"Just like this?"
"Consider the contract established. I don't think anyone expected such a connection to form between Servants."
In a deserted park, Jonouchi and Kyoko Sakura finally reached an agreement. Soul Relay. It was a card meant for Duel Monsters to shift a Duelist's defeat condition, but Jonouchi had adapted it for the 'Servant' Kyoko Sakura.
"My magical energy has stopped fading," Kyoko noted with surprise. "I can even feel it starting to recover."
"This is a win for both of us," Jonouchi said, visibly relieved. "We don't have to worry about vanishing anymore, and we'll have enough energy to keep fighting."
With the immediate crisis averted, Jonouchi felt the weight lift from his shoulders. His life points, which had been in freefall, finally stabilized and began to tick upward.
"But there's a catch, isn't there?" Kyoko asked. "If your machine is destroyed, or if I die..."
"Then we both go down together," Jonouchi finished bluntly. "We're sharing one life now. To survive, we have to protect each other."
The effect of Soul Relay was permanent. As long as Kyoko lived, Jonouchi would remain in the war even without a Master. Conversely, as long as Jonouchi lived, Kyoko wouldn't suffer from the lack of a Master's mana supply. They had become each other's anchors.
"Kyoko Sakura, Magical Girl."
"Jonouchi Katsuya, Duelist."
"What kind of strange job is that?!" they both shouted at once, then broke into laughter.
"Well, since we're in this together, I'm counting on you, Sakura."
"Just call me Kyoko."
"No way. That's the same name as a classmate of mine; it'd be too weird."
"Fine. Then just call me Jonouchi."
They spoke with an easy familiarity, devoid of the cynicism usually found in adults. For anyone else, it would look like Lancer and Caster had formed their own private alliance. They didn't even care who would get the wish if they made it to the end. They'd figure that out when the time came.
It was fate—meeting at the right moment and making the only choice that mattered.
...
"Ugh!"
Returning to the Tohsaka mansion, Kirei Kotomine clutched his wounds and surveyed the wreckage within. "The King seems displeased."
Standing nearby, still holding the divine Kusanagi-no-Tsurugi, Kenshin observed the room. "Summoning him back without warning? Given Gilgamesh's temperament, he must be furious."
"My teacher never learns his lesson..." Kirei smirked. Compared to his past self—the obedient student with no desires—Tokiomi Tohsaka now appeared as little more than a clown, providing Kirei with endless amusement.
Tokiomi failed to understand that Servants weren't mere familiars; they were individuals with their own philosophies. To force one's will upon a King like Gilgamesh was an invitation to disaster. Mastery required harmony, or at least a facade of it.
To interrupt Gilgamesh in the middle of a battle he was enjoying... it was only through the King's mercy that Tokiomi hadn't been impaled on the spot. Command Spells were powerful, but they weren't a shield against a King's wrath.
"Best not to tempt fate right now," Kirei murmured. It was better to avoid Tokiomi while the King was in a rage. He and Assassin still needed Gilgamesh's power to finish this war.
"Assassin, I have a new task for you. Ensure its completion; we may need it later."
Kirei handed a map to Kenshin. "Hmm?" Kenshin noted the markings. "This is..."
...
"Maiya and Irisviel are dead?"
Saber's voice trembled as she heard the news from Kiritsugu. She couldn't understand how their mission had turned into such a total loss. They hadn't saved Irisviel, and Maiya was gone.
Kiritsugu remained silent, his body heavily bandaged. It was a crushing defeat. Now, aside from his Servant, he had nothing left.
"Will you continue to fight? For your ideal?" Saber asked, looking at the hollowed-out man before her.
"Of course..."
"Do you have no personal desires at all?" Saber couldn't believe he could remain so detached. Could the death of his wife and partner truly leave him unshaken?
"If I give up now, then their sacrifices will have been in vain," Kiritsugu replied, lighting a cigarette. He understood what Saber was getting at. If the Dragon Balls could grant any wish, they could bring back the dead. But the cost would be his dream of world peace—a miracle he had spent his life chasing.
Faced with personal happiness, Kiritsugu would always choose the world. An ideal land without war or suffering. He would sacrifice the few for the sake of the many. That was his path.
"Will that satisfy you? Will it make you happy? And what about Illya? Will she be happy with this choice?"
Kiritsugu said nothing. Saber could see the cracks in his armor; he wasn't as unaffected as he claimed. "Don't... don't say another word, Saber."
Recalling his daughter's face, Kiritsugu's resolve wavered. He knew he could never fully sever his ties to his own heart, no matter how much he tried to abandon his humanity.
"I will wait for your answer," Saber said. "Regardless of your choice, I will be the sword that grants your wish."