"Aaa."
Just as this thought flashed through Gilgamesh's mind, a melodious voice, like that of a siren, suddenly rang out in his ears.
Almost the instant they heard this song, all the Servants seemed to jolt at the same time, instinctively turning toward the direction of the voice.
At the same time, Alvin slowly opened his eyes within the black mud.
'Irisviel' wore a sweet smile on her face, filled with anticipation as she looked at the black mud, which was gradually cracking.
Crack…
As the cracks grew larger and larger, her gaze became even more expectant.
Finally, the black mud completely shattered!
Within the black mud, Alvin quietly stared at the silver-haired beauty manipulated by the 'entity' in the Greater Holy Grail.
"..You…"
Irisviel's small mouth opened slightly, looking at Alvin with uncertainty and shock.
All the World's Evil...it was a unique substance capable of 'blackening' any being in this world.
As long as Saber could be blackened and turned into her own Servant, the Holy Grail War would essentially be won… That had been her plan.
But now…
After being engulfed by the black mud, there wasn't the slightest trace of 'blackening' on him?!
"..Why…?" Finally, after a brief silence, she spoke in a tone of utter disbelief.
Alvin didn't respond.
Instead, answering in his place was a head that emerged from behind him.
She had a pair of massive beast horns on her head, tilting it slightly as she gazed at the writhing black mud on the ground.
"Aaaa?"
The voice seemed to say: 'You want to blacken my child?'
'Another Servant?!"
'Irisviel' almost blurted out.
But soon, she recalled something from her memory.
Previously, when Alvin clashed with Gilgamesh, he had seemingly summoned a special familiar… and it was that familiar that forced the invincible Hero King to retreat.
…But at this moment, 'Irisviel' couldn't possibly connect the seemingly harmless woman in front of her with the dangerous creature that repelled Gilgamesh.
"Why doesn't the black mud affect you…?"
Finally, she spoke in a voice filled with disbelief.
After all, logically speaking, the power of the black mud should be enough to corrupt any Servant in the Holy Grail War…In order to ensure that Saber could be blackened, she had even channeled all the power she could muster.
Yet even so…
Irisviel's' thoughts suddenly froze, and a chill ran down her spine, goosebumps rising.
Because at some point, she noticed that the black mud she controlled was instinctively retreating… as if being driven back by something.
She abruptly looked up, only to find that, unbeknownst to her, behind the woman standing with Alvin, an even deeper and more ominous black mire had appeared, far more profound than the black mud.
It was devouring the power of the black mud!
…The Tide of Chaos!
.
.
.
Staring in shock and uncertainty at the unfamiliar woman behind Alvin and the surging Tide of Chaos behind her, Irisviel instinctively took half a step back.
Because, from the moment she saw it, she was certain that it was an existence far deeper and more dangerous than the 'black mud'…
"What in the world is this…?"
Irisviel finally overcame her apprehension and fear as she spoke.
"Who are you?!"
She had barely managed to seize the opportunity to escape from the 'Greater Holy Grail' and was so close to making Saber her own…
Yet not only was he immune to the black mud, but he had also summoned this unknown familiar?
At Alvin's feet, the Tide of Chaos surged silently as he noticed the silver-haired beauty's incredulous expression and spoke with a gentle smile.
"I've already been baptized by something similar to the black mud before. Even without 'Mother' here, the black mud wouldn't affect my Spirit Foundation."
"But I really didn't expect that a single body could contain three consciousnesses." At his final words, Alvin couldn't help but feel a bit emotional.
Right now, within Irisviel's body, aside from the sleeping Irisviel herself, there was a wisp of the Winter Saint's consciousness from the Greater Holy Grail.
And beyond that, there was another consciousness—a special class from the previous Holy Grail War, Avenger, who had been eliminated.
Whoosh!
At that moment, a silver light suddenly flashed in the darkness. 'Irisviel' sharply raised her right hand, and behind Alvin, a silver thread transformed into a sharp needle, shooting toward his heart.
But before it could get close, the Tide of Chaos at Alvin's feet completely devoured the silver thread.
Irisviel's pupils widened abruptly, and she instinctively took another half step back.
But at that moment, Alvin had already appeared in front of her, raising his hand and lightly striking the back of her neck.
A surge of dark magical energy erupted instantly, and Irisviel's body went limp, collapsing powerlessly to the ground.
Alvin, who was quick to act, caught the unconscious woman and looked at the faint dark glow flickering at her chest....the special consciousness of Avenger and silently raised his right hand.
In the palm of his hand, the Tide of Chaos surged quietly, gradually consuming the consciousness symbolizing Avenger.
After resolving everything, Alvin quickly looked toward Enzou Mountain.
Avenger had been hiding within the Greater Holy Grail all this time, and now that the Greater Holy Grail had appeared, Avenger emerged as well… .
From the looks of it, it seems this was Manaka's doing again?
After the black mud receded, Alvin had already sensed the aura of the Greater Holy Grail emanating from Enzou Mountain.
Though he didn't know exactly what Manaka Sajyou was planning…
There was no doubt that the Greater Holy Grail had indeed been successfully summoned by Manaka.
"Aaaa?(Do you need my help?)"
At that moment, a gentle, melodious voice came from behind him.
Alvin's heart skipped a beat, and he instinctively turned around to look, his face soon showing shock.
"Why are you still here?"
Logically, Tiamat was just a Noble Phantasm he had summoned, and she should disappear on her own after a certain time…
Yet, Alvin distinctly noticed that the woman before him seemed to be taking on a more 'physical' form.
"Aaaa…"
Tiamat pointed at the pool of black mud on the ground and said.
Alvin's thoughts stirred slightly, as he suddenly recalled something important.
Speaking of which, any Servant doused in black mud would gain a "physical body."
Could it be that Mother Tiamat also gained a physical form because of the black mud?
Just as this thought crossed Alvin's mind, he noticed that Tiamat, who had briefly materialized, was slowly becoming ethereal again.
Tiamat also paused, looking down at her hands in disbelief, her eyes tinged with confusion.
Alvin was equally baffled, after all, she had clearly gained a physical body, so why was it suddenly fading again..?
However, after a brief moment of shock, he quickly came to terms with it.
After all, this was Tiamat.
Although the black mud could grant Servants a physical form, Tiamat's existence was far too unique..
Not to mention, the "Tide of Chaos" itself was very similar to the black mud, capable of corrupting a Servant's Spirit Foundation.
"Leave the rest to me, Mother,"
Alvin said, and as he looked at the regret and disappointment in her face, he couldn't help but reach out to pat her head, saying softly.
"If I run into trouble, I'll summon you again."
"Aaaa.."
Tiamat rubbed against the young man's palm like a cat, gave him one last look, then quietly closed her eyes, transforming into a shimmer of light and vanishing into the air.
Alvin silently watched her leave before turning his gaze back to the unconscious silver-haired beauty in his arms.
..What to do next?
.
.
.
Um ..for now..let's head to Enzou Mountain to take a look.
After a brief moment of contemplation, Alvin made up his mind as he carried Irisviel's soft body from the balcony into the living room.
The night was quiet.
In the living room, a silver-haired little girl was fast asleep, clutching a soft pillow, her delicate face beaming with contentment, sleeping soundly.
The black mud had covered the entire balcony earlier, so it hadn't caused much commotion, and Illya clearly hadn't been woken.
Seeing her sleeping peacefully, Alvin's expression softened slightly and his earlier agitation calmed down considerably.
Sometimes, that's just how people are...when you see the girl you're protecting happy, it brings an inexplicable sense of accomplishment and joy and right now, Illya and Sakura were under his protection.
He placed Irisviel on the sofa, took a nearby blanket, and covered both mother and daughter before heading out the door.
"Saber.."
At that moment, a soft, delicate voice came from behind.
Alvin instinctively turned around, only to see Matou Sakura, who should have been sleeping inside, standing at the doorway, staring straight at him.
"Sakura, why are you awake?"
He couldn't help but ask instinctively.
"With all that commotion, I heard it earlier," Matou Sakura said.
Her eyes were filled with worry as she said softly: "You should form a contract with me.. At least I can supply you with some magical energy.."
"No need for that yet. If I really need it, I won't hesitate to ask," Alvin replied.
Hearing his words, Matou Sakura looked up at the young man one last time.
Seeing his calm smile, she was about to say more when he continued.
"It's a bit cold tonight. Go back inside."
Sakura's face showed a hint of hesitation, but she eventually let out a soft "mm," lowered her head, and turned back into the house.
As he looked at the girl's back, the smile on Alvin's face faded, and he turned to look toward Enzou Mountain, his eyes carrying a thoughtful glint.
Though he wasn't entirely sure what Manaka Sajyou was thinking, he couldn't just ignore the situation.
After all.. if that thing was truly summoned or even destroyed, Fuyuki would become a flattened city.
If he could convince that girl to purify the tainted Greater Holy Grail together, that would be ideal.
If not.. he needed to find another way to persuade her!
As for fighting her and even harming her..such thoughts never came into his mind, after all, Manaka Sajyou's reason for summoning the Greater Holy Grail was simply to keep Alvin by her side.
But in reality, there wasn't just one way to make Alvin stay.
..