Chapter 190: The Corrupted Grail
"H-Hand slipped?!" Rin Tohsaka stared, her mouth agape. Her usual composure was utterly shattered, replaced by sheer, dumbfounded disbelief. "You call that a 'hand slip'?!"
She pointed a trembling finger at the smoking, human-shaped tunnel that had been punched through three separate walls of the ruined church, ending somewhere in the distant rubble.
"He was too noisy," the synthesized voice of SAM replied, with a distinct lack of righteousness. The massive silver mech casually shook its fist, dislodging a chunk of concrete. "And he didn't look like a good person. My threat-assessment protocols must have... over-calibrated. So I couldn't help but..."
"Well done!" Shirou Emiya, however, gave a weary but satisfied thumbs up. His face was bruised, but his eyes were clear. "I've wanted to hit that smug priest for a long time!"
You walked towards the string of holes with a wry smile. Through the openings, you could see the night sky, and far in the distance, the sprawled, unmoving form of Kotomine Kirei, embedded in a pile of rubble. He was completely unconscious, but likely not dead.
"The mastermind... is just this?" It felt anticlimactic.
You shook your head and turned to Shirou, whose gaze was fixed on the fallen priest with a deep, unsettling intensity. "I'll leave him to you. Your grievances with him... they should be settled by you."
Shirou nodded, his expression grim. "Go. I'll handle this." He began walking toward the rubble, his steps heavy with a purpose you didn't fully understand.
With the final obstacle removed, you, Firefly, Saber, and Rin finally arrived at the heart of the corruption.
It was an underground cavern, pulsating with a malevolent, unseen heart. In the center, where a grand ritual circle should have been, there was only a pit. From this pit, an ominous, tar-like substance overflowed, constantly churning. It looked like a golden, ornate chalice was trying to form, but it was perpetually swallowed by the churning black mud within it.
The air was thick with the smell of ancient hatred and rust.
[Inorin's Note: The black mud is the physical manifestation of Angra Mainyu, or "All the World's Evil," a Servant summoned in a previous war whose spirit corrupted the Holy Grail system.]
"This is… the Holy Grail?" Rin's body trembled, not from fear, but from a magus's profound disgust. "So, everything you said was true. This isn't a wish-granting device... it's a curse."
Her voice cracked with the horrible realization. "How could something like this grant wishes? It will only bring destruction."
Saber, however, was unnervingly still. She stared into the pulsating malice, her gloved hands clenched at her sides. She could feel it—the concentrated spite of "All the World's Evil."
This was the object she had staked her existence on. The miracle she had fought and died for, the one she would kill for again, all to save her kingdom.
And it was a lie. A toxic, world-ending lie.
She finally understood. Her wish to change Britannia's fate, to undo her own rule... it was a child's fantasy. And this corrupted device would only grant that wish in the most twisted, horrific way possible.
Perhaps, she thought, true salvation wasn't changing the past, but accepting it.
A look of profound, agonizing relief flashed in her golden eyes. The burden she had carried for centuries... it was finally lifted. She turned to you, her expression clear for the first time.
"Orion, retrieve it. Our Holy Grail War... is over."
"I'll do it," Firefly said, her voice firm. She stepped forward, pulling a small, cylindrical containment device from her belt.
She walked towards the Grail. But just as she got close, the air crackled. The black mud seemed to recoil from her, and in turn, she recoiled from it.
"Ugh…!"
Firefly suddenly clutched her chest, a sharp gasp escaping her lips. Her face turned deathly pale. On her cheeks, faint, sickly-green lines appeared, like glowing cracks in porcelain.
"Firefly!" You immediately stepped forward, catching her as she stumbled.
Cold sweat seeped from her forehead as she gritted her teeth. "Entropic Loss Syndrome… Damn it, why at this time…?"
[Inorin's Note: Entropic Loss Syndrome is a physical illness Firefly suffers from, causing her body to slowly dissociate and fade away.]
"Are you alright?" Rin asked, rushing to her other side.
"I'm fine…" Firefly struggled, trying to push forward again. But as soon as she took another step, the patterns on her face deepened, and her legs buckled. The Stellaron's raw, chaotic energy was aggravating her condition.
"Let me do it instead," you said decisively, gently pushing her back toward Rin.
"No!" she refused immediately, her voice strained. "You're new. You're not... inoculated. This dangerous Stellaron... its corruption level is too high. It can't be handled by you…"
Before she could finish, another wave of sharp pain struck her, and she nearly collapsed.
"But you can't retrieve it like this," you looked at her, your gaze serious and unyielding. "Trust me. I can handle it."
In the end, she could only compromise, her breathing ragged. She handed you the silver cylindrical device. "Be... careful. The pollution... it's high."
You took the device. "I understand."
You walked forward, alone, toward the churning pit of malice. The black mud roiled violently as you approached, as if sensing a new, interesting toy.
A voice, not of sound, but of pure thought, echoed in your mind. It was seductive, ancient, and filled with a billion weeping whispers.
…Make a wish…
…You have things you've lost, don't you? Things you can't even remember…
…We can help you resurrect them…
The moment the thought touched your mind, it was no longer a thought. It was a vision.
Boom—!
A flood of memories you didn't know you had surged forth, clearer and more painful than any nightmare.
You saw a silver-haired woman, her green eyes blazing with berserker rage... Feixiao!
You saw a small, agile star-skiff, piloted by a shy, dark-haired girl, evaporating in a silent, blinding flash of light... Neergul!
And then... you saw her. A young girl with white fox ears, her face streaked with tears, her arm outstretched toward you as she was swallowed by an annihilating white light...
Her final, desperate scream tore through your very soul.
"Brother—!!!"
"Jiang Li—!!!"
The intense, psychic pain was so overwhelming it brought you to your knees. You clutched your head, a raw, animalistic sound of agony tearing from your throat.
"Orion!" Firefly and Saber, seeing you suddenly collapse, both ran towards you, their faces etched with worry.
The voice in your head became more seductive, coiling around your pain.
…Kill them…
…Kill those two women behind you. They are nothing. Data from a false world. But your sister… she was real…
…Kill them, and you will obtain me. Then, you will… resurrect your beloved younger sister! A fair trade, isn't it?
The voice seemed to possess an irresistible, hypnotic magic.
You suddenly lifted your head, your eyes blazing with a light that was not your own.
In your vision, your [Mystic Eyes of Death Perception] flared to life, unbidden. The world fractured. On Firefly, on Saber, you saw them—the black, spidery threads representing their "death." They were so clear, so fragile, so... inviting.
Go. Kill them!
Your hand unconsciously gripped the hilt of your sword.
"Orion! What's wrong with you?!" Firefly stopped in surprise, her hand flying to her own weapon. She had never seen such a terrifying, predatory look in your eyes.
No… I can't do this…
They are Firefly… Saber… companions…
But, Jiang Li… my sister… Kill them… and Jiang Li can be resurrected…
Kill them.
No!
A different memory surfaced, one of a small, white-haired girl with rose-colored eyes, smiling brightly. Jiang Li wouldn't want this!
You roared, not with your voice, but in your mind, fighting back against the overwhelming temptation. You desperately suppressed the urge, veins bulging on your temples. Two forces tore wildly within you—the Stellaron's insidious temptation and your own fractured, but still present, rationality.
The fierce, alien light in your eyes gradually dissipated, replaced by your own exhausted, pained gaze. You collapsed heavily onto the ground, gasping for breath, your body drenched in cold sweat.
"...Orion?" Disregarding the danger, Firefly quickly ran to your side, grabbing your shoulders. "Are you alright? What happened just now? You..."
"I... I'm fine." You shook your head, the vision fading. You pushed yourself to your feet, your legs trembling.
You raised the containment device and activated it. A high-pitched whine filled the air as a beam of light shot from the cylinder, striking the heart of the black mud. The mud shrieked, a sound like a billion souls crying out, as a single, perfect golden sphere was forcibly ripped from its core and sucked into the container.
The moment it was sealed, the oppressive atmosphere vanished. The churning mud pit went still.
You opened your palm. In the transparent container of the silver device, a golden sphere was rotating slowly. "The Stellaron," you panted. "Successfully retrieved."
Seeing this, Firefly, Rin, and Saber all let out a collective, shaky breath of relief. "That's great…" Firefly murmured, the glowing green cracks on her face already receding.
However, no one noticed. As you lowered your head to look at the contained Stellaron, a strange, faint smile appeared at the corner of your lips.
A shadow passed over your features. For less than a second, your entire eyeball, iris and all, was consumed by an inky, profound blackness.
It vanished as quickly as it came, returning to normal.
The Stellaron's pollution had already permeated your body. It whispered within you, a new, cold presence. And those cruel past events you had forgotten… they transformed into an irresistible echo, an echo that now, completely, occupied your world.
[Contaminated by the Stellaron, Villain Value +1000!]