The Advent of the Seventy-Seven Holy Grails

――03:11:56
Fuyuki City Civic Center.
No, perhaps it should be called the ruins of the Fuyuki City Civic Center.
The sky seemed to have been torn open by a colossal wound.
Directly overhead, a black "sun" floated in quiet suspension.
To gaze upon it was not to be blinded, for upon closer inspection, one would realize it was not a sun at all, but a vast black hole shrinking gradually.
From its depths, a torrent of black sludge poured forth—the very culprit responsible for burning Fuyuki to ashes, with the Civic Center as its epicenter, in an endless inferno.
The golden king surveyed the hellish scene, his expression one of disdain, a smile lingering at the corner of his lips.
"To think they would treat that thing as a wishing machine, fighting to the death over it... Such farcical drama—truly unpredictable until the very end."
Yet, perhaps, that was not so bad.
He touched the new body he had unexpectedly gained amidst the falling black mud, and the arc of his smile deepened.
And then...
He turned to his side, where a green-haired youth sat beside him, gazing at him with a gentle smile. The king slowly extended his hand...
"Shall I greet you with a 'Welcome back,' my friend?"
The green-haired beauty, whose appearance was exquisitely androgynous and whose tranquil aura inspired peace, blinked and smiled.
"No need. That’s not something you would do, Gil."
Calling the king by name—by nickname, even—the green-haired youth... Ah! By now, we can surely discern his identity—the legendary King Gilgamesh’s dearest companion, the only one who could stand as his equal in all the heavens and earth—Enkidu, the child of the gods. With a gentle voice, he turned to another youth standing calmly not far before them:
"So... it’s all over now, isn’t it, master?"
The one addressed as “master”—Kurama—met Enkidu’s serene gaze with a smile, nodding.
"It is an end, but... also a beginning."
With Gilgamesh watching with interest and Enkidu’s peaceful expression, Kurama reached down to stroke the ears of the white creature in his arms:
"Mokona, are you ready?"
The white creature nodded solemnly. "Yes, Mokona is prepared."
Kurama’s eyes showed a hint of worry, but seeing the resolve in Mokona’s gaze, he slowly released his hold...
"Then, let us begin."
With that declaration, Mokona soared from Kurama’s arms into the air, its eyes suddenly widening—
From the projection, the image of the dimension witch in magnificent attire appeared.
"So it’s time, then?"
Apparently, she had been waiting for a message from Kurama; as the communication came through, Yuuko showed no sign of surprise.
Kurama nodded gravely.
"Yuuko, I’m ready for the transfer. Please ask Larg to send it over."

Yuuko nodded understandingly, taking a softly glowing scroll from Watanuki at her side and placing it into Mokona’s mouth.
Almost simultaneously, the white Mokona opened its mouth wide—the scroll had been transported to their side.
Kurama took the scroll without even looking at it, unfurled it, and tossed it skyward.
A gentle, milky light enveloped the area, and as time passed, it began to spread slowly but visibly beyond its boundaries...
"With this, even Gaia won’t be able to detect what we’re about to do," Yuuko remarked from the other side, watching Kurama’s actions. As the barrier expanded fully, a malicious smile crept onto her face.
But before Kurama could respond, she quickly adopted a serious tone—
"But are you certain you wish to do this? It may cause incalculable effects on your current realm, and could even destabilize the spatial-temporal markers of this dimension, directly impacting the world you’ll travel to next."
In other words, the next world might be close to, or even exactly, the destination Kurama seeks—but with this disturbance, he could miss his goal...
The fox demon’s face showed a calm, confident smile.
"You said yourself, Yuuko, it isn’t certain."
Who can say where the next world will be? Kurama had long resolved to journey through countless strange worlds until he found a true path home, so such “effects” could not shake his will at this crucial moment.
Yuuko’s advice was well-intentioned, but Kurama was sure the witch was more eager to see him stumble—especially since his gains in this world were enough to make her envious.
Yuuko showed no disappointment at his answer.
"In that case," she shrugged, then grew solemn again, "let’s proceed!"
Kurama drew a deep breath.
From the space of the Devouring Grass, whose mouths were ready to open, he slowly withdrew an item.
—Radiant with golden light, impossibly captivating...
If Saber had not been swept away but remained, she would have recognized the treasure Kurama produced as the very Holy Grail she desperately sought, only to destroy by her master’s command spell.
And what Saber would never know is that, in the moment she struck, the Grail was preserved—and, with her sword’s momentum, its subtle connection to the “hole” behind it was severed. The one responsible was the green-haired youth smiling beside Gilgamesh: Kurama’s secret second servant, Enkidu, summoned during the Grail War.
On that night of their chance meeting with Gilgamesh, it was Enkidu’s presence—and Kurama’s revealed plan—that won over the king: not only ensuring Gilgamesh would gain a new form free from all external constraint, but also sharing this joy with his dearest friend, Enkidu.
It was also Enkidu’s presence that caused friction between Diarmuid and Kurama.
—Another servant, the same class, but much stronger.
Other heroes might not have minded, but for Diarmuid...
The spearman, burdened with many inner conflicts, found it hard to suppress his anxiety.
The longer Kurama spent with him, the more he sensed Diarmuid’s fierce, singular desire—to serve his chosen lord as a knight, valiantly and honorably delivering victory and all his master wished. Kurama could not bear to see the lancer in such low spirits.
So, reluctantly, Kurama explained everything—to him, within Mokona’s barrier.
He had to avoid Gaia’s notice, so he could only rely on Mokona’s power. But Mokona had already expended much energy for the negotiations between Kurama and Gilgamesh, and even earlier, for Kurama’s communication with Yuuko, suppressing spatial disturbances...
Such consumption pained the fox demon, which was why, that night, he had asked Mokona if it could muster enough energy for a barrier with Diarmuid.
"Phew..."
—Kurama withdrew his mind from memories of the past.
He breathed deeply and raised his hand, slowly offering the Holy Grail to Mokona.

In the next moment, the Grail vanished into the white Mokona’s gaping mouth, and on the other side...
The black-haired witch took the transported Grail from Mokona’s mouth, her face alight with triumphant delight.
"Hehehehe~ Now let’s see Gaia boast before me again! No matter how many heroes you have, no matter how many noble phantasms they gather, what good is it? Without the Grail, let them slumber in the Throne of Heroes forever, ahahaha~~"
……………
—Forgive him. It was the first time Kurama had heard such an uncouth, queenly laugh from Yuuko, and he was momentarily stunned.
"Then, as payment for my help—planning and scheming against... cough! I mean, calculating Gaia, providing all the items you needed, including the scroll and the core, and most importantly, support with the ‘divine soil’ for summoning Enkidu, I shall accept the Grail in full."
After a few more laughs, Yuuko regained her composure, her expression solemn as she confirmed gravely.
Kurama smiled and nodded, "Yes. It’s been a pleasure, Miss Yuuko."
The witch’s lips curled into another sly, malicious grin:
"Wait. I’m not done yet."
"...?" Kurama blinked.
"You’ve paid too much, Kurama."
Yuuko stroked the golden cup in her hand, her tone teasing but her eyes serious.
"Though removed from its original world, the Grail’s power is greatly diminished, yet it remains a treasure of unparalleled rarity, especially... once its connection to ‘the evil of this world’ is severed by temporal force, restoring it to a pure state..."
She paused, then looked up at Kurama:
"I hardly need to remind you how precious it is."
Kurama, however, smiled lightly, unconcerned.
"However precious, it’s a thing I cannot use."
His expression was open and untroubled.
"Better to give it to you, Miss Yuuko—otherwise, kept in my hands..."
It might yet become a source of disaster.
The witch smiled, her gaze meaningful.
"Two conditions." She held up two slender fingers and waved them before Kurama.
"Aside from what we agreed on, the Grail’s remaining value is enough for you to ask for two more exchanges."
"Of course, you can reclaim your ‘stored’ demon power, too. One condition... is equivalent to fifty percent of your power."
Lounging elegantly in her wide armchair, the beautiful woman parted her red lips, speaking with seductive intent.
On the other end, the red-haired fox demon’s face was grave.
He frowned slightly and looked up at the cunning dimension witch—
"Miss Yuuko, I would like to..."