Chapter 21: The Conclusion of the Ryudoji Temple Instance

Chapter 21: The Conclusion of the Ryuudou Temple Arc

"Eh? What is this?" Caster screamed, watching in horror as her legs were ensnared by thick black mud.

The tentacles of black mud wrapped tightly around Caster's ankles, slowly creeping upward along her body. Flight magic proved completely useless against it. Panic-stricken, Caster hastily thrust Rule Breaker directly into the black mud...

Perhaps sensing danger, "it" suddenly lashed out with several more tentacles, wrapping around the hand Caster used to hold her Noble Phantasm, and began to erode her step by step.

"Ah!! Help... help... help me!" Unfortunately, Caster's mouth was already bound, and her entire body was being dragged down into the dark, muddy pool, steadily devoured by the black erosion.

Faced with such a bizarre and terrifying spectacle, even Berserker, stripped of his rationality, sensed mortal danger and abandoned his attack on Caster. After all, compared to Caster, "it" was an enemy countless times more dangerous.

When the bewildered onlookers finally recovered their senses, Caster had completely vanished without a trace. Left behind on the ground was Rule Breaker, now orphaned of its master. Deprived of magical energy as its owner departed, the dagger slowly dissolved into nothingness.

The first defeated Heroic Spirit of this Holy Grail War had somehow inexplicably returned to the Throne of Heroes—no, she had been devoured by "it." Perhaps she wouldn't even be able to return to the Throne of Heroes at all?

Filled with the joy of a realized wish, she vanished within the black mud. Perhaps her true form in the Throne of Heroes would never know of that salvation which had once truly existed.

...

"Berserker! Come back immediately!" Having consumed Caster, the muddy pool did not recede; instead, it surged toward the nearby Berserker for further erosion. Seeing this, Illya hastily issued a command, but it was already too late. Tentacles shot forth from the mire and wrapped around Berserker's ankles. Berserker possessed strength sufficient to snap steel cables, yet against these seemingly fragile tentacles, that strength was entirely useless.

"Come back, Berserker!" This time, Illya invoked a Command Seal. The miracles-granting Command Seal seemed to lose its effect in this moment; Berserker remained tightly bound, his massive body sinking downward bit by bit.

"Ah! Mother! Please save Berserker!" Illya cried out, tears streaming down her face as she clutched at Lolita's skirt.

"..." Lolita looked troubled. Even she lacked absolute confidence in destroying such an entity, so she shifted her gaze toward Tohsaka Rin.

"Don't be absurd, Illya! You should know that any Heroic Spirit is powerless against 'it'!" Rin replied, observing the scene. Though she didn't understand the true nature of the sudden black mire, she knew that the only viable course of action was immediate flight.

Refraining from childish tantrums and screaming, Illya fell silent. Compared to Rin, she—raised as the Holy Grail—understood the true essence of the black mud better than anyone. She knew that her Berserker had already been eliminated from the Holy Grail War. Burying her face in Lolita's arms, she refused to look at Berserker's impending demise.

[Run away, Illya! I can still hold 'it' off for a little longer. This is our last chance!]

"!" Hearing the telepathic message transmitted through their contract, Illya abruptly looked back at Berserker trapped within the mire.

"Let's go, Shirou! Rin! Berserker can still stall it for a while; if we don't leave now, it will be too late!" Illya said, pulling Lolita along as she started to run.

"Illya?" Seeing the sudden maturity in Illya, watching the resolute expression replace the tears on the young girl's face, Lolita cast a final glance at Berserker, who was silently gazing at Illya, and murmured, "Illya, look at Berserker one last time!"

Running while turning her head, Illya looked upon her Servant for the very last time. Berserker had been stripped of his rationality; Berserker was incapable of complex thought—Illya had always firmly believed this. Yet at this moment, the Berserker who had ceased all struggle was looking straight at her, his eyes clearly brimming with blessing and apology.

[I'm sorry, Illya. I won't be able to fulfill our promise to win until the end!]

"You big dummy! You're supposed to be a great hero, a great hero... I hate you, Berserker!" Finally, Illya's tears burst forth like a broken dam... while Lolita held Illya in her arms and dragged Tohsaka Rin in a mad dash out of Ryuudou Temple.

...

At the mountain gate of Ryuudou Temple, Lolita spotted Assassin.

"Did you win?" Assassin asked with a calm smile.

"Run, Assassin!" Lolita shouted urgently.

"What? Defeated... What is that? Such intense resentment!" Assassin's initial query transformed into a cry of terror as he laid eyes on the surging black mud rolling up from behind. Even without prior knowledge, the primal dread inspired by "it" told Assassin that this was an opponent he could not possibly fight.

"Secret Sword: Tsubame Gaeshi!" Without a word, Assassin gently swung his long katana. Unlike the two intersecting arcs that had appeared during his previous clash with Lolita, three distinct sword arcs manifested simultaneously. It was clear that Assassin had been holding back during their prior duel. If his ultimate technique consisted of three simultaneous strikes, Lolita would have undoubtedly tasted defeat.

"Tch—so strong!" Seeing swordsmanship of such caliber for the first time, Saber could not help but gasp in amazement. With her expert eye, she could easily tell that this sword technique actually interfered with spatial dimensions; it was no exaggeration to say it had reached the realm of a Noble Phantasm. It completely sealed off all avenues of retreat for the enemy. If such a move were unleashed against her, Saber doubted she could easily evade it.

"Assassin?" Lolita asked in bewilderment. After all, the All the Evils of the World had already "crawled" its way to the temple gate. If Assassin didn't run now, it would be too late.

"The one who summoned me was not my Master, but that witch inside Ryuudou Temple. The two Heroic Spirits accompanying you this time are both exceptionally powerful; I do not believe Caster could have survived. Although I despise that witch, without her serving as my anchor to this world, I would be erased very soon. Besides, I have already been defeated by you, so my wish has been fulfilled. There is no need for me to remain in this current age. I can return to the Throne of Heroes!" Shaking his head, Assassin said with a hint of regret.

Those three sword arcs possessed the power to cleave even the All the Evils of the World without allowing it room to escape its fate. However, "it" was no ordinary living entity; if it could be destroyed so easily, it wouldn't have instilled such deep terror in everyone present.

Splitting into four parts, three segments of the All the Evils of the World intercepted the three sword arcs, actually beginning to corrode Assassin's blade. Meanwhile, the fourth segment surged toward the group at an even faster pace.

"Damn it! Earth Release: Subterranean Voyage!" Slamming both hands onto the ground, a massive wall of electricity materialized to block the advance of the All the Evils of the World. Yet the crackling sound of ongoing corrosion served as a grim reminder that this barrier would not hold for long.

"Illya! Use a Command Seal to contract Assassin! Quick! We must leave!" Lolita immediately shouted to Illya, who was still weeping in her arms.

"Eh? Okay, Mother!" Illya replied obediently, aiming her hand bearing the Command Seals at Assassin.

Lolita projected Rule Breaker and hurled it toward Assassin.

In an instant, the contract was forged, and Assassin followed closely behind them as they fled down the mountain of Ryuudou Temple, a look of gratitude in his eyes.

Assassin remained entirely baffled by this young girl who had clearly defeated him yet refused to send him back to the Throne of Heroes. Or rather, he had never truly understood this girl from the very beginning. Still, he felt genuinely grateful that she had chosen to save him by having another Master re-contract him, allowing him to maintain his existence in this world.

Naturally, he would not have felt this way had he known that Lolita merely wanted to reduce the number of individual presences so that dealing with the All the Evils of the World's magical energy consumption would be slightly easier later on.

...

"It" was the crystallization of curses, containing within it the malice of the entire world—known as the primordial curse, the All the Evils of the World. Such a curse was utterly impervious to defense by either humans or Heroic Spirits, for it was the original sin of the world itself. In truth, the All the Evils of the World was part of the world; in order to preserve universal stability, Gaia had severed this primordial sin from itself. However, because the Three Founding Families had conspired a century ago to reach the root cause through the creation of the Holy Grail, the severed All the Evils of the World used this as an opportunity to escape. A sin of such magnitude meant that even a tiny trace of contact would trap a soul in inescapable torment—Heroic Spirits were no exception. The oppressive atmosphere pervading the mountain forest made it difficult even to breathe. Sight, sound, smell, touch, taste, intuition—the terror brought by "it" transcended all sensory perception. Even if one were to sever all senses entirely, one could still clearly perceive it: an instinctive dread originating from the soul, fearing the fundamental darkness of the world.

"It's catching up! Run, Saber!" Emiya Shirou yelled in panic, glancing back at Saber trailing at the rear and the rapidly closing "it."

"!" Suddenly, a wave of intense bloodlust locked onto Emiya Shirou, freezing him in his tracks. The source of that murderous intent was none other than Lolita.

"?" Tohsaka Rin suddenly felt a sense of wrongness, turned back to look, and saw that Lolita, Saber, and Emiya Shirou were on the verge of being overtaken by "it."

"Archer, save them quickly!" Rin screamed in panic.

Instantly extinguishing her murderous intent, Lolita split off an avatar. The clone used one hand to grab Emiya Shirou by the collar and the other to hoist Saber. Meanwhile, Lolita herself grabbed Illya in her left arm and hoisted Tohsaka Rin with her right hand, soaring directly into the sky...

As for Assassin—well, never mind. He was an assassin, after all; running fast was part of the job description. For reference, just look at that uncle from Assassin's Creed, and you'll understand.

Splitting off yet another avatar to act as a decoy and lure away the All the Evils of the World, Lolita and her remaining clone flew rapidly toward Emiya Shirou's house...

...

Because the All the Evils of the World was a terrestrial entity, no matter how high its tentacles stretched, it could not reach the group flying through the sky. Ultimately, it retreated back into the darkness in frustration.

Once the group finally recovered from the terror induced by "it," their lingering fear was immediately replaced by a sense of wonder and novelty regarding their first experience of flight.

Looking down, the familiar ground gradually receded into the distance, and in the distance, the neon lights of Shinkoku transformed into a crystalline city of crystal. The cool evening breeze brushed past without causing any discomfort, imparting instead a refreshing invigoration.

Beside them, however, Saber grew increasingly vigilant. The ability of sustained flight far exceeded the operational limits of almost all Heroic Spirits. Even those capable of flight usually relied on magecraft or Noble Phantasms; innate, direct flight was exceedingly rare. Therefore, Lolita's combat power was altogether too bizarre. Yes, it could only be described as bizarre. Heroic Spirits summoned to this world were bound by constraints—specifically, their designated classes—rendering them incapable of utilizing abilities outside their respective class parameters. Thus, despite Caster possessing the Golden Fleece capable of summoning dragons, her class lacked the capacity to summon mounts; the rules compelled her to "forget" the incantation for the Fleece, leaving it a useless decorative artifact. Yet the girl before her blatantly broke conventions. Wielding a tremendously powerful sword seemed to prove her status as a Saber, yet she could simultaneously wield formidable, high-level magic, and now exhibited mobility characteristic of a Rider. On top of all this, her original class was presumably Archer. For someone so abnormally multifaceted to be an unknown, obscure hero—was such a thing even possible?

Neither her name nor her Noble Phantasms had ever been heard of. Therefore, someone possessing wings like hers was certainly not a Heroic Spirit of the Earth side (Gaia); the only logical conclusion was that she served as a Guardian of the Alaya side.

Seizing absolute air supremacy was a domain no ordinary Heroic Spirit could ever lay claim to.

PS: The Ryuudou Temple Arc has concluded. Exp gained: 0. Learned Skill: Tsubame Gaeshi. Acquired pet: Assassin—All of the above might just be nonsense, though!