This Is My Holy Grail War [90]

It hurts… so much.

Assassin’s thoughts swirled in a haze of pain and emptiness. As her mana continued to drain, another force poured into her—a strange, soothing energy.

How could one describe such a feeling? Pain and pleasure intertwined.

What kept Assassin alive wasn’t the meager endurance granted by Rin’s Command Spell. It was [Battle Continuation] at its highest level, allowing her to cling to life even in the face of fatal wounds.

Yet, [Battle Continuation] wasn’t immortality or resurrection. When its limits were reached, death was inevitable.

Truthfully, even Assassin herself felt surprised she had survived this long. By all accounts, her spiritual core had been irreparably damaged. So what was keeping her alive now? [Battle Continuation] alone wasn’t sufficient.

Still bound in the form of Lancer’s body, Assassin pondered this mystery.

Then the answer came, presented to her not by observation but through the mysterious abilities she had inherited.

[You have obtained an EX-rank Noble Phantasm: Avalon: The Everdistant Utopia.]

Avalon? The realization hit her.

“Saber?” Assassin whispered, her voice hoarse and disoriented.

Her sudden exclamation startled Artoria, who was nearby teaching Shirou the basics of swordsmanship. But that wasn’t the focus—Assassin’s shock stemmed from the massive transformation her status screen had undergone.

[Endurance: D → D+++]

The upgrade wasn’t just significant—it was miraculous. The scabbard of [Avalon: The Everdistant Utopia], not only enhanced her endurance but also granted her a degree of immortality, healing her wounds with divine precision.

“What’s happening to me?” Assassin murmured as she felt her body caught in a strange cycle of destruction and regeneration. Her flesh and spirit were breaking apart, yet [Avalon] was tirelessly restoring them. Mana drained away only to be replenished just as quickly. It was an endless loop of suffering and salvation.

“You have [Avalon] embedded within you,” Saber explained calmly, stepping closer. “I placed the scabbard inside your body. It was closer to me than I thought—and thanks to it, you’ve clung to life.”

The endurance granted by Rin’s Command Spell had merely delayed the inevitable. What truly saved Assassin was a combination of factors: [Battle Continuation], [Divinity], [Avalon], and Rin’s precious gemstones. Together, they allowed her to survive the seemingly inescapable death dealt by Kojirō’s [Tsubame Gaeshi].

Still, her spiritual core remained irreparably damaged. Without Avalon’s constant healing, her body would crumble within moments. In this state, she was living on borrowed time.

“I’ve been by your side the whole time,” Saber added, a faint smile softening her stern features. “Avalon requires my mana to function. I couldn’t leave you unattended.”

Saber knelt gracefully beside Assassin’s tatami mat, her delicate hands clasping his firmly.

“Thank you, Sir Assassin. If not for your courage in holding off the purple Assassin and disrupting Lancer’s Noble Phantasm, I would have perished on foreign soil,” she said, her voice thick with emotion.

Saber’s gratitude was genuine, but it also carried a heavy weight of guilt. Time and time again, her loyal knights had sacrificed everything for her—and yet she had failed to lead Britain to prosperity. The memory of those sacrifices deepened her longing for the Holy Grail, the one miracle that could undo the fate of her kingdom.

“What happened to Lancer?” Assassin asked weakly.

“He retreated after his failure. It was a swift and calculated withdrawal—clean and precise,” Saber replied, though her furrowed brow betrayed her frustration.

“That scabbard… can I keep it?” Assassin began cautiously but was interrupted before finishing.

“You may,” Saber answered without hesitation. “Loyalty deserves its reward. Besides, as Rin has explained, your body will collapse without Avalon’s protection.”

“Thank you, Saber.”

“There is no need to thank me. This is what a king must do for her people,” Saber said, her voice imbued with quiet dignity.

A knock on the door interrupted their conversation. Both turned toward the sound to see Tohsaka Rin standing hesitantly in the doorway.

“Saber… I need to speak with Assassin alone. It’s… important,” Rin said, her tone faltering slightly as she fidgeted with her hands.

“Why?” Saber asked directly.

“It’s about his mana,” Rin explained. “Assassin’s reserves are critically low, and his damaged spiritual core makes replenishment incredibly difficult.”

“Understood. Leave it to the expert,” Saber said, rising gracefully. She left without argument, closing the door behind her.

The room was simple—a traditional Japanese-style space with sliding doors and tatami mats. Assassin lay not on a bed, but on the floor. Now, only he and Rin remained.

“You’re running dangerously low on mana,” Rin said, stepping closer. “And I haven’t been able to channel enough into you through our contract. Assassin… do you know a faster way to restore mana?”

“To replenish a Servant’s mana quickly?” Assassin tilted his head, thinking carefully. Then he remembered. “Exchanging body fluids?”

“You didn’t have to say it out loud!” Rin exclaimed, covering her mouth as her face flushed crimson.

“But it’s not necessary,” Assassin said matter-of-factly, waving off the idea. “I can replicate Saber’s abilities. One of my hidden skills allows me to mimic others.”

“Mimic…?” Rin asked, still recovering from her embarrassment.

“Saber has the [Dragon Reactor Core], which grants her immense mana. I don’t have the core itself, but I can generate mana by consuming food. This way, Saber doesn’t have to stay by my side.”

Rin sighed in relief. “Honestly, you’re so dense… I had to work up so much courage to even bring this up.”

—

T/N: …ASSASSIN YOU FOOL!

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!