Black looked at the Greater Grail's will and asked for his first wish. "Give Medea a body."
Justeaze stared back at the winner of the Holy Grail War. "… It will consume a great part of the stored Mana," she warned. "Also, even if I give her a shell, she will remain a Servant, i.e., her Origin will stay at the Throne of Heroes.
"The Medea, after gaining a body as per your wish, will be no different from an existence like you—a mere copy of the original. Also, her existence will be tethered to the timeline itself. So, if she were to leave the timeline, she would cease to exist. Do you still want to continue?"
"It will not affect her growth, right?" Black asked.
Justeaze shook her head.
"Then, this is what I wish for," Black confirmed.
Justeaze blinked slowly. "It's done. What's your second wish?"
In response, Black swiped his hand at thin air, taking out a body that he had stored in his Miscellaneous Rent Box of his Inventory, making Justeaze's eyes widen.
It was Leysritt, one of the two Einzbern maids.
Even though both Homunculi possessed tremendous strength, Leysritt was much more special than Sella.
Before Illya, Leysritt was a candidate for the Lesser Grail, but was deemed a failure.
Despite being a failure, the Einzberns capitalized on her lingering innate power as a Grail and converted her into a potential Mystic Code.
One of the most broken Mystic Codes the Fate Bubble had to offer.
The Dress of Heaven!
"… Just how far you planned all this?" Justeaze asked, carrying a touch of admiration and shock in her voice.
Combined with the Greater Grail, the Dress of Heaven could materialize a soul for several seconds, allowing the soul's transfer to another container.
In a way, for a moment, it allowed a user to cast the Third Magic without having any mastery of it.
Of course, like the Jewel Sword of Zelretch, this Mystic Code was impossible to turn into an Item as well.
Black had other plans for it since the very beginning.
Putting his hand over Leysritt's corpse, Black closed his eyes, remembering the process from Illya's memory.
Suddenly, the corpse exploded in a cloud of warm, golden lights.
Black opened his eyes and stood up, and all the golden motes of light came swarming for him, covering his body.
A white dress made from gold, and fitted with seven rings that were said to have control over creation and the souls of others, materialized on Black, covering the bloody hole in his chest.
Both Black and Justeaze wore the same dress now.
However, unlike Justeaze's, the seven rings on Black's dress were glowing holy, representing the Mana imbued within the Greater Grail through the Servants' sacrifice.
Also, the Dress of Heaven couldn't be used without Leysritt's death.
That's why, despite seeing her and Sella's deaths through Blood Prophecy, Kai hadn't tried to save them. And it would have been a disaster to save one of them and let the fate continue its planned course without alerting anyone.
Moreover, only Elementals and Homunculi like Illya and Black could use the Dress of Heaven, as it would turn anyone else into gold, no matter whether it was a Contestant or a Character
"I would like to get Illya back," Black said, naming his second wish, feeling the monstrous power coursing through the dress.
If it were any other timeline, then he wouldn't have wasted so much Mana on a mere Character.
But this timeline would be his, one day.
It was better to keep as many Characters intact as possible for a stronger Verse Fusion in the end. The loss of Kirei Kotomine was already weighing heavily on his heart. But, with the Priest being cursed by Angra Mainyu, he had to die sooner or later, anyway.
Opposite Black, Justeaze kept looking at him for some time and then sighed.
The entire world suddenly glowed with a blinding, golden-white light. From the blinding whiteness, a golden mote of light descended, landing on Black's palms. Even if it was just a soul, he recognized it. He could sense it — as he had already borrowed its fate.
It was Illyasviel von Einzbern's soul.
"It would be best if you let her occupy an Einzbern Homunculus," Justeaze suggested.
Black nodded, pushing the little soul inside himself for now. The Dress of Heaven didn't vanish and remained on his body, making him feel… grand. It was like he was connected to something beyond worlds—something transcending—something… immortal.
Black's Source was shaking in pleasure.
Yes, he realized. This is the perfect state to… continue.
"How much Mana do you have left?" Black asked.
Justeaze narrowed her eyes. "Not much…" she replied. "Barely enough to do anything grand like your previous wishes."
Black nodded in understanding.
It was just… he wasn't aiming for something grand.
"Make my Hero Title a Standalone Title," Black wished.
Justeaze raised her brows. "… That will still leave quite a lot of Mana, but not nearly enough to ask any Wish."
Black stepped toward the Greater Grail's will, eyeing the tall stony pillar, with the Grail hole pouring out blood over it.
"Use the remaining Mana to let this place exist as long as you can," he said. "… Every year, month, day, hour, minute, and second… will matter."
Justeaze granted the wish, looking at Black's tall back as he walked past her.
"What are you trying to do?" she asked. "… As I said, this place is 'Outside of the World,' meaning you cannot connect to any concept in the Multiverse. Comprehensions are useless at this place…"
Black blurred out of existence, reappearing at the top of the stony pillar, blood roaring behind him as it fell into the bloody ocean underneath.
"That's the thing, my lady," he said, closing his eyes. "I am not trying to comprehend any concept from outside…"
Black sat down, smiling, activating the Standalone Title's Skill.
"… I am going to comprehend the concept that lies within."
In the next moment, a CRACKLING-BOOM echoed, yellow bolts of lightning snaking out of Black's body…
… the Conqueror Haki shaking the entire world!
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