FGO System in the Type-Moon World

Kiritsugu Emiya clenched his fists, but when he met Berserker's frenzied, battle-hungry gaze, he finally let go in defeat.

From the very start, he had entertained a few ideas.

Even now, he still held onto a sliver of hope. But it was clear—no, from the beginning, he had never had a choice.

Before Reiji Souma, he held no bargaining chips. The mere fact that Reiji was willing to spare his life was already a stroke of luck.

And so, Kiritsugu chose to back down.

This man, who had lived his entire life for his ideals, who had endured endless pain and taken the lives of countless loved ones with his own hands—

Now, he had no choice but to abandon the conviction he had upheld for so many years.

In that instant, he seemed to have aged twenty years. The wrinkles on his face deepened, and even his hair seemed to turn gray.

"…Mm."

He didn't even have the right to say, "I agree," because, in truth, there was no room for disagreement.

Artoria, standing beside him, fell silent.

She understood the situation with the Einzberns. She knew that no matter what she did now, it wouldn't change anything.

Kiritsugu signed the contract presented by Zhuge Kongming, then quietly left with Irisviel.

At the last moment, Irisviel turned to Artoria and smiled, silently telling her to stay.

After a brief moment of hesitation, Artoria indeed did not follow them.

She had her own thoughts, her own pursuits.

Even if she could no longer place her hopes on the Grail, she still harbored an unrealistic longing.

Reiji Souma, now holding Artoria's scabbard, looked toward the knight still standing by the door and smirked.

"To be honest, even if you remain in this world, there's nothing left for you to expect.

The Holy Grail no longer holds the power to grant wishes.

Right now, you have only two choices.

First, you can withdraw from this war immediately.

Second, you can sign a contract with me and become my Servant."

Artoria furrowed her brows.

Truthfully, if Kiritsugu and Irisviel were still in the war, she would never have considered changing Masters. Even without Command Spells, she would have continued to fulfill her duty as a knight.

But now that they had withdrawn, Artoria hesitated.

Her hesitation stemmed from what Reiji had just said about the Holy Grail.

"You—what proof do you have that the Grail has lost its ability to grant wishes?"

Reiji scoffed.

Casually tossing Avalon aside, he waved his hand, and a golden chalice materialized in his grasp.

"Because the Grail is in my hands now, and I can tell you—it has lost all power to grant wishes.

If you don't believe me, go ahead and make a wish. See for yourself whether it will be granted."

With the same indifference as if he were tossing away trash, Reiji threw the Grail at Artoria's feet, then watched with amusement.

At this point, the Holy Grail was no longer a wish-granting device.

It had become nothing more than a system-bound item.

No one except Reiji—the system's owner—could make use of its power.

The moment it was absorbed into the system, the Grail's ability to grant wishes had ceased to exist.

Now, it functioned exactly like the Grail in Fate/Grand Order—

It could provide a Servant with unlimited mana and elevate their stats to their highest possible rank.

Just like in the original story, when the Black Dog was granted the Grail, even Karna's god-slaying Noble Phantasm could only inflict burns on him.

This first Grail was meant for the Black Dog.

Because, in Reiji's eyes, that was the true form of the Black Dog.

While Reiji was lost in his thoughts, Artoria tested the Grail for a long while. In the end, she sighed and placed it back before him.

With a flick of his wrist, Reiji reabsorbed the Grail into his system. Then, he turned to Artoria with an amused expression.

"So? Will you sign a contract with me and fight until the end, or will you choose to withdraw now?"

Truthfully, Reiji wasn't sure how to handle Artoria.

If she signed a contract, he currently lacked the three Saint Quartz needed to bind her to the system. If he finished the Holy Grail War and the system didn't reward him with a Quartz, then he wouldn't be able to integrate her into his forces.

If she didn't sign, he'd have an extra Quartz, allowing him to summon a new Servant once the war ended. But at the same time, he wasn't exactly keen on letting go of the Fate series' de facto poster girl.

So rather than overthinking it, he decided to let her choose.

Artoria hesitated for a long time.

Then, finally, she took a deep breath and turned to Reiji.

"If I am to participate, then I will fight to the very last moment.

So…"

With a solemn expression, she raised her sword toward him.

"Allow me to formally introduce myself, my new Master."