The night was hazy.
In Duke Cornwall's manor, an ominous black mud silently seeped from the ground, gradually engulfing the area.
—The Sea of Life.
Both Alvin and Sessyoin's bodies were quietly swallowed by the black mud.
Rin stood outside the mud's reach, her heart filled with anxious worry, but she dared not approach the area.
Not long ago, she had witnessed the shocking sight of all the plants in the manor withering under the black mud's influence.
If she recklessly got closer, she might meet the same fate.
But Alvin was in that black mud right now... How was he doing?
With this thought, the girl anxiously gazed toward the center of the black mud.
Boom...
A deafening thunderclap suddenly roared under the night sky.
The ear-splitting sound left the manor's occupants dizzy, their ears ringing.
The devotees, previously praying in the hall and enthralled by Sessyoin, seemed to snap awake, rising and stepping out to look toward the thundering direction.
At the same time, in a corner of Britain's royal city, Manaka Sajyou seemed to sense something, instinctively looking up at the sky miles above.
Soon, a trace of surprise appeared on the girl's face, and she murmured to herself. "Looks like he's run into a tough opponent?"
Ordinary people might not know what was happening at Duke Cornwall's manor, but during the previous Holy Grail War, Manaka had seen firsthand how Alvin summoned Tiamat.
The commotion at the manor now was strikingly similar to when Alvin called forth Tiamat.
Though she wasn't sure what was happening there, for Alvin to summon Tiamat... it must be a formidable foe.
However, it didn't matter that much...after all, there was nothing that could match the Primordial mother.
...
Within the barrier of Samsara of Lust and Stagnation, Sessyoin Kiara stared at the colossal figure behind her, radiating immense mana with uncertainty.
At the same time, those alluring crimson eyes gazed back at her quietly.
Upon closer inspection, Tiamat's form was still somewhat ethereal, as if she might dissipate at any moment.
Her eyes remained clear from start to finish, even tinged with confusion, as if she didn't know why she was here.
Compared to Sessyoin, who was tense and on high alert, this Creation Mother Goddess seemed far too relaxed.
Noticing the boy near Sessyoin, Tiamat cast a questioning glance.
"Aaa?"
Alvin paused, then nodded with an "Aaa."
Seeing this, Tiamat opened her small mouth.
"Aaaaaa—"
In the next moment, a beautiful, melodic song echoed through the barrier of Samsara of Lust and Stagnation.
At first, only faint ripples of mana stirred in the air.
But as the song grew more intense, the barrier trembled violently.
Sessyoin clutched her ears, staring in shock at this ancient being born from the dawn of chaos.
The Desire of All Existence—this was Sessyoin's Noble Phantasm.
With Samsara of Lust and Stagnation, she could draw people's souls into her body, creating billions of vortices of pleasure and melting their souls for her own use.
Logically, no one in the world should be able to break this Noble Phantasm... She had always believed so.
But she never imagined that someone would attempt to shatter it with brute force.
What kind of joke was this...?
Tiamat's song, accompanied by a tsunami-like surge of mana, caused violent tremors, shaking the entire area.
Even those outside the barrier struggled to stand, many stumbling and collapsing to the ground.
Rin Tohsaka clung tightly to the wall, her legs trembling uncontrollably as she sank to her knees, her bright eyes filled with awe.
This scene would remain unforgettable, even years later.
The mysterious creature summoned by Britain's White Dragon caused such intense tremors with just a song...
What kind of monster was this?
Within the barrier, Sessyoin stared intently at the nearly shattered Samsara of Lust and Stagnation, then warily at Tiamat.
However, soon, a smile reappeared on her face: "You're full of surprises, Lord White Dragon."
"But to think you can break Samsara of Lust and Stagnation with a mere summoned familiar... It seems like, I'm truly underestimated."
"Familiar?"
Alvin looked up, smiling at the woman in front of him.
That is Tiamat....
"Can't you even sense a presence similar to your own?"
"And... look above you."
Sessyoin instinctively glanced up.
Crack...
A clear sound, like breaking glass, rang in her ears.
Samsara of Lust and Stagnation couldn't fully contain this mysterious woman's arrival and was breaking apart?!
Before Sessyoin could process what was happening, more and more cracks spread across the barrier like a spiderweb, dense and intricate.
Bang!
Finally, the barrier shattered completely, countless mana fragments falling through the night sky, refracting dazzling light.
Outside, Rin's eyes lit up with joy as she looked at the boy.
He had actually escaped Sessyoin's Noble Phantasm?!
She started to approach, but Alvin immediately stopped her. "Don't come closer! This black mud doesn't distinguish friend from foe—it'll affect your will."
The Sea of Life was a unique force capable of influencing most heroic spirits.
Whenever Tiamat appeared, it manifested alongside her.
Only those with exceptionally resolute wills could resist its erosion.
Like Sessyoin and Alvin, standing atop the Sea of Life at this moment.
As for Rin... a girl her age naturally couldn't withstand its corruption.
Sessyoin gazed at the boy with an unreadable expression, her snow-white bare feet stepping on the black mud as if floating in midair, lifted by its dark tide.
The cold wind whipped her dress backward, accentuating her sensual, curvaceous figure.
"The great White Dragon of Britain, relying on another Beast's power... Aren't you afraid of the shame if this gets out?"
Her pale golden eyes narrowed, a trace of coldness seeping into her alluring voice.
From the moment the woman Alvin summoned appeared, Sessyoin had already realized her identity.
Undoubtedly, only one type of being in this world could break Samsara of Lust and Stagnation and be immune to her charm.
—Beast.
However, she didn't know which Beast this was... or why she was helping Alvin.
"What's so shameful about it? I've got a weak stomach, my doctor said I need to eat soft food."
Alvin shrugged.
After all, what's wrong with a son asking for help from his mother.
What's more he's her beloved son.
"Besides, even without using any Noble Phantasms, I wouldn't fall for your charm."
Sessyoin sneered. "You don't think just because you used some clever trick to break my Noble Phantasm, you're already invincible, do you?"
"Why not?"
Alvin spoke as Sessyoin's eyes narrowed further. "You merely used a Beast's phantom to break my Noble Phantasm... That little trick is useless against true power."
After all, Alvin had consumed nearly half his mana to summon that mysterious Beast's phantom...
Now, wasn't he just a fish on the chopping board, ripe for slaughter?
With that thought, an even more frenzied surge of mana erupted from Sessyoin's body.
But at that moment, Tiamat peeked out from behind Alvin.
—Stare.
A pair of vivid, crimson eyes locked onto Sessyoin, gazing intently.
As if saying: What do you want to do to my child?
The woman's body, poised to act, froze stiffly as her eyes, filled with disbelief, stared blankly at the gentle, dazed beauty behind Alvin.
"Why...?"
It was almost an incredulous murmur.
Logically, summoning even a phantom of such a rule-breaking Beast and maintaining it briefly should've been the limit.
After destroying her barrier, that figure should've vanished.
So why was this woman still here...?
Sessyoin's eyes flickered, and soon, a terrifying thought flashed through her mind.
Alvin looked up at her, saying softly: "When did you get the illusion that she was just a phantom, Kiara?"