll try to force you to comply with their demands. Right now, they just think you see her as a passing fancy."
"My clairvoyance shows me no such eventuality."
"But Saber herself might try something like that. She'll nobly leverage her own life to force your hand."
"That is a future I can see." Good, he was coming around. "Then I'll just finish this quickly."
"But the other servants are coming. They are nuisances that will delay you. Even you must admit that Heracles has the might necessary to jump onto the Vimana and get in your way."
"That is another future I can't reject."
"We should leave for now. You can make Saber yours on the day of the final battle. That would be the most fittingly climatic moment for such an event."
"Fine." Gilgamesh didn't sound happy. In fact, he sounded like he was just barely relenting and could change his mind with but one wrong word.
"I thank you for your restraint."
The Vimana did an aileron roll while staying in place, the rotation of the ship flinging off Saber, the Lion King, and Illya. Gilgamesh was able to stay on the flying machine as if it hadn't just spun around thanks to some function of the ship. The Vimana flew off in a zig-zag motion, the Lion King trying and failing to catch up to the ship before it was too far gone by propelling herself with magical energy from Rhongomyniad. Gilgamesh was gone and the Black Grail could feel that Hassan had escaped too. The homunculus followed them by riding atop a high speed stream of mud through the sky.
The humiliation of having to run away was great which made the Black Grail angrier than she already was. She couldn't wait for the final battle to unload the building rage inside her. She originally initiated the attack on the church for the purpose of letting out some of her aggression. Instead of letting out some steam the operation exponentially raised the Black Grail's anger levels. The Black Grail needed an outlet for her wrath. She was going to drown in her own hate that was constantly being enhanced by the Greater Grail otherwise. She'd truly lose herself to the Grail's will if she didn't occasionally release her hate like she was letting her own blood. She needed a target. She didn't even need to harm her target with her own hands. She just needed to cause someone pain like her own.
Night came as the Black Grail reached Dolorous Guard hidden within Mount Enzo. In front of the door was Gilles who was on his knees.
"Oh, dark messiah, I welcome you to our apocalyptic cathedral!" The serial killer raised his arms to the sky. "Praise be to you! How did your crusade to defeat the infidels go?"
"Poorly. I need to rest."
"How terrible! I am deeply saddened to hear that your pilgrimage was unsuccessful!"
"Please be quiet, Gilles. My head is throbbing."
"I understand." Gilles was struggling to restrain himself to a softer tone. "Before you recuperate, I have some important information to share."
"What is it?"
"Lancer and her Master have returned. My familiar spotted them. Not only that, but it appears that a second Lancer is present with them."
"A second Lancer? She summoned a second Servant in the same class?"
"It is another instance of the same Heroic Spirit as far as I can tell."
"How is that possible?"
"I don't know. Perhaps my observations were inaccurate. I'm sorry I can't provide you with better information."
"It's fine." The Black Grail waved her hand. "So Lancer and her Master are back. Looks like I can relieve some stress after all. Gather everyone but Gilgamesh, Hassan, and Guinevere. We're going after them. We'll kill the Master and, hopefully, make some new allies."
"Yes, almighty apostle of our god of vengeance!"
The Black Grail smiled and licked her lips.