Fate/Apocrypha takes place in a parallel world to Fate/stay night, where the Greater Grail was taken from Fuyuki following the Third Holy Grail War and vanished for many years. In the 2000s, roughly when the Fifth Holy Grail War would have occurred, Yggdmillennia, the group that stole the Grail, publicly announces its secession from the Mage's Association and claims possession of the artifact. The Association sends fifty magi to recover it, but Lancer of Black instantly slaughters all but one. The sole survivor manages to activate the Greater Grail's reserve system, enabling the summoning of fourteen Servants in total. This initiates the Great Holy Grail War in Trifas, involving two factions: the Black Faction, composed of Yggdmillennia members, and the Red Faction, consisting of agents sent by the Mage's Association, with the exception of one member from the Church. The Grail also summons Ruler to serve as a mediator for the Holy Grail War.