Tokiomi's fighting style was elegant and efficient, never dragging things out.
Especially against opponents like the Hassans—who had numbers but lacked quality—they were absolutely no match for him in his enraged state.
The battle ended cleanly in under a minute.
Watching Tokiomi fight, astonishment flashed in Sumire Kamado's eyes.
'Who is this man? His magecraft... is so strong!'
'Unlike that creepy worm magecraft of old man Zouken, this is a gorgeous and powerful force... If possible, I'd love to learn that...'
The battle concluded, and Tokiomi watched the last Hassan turn to ash.
The magical energy fragments of these Assassin clones rose as if drawn upward, ultimately converging into the massive void in the sky.
The already turbulent vessel of Heaven's Feel instantly became even more unstable, the blackish-red light growing denser.
The concentration of magical energy in the air skyrocketed, causing the entirety of Ryuudou Temple to tremble.
"The energy is almost full..."
Tokiomi's expression was grave. He knew this meant the Greater Grail's energy was further replenished.
The underground Holy Grail system began to feedback, and a magical storm faintly took shape.
The situation was about to become even more intensely chaotic, yet his King of Heroes...
On the other side, Irisviel's condition took a sharp turn for the worse.
She knelt on the ground, the golden light radiating from her chest growing brighter. As the vessel, she had reached her absolute limit.
The outline of her body began to destabilize. The blood vessels beneath her skin seemed to transform into swirling vortexes of flowing magical energy, giving her entire skin an eerie, translucent appearance.
"Ah... I... I can't hold on much longer..."
Irisviel groaned in agony, sweat soaking her silver bangs, her eyes filled with sorrow.
"Kiritsugu... Illya... I'm sorry..."
Sumire Kamado rushed forward to support her, finding her body alternating between being as cold as ice and frighteningly hot.
"Miss! Hang in there! Mr. Asuka will be here soon!"
She continued to call for Asuka through her Command Spell, but the magical storm interfered with the connection, making her voice cut in and out.
Sumire held her helplessly, trying to use her own Water attribute magical energy to soothe the rampaging power within the woman's body. But it was like trying to extinguish a volcano with a cup of water; it was completely futile.
"Mr. Asuka... please hurry..."
She looked around helplessly.
Buzz!
In the next second, Irisviel's body suddenly arched violently.
"Aaaaaahhh—!!!"
A mournful scream erupted from her lips.
Immediately after, a pillar of golden light burst from her chest, piercing straight into the clouds!
The pillar of light resonated with the massive, chaotic void in the sky, acting like a bridge connecting heaven and earth.
With the appearance of the light pillar, an invisible shockwave centered on Ryuudou Temple frantically expanded outward.
"Ugh!"
Sumire felt as if her brain had been struck by a heavy hammer. Her vision went black, and she nearly fainted.
When she opened her eyes again, the sight before her chilled her to the bone—a scene she would never forget for the rest of her life.
Irisviel was floating in midair, her eyes rolled back, her long silver hair dancing wildly in the violent torrents of magical energy.
In front of her, the phantom of a golden cup was slowly taking shape.
And that cup was brimming with black mud, on the verge of overflowing at any moment.
The black mud churned and roared, as if countless twisted human faces were struggling and wailing within it.
"Is this... the Holy Grail?"
Sumire stared blankly at the object, instinctively feeling a terror that stemmed from the very depths of her soul.
How was this a wish-granting machine?
This was clearly the entrance to hell!
"Irisviel—!!"
A powerful shout pierced through the howling of the magical storm.
Artoria finally arrived, wielding her holy sword, crashing into the plaza like a cyan meteor.
Her pristine silver armor was now covered in scorch marks and cracks, and her eyes were filled with anxiety and panic.
Following closely behind her was Kiritsugu Emiya.
The man who was always as calm as a machine stopped in his tracks, staring in shock at the Holy Grail radiating eerie fluctuations in midair.
"What... is that thing?"
He muttered to himself, his voice carrying an unprecedented bewilderment and wavering.
Was this... the miracle he had been pursuing?
"Don't go near it! Saber!" Kiritsugu shouted sternly.
But Artoria, desperate to save her, couldn't listen. She swung the Sword of Promised Victory, attempting to sever the torrent of magical energy binding Irisviel.
"Let her go!!"
The golden sword light struck the black mud, but it vanished without a trace, failing to stir up even the slightest ripple.
Instead, the black mud, as if possessing a life of its own, suddenly surged, transforming into countless pitch-black tentacles that counterattacked Artoria.
"Ugh!"
She was forced to draw back her sword to block, her body knocked back repeatedly by the unreasonably foul magical energy.
Just as she was forced back, a black blur swept across the edge of the battlefield, landing directly beside the slumped Sumire Kamado.
"Are you alright, kid?"
Asuka, carrying the unconscious Kaien on his shoulder, dropped to one knee and supported the swaying girl.
"Mr. Asuka..." Sumire murmured in surprise, a flash of joy in her eyes.
Tonight's continuous battles, coupled with the mental shock of facing the Holy Grail's malice up close, had left her consciousness somewhat blurred.
But seeing Asuka's cold yet inexplicably reassuring face, her taut nerves finally relaxed, and her body went limp.
"I'm sorry... I couldn't... save that lady..."
"You've already done very well," Asuka said, not scolding her for her reckless independent actions as he reached out to wipe the blood from her face. "Surviving alone under the siege of Servants is quite impressive."
He placed Kaien beside him, ensuring both were within his reach, then stood up and scanned the area.
It seemed the chaotic finale had finally arrived.
Tokiomi Tohsaka stood on the temple gate's steps, holding his ruby staff to maintain a defensive Bounded Field, fiercely protecting Rin Tohsaka.
He looked at the Holy Grail overflowing with black mud, his elegant demeanor completely shattered, his face written with disbelief and horror.
"This... this is the hole to the Root? Why... why is it something that feels so utterly filthy?!"
"Father... that cup is so scary..." Rin hid behind her father, trembling.
The needle of the magical compass in her hand had long since spun wildly out of control, ultimately shattering with a crack, unable to withstand the massive surge of negative magical energy.
Tokiomi shielded Rin, his worldview suffering a violent impact in this moment.
As the head of the Tohsaka Family, his lifelong ambition was to reach the Root and witness True Magic.
But now, the 'miracle' that appeared before him exuded such a foul stench...
In the shadows on the other side, Zouken Matou leaned on his cane, observing the anomaly before him.
Unlike Tokiomi's horror, this old worm was staring at the flowing black mud with an almost greedy gaze.
"Hehe... hehehe... Just as I thought..."
Zouken let out a hoarse, grating laugh. "No matter what the outer shell has become, the immense magical energy contained within is the real deal!"
"As long as I have that... as long as I can use that... my long-cherished wish! My eternal life!"
"Even the ideal of reaching that world can be realized!"
He didn't care whether the Holy Grail was corrupted.
For someone who had long dwelled in darkness, the nature of the power didn't matter, nor did the consequences it might bring.
As long as it could achieve his goals, that was enough.
"Avenger!" Zouken shouted at Asuka. "Ignore those irrelevant people! Hurry! Join forces with me! Take this chance to kill that King of Knights too!"
"With just one more soul, the Holy Grail can descend!"
Asuka cast a cold glance at him, then looked toward Irisviel suspended in midair.
The silver-haired woman had completely lost consciousness by now. Her body was slowly becoming transparent, as if she was being digested by that endless malice.
"Kiritsugu..."
Artoria retreated back to Kiritsugu's side. "That thing... is rejecting me! My sword cannot reach it."
Kiritsugu didn't speak. He just stared fixedly at the Holy Grail encased in black mud, the light in his eyes extinguishing bit by bit.
A bottomless despair surfaced in the depths of his eyes.