The decision has been made—you're the one to use the Holy Grail.
"Ah, as expected, I can't win against you. After all, this is your 'rule.'"
Beast was firmly restrained by a hand extending from the darkness, unable to resist even with her beastly Saint Graph.
"So, did you have fun?"
Unexpectedly, Beast posed this question.
Jiang You was momentarily stunned, unsure whether she was referring to the Holy Grail War or the game itself. Though the crossover made it hard to tell which was more important, as a game, he was quite satisfied. "It was alright, I guess. If I had to say, I had fun. But hey, aren't you the boss? Why are you asking this?"
"Is that so? Then that's good."
Beast smiled without answering before willingly retreating into the darkness.
As Beast vanished, a massive number of souls were released. It seemed that Beast's Saint Graph had served as a pseudo-Grail, breaking the barrier between worlds.
A vast, azure rift connected to the Reverse Side of the World, with an immense amount of mana forming what was known as the "Holy Grail."
"Wait, wasn't the Holy Grail already tainted?"
Seeing the pure Grail, Emiya Kiritsugu voiced his confusion. He had confirmed Jiang You's Noble Phantasm multiple times—it was indeed a top-tier ability capable of linking past and future. The Grail had, without a doubt, been corrupted before.
"It seems that Beast's manifestation absorbed the Grail's tainted mana. Once Caster defeated her, that mana was also erased under the influence of the rules. I see… A massive amount of mana combined with an effect akin to wish-granting magecraft—this truly qualifies as 'making dreams come true.'" Waver explained but soon noticed something amiss.
Four Servants were still present.
"Wait, what!? The battle for the Grail is still on!?"
"I don't think that's necessary anymore."
Kayneth patted Waver's shoulder, being more aware of the current situation.
"Everyone is still under Caster's Noble Phantasm's influence. If not for that Marshal of Magecraft's intervention, even the Clock Tower at full strength wouldn't have been able to suppress a Beast. But Caster won. Now, Lancer likely won't act, and the other two Servants follow Caster's lead. He's already secured victory."
Romulus nodded in agreement with Kayneth's assessment. "Rome's duty is fulfilled. Caster's great work deserves its reward."
Lancelot and Hundred Faces, having fulfilled their own wishes in a way, had no objections either.
"Actually, I'm curious—could the Holy Grail affect the expansion rate of the universe?"
Jiang You boldly posed the question.
"W-Wait a second!"
Waver nearly stumbled, hurriedly stopping Jiang You's reckless idea before he could make an irreversible wish.
"Obviously not! Even if the Greater Grail connects to the Reverse Side, it's still something bound to this planet. The universe is way too vast!"
"Then how about restoring the Age of Gods? I'd love to take a ride on Albion's back."
Jiang You wanted to test the Grail's influence on the world.
"The whole reason the 'Root' dried up was to begin with is why something like the Holy Grail even exists! How could a substitute refill the Age of Gods' mana? No way that's happening!"
Waver was starting to doubt the credibility of the Caster class.
"When you put it that way, it does sound kind of lame... You heard that, Emiya Kiritsugu. Wishes that are too grand can't be realized."
Jiang You suddenly shifted the conversation toward his Master.
Kiritsugu hadn't expected to be mentioned. In truth, Jiang You had long since become the de facto decision-maker of their team—he wasn't affected by Command Spells, and Einzbern's support was really meant for him.
"What are you waiting for?"
Jiang You dragged Kiritsugu to the Holy Grail.
"Didn't you want to be a hero of justice?"
The system prompted Jiang You: he could wish for the resurrection of all beings who had died due to Beast's manifestation. Since the souls within the Grail had yet to depart, the activity count could still be properly calculated. The event was about to end—any strange wishes wouldn't carry over, so he might as well boost his rewards. Without hesitation, he embraced the role of a hero of justice.
"You want to save the world, don't you? Then choose, my Master. Red grants an ambiguous, idealized world peace. Blue resurrects the innocent lives lost here and now."
Jiang You held out both hands—one with a red gem, the other with a blue one, each emitting a faint glow under the influence of mana.
"A wish for salvation, huh?"
Kiritsugu looked at the rift in the sky and let out a relieved sigh. This time, he could save lives without taking any.
"If only, Caster, you didn't have such a blatant 'choose red and I'll cut you down' look on your face."
"Was it that obvious?"
Jiang You instinctively touched his face but found he hadn't actually made any expressions.
"You didn't outright show it, but after everything so far, I've gotten a sense of your personality."
Kiritsugu reached for the blue gem. "Your thought process is erratic, but you're not all that different from an ordinary person. You feel sorrow for others' suffering, and you show anger when things don't go your way. Rather than a legendary 'hero,' you're just a normal guy—someone who wants to enjoy life but can't suppress his own compassion."
"Along the way, you've extended a helping hand to nearly everyone. Because of you, Irisviel can live a normal life. Illya won't wait in the snow for ten years. Innocent people have survived thanks to you. I'm truly glad to have met you, Caster!"
"You said the blackened Grail twists its wielder's wishes. If that's true, then the real Grail must have a similar function. Not distortion, but ambiguity—leaving it up to the wish-maker to define how a vague desire is realized. Otherwise, we can't be sure how the Grail will interpret the wish, or if it will cause unforeseen consequences. How should 'world peace' be achieved? I can't say. Perhaps an eternal dream where no one is ever hurt?"
"But can that truly be called salvation? I won't take that gamble."
"And so, my answer is my wish—revive everyone who perished due to Beast's arrival!"
The wish was granted. The souls within the Grail were released, surging skyward from Ryuudou Temple, cascading down over Fuyuki like raindrops.
The souls returned to their bodies, and those who had lost theirs were reconstructed anew.
[Human Order Restoration: Fuyuki Defense Battle] has concluded. Current survivors: 831,347.
[Congratulations, player, on obtaining the highest reward: Blank Card ×3. You may select one Servant's original Saint Graph from this Holy Grail War. Additionally, your Servant panel has ranked up twice.]
Jiang You's Saint Graph suddenly expanded—aside from Luck and Noble Phantasm, all his stats had reached Rank C.
A significant leap—from a fifth-rate Servant to a fourth-rate one.
As for the reward, there was no need to deliberate—was there any choice other than a Progenitor?
Meanwhile, Kiritsugu's bond reward, [Bitter Choice], had also entered Jiang You's deck. A happy ending for all.
"The Holy Grail War is over, our contracts are about to end, and it is time for farewells. Rome, too, must depart."
Seeing the conclusion, Romulus' Grand Saint Graph could no longer be sustained, and he willingly began to fade. Before disappearing, he seemed to sense something and gave Jiang You a slight bow.
"Caster, when you have need, Rome shall come!"
Lancelot also gave Jiang You a knight's salute before returning to the Throne.
Only Hundred Faces remained, locked in a staring contest with Jiang You—he had assumed she would also vanish, awaiting her final farewell.
"Master... It seems our contract hasn't ended with the ritual. I can still persist. And... neither have you been affected."
She plainly stated her circumstances.
"We can still play after clearing the main story?"
For the first time, Jiang You wanted to praise Konami. A world that dynamically changed based on player actions, a narrative where he could see the impact of his choices—this was beyond generous!
Grinning, he pulled Kiritsugu and Hundred Faces into a tight embrace.
"In that case, let's have a victory party! We're not stopping until we're wasted tonight!"