Miracle Summoner

"Cough...! Cough, cough...!"

In a pool of blood, Bedivere kept coughing up blood, looking utterly miserable.

"Crackle...!"

Inside Bedivere's body, a burnt, crackling sound continued to resonate, bringing him double the pain.

"Ma...ster..."

Bedivere struggled to lift his head, looking at Rozen. His face was deathly pale, but in his eyes remained the same resolute determination as before.

"Don't talk for now."

Rozen placed a specially crafted healing talisman on Bedivere's body, pouring a large amount of jutsuryoku into it to heal him while speaking in a deep voice.

"Your wounds are severe, you're losing a lot of blood, and the power of the Holy Lance is still rampaging inside you. On top of that, your body was already on the verge of collapse. If you don't receive proper treatment, there's only one outcome."

And what outcome was that?

Of course—death.

Thus, while summoning all of his Beast Vassals and engaging in a deadly battle against Artoria, Rozen still split his attention to come here and heal Bedivere.

Even Mash and Artoria [Alter] had come over.

"Sir Bedivere!"

Seeing Bedivere lying in a pool of blood, barely clinging to life, Mash's delicate face showed a hint of sorrow.

"..."

Artoria [Alter] simply watched quietly, saying nothing.

Under such circumstances, only Rozen continued to inject jutsuryoku into Bedivere, using the specially crafted healing talisman to treat him.

Bedivere's abdominal bleeding stopped, and his flesh began to regenerate rapidly.

Rozen's specially crafted healing talismans were potent enough to save someone even if their heart was shattered, as long as they hadn't taken their final breath. Given that, this result was only natural.

But even so, Bedivere still appeared to be at death's door.

The reason was simple.

The Holy Lance's strike hadn't just inflicted a grievous wound; it had also become the final straw that broke the camel's back. Bedivere's body, which had been enduring all this time, had finally begun to break down.

In other words, Bedivere could no longer hold on.

"...I'm sorry."

Unknowingly, Rozen murmured those words.

"This was my failure."

It wasn't unreasonable for Rozen to say so.

As a Master, Rozen's responsibility was to support his Servants from the rear, providing aid and protection during battle to allow them to fight without hesitation.

Given his abilities, he should have been able to intercept or block the Holy Lance's attack, giving Bedivere a chance to recover and continue fighting.

But due to the nature of this space at the end of the world, his Mind's Eye had lost much of its effectiveness. Even his Heaven's Eye had failed, and his Spirit Vision was limited by the overwhelming energy released by the Holy Grail.

Because of this, Rozen—who had always relied on these three abilities—was slower to react than usual.

To make matters worse, Artoria had grown significantly stronger due to the Holy Grail's amplification and Dun Stallion's power. Her speed and mobility had increased greatly, allowing her to swiftly dismantle the three-servant formation.

Everything happened too suddenly.

By the time Rozen realized what was happening, he was only able to save Artoria [Alter]. Bedivere had already fallen.

So without a doubt, this was Rozen's failure.

But Bedivere didn't see it that way.

"Master... you held back your power for my sake, didn't you?"

Bedivere gave a pale but understanding smile.

"If Master had unleashed your full power from the beginning, then even against the King, you would have still emerged victorious. But if you did that, there would have been no place for us in this battle. So... you gave me the opportunity to strike, didn't you?"

That was correct.

Rozen hadn't summoned his Beast Vassals right away. That alone was proof that he had been holding back.

Had he immediately unleashed his full power—releasing all his Beast Vassals, including Kinu—the battle would have been over in an instant.

Even if the opponent was a god, they wouldn't last long against such a cataclysmic force.

Artoria had only been able to withstand Rozen's eleven Beast Vassals because of the Holy Grail's support and Dun Stallion's exceptional speed and maneuverability, allowing her to escape danger again and again.

Considering this, had Rozen fought seriously from the beginning, they would have already won.

But he hadn't done so.

Because, in his eyes, it wasn't himself, nor Mash, nor even Artoria [Alter] who should defeat Artoria.

It was Bedivere.

Only Bedivere had the right to end this battle.

With this in mind, Rozen had held back.

"Thank you, Master, for giving me this chance."

Bedivere reached out and grasped Rozen's arm.

"I know that, from Chaldea's perspective, this was the wrong decision. Since we had a chance to defeat the Lion King, going all out from the start would have been the logical choice. That way, we could have secured the Holy Grail without error, repaired this Singularity, and saved humanity and human history. We shouldn't have taken unnecessary risks just for my personal wishes."

"But even so... you still chose to give me this opportunity. I have no words to express my gratitude."

"However..."

"Master, I wish to ask you for one thing."

Bedivere looked directly at Rozen.

"Please grant me the power to defeat the King."

"Please allow me to fulfill my mission."

This was the first time Bedivere had ever asked Rozen for anything.

And it would also be the last.

He had realized that, relying on his own strength alone, he could never defeat the Lion King.

For that reason, he had to become Rozen's Servant.

Even if he wasn't one to begin with.

"Master."

Bedivere's face suddenly regained color.

But that wasn't a good sign.

It wasn't recovery—it was his final burst of strength before death.

"Sen..."

Mash, realizing this, anxiously stepped forward, trying to say something.

But she was interrupted.

"Let him go."

Artoria [Alter] spoke in a low voice.

"This is something he must do."

Hearing Artoria [Alter]'s words, Mash held her breath.

Rozen, too, remained silent as he held Bedivere's hand and looked at his fully restored abdomen.

Finally...

"Okay."

Rozen made his decision.

"Thank you."

Bedivere smiled.

Then, he struggled to his feet.

"My King..."

He turned his gaze toward Artoria [Alter].

In response, Artoria [Alter] had only one thing to say.

"Go."

She spoke calmly.

"Yes."

With a newfound sense of peace and resolve, Bedivere responded.

And so, he slowly walked toward the apocalyptic battlefield ahead.

"————!"

There, the mighty Beast Vassals, who had been unleashing their relentless fury and shaking the very world's edge, suddenly stopped moving and vanished like a mirage.

The mythic battle came to an abrupt end.

"Hah... hah..."

Artoria, still astride her noble white steed, descended from the air, panting.

Upon closer inspection, her body was covered in numerous wounds, and her armor bore several cracks and breaks.

Clearly, even she had finally suffered injuries under the assault of eleven Beast Vassals.