The fall of Britain was a critical turning point in the history of the Type-Moon world.
It was the blade that severed the Age of Gods from the physical world.
Britain was the heart of the Age of Gods—if it hadn't fallen, the modern world governed by physical laws wouldn't exist.
Because the Age of Gods and the physical world cannot coexist.
If Britain had survived, the entire foundation of human history would have been burned to ash.
In that case, only Britain would remain, standing alone amidst the ruins of time.
Thus, Britain's demise was inevitable.
It was the will of the times... or rather, the direction in which the world had to turn.
Any force that dared to resist would be slapped in the face by the wheels of history. Even an iron-headed fool would be crushed into iron-headed paste.
The Counter Force had no choice but to grind you down to the end.
Hearing Souta's words, Artoria fell silent for a few seconds, as if lost in memories, a shadow passing through her eyes.
But she quickly pulled herself together and shook her head at Souta.
"I never wanted my country to last forever. The moment I drew that sword, I already knew it was doomed. But..."
A flicker of sorrow and helplessness crossed Artoria's eyes.
"I only wished it could pass away quietly, like falling asleep—not be destroyed by war and famine."
Souta looked genuinely surprised.
He had known Artoria's general wish, but never paid much attention to the details.
"So basically, you want your country to have a 'peaceful death,' instead of being forcibly wiped out by the Counter Force, right?"
"..." Artoria almost choked on his words.
Couldn't this guy be a little more tactful? She didn't even know whether to nod or not.
She really wanted to slice him with her sword!
"Let's just say that's what I meant." Artoria sighed softly.
"Well, let me think..."
Souta muttered as he recalled the relevant lore.
"The quantum record tape only goes as far as 'the fall of Britain.' According to Archimedes, as long as that fact isn't violated, small-scale changes are possible. But the exact year of the fall can't be altered..."
After sorting through the information in his head, Souta said directly:
"Bottom line, your wish can't come true. Merlin tampered with the Sword of Selection. No one but you can draw it. You're not gonna find some bodybuilder to grab the hilt, lift the stone with the sword still in it, and use it like a hammer, right?"
"..." Artoria's face was blank.
"Or you could find a mage more skilled than Merlin, like Solomon or someone, to help out. Then maybe someone else could pull the sword."
Souta concluded bluntly:
"In short, reselecting a king is basically impossible. You're the only candidate. It has to be you—preordained. But..."
After a pause, he continued:
"I can give you some advice. Think about your Round Table Knights. Each of them is a monster in their own right, wielding a Holy Sword. With that much Age of God's residue, who else would the Counter Force target if not you guys? If they're all gone, maybe Britain wouldn't be such a problem anymore."
"All gone? That's impossible!" Artoria frowned slightly.
Her goal was to save people, to save the country—and here Souta was, suggesting she go back and kill them? Was he joking?
"There's no other way. The Round Table is a fundamental problem," Souta said plainly. "Either they die, or they go into Reverse side of the world. Those are the only two options."
"The reverse side of the world..."
If everything Souta said was true, she really couldn't choose a new king.
That bastard Merlin had rigged the Holy Sword so only she could draw it... he'd planned to trap her from the start!
To let Britain die peacefully, all remnants of the age of gods had to be erased.
From that angle, the Round Table really did need to disappear from that era.
Otherwise, the Counter Force would never stop hunting them down.
Artoria rubbed her brow, feeling a wave of frustration.
But no matter how vexed she was, she still had to see her wish through.
After taking a moment to compose herself, Artoria showed a sincere expression and thanked him earnestly:
"Your information has been incredibly helpful to me. If I ever get the chance, I will repay this favor."
"It's just a bit of intel, no need to make such a big deal out of it," Souta waved it off. "As for your wish, that's for you to handle. Now let me tell you my plan."
He held up two fingers:
"We'll split into two groups. Rin and I will take care of the Archer duo and the Assassin duo.
On your end, Illya will assist you in dealing with the Rider duo.
Oh, right—Rider's true identity is Iskandar, the King of Conquerors. He's a decent guy. You can try to win him over. His wish is just to get a physical body, which won't drain much of the Grail's mana. There should be enough left for everyone's wish, so there's no need for conflict."
This was a plan Souta had carefully thought through.
He figured if he went to negotiate with Iskandar, things might end in a brawl.
So, he'd stick to the fighting, and leave the negotiations to Irisviel and the others.
Souta nodded to himself, satisfied.
"The King of Conquerors... it's really him?"
Irisviel looked surprised.
This Holy Grail War really had an all-star lineup.
"And... Assassin's not dead?!"
"The Assassin's faked death was part of Tohsaka Tokiomi's plan," Souta explained.
Artoria looked at him with a bit of suspicion: "Souta, if we even recruit the King of Conquerors... will there really be enough chances to make wishes?"
"There should be. He just wants a body—your wish is the one that requires a ton of mana."
Souta did a quick calculation in his head.
In the original Fourth War, Irisviel had believed that both Kiritsugu's and Saber's wishes could be granted as long as the Lesser Grail manifested.
One wanted to save the world and stop war. The other wanted to return to the past and choose a different king.
If both of those could be fulfilled, the Grail's mana reserves must be immense!
So adding Iskandar's wish for a body shouldn't be a problem.
Everyone wins—that's the best outcome. Fighting's such a hassle.
"Are you sure you'll be okay? Two Servants are no joke."
Irisviel looked at Souta with concern.
Emiya Kiritsugu added, "Assassin shouldn't be hard to handle, judging from his strength when he raided the Tohsaka estate. But that Archer... won't be easy. You'd better be careful."
"I know what I'm doing." Souta nodded. "To avoid dragging this out, we move at midnight. Let's end the Holy Grail War tonight!"
And so, everything was decided.
Everyone began preparing for battle.
First, the Lesser Grail issue—Souta directly used divine spark to replicate Illya's heart. Then, using his divine perception of souls, he transferred the spirits of Caster and Lancer into the new Lesser Grail, which he carried with him, sustaining it with divine power.
At 2 a.m., they split into two groups, heading in different directions.
Souta didn't know where Iskandar was, but with that kind of personality, as long as someone released their Servant's presence to provoke him, he'd definitely show up—so it wouldn't be hard to find him.
Of course, to avoid Gilgamesh and Assassin being drawn in too, Souta had to tie them down first.
So, Souta brought Tohsaka Rin to the church in Fuyuki City.