The figure emerging from the core of the ritual array caused Izumi to narrow his eyes.
"...Justeaze?"
At his words, the phantom opened her eyes.
She was unmistakable—
Justeaze Lizrich von Einzbern, the consciousness lingering at the heart of the Greater Grail.
Created accidentally nine centuries ago, the first homunculus of her lineage—
and the original possessor of the Third Magic.
The Greater Grail itself was the miracle jointly constructed by the Einzbern, Tohsaka, and Matou families.
And Justeaze was the miracle of the Einzbern—a miracle that would never be replicated.
Even after her death, all homunculi created by the Einzbern were modeled after her.
Illyasviel.
Irisviel.
Their faces, their features—
all traced back to the woman standing before him.
Justeaze's gaze settled on Izumi.
The moment she sensed the same wavelength as her own, her eyes widened subtly.
"The Third Magic…"
"You are the new bearer of it?"
Izumi nodded.
He didn't bother denying it.
Justeaze's sternness softened into something gentler.
"I see… So the Einzbern failed after all."
"Even after nine hundred years of sacrifice… the Third Magic has manifested outside the Einzbern line."
"I cannot tell whether that is tragedy… or salvation."
Her voice carried neither resentment nor regret—only a tired acceptance.
Centuries of homunculi had lived and died trying to restore her lost miracle.
Yet the new Third Magician stood not among her descendants, but before her as a stranger.
Bitter irony indeed.
Justeaze lowered her gaze, then looked up again.
"You wish to take the Greater Grail."
Izumi nodded again.
He wasn't about to hide it.
But with Justeaze awake… taking it wouldn't be as simple as digging it out.
If she opposed him, she could dismantle the Grail entirely.
After a moment of quiet consideration, she spoke again.
"I can entrust the Greater Grail to you."
"I can even help her acquire a fragment of the Third Magic."
Her eyes flicked briefly to Le Fay.
"But in exchange… you must accept one condition."
There was no hostility in her tone.
She simply no longer had the strength—or time—to fight.
Her consciousness was fading, bit by bit.
Had Izumi not arrived, resonating with the Third Magic and awakening her… she would have slept until the end of the system itself.
Even if she tried to stop him now, she knew she could not win.
Not against the overwhelming pressure emanating from him.
Even with the entire Fuyuki leyline at her command, she would be powerless.
So instead—
She chose to entrust him with her final wish.
Izumi frowned slightly. He still didn't understand what she wanted.
"Say it first. If it's something I can do… sure."
He wasn't about to promise blindly.
Getting the Greater Grail without a fight was ideal, but not if the price was absurd.
Justeaze turned her gaze toward the distant ceiling, voice calm.
"I want you, as the new Third Magician, to visit the Einzbern family."
"Tell them this: the Third Magic has returned to the world."
"That their mission is over."
"That they no longer need to sacrifice themselves in pursuit of it."
She paused—
"—and if possible, I want you to become the head of the Einzbern family."
Izumi froze.
…Is this charity? Is she just… handing things out?
She wants me to take over the whole Einzbern house? Just like that?
After a moment, he shrugged.
"Well, if that's all, then sure. I can do that."
Justeaze smiled warmly—an expression full of relief.
"Then the Greater Grail is yours."
"But… I should warn you."
Her smile curved oddly, just a touch mischievous.
"The Greater Grail is already filled with All the World's Evils. You have a plan for that, yes?"
Her expression was almost like a playful wife teasing her husband.
Izumi clicked his tongue.
"I know. You don't need to tell me."
"All the World's Evils is nothing. I can deal with it."
He wasn't bluffing.
The moment he obtained the Grail, he would simply toss it into the System.
If the System could casually hand him an Azathoth-derived sample card—
A little Angra Mainyu was nothing.
Justeaze's smile grew even gentler at his confidence.
"Then I leave it in your care."
"You have my gratitude."
Justeaze bowed deeply to him.
As she did, her form began to dissolve into golden light.
Within that radiance, she continued speaking:
"My time is nearly up."
"So… I will give the remaining shard of the Third Magic to this child."
She looked toward Le Fay.
"She is remarkable. With this fragment, she will grow into someone far greater."
"Though incomplete, the Third Magic will grant her near-limitless mana."
The golden light surged outward.
Le Fay stared blankly as it poured directly into her body.
A heartbeat later—
Mana erupted within her like a geyser.
An endless, overflowing torrent of magical energy coursed through her circuits.
Her hands trembled—not from pain, but from awe.
At the same time, Justeaze's fading voice echoed through the cavern.
"Then… I leave this world to you."
And with that, Justeaze's presence vanished.
The massive ritual array beneath them began to crumble—
And from its dissolution, a gigantic Greater Grail floated up into the air.
Izumi stared at it, speechless.
The one who profited the most here… is definitely Le Fay.
She had just acquired infinite mana.
Even if it wasn't full immortality, infinite mana alone was priceless.
Rin, standing beside her, was on the verge of tears from envy.
They came together. So why didn't she get anything?!
Weren't the Three Families supposed to be allies?!
She was the Tohsaka heiress! Why was the benefit going to a middle-schooler instead?!
The jealousy burning behind her eyes was nearly visible.
After all—
infinite mana was what every Magus dreamed of.