The Command Seal, carrying its compulsive force, silently descended upon Vortigern's body.
For a fleeting moment, the former King of Britain felt an overwhelming urge to 'end himself.'
Under normal circumstances, Servants couldn't resist the mandatory demands of a Command Seal, no matter how unreasonable they were.
However, the higher a Servant's [Magic Resistance], the less effect a Command Seal had on them.
Even as the 'Old King,' Vortigern was still a White Dragon.
When the first Command Seal ordering him to 'commit suicide' took effect, he immediately reacted, snapping his head up to glare ahead.
"Alvin, what did you do to my Master?!"
Forcing him to 'commit suicide' at this critical moment, there was no way it wasn't connected to Alvin.
But logically, Alvin had been fighting him this entire time and shouldn't have had any opportunity to approach Irisviel...
Alvin gripped the holy sword tightly.
In the darkness, the golden swordlight shone brilliantly, casting a divine glow over his body.
He sized up Vortigern and the man in the black trench coat beside him, then smiled: "Looks like while you were targeting my Master, someone was targeting yours."
Irisviel, if he wasn't mistaken, should have been hidden in the Einzbern Castle, a territory fortified with complex magical barriers, easy to defend and hard to breach...
Who would want to eliminate Vortigern?
Still, a single Command Seal wasn't enough to force Vortigern to 'commit suicide'...
As Alvin looked up, sure enough, he saw Vortigern struggling fiercely against the Command Seal's compulsive order, letting out a low growl.
Soon, Vortigern snapped his head up, his eyes now glowing a vivid crimson.
Though his class was Berserker, Vortigern had been suppressing his rationality until now.
However, realizing he could no longer maintain his 'sane' state, his raging murderous intent finally shattered his restraint.
At this moment, he only wanted to drag Alvin into hell with him before being eliminated.
"Alvin... ALVIN!!!"
In the next instant, a dense, almost suffocating surge of magical energy filled the rooftop.
True Ether!
The mana that existed only in the Age of Gods.
To heal his wounds quickly, Vortigern had no choice but to tap into this special authority.
An intense sense of suffocation swept over them, causing Kiritsugu Emiya's expression to shift dramatically and he quickly retreated to avoid being caught in the overwhelming mana of the True Ether field.
Whoosh!
In the next moment, Vortigern transformed into a streak of light, charging at Alvin.
The latter stood his ground, unmoving, his holy sword gleaming brilliantly with dazzling golden light that sent shivers down the spine.
The magical pressure from Vortigern had no effect on him.
So, meeting the charging dragon head-on, Alvin threw a punch forward, as mana from the Root surged endlessly into his body.
The golden light was so bright and dazzling that it seemed as if the clouds had collapsed.
*Boom!*
The clash of the two White Dragons filled the sky with blazing brilliance.
In a corner of the rooftop, teh Assassin, hidden in the shadows, watched the scene, already contemplating retreat.
Servants in the Holy Grail War gained bonuses based on their class.
The Berserker class, compared to other Servants, excelled in attack power and stamina but was weaker in agility and defense.
Yet Vortigern clearly didn't fit this mold.
Due to his White Dragon traits, even as a Berserker, he possessed extraordinary defense.
But even so, Saber was overpowering Vortigern with sheer physical strength... and this was without a Master's mana supply.
'Is this really a Servant meant for the Holy Grail War?'
As this thought crossed Assassin's mind, he didn't hesitate any longer, and made the wisest decision of this Holy Grail War....flee the battlefield as quickly as possible.
Though his Master had ordered him to stay nearby and gather intelligence, if Saber sensed him... he'd be dead for sure.
The only silver lining was that Saber's Master was gone... Otherwise, with a monster like this, aside from Archer's side, no one in this Holy Grail War could likely restrain him.
"Why is his mana still so immense...?"
The more Vortigern fought, the more shocked he became.
Without a Master's mana supply, Alvin's magical energy should have reached its limit by now.
After all, he had just unleashed the Sword of the Stars multiple times.
Even if Servant Alvin couldn't fully manifest the sword's peak power, it was still an EX-rank Noble Phantasm, one that even a dragon's body couldn't withstand.
By now, Alvin's mana should be nearly depleted...
So why...?
As Vortigern's thoughts grew chaotic, an overwhelming aura accompanied by mana descended.
Alvin charged forward swiftly.
Though in human form, he was as ferocious as a true White Dragon.
In the distance, Kiritsugu watched the scene, silently gritting his teeth before turning to quietly withdraw.
Though reluctant, reason told him he had already lost this battle... Dragging it out further might result in both him and Berserker being eliminated.
The battle soon reached its climax.
With another punch from Alvin, the scales on Vortigern's body shattered completely.
Alvin didn't pause for a moment.
Mana from the Root surged into him, enveloping him in golden brilliance.
Each punch was like unleashing a Noble Phantasm, brimming with the brute force of a White Dragon.
Vortigern's expression grew darker.
Though his White Dragon defenses had withstood the Sword of the Stars' Noble Phantasm, he never imagined he'd lose to Alvin in the physical strength he prided himself on.
"Why...?" He stared in disbelief at his wounds and the black light particles slowly dissipating from his body.
This was proof he was being 'eliminated' from the Holy Grail War, becoming the first to serve as fuel for the Grail.
Back in Britain, it had taken immense effort to barely kill him. Yet this time... he had lost to the new King in a direct confrontation.
Both were 'White Dragon Cores,' so why did he lose...?
*Boom!*
Blood rained down as Vortigern's body was utterly shattered by Alvin, disintegrating into countless black light particles, silently becoming part of the Holy Grail.
"The era of the Old King is over... Vortigern."
No one could have anticipated that the first to be eliminated in this Holy Grail War would be the White Dragon who once dominated all of Britain.
After this battle, the Masters who received the news were filled with both wariness and... relief.
They were wary of Saber's combat strength, which far exceeded expectations, and relieved that, having lost his Master, Saber would soon be eliminated due to a lack of mana supply.
Alvin returned to the street.
At that moment, Gilgamesh seemed to have just finished clashing with Altria.
They hadn't settled their duel, as their fight was interrupted halfway by the battle between the two White Dragons.
'This guy... he actually killed Berserker?'
Gilgamesh quietly observed the young man approaching from the end of the street, a meaningful glint in his crimson eyes.
Archer's vision far surpassed the ordinary, so he had naturally witnessed the entire battle on the rooftop.
Though arrogant, Gilgamesh couldn't help but feel a twinge of wariness, and an odd sense of pleasure, when he saw how dangerously close-quarters combat with Saber could be.
Facing such an opponent in the final battle of the Holy Grail War wouldn't be a bad thrill.
"Saber..."
Morgan le Fay looked at the young man returning from the street's end and said instinctively, "You should form a contract with me—"
Though Alvin seemed fine for now, even he couldn't maintain his existence indefinitely without a Master's mana supply.
Alvin gently shook his head, saying,
"I want to take her back first."
Morgan pursed her lips, watching as Alvin lifted Manaka Sajyou's now-cold body.
She wanted to say something, but Altria suddenly placed a hand on her shoulder.
"Let him go back for now."
She said, "Every Servant has only one Master... Perhaps for him, his Master was someone very important."
If Alvin were to abandon Manaka Sajyou now and form a contract with Morgan... Altria wouldn't be happy either.
Alvin carried Manaka horizontally, walking step by step toward the end of the street.
That night, none of the other Servants stopped him. Even Gilgamesh, unusually, remained silent.
Morgan watched Alvin's departing figure, then cast a deep glance at the girl in his arms, saying softly,
"You're sometimes too naive, Lily..."
...
"Mmm~"
It was a faint, involuntary gasp, unable to be suppressed.
Outside, the snowstorm raged. In a secluded mage workshop, a silver-haired beauty was tightly bound by her own prized 'silver threads,' which extended along the wooden pillars of the room up to the ceiling.
"Miss Sajyou... I've already agreed to abandon this Holy Grail War as you requested. What more do you want?"
Irisviel lifted her crimson eyes, a rare trace of anger flickering in their usually gentle depths.
Even someone with her patience would feel some frustration after being confined in a secret room like this and forced to order Berserker to commit suicide.
Fortunately, with Berserker's Magic Resistance, a single Command Seal likely wouldn't affect him...
This was one of the few consolations in Irisviel's heart.
The fire in the hearth roared as Manaka Sajyou sat not far from Irisviel, one hand propping up her chin, her left leg crossed over her right, looking at the silver-haired beauty before her.
Soon, a faint smile spread across her face. "Miss Irisviel, were you just thinking that it's fortunate Berserker can resist the 'compulsory order' of a Command Seal... and that's why you're relieved?"
Irisviel's expression shifted slightly, and she said instinctively, "You knew?"
Manaka smiled brightly. "I told you, nothing in this world can escape my perception."l"
"If that's the case, why didn't you make me use a second Command Seal just now...?"
"Something as valuable as a Command Seal, capable of forcibly ordering a Servant—how could I waste it so carelessly?"
Manaka said with a cheerful smile, "Since you've already abandoned the Holy Grail War, why don't you hand over the remaining Command Seals to me?"
Irisviel instinctively pursed her rosy lips.
Bound tightly by the silver threads and with the mage workshop constantly draining her magical energy, her weakening body filled her with a sense of powerlessness.
There was no chance of winning... If Berserker was truly dead, no one in the world could save her.
Was this really how her life would end...?
What Manaka Sajyou was doing now was absorbing the magical energy from Irisviel, the "Holy Grail," and using it to personally rewrite the rules of the Holy Grail War.
Knowing full well that her opponent was cheating, Irisviel had no means to resist... The thought alone made her close her eyes in despair.
Manala Sajyou's expressions were completely contrary.
At this moment, a brighter and brighter smile emerged on her delicate, doll-like face,
"Wait for me, Saber... Once I've rewritten the rules of the Holy Grail War, I can be with you forever."
The thought filled the girl's heart with anticipation and urgency.
By her calculations, the battle outside should have already concluded.
It was time to retrieve her "body"...
After all, she would need "it" to serve as the Holy Grail next.
With that thought, Manaka quietly closed her eyes.
...
Meanwhile, on the other side.
Alvin had just returned to his doorstep, carrying "Manaka Sajyou."
He could feel his body growing weary.
If not for the mana supplied by the Root, he might have already been forced to withdraw from the Holy Grail War.
"In the end, it was Manaka who helped me..."
He shook his head inwardly, his gaze soon falling on the girl in his arms.
At that moment, he suddenly noticed Manaka Sajyou's body gradually becoming ethereal, faintly emitting golden light particles.
"Manaka's body is disappearing...?"
After a brief moment of shock, as if realizing something, Alvin's eyes slowly widened.
No... Was this a "clone" she created using the mana of the Root?
The light particles quickly filled the area around the doorstep, then, as if summoned, they surged toward a certain direction in the night.
Creak...
While Alvin was still stunned, a girl gently pushed open the door from inside the house.
Matou Sakura.
Her long black hair cascaded down, and her bright eyes fixed on the young man, filled with worry.
Alvin quickly understood and asked, "You saw everything just now?"
Matou Sakura nodded lightly, saying softly, "Did Sister Manaka die?"
"She didn't die... She might just be hiding," Alvin replied, shaking his head.
At first, he had truly believed Manaka Sajyou had perished after being hit by the Origin Bullet... But after witnessing that scene, just now, Alvin suddenly had a very strange feeling in his heart.
After all, how could the omniscient and omnipotent Root Princess fail to sense approaching danger?
But why would she do this...?
As Alvin pondered, a small, fair hand suddenly grabbed his.
"Let's find Sister Manaka."
Matou Sakura looked up at Alvin intently, saying, "If you don't mind, I want to help you."
"Help me...?" Alvin was taken aback as the little girl nodded gently.
"You're in a state without a Master's mana supply, right?" She looked up at him earnestly, and whispered,
"If you don't mind... let me become your Master."
[After losing Manaka Sajyou's mana supply, to repay your kindness for saving her life, the girl adopted into the Matou family has decided to inherit Manaka Sajyou's will and become your Master.]
[Congratulations to the host for unlocking the CG achievement:
The Impulse of N.T.R, Part One (This achievement carries the risk of a 'bad ending.' Please make your decision cautiously.)]
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