The gate to the sky seemed to open as if by an invisible hand, and the entire sky shattered, with a substance resembling the most disgusting black sludge slowly oozing out.
Wherever it passed, whether organic or inorganic matter, it was irresistibly eroded.
Kotomine Kirei and Kiritsugu Emiya, with their eyes fixed only on each other, did not notice as they were enveloped by this bizarre black sludge...
Ryougi Raku swiftly arrived at the scene of Kotomine Kirei and Kiritsugu Emiya's battle.
Archer had already sent Saber to block them.
Of course, it was less about Saber blocking Archer and more about the King of Heroes willingly stopping Saber.
"Is this... the Evil of this World?" Ryougi Raku murmured to himself, looking at the black sludge flowing on the ground, its churning, disgusting state.
Even without approaching, Ryougi Raku clearly felt the malevolence.
Even with Ryougi Raku's power, he felt a moment of hesitation.
However, the next moment, Ryougi Raku made up his mind and resolutely stepped into the black sludge, attempting to reach the center of the Holy Grail.
Malice, naked malice!! Carrying what seemed like all the sins of the world, it surged towards Ryougi Raku, and in that instant, Ryougi Raku's spirit almost collapsed.
If his spirit were to collapse, his very existence would vanish, and what good would infinite resurrection be then?
But suddenly, the two swords in Ryougi Raku's hands emitted an overwhelmingly powerful will—a will so strong and pure, an astonishingly clear killing intent, that even the Evil of this World could not penetrate it!
Although incomparable in quantity to the Evil of this World, in terms of quality, this killing intent was several levels stronger than the black sludge!
Ryougi Raku was jolted back to his senses by this killing intent; although his body was completely immersed in the black sludge, his mind remained clear.
"Is it Master...?" He silently thanked his master, and at the same time, was captivated by his master's pure demeanor.
"...I am indeed still far from enough..." Sighing, Ryougi Raku stopped wasting time.
This black sludge was endless, and no one knew its limits, and Ryougi Raku couldn't be sure how long the will within the swords could last, for the swords were, after all, mere inanimate objects.
He continued forward, following his senses, heading towards the deepest part of the Holy Grail.
"Isn't this... Raku-kun?" A gentle voice suddenly appeared by Ryougi Raku's ear.
Ryougi Raku stopped and looked at the white figure born from the black sludge.
It was Irisviel, or rather, it was merely an illusion of the Holy Grail.
After a moment of silence, Ryougi Raku decided not to proceed further.
This place should be very close to the center of the Holy Grail, and since he could encounter it here, there was no need to continue taking risks.
The Evil of this World was not something Ryougi Raku could easily touch at his current level.
'It's not what I expected. I thought that even if it was difficult, I could barely resist this erosion.
Now it seems I was overconfident...'
"Are you... the Holy Grail?" Ryougi Raku asked calmly.
Irisviel smiled, "That understanding is not wrong..."
"...Then, can you grant my wish?" Ryougi Raku asked, narrowing his eyes.
"I thought Raku-kun didn't have a wish, but I didn't expect even Raku-kun to desire the Holy Grail?" The Irisviel before him said this indifferently, whether in mockery or something else.
"I just need you to answer: can you grant my wish?" Ryougi Raku interrupted her and asked again.
"Ah, if Raku-kun wishes, I can indeed grant your wish, you know?" The Holy Grail's consciousness replied with a friendly smile.
"...Then what is Raku-kun's wish?"
"Create something for me! Something that can connect this space-time with the coordinates of another space-time!" Ryougi Raku said in a deep voice.
This was his wish.
His original wish was to obtain an item that could traverse worlds, but he knew that the Holy Grail could not create such a mystery.
Therefore, he hoped to obtain a coordinate device, and he could find the power to traverse on his own.
With a coordinate device, he would have a way not to get lost in the vast void.
"...Is that Raku-kun's wish?" Irisviel smiled and said, "It's just like the desire Raku-kun once expressed at the banquet!"
"...Then, can you do it?"
"Hehe, of course, no problem..." With a strangely eerie smile, the Irisviel before him suddenly transformed into a mass of black sludge and lunged into his body before Ryougi Raku could react.
"Let us become one... This way, you can use the endless power within this Holy Grail as your beacon to locate this world!
Even if you go to other worlds, you will be able to communicate with the malice of those other worlds and leave your mark..."
Of course, all of this would only be possible if Ryougi Raku could survive after being swallowed by the Evil of this World...
Ryougi Raku suddenly stood frozen, his body flickering as if it could turn into black sludge at any moment, but then, Ryougi Raku's previously stiff face suddenly twisted into a grin, "Hahahaha! Do you think you can defeat me with just this paltry malice?"
The power of the Transcendent Origin transformed into raging flames that suddenly enveloped Ryougi Raku's entire body.
"If you had come at me with all your malice, I might indeed have been assimilated by you, but do you think this meager power can harm me?" Yes, Ryougi Raku was only afraid of the endless quantity.
If all that endless black sludge had enveloped him, achieving a qualitative change from a quantitative one, Ryougi Raku would indeed have been beyond help.
But this Holy Grail was attempting to defeat him with mere malice, which was truly a fool's dream!
The power of the Origin surged madly into the black sludge within his body, and all aspects of this Evil of this World were rapidly analyzed by Ryougi Raku.
The Evil of this World could be said to have consciousness, or it could be said to have no consciousness at all.
It acted purely on instinct.
Facing Ryougi Raku's frenzied power, it did not know to increase its output of power, but instead continued to manipulate the concept of malice.
"Hmph, so that's it, is this all the malice in the world...?" The black sludge around him was quickly burned away by the flames, and Ryougi Raku analyzed the essence of the Evil of this World without much difficulty.
"...But this power is far too impure..." Ryougi Raku opened his eyes and quietly observed the entire interior of the Holy Grail.
If he had used his power to analyze it from the beginning, he would have been struck by the Holy Grail's defenses, and then he would have been overwhelmed by the sheer quantity of the black sludge...
But since the black sludge had actively invaded his body, he could easily analyze that portion within his body, and using that as a basis, he could fully analyze this malice.
"What a pity, although the quantity is immense, it's completely useless to me..." Although the malice was powerful, it could only serve as a means of combat, and this malice had its limits; it didn't belong to him.
The endless quantity was the key, but how could one use this endless quantity to drown an enemy?
It was too troublesome to open a breach in the Holy Grail.
Against powerful individual enemies, this black sludge was largely useless, unless it was used to destroy families and nations, using grand magic to open a breach in the Holy Grail, allowing this Evil of this World to flow into the world and cause widespread destruction...
But alas, that kind of power was not what Ryougi Raku pursued...
Suddenly, Ryougi Raku felt a tremor within the Holy Grail.
'Hm? Is it Kiritsugu Emiya's spirit?' Silently perceiving the rift in the sky, Ryougi Raku easily found Saber, who was fighting Archer, based on that rift...
'Let me dispel your last doubts... Saber, let me show you the true nature of this Holy Grail!'
Using his will, Ryougi Raku manipulated the black sludge, sending it towards the space where Saber was fighting.
Although he couldn't control this black sludge in combat at any time, since his body was now inside the Holy Grail, controlling it was only natural!
Saber was fighting Gilgamesh, but even with the power of King Arthur, without the help of her scabbard, she was no match for the King of the Oldest.
Aside from being wantonly teased by the opponent, Saber had no other choice.
Even though she was extremely angry, anger could not make her defeat the opponent.
Charging forward again, she was driven back by a rain of Noble Phantasms, while Gilgamesh still maintained his leisurely composure.
At this moment, the space suddenly shattered like a mirror, and Saber's attention was immediately drawn to it.
Even Gilgamesh looked at the crack with considerable curiosity...
Streams of black sludge, carrying a nauseating aura, suddenly flowed from the crack.
Due to the location where the rift appeared, Gilgamesh was swallowed by the black sludge without any reaction.
Saber, quick-witted, retreated a few steps, avoiding the outpouring of black sludge.
She stared incredulously at the substance that exuded all the malice in the world.
She knew clearly that this was the Holy Grail she had been pursuing all along!
"I didn't expect it, it's just as Raku said, this is indeed not what I should pursue!" Saber let out a bitter laugh, then faced the black sludge with a solemn expression.
Her senses told her that if she were accidentally drenched, a tragic end awaited her!
Suddenly, her heart trembled.
It was Kiritsugu Emiya's command to her using a Command Spell!
Kiritsugu Emiya commanded Saber with a Command Spell—use your Noble Phantasm to destroy the Holy Grail!
Kiritsugu Emiya's body had long been eroded by the black sludge, enduring soul-deep agony, yet he still firmly issued this command...
Saber offered no resistance.
After learning the true nature of the Holy Grail, even if it could truly grant people's wishes, the holy King Arthur would still personally destroy it!
"Is this how it ends...?" Saber slowly raised the Holy Sword in her hand, knowing that after the last Command Spell, without its support, without the replenishment of mana from her Master, she would return to the Throne of Heroes...
"But this is fine too; it allowed me to meet Sir Lancelot, allowed me to understand my mistakes.
This war has given me its greatest meaning... Finally, thank you, Raku-kun!" Softly, Saber spoke, with a smile of contentment and satisfaction.
Facing the Evil of this World, her body also bloomed with the most dazzling light in the world...
"Let all of this! End right here!"
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