"Tokiomi Tohsaka has been killed."
When Kiritsugu Emiya returned, those were the words he spoke.
Of course, he concealed what had truly occurred at the Tohsaka residence.
When the group inside Einzbern Castle learned of the news, they fell silent for a brief moment before accepting it as fact.
After all, none of them truly knew that magus personally. No one cared about his background, and even his death held little significance.
Soon after, through a relatively simple ritual, the Command Seals were transferred to Ritsuka Fujimaru.
Thus, the King of Heroes, Gilgamesh, once again returned to the Alliance of Three Kings.
"Fujimaru, are you alright?"
After the Command Seal transfer was complete, Lord El-Melloi II immediately expressed concern for him.
"Hah… I can still stand."
Ritsuka Fujimaru was breathing heavily, barely able to remain upright. This was not the first time he had received Command Seals, yet the pain this time was magnified severalfold beyond his expectations, making it difficult to endure.
Fortunately, he was far stronger than before, and in the end, he managed to hold on.
It was no wonder—this time, the process did not simply add new Seals to his existing magic circuits. Instead, it involved adding new Seals and constructing new mana output circuits upon his existing framework.
The difference in complexity and danger between the two was like night and day.
To remain conscious throughout the entire transfer, and then immediately output mana smoothly after its completion, was an achievement in itself.
"Don't push yourself. As a lecturer of the Mage's Association, I know exactly how dangerous what you just experienced was," said Lord El-Melloi II. Without hesitation, he began pouring his own mana into Ritsuka's body, repairing the minor circuit damage caused during the ritual.
"Here."
Standing nearby, Gilgamesh retrieved a vial from his [Gate of Babylon]. The ornate bottle gleamed with gold and jewels—unmistakably in the King's lavish style.
"This is no divine elixir, but it's more than sufficient to heal such minor injuries."
Despite his modest words, anything housed within the [Gate of Babylon] could not possibly be ordinary.
"Thank you, King Gilgamesh."
"Fou~ Fou."
Even the small white beast, Fou, leapt onto the King's shoulder, affectionately licking his cheek.
"Enough. I'm treating someone here."
The King spoke in his usual tsundere tone, though his expression showed no hint of irritation at the creature's affection.
When Ritsuka uncorked the vial and drank, the visible recovery of his mana astonished everyone present.
"This rate of mana restoration…!"
Irisviel and Waver exchanged glances—both magi were equally stunned by the phenomenon.
Yet, despite the massive amount of mana being replenished, they sensed no depletion of the surrounding magical energy from the environment. That meant the restoration came entirely from the potion itself.
Unbelievable.
Lord El-Melloi II's eyes lit up instantly—he had been searching for solutions to mana circuit efficiency and energy transfer issues, and this was an enormous revelation.
It was common knowledge that even a magus of exceptional talent struggled to provide sufficient mana for a Servant's combat activity.
After all, a Heroic Spirit required a constant supply of mana simply to remain materialized in the physical world.
If a Servant refrained from combat and only engaged in daily [mana replenishment], the supply would barely exceed the consumption needed for materialization.
Under normal conditions, one could say that the daily mana cost for maintaining a Servant was around six units, while a magus could regenerate eight—leaving only a meager surplus of two.
However, once a Servant engaged in battle, their mana consumption would skyrocket.
The stronger the Servant, the more power they unleashed, and the more frequently they used their Noble Phantasm—the greater the drain.
In such cases, even the most talented magi could not keep up.
This was precisely why, during the Holy Grail War, Servants rarely used their Noble Phantasms—certainly not recklessly at the start of every encounter.
It wasn't a matter of intent, but of sheer limitation.
There were, of course, exceptions—one such being Archer.
As the most ancient of kings, Gilgamesh's abilities were unique. Through the ingenious use of his [Gate of Babylon], he could unleash an almost infinite number of Noble Phantasms in a barrage of attacks. Although the scale of these assaults was overwhelming, in essence, he merely acted as a transporter.
Those weapons did not require his mana to construct, and their destructive force was purely physical—the inherent power of the Noble Phantasms themselves. Thus, their mana consumption was relatively low.
—However, that was only effective against small fry.
If the opponent was that [Saver], then the King of Heroes' only truly effective attack would be the release of Ea, the Sword of Rupture.
But to unleash Ea at full power over multiple consecutive strikes would demand a mana supply equivalent to an astronomical figure.
In this Holy Grail War, not a single magus alive could possibly sustain such immense mana output.
For the Masters of the Three Kings, mana supply had always been the bottleneck that restricted their Servants' true potential.
The King of Knights, Artoria, possessed two legendary Noble Phantasms—[Excalibur, the Sword of Promised Victory] and [Avalon, the Everdistant Utopia]—both representing the pinnacle of offense and defense.
The former, when released through the [Thirteen Seals of the Round Table], could unleash terrifying offensive power.
The latter, upon true name release, granted an almost invincible level of defense and regenerative power merely by existing. In several clashes with Saver, Avalon had proven its worth countless times—withstanding Satsuki's Golden Wheel Reincarnation Explosion, healing Mash and the King of Conquerors. Without question, it was the MVP among Noble Phantasms.
Unfortunately, the mana required to invoke such power was staggering beyond imagination.
If both Noble Phantasms could be used freely without mana constraints, there would be almost nothing in existence capable of opposing them.
As for the combination developed by the King of Conquerors and the King of Heroes—[The Creation of Heaven and Earth: God-Slaying Army]—while it might not hold decisive power in a high-tier confrontation, its ability to neutralize Saver's [Judgment of the Ten Kings: Veil of Light and Shadow] provided a rare opportunity for both sides to engage on equal footing.
Functionally speaking, it was a critically important asset.
And to deal real damage to Saver, the King of Heroes' Ea was indispensable. Only by slicing through the Vipralopa Domain could one's attack reach her true form.
Otherwise, under the protection of that field, Saver was virtually untouchable—immune to all forms of harm.
What made Saver so formidable was one key advantage—she possessed a colossal, independent Tenseigan separate from the Holy Grail's Heroic Spirit system. It provided her with an almost inexhaustible flow of chakra and ocular power to sustain her in battle.
By alternating between these two systems, she could maintain overwhelming combat endurance even in prolonged, multi-round conflicts.
However, from the recent events, Lord El-Melloi II had discovered another value to the [Gate of Babylon].
In addition to combining with the King of Conquerors' [Ionioi Hetairoi], it could also serve as a perfect logistical arsenal. With sufficient preparation before battle, it could drastically increase their chances of victory.
The problem was—he dared not openly request such cooperation from the King of Heroes.
However, while he could not, he immediately realized that Ritsuka Fujimaru and Mash could.
Through the mental link they had previously established, he conveyed his thoughts to them.
"If possible, I'll give it a try…" said Ritsuka, nodding resolutely.
Mash added firmly, "I'll help Senpai convince the King as well."
After all, the matter at hand concerned preventing this Singularity from transforming into a full-fledged Lostbelt—something they could not shy away from.
The logistical issue could largely be resolved through the [Gate of Babylon]; that part would not be difficult.
After organizing his thoughts, Lord El-Melloi II asked the next crucial question.
"As for Saver's Master—the so-called Black Grail—how much information do we actually have?"
The moment those words left his lips, the entire castle fell into utter silence.
...
"They're quite diligent."
Satsuki was perfectly aware of everything happening inside Einzbern Castle.
After all, if she could manipulate Tokiomi Tohsaka's familiars, it went without saying that she could also infiltrate Irisviel's familiars.
Back when Risei Kotomine had issued the order to hunt down Caster, Satsuki had already placed control marks on several of the familiars present at that time.
Know yourself and know your enemy—only then can you win a hundred battles.
At any level, intelligence was of paramount importance.
Although none of her current opponents were capable of pushing Satsuki into a desperate situation, every bit of preparation helped reduce potential uncertainties.
After all—her greatest enemy, the "Counter Force," had yet to reveal itself.
"Iphis and Asato Miyatsuki's (Tokiomi Tohsaka's female form) magical training doesn't require my interference. This assassination attempt targeting them can serve as their homework."
With that thought, Satsuki's figure reappeared within the dormitory she had visited earlier. Her mind shifted toward another Servant—one she had not encountered since their first meeting.
The Assassin.
Regarding that mysterious Heroic Spirit who had remained hidden in the shadows, Satsuki placed great importance on him.
Not because of his power, but because of what he represented.
The level of existence he displayed suggested that, like her, he had transcended the boundaries of life itself.
Such a being could neither be killed nor defeated by conventional means—much like the Demon God King, Goetia.
Goetia's very essence was engraved upon the [Temple of Time], which itself existed in an almost indestructible state.
Through that bond, the Demon God King could achieve a form of pseudo-immortality. Even if Satsuki destroyed his physical body, he would simply resurrect upon his throne within the Temple of Time.
Thus, Satsuki had seen through the root of his immortality and used Mahākāla's World-Annihilating Holy Wheel to devour and destroy the entire Temple of Time, thereby nullifying Goetia's undying nature.
Otherwise, neither the Golden Wheel Reincarnation Explosion nor the power of Vipralopa would have been sufficient to defeat him.
"Although we only met once, I gathered plenty of information during that encounter."
Standing in her room, Satsuki replayed the memory of their meeting within her mind, observing it again from a detached perspective.
Viewing her own conversation with that mysterious Servant from the outside was an oddly fascinating experience.
Both shared similar yet distinct understandings of death. Their dialogue was full of subtle undertones—probing each other while openly revealing their own paths and convictions.
It was a gesture of absolute confidence.
Only one who possessed unshakable faith in their own way would choose to act so openly.
From that alone, Satsuki quickly deduced the source of the Assassin's "immortality."
This mysterious Assassin had immersed his entire being in a miasma of death.
His body could no longer be called a living organism in the conventional sense. The decayed torso was devoid of vitality, held together only by iron nails driven deep within, forcing it to maintain a standing posture.
The Tenseigan could perceive the flow of energy—yet it could detect nothing from this Assassin. That meant his actions required no external mana.
So then—what was the true force driving his continued existence? What was his power source?
With that thought, Satsuki replayed their entire exchange in her mind.
Before long, even the system itself became intrigued by her actions.
"Host, what are you doing? Watching your own movie now?" The system orbited around the floating image, chuckling. "The atmosphere's pretty on point, though."
After circling a few times around the heaps of bones scattered across the ground, the glowing sphere focused on the two figures standing above the shadowy canyon.
However, after watching for a short while, the system tilted in confusion. "Host, why were you talking for so long with a fragment of a [Conceptual God]?"
"Conceptual God?" Satsuki immediately caught onto the key phrase. She turned toward the system. "What do you mean by a fragment of a [Conceptual God]?"
"Oh, that? It's something I happened to glimpse from the Akasha Records."
The system bounced proudly. "You know this world has both the Counter Force and the existence of gods, right?"
Not only did she know about them—she had fought them before.
"Just as the Counter Force is divided into Alaya and Gaia, gods themselves are also categorized into two types: personal deities and conceptual deities."
"Since the age of mythology, most gods have been so-called personal deities. They were born from humanity's collective consciousness—created through the power of Alaya."
"Their existence relies on human will, which is why they require humanity's prayers in return. This interaction allows them to rapidly grow in divine strength. However, the downside is that once they lose faith, they weaken—and are eventually replaced by other gods who hold the same divine authority but greater popularity."
As the system explained, its glowing sphere floated over the head of that Assassin, casting a beam of light onto him.
"As for this one, he's a rare subordinate of a conceptual deity~"
"The concept of [Death], then?"
"Bingo! That's right!"
"The concept of [Death] has been intrinsically tied to all life since the beginning. Its existence does not serve humanity's will—Alaya—but rather the planet's will to preserve itself: [Gaia]."
"[Death] is the end of all living things. In every world, [Death] is an indispensable element. No matter how intelligent beings may resist or despise death, it will always persist."
At this point, the system floated before Satsuki. "Host, that Servant you want to defeat—his existence is intertwined with the very concept of [Death] itself. To erase him completely would mean erasing the concept of [Death] from this world."
"That's not an easy task, Host."
"It's not difficult because of lack of ability," Satsuki replied calmly. "It's difficult because of the magnitude of the act itself."
"To completely eliminate the concept of death from a planet, there are only two possible methods."
"The first: resurrect all the dead, reverse yin and yang, and throw the balance of life and death into chaos. The planet would collapse under its own strain, and with it, Gaia's consciousness—the source of the [Death] concept—would disintegrate naturally."
"As for the second method: simply erase Gaia's consciousness altogether, and then reconstruct the world's laws and concepts from the ground up."
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