The sky was dark.
Under extreme destruction, even the moon hid behind the dark clouds.
The intense explosion continued for a whole minute.
When the storm subsided, a ruined and desolate scene was presented before Illya.
She pushed away the rubble and stood up.
Looking into the distance at the scene before her.
Fear, terror, her body trembled uncontrollably. She shouted at the place where only emptiness remained, "BERSERKER!"
"I'm fine, Illya," From the center of the explosion, in the muddy earth of the deep crater, a blast came with great force.
The crippled Shirou walked out from within.
"Berserker," A smile of relief, joy, and happiness bloomed.
The girl flew into his arms, and was caught by the boy.
"Careful, Illya."
"Berserker… Berserker… Berserker!", Like a kitten clinging to him, she rubbed against his chest.
That unwilling affection had already become the only thing the girl possessed.
The boy helplessly stroked her head.
Clap! Clap!
Two claps interrupted this moment of brief yet beautiful tranquility.
Tohsaka Rin slid down into the crater with Sakura in tow.
"Although I don't want to become a sinner by interrupting you two, still—"
She slapped Shirou's shoulder, "If you can run, then hurry up!"
"The black mud is coming!"
Endless desires and wishes, converted into evil, poured from the sky.
Flowing down from the mountaintop Ryuudou Temple like lava erupting from a volcano.
It was close.
No time to worry about male and female propriety.
Shirou had all three girls cling to him, then exerted strength and moved away from the approaching calamity.
"This is really bad now," Tohsaka, catching her breath, looked at the black mud that kept pouring down and let out a few despairing sighs.
"Big sister…", Sakura held her arms, a bit at a loss.
Instead, it was Illya, looking at the hole in the sky, who said, "Rin, maybe, things aren't as bad as we think."
"Indeed," Shirou stood in front of the three.
"What's your insight?", Tohsaka Rin didn't want to give up the last hope either.
"If the Holy Grail had already been used to make a wish, it wouldn't look like this," Illya, who was raised by the Einzbern as the Lesser Grail, could be said to be the Master who understood the Holy Grail the most, knew it the best.
Likewise, she knew the Holy Grail had long been polluted, and also had a method to purify it.
At the end of Sakura's route, when Shirou tried to destroy the Grail, Illya appeared and asked if he wanted to live.
Shirou said he did.
As an elder sister, she put on the Dress of Heaven, entered the Lesser Grail, fulfilled the thousand-year-old wish of the Einzbern, the Third Magic, materialized Shirou's soul, allowing him to survive.
From the current situation, the Holy Grail had indeed manifested.
The outpouring of this evil confirmed it.
But, this Holy Grail had not yet granted the victor's wish.
Because the true victor, was just now decided.
"I see," Tohsaka Rin, who understood now, looked at the last Master-Servant pair.
"I'm not sure why Manaka hasn't done anything until now, but she must be inside the Grail."
"Although it's a bit unrealistic, I still hope you two can come back alive, Shirou, Illya," Tohsaka Rin smiled as she faced the evening wind.
Shirou was stunned, then somewhat understood why she could call out that name.
"Shirou?", Sakura slightly clenched her fingers.
'Why does my sister… know senpai's real name?'
"Let's go, Shirou," This was Illya. She smiled, innocent and beautiful like before, "At the last moment, is that okay?"
Given the current situation, there was nothing more to hide.
He had just wanted to say "yes," when his gaze shifted.
He suddenly pushed the three girls away.
Kachak!
Illya, who rolled several times on the ground after falling, saw with her own eyes a tentacle of black mud pierce through Shirou.
Her gem-colored pupils widened, and she let out a piercing scream, "SHIROU!!!"
Shirou, whose chest was pierced, spat out a mouthful of blood. Enduring the erosion of the black mud, he cut it off and fell down.
The moment he touched the black mud, he heard Manaka's voice.
The tone was very calm, yet she said, "Berserker, I'm almost unable to control it (Angra Mainyu). If you don't hurry, everyone will die."
Manaka had been controlling this evil of humanity, and without making a wish to the Holy Grail, she had delayed its descent into the world.
This puzzled Angra Mainyu.
Its every move was modeled after Manaka's actions.
Its inherent personality at birth, and the simulated character, were also the same as Manaka.
Emotionless, indifferent to this world.
Yet, the current Manaka had taken actions completely opposite to it.
Can someone really repent at the last moment?
Perhaps even Manaka herself didn't understand.
She merely saw that king's final figure, and chose to respect her.
"Are you alright, Shirou?", Illya wanted to run over.
"Don't move, Illya!", Shirou shouted, projected the holy sword Durandal, charged to her side, and slashed open the black mud trying to devour the three girls.
"Because Manaka doesn't wish for it, now you want a substitute vessel?", Injecting mana, he unleashed a sword pressure and swept with one slash.
Temporarily clearing away the giant hand of black mud.
Shirou said coldly,n"How greedy… wanting to be born into this world with form."
"Rin, run now, take Illya with you."
"No!", Illya strongly opposed, "I want to stay with Shirou—"
Tssshhhh!
Blood dripped onto Illya's face.
Shirou, who had focused all his attention on the three girls, was once again pierced by black mud.
This time, he was riddled with wounds.
"'SHIROU'!"
"SENPAI!"
The three all wanted to help Shirou.
But Shirou raised his hand and pushed them all behind him.
"Humph!", Shirou exerted strength and broke the black mud.
The curse resisted his mind, trying to force him to reverse.
But he wasn't a pure heroic spirit, and there was no room for reversal.
His feet already suspended in the air, dragged by the black mud.
In front of him, Manaka's figure appeared.
No, that wasn't Manaka. It was Angra Mainyu, who had truly separated from Manaka and appeared in this world in her form.
Its emotionless gaze swept over Shirou.
Raising its hand, this was the purest force, bearing "evil" and "curse."
While expanding, it was also compressing.
In just a few seconds, it had already condensed into a massive magic power orb.
"Cough! Cough! Cough!"
Like a candle flickering in the wind, Shirou laboriously raised his hand and activated his magic circuits, "I am the bone of my sword."
"Steel is my body, and fire is my blood;"
"I have created over a thousand blades."
Blue magic power surged, like a visible, purely blue wind, swirling around his hand.
"Unknown to death, nor known to life."
"I have withstood pain to create many weapons."
"Yet those hands will never hold anything."
"So as I pray, UNLIMITED BLADE WORKS!"
His envisioned destination had long been formed.
As the Reality Marble of Unlimited Blade Works unfolded, Shirou called out the true name of the Noble Phantasm:
"RHO AIAS!"
═❀═❀═❀═❀═❀═❀═
patreon.com/AmbitiousTranslator
🥳Joining Patreon keeps me motivated and eager to work diligently, so please consider joining.🥰 You can access upto 20 advance chapter through Patreon.