Anime Girls are Moist

Chapter 1060 1,059: Summoning Holy Grail at will! The Corrupted Grail!

Iskandar's huge body leaned forward slightly.

In a booming voice he asked, "Even so, Rei Ao—when you're neither a Master nor a Servant, how exactly are you 'intervening' in the Holy Grail War?"

"This isn't something normal means could ever accomplish!"

At his words, Rei Ao's face showed a meaningful, faintly amused smile.

He didn't explain right away.

Instead, he raised his free hand.

Very casually, he snapped his fingers.

Snap.

The crisp sound echoed through the silent courtyard.

As the snap faded, a point of golden light suddenly flared to life in the air before him.

The light rapidly expanded and condensed, finally solidifying into an object.

An ancient-looking yet ornate cup, its whole surface radiating a gentle, holy golden glow.

It floated there quietly, exuding an indescribable surge of magical power and a seductive aura that felt like it could grant any wish.

It was exactly the ultimate prize over which every Master and Servant in the Fuyuki Holy Grail War fought—the Holy Grail.

"Th–that… that's… the Grail?!!"

Waver screamed, his voice cracking.

His eyes went perfectly round, as if they were about to pop out of their sockets.

He pointed at the golden cup with a hand that was visibly trembling, completely unable to comprehend what he was seeing.

Wasn't the Grail supposed to be hidden inside the Great Grail system?

Wasn't it only supposed to appear after a brutal struggle?

How—how could someone just snap their fingers and make it show up like that?!

Iskandar was utterly shocked as well.

He shot to his feet.

His huge frame knocked over the chair behind him with a loud crash.

Those eyes burning with the lust for conquest were locked on the golden Grail, filled with disbelief and deep confusion.

"The Grail? You… you actually… how is this possible?!"

Even Gilgamesh, sprawled weakly on the ground, showed a flash of sheer astonishment in his venomous gaze.

Artoria, Ishtar, and the others already knew a bit of the truth.

But seeing Rei Ao just casually "take out" the Grail before their eyes still made their expressions turn complicated.

Rei Ao acted as if he hadn't noticed their shock.

He tapped the floating Grail lightly with a fingertip, producing a clear, chiming ding, ding.

Then he began to speak in an even tone, as if he were recounting a story that had nothing to do with him.

"The Holy Grail War, at its core, is just one huge magical ritual."

"It uses the leylines as its power source, summons seven Servants to occupy the seven classes, and has them kill one another."

"When a Servant dies, their soul doesn't return to the Throne of Heroes. It's absorbed and stored by the Great Grail system instead."

"Once enough souls—and the vast magical energy of those Servants—have been gathered, the Grail accumulates sufficient power and finally 'fills up.'"

"At that point it can open a hole leading to the world beyond this one and, in theory, grant the victor's wish."

He paused.

His gaze swept over Iskandar and Waver with a trace of pity.

"To put it bluntly, the so-called all-purpose wish-granting device runs on one thing: the souls of you Servants who were summoned here."

"What the Masters are really fighting over is only the right to use this energy filled up with the lives and souls of Servants in the end."

"To the Grail system, Servants are nothing more than tools and fuel used to realize someone else's wish."

"Tools… fuel…"

Iskandar repeated the two words under his breath, the muscles in his face twitching slightly.

He'd joined the Holy Grail War to obtain a body and begin his conquest anew.

It had never once occurred to him that, within this war, his "role" might be nothing more than that of a tool?

A huge sense of absurdity, along with a flicker of anger at having been played for a fool, surged up inside him.

"So what you're saying is… only the Masters actually get to make a wish? We Servants are just… there to fill the quota?"

"Basically, you can understand it that way."

Rei Ao nodded, confirming Iskandar's guess.

"Of course, there are the barest handful of special exceptions—but under normal circumstances, that's how it works."

Waver's face had gone deathly pale.

His grip on the hem of Iskandar's cloak tightened even more.

For a young magus who'd been idolizing the supposed glory of the Holy Grail War, this truth hit like a sledgehammer.

However—

Rei Ao's next sentence felt like a bucket of ice water dumped right over their heads.

"On top of that," Rei Ao continued, his tone carrying a hint of mockery, "the Grail you're all fighting over was already tainted during the last Holy Grail War."

"Instead of calling it a universal wish-granting device, it'd be more accurate to call it an efficient curse engine that grants wishes in the most malicious and twisted way possible."

"If you use it to make a wish, what you'll usually get won't be the 'miracle' you wanted, but an irreversible disaster."

"Ta… tainted?!"

Iskandar froze for a moment.

But unlike Waver, his face didn't show despair or fear.

Instead, he burst into an explosive laugh that shook the air.

"Ha ha ha ha ha!!"

"So that's how it is! So that's how it is!!"

He laughed so hard he doubled over, his massive hand slapping against his knee.

"A war fought over a corrupted wishing machine, with a bunch of heroes kept in the dark, slaughtering each other just to become 'tools' and 'fuel'!"

"Ha ha ha! This really is… this really is the most ridiculous and most ironic tale this king has ever heard."

"This Holy Grail War truly is something out of the ordinary."

His laughter echoed through the night sky.

It was full of bold, roaring mirth—yet underneath it was a hint of release and self-mockery that came from having seen through the truth.

Rei Ao watched the laughing King of Conquerors, the corner of his mouth lifting slightly as well.

…

Only when Iskandar's laughter had finally died down did Rei Ao speak again, slowly:

"So now you understand. The so-called Holy Grail War was, from the very beginning, a mistaken and dangerous game."

His gaze shifted to Gilgamesh, who was still collapsed on the ground.

"And now, it's time to deal with this new 'mistake.'"

As he said this, he raised his hand and snapped his fingers again.

This time, however, the gesture wasn't to make something appear—it was to "summon" someone.

Snap.

Another crisp sound cut through the air.

With it, the open space in the center of the courtyard warped once more.

Light flashed.

Three figures were yanked into existence as if dragged in by an invisible force, suddenly appearing in front of everyone.

One was a man in a black coat with a cold, severe face—Emiya Kiritsugu.

By his side stood a woman in tactical gear, weapon in hand, eyes wary and alert—Maiya Hisau.

A moment ago, they had clearly still been in some dim underground hideout.

The next, they were standing in this moonlit courtyard.

Their faces showed pure confusion and the instant tightening of battle readiness.

And beside Maiya Hisau—

The shadows stirred again.

"Wrong Servant · Assassin," Hundred-Faced Hassan, surfaced noiselessly from the darkness.

The gaze behind his mask swept the surroundings in suspicion, and when he saw Gilgamesh lying on the ground and the Holy Grail floating in midair, his body visibly stiffened.

~~~

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