Fate: Question And Answer System of Traversing Heroic Spirits

"Huff…"

Although she had won, Artoria herself was visibly exhausted. She had already fired Excalibur's powerful beam and engaged in intense combat with Lancelot, who was boosted by two Command Spells. Defeating him had taken every ounce of her strength.

"Arthur…"

After being bested by her, Lancelot regained a fleeting moment of clarity. The haze of madness lifted, allowing him to pierce through the illusions Zhang Jiao had crafted.

Of course, he recognized Artoria's swordsmanship better than anyone else.

As the tip of Excalibur pressed against his chest, Lancelot staggered forward. Before Artoria could stop him, he deliberately impaled himself on her blade.

"What!"

Artoria gasped in shock, her body too slow to pull back the sword. She could only watch helplessly as Lancelot drove the blade deeper into his chest.

At that exact moment, the fog of illusion shattered, and they finally saw each other's true faces.

"Plop…"

Lancelot fell to his knees. His once-proud and noble figure began to disintegrate into faint motes of light.

"Sir Lancelot, why?"

Artoria's voice trembled with emotion as she tried to understand his actions. Why would he choose such a tragic end?

"My King, I can finally speak to you properly…"

Freed from the shackles of madness, Lancelot's voice was steady but tinged with sorrow as he prepared to leave the stage.

"I wanted to tell you last time… but there just wasn't enough time."

"I didn't come as a Berserker out of anger or resentment toward you. No, quite the opposite. I wished for you to punish me personally."

His voice faltered slightly, but the relief in his tone was evident.

"I had hoped that your anger and judgment would absolve me of my sins. Only then could I find peace."

For the first time, Lancelot raised his gaze to meet hers, his guilt momentarily swept aside.

"And I believe… the princess would feel the same…"

Finally, Lancelot mentioned Guinevere, the name he had avoided saying for so long. This was his last chance to seek an answer from Artoria, to see if she shared the weight of their regrets.

But time was not on his side. Before Artoria could respond, Lancelot's body disintegrated completely, fading into the ether.

"Sir Lancelot…"

Artoria stood frozen, her sword lowered, unable to express the turmoil in her heart. She had finally heard Lancelot's true feelings, but she could not grant him the absolution he sought.

From the very beginning, she had never blamed him. Instead, she had placed all the responsibility and guilt upon herself.

"What a loyal knight…"

Zhang Jiao, observing the scene from afar, couldn't help but mutter with a sigh.

Having achieved his goal, Zhang Jiao lifted the dense fog that had blanketed the battlefield. There was no need to drain Chihiro's magic power maintaining the illusion any further.

As the mist dissipated, Artoria's sharp, furious gaze immediately fell upon Zhang Jiao. Her eyes burned with resentment.

This man… had orchestrated everything, forcing her to fight and kill one of her most loyal knights. Such vile manipulation was unforgivable.

But her anger was soon tempered by the harsh reality of the battlefield.

---

Surrounding Artoria were the undead soldiers of Darius III's army. The towering Death War Elephant loomed behind them, its glowing eyes fixated on her like a predator watching prey.

Meanwhile, Iskandar's once-mighty King's Army had been decimated. Only scattered remnants remained from what was once a proud and invincible force.

Artoria's team had fared no better. With Lancelot's death, they had lost two Servants in a single night.

Tonight's battle had come at a tremendous cost.

---

Suddenly, the barren desert of Iskandar's Reality Marble dissolved, and the scene shifted. The scorching sun vanished, replaced by the dark skies of Fuyuki's forest.

The battlefield returned to reality.

Iskandar dismissed his King's Army. Seeing his overwhelming losses, he had no choice but to concede defeat. However, he wasn't willing to end the fight entirely.

The wheels of his divine chariot roared as he sped across the battlefield. Reaching Artoria, he grabbed her by the arm and pulled her onto the chariot before retreating into the distance.

Clearly, while he admitted defeat for now, he intended to settle this score another time.

Brynhildr followed suit. Having suffered no major injuries, she quietly left the battlefield.

Chihiro and his team didn't bother stopping them.

After all, they had fought for most of the night and were utterly exhausted.

---

Tokiomi, too, was reaching his limit. Having spent nearly all his Saint Quartz, he didn't have enough left to buy recovery potions. Darius III's relentless attacks had drained his resources almost entirely.

Still, tonight had been a fruitful victory. They had successfully eliminated two Servants and finally dealt with Matou Zouken. That was already an impressive achievement.

As for tomorrow the final night of the Holy Grail War, Tokiomi anticipated an even bloodier confrontation.

However, Chihiro had a different prediction.

With the truth of the Holy Grail likely to be revealed tomorrow, Chihiro believed most participants would be stunned into disbelief.

After all, when the dark secrets of the Grail's corruption came to light, the war's very purpose would be called into question.

What was the point of fighting, killing, and dying for a wish that was tainted from the start?

With these thoughts lingering in his mind, Chihiro and Tokiomi retreated together, leaving Matou Kariya alone in the silent forest.

Kariya let out a long, weary sigh. His body was battered, and his spirit felt crushed under the weight of despair.

Perhaps it was time for him to step back and rest. The Holy Grail War had taken a heavy toll on his mind and body.

---

The Next Morning.

[Ding! The final round of questions will begin in ten minutes. Please prepare accordingly.]

[Note: This is the last quiz session. Special rewards will be distributed to each group member based on their total performance.]

---

Iskandar: "What does this mean?"

Waver: "It means this is the last Q&A session."

Chihiro: "I think the Q&A only triggers during major events."

Kayneth: "I see. So the 'major event' in this case is the Holy Grail War."

Waver: "In other words, once the Holy Grail War ends, the Q&A will also end."

Tohsaka Tokiomi: "That makes sense. If this happened daily, there would be 365 questions a year. There aren't enough meaningful questions to sustain that."

Tohsaka Rin: "So when the Q&A ends, what happens to the group itself?"

Chihiro: "Don't worry, the group should remain intact."

Tōsaka Rin: "That's a relief."

---

Meanwhile, in a hidden basement, Artoria knelt beside Irisviel, whose fading form lay motionless.

"Iri…"

Artoria's heart ached as she watched her friend's lifeless body. She wanted to save Irisviel, but she lacked the knowledge or means to do so.

At that moment, she couldn't help but think of Fou. If only that whimsical little creature were here, perhaps something could be done.

Her only hope now was the rewards from the final Q&A treasure chest. No matter how slim her chances, she resolved to try her best.

---

[Ding! The first question is about to begin!]

[Question: On the last night of the Fourth Holy Grail War, who was the first Servant to leave?]

[A: Artoria; B: Iskandar; C: Gilgamesh; D: Lancelot.]

[Please answer within five minutes. Exceeding the time limit will be considered as giving up.]

Kayneth: "As expected, this question was bound to come up."

Tohsaka Tokiomi: "Gilgamesh can likely be ruled out. Unless the remaining three joined forces, there's little chance of defeating him."

Iskandar: "I must admit, that's true."

Gilgamesh: "Hmph, it's good you all recognize my superiority."

---

"Chihiro, what should I choose for this question?"

Zhang Jiao turned to Chihiro for advice.

"The King of Conquerors."

"Iskandar? But isn't he quite powerful?" Zhang Jiao retorted.

"This question isn't about who's stronger," Chihiro explained. "Think about it,Iskandar has been the most proactive and daring participant in this Holy Grail War. If it's the last night, what's the most obvious thing he'd want to do?"

Zhang Jiao thought for a moment, then clapped his hands. "Challenge Gilgamesh!"

Chihiro: "Exactly. And the result of that challenge is all but certain."

Zhang Jiao: "I see. As expected, your mind is sharp as ever."

---

[The time for answering questions has ended. The correct answer will now be revealed.]

[On the seventh night of the Holy Grail War, the final battle begins.]

[In the quiet night sky, more than ten points of light suddenly appeared, some glowing red and others blue.]

[The Rider faction, stationed in their courtyard, was the first to notice.]

[Iskandar: "What's this formation?"]

["Is this some kind of code? Red and blue forming 4 and 7… Does it signify accomplishment and triumph?"]

[Waver pondered: "Lighting signal smoke to declare victory? But it's contrary to the location of the church."]

[Iskandar smiled and said, "It seems someone can't wait to claim the song of victory."]

Tohsaka Rin: "Only Gilgamesh would pull off something this ostentatious."

Waver: "Of course. Who else would be this extravagant?"

Gilgamesh: "Naturally. That's because I, the king depicted in the video, am destined to triumph."

Tohsaka Rin: "But in reality, you were the first to leave the stage."

Gilgamesh: "Absurd! I was not the first to fall!"

Red Hare: "...." (Don't drag me into your argument.)"

***

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