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Chapter 38 - "Gilgamesh Retreats."

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What the hell is even happening right now?!

How did things end up like this?

Should he retreat—or keep fighting?

At this point, Tokiomi Tohsaka was completely lost.

After dispersing the Noble Phantasms with a single shout, Luo Hao didn't attack again. She simply turned toward Morgan and said,"Your turn."

Then, in a flash, she vanished.

Morgan was annoyed that Luo Hao had interfered in her battle—but she didn't dare show it.

When you're weaker, you swallow your pride.

So instead, she took out her frustration on Gilgamesh, unleashing her Noble Phantasm without hesitation.

"Be honored, Gilgamesh. You're the first one I've decided to take seriously!"

"Damn it! My Noble Phantasm—deflected?! What kind of monster are you?!"Gilgamesh's expression twisted in disbelief. His so-called strongest strike had been shattered by nothing but a single shout.Impossible. Absolutely impossible!

Not even the gods of the Age of Gods could have done that.

Morgan ignored his ranting. Her magic flared, and the world around them shifted.

She had dragged him into another realm.

There, she sat elegantly upon a throne, one leg crossed over the other, gazing down at him with regal disdain.

That image alone hit Gilgamesh like a slap to the face.He was the one who sat above all, the one who looked down on others—never the other way around.

"Damn you, mongrel! Get off that throne!" he roared, launching his attack.

Gate of Babylon opened behind him, golden portals flaring to life as countless chains shot out toward her.

Enkidu, the Chains of Heaven—his favorite Noble Phantasm besides Ea itself.

But there was a problem. Those chains were made to bind gods—the stronger the divinity, the tighter they held. Against someone without divinity… they were practically useless.

The chains whipped toward Morgan. She simply tapped her staff against the floor.

A surge of magic rippled out, forming a shimmering barrier that stopped every chain in midair.

Then she spoke softly:"Reality Marble—activate."

Her voice rang like a chant, carrying divine authority.

"This is the dream that witnesses endless destruction—no salvation, no reward.Even at the world's end, the bird still sings of tomorrow.Grant it guidance… toward the Ideal Land long lost."

As her True Name echoed, twin pillars of light descended from the heavens like sentinels flanking her throne.

And beneath that throne, Gilgamesh was engulfed by torrents of destructive magic.

He hurriedly pulled out shields and barriers from his treasury, throwing everything into defense.

BOOM!

When the light faded and the smoke cleared, only Morgan remained.Gilgamesh was gone.

Victory.

Everyone on Alex's side broke into relieved smiles. Even the chat group exploded with cheers.

Tokiomi and his allies, on the other hand, stood frozen.Their strongest Servant—Gilgamesh—had just been defeated.

How could this be possible?

Irisviel, seeing this, backed away from Tokiomi."Tohsaka Tokiomi," she said calmly, "your Servant is gone. Without a Servant, you're no longer qualified to participate in the Holy Grail War. Are you still planning to fight?"

Tokiomi let out a bitter laugh.Defeated—and utterly crushed.

"This is bad…"

Elsewhere, Waver Velvet, still engaged with Maiya Hisau, realized the same. Their side had lost. If they kept fighting, his own Servant might be next.

He forced Maiya back with a burst of magic and shouted toward Iskandar, who was clashing with Artoria,"Rider! Drop the Reality Marble—we're retreating!"

Iskandar, shrewd as ever, immediately understood.He broke off the fight, summoned the Divine Oxen of the Storm, and rode the Gordius Wheel to Waver's side, pulling him aboard.

As the Ionioi Hetairoi faded, they disappeared into the distance.

With the bounded field gone, everyone returned to the castle grounds.

Kotomine Kirei, realizing something had gone wrong, ordered his Assassin to protect him and withdraw.

The Assassin fighting Merlin instantly broke off as well.

Kotomine Risei tried to retreat too—but his opponent, Roxy, wasn't as soft-hearted as Merlin.She didn't believe in letting enemies go.

Her chant rose rapidly, power building at her fingertips—even though she'd barely mastered the spell she was about to cast.

"Sanctus Glacies: Heaven-Piercing Ice Slash!"

It was a king-class spell she'd once seen at Ranoa Magic Academy. Back then, she hadn't had the power to use it.

But now, as a Water King-class magician—her mana doubled and purified by Hestia's holy fire—she could finally unleash it.

She swung her staff like a massive blade.

In an instant, three colossal ice blades materialized in the sky, each over a hundred meters long.

Risei froze—literally and figuratively.There was no running from that.

The blades fell.

A flash. A thunderous crack.When the ice cleared, nothing remained of Kotomine Risei—not even bones.

Tokiomi's eyelid twitched uncontrollably as he watched.

That was Berserker's Master? Why was she so terrifyingly strong too?

He'd miscalculated everything.

Overestimated his own side, underestimated Alex's.

The war was effectively over.

Rider and Assassin had fled—deliberately allowed to escape by Alex.

By the fifth day of the Holy Grail War, two Servants were already dead. If Rider and Assassin were killed now, the Lesser Grail—residing inside Irisviel—might collapse.

They needed to extract it first.

As for Tokiomi, Alex decided to let him live.After all, he was Sakura's father.

So in the end, only Archer had fallen.

It felt… anticlimactic. Big battle, small payoff.

But after a fight like that, the alliance between Alex and Kiritsugu Emiya was pretty much finished.

They had no choice. Alex's team was simply too powerful.

Once he dealt with Rider and Assassin, what would Saber even have left?She couldn't take on both Caster and Berserker at once.

And on top of that, Alex still had Roxy and Esdeath—both with strength rivaling Servants. Not to mention Luo Hao and Hestia, whose true power was still a mystery.

There was no hope of victory left.

At this point, Kiritsugu realized the only chance of survival was to dissolve the alliance and join forces with Waver and Kirei.

Together, maybe they could take Alex and Roxy out first.

Then Saber, Rider, and Assassin could fight on even ground.

Kiritsugu's gaze flickered toward Alex and Roxy.His mind was already made up.

"..."

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