-----
-----
Lightning ripped across the sky like it was tearing time itself apart.
Gilgamesh stood bathed in golden light, eyes wide with terror.
His body started to fade — bit by bit — until he was nothing more than glowing particles, slowly vanishing into the air.
And still, that golden lightning raged on, seemingly ready to destroy everything in its path.
But just as it was about to hit the city below—
It stopped.
Vanished without a trace.
"…That's it? We won?"
Artoria stared at the sky in disbelief.
The Holy Grail War — the thing she'd dreamed about winning — was over, just like that.
It didn't feel real.
If she was being honest—
Pretty much all the fighting was done by Minato.
She'd basically been cheering from the sidelines the whole time.
Thinking that made her feel... weirdly complicated.
Her Master had fulfilled his promise perfectly.
Which meant… she had no choice now but to become his familiar.
Before she even realized it, Artoria's cheeks had turned a soft pink.
Not that she minded, actually.
"Hmm?"
But just then, Minato, who had just taken out Gilgamesh, frowned and looked toward the still-unhealed cracks in space.
Death… bloodlust… pure evil…
A wave of twisted emotions poured out, making the air around them feel ice cold.
Those cracks were starting to look more and more like a portal to hell.
And in the next moment—
A disgusting black sludge began to ooze out.
"This is… the Great Grail is malfunctioning?!"
Aliceviel's eyes widened in shock. She gasped, "The battle just now... it affected the Great Holy Grail? Something inside actually broke out?!"
She might not know exactly what that black sludge was, but as the key to the Grail, she could feel the connection deep within her soul.
And that told her everything she needed to know.
"You... what did you just say?"Artoria's voice was trembling.
The thrill of their recent victory had completely vanished.
That horrifying stuff—something that made her heart turn cold just by looking at it, like it embodied all the evil in the world—had actually come from the very Grail they were all chasing.
Could something like that really grant a wish?
"It looks like this so-called Holy Grail has long since been corrupted," Medusa muttered, her voice complicated behind her blindfold. "Rather than a sacred artifact, it feels more like a collection of every dark emotion in existence."
"In theory, the Holy Grail should be neutral—attribute-less. Looks like something went seriously wrong during a previous Grail War."
Hearing that, Artoria's hope finally crumbled.
So it really couldn't grant her wish after all.
[Root: 101][Root: 120][Root: 320]
While everyone else was spiraling into despair, Minato's eyes were shining brighter and brighter.
Jackpot.
A huge one.
Just as he'd suspected.
"Master, are you okay?"Medusa looked at Minato, puzzled. "Why do you look... really happy?"
"Do I?"
"Absolutely," she said flatly.
And it wasn't just her—everyone else nodded hard.
"Was it that obvious?"
Minato scratched his nose awkwardly, then looked at the others. "Try to stop the sludge from spreading. Leave the rest to me."
As soon as he said that, he turned into a flash of lightning and shot straight into the black swamp.
"This Master of ours sure knows how to throw us a curveball," Artoria sighed, but her expression quickly turned resolute. "Still, if it's an order from Master, I'll give it everything I've got."
In that moment, a dazzling light burst from her body.
It was as if her very presence existed to hold back the darkness.
"Avalon," Aliceviel whispered in awe. "If it's that Noble Phantasm... then maybe."
When her family had summoned Artoria using a holy relic, that artifact had returned to its rightful owner.
And now—
It was finally being put to good use.
[Root: 350][Root: 370][Root: 410]
Staring at the numbers climbing on his system panel, Minato suddenly found the black sludge all around him... kinda comforting.
He went deeper.
And whenever the sludge got too thick, a casual flick of his hand summoned golden lightning that vaporized it on the spot.
But as time passed, the Root Points he gained started to slow down.
"Well, looks like I'll have to check out the Grail itself. That's where the real source is."
Muttering to himself, he sped up.
Before long—
The Great Holy Grail appeared, looming in the distance.
The sludge pouring out from it was even darker, more sinister—like it came from the very pit of the world.
[Root: 550][Root: 660][Root: 710]
Seeing the Root Points skyrocket, Minato didn't hesitate—he started dumping points like crazy.
As his Origin Magic level soared—
He felt like he was swimming in a sea of pure lightning.
The world around him turned dreamlike, unreal. Nothing existed but thunder and light.
He didn't know how long it lasted, but suddenly, he felt himself breaking past a limit—stepping into an entirely new realm.
[Minato][Class: Origin Mage][Magic: Lightning Magic LV71 ( )][Origin: 732 Points]
"My power now... I could destroy the old me without even trying."
"In fact, I wouldn't even need Origin Magic to fight against Excalibur anymore."
He clenched his fist lightly. Everything around him felt fragile—like he could crush it all with a single move.
Then—
He looked toward the Great Holy Grail.
Since it wasn't giving him any more Root Points...
No point keeping it around.
He casually snapped his fingers.
A massive bolt of golden lightning blasted through the sludge, ripping the space itself apart, leaving behind a gaping void that was visible to the naked eye.
BOOM!
With a thunderous roar, the Grail shook violently—
Then shattered completely.
The sludge vanished with it, gone without a trace.
"....."