51 Waiting and Hoping

After being given a heap of worldview-shattering news by the Zelretch, Kayneth stared blankly at the Jeweled Sword in his hand. He then cast several spells to dispel illusions and clear his mind.

In the end, after spending a long time confirming that none of this was a hallucination or some hypnotic spell, Kayneth quickly sprang into action, even pushing thoughts of his fiancée to the back of his mind.

He would deal with that after returning alive. For his own safety, Kayneth didn't hesitate or pause; he followed the Zelretch's instructions and used a Command Seal right there, summoning Fionn, who had been searching for him from afar, to his side. He then ordered Fionn to take him to the place where the Greater Grail was about to descend.

Fionn accepted the command without question as if he already knew what was going to happen.

Then, with incredible speed, Fionn carried Kayneth through the streets of Fuyuki City. In this situation, Kayneth no longer cared about the rules of concealing the mystery or maintaining his dignity as a noble magus.

After all, a figure as grand as the Zelretch had no reason to lie to him.

This meant their fate and future were truly imprisoned in this absurd Holy Grail War. They were trapped in a strange loop of repetition, much like the fabled Ouroboros. If this wasn't resolved quickly, Kayneth couldn't even imagine the consequences.

Thus, he decisively gave the command.

"Lancer, prepare for battle. This time, fight with all your strength. No holding back."

"As you command."

Kayneth rubbed the Jeweled Sword in his pocket, looking at the figure standing in their way with a resolute gaze.

They had arrived.

The powerful knight, Fionn, set Kayneth down, and he could feel the increasingly intense aura of battle approaching from ahead.

There was no mistaking this familiar feeling ... the person approaching was...

The two looked ahead, and standing there was the blonde King of Knights, who had already decided to withdraw from the battle. Her fierce battle aura spread out as her sword was pointed directly at them.

"Damn it... Kiritsugu, you dare use a Command Seal to control me…"

Feeling her body no longer under her control, Artoria gritted her teeth, but due to the mandatory effect of the Command Seal, she had no choice but to stand guard.

The death command Kiritsugu had given her was, Guard the entrance, Saber. Defeat any and all enemies who attempt to intrude.

At the entrance to the Fuyuki City sports stadium, Fionn stared at the King of Knights standing at the front gate, unsure of what to say.

He could sense the change in Artoria, and he could also sense the awkwardness she felt in her current state.

"I see... It's the effect of the Command Seal. You probably no longer wish to fight, do you, King of Knights?"

He shook his head, as water began to form into a long spear in his hand, the tip aimed at her.

"..."

Artoria turned her head away and didn't respond.

"But... no matter what has changed within you, or whether or not you want to fight, it doesn't matter to me. Any enemy that stands in my master's way, I will defeat!"

"Enough talk, Lancer. If it's a fight you want, then fight. Although I've let go of my obsession with the Grail, as a Servant, I am still bound by my contract to the Throne."

Artoria raised her holy sword.

"If you want to pass through here, come at me, Lancer!"

"Very well, let's continue the unfinished battle from the first night at the docks, King of Knights."

As soon as he spoke, Fionn's spear thrust toward Artoria.

In an instant, sword and spear clashed once more, sparks flying wildly from their contact.

"This is up to you, Lancer. Finish it quickly."

"I issue a command with my Command Seal, Enhance your power. Hold nothing back, and fight to your heart's content!"

"As you command, my lord!"

...

A sea of fire, hell, and resentment...

There was no heat in the pitch-black flames, only an icy coldness. The sound of the flames burning was like the wailing of vengeful spirits from the depths of hell.

*Crack*

Arondight that had formed in his hand dissipated into spirit particles, and his body, after countless battles, was covered in cracks.

The Count's left hand had already gripped his neck, lifting him up in the sea of fire. In his golden eyes, a hint of disdain flickered.

"It's been so long, and you're still keeping up this ghostly appearance?"

"Whether it's that incubus magecraft or Berserker's broken saint graph, it's all just child's play." He said angrily. "Do you realize you're playing with fire in this state?"

The Count released his grip, letting Roy collapse to the ground. In the next moment, the magical energy surrounding him began to dissipate, and the characteristics of Lancelot that had been attached to him also gradually faded.

But Roy didn't respond directly. Instead, he rolled over, showing no signs of anger or frustration on his face. Rather, he smiled, teasingly.

"As expected, compared to that easily shaken King of Knights, the Count is flawless. Someone like me, who took a shortcut, is still far too inferior..."

As the defeated, Roy lay on the ground and gazed at the gray, hazy sky above, easily accepting this outcome.

Compared to the confused King of Knights, Artoria, still trapped in the past, only the Count... this true Avenger... could be truly flawless. Even if his opponent was his former Master, he could fight without hesitation, every action aligned with his own will.

"If the opponent is the Count, someone like me doesn't stand a chance..."

"Hmph."

Faced with Roy's lazy demeanor, or perhaps his resignation, the Count snorted dismissively, grabbing his collar and issuing stern words.

"A pseudo-servant state, using Lancelot's saint graph as a medium, and merging your flesh with the Servant through magecraft. This allows you to wield most of the abilities of the Knight of the Lake, Lancelot, including his knowledge, skills, Noble Phantasms, and even memories. But..."

The Count's eyes flashed with a sharp light. "Have you considered how long your body, just barely becoming a magus, can endure this pseudo-servant state? Do you know the consequences?"

"Once, twice, more... it's already unnecessary, isn't it?" Roy smiled faintly, his eyes filled with amusement as he looked at the Count and answered.

"Luckily, Lancelot himself chose this outcome to repay my kindness, and as a Berserker, his emotional deficiencies limited his impact on me... though my human body has its limits. But with Merlin's reinforcement magecraft, even I can temporarily reach a level capable of contending with Servants."

"But in the end, it's still not enough... I still ended up like this. Even though I knew I would lose, I can't help but feel frustrated..."

Hearing this, the Count fell silent. He looked at Roy lying on the ground and asked, "Why didn't you try using a Command Seal? Our Master-Servant contract is still intact. Using a Command Seal to execute me would've been your best option."

"Hahahaha, there's no need for that. Those three Command Seals are completely unnecessary."

Roy looked up at the sky with a carefree expression, lying flat on the ground with arms outstretched in a completely relaxed posture.

"They're our bond, after all."

Then he asked the Count a question.

"This is... the umpteenth time, isn't it?"

"..."

"What are you talking about?"

"I'm asking you, how many times has the Holy Grail War happened already? How many times have we fought side by side or against each other, Count? Or can you tell me what the outcome of the previous Holy Grail Wars was? You, with your Oblivion Correction, should remember everything, right? Don't hide it from me. I can sense it."

"..."

The Count fell silent. "The eighty-third time."

"I see..." Roy smiled in understanding.

"So, you really have been by my side all those times."

"That explains everything. How you could always seize the upper hand, and even foresee certain events and changes before they happened."

"You've already guessed it..." The Count replied calmly, looking at him.

"Yes, I've mostly figured it out. But is there really no way to stop it? Is the cause me or the Holy Grail?"

"I don't know, perhaps both."

The Count shook his head and answered, "I killed you at the very beginning."

"But the Holy Grail War did not proceed normally or come to a proper conclusion."

"Your desire to live at the moment of your death, combined with your soul as a Foreigner, had an inexplicable impact on the Grail. It purified what should have been corrupted by All the World's Evil and imprinted your wish onto it."

"As the Greater Grail ascended, everything that had happened was reset, and the Grail fulfilled your wish to live, rewinding time to before the war."

"I tried many ways to kill you and prevent your influence on the Grail, but it was all in vain. Whenever you die, the Grail inevitably gets affected, and your wish is engraved, resetting the timeline. So, I eventually gave up on killing you... at least for now... and chose to stay by your side, searching for a solution while temporarily serving as your Servant. And then, nothing more..."

"I see... so I've died so many times already."

Hearing this, Roy didn't shout or cry out. His heart remained unmoved. He merely asked one final question, calmly.

"Have you found a way yet?"

The Count sighed softly, nodding slightly. "I have. Through all these resets, I finally found a method."

"That Ruler, with his absurd wish to save humanity or the Grail, has an unimaginable obsession. With a little guidance, he lost interest in you. His soul has now taken your place and entered the core of the Grail ahead of time. In other words, I'm the only pursuer sent by the Counter Force left. No one else will interfere."

"I see, so that's why you chose to maintain the contract with me and advised me not to use the Command Seals... to keep living, right, Count?" The boy smiled, a glint of amusement in his eyes.

"As Merlin said, I'm a Foreigner. No matter how weak I am, my existence far surpasses that of a Servant. Once my soul enters the Grail, it will overwrite all the Servants' souls and affect the Grail again, engraving my wish not to die, resetting everything once more. So, you had to choose..."

"You're not wrong. I did choose another way." The Count lit one last cigarette with a flicker of flame at his fingertip.

"If it had been at the beginning when you were just a Foreigner with no connection to me, I could have killed you without hesitation. But... now I can't anymore."

Countless times spent together, fighting side by side, had already made them accomplices, with hearts intertwined. He could no longer bring himself to kill Roy.

"Then, what about the mission issued by the Counter Force? Shouldn't you still go and complete it, Count?"

"Hah, whoever wants to do that kind of thing can go ahead." The Count sneered disdainfully and extended his hand toward Roy.

"Alright, now that the nuisances are gone, let me become your final ray of hope..."

"Do I need to grab your hand?"

"That's right. Take my hand, and I will give you everything... my body and the power of Avenger."

"And what about you?"

"Me?" The Count smiled warmly. "It doesn't matter what happens to me. All they'll do is lock me up in the deepest part of the Throne of Heroes, something I've long gotten used to. Besides, this trip has already lasted long enough, and I don't feel like I've lost out from our time together."

"I'm just a long-dead spirit with no future, but you're not. You should live on, carrying my hope with you."

"I can't accompany you on the road ahead anymore. Whether you choose to flee or continue participating in the Holy Grail War, it's up to you. I hope we never meet again in this absurd cycle. If we do meet again, I hope it's in a distant future."

"And by the way, Master, I've been truly content during our time together..."

"W-Wait, Count."

Roy tried to stop him, but he didn't.

"My accomplice, you can now use my power to your heart's content."

The Count extended his hand, placing his left hand on the three Command Seals on Roy's hand. The red Command Seals responded to the Count's magical energy, emitting a blinding red light, and then his figure gradually dissolved, merging into Roy's body.

"Take it, this is now your power."

If the fusion of the saint graph succeeded, everything of the Count of Monte Cristo would fully descend upon Roy.

Memories, Noble Phantasms, and abilities would all merge with Roy, achieving the so-called unison of body and mind.

But… that wasn't the kind of fusion he desired.

The Count activated the Command Seals and issued an order to himself.

"By the authority of the Command Seal, I command you Edmond Dantès not to affect the consciousness of the Master."

"By the authority of the Command Seal, I command you Edmond Dantès, to use your saint graph to disperse the Berserker's lingering will."

Under the coercive power of the Command Seals, power began to drain, and the Count's saint graph transferred into Roy's body, initiating the fusion.

Roy closed his eyes. He could clearly feel that the will of Lancelot, originally fused with Berserker's saint graph, was crushed in the process of the Count's integration. In that instant, Roy felt a newfound clarity in his mind.

The influence of Lancelot on him had been entirely erased by the Count.

"Now, with the final authority of the Command Seal, I command you to restrain Edmond Dantès and..."

"Wait, Count." Roy grabbed his hand and spoke, "Let me issue the final command myself."

"...Suit yourself."

"Thank you, Count."

Nodding slowly, Roy then used the final Command Seal on his hand.

"With the final authority of the Command Seal, I command you my Count, Edmond Dantès... let's forge another bond. We will meet again."

As the command was issued, the last of the Command Seals on his hand dissipated quickly, and an invisible connection was established between the two.

Meet again, huh...

"Heh, you fool... do you realize what you've just wasted?"

"I didn't waste anything. This is the guarantee of our next meeting."

"Krahahahaha! Did you use your precious final Command Seal to form a bond with a vengeful spirit like me? That Command Seal was supposed to be the conduit for transferring my Noble Phantasm to you."

"But if that's your choice, then I hope you won't regret it. As for our next meeting, just wait and look forward to it, my accomplice..."

"Yes, I also look forward to our next meeting, Count. You're my accomplice as well."

"You troublesome kid..."

The Count's body turned into spirit particles and completely vanished, with the lingering will of both Lancelot and the Count of Monte Cristo gone. In its place, the Count's power began to manifest in Roy.

Black flames started to swirl around him, engulfing the surroundings in a sea of darkness, before finally receding into his palm and soul.

The clouds over Fuyuki City parted, and the light rain gradually ceased.

Roy gazed at the scattering spirit particles and reached out toward the future.

"Count, no matter who you are, no matter what your true intentions were, and no matter what has transpired between us, I now choose to believe in you."

"I won't pretend to be strong or claim that I'll fight alone. From now on, I'll use the power that belongs to both of us."

"Thank you, Count."

Wait and hope.

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