I...
I'm going to avenge Archer.
In spite of everything,
he was still my partner.
Same here.
I've made up my mind to fight.
If I didn't see this through till the end, he'd never let me hear the end of it.
Plus, we can't just ignore the Grail.
It should be destroyed.
I agree.
A miracle that gathers the wishes of all
but accepts only one should never have existed.
Saber...
What of you, Rin? Are you sure?
Is it not the cherished dream of the Tohsaka family to win the Grail?
It is, but I don't want some Monkey's Paw of a weapon.
I never really had a wish I wanted granted, anyway.
And in its own way, smashing it will be satisfying.
I didn't enter the Holy Grail War for the spoils. Only to win it.
To hold my head high, as a Tohsaka.
Yeah.
That sounds like you.
What's that supposed to mean? It sounds like me?
Anyway, we're getting ahead of ourselves!
All right...
Sh-Shirou?
Wh-What?
Oh, I figured I'd make us something to eat.
You two must be hungry.
Haste makes waste, right?
Let's start by filling our bellies and considering our options.
Yes, that is true.
Let's have dinner as usual.
For us, that is the most suitable course of action.
I guess you have a point.
Then, I guess I'll help out.
Hidden in my left hand,
my wishes stay unfulfilled,
stuck in an unending dream
Hidden in my right hand,
my hollow memories stay invisible to all,
being pelted by an unending rain
Be it the strength to protect what's precious,
or the weakness to lose faith in it
I'll accept it all
and look for a new dawn
Brave shine
If I reach out, I can stay in this night
In tatters, you still save my life
The tip of the blade held high
and all the feelings held inside
A prayer that transcends time
Your brave shine
Winter Days, A Long Way Home
The Holy Grail is at Ryuudou Temple?
Yes.
There are three places in town where the Grail can be manifested.
My home,
Kirei's church,
and Ryuudou Temple, on Mt. Enzo.
I sent familiars to each, and the one at Ryuudou Temple was smashed.
It's safe to assume that flashy gold jerk is setting up fortifications at Ryuudou Temple.
Doesn't that mean Issei and the others there are in danger?
Look at this.
GAS LEAK ACCIDENT?! 52 UNCONSCIOUS
Everyone was taken away in ambulances?
Right.
This means that any interlopers have been removed ahead of time.
Shinji's doing, no doubt.
It's a move that a squeamish guy like him would make,
but in this case, I'm grateful for it.
Ryuudou Temple... That will prove problematic.
That anti-spirit barrier...
Servants can only enter through its main gate.
On the other hand, knowing exactly where he'll be is good for us.
After all, our first priority is to stop the Grail's summoning.
Saber will take the main gate.
She'll keep him occupied out front,
and as she does, we'll climb the mountain from the back and destroy the Grail.
Hang on...
Isn't Saber the only one who can destroy it?
Good point.
Once the Grail's summoned, we won't be able to destroy it.
But we can destroy its vessel before then.
Basically, we shut down the Grail before it can activate.
What do you mean?
From what we've been able to surmise,
the Holy Grail is probably Illyasviel's heart, right?
But I think the Holy Grail is a set.
That girl's body and Magic Circuits.
He didn't want Illyasviel to become the Grail,
so he ripped out her heart, its core.
Therefore, to activate it,
he needs to implant it into another Magus' body.
Since the two of us are here,
his choice for the Grail's foundation has to be...
It's Shinji?
But Shinji isn't, well...
Even if the Matou bloodline has died out, they still have latent Magic Circuits.
Illyasviel's heart would forcibly open even atrophied Magic Circuits.
Which means that we have to start by locating Shinji.
Then I need to distract Archer until you two stop the Grail.
Yes.
And as soon as we stop the Grail, we'll come running.
No, that's crazy.
Saber is no match for him.
On what do you base that assessment, Shirou?
Uh... As a swordsman, he's no match for you,
but no matter how skilled the warrior, they can't defeat war itself.
He's that kind of Heroic Spirit.
You have to be war itself, as well, or you'll be swallowed whole.
Then you are saying that he and I would be mismatched opponents?
That's why I'm saying we can't send Saber in to fight him without a plan.
She needs an opening or something, at least.
Like you said, his Noble Phantasm is war itself,
and on top of that, he's a Servant specialized in killing Heroic Spirits.
To beat him, you'd need to have an armory to equal his...
What?
Why did you stop in mid-sentence?
I see.
That's why he always treated him like a sworn enemy...
Right, a Heroic Spirit without his own Noble Phantasm
wouldn't have an original weapon.
It'll work...
This will work!
Hang on, that would mean...
If you have something to say, spit it out.
You have an idea, right?
I do not!
I can't tell you here, idiot!
Rin?
Anyway, the existing plan should be fine.
We carry it out before dawn, got it?
Until then, everyone should go to their rooms and get plenty of rest.
Also, I need to discuss something with you, Saber.
You're okay with this, Saber?
Yes, I think it the best option.
You have my thanks, Rin.
This will allow me to fight without undue concern, as well.
What do you want?
What do I...
Tohsaka, am I catching you in a really bad mood or something?
No, not really. It's not like that.
What's your problem, then?
Do you have a fever or something?
Of course I don't!
Jeez... Come in already.
Let me guess, you have another stupid idea?
Tohsaka, you and Saber were just...
What?
No, forget it.
Anyway, hear me out and don't get mad.
I want to—
You want to fight him, don't you?
Oh? So you figured it out.
That the natural enemy of Gilgamesh's Noble Phantasm is Archer's magic.
It is?
Huh? Hang on...
You hadn't figured it out, and you were making an idiotic suggestion like that?
No, I just had a gut feeling that I'd have the best chance.
Well, your gut isn't wrong.
What makes Gilgamesh the most powerful
is his overwhelming number of Noble Phantasms, including counters to the other Heroic Spirits.
But Archer doesn't have a Noble Phantasm tied to his death.
Further, as long as he's supplied with mana, he could match any opponent's arms.
He called you two "fakes,"
but that's probably because he saw you as threats.
Because Heroic Spirit Emiya would have been the only one that he would have to fight evenly matched.
There's a flaw in your plan, though.
I'd never be able to keep up with his barrage of Noble Phantasms, and I don't have sufficient mana.
Yes, if your magic stays at its current level.
But you remember Archer's Noble Phantasm, right?
If you could master that magic—
that Reality Marble—
you could hold your own against Gilgamesh.
That's crazy.
I don't have that kind of mana.
A few options come to mind.
To be blunt,
it's a method that links two Magi and their stores of mana, and shares it.
You're going to create a path between you and me, to share mana?
Yes.
Even if you don't have the mana to use a Reality Marble, I do.
I'll have you use my mana to fight Gilgamesh.
Now, about the way the path is established...
Tohsaka?
I'm going to transplant my Magic Crest onto you.
But isn't that...
Isn't a Magic Crest the physical proof that a Magus was alive?
That's right.
The current family head takes magic that was originally formless, and shapes it over the course of their life.
It's the legacy of a Magus family, handed down from generation to generation.
I can't take something that means so much to you.
It's all right.
This is my most important fight,
so I have to commit my most important possession, right?
Why are you staring at me like that?
Sorry, for a second, I was in awe of you.
I know it's kinda late, but that's what made me fall for you.
F-Fall for me?
This is hardly the time for that kind of thing!
But if you want to keep going, I guess I could force myself to listen.
Yeah, I know.
There's not much time.
Okay, let's start the transplant.
What do you need me to do, Tohsaka?
Well, start by getting undressed...
What's wrong?
Look, don't get any funny ideas!
I only said to take your clothes off, got it?
I'm taking mine off, too, so it's all fair.
You're undressing, too?
Like I said, don't get the wrong idea!
Getting undressed is to facilitate the transfer of body heat.
That's all there is to it!
Listen, to transplant a Magic Crest,
we need to enter a state of deep rapport.
Oh, I get it.
Um, just my top is okay, right?
O-Obviously!
I'm going to begin.
Give the wandering bird that comes from far away water to drink.
Use the birdcage...
that has no lock.
Within the iridescent rainbow, I evolve.
Heat, rain, wind, snow, war, rapture— continuous, without end.
Accept it.
With conviction. Without hesitation.
Accept it.
Do not fear it. Do not doubt it.
Victory shall go to your friends who leave on a long journey.
Tohsaka!
Did it work?
Tohsaka?
Of course it worked.
It was so flawless, there's nothing to critique.
So precise, there won't be any aftereffects.
So perfect that even Kirei, who specialized in this stuff,
would compliment me and say, "That was fine work."
So this is...
Yes.
It's the Magic Crest I transplanted onto you.
This will give you more than enough mana to create a Reality Marble.
So the rest...
That's my problem.
Thanks, Tohsaka.
But why are you so angry?
You saw it, didn't you?
Hang on, did I do something?
You saw it, didn't you? You brute!
I don't know what you're talking about, but I'm sure you're wrong!
My eyes were closed the whole time,
and the only thing I saw were some images that looked like Magic Circuits...
Ah, right, Tohsaka.
There was that crazy dream...
Like I was in a schoolyard somewhere,
watching some guy doing high jumps like an idiot until the sun set.
What the heck was...
What was that for?
Shut up, shut up, shut up, shut up!
Shut up, shut up!
Idiot, don't be so rough on the pillows!
Shut up, you brute!
Don't peek at other people's secrets and then act all high and mighty!
That was a secret?
Fine, whatever.
I'll get a look at your embarrassing memories sooner or later!
And when I do, I won't hold back, you hear?!
What are you doing, Saber?
A great many things have happened.
I wished to etch them into my mind, that I might never forget them.
I see.
If you can, I hope you always remember.
I shall.
Also, I must give you my thanks.
Thank you, Shirou.
It took quite some time,
but you have shown me the way.
Saber?
Forgive me, this surely makes no sense to you.
But I wished to put it into words.
One dream has come to an end.
Although I was unable to show you any outward sign,
you have given me an answer that is more than sufficient.
A dream?
You mean yours?
I am not certain.
Even if it is mine, it is the story of a little girl I would not recognize,
one who no longer has anything to do with me.
I once had a dream.
I have a favor to ask of you, as well.
I shall protect the two of you.
So make certain that you both return to this house.
Sure, we'll come back home.
Count on it.
Let's go settle this once and for all, Saber.
Vomit forth your curses, Holy Grail.
The time has come to judge
whether the humans of this era can withstand
the weight of their own wishes.
If our souls are going to turn to dust someday,
then at least let me sing
a song of happiness and despair
The fate that awaits us
always watches our lives and dreams
as it rushes past
far beyond today
The tears you wept that night
hid the bright light of our future
Tranquility awaits you
at that bright hill
We shall definitely reach your horizon
So ring your bell
We'll put an end to your Holy Grail right now!
With Caster gone, you should not still be here!
I'm not good enough to cut through his Noble Phantasms.
You filthy sham,
learn firsthand the difference between counterfeits and the real thing!
Next Time
Incarnation