Chapter 246: The Choice
"Well then, let's go too."
The events occurring on the edge of the deep pit were clearly visible to Hikigaya Hachiman, Sakura, and Karna.
Seeing the clearly beginning-to-darken Artoria, Hikigaya Hachiman turned, ready to leave.
Artoria, having lost her Master, clearly could not sustain herself in the physical world for much longer. She would likely be forced to withdraw due to insufficient magical energy before they even returned to the hotel.
Therefore, he had absolutely no intention of having Karna deliver the final blow while Artoria's mental state was highly unstable.
"Please wait!"
However, Artoria, whom Hikigaya Hachiman intended to let go, actively sought them out.
"Is there something else, Saber?"
Hikigaya Hachiman frowned slightly as he looked at Artoria blocking his path.
The change in Artoria's eyes at that moment made him feel very uncomfortable, especially since he knew exactly how Artoria had become this way!
Besides that, Hikigaya Hachiman was somewhat curious about Artoria blocking their way.
After all, even if Artoria had blackened, her target for revenge was only that mysterious Master of Assassin, which had little to do with him.
"May I temporarily become your Servant?"
Kneeling on one knee before Hikigaya Hachiman, sword in hand, Artoria requested with an expressionless face.
"Because my Master has died, I have lost my magical energy supply. And Irisviel is not by my side. If I don't receive a timely supplement of new magical energy, I will be forced to retreat soon..."
As she spoke, Artoria's heart was filled with guilt and distress.
Due to the consecutive use of her Noble Phantasm twice and Command Spells three times tonight, all the magical energy Emiya Kiritsugu had provided her with was completely exhausted.
If Hikigaya Hachiman was unwilling to sign a contract with her to supply magical energy, in her current state, her body would be unable to sustain itself and she would be forced to retreat in less than half an hour!
"Saber, do you know what you are saying?"
Before Hikigaya Hachiman could answer, Karna, standing nearby, frowned.
"I know..."
Artoria lowered her head, not daring to look directly into Karna's eyes.
"I have already failed in this Holy Grail War. I merely hope to personally avenge my Master before I am forced to withdraw..."
"My Master is already at his limit, able to provide just enough magical energy for me to fight freely to a certain extent. Why should we divert some of the already insufficient magical energy to you?"
Karna was clearly not satisfied with Artoria's excuse.
Artoria clearly only wanted to use Hikigaya Hachiman to temporarily continue operating in the present world, and once her revenge succeeded, she would likely withdraw on her own immediately.
Before that, she probably wouldn't provide any substantial help and might even sever ties with Hikigaya Hachiman after finding a new suitable Master candidate.
And after the battles with Caster and the recent series of fights, the situation for Hikigaya Hachiman and Karna was actually not much better than Artoria's.
Karna's usable magical energy was quite limited now, enough only to support a single battle.
Under these circumstances, for Hikigaya Hachiman to agree to Artoria's request would be a thankless endeavor!
"......."
Hearing Karna's words, Artoria fell into silence.
"Of course, if you are willing to join our camp and help my Master obtain the Holy Grail, then sharing some magical energy with you is not out of the question."
Seeing that Artoria seemed to have thought things over, Karna immediately added.
"And the Holy Grail?"
Biting her lip, Artoria looked up at Hikigaya Hachiman and asked.
Although joining Hikigaya Hachiman's camp felt like a great disservice to the deceased Emiya Kiritsugu and the currently missing Irisviel, obtaining the Holy Grail to change the destiny of Britain's downfall was far more important.
"As for the Holy Grail, neither Karna nor I are particularly interested in it..."
Hikigaya Hachiman, who had been standing quietly by the side, finally spoke up.
While he didn't know why Karna had suddenly tried to recruit Artoria, since Artoria was already wavering, there was no reason for him to pass up the opportunity.
Moreover, he and Karna were indeed not interested in the so-called omnipotent wish-granting device. If they ultimately won, conceding the Holy Grail to Artoria was acceptable.
"So, you can give me the Holy Grail?"
Hearing Hikigaya Hachiman's words, Artoria's previously lifeless tone instantly became agitated.
"That's right!"
Nodding, Hikigaya Hachiman confirmed the assignment of the Holy Grail's ownership to Artoria.
Of course, this was limited to the event that they ultimately emerged victorious.
.
.
.
"Honestly, we just finished subjugating Caster, and yet those fellows won't rest tonight either..."
Iskandar was driving his ox-drawn chariot through the sky. Behind him, Waver was tending to several children who had been captured by Ryuunosuke Uryuu earlier tonight and hadn't yet been made into 'art pieces' by him.
"In just one day, Caster, Assassin, and Berserker have all withdrawn..."
Hearing Iskandar's words, Waver, who was checking the children's physical condition, immediately became worried.
Leaving Caster and Assassin aside, they were quite familiar with Berserker's strength.
That was an existence capable of suppressing Saber in close-quarters combat!
Yet, unexpectedly, Berserker had withdrawn right after they parted ways at the church...
"To be able to take down Berserker in such a short time, it could only be Lancer or Archer."
Scratching his scalp, Iskandar continued on from Waver's words.
"Lancer only recently used a massive amount of magical energy to unleash his Noble Phantasm and eliminate Caster. It's unlikely he would fight again tonight. Berserker was probably taken down by that golden fellow."
"Archer, huh..."
Hearing Iskandar mention Gilgamesh, the Heroic Spirit who treated Noble Phantasms as basic attacks, Waver's mood instantly plummeted.
Surely no one could be a match for that guy?
After all, the mere rain of Noble Phantasms would be enough to wipe out all of them; it was simply impossible for anyone to withstand his offense and rush up to him!
"Hey, kid, look quickly!"
As Waver was contemplating how to deal with the terrifying Archer, Iskandar suddenly slapped him hard on the back.
"What is it now?"
Rubbing his slightly aching back, Waver grumbled while following the direction of Iskandar's pointing finger down below.
He saw a white-haired woman in luxurious clothing lying quietly by a dark, silent street...