The blade slashed down through the void.
In that instant, the entire dreamscape let out a soul-shattering crack.
Gouka Kourou.
This was the name Asuka had found deep within his soul, the name of Nugata.
The power to devour the Reiryoku of others was only a fraction of this Zanpakuto's abilities. It was the most feral aspect, born entirely from Asuka's turbulent and wandering past.
By now, he already knew that this name was merely a mutual understanding between him and Nugata, a pseudonym born entirely from his own willpower.
But it was enough.
Perhaps only the white shadow from that day knew its true name, and it was unwilling to tell Asuka.
But none of that mattered.
What mattered was that he was furious right now.
The blade tore through the sky, unleashing a raging inferno that devoured all illusions.
The black wasteland rapidly disintegrated like shattering glass, and the whispers of the Holy Grail faded into twisted echoes, gradually drifting away.
In this suffocatingly dead silence, Asuka's consciousness was violently yanked back to the surface by an invisible, giant hand from the deep sea.
A blinding golden light suddenly flared before his eyes.
Asuka instinctively narrowed his eyes, tensing every inch of his muscles in preparation for an unknown impact.
But nothing came.
When his vision cleared, he found himself still standing in the plaza of Ryuudou Temple.
Or rather, on the ruins of this plaza.
Viscous black mud had submerged the temple steps, pillars, and even the distant mountain gate into a swamp. It squirmed slowly like a living creature, silent and eerie.
The golden pillar of light still connected to the void in the sky, but that void had grown even larger now.
A black and red vortex churned within it, looking as though it could crash down to the ground at any moment.
"..."
Asuka raised a hand to press against his throbbing temples, quickly scanning his surroundings.
Those who were originally enemies or allies—Artoria, Kiritsugu Emiya, Tokiomi Tohsaka, and even that scheming Zouken Matou...
Right now, they all looked like wax figures stripped of their souls, stiffly submerged in this black mud.
Their expressions ranged from ferocious to peaceful to agonizing, clearly trapped deep within the nightmares they desired and feared the most, unable to free themselves.
Not far from him, Sumire Kamado was curled up beside Kaien, kneeling in the black mud.
This girl, who had always gritted her teeth and persevered, who even dared to face Heroic Spirits head-on, now had her eyes closed, wearing an extremely illusory and fragile smile on her face.
The black mud had already risen past her knees and was slowly creeping up her body.
"Damn it..." Asuka cursed under his breath, trying to move his feet.
But the black mud beneath him seemed alive. In that instant, it violently tightened, as if countless invisible little hands were desperately gripping his ankles.
An intense wave of nausea assaulted his soul.
The black mud contained more than just magical energy; it was a form of mental contamination.
It roared, it cursed, and it tried to drag all intelligent beings that touched it into an abyss of madness.
His Spiritual Pressure erupted as he swung his blade down, blasting the mud away.
But the substance quickly reformed, like a swarm of tireless parasites.
A familiar voice echoed in his ear without any warning.
Asuka's pupils contracted slightly.
The surrounding space rippled like water.
A figure in a black kimono abruptly materialized from thin air, landing lightly on the black mud in front of Asuka.
Familiar short black hair, a lazy posture, and those dark eyes that always carried a hint of nonchalance.
"How did you get out?" Asuka asked, somewhat surprised.
This guy, who was supposed to exist only in his inner world, had now appeared in reality in an extremely clear, physical state.
He wasn't lounging on his side or sitting casually like he usually did. Instead, he stood with his hands behind his back, staring solemnly at the Holy Grail suspended in the sky.
The youth did not answer Asuka's question directly. Instead, he raised a hand and pointed at the hole above them, which was continuously overflowing with black mud.
The youth took a step forward. The black mud beneath his feet automatically parted the moment he touched it, as if fearing something.
He walked to the center of the plaza, looking at the slumbering people.
[The reason these people cannot wake up is that the Holy Grail is reading their wishes and using them as a blueprint to weave an inescapable cage.]
[When the time comes, they will no longer be humans or Heroic Spirits, but puppets of this malice, walking corpses driven to fulfill those twisted desires.]
Asuka looked at Sumire's defenseless face and frowned in displeasure. "This kind of thing... how can we break this situation?"
The black-haired youth fell silent for a moment.
He turned around, his gaze passing over the crowd before finally locking onto the silver-haired woman suspended directly beneath the Holy Grail, her figure already blurred.
Irisviel.
The youth's voice turned icy, devoid of any emotion.
"What do you mean?"
Asuka looked at the agonizing figure.
Before he could make a decision, the youth spoke again. [This is the only solution. Only by destroying this core can we forcefully sever the connection between the World of the Living and Heaven's Feel.]
The youth's words were so resolute, but Asuka still fell silent for a moment.
It wasn't that he couldn't bear to do it. He didn't even know this woman, so he wouldn't feel any psychological burden if he really had to strike.
It was just...
"I want to ask, if we forcefully interrupt this ritual, what will be the price?"
Asuka gripped his Zanpakuto tightly, his gaze meeting the youth's pitch-black eyes. "You saw it too, this phenomenon of heaven and earth mutating."
"If we sever the connection between the Lesser Grail and Heaven's Feel, will it really be fine?"
The youth tucked his hands into his sleeves and closed his eyes.
As expected.
Just as he thought.
[But to stop this evil, this is a sacrifice that must be made.] The youth paused, seemingly applying final pressure on Asuka.
[Even if you don't sever the connection... this black mud will spread across all of Fuyuki City like a plague. Eventually, tens of thousands of people will die in their sleep, melting into sludge.]
The black-haired youth took a step closer, his familiar face filled with urgency.
Listening to his analysis, the hand Asuka used to grip his sword actually began to tremble slightly.
He had never encountered such a dilemma before, where he actually had to sacrifice an innocent to save the many...
This logic, this cold calculation...
It was simply terrible.