Shirou was not sure whether he would ever open his eyes again. Having Lancer unleash his horrific power reminded him of the day he battled Kotomine. The priest became a vessel for a horrifying being. It was only through sheer determination that Shirou persisted. This time, everything happened too quickly...The enemy was not interested in humiliating or torturing Shirou and his allies; he only sought to kill on Angela's behalf...For a moment, Shirou was ready to meet his fate.
When he opened his eyes, he still found himself at the heart of Waver's estate. It was severely damaged, with cracks spreading all around the walls, but the enemy was gone. He couldn't see Lancer, not even feel his presence. Most others were here, however. Rin and Sakura rose from the ground as the dark chains around them shattered. They hugged one another as Rin helped her younger sister stand up.
"He..." Hector's voice broke the silence, making Shirou turn towards the room center. Hector stood on his knees in front of a small pile of dust on the floor, barely able to hold tears in his eyes. "He's gone..."
Shirou didn't take long to realize he was talking about Iskandar. Shirou could not see Rider anywhere, only vague flashes before his eyes. In those small dreams, he saw the King leading his army towards a powerful enemy, eagerly sacrificing himself for a chance of victory. They were so ephemeral that it was hard to consider them real, but now Shirou realized what he saw. It was Iskandar's noble phantasm that he used to crush Lancer and, as a result, save all of them at the cost of his life.
"Hector…" Waved walked towards him, placing his hand on the man's shoulder. He spoke with warmth and sympathy. Shirou could see pain in his eyes, too, as if Hector's loss was something he could relate to.
"I owed so much to him…I owed him everything. If not for Rider, I would've still been following Angela and…And…"
"I don't doubt that for Iskandar, seeing you break your chains is a reward enough."
"H-how do you know?"
"Just a guess."
"You're right. He always said he didn't need me to return the favor, but still…It is not fair. He would've helped us fight; I know he wanted to!"
"He knew that if he wouldn't make this sacrifice, we would have no chance to continue the battle…I learned much about him. His pride befits the mightiest of kings, and once he makes his decision, one cannot dissuade him from going through with it. Even for me, his dedication is hard to fathom sometimes…And yet, I have nothing but respect for him. He died so we could live on to tell the tale and to see this world survive, so let us save the mourning until after the battle is over."
His words were inspiring to Shirou, as well. They survived this hellish battle, but the hour of judgment was still ahead, and something told Shirou they did not have much time to prepare. Soon, Shirou heard Gilgamesh's heavy steps echo from behind. When the hero turned around, he saw a wounded servant who nevertheless stood tall with his pride on display. It was at this moment that Shirou realized that he was finally able to see the King of Heroes as his ally, not a foe. Caster looked at the remains of two fallen kings with faint yet noticeable regret.
"For the longest time, I believed that only utter fools would give their life away for another…But it seems even I still have something to learn." This admission sounded shocking coming from Gilgamesh, of all people. "As far as Kings go, Iskandar was not half-bad; he might have never reached my heights, but his attempt is admirable in itself…Perhaps, in another life, the two of us could have been friends."
Shirou wanted to speak his mind, too, but he felt a sudden change in his body. A momentary surge of pain in his palm, as if a very small portion of his skin had just disappeared. This could only mean one thing, and the thought horrified Shirou.
It wasn't just Iskandar that fell on this day. Sending Assassin after Angela was a desperate move, yet Shirou still believed there was a chance to stop her…Not anymore.
"Shirou!" Hector spoke up and walked towards the hero, his eyes were brimming with dignity and acceptance. "I have lost my servant…This means that I will not be nearly as useful in the coming fight as I could have been, but I hold on to my offer! I want to help all of you in a battle against Angela…I helped her get to Angra Mainyu, and I want to correct this mistake. Everything I can do without my servant, I will, I only ask for you to give me one…"
"Don't try to convince me." Shirou said quietly, making Hector stop. "I already made my decision, and it doesn't matter whether you are a master or not…Because we're in the same boat." Shirou raised his hand, showing the withered command seals, much to everyone's shock.
"Then the Assassin failed…" Waver concluded.
"Yes," Shirou admitted. "I have lost my servant today, just like Hector, but I won't stop fighting against Angra Mainyu, and I won't deny him this opportunity."
"Does this mean…"
"Yes, welcome to the fold, Hector." Shirou smiled, welcoming a new ally. He could see a smile of pure relief.
"Thank you, I promise I won't disappoint!"
"It's alright, Hector," Sakura reassured him. "You've already done so much in fighting back against someone like her…Many would have been too scared to question Angela, but not you. Even if you decide to leave now, no one will blame you. You are already a hero."
"I…" Hector was flustered and took a deep breath. "I won't leave. Not when there is so much left to do!"
"We will have to come up with a plan," Rin interjected. "If Lancer was this strong, Angela would at least be on the same level."
"We have to rely on our last master," Shirou said and looked at Sakura. "It seems like the burden of saving our lives has fallen on you even after we failed to save you…Forgive us, Sakura, I wish it did not come to this."
"It's alright." The woman reassured him. "I forgave you already…And besides, I don't really consider myself a master, and Gilgamesh is not a servant."
"What do you mean?"
"You said it yourself, Shirou. This is no longer a typical Grail War, and it is not when we are trying to destroy the prize itself. Gilgamesh and I agreed that I wouldn't use any more of my command seals, so what's the point in this distinction? We are all a team. We're all in this battle together, on equal terms…And we will finish it together!"
…
At long last, the hour of triumph has come.
Angela did not expect the Assassin's essence to resist with such dedication, but he proved himself to be a powerful opponent. Still, the outcome was inevitable. The sacrifice has been made, and Angela steps into the crystal heart, bathing in its blissful power. She has become one with a cursed god, a vessel of power that transcends any magic. Not only did she earn her rightful place among the Einzbern family, she outgrew it entirely. Before her and Angra Mainyu, they were nothing more than a faction of cowardly, pathetic homunculi who used her in a desperate attempt to retain their influence. She did not need them anymore.
"Oh, mighty and graceful Avenger, heed my prayer!" Angela shouted while channeling the dark god's energy. "Mighty Lancer has fallen, I could sense it, but he played his part and brought fear into our enemies' souls! Now, I bring another servant before you, the one whose physical strength pales in comparison to Lancer's, but there are other qualities he excels in. The Assassin is incredibly fast and can masterfully hide in the shadows. Only you can make him a creature powerful enough to annihilate the rats that try to stop us. So answer my call, oh great one!"
As she chanted, Angela noticed Archer approaching the violet crater she found herself in. She ordered him not to distract her unless he had something important to report and judging by his concerned expression, this was a case of the latter.
"What do you want, Archer?"
"I have bad news. I scoured the castle to make sure Assassin did not bring any allies, but the only thing I discovered was that Hector and Iskandar were gone…Probably escaped us for good this time, perhaps even joined Emiya's cause."
"I knew Hector was beyond saving the moment he began to feel pity for those corrupt mages…" Angela sighed. "I shouldn't have given him a chance to redeem himself, but it doesn't matter. Forget that pest. He is insignificant."
"Have you forgotten that he is one of the masters in this war?"
"Not anymore…I felt Rider's demise along with Lancer's. Whatever happened to Hector, his servant is now gone; he is powerless without Rider."
"So it's just me and the King of Heroes…History loves repeating itself. I trust you can handle Gilgamesh with all this power?"
"I'm sure I can, but you are not planning to stay out of the battle, are you?"
"No, I'll take Emiya."
"Will he even come? He lost his servant and isn't nearly as strong as he was."
"That will hardly stop him; he will try to fight evil until he dies… That's in his nature."
"And how do you know it?"
"I would've done the same in my youth…Honestly, a part of me wants to do it now." Archer said coldly, immediately provoking Angela.
"Do not forget whose side you are on, servant! If you toe the line, I won't hesitate to turn you into another of Angra Mainyu's slaves."
"Relax, I wasn't planning to," Archer spoke with a chuckle. "We discussed this after my summoning. I may not approve of some of the things you do, but I'm not here to administer judgment. Unlike Emiya, I knew what I was getting myself into. Either way, we have an agreement. I'll take out Shirou, and you can focus on Gilgamesh. With those two gone, the rest will be relatively harmless."
"Sounds like a plan…But don't go just yet, Archer, there is something I need to show you…"
"Can't wait," Archer said sarcastically.
"I didn't destroy Assassin, not entirely. I instilled his fragments into the Grail, and now he transformed them into something truly glorious…Behold!" She called out to Angra Mainyu again, impatient to demonstrate the true extent of his boundless power.
She channeled the dark magic into the crystal's pinnacle. A dark orb emerged and descended to the ground in front of Archer and Angela.
"Yes, see? It already gathers form!" Angela said with excitement as the orb transformed into a creature. A disfigured monster that reminded her of the Assassin, a similarly slim build with a skull mask covering its face, but this time it pulsed with Angra Mainyu's soul. Its limbs were elongated like those of a spider, and it had sharp teeth that thirsted for blood. This was no servant, this was a murderous beast, but for some reason, it didn't feel satisfying enough for Angela, and Archer noticed it.
"Something wrong?"
"Its mana reserves…They are smaller than those of the original Assassin. I don't understand, it shouldn't be…"
Before she could continue, five more dark orbs emerged. They befell on the ground, manifesting five more of those grotesque creatures.
"Ah, I see…" Angela said with a smile. "Forgive me for doubting your power, oh, the Avenger!" She could feel a small fragment of his soul within each of those beasts, as well as a touch of her magic. There were more appearing with each minute, dozens of those monsters…The unstoppable hordes. In a way, they were Angela and Angra Mainyu's children, made in Assassin's image. "Do you feel it, Archer? Angra Mainyu did not just give us a monster; he gave us an army…And they hunger. They sense a lot of prey in Fuyuki, countless weak, vulnerable morsels that will feed Angra Mainyu and hasten his coming."
He was here, soon to be born and bring his judgement upon this world.
Angela will savor the taste of this victory.