[This is a story that happened several years ago.]
[Due to various past events, it underwent many distortions, ultimately producing a trajectory completely different from the original.]
[You and Tohsaka Sakura, who had grown into a beautiful girl, were completely unaware of this.]
[This may have been a form of luck, or perhaps a form of misfortune.]
Several years ago, Fuyuki City, within a certain urban residence.
It was a night of heavy rain.
Ryuunosuke Uryuu looked at the child before him and showed a "friendly" smile.
He had already killed more than thirty people.
This killing fiend originally planned to "dispose" of the child just as he had "disposed" of the child's parents and elder sister, but he unexpectedly discovered something interesting before that.
It was an extremely ancient book.
But for some reason, Ryuunosuke Uryuu found that he could completely understand the words written on it.
Out of curiosity, and to gain more pleasure, he drew a summoning circle in front of the child using the blood of the child's parents according to the contents of the book, and then chanted the incantation written there.
Under numerous unexpected circumstances, he actually met the requirements to participate in the Holy Grail War.
And according to the records in that book, the one who should have appeared was Gilles de Rais.
He was the legendary comrade of Saint Joan of Arc, but because he wanted to resurrect her after she was burned at the stake, he had become a terrifying demon formed from obsession.
But the future that was supposed to unfold that way was denied.
Gilles de Rais's long-held wish seemed to have been fulfilled.
He did not answer this summoning.
Therefore—
As a substitute, another Caster (Mage) appeared.
A blood-red light flickered within the summoning circle.
Then, a figure dressed in red feathers, wearing a jester's cap, and appearing well-mannered, appeared before Ryuunosuke Uryuu.
"An interesting summoning ritual." The figure spoke in a polite tone.
"I, the demon Mephistopheles, have come to report." He announced his identity.
"Of course, if you are the Master, addressing me as Mephisto is sufficient." He added cordially.
"..."
Truthfully, the moment Mephisto appeared, Ryuunosuke Uryuu was a little surprised.
But quickly, he felt that this man who looked like a gentleman was, in essence, the same kind of person as himself.
After all, that desire hidden deep within, the yearning to pursue a beautiful death, wasn't something that could be easily expressed.
Ryuunosuke Uryuu and Mephisto exchanged glances, and in an instant, they understood each other's true nature.
"Hey, show me what you can do," the man who had become the Master said expectantly.
"Understood."
Mephisto answered Ryuunosuke Uryuu while walking towards the child who had long since forgotten how to cry due to fear.
He crouched down, gently stroked the child's head, and said with a smile.
"It's alright now, hurry and go." He spoke soothingly.
"..."
Just a few simple words made the child snap back to reality.
He regarded the suddenly appearing figure as a savior, and then realized that he had to run away.
One step, two steps, three steps.
Only the last door remained before he could escape from this place.
However—
Just as the child touched the doorknob, a powerful impact spread out from within his body.
Boom!!!
The child's body burst open like a blooming flower.
A warm splatter landed on Ryuunosuke Uryuu's face.
He reached out and touched it, finding it was the child's blood.
Immediately, Ryuunosuke Uryuu's eyes showed a hint of excitement, as if he had found a kindred spirit.
"Good! Excellent!" He exclaimed with delight.
"This is exactly the feeling I wanted!" He declared ecstatically.
[The story was far from over.]
[The seeds of countless misfortunes gradually grew at this time as the magi began to act.]
[A certain tragic fruit was slowly brewing.]
Fuyuki City, inside the church.
Tohsaka Tokiomi was still pondering what had gone wrong.
The Holy Relic he had originally prepared was the scabbard of the Rotating Sword of Victory (Excalibur Galatine).
According to historical legends, this was a precious item that could summon the Sun Knight Gawain.
As a Saber, he would be able to gain a great advantage in the Holy Grail War.
But when he was ready to begin the summoning, this ancient sword scabbard, obtained at great cost and effort, lost its original effect.
Even Zenjou Aoi, who was no longer a magus, could see this point.
Tohsaka Tokiomi realized that the scabbard he had painstakingly prepared seemed to have been used in advance by some means.
Of course, it was also possible that the Saber class had already been summoned in advance by someone in the shadows.
But whether it was the former or the latter, Tohsaka Tokiomi knew that he definitely had to abandon using it for the summoning.
Fortunately, Tohsaka Tokiomi was not without other preparations—he still had a snakeskin shedding.
Honestly, he didn't know what this snakeskin shedding would summon.
But as a magus, he could feel a considerable amount of magical energy from the surface of this snakeskin shedding, and it even had the possibility of continuing to extend its existence.
One must know that this was something from a thousand years ago, or even longer.
So when Tohsaka Tokiomi first saw this snakeskin shedding, he didn't hesitate to acquire it at a great price.
Now, he placed all his hopes on it, hoping it could secure the greatest chance of victory for himself and the Tohsaka family.
A dazzling golden light flickered within the summoning circle.
A powerful king appeared before him.
He looked down at Tohsaka Tokiomi before him with a condescending attitude, his tone full of disdain.
"It was you, a mongrel, who summoned this king?" He questioned haughtily.
"Gilgamesh, the oldest king, now stands before you! Why are you not yet kneeling!" He demanded imperiously.
Tohsaka Tokiomi felt an immense sense of pressure, and he immediately knelt before Gilgamesh, as if the other party was the true Master of this Holy Grail War.
But this magus also realized that he had summoned a Servant even more powerful than Gawain.
Furthermore, his disciple Kirei Kotomine had also summoned the Assassin, Hassan-i-Sabbah, to fight alongside them.
Both in the open and in the shadows, his people were in place!
How could he possibly lose this Holy Grail War?!
[Intertwined light and shadow shimmered on the land of Fuyuki City.]
[And the rebels who carried their personal desires were also about to face their reckoning.]
Fuyuki City, the Matou residence.
Matou Zouken looked at Matou Kariya before him, his eyes filled with irrepressible indignation.
Admittedly, among the unpromising descendants of the Matou family, Matou Kariya was indeed relatively talented.
But even so, the level of his Magic Circuits was still only "ordinary."
For the sake of maximizing their chances of victory, Matou Zouken originally wanted to use his worms to help him undergo body modification, but he was refused without hesitation.
"Don't touch me with that stuff!" Kariya declared fiercely.
"Otherwise, I won't participate in this Holy Grail War!" He threatened.
Matou Zouken was initially angry about this behavior, but after a second thought, he found it not entirely unacceptable.
As a former participant in the Holy Grail War, he knew how dangerous it was.
And facing this crisis was not only Tohsaka Tokiomi; Matou Kariya's situation was actually the same.
Furthermore, compared to Tohsaka Tokiomi, who had received professional magecraft education, Matou Kariya had only learned a superficial amount of magecraft due to his personal issues.
Such a person was just there to make up the numbers in the Holy Grail War.
Matou Zouken didn't think he had much of a chance of winning.
Of course, out of that minuscule expectation, Matou Zouken knew very well that he wouldn't just stand by.
So—
When he was on the verge of death, he could then use his worms on him.
Empowered by this thought, Matou Zouken agreed to this extremely unreliable summoning.
However, what he didn't know was that Matou Kariya also lacked confidence.
Just as Matou Zouken thought, during the years he had been away from the family, he had only learned a little superficial magecraft for leisure.
The reason he was standing in front of this summoning circle now was because of Zenjou Aoi.
He could absolutely not allow his childhood friend to live a lonely life.
So—
He had to participate in the war.
No matter in what form, he had to participate.
Winning or losing was secondary; at the very least, he had to... eliminate Tokiomi.
Matou Kariya didn't realize at all that he had already gotten his priorities completely wrong.
And this subconscious confusion directly affected this summoning.
His true feelings were manifested in a violent form.
Black light shone within the Matou residence, making the already eerie place even more terrifying.
Soon, a sturdy, tall figure appeared within the summoning circle.
"Golden~"
"Berserker Sakata Kintoki, has arrived!!!" He announced with powerful voice.
"..."
"..."
This was a summoning that was unexpected by both Matou Kariya and Matou Zouken.
But—
Perhaps the result wasn't so difficult to accept?
[The story did not end there.]
[As more and more Servants came to Fuyuki through the summoning of the Holy Grail,]
[The concentration of magical energy in this city reached an unprecedented level.]
[It was an atmosphere that ordinary people could not detect, but which Servants and magi would instantly recognize.]
[Struggle and confrontation would be fully embodied in the time to come.]
Several days later, off the coast of Fuyuki Port.
A cruise ship was slowly making its way—its destination naturally being Fuyuki, which its bow was facing.
On the deck, two figures stood side by side, looking like they had a very good relationship.
They were Artoria and Irisviel.
According to Emiya Kiritsugu's arrangements, they were disguised as the Master and Servant of this Holy Grail War and had come to Fuyuki in a relatively formal manner.
This was a conspicuous method, which was advantageous for the true Master, Emiya Kiritsugu, to remain hidden.
"Master," Artoria spoke, using the carefully corrected form of address.
"Is that man... not planning to return with us?" She asked about Kiritsugu.
The "man" the girl swordsman referred to was Emiya Kiritsugu.
Given the inability to disclose more information externally, using such a placeholder was indeed a more convenient way to communicate.
Hearing Artoria's question, Irisviel closed her eyes, seemingly feeling something.
Soon, she smiled and answered Artoria's question.
"He has already arrived, you see~" She said cheerfully.
"Arrived?!"
Up until this point, Artoria had not exchanged a single word with Emiya Kiritsugu.
She was completely unaware of what her true Master was plotting.
And the one who maintained contact with Emiya Kiritsugu was, surprisingly, Irisviel beside her.
She seemed to have some special method that allowed her to disregard the spatial distance and contact her husband quite quickly.
"Yes," Irisviel nodded.
"Kiritsugu arrived much earlier than us... so you don't need to worry about him." She reassured Artoria.
"I see," Artoria completely believed her proxy Master's words.
"Let's not talk about that anymore~"
Irisviel pushed the topic aside.
She looked at Artoria beside her, who had changed into casual clothes, and the smile on her face deepened.
"Speaking of which, Saber, you really are a clothes hanger," she remarked with admiration.
"No matter what you wear, you look so beautiful... I'm so envious!" She exclaimed playfully.
"Is that... is that so?" The girl being praised became a little shy. "No one has ever told me such a thing before." She admitted sheepishly.
"Really?"
Irisviel rubbed her hands together and gently blew warm air into them.
"But it's not surprising... After all, you are a girl who was a king. When people saw you, they probably felt awe and respect, right?" She reasoned.
"I've decided!"
Irisviel reached out and pointed at Artoria.
"From now on, I'll praise you more often!" She declared with enthusiasm.
"Eh, is that necessary?" Artoria questioned, feeling a bit overwhelmed.
"It is necessary!" Irisviel insisted firmly.
"..."
"..."
Irisviel and Artoria exchanged glances, and then both laughed.
Their relationship was less like that of a proxy Master and Servant, and more like good friends across time and space.
"Master, perhaps we should first arrive at our residence in Fuyuki before considering these matters?" Artoria suggested practically.
"Hmm, you're right," Irisviel agreed.
The cruise ship finally docked.
Artoria picked up their luggage and followed Irisviel off the ship.
But as they walked, the swordsman girl noticed something wasn't quite right.
"Um—"
"Master, have we made a mistake?" She asked tentatively.
"No mistake," Irisviel replied.
"No mistake?" Artoria looked doubtfully at the path ahead. "But this doesn't look like the way out at all, does it?" She questioned the direction.
"Eh?!" Irisviel looked up. "But Kiritsugu said that as soon as I got off the ship, I would know what to do." She explained.
"So if I go forward now, wouldn't that be right?" She reasoned simply.
"Ah, wait!"
Irisviel looked at the ship ticket in her hand and playfully stuck out her tongue.
"Saber, I think I got the date wrong... We arrived early!" She confessed sheepishly.
"..."
Artoria felt a little helpless.
She could sense that Irisviel was not actually that suited to be a proxy Master.
Having lived in the northern country for many years, she seemed to have become quite accustomed to an easygoing life, and now that she was out here, she felt a little disconnected.
It seemed she would have to be more careful.
Realizing this, Artoria began to be absolutely serious and vigilant about the surrounding situation.
And this serious attitude allowed her to detect an enemy.
Or rather—
The other party had actively exposed themselves.
Somewhere at the port.
Only to see a woman dressed in black tights appear before Artoria and Irisviel.
She pointed the dark red spear in her hand at Artoria, as if seeing through the girl's true identity at a glance.
"You're a Servant too," she stated, her voice sharp.
"Come—" She challenged.
"Use all your strength and kill me!" She demanded, her eyes gleaming with challenge.