This modification—Roy hadn't told a single soul.
Even to Taigong Wang, he'd only vaguely said, "I have a trump card to guarantee victory", without revealing that the activation mechanism of the Greater Grail had already been altered.
He was genuinely afraid that once a second person knew, there'd inevitably be a third, then a fourth, and soon enough it'd be an open secret. So, Roy kept it entirely to himself.
Of course, to make sure Taigong Wang wouldn't be easily claimed by the Greater Grail, Roy had preemptively instructed him to cast a soul-stabilizing technique on himself.
Back then, Taigong Wang hadn't understood why Roy insisted on that.
But now—he finally got it.
"Hahaha! What an astonishing trump card you laid down, my Master!"
Taigong Wang burst into hearty laughter, praising his Master with genuine admiration.
Honestly…
Roy, you're way too prepared!
Even from Taigong Wang's perspective, a tactical genius in his own right—his Master's contingency planning bordered on overkill.
Disgusted by Gilgamesh's complete disregard for human life just moments ago, Taigong Wang's gloom was now utterly dispelled, leaving only joy and admiration.
"At this very moment… the soul of the Servant closest to the Greater Grail—namely, Angra Mainyu—should already have been drawn in and consumed."
Roy glanced down at the scarlet Holy Grail nestled within the massive pit below, a pleased grin tugging at the corners of his lips.
Good riddance, you wretched thing!
Although Angra Mainyu had infiltrated and polluted the Grail's interior, he was never a true component of it—merely a parasite. Were the Grail capable of autonomous action, it could easily have purged him long ago. The only reason Angra Mainyu lingered was because the Grail had no will of its own.
But now, with Roy having secretly modified the activation system through his Mystic Eyes, he had effectively awakened the Grail's proactive nature, forcing it to begin absorbing Servants' souls.
And not just absorbing—consuming them on the spot.
Turning their souls into fuel, immediately annihilating them to prevent any chance of future corruption.
But of course, all of this hinged on the Greater Grail being reactivated.
In other words—someone still needed to make a wish.
If it were anyone else, Gilgamesh or Angra Mainyu would never have allowed it. Only if Kotomine Kirei were the one to make the wish would their vigilance be completely down.
And Roy had seen through this perfectly, deliberately sparing Kirei's life all along, waiting for him to reignite the Greater Grail—so that once reactivated, the modified system would kick in.
From that point forward, Angra Mainyu, EMIYA, Okita, and even Gilgamesh himself would be targeted by the Grail.
Because this newly added mechanism would only activate after the Grail's restart, and hidden beneath Roy's specialty—using large, flashy moves to disguise subtle manipulations—even Angra Mainyu hadn't detected it.
It lay dormant within the Grail's systems, unknown to all.
Until now.
"You said it yourself, didn't you, King of Heroes?"
Roy fixed his gaze on Gilgamesh's now-darkened expression.
And seeing Gilgamesh unhappy made Roy downright ecstatic. That's what you call the Law of Conservation of Happiness.
"Once the Greater Grail is activated, it cannot be stopped by any means. It will keep absorbing the world's leylines' magical energy to fulfill the wish, and won't halt until it's done—even I couldn't undo its mechanism at that point."
"You accursed mongrel!"
Gilgamesh's lips twitched violently with anger.
It had only been a minute since those words left his mouth—and now they were being used to mock him.
The Greater Grail truly couldn't be stopped.
Which meant that no matter how far Gilgamesh ran, the Grail would relentlessly pursue his soul.
Taigong Wang, naturally, was in the same boat. Even with his soul-stabilizing arts, as long as he existed, the Greater Grail wouldn't let him go.
Sure, Gilgamesh might have a treasure to shield his soul, but the Grail would still cling to them like a maggot gnawing at bones.
And the longer the Grail remained active without fulfilling its wish, the more magical energy it would drain from the world's leylines—its suction growing ever stronger until it reached an irresistible level.
"…So that's how it is. You certainly planned thoroughly."
Gilgamesh closed his eyes, then opened them again.
Gone was the smug amusement, the taunting playfulness, the latent menace.
In its place was a cold, brutal, tyrannical fury.
"If it were a half-baked Servant, they'd indeed have lost to you by now."
A golden ripple appeared at his side.
Gilgamesh reached his hand into the ripple.
And drew forth a sword.
Or rather—whether it could even be called a sword was questionable. In appearance, it resembled a handled cylinder, pitch-black in color, about as long as a regular sword. Crimson zigzagging patterns, like blood vessels, etched its surface.
Gilgamesh rose from his throne, raising the weapon high overhead as if presenting it in a solemn rite.
"Awaken—Ea!"
In that instant—an unimaginable, oppressive force filled the air.
For a moment, Roy felt as if he couldn't breathe. His gaze fixed on the sword, his eyes filled with reverent awe. Anyone who knew of this weapon would never dare show it the slightest disrespect.
"Master!"
Taigong Wang immediately stepped in front of Roy, a deep wariness in his gaze.
"To think you'd actually bring out the Sword of Rupture… You're really taking us seriously now!"
You hearing yourself right now?
Roy rolled his eyes at him.
But the truth was—at this stage, only by drawing that sword could Gilgamesh settle the fight with Taigong Wang. Otherwise, the two of them could trade blows until the end of time and still be deadlocked.
"Rider, use your strongest Noble Phantasm!"
"Hahaha—settling it with full force, huh? I don't mind that one bit!"
Taigong Wang chuckled softly.
In that case—no more holding back!
"Mental Key Inscription, full activation!"
He raised a hand, producing a long iron whip.
Three chi, six cun, and five fen in length — pitch black, forged of twenty-one segments. Each segment bore four sigils, totaling eighty-four — each exuding an ancient, bloodstained aura of slaughter. How many gods and men had this thing tasted?
"Activating all eighty-four inscription seals!"
Taigong Wang casually tossed the whip into the air, his movements light and unhurried.
Yet in that very instant, an oceanic surge of power erupted from him.
"Let the heavens be open...!"
The sky itself rippled as though vast waves were crashing overhead. Space itself distorted and reshaped.
Then—a titanic iron whip, thick as a mountain pillar, descended from the heavens!
"Be erased within this radiance—Dǎ Shén Biān!"
***
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