Fate/Apocrypha takes place in a parallel world to Fate/stay night, where the Greater Grail was removed 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 had stolen the Grail, publicly announced their secession from the Mage's Association and declared that they possessed the Grail. The Association sent fifty magi to recover it, but Lancer of Black instantly slaughtered all but one. The sole survivor managed to activate the Greater Grail's reserve system, enabling the summoning of fourteen Servants in total. This event initiates the Great Holy Grail War in Trifas, involving two opposing 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 itself also summons Ruler to serve as a mediator for the Holy Grail War.