At that moment, the golden Holy Grail suddenly dimmed.
Its sacred radiance vanished instantly, replaced by a chilling, malevolent aura.
From the bottom of the Grail, thick black and red sludge slowly seeped out.
The viscous substance looked like blood steeped in sin and hatred.
As it overflowed the cup and spilled downward, Ryudo Temple was swallowed by an overwhelming sense of malice.
"Malrick…" Eriyi quietly grasped his wrist.
She took out her courage stick and looked up at him, her eyes asking for permission to act.
She had read the Fate story countless times.
She knew that the black mud within the Lesser Holy Grail originated from the Greater Holy Grail itself, known as All the Evils of This World.
When the two Grails connected, the accumulated evil finally found an outlet and began pouring into reality.
That evil was endless, and the black mud would never stop, eventually consuming the entire world.
And now, of course, it was time for Full Moon Wave.
That was right, Eriyi was a devoted Full Moon Wave enthusiast.
And even if that failed, she still had Moon God Purification.
"I told you to call me Malrick," he said calmly. "If you want to act, go ahead."
He gently patted her head.
Eriyi nodded and turned toward the torii gate of the temple.
Illyasviel, who had been anxiously watching Kiritsugu, noticed her movement. "Um… big sister, what are you going to do?"
"Ilya," Eriyi said softly, stopping for a moment. Her expression was calm, yet carried a solemn weight Ilya could not fully understand. "Have you ever seen Light?"
"Light?" Ilya shook her head, confused.
Eriyi did not answer. She raised the courage stick high.
In the night sky, obscured by heavy clouds, radiant Light burst forth.
A towering blue silver giant emerged.
Ilya's mouth fell open. "Big sister… she turned into a giant!"
As her voice faded, the nearly fifty meter tall figure raised a hand and waved toward Ilya.
Malrick spoke quietly, translating for her. "Eriyi says it is not a giant. It is Light."
"Light?" Ilya repeated, half understanding.
The next moment, Eriyi traced a circle in the air and released Full Moon Wave toward the massive opening in the sky.
Brilliant light tore through the darkness, illuminating half of Fuyuki City.
Now Ilya understood.
Her eyes shone with excitement.
Something that might seem childish to an adult was perfect for a child her age, bright, passionate, and full of wonder.
The Full Moon Wave was overwhelming.
A blazing arc of light cut across the night sky like a colossal flare, flooding the city with brilliance.
Its brightness rivaled several hundred thousand lumens.
When the Church began fabricating explanations the next day to conceal the event, they would undoubtedly be overwhelmed.
Unfortunately, while Full Moon Wave was dazzling, it had little direct effect on All the Evils of This World.
The beam struck the void, causing it to tremble, but nothing more.
Eriyi immediately stopped.
She raised her hand again and traced another circle.
This time, she unleashed Moon God Purification.
A multicolored beam sliced into the void, and after a brief pause, countless points of light erupted within it.
Each spark was a fragment of evil stripped away from the Greater Holy Grail.
This time, the light worked.
The sky, once clouded by corruption, slowly cleared.
The accumulated evils carried by the Greater Holy Grail were unable to withstand the purifying beam.
From within the void, a faint, unwilling roar echoed.
As Eriyi continued releasing light, the roar weakened until it faded away.
At one point, Ilya broke free from Irisviel's embrace and shouted, "Go, big sister!"
At that very moment, Emiya Kiritsugu and Artoria opened their eyes simultaneously.
Their consciousness had been expelled from the Holy Grail.
After a brief moment of disorientation, Kiritsugu's face filled with despair. His already somber eyes became hollow, like empty voids.
Artoria, meanwhile, looked utterly shattered.
Her invisible sword, concealed by the Wind King's Barrier, fell to the ground with a metallic clang.
Both of them had received the cruelest possible answers.
Irisviel and Ilya hurried to Kiritsugu's side, supporting him.
Artoria, left alone, sank to her knees.
"Even the Holy Grail… cannot save Britain," she whispered, her voice hoarse and trembling.
Malrick asked calmly, "What did you see inside the Grail?"
"To preserve Britain," Artoria said quietly, her face hidden by her hair, "the Grail chose to kill all humans outside Britain. And to prevent internal conflict, it then killed everyone within Britain as well, leaving only me and Guinevere."
"That is exactly the kind of solution a corrupted Grail would give," Malrick said evenly. "There is no reason to grieve. I warned you it was tainted."
He continued, "Once Eriyi finishes purifying it, wishes can be made normally."
"Purified?" Artoria and Kiritsugu both looked up, hope flickering in their eyes.
"Eriyi… my Master, where is she?" Artoria asked urgently.
"Over there," Malrick said, pointing toward the temple gate.
The towering figure stood upon the mountain path, continuously releasing light into the void.
"Ah… this… my Master?" Artoria stared in disbelief.
"Just wait a little longer," Malrick said with a faint smile.
Then his tone shifted.
"Even a fully restored Holy Grail may not fulfill your wishes."
"The Grail merely uses its immense magical energy to stabilize the connection to the Root, then applies the method you imagine to achieve your desire."
"Saber, you wish to save Britain and replace yourself with a more suitable king. That is a concrete wish. The Grail could assist through time travel or parallel worlds."
"But Kiritsugu, your wish is world peace. Even you cannot clearly define what that means. Such a wish cannot be realized."
"The Holy Grail's true purpose is to reach the Root."
"The Root," Malrick continued calmly, "is the Akashic Record of the universe, containing the beginning and end of all things. It is the ultimate pursuit of mages."
Artoria looked at him in a daze. "So you do not lack a wish. You intend to reach the Root?"
"In truth, I do not need the Grail for that," Malrick replied with a light smile. "But since I am here, I might as well follow local customs."
As they spoke, Eriyi completed the purification.
The sky returned to its clear, star filled state, the moon shining brightly overhead.
The massive opening still hovered above Fuyuki City, but the malevolent aura was gone, replaced by a deep, unfathomable presence.
"Chah!"
Eriyi withdrew her hand and placed both hands on her hips, just like an Ultraman, preparing to revert to her human form.
At that moment, the Servants and Masters who had rushed from across Fuyuki finally arrived.
"Mongrels!" a commanding voice rang out. "Who dared steal the treasures of the King? Theft is a sin paid only by death!"
Gilgamesh appeared first, surrounded by radiant golden Noble Phantasms, his arrogance preceding him.
Immediately after, another bold voice echoed.
"Oh ho! Someone has already summoned the Holy Grail?" The King of Conquerors arrived with his Master atop his Noble Phantasm.
Elsewhere, Hundred Faced Hassan moved silently through the forest.
Outside the temple gate, Lancelot arrived, and within the shadows, Matou Zouken lurked unseen.
The Holy Grail War, meant to begin more than half a year later, had begun ahead of schedule.