Saber walked in the flames that burned like purgatory.

The wounds inflicted on her by Berserker are far beyond what can be healed by self-regeneration. The original shiny silver armor was also stained with black stains under Berserker's countless attacks. His bloodless skin was as pale as white paper. Her knees were weak, her ankles were shaking, her breath was short, and with every step she took, a pain that almost made her unconscious hit her body.

Even though it was difficult, Saber didn't stop moving forward.

She also carries responsibilities and promises that must be fulfilled as a king. There is only one way left to fulfill this promise, and that is to get the Holy Grail. So she had to move forward, spurring her scarred body and gritting her teeth and moving forward.

Finally reached the first floor. Through the entrance, push open the door, and you will see an empty music auditorium. And in the center of the stage in front, the Holy Grail, which shimmered with dazzling golden light, was floating in the flames.

"Ah......h

At a glance, you can see that this is undoubtedly the holy grail you desire.

The physical body of the android is reduced to a golden container made of inorganic matter. Saber had no way of knowing what was going on, and she could already perceive what was happening from the scene in front of her.

She is the "Guardian of the Instrument" and is determined to hand over the Holy Grail to Kiritsugu and Saber. If the vessel could be taken away by someone else, she would have stepped forward to defend the Holy Grail to the death. Alice Phil did not appear at the ceremony, and the Holy Grail was about to descend under the manipulation of an invisible hand.

"Alice Phil ......"

Recalling her voice and smile, Saber choked and bit her lip.

He swore to protect her with his sword, but he couldn't. I broke my oath.

It's like I didn't save my dear motherland.

It's like failing to resolve a friend's pain.

Self-blame and humiliation tore through her heart. Saber's mind flashed back to the city that had been covered in snow all year round, and Alice Phil's words during the exchange of vows.

- Saber, to get the Holy Grail. For you, and your Master—

「…… Yes, at least I will keep this promise. This is the only promise......

It's everything that supports Saber now.

At this moment, she is still clinging to the sword in her hand, still breathing, and her heart is still beating. All this is because of one reason.

Saber took a firm step forward. That's when it happened.

"—too slow, Saber. Even if I was bitten back by a rabid dog that had been raised, I shouldn't have to wait so long. 」

A desperate golden figure stood in the middle of the passage between the auditoriums, blocking Saber's path.

「…… Archer……」

"Hehe, don't make that face. I know you covet my treasures, but it's better to be restrained, such a revealing expression is really tasteless. 」

Saber did not fail to anticipate the appearance of the enemy.

This civic hall is the last assembly place for all the surviving Servants. Even if other enemies attack each other, it is not naïve to hope that they will die together. There is one battle left, and the enemy is undoubtedly either Rider or Archer.

But—Archer's intact armor and the breath of his calm, abundant magic made Saber grit his teeth.

There is no doubt that this golden Servant was unscathed. It's not just harmless, it's almost completely unconsumed.

Saber, who had been battered in the battle with Berserker, had to hope that his opponent would suffer considerable attrition in the fierce battle with Rider if he wanted to defeat Archer. But at this moment, on the Archer in front of him, there was not a single scar left by a battle.

I didn't expect that the conquering king failed to avenge the sword...... Is this Servant, who still doesn't know his true identity, really that powerful?

Out of the corner of his eye, the slightly familiar figure made Saber turn his head in confusion, and then, her emerald green eyes shrank sharply.

"For... What the... You're going to be here...!?"

As far as the eye can see, Illya is nailed to the broken wall by swords and guns, and Miyu, who is lying on the ground weakly. Maybe it's the result of their efforts, although they all suffered injuries on their bodies, but even Illya, who was nailed to the wall, didn't have serious fatal wounds on her body.

"Oh, that's just a few thieves who want to steal the king's belongings. 」

The ornate equipment turned into golden light and dissipated, and Illya's petite body fell limply to the ground, and thanks to this, Illya's originally vague meaning gradually became clear.

"Uhh

Maybe it was a wound, Illya subconsciously moaned. But when she saw Meiyu, who was also unconscious lying on the ground, she tried her best to stand up and walk towards her.

Nothing can be protected, no oath to protect Alice Phil, and now even her daughter is the same. Now that the last glimmer of hope was gone, a flame of anger rose in Saber's heart.

It doesn't matter what the odds are, the tactics don't matter. Saber just felt unforgivable, she couldn't forgive, and to this day there were still people standing between her and the Holy Grail.

「…… You give it to me, get out of the way......

Saber's deep voice was full of resentment. Crazy obsession turned her once-clear emerald green eyes into a cloudy tawny.

"Holy Grail...... It's my ......!"

The scars on her body could not stop Saber's movements, and she roared and swung her sword at Archer, but as soon as she took a step forward, she was immediately impaled in the left leg by a treasure projected from the sky.

Saber fell to the ground, but gritted his teeth to prevent himself from moaning. Looking around, I saw that the weapons of the "King's Treasure" that appeared in the air one after another had all aimed their sharp blades at themselves, and they could be fired at any time.

As soon as the master gave the order, countless primordial treasures would be shot at Saber in one volley, and she had become a veritable target. Due to the previous piercing of his left leg, Saber couldn't even dodge it.

「Saber…… You have fallen into the way you are obsessed with lying on the ground, and you have become more beautiful. 」

Archer's blood-colored eyes, with an uncomfortable emotion, stared at Saber who was in a desperate situation but still trying to make a final struggle.

"I don't know why you're obsessed with the Holy Grail of miracles. Saber, the very existence of this woman of yours is already a rare 'miracle', isn't it?"

Archer's tone was unusually calm, as if he wasn't facing a dangerous enemy at the moment. This calm made Saber, who had no way out, more and more vigilant.

"You're ...... What do you say......

"Throw away your sword and be my wife. 」

In this scene, in this situation, Archer's words caught Saber off guard. Because it was so unexpected, she was stunned on the spot.

"Huh?"

「…？」

Even Miyu and Illya, who had just woken up, were stunned by this unexpected remark.

"Ah, that's a marriage proposal. 」

Illya's wand—Ruby said as she shook her 'body', but for some reason it seemed a little excited. As a younger sister, Safiya couldn't help but remind.

"Sister, you're so excited. 」

「…… What, what do you say...... What are you going to do!?"

"Even if you don't understand it, don't you feel happy to hear this? It's not someone else, it's me, who recognizes your value. 」

Perhaps Archer is the only one who would take such a conclusion for granted. The golden Servant tilted his head proudly, staring at the woman he liked except Enkidu in front of him.

"Abandon boring ideals and vows. That kind of thing will only bind you and bring you misfortune. All you have to do is desire me and live under my protection. In this case, I swear in the name of the King of Vientiane that I will grant you all the happiness in this world. 」

「……」

His arrogant tone was enough to rekindle the anger in Saber's heart, who was in confusion.

"Are you doing this for such ridiculous purposes...... Compete with me for the Holy Grail?"

The second Noble Phantasm exploded as it swept through the tip of Saber's nose as it roared. The aftermath of the shock alone blew her away.

"I'm not asking about your will, I'm telling you about my decision. 」

Archer's face was bloodthirsty with pleasure, as if enjoying Saber's angry resistance.

Originally, this arrogant heroic spirit did not regard his opponent as an equal competitor to himself at all. The enemy only deserves to be toyed with, to be humiliated, and he likes to admire the way they submit to him. Saber's desperate fight back was nothing more than an ordinary aftershow for Archer.

"Alright, let me hear your answer. Although the answer is already in front of me, I am curious to see what kind of expression you will use to say this in person. 」

"I refuse! I never—"

Before she could finish speaking, Archer's swift drop plunged into Saber's already wounded left leg again. Archer laughed as Saber groaned in pain.

"It's okay if you're too shy to say it, I'll forgive you for making a few mistakes. You must first learn to suffer in order to appreciate the joy I give you. 」

The group of Noble Phantasms floating in the air shook their sharp blades in menacing, and gradually approached Saber.

Uncontrollable anger boiled Saber's mind. Rather than being tortured and killed in humiliation, it is better to fight for a life to return the favor to the enemy.

There is no other way. If you concentrate all the remaining power in your body, you may be able to squeeze out the magic power to unleash the final blow of the Sword of Victory of the Oath. It wasn't surprising that a Heroic Spirit of Archer's unfathomable strength could defend against attacks on the Castle Phantasm, but at this moment, he was so convinced that he would win, and he never thought that Saber would launch a counterattack.

But if Saber were to launch a counterattack on Archer from his current position, the attack would directly hit the Holy Grail on the stage. Even if Archer were to withstand the attack and turn to charcoal, the Holy Grail would inevitably be destroyed at the same time. In that case, all efforts would be in vain.

"What should I do......

Saber is faced with a dilemma, and at this moment...

"Huh?"

Although your own mana is low, your own mana will be upgraded to A rank if you wear gold armor. And just now, this skill of his own bounced off the attack of the pure magic block for himself.

"What a joke!"

Illya and Miyu, who had not been seriously injured, had completely recovered at this time, and they were naturally furious when they saw what Archer had done.

"Looks like the target of the erasure is about to change, little ghost. 」

With Archer's displeased words, the dense group of Noble Phantasms shifted direction and took aim at Illya and Miyu below. Seeing this, Illya and Miyu did not have the slightest fear in their eyes, and calmly took out a card.

"I don't know anything complicated, and to be honest, my head has been a mess since I came here. Another mother, a familiar and unfamiliar brother, and the Holy Grail War, it's really annoying that so many questions are pouring out at once. 」

Illya slowly raised her hand, revealing the rank card with the name of the strongest class.

"However, I know very well what to do, I want to protect the people I want to protect, and as an enemy, I will never forgive you for what you do!"

"Illya, most of your mana has already been consumed, and it is too dangerous to use rank cards in this state. 」

"It's okay. 」

Although I don't know why, my body knows what to do. I don't know what the outcome will be, but that's all I have to do now!

"Yes, then you can die in peace. 」

The Noble Phantasm radiated a light, and it was the rhythm that was to be projected. At that moment, the Phantasm flew from out of nowhere and bounced back before Archer's Phantasm group was about to be projected.

"What!?"

The unexpected situation caused Archer's blood-red snake eyes to widen, and at the same time, a figure slowly entered his field of vision.

"Surprised? And rightfully so, after all, you bastard doesn't take anyone in your sight all along, I'm right, Hero King. 」

Some red-haired teenagers, Emiya Shirou stood calmly in front of Archer.

……