This Is My Holy Grail War [86]

Ryuudou Temple, the sanctuary crafted by Caster, remained standing despite its creator’s departure. Yet the magical constructs Medea had created were already crumbling to dust.

The dragon tooth soldiers disintegrated the moment they lost their source of mana. As for Assassin, her end was not as immediate, but the absence of her Master’s mana supply left her body unbearably heavy.

It felt as though the entire world was turning against her, greedily trying to drain what little magical energy remained in her.

Pressure. A suffocating, relentless pressure bore down on her, as if she were submerged thousands of meters beneath the sea. The weight crushed her, forcing her to her knees.

Her magical armor, sustained by mana release, shattered like a popped bubble, vanishing completely. Half-collapsed on the ground, Assassin’s consciousness began to blur. Her mana was slipping away, draining uncontrollably. She clenched her teeth, struggling to force herself upright, but her body refused to obey.

It hurts… so much… I can’t bear it…

Assassin was once again without a Master, reduced to a rogue Servant. The desperate craving for mana clawed at her mind, threatening to drive her insane.

In the dim light, a shadow approached. Assassin immediately recognized the familiar magical energy emanating from the figure.

“You’re mine now, Assassin,” Tohsaka Rin’s voice reached her ears, calm but trembling faintly with suppressed emotion.

A surge of mana flowed into Assassin’s body, rekindling her vitality. For the first time since Caster’s fall, she felt alive again.

“So, you won,” Assassin murmured, glancing at Kuzuki Souichirou. With Medea gone, a hollow emptiness crept over her. Caster’s death held little personal meaning for her, yet there was an inexplicable sense of loss.

“What’s with that reluctant expression?!” Rin snapped, crossing her arms and glaring at her newly contracted Servant. “Do you have any idea how hard it was to get Lancer to cooperate? I had to move heaven and earth to save you!”

“Is that so?” Assassin replied flatly. She was far more curious about Kirei Kotomine’s cooperation with Rin. “Caster was a lot more mature than you, you know.”

“You—! I rescued you from that witch’s grasp, and this is the thanks I get?!” Rin huffed in frustration before muttering under her breath, “What’s so great about her compared to me anyway?”

“Yes, yes, you’re the best Master in the world,” Assassin said dismissively, rising slowly to her feet. Yet her thoughts drifted back to Caster. Among the three Masters she had served, Caster was the only one who had shown her warmth. Perhaps it was because Caster, too, was a Servant and had treated her as an equal. Assassin wasn’t certain.

“What’s with that tone, like you’re humoring a child?! Ugh, whatever. The battle’s over.” Rin sighed, her irritation fading into relief. “I thought for sure we’d have to face Caster. But now that she’s gone, Kuzuki has no reason to keep fighting, right?”

“No, it’s far from over,” Assassin interjected, her gaze fixed on Kuzuki Souichirou.

“Don’t grieve, Caster.” With Medea gone, Kuzuki’s expression remained impassive. Despite her death, he showed no sign of sorrow—and no intention of ceasing his fight.

“Fuyuki’s serial killer, the war is over. Caster is dead, and as a Master, you no longer have the right to compete in the Holy Grail War,” Kotomine declared. “Let it go. The Grail is nothing more than a generator of sin.”

Kuzuki said nothing. He answered with action, launching a sudden charge toward Kotomine.

“Lancer, kill him,” Kotomine ordered, his tone devoid of emotion.

“Understood, boss,” Lancer replied coldly, raising his crimson spear as he surged toward Kuzuki.

The battle lasted barely two seconds. Without Caster’s magical reinforcement, Kuzuki Souichirou was no match for a Servant. Lancer’s [Gáe Bolg] pierced his heart effortlessly, denying him even the chance to resist.

Kuzuki’s body began to decay where the spear had struck, cursed crimson cracks spreading outward like veins of corruption.

“What a pitiful man,” Kotomine said, his voice heavy with mock sympathy. “Life would’ve been easier to cling to.”

“Next is Saber,” Kotomine declared, his eerie smile illuminated by the moonlight. It wasn’t a genuine grin, but a forced, unhinged expression of determination. “Every participant in the Holy Grail War is an enemy that must be eliminated.”

Having planned this assault on Ryuudou Temple meticulously, Kotomine had also extracted information about Saber through his alliance with Rin. Saber, like Assassin, was a Servant from the previous war and lacked the means to counter [Gáe Bolg].

In Kotomine’s mind, there was no reason to hesitate. She, too, would die.

The blood on his hands was already immeasurable. Over the years, he had killed so many heretics that adding a few more lives made no difference.

Ever since the Holy Grail War was thrust upon him, Kotomine knew he could never ascend to Heaven. His descent into Hell was inevitable. But to him, that was fine—his greatest redemption would be sending more souls to Heaven in his place.

“Not even the King of Knights can stand against [Gáe Bolg]!” Kotomine said with grim finality. “Lancer, go. Kill Saber.”

“Assassin…” Rin instinctively called out to her newly contracted Servant, her voice filled with anger over Kotomine’s betrayal. Yet she found herself powerless to act. Though she had reclaimed Assassin, Kotomine’s indifference toward her was palpable.

“I know Assassin better than any of you,” Kotomine said, shaking his head. “She cannot block [Gáe Bolg]. But this isn’t her time to die.”

“You’re despicable!” Rin snapped, her voice trembling with rage. To her, it was clear that Kotomine had used their alliance to extract information about Saber.

“Yes, I am,” Kotomine admitted without hesitation, even nodding to affirm her accusation. “Only by discarding human emotions can the people of this city be truly saved.”

He raised the cross hanging from his neck, trembling slightly as he kissed it with reverence. “Lord… cleanse us of our sins.” The cold wind whispered around him, and his lips turned faintly purple from the chill, his voice faltering.

“By the Command Spell, Lancer, unleash your Noble Phantasm and kill Saber!”

A brilliant crimson light surged from Kotomine’s arm, illuminating the night. The sheer number of Command Spells he wielded was staggering—they covered his entire forearm!

—

T/N: NOOO NOT SABER

This is a fan translation of 这是我的圣杯之战 by 向希望祈祷. All rights to the original work belong to the creator. Please support them by exploring their original work or sharing it with others if you can. Thank you for reading and supporting my efforts to bring this story to a wider audience!