Fate: I Will Eventually Become the Hero of Justice

Astolfo questioned loudly, "Don't spout nonsense! The Holy Grail War isn't over yet, what Grail is there?"

But Mordred only gave a cold snort in response.

She looked wildly at everyone present, before fixing her gaze on the passed out Mash and company. 

Everyone grew wary.

"This is your last dying struggle. My orders were to silently assassinate your Masters without notice. But since you discovered me, I'll spare your worthless lives...for now." Her tone turned mocking. "Struggle helplessly in the darkness as you await death. When the evil god comes, the darkness will choke you all!"

Her body slowly sank into the ground as Vlad and the others desperately tried capturing her. But their attacks passed through the disappearing Servant.

"Who is your Master?" Shirou hurriedly asked.

"Hmph. My Master has a grand name—he is called Kotomine Shirou!" Mordred declared before vanishing entirely, face still twisted with madness.

Kotomine Shirou...was he the one contacting this evil god?

But still...

Girl, even if you want to deliver intel, can your act be a little bit more convincing?

Shirou sighed.

"Kotomine Shirou?" Darnic frowned.

"What is it, Darnic?" Vlad turned to look at him.

"It's nothing, Your Majesty. I'm probably oversensitive to that surname. The overseer the Church sent during the last Holy Grail War I participated in sixty years ago was also named Kotomine." Darnic shook his head.

Vlad nodded in understanding.

It was no secret here that Darnic had fought in this world's third Holy Grail War sixty years ago in Fuyuki.

After Darnic finished speaking, he was surprised to find Shirou staring intently at him.

Seeing this, Vlad frowned. "Assassin, what's the matter?"

"Oh, it's nothing much. Just that I happen to know a certain secret," Shirou replied calmly. "From what I know, this Kotomine Shirou's actual name isn't Kotomine at all. His true name is Amakusa Shirou Tokisada, a rebel from Japan's late Sengoku period. Moreover, he's the Ruler summoned by the Einzberns for this world's third Holy Grail War sixty years ago."

"What did you say!?" Darnic and Jeanne cried out simultaneously, shock spreading across their faces.

Jeanne stared at him intently. "Assassin, are you sure? Are you sure that Kotomine, the Master who drove Mordred mad, is the same Ruler who appeared in the Third Holy Grail War?"

He nodded in response.

"I see...so that's why..." Jeanne murmured. "That's why I was summoned in this form. There was already a Ruler in this War from the beginning." She looked to him eagerly. "How did you come to know about this?"

"Have you forgotten who I am?" he smiled, responding with a rhetorical question instead of a direct answer.

Jeanne muttered under her breath, the realization dawning on her. If it was the all-knowing Eternal King of legend, it would not be strange for him to know this.

But still...questions lingered in her mind.

"The previous War's Ruler became a Master this time. No wonder the Grail summoned me now! This... This must be the anomaly of this Holy Grail War!" Jeanne had an epiphany and turned to him. "You, if you knew about this, why didn't you tell me sooner?"

Sure enough, here it comes!

He simply smiled. "Because my current form is incomplete. Even eyes that see everything can have limits. For example, right now I'm still unable to see through the Red Faction's actions and circumstances."

"I see..." Jeanne stared intensely at him.

He nodded and said, "Of course. You have to believe me."

She nodded as well. After all, he was the Eternal King. It would be impossible for him to deceive her about something like this, and there was no purpose in deceiving her anyway!

"Amakusa Shirou Tokisada... Amakusa Shirou Tokisada... The Ruler of the Third Holy Grail War... No wonder this Holy Grail War is in such a mess. So the Third Holy Grail War still hasn't ended!"

Darnic began laughing manically, as if mocking something—or someone. Perhaps he was mocking his own foolishness from the past.

Eighty years ago, Darnic had been a promising young magus on the rise. A marriage arrangement came to connect him with a noble magus bloodline. But then, another magus claimed House Yggdmillennia's lineage would fade by the fifth generation. The sworn friend who had called him brother abandoned him, as did the woman meant to be his partner, shyly confessing her love to another instead.

The Yggdmillennia clan's dream of becoming nobles was severed. Not only Darnic's future, but his descendants' as well, was being snatched away.

Even when the predictions of ruin after the fifth generation proved groundless, the stigma can't be erased. Darnic no longer pursued "the Root," instead plotting how to prevent his clan from declining into destitution.

Out of pride, he refused to seclude himself in research, gritting his teeth and biding his time within the Mages' Association for a chance at revenge. In the process he absorbed various families outside the Association, building influence.

And then sixty years ago, he learned of the Holy Grail War in Fuyuki City—a chance to obtain power. Backing the magically inclined Germany, he gained military might and joined the War as a Master. He even summoned the Celtic hero Fionn mac Cumhaill!

He thought that doing this would let him win the Holy Grail War and obtain the Holy Grail that could grant any wish!

But things turned out far different from what he had imagined.

In the Third Holy Grail War, alongside seven Servants, an eighth appeared! 

This Servant took the other Heroic Spirits and the Grail for himself.

And thus the farce that was the Third Holy Grail War ended. Afterwards, black ring appeared in the sky.

Darnic wasn't concerned with the black ring. His mind was full of plans to restore his clan to prosperity.

Resentment at the War's outcome still festered within. Using Germany's might, he eliminated Japan's feeble military and the Three Families. He battled Matou Zouken, head of the Matou house, finally deploying bombers to wipe them out and end their magecraft lineage.

Afterwards, Darnic's days were consumed by research and politics. To the Association, Darnic always feigned the guise that "Yggdmillennia clan is responsible for taking in destitute magi."

Through an ingenious scheme, he obtained from them precious gemstones and documents—the Association didn't even notice anything amiss right up until they received his formal declaration of war!

Darnic had thought the Holy Grail War this time was practically a sure thing. But who would have thought it would turn into seven Servants versus seven, even drawing in Eternal King that everyone called the Grand Servant, as well as Beast's presence...

Ha...haha...how was this different from sixty years ago?

No...NO! Amakusa Shirou Tokisada, the Ruler Einzbern summoned...

The Third Holy Grail War still hasn't ended!

After Darnic spoke of these secrets from the previous War, everyone finally understood the inside story of the Third Holy Grail War.

"You say someone claimed all the Heroic Spirits and the Grail, and then the black ring appeared?" Shirou asked aloud.

"Yes, yes... Hahaha! That's right!" Darnic gave a somewhat crazed laugh as he nodded enthusiastically.

Shirou's frown deepened. "Who was that person?"

"He claimed to be...the Demon God King, Goetia!"

"So it really was Goetia!" Gray's expression was solemn.

She wasn't surprised by the existence of Goetia, since he was one of the prominent members of the Council, and this was a connection point, so it wasn't odd for him to show up here.

"And who is that?" Vlad furrowed his brow.

Shirou sighed. "Most likely... another Beast that Chaldea is up against."

Vlad looked surprised. "The Beasts are the evils of humanity, disasters capable of destroying all human history. Why do they keep appearing in succession? And... And Chaldea fights them?"

Shirou didn't respond and also didn't tell Vlad about the existence of the Council. But the situation was clear.

The creation of this connection point happened sixty years ago. Back then, Goetia invaded, destroyed the Third Holy Grail War, and somehow linked this world to his own.

According to Mordred's intel, the Holy Grail that created the connection point is now in Amakusa's possession. However, even Darnic, who was involved back then, remains unclear about the specifics.

"So are we likely facing two Beasts in this battle?" Arjuna asked gravely. Even he had to be serious when facing a Beast.

Shirou glanced at Gray.

She shook her head. "That shouldn't be possible. They told me Goetia guards a certain connection point important to the Council. He won't appear here."

He nodded. "Then the enemy this time is likely only one Beast. Though I suspect the opposing faction involves evil gods as well."

"Shirou, what makes you so sure?" Astolfo asked. "Is it just based on that one-sided claim from the controlled Servant we saw earlier?"

"That servant was never controlled to begin with and came to inform us instead, right Assassin?" Vlad looked to Shirou for confirmation.

Shirou smiled lightly. "You have quite the discerning eye."

"With how obvious her acting was, anyone but a fool could see through it, no?" Vlad stated plainly.

Everyone else looked towards Astolfo.

"Eh? Eh?" Astolfo looked around in confusion, "Why's everyone looking at me?"

No one responded. They understood, but left it unspoken.