Aozaki Aoko Case File

Credits: Nallos

The Hanging Gardens of Babylon were gradually falling into ruin, which made Aoko recall scenes from a certain game she had played in her previous life. (SAO)

Artoria walked calmly through the garden without rushing to leave, as the task Aoko had entrusted her with was not yet complete.

Regarding the method of activating the Holy Grail, the King of Knights had already learned the full truth. She had no objections to it, even though it required the souls of five defeated Servants.

Judging by the current situation, it seemed that the Assassin maintaining the Hanging Gardens had died. However, it was unclear whether it was Aoko who killed her or if it was Lancer.

Artoria nimbly dodged a collapsing statue that was falling in her direction. Glancing at it, she noticed that the statue had been carved in the image of a beautiful fish goddess, but its head had shattered, leaving the face unrecognizable.

Artoria's task was to find Lancer and kill him—this was what Aoko had instructed her to do. However, given the current state of affairs, it was likely that Lancer and his Master had already begun to retreat.

Suddenly, a figure squeezed out of a distorted spatial rift. Artoria looked up to see that it was Aoko.

"I've got it," Aoko said, tossing the golden cup in her hand. "How's it going on your end, Artoria?"

"I couldn't find Lancer," Artoria shook her head. "What do we do now?"

"Retreat," Aoko replied. "Both the Greater and Lesser Holy Grails are in our hands. If Kayneth wants to take a gamble with Lancer and his student, he'll come knocking. Marisbury's preparations are already drawing enough attention."

Nodding, Artoria sheathed her holy sword and walked over to Aoko's side.

Aoko grabbed Artoria's hand, activated a teleportation scroll, and left the Hanging Gardens.

...

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...

"Assassin was ordered to commit suicide with a Command Spell?!" Waver Velvet exclaimed in surprise. "Was it Kiritsugu Emiya? But why would he do that?"

"No, that rat must have been killed by Miss Blue!" Kayneth said grimly. "Transplanting a Command Spell is a time-consuming process. Aside from the Three Founding Families of Fuyuki, only a Magician could kill someone and transfer a Command Spell in such a short time."

"Then should we...?" Waver started to say something but stopped halfway. Glancing at Karna, who stood loyally by Kayneth's side, he swallowed his words.

"Sigh, I know what you're thinking," Kayneth said with a sigh. "No matter what, I must fight Miss Blue and Lancer. Surrendering without a fight is not my style."

"But Karna's current state..." Waver said worriedly. "If you're determined to fight, Professor Kayneth, I can help. I'll fight Saber alongside Karna."

"No," Kayneth refused. "Don't you understand?"

Waver froze, looking confused.

"Even though you possess the foundation of a Servant, you are undoubtedly a living human. And now, you don't even have a Command Spell."

"Miss Blue won't target someone unrelated to the fight unless you intervene," Kayneth said seriously. "But if you join the battle, things will change."

"...I understand," Waver said, his expression turning sullen.

"Enough. Let's retreat for now!" Kayneth changed the subject. "This place is about to collapse completely. Lancer, take us out of here!"

Karna nodded, lifting Kayneth and Waver—both hidden within the magical Mercury—and flew towards an open area in the sky.

As the last visitors left the Hanging Gardens of Babylon, no living humans remained in this miraculous garden.

Whether by coincidence or illusion, the garden's collapse seemed to accelerate after Kayneth and the others departed. Many stones and structures dissolved into ash, vanishing into the air.

...

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...

When Aoko and Artoria reappeared, they were already inside King Solomon's Grand Temple. Marisbury and Kirschtaria were busy assisting Touko with setting up the final magical rituals around the Greater Grail, preparing for the final moments of the Holy Grail War. Meanwhile, Mash and Ritsuka Fujimaru were sitting off to the side, discussing something.

"Touko!" Aoko called out, raising her voice slightly to address her sister. "Catch!"

With a casual toss, she flung the golden cup across the distance. Touko fumbled to catch the golden cup and, after heaving a sigh of relief, glared at Aoko.

"Is this...?" Touko asked as she carefully examined the cup.

"That's right!" Aoko nodded. "What you're holding is Kiritsugu Emiya's wife!"

"Could you please not say something so misleading?!" Ritsuka Fujimaru pleaded, flustered.

"Ara? I'm not wrong, am I?" Aoko smiled teasingly. "This is Kiritsugu Emiya's wife, Irisviel, transformed into the Lesser Grail after absorbing four Servant souls. I killed him and stole his wife."

"?!?!" Ritsuka was stunned. It was clear that Lord El-Melloi II hadn't had the chance to explain the Lesser Grail's situation to her before leaving.

"Senpai, Miss Aoko's words sound like something a villain would say..." Mash whispered nervously to Ritsuka.

"I've never claimed to be a hero of justice," Aoko said, flashing a mischievous grin as she slowly approached Mash and Ritsuka. Seeing this, Mash nervously stepped in front of Ritsuka to shield her. "What's wrong? Are you two planning to stand up for them?"

The two Chaldeans shook their heads vigorously like rattles, signaling that they had no intention of meddling. For them, obtaining the crystallized Holy Grail was the most crucial task.

Marisbury glanced at the two but showed no expression, making it impossible to discern what he was thinking. Ever since his earlier conversation with Chaldea's Dr. Roman, there had been little communication between the two sides, as if some tacit understanding had been reached.

"You don't need to worry," Aoko said. "The Holy Grail is meaningless to me. I'll hand it over to you eventually, as long as you don't interfere."

Mash and Ritsuka refrained from commenting further on Aoko's actions. Their only hope now was to obtain the Holy Grail and resolve the Singularity so they could return to Chaldea.

"Marisbury, is the Grand Temple ready?" Aoko asked.

"Of course," Marisbury replied. "We can proceed to the final phase at any time."

"Good!" Aoko snapped her fingers. "Let's launch!"

King Solomon glanced at Marisbury, who nodded in confirmation. Solomon raised his arms, and the ten rings on his fingers glowed brilliantly, activating the magical array of the entire Grand Temple.