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 "weapon" could be taken away by someone else, she would surely step forward to protect 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 ......"

recalled 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 to the city that had been covered in snow all year round. and Alice Field's words during the exchange of vows.

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

“…… Yes, at least I will keep this promise. Only this 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 you are bitten back by a rabid dog that has been raised. I shouldn't have waited so long. ”

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

This is to taste the last fruit, deliberately one step ahead of Saber. As a guard boss, he is generally waiting here.

“…… 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. It's like a dog that has been hungry for a long time. ”

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

This civic hall. It 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.

Obviously, the real Caster Will, Saber agreed with the other party's weirdness, but didn't think that Rider or Archer, who were really serious, would lose to that person. Although those grass and mud horses are indeed difficult, as long as they don't deal with these little guys, they just need to directly deal with the body of the other party's heroic spirits. It's perfectly capable of solving the problem, so it is impossible for Caster to survive to the end.

But - Archer's intact armor and the breath of his calm, abundant magic. Saber gritted her 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 a fierce battle with Caster or 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?

Or was it because Caster and Rider were both defeated and Archer was taken advantage of?

No, it won't be so. A proud person like the Hero King can't really pick up anything cheap.

Fear......

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. As previously the left leg was pierced. 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 to say ......"

"Throw away the sword and be my wife."

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

“…… What, what do you say...... What are you doing!? ”

"Even if you don't understand it. But don't you feel happy to hear that? It's no one else, it's me, who recognizes your worth. ”

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 in front of him who he had fallen in love with for the first time.

"Throw away boring ideals and vows. That kind of thing just binds you. Bring misfortune to you. You only need to desire me from now on. Just 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 gambled all his desperate counter-attacks. For Archer, it's just an ordinary after-show.

"Alright, let me hear your answer. Although the answer is already in front of you. But I'm curious what kind of expression you would use to say this in person. ”

"I refuse! I'm 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.

"You're too shy to speak? It's okay, I'll forgive you for being wrong a few times. 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's no surprise that a Heroic Spirit of Archer's unfathomable strength is strong enough to defend against attacks on the City Treasure. 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, but then she notices a third figure in the auditorium.

On the wall, which is equivalent to the height of the second floor, there is no semi-circular box protruding outward. In the light of the fire, a silhouette appeared like a ghost wearing a long trench coat - he was the true master of the pact with Saber - Emiya Kiritsugu.

Li Amen, who was hidden in the dark, exhaled and thought to himself, "Have you finally caught up?" Emiya Kiritsugu. This last actor is finally in place, and the main play should be ready to start, and I can make the final preparations. All of this, the final stage is just to fulfill me. So, don't let me down! (To be continued......)