"Sorry, Rider… because of me, we've ended up completely isolated."
Sitting atop Rider's divine chariot, Waver stared at Rider's broad back, his expression tinged with loneliness as he spoke.
Kariya Matō had already left on his own with Berserker. Seeing Ryūnosuke—who was also young—Waver had originally hoped to seek some kind of cooperation with him as well.
Unfortunately, at Caster's suggestion, Ryūnosuke ultimately chose to side with the seemingly stronger Tōsaka Tokiomi faction instead.
That meant that within the Red Faction, four Servants were now acting together, while Saber, Berserker, and Rider were effectively operating as lone wolves.
"It doesn't matter," Rider replied with a booming laugh. "Even if this is a faction war, I've never been one to obey another man's orders. Don't forget—I am the King of Conquerors.
"I've always been the one conquering others. No one has ever ruled over me."
He continued in a relaxed, optimistic tone,"And judging by how things looked earlier, going solo isn't necessarily a bad thing. Look on the bright side—the Blue Faction's Masters and Servants may not be in much better shape than we are.
"When their Assassin was pushed into that desperate corner earlier, only their Caster and Archer came to help. That tells me their internal situation probably isn't much healthier than ours."
And that assessment was, in fact, completely accurate.
After escaping the chaotic melee within the Red Faction, Ren Kuroda returned to Ryūdō Temple. The moment he arrived, he ran straight into someone who had clearly been waiting for him for quite some time—Medea, the temple's resident magus.
Medea was furious.
Ren's reckless actions that night had completely blindsided her. They were supposed to be the most reliable allies to each other, yet Ren had acted without consulting her at all.
The massive stockpile of Dragon Tooth Soldiers she had painstakingly prepared—along with an entire skeletal dragon—was gone. Wiped out in a single operation.
Ren's one impulsive move had practically emptied her reserves. There was no way she wouldn't be angry.
"I didn't expect my Presence Concealment to be seen through either," Ren said with a shrug."But all things considered, tonight wasn't a total loss. At the very least, I confirmed the identities of every Servant in the Red Faction."
Ren had known the identity of the golden Archer from the very beginning. But with Medea already fuming, this was the only excuse he could use to placate her.
Sure enough, when she heard that Ren had obtained complete intelligence on the enemy Servants, Medea's expression softened noticeably.
For her, this Holy Grail War had been fundamentally unfair. Other participants—like Tōsaka Rin—already possessed detailed knowledge of the Servants from the Fourth Grail War, while Medea's side had started completely in the dark.
Thankfully, her luck hadn't been terrible. She had summoned a special Servant capable of piercing through others' true names.
Ren then proceeded to relay all the Red Faction Servants' information to Medea—including the previously unidentified Saber.
At first, even Ren himself hadn't been able to recognize that Saber. But after observing her combat style and appearance, and drawing on his knowledge of the Moonlit Grail system, he was able to piece together her identity with reasonable confidence.
To Ren, this Grail War felt less like a battle royale and more like a family civil war.
He had honestly lost count of how many twisted parent–child relationships were tangled up in this conflict.
Tōsaka Tokiomi's two daughters—Tōsaka Rin and Matō Sakura.Kiritsugu Emiya's adopted son, Emiya Shirō, and his biological daughter, Illya.And now, somehow, there was even a pseudo father–daughter pair—Artoria and Mordred.
And that was just the beginning.
Beyond those familial bonds, the war was riddled with countless other intertwined relationships.Three kings had been summoned in a single Grail War.Three members of the Round Table were present.And if one traced the legends far enough, even Diarmuid and Cú Chulainn could be considered distantly related.
After learning the identities of the Red Faction's Servants, Medea showed no interest whatsoever in their emotional entanglements.
What truly concerned her was this—
Even the most ancient king, a Servant with two-thirds divine ancestry, had been summoned. This Holy Grail War was shaping up to be brutally difficult.
If the war were an individual battle, Medea could simply leverage her strengths as a Caster—fortifying Ryūdō Temple into an impregnable fortress and waiting it out.
But this was a faction war.
No matter how confident she was in her territory, facing simultaneous attacks from multiple Servants left even her uneasy.
And because she had expended all her Dragon Tooth Soldiers to support Ren that night, Medea immediately threw herself back into the grim task of producing disposable familiars.
Ren, well aware that he was at fault for the losses, spoke up with unusual generosity.
"If you need magical energy, I can help."
"Mana replenishment?" Medea tilted her head, her tone suddenly dangerous."According to the rules of the Grail War, Masters and Servants can replenish mana through the exchange of bodily fluids, can't they?
"You know, Kuzuki Sōichirō may be physically capable, but his magical aptitude is… lacking. He relies entirely on your reinforcement magecraft.
"I'm not a casual woman—but if you truly need a large amount of mana, I could—"
Ren didn't even get to finish his shameless sentence.
He was met with a withering glare—and then promptly shut out as the door slammed closed in his face.
With all the Red Faction Servants now revealed, that night in Fuyuki City was destined to be anything but peaceful.
Aside from the massive brawl triggered by Ren's earlier exposure, several smaller skirmishes broke out across the city.
The main reason was simple—
Tōsaka Tokiomi and his group, who had just arrived in Fuyuki City ten years in the future, discovered an awkward problem.
They had nowhere to stay.
For aristocratic magi like Tōsaka Tokiomi and Kayneth, settling for just any shelter was unthinkable. And as for the ancient King of Heroes—luxury was etched into his very soul. Compromise wasn't even an option.
Penniless and out of ideas, Tōsaka Tokiomi could only think of one place.
The Tōsaka estate.
Ten years had passed, but as one of the Three Founding Families of the Holy Grail War, surely the Tōsaka household hadn't fallen into ruin… right?
"I wonder if Aoi managed the household well," Tōsaka murmured to himself."Has Rin grown into an excellent magus?
"And Sakura… has she already replaced those useless Matō successors and taken full control of the Matō family?"
Before seeing the estate, Tōsaka Tokiomi was filled with hopeful anticipation.
According to the flawless plan he had laid out ten years ago, the Tōsaka family should now be the most powerful mage lineage in Fuyuki City. His two daughters should each be presiding over the Tōsaka and Matō families respectively.
This Grail War wasn't entirely misfortune, he thought. At the very least, it gave him the chance to witness the fruits of his perfect strategy.
But when the confident, expectant Tōsaka Tokiomi finally arrived at the Tōsaka residence—
He was utterly dumbfounded.
Before coming here, he had imagined countless possibilities.A grander mansion.Greater prestige.A household overflowing with magical prosperity.
Instead, what stood before him was a moss-covered, dilapidated building, its structure visibly crumbling from years of neglect.
After carefully surveying the surroundings, Tōsaka was certain he hadn't taken a wrong turn. The nameplate at the gate clearly read Tōsaka.
Even if the estate hadn't expanded, it should at least have been maintained.
So what was this wreck?
Confusion washed over him—followed swiftly by rage.
According to what he knew, the Fourth Holy Grail War in this parallel world had already concluded as an individual battle.
And what infuriated him most was this—
The version of himself in this world had been utterly incompetent.
He had summoned an overwhelmingly powerful Servant.He had support from his disciple, Kotomine Kirei.With such an advantage, how could he have possibly allowed the Tōsaka family to fall into this state?
To Tōsaka, that lineup was the equivalent of a guaranteed victory—yet it had somehow been squandered.
What he didn't know was that the collapse of the Fourth Grail War was, in fact, caused by the very two people he had just praised.
Still, as pitiful as the estate was, it beat sleeping on the streets.
Swallowing his resentment, Tōsaka led the group toward the house.
But just as he was about to step onto the grounds—
A mana-infused arrow slammed into the ground directly in front of him.
"I'll say this once," a clear, resolute voice rang out."Leave immediately. If you don't, I won't hold back."
The ones blocking Tōsaka's path were Tōsaka Rin and the Servant Emiya. Standing beside Rin were Saber and Emiya Shirō.
Thanks to Archer's class abilities, Emiya had already spotted Tōsaka's group approaching from afar using his Hawkeye skill.
As a Servant, Emiya had advised Rin to retreat. After all, the enemy had four Servants, while their side had only himself and Saber. The difference in strength was obvious.
But Rin refused.
The Tōsaka residence was the last symbol of her pride as the head of the family. Retreating again was something her dignity would not allow.
As Tōsaka Tokiomi looked at the slender young woman standing before him, the image of the little girl he once knew gradually overlapped with her figure.
A gentle smile spread across his face.
"Rin… is that you?" he said softly."I never imagined you'd be a participant in this Holy Grail War as well.
"You've truly grown. Your magical energy has become quite impressive…"
Seeing his daughter ten years in the future stirred emotions that no father could ignore.
More than that, Tōsaka felt a surge of excitement.
One of the Blue Faction's Masters was his own daughter.
Which meant—
If Rin was willing to help him, the true names of the enemy Servants would no longer be a mystery.
Based on how deeply she had relied on him ten years ago, Tōsaka was confident—
Convincing Rin to assist him would be well within his grasp.