"What is a Beast?"
Tohsaka Rin asked curiously.
"Beasts of Sin, also known as the 'Evils of Humanity.' They are great disasters rejected by Human History, a collective term for the seven disasters that harm mankind. There are seven Evils of Humanity in total."
Xia Yu said with a smile, "The Evils of Humanity are exactly as the name implies: the stains of humanity. They refer to the various disasters that destroy humans. The more humanity develops, the stronger they become, like a cancer eating away at the body from within society. In other words, they are the sludge settled within Human History."
"They can never be truly eliminated because the Evils of Humanity are human love itself. Their desire to destroy humanity is not based on malice toward humans."
"They will be generated as long as humans exist, and yet humanity must overcome them. The 'Evils of Humanity' means the evils that humanity must extinguish, not the evils that seek to extinguish humanity."
Xia Yu paused, thinking for two seconds before continuing, "The known Evils of Humanity include Pity, Regression, Lust, Comparison/Cherishment, and Depravity."
"Miss Furina, didn't you say earlier that some information couldn't be provided?" Fujimaru Ritsuka sensed something keenly and asked, "Why are you telling us this now?"
"Because I've judged that this information doesn't affect the big picture," Xia Yu looked at her with a beaming smile and said, "After all, you are Fujimaru Ritsuka. Hearing this basic knowledge won't hinder your future."
"Uh, do you really think that highly of me?" Facing those sparkling eyes, Fujimaru Ritsuka was a bit overwhelmed; after all, she wasn't the mature Savior she would eventually become.
"You're the one who beat the Beast of Lust until she cried right in front of me," Xia Yu couldn't help but reach out and pinch her cheek. "Seriously, seeing you so soft and squishy now, knowing you'll have such firm resolve in the future... Sigh, I guess I can only bully the current you."
"Wait, beat a Beast until she cried?!" The Doctor couldn't contain himself. "How could that possibly be done!"
"The one in front of you is Fujimaru Ritsuka," Xia Yu blinked, grabbing Ritsuka's shoulders and pushing her forward. "The last Savior of humanity, the one who broke the Lost—tsk, forget it, the restrictions are too tight. I can't say anything."
"In short, Ritsuka is great, enough said!"
"Miss Furina, actually I'm not really that..." Before anyone else could speak, Fujimaru Ritsuka herself got embarrassed.
"No, Senpai, you definitely have that capability!" Mash, on the other hand, listened with a face full of admiration.
"Wait, wait, wait, I think I roughly understand your existence," Tohsaka Rin cut in. "But I still can't imagine—could things really be that serious?"
"Actually, before I stepped into this room, I felt the same way," Xia Yu shook her head and looked at the silent Matou Sakura.
"But now, I'm very puzzled as to why the Counter Force hasn't sent a Grand Servant to the field. Or rather, do they value you so much already, Ritsuka, thinking you have the strength to resolve this at your current level?"
"Wait, does that mean the current situation requires a Grand Servant to resolve?" The Doctor sighed. "Is it another mess?"
"If you could pull that Miss Firefly into your team, you wouldn't need a Grand. With her strength, she doesn't fear any Beast even in a direct confrontation," Xia Yu shook her head. "But looking at you all..."
She shrugged, leaving the rest unsaid.
"You were looking at Sakura just now, weren't you, Miss Furina?" Emiya Shirou truly couldn't hold back anymore. "Are you saying there's something wrong with Sakura?"
"Miss Sakura, you must be very tired by now," Xia Yu didn't answer him directly, but turned to Matou Sakura. "Why don't you go and get some rest? It's already almost one in the morning."
"Good children shouldn't stay up late."
"...I understand," Matou Sakura said. Although she didn't know what was wrong with her, she caught the underlying implication.
"Goodnight, everyone." She stood up, her smile a bit strained, and walked out of the room.
"...Hey, I think you're being even more suspicious than Sakura!" Once Sakura's figure had completely left, Tohsaka Rin stared aggressively at Xia Yu. "Miss Furina!"
"You simply know too much!"
"That's why I was dropped into this space-time," Xia Yu spread her hands. "To clean up the mess for you troublesome Magi!"
"Who are you calling troublesome?" Tohsaka Rin grumbled, but her eyes were fixed on the deep blue Gem at the other's waist.
"Isn't this all the fault of you Magi?" Xia Yu shot her a look. "If there were no Magi, half the crises in the world would vanish."
"Take this time, for example. Miss Tohsaka Rin, do you really know what kind of future your sister is facing?"
"So what exactly is wrong with Sakura?" Tohsaka Rin and Emiya Shirou spoke in unison.
"I can't say," Xia Yu sat back down next to Fujimaru Ritsuka and shook her head.
"Why?" Fujimaru Ritsuka immediately used her best skill, grabbing the other's arm and asking with wide, blinking eyes, "Aren't we allies?"
"The walls have ears, Ritsuka," Xia Yu sighed helplessly. "There's a battle-maniac living next door. If she found out, heh, you two would completely lose your sister and lover."
"Lo... lover..." Emiya Shirou's face turned red, but he still spoke up, "Miss Firefly isn't an unreasonable person."
"Oh, it seems you have a good opinion of her," Xia Yu said with a chuckle. "Even though she killed your friend right in front of you today?"
"...Shinji... he..." Emiya Shirou lowered his head with a pained expression. "He did those things..."
"He deserved it!" Tohsaka Rin was much more direct. "Daring to do such things—if only I had known! He wouldn't have lived until today!"
"Even if Miss Firefly hadn't killed him, I wouldn't have let the Matou Family off!"
"On that note, I only feel gratitude toward Miss Firefly. To be honest, although I've been organizing people to fight her, I truly approve of her as a person!"
"But didn't Artoria mention it? She suffers from an incurable disease called Entropy Loss Syndrome," Xia Yu said calmly. "She needs the Holy Grail to save her life."
"I can withdraw from the struggle for the Holy Grail," Emiya Shirou said without hesitation. "But I cannot represent Saber, so I will participate in the battle. If we are lucky enough to win, I will give my wish to Miss Firefly!"
"No, you don't understand what I mean," Xia Yu shook her head. "She needs the Holy Grail to save her life, but the current Holy Grail... cannot save her."
"Emiya Shirou, aren't you curious? That great fire ten years ago? Artoria, don't you want to know? Why did Emiya Kiritsugu order you to use your Noble Phantasm on the Holy Grail?"
"Regarding that, she already told me today," Artoria said without hesitation.
"Wait, you're saying she knows?" Xia Yu feigned shock.
"Yes, she knows about the Holy Grail being contaminated," Artoria nodded.
"In that case... tsk, my entire plan has to be scrapped and redone," Xia Yu acted frustrated and sighed.
"What do you mean the Holy Grail is contaminated?" Tohsaka Rin felt like the Fuyuki City of today was so unfamiliar. It turned out there were still so many things in this world she didn't know.
"Literally. During the Third Holy Grail War, the Einzbern family foolishly tried to summon the Zoroastrian Evil God, Angra Mainyu, but he didn't have much power," Artoria explained. "After he was defeated, he and the 'All the World's Evil' he represented were absorbed into the Holy Grail."
"It contaminated the Greater Grail entirely. In the last Holy Grail War, that fire was also caused by the manifestation of the Holy Grail and the outflow of the mud representing evil. Kiritsugu... it was precisely because he saw this that he had me destroy the Grail."
"In other words, the goal of the Holy Grail War never existed from the start, right?" Tohsaka Rin stood dazed.
"But what does this have to do with Sakura?" Emiya Shirou couldn't understand.
"She was turned into a Lesser Grail by the Matou Family," Xia Yu said with a bitter smile. "Because a Holy Grail Shard cut off by Artoria ten years ago was used, her priority is even higher than the official Lesser Grail of the Einzbern family."
"So, naturally, she has also become the vessel for All the World's Evil. Once she completes her transformation, we will have to face a new Beast."
Saying this, she looked at Fujimaru Ritsuka. "Come on, Ritsuka, tell me you're just joking and that you're actually already standing at the gates of Human Order, right?"
"Huh?" Fujimaru Ritsuka looked at her blankly.
"Fine, I get it," Xia Yu patted her own cheeks as if to steady herself. "Everyone, there is one piece of good news and one piece of bad news. Which do you want to hear first?"
"Let's have the good news," the Doctor said from Chaldea with a bitter smile. "One piece of bad news after another... sigh, give us something to be happy about."
"Well then, the good news is that as long as we completely eliminate the beast-form Matou Sakura, the Holy Grail will naturally be purified," Xia Yu said with a smile. "After all, she is a Beast born from the fusion of All the World's Evil, so the Holy Grail War can continue. How about it? Are you happy, Masters?"
"...How could that possibly make anyone happy?" Emiya Shirou's face was full of sorrow.
"I've already guessed the bad news you mentioned," Tohsaka Rin took a deep breath. "Miss Firefly... will truly stand on the opposite side of us. Since this would purify the Holy Grail, she won't allow us to save Sakura in the process, right?"
"Thinking about it that way, there's another piece of good news," Xia Yu said, striking her palm as if she had just realized something. "That is, after her beast-form appears, Miss Firefly will automatically transform into a friendly unit. Isn't that great?"
"That's hardly good news," Tohsaka Rin and Emiya Shirou looked at each other and said, "This is absolutely terrible."
For them, it was all bad news.
"At least for Ritsuka, it's good news," Xia Yu looked at Fujimaru Ritsuka with a smile. "Even if you have to face a newborn Beast, having Miss Firefly by your side is much more reassuring than a Grand Servant."
"Alright, everyone, the information sharing session ends here," Xia Yu stood up. "I'm taking Caster to analyze the Greater Grail. If we can find a way to purify it, we won't have to agonize so much, will we?"
"Compared to facing a newborn Beast, I'd rather not face her. There's zero hope of victory, and the Counter Force is unreliable, not even sending out a Grand Servant or a Sorcery user."
As she spoke, she walked toward the door. "Seriously, without the lineup that fought the Vanguard of the Umbral Star ten thousand years ago, I really don't recommend making an enemy of her. To truly take her down, you'd at least need to pull together the full power of several Pantheons to even have the right to think about it."
At this point, she stopped, looking back meaningfully. "Oh, and one more reminder. Miss Matou Sakura is currently in very, very great need of Magical Energy. Right now, she is sleeping soundly, and she doesn't have the rationality to stop her instincts."
She then turned and left with Caster.
"Master," Medea couldn't hold back after they had walked a distance. "Are the people from Chaldea and those secrets all true?"
"They're very real," Xia Yu said with a smile. "For instance, you have quite a history with Chaldea. In the Third Singularity, your younger self caused them quite a lot of trouble."
"To think such a thing happened," Medea mused, then straightened her emotions. "Then I'll return to Mount Enzou to research the Greater Grail."
"Yeah, I'll bring you food," Xia Yu waved goodbye.
Meanwhile, back at the Emiya Residence.
"Do you think this Furina person is trustworthy?" Tohsaka Rin looked at Fujimaru Ritsuka.
"Eh? Me?" Fujimaru Ritsuka felt a bit awkward. "Actually, I don't know either, since I don't know her yet. But if I go by gut feeling..."
"At least partially trustworthy, but she's likely hiding a lot of things."
"Sakura..." Emiya Shirou was completely dejected. "Why did it turn out like this..."
"This is the way of the Magus," Archer couldn't help himself. "To achieve their goals, they'll use any means necessary. Oh, Rin, I don't mean you."
"Forget it, the Matou Family is indeed disgusting," Tohsaka Rin didn't argue with him.
"Everyone, we should pay attention to the words Miss Furina left behind," back at Chaldea, Da Vinci's brow was furrowed as she spoke. "That Miss Sakura is very short on Magical Energy..."
"The meaning is already very clear. The condition for her to hatch into a Beast is Magical Energy, and the fastest way to replenish it is..."
"Magi themselves," Tohsaka Rin said bitterly. "Our hearts..."
"In any case, let's start making preparations."