Shinji Matou at Your Service

Artoria.

A character he loved in his previous life;

A cute king he always hoped would find peace;

A companion who, since her summoning, had supported him no matter the circumstances.

She was one of the few people he cared about most in this world.

Now, she was dead.

After Justeaze, another person significant to him had died.

"Amakusa Shirou Tokisada!!!"

Shinji's eyes—no, all six of them—were filled with blood.

Seeing this, Shirou deliberately shivered, patting his chest as he said, "Scary, scary. Don't make such a terrifying face. It's not like I did it. Fine, fine, regardless of who did it, I am responsible since I'm the Master of everyone. If you want revenge, come at me—though, you have something more important to worry about, don't you? This is the sixth servant, isn't it?"

As soon as the words fell, an indescribable pulse emanated from the altar, directly penetrating space and physical barriers to reach the depths of the soul.

It was the pulse of the Greater Grail, a sign that it was fully activating.

Colorless but substantial magical energy gushed from the core of the Greater Grail, first infusing into the Lesser Grail, then gradually overflowing and changing in nature, creating reality-altering waves.

This magical energy, this change in nature, these waves were precisely what Shinji and Justeaze initially sought.

However, Justeaze had already vanished, and Artoria, who was not originally on the sacrifice list, had become the final key to activating the Greater Grail.

More critically, the reality-altering magical wave had already begun to influence the world, meaning Shirou had long inscribed his wish onto the Greater Grail through his Noble Phantasm.

As soon as the Greater Grail was activated, it started functioning according to the rules.

"That's why I said you're unlucky. You already have the power to threaten or even kill me, and the outcome of our fight is still uncertain. However, you seem to have forgotten that our goal isn't just about life and death—it's the Greater Grail. You've lost!"

Hearing Shirou's victory declaration, the blood in Shinji's eyes deepened, and an eerie red glow emanated from his body.

Suddenly, he turned his Noble Phantasm on himself, stabbing all his weapons into his body. This caused his greatest injury since the battle began, and it brought forth enormous magical energy. In an instant, a magical storm erupted from Shinji, with its output momentarily surpassing that of the Greater Grail.

"Yes, we lost. But our loss doesn't mean your win!"

Simultaneously, his body began to swell. The three-headed, six-armed form evolved for battle rapidly expanded and collapsed, turning into a mass of red-purple flesh that continually spread, bubbling ominously.

"Why does this scene feel so familiar?"

Shirou sighed, rubbing his chin, then suddenly shook his head vigorously.

"To hell with déjà vu, this is bad! An upgraded human meat bomb!!! Are you really this desperate!?"

Unfortunately, Shinji's body had already completely melted, losing any human shape, and he could no longer speak. All his focus was on accelerating the explosion.

However, he had already given his answer.

For revenge, Shinji would stop at nothing, even sacrificing his own life.

By saying "we lost," he meant they failed to stop the Greater Grail's activation.

By saying "It doesn't mean you win," he meant that even if the Greater Grail activated, it wouldn't fulfill Shirou's wish.

Before facing Shirou alone, Shinji had made various preparations and formulated multiple plans.

Magical energy circulation.

Rapid Noble Phantasm deployment.

Abandoning his humanity. Human bomb.

Purification strike.

...

Each plan complemented the others, with the latter plans serving as backups for the former. If one plan failed, the subsequent one would activate. Even if Artoria hadn't died, Shinji would have used the purification strike if the human bomb failed against Shirou.

But now, external changes forced Shinji to initiate this plan early. Due to insufficient accumulated magical energy, he resorted to self-harm to gather the final needed energy, pushing his magic beyond its limits, beyond control, into total berserk mode.

As for whether Shirou would escape, Shinji wasn't worried. The magical energy he had accumulated was no less than Spartacus's final strike. At such close range, it was enough to destroy the Greater Grail.

Yes, this Purification Strike isn't aimed at Shirou himself but at the Greater Grail. Shirou is no longer a human in a fleshly state; he is a Servant, and his sustenance and magical energy come from the Greater Grail. If he flees and watches Shinji destroy the Greater Grail, he and his companions will lose their source of magical energy. Even if they have Command Seals for support or some other backup plan, they won't last long and will eventually be annihilated by their allies.

Shirou clearly understood what Shinji was thinking. He silently glanced at the Greater Grail, which was beginning to rise slowly due to the release of magical energy. His lips moved as if to say something, but no sound came out.

Then, he quickly tore off the Holy Shroud draped over his shoulders and wrapped it around his hands.

"I figured you would use this move when I saw you wield Spartacus's Noble Phantasm. You didn't think I wouldn't be prepared, did you? I can also extinguish the Holy Maiden's flames, and I can do it better. Are you confident you can surpass the Holy Maiden's end, or do you have a method that can break through my technique?"

The bubbles on the flesh mass increased, resembling a pot of overcooked meat soup. The fuel for this boiling was the magical energy accumulated, a force whose sheer destructive power was even more terrifying than the Greater Grail's.

The power finally erupted, shining with a light of annihilation, transforming instantly into a blade of explosive force.

This was a Noble Phantasm that, at the cost of one's life, granted enough destructive power to obliterate the enemy. It was the most destructive Noble Phantasm in this Holy Grail War.

As soon as the blade revealed its edge, cracks began to appear in the extradimensional space where the altar was located.

It should be noted that this was a space recognized as the pinnacle of magecraft, created by high thaumaturgy from the Age of Gods. Though not as solid as the real world, it was comparable to a Reality Marble, and this was just the prelude to the strike.

Looking at the blade starting to unleash its power, Shirou sighed.

"To think you'd go this far... Have you spent too much time with Jeanne? Why do both sides always resort to self-destruction when faced with unsolvable problems? Why can't we escape the fate of enduring self-destruction, even with new faces? Can't you be a bit more creative?"

With a sigh, Shirou knew there was only one thing he could do now if he didn't want to die or see the Greater Grail destroyed.

"Right Hand - Safety Shutdown, Left Arm - Degenerative Drive—"

As if in response to the boiling human bomb, the colorless magical energy also began to boil.