"Illyasviel , are you certain you don't need to use the prepared relic?"
Sella's voice carried a hint of concern as she watched Illyasviel step into the bath.
"Besides, you've already handed the crystallization of the Third Magic to the head of the family. Our Einzbern family has obtained what we desired. With this crystal, we can work toward reproducing the Third Magic on our own. We don't actually need to participate in the Holy Grail War."
"Sella, my reason for entering this Holy Grail War is not victory."
After handing over the soul crystal given to her by Jiang You, Illyasviel had gained the full backing of the Einzbern family for summoning him. Acht firmly believed that Jiang You must be a Heroic Spirit deeply connected to the Third Magic, and the family was even prepared to extract him from the Holy Grail War altogether.
"This is my own will—I want to see my mother again."
Illyasviel slowly submerged herself in the water, having long awaited this moment. "The legendary Heracles is undoubtedly powerful, but the Heroic Spirit I will summon has already won a Holy Grail War beyond the usual scope. He is the strongest."
"If you're so confident, I won't say any more."
Sella bowed her head and stepped back, preparing the materials for Illyasviel's summoning ritual.
In truth, the ritual had been prepared long ago. The Einzbern family initially planned for Illyasviel to act as a vessel for the Lesser Grail, using a large number of Command Spells to control a powerful Berserker. However, for some reason, this plan was shelved—until Illyasviel suddenly expressed her desire to summon a Caster.
Acht was against it at first, but after Illyasviel demonstrated the flow of power she had sensed from her Heaven's Feel state, he reluctantly agreed.
After cleansing and dressing herself, Illyasviel stood before the summoning circle. Under the confused gazes of Sella and Leysritt, she approached the place where the catalyst should have been placed.
"Don't be surprised. This is the contract I established with that Servant."
Illyasviel placed her palm over her chest, feeling the flow of magical energy within her body. "Mother, I'm coming to see you."
She began the summoning. The Servant was called forth amidst flashes of lightning!
When she saw the figure that emerged, Illyasviel's pupils trembled. She let out a cry of disbelief.
"Berserker?! Where's my Caster?!"
-
Beneath the moonlight, in the forest on the outskirts of Fuyuki City.
A hooded girl moved through the dappled shadows, planting black spheres of magical energy along her path.
The girl was Matou Sakura. After several days in hiding, she had finally gathered the materials necessary to inscribe a summoning circle.
Since the soul crystal had restored her original Magic Circuits, her control over magical energy had nearly doubled. However, her unique magical nature made it impossible for her to systematically use proper spells. The black spheres were the result of her experimentation.
These spheres, formed from imaginary-number magic, released needle-like spikes in a small radius upon activation, carrying a spatial attribute.
They were sufficient for offense, but far too simplistic for defense.
With the magic circle complete, Sakura did not prepare a relic. Like Illyasviel, she positioned herself at the center of the summoning array. Initially, she had planned to use the soul crystal as a catalyst to summon Jiang You, but it had already fused with her body and could not be extracted.
"Caster had the power to kill Grandfather head-on… If it could be done ten years ago, it can be done again now. Please, help me once more."
Having experienced the power to defy fate, Sakura felt a subtle craving for strength. Summoning a Servant was the fastest path she knew to obtain it.
This was a pure affinity-based summoning—without the assistance of any relic. Having severed ties with the Matou family, Sakura had no means to acquire a catalyst.
As she finished chanting, the summoning circle glowed. A sinister, venomous magical energy spread like a serpent within the array.
"Servant Rider, summoned in response to your call. If you seek a sacrificial pawn, you may command me as you wish."
A Servant with long, violet hair manifested before her.
"…Not Caster?"
Though Jiang You was the Servant Sakura had most hoped to summon, she had not made any prior contract with him, so she had not been overly expectant. She quickly accepted the outcome.
Medusa studied her Master. For some reason, she saw a shadow of herself within Sakura, stirring a faint sense of kinship.
"Rider, this isn't a good place to talk. Please follow me."
Sakura did not immediately reveal her intent to kill Matou Zouken. She needed to assess her Servant first.
She led Medusa through the forest. Her movements were ordinary—not because she didn't want to move faster, but because her reconstructed Magic Circuits made her previous spells difficult to use.
"Master, are you still unaccustomed to your magic?"
Medusa noticed Sakura's struggles. Stepping forward, she lifted her Master into her arms.
"Forgive me for my rudeness."
-
Earlier…
After finishing work and taking a brief shower, Jiang You lay down in his immersion device early.
After clearing Fate/Zero, the Fate/stay night world option had appeared in his login menu. A countdown of less than two hours was displayed, signaling the start of a new scenario.
The only thing Jiang You found dissatisfying was that test players couldn't enter the official server. Although the Fate collaboration was exquisitely crafted, the card battles were far too infrequent—it felt more like an RPG most of the time.
After checking in on a certain "ally of justice" who was helping rebuild Fuyuki in Fate/Zero, Jiang You attempted to summon Matou Sakura to boost their affinity. However, he was met with a notification: "Character currently occupied by the storyline."
With no other options, he exited the scene and idly clicked on the Fate/stay night icon.
Suddenly, the loading bar began to fill.
"?"
Jiang You's consciousness seemed to sink into an ocean.
"…Did I just enter? What kind of bug is this?"
With no other choice, he swam toward the light.
-
Meanwhile, Atrum Galliasta had a dilemma.
He had spent a fortune obtaining the Golden Fleece as a catalyst, intending to summon a Caster from the Age of Gods—one who could fulfill his wish to summon a dragon.
However, for some reason, it seemed that the Caster class slot had already been occupied. No matter how many times he tried, he was unable to summon a Caster. Yet, according to the overseers of the Holy Grail War, no one had successfully summoned a Caster yet.
"This is ridiculous… Don't tell me this damn thing is a fake?"
After more than ten failures, Atram lost his temper and threw the Golden Fleece onto the ground.
But the moment the fleece landed within the summoning circle, the ritual suddenly activated. Enormous magical energy swept everything in the room into the air.
From within the swirling vortex of mana, a figure emerged.
A black-haired Eastern youth stood at the center of the magic array.
"Servant Caster, Jiang You, summoned in response to your call. I ask you—are you my Master?"