In my dreams I catch your eye And it's strange to see me this shy I strum my guitar beside the sea And I pray for your light to guide me

Couldn't betray you if I tried Dreamt that I stayed here by your side  Now when I see the setting sun I picture you there in Avalon

And this garden of disgrace I can still remember the taste They called me the lion, how I roared So many have died by this sword

Couldn't betray you if I tried Dreamt that I stayed here by your side  Now when I see the setting sun I picture you there in Avalon

I'll die defending your glory Your chivalry's not a story I'll die defending your glory Your chivalry's not a story

Couldn't betray you if I tried Dreamt that I stayed here by your side  Now when I see the setting sun I picture you there in Avalon

Prologue

——Now, let us speak about the Third Holy Grail War.

During the Second Holy Grail War, the Einzbern family was defeated quite early on. Even as one of the three families responsible for the creation of the Greater Grail, the Einzberns, masters of alchemy as they were, fell behind due to their lack of combat prowess.

The next time, to rid themselves of the shame of their defeat in the Second Holy Grail war, the Einzberns aimed for certain victory. Making the most of the next sixty years, they compared and examined all manner of possibilities, and in the end, two Heroic Spirits emerged from the pool of candidates.

The first option was to modify the Holy Grail's systems to summon a special-class Servant, known as an Avenger. That Servant would be an anti-hero bearing the curses of all of the six billion people in the world—Angra Mainyu. A nameless hero nevertheless bearing the name of the king of demons. If he were to be summoned, he would be a murderous calamity made incarnate, capable of completely wiping out the other Masters and Servants and activating the Holy Grail.

The second option was abuse of the system built into the Greater Grail—summoning a Ruler, a class with unparalleled power originally meant to be summoned to regulate the Holy Grail War. In light of this, a Ruler would possess "Servant Command Spells", a special Authority that the Einzberns planned to take full advantage of.

Power or wisdom? After much thought, the Einzberns chose wisdom. One could say, even, that they chose the safe option. Perhaps because of their previous defeat, they simply could not muster the confidence necessary to control power like unto a god.

The Ruler chosen to be summoned was from the Far East, where these events took place—the closest to a saint one could be without ever being recognized as such. A tragic figure named Amakusa Shirou Tokisada.

The Einzberns had wanted to summon a Servant resembling the original conception of a Ruler, rather than some unknown Heroic Spirit from the Far East, but summoning a Ruler within a normal Grail War was a major infraction against the system to begin with. So they compromised—but still, the advantage of having Servant Command Spells was overwhelming. The Servant they had summoned, Amakusa Shirou, was not particularly adept in battle, nor was his magical ability on par with a Caster's. Yet he continued to survive, attaining victory after victory in the Third Holy Grail War.

It seemed that their thorough defenses, rather than any reckless gambles, had paid off. As the Third Holy Grail War drew to a close, it seemed, indeed, that the Einzberns were the ones who stood the closest to the Greater Grail.

However, it was at this point that something unexpected occurred. Darnic Prestone Yggdmillennia, the leader of the Yggdmillennia family—which had taken part in the Third Holy Grail War—accidentally came across the Greater Grail. With the help of his military forces, he embarked on a plan to seize it for himself.

Thus ended the Third Holy Grail War.

The remaining Servants fought one another to the death in their pursuance of the Greater Grail, and the Master from the Einzbern family was caught up in that fierce magical clash and killed.

Then, with the Einzberns' Master dead, and the Tohsaka and Makiri families having retreated, only two people remained on the battlefield.

Among the survivors, one was a man named Kotomine Risei. A priest sent by the Holy Church to act as the overseer of the Third Holy Grail War, he could not have expected the battle between the Heroic Spirits to have taken on the form that it did.

He was likely barely in his twenties, but his hardened appearance evoked the image of a countenance carved from rock. His muscled body was as though a fortress. The gleam within his eyes was as keenly sharp as a razor; they were the eyes of a grizzled martial artist or mercenary more than they were those of a priest.

"What do you plan to do from here on?"

Kotomine Risei, a slightly nervous look on his face, asked this of the boy standing next to him. The situation was something out of a comedy: the man, both older and more physically imposing, was humbling himself so before a mere boy.

Then again, any clergyman who knew of the boy's identity would do the same.

After all, the person that he was speaking to was a boy who performed miracles from the time he was born in the Edo period—the closest existence possible to a saint without being one. Even if, by appearances, he was a boy not even of the age of twenty, it was only natural that he would speak to him in such a manner.

"The Greater Grail has been stolen. Indeed, it would seem impossible to recover it empty-handed."

The boy spoke softly as he observed the now-empty cavern. Even though the Greater Grail had been taken away and his own Master had died, the boy had not disappeared; even though his magical energy link to the Einzberns had been severed, he demonstrated no unease at all.

The boy's body had now become a certain existence, rooted to the earth. Having touched the Greater Grail, he had just barely managed to achieve "incarnation". In that sense, one would not be incorrect in thinking that the Third Holy Grail War had ended in his victory.

"In the first place, with my Master's death, I now only possess the power of an ordinary human. Therefore, I plan to give up on my pursuit of the Holy Grail."

"Oh… in which case—"

"Lord Risei, you told me once that you had gone on a journey to attain enlightenment through asceticism. In that case, shall I also set off on a journey?"

"Very good. I will lend you any assistance I am able."

There were certain things one needed in order to travel. Chiefly among them were an identity and money. In regards to the latter, Kotomine Risei had no intentions of frugality. Moreover, he had already dedicated his entire life to God—he even thought that if he could help Amakusa Shirou, who had met such a tragic end, attain something, anything, new, then he would be willing to give everything away to do it.

The boy's name was changed, and he was given a new identity. He was adopted by Risei and, as he had said he would, he spent his days traveling the world. However, there was just one thing that he never told his adoptive father.

—Amakusa Shirou had not given up on the Greater Grail.

No, on the contrary—he had resolved to dedicate the entirety of his second life, which he had been so fortunate to have been granted, to the next Holy Grail War. When he had been bathed in the light of that Great Holy Grail, Amakusa Shirou had become absolutely certain of it. With this power, with this miracle in hand, surely he would be able to grant happiness to all of humanity.

The power of the Greater Grail was no trifling matter. Now that it had been stolen, it was all but certain that someone, somewhere, had intentions of re-activating it. Most likely, they would do so in another sixty years, when its magical energy had accumulated once more.

After joining the Assembly of the Eighth Sacrament through his adoptive father's connections, he decided to simply wait for the moment he needed—like the predator that stalks its prey under the cover of night, or the spider who weaves its web of snares and waits.

After all, no matter the Holy Grail War, there is one inevitability in its development. That is the Holy Church, and the Assembly of the Eighth Sacrament, whose duty it is to search for and retrieve holy relics. As long as something is a conflict over the Holy Grail, it is a matter of fact that the Holy Church must be involved—and even from the perspective of a mage, it is preferable to disclose information about such conflicts than suffer the burden of having to conceal it.

As information about the Third Holy Grail War spread and Subspecies Holy Grail Wars were being fought all around the world, rumors about the "Holy Grail" continued to reach the Assembly of the Eighth Sacrament.

However, invariably, those were all fakes. Strictly speaking, even the Greater Grail manifested during Fuyuki's Holy Grail War was a fake; the only thing that Amakusa Shirou sought was the Greater Grail that called him into existence.

So he simply waited.

—For sixty years, he waited patiently. Having made a connection to the Greater Grail and incarnated on earth, and owing to his Noble Phantasm, Amakusa Shirou's body never aged a day. It persisted, ever a singular miracle.

As the wind blows clouds across the sky, so too did various things come to pass with time. His adoptive father passed away; his adoptive brother, just like his father and himself, set off on a journey in search of an abstract "something".

He had an almost-infinite amount of time to think, so he devised all manners of plans. How to ensnare the Masters; which Servants he needed to take the Greater Grail back; where the battle ought to take place; how he would make sure of his success this time; how he would make sure that his wish was realized—and that it would continue to be realized.

What he wished for was the happiness of all people—for the goodness of all people. For the annihilation of Angra Mainyu—all of the world's evil. But just how many tribulations would it take to finally reach that point? An ordinary person would long have given up; a genius would long have failed.

But Amakusa Shirou, child of miracles, would not waver. There was never any chance that he would, not even for a moment. Upon his shoulders were the regrets, the resentment, of thirty-seven thousand people—nothing could possibly shake that iron heart.

And then, at last, the long-awaited battle arrived. Seven against seven; the Great Holy Grail War, by means of Fuyuki's Greater Grail. Any differences in the scale or the system were merely trivial matters. After all, Shirou Kotomine had lived for sixty years, all the while considering every possibility—

And so Amakusa Shirou smiled, without any fear, before the eyes of this Holy Grail War's true Ruler—Jeanne d'Arc.

声が鋭く　鼓膜の奥 Koe ga surudoku komaku no oku A piercing voice, deep inside my eardrum

振動して行くだけじゃ無く Shindou shiteiku dake ja naku More than mere vibration

答えようのない問いかけが今 Kotae you no nai toikake ga ima Now, with questions that can't be answered

宙に舞って霞へ消えて行く Chuu ni matte kasumi e kiete yuku Dancing in empty space, vanishing into the haze

ああ　いつになれば本当のこと Aa itsu ni nareba hontou no koto Ah, how long will I need to wait for the truth?

心を曝け出して言うかな Kokoro wo sarakedashite iu ka na Shall I bare my heart and say it?

張り詰めた空気には雨が降り Haritsumeta kuuki ni wa ame ga furi The rain falls amidst this strained atmosphere

望まれていないのに花が咲く Nozomarete inai no ni hana ga saku Without anyone wishing for it, the flowers still bloom

ああ　これから何回も巡って Aa korekara nankai mo megutte Ah, repeating countless times

心を駄目にして行くから Kokoro wo dame ni shiteiku kara My heart won't make it through this

ねえ　どうしようこんな夜に Nee doushiyou konna yoru ni Hey, what should I do on nights like these?

ねえ　どうだろうこんな姿 Nee dou darou konna sugata Hey, how do you like this appearance of mine?

また晒されてしまえば Mata sarasarete shimaeba If I can bare it all again

楽になるかな Raku ni naru kana Won't it make things easy?

声が鋭く　鼓膜の奥 Koe ga surudoku komaku no oku A piercing voice, deep inside my eardrum

振動して行くだけじゃ無く Shindou shiteiku dake ja naku More than mere vibration

心の底まで響き回り出し Kokoro no soko made hibiki mawari dashi Echoes even to the very bottom of my heart

思考を乱して行く Shikou wo midashiteiku Disrupting all of my thoughts

舞い込んだから　純白のまま Maikon dakara junpaku no mama Fluttering in with a breeze, pure white as you are

考えが収束して行くなら Kangae ga shuusoku shiteiku nara If our ideas can become one

答えを欲しがる事を嘲笑い Kotae wo hoshigaru koto wo azawarai Laughing away at my want for answers

また花を咲かせよう Mata hana wo sakaseyou Let those flowers bloom once more

ああ　飾りあって　騙しあって　 Aa kazariatte damashiatte Ah, in all our pretense, we'll deceive each other

さよなら Sayonara Goodbye

知りたくもないような問いかけを Shiritaku mo nai you na toikake wo Questions I don't even want to know the answers to

何故口に出してしまったのだろう Naze kuchi ni dashite shimatta no darou Why did they come out of my mouth?

ああ　今になっては本当のこと Aa ima ni natte wa hontou no koto Ah, now it's all come true

言わないで欲しいとも思ってる Iwanaide hoshii to mo omotteru Even though I never wanted you to say it

湿っている空気に陽が差して Shimetteiru kuuki ni hi ga sashite The sun shines through the humid air

望まれていないのに乾き出す Nozomarete inai no ni kawaki dasu Without anyone wishing for it, everything turns parched

ああ　またもや何回も巡って Aa mata moya nankai mo megutte Ah, wandering endlessly through the haze again

体を駄目にして行くから Karada wo dame ni shiteiku kara My body won't make it through this

ねえ　そうしようこんな朝に Nee soushiyou konna asa ni Hey, let's do that on mornings like these

ねえ　そうだろうこんな声で Nee sou darou konna koe de Hey, isn't that right? With a voice like this

また空気を震わせて Mata kuuki wo furuwasete Setting the air atremble again

楽になるのさ Raku ni naru no sa It'll make everything so easy

声を確かに　鼓膜の先 Koe wo tashikani komaku no saki A voice rings true, beyond my eardrum

心ごと揺らされたから Kokoro goto yurasareta kara Shaking my heart all the way through

頭じゃ解析出来無い震えが Atama ja kaiseki dekinai furue ga A tremor that my mind can't understand

体に現れる Karada ni arawareru Appears within my body

鋭利な牙を　剥き出したまま Eiri na kiba wo mukidashita mama While baring those sharp fangs

言葉を交わし合ってしまえば Kotoba wo kawashiatte shimaeba Even when we can exchange words at last

答えを見つけ出すことなど出来ず Kotae wo mitsuke dasu koto nado dekizu It's impossible for me to find the answers

すれ違ってしまう Surechigatte shimau We'll pass right through one another

ああ　想いあって　すれ違って Aa omoiatte surechigatte Ah, even with these feelings, we'll pass without meeting

さよなら Sayonara Goodbye

声が鋭く　鼓膜の奥 Koe ga surudoku komaku no oku A piercing voice, deep inside my eardrum

振動して行くだけじゃ無く Shindou shiteiku dake ja naku More than mere vibration

心の底まで響き回り出し Kokoro no soko made hibiki mawari dashi Echoes even to the very bottom of my heart

思考を乱して行く Shikou wo midashiteiku Disrupting all of my thoughts

舞い込んだから　純白のまま Maikon dakara junpaku no mama Fluttering in with a breeze, pure white as you are

考えが収束して行くなら Kangae ga shuusoku shiteiku nara If our ideas can become one

答えを欲しがる事を嘲笑い Kotae wo hoshigaru koto wo azawarai Laughing away at my want for answers

また花を咲かせよう Mata hana wo sakaseyou Let those flowers bloom once more

ああ　飾りあって　騙しあって　 Aa kazariatte damashiatte Ah, in all our pretense, we'll deceive each other