Earth Princess? No, it's Fujimaru Ritsuka!

Page 354

She seemed to have neither the ability nor the power to maintain the [Universe of Love] any longer.

"finished?"

Altria asked.

“No, of course not…” Fujimaru Ritsuka shook her head.

"If it were just Kamachin, it would be fine, but... I'm afraid something behind it is about to emerge."

"You should know... our real enemy... is actually the Holy Grail itself."

"The Holy Grail itself..."

Artoria asked in confusion, "I know the Holy Grail has been corrupted, but how come the enemy is the Holy Grail itself?"

She only knew that Irisviel was the Lesser Grail, the key to the Greater Grail, but she had no idea what the real Grail was like.

so...

What is going on.

"This lady... how should I put it... how exactly did the Holy Grail become corrupted? Could you please tell me?"

"Eh--"

Fujimaru Ritsuka paused for a moment, looked at Tohsaka Tokiomi, recalled something, and slammed her fist down.

"I remember now, you're that elegant magician who always messes things up!"

Tokiomi Tohsaka is a magician who tries his best to scheme, but always fails to outsmart his opponent.

Tokiomi Tohsaka: ...

Maintaining elegance is fine, but what if you mess things up?

However, since he couldn't seem to mess with the other party, Tokiomi Tohsaka could only force a wry smile. This person was even stronger than the King of Heroes, and who knew if he might twist his head off in a bad mood.

"Well... Mr. Tohsaka should know the true nature of the Holy Grail, right? It's not some omnipotent wish-granting machine, but rather the magic circuit of Justeza, the first Winter Saint, a magically transformed human universe."

"Ah."

Tokiomi Tohsaka does not deny:

"The Einzbern family provides the spells, the Matou family provides the ritual techniques, and our Tohsaka family is responsible for providing the ley lines support..."

Our goal is to open the portal to the Vortex of Root through the Third Law of the Greater Grail.

Tokiomi Tohsaka's magnetic voice carried a hint of sadness.

"This is the tragic wish of us magicians, concerning the future of magic a thousand years from now. The Holy Grail War has been fought four times in total, including this one, but—"

Tokiomi Tohsaka frowned. Even he didn't know what happened next, why the Holy Grail had been corrupted.

"Actually, that was during the Third Holy Grail War. In order to win, the Einzbern family summoned the Avanger, an additional class outside of the Holy Grail War."

"Angora Mainu."

Fujimaru Ritsuka recalled El-Melloi II's words:

"In an ancient Zoroastrian village in West Asia, the villagers pondered whether they could be freed from evil and live a holy life. So they chose a young man and made him bear all the sins of the world to prove the goodness of everyone else."

"Thus, the hero who bears all evil can also be said to be the [calamity] of the gods."

"In the Third Holy Grail War, Angra Mainyu, summoned by the Avanger class, was defeated at the start of the Holy Grail War and then absorbed by the Holy Grail. Thus, the Holy Grail responded to its concept, and thus, all the evil of this world, the curse of all mankind, was born."

"No matter what the desire, the Black Grail can completely distort it. More importantly, the moment Irisviel wins and obtains the Grail... the Black Grail will be born in a form capable of destroying the world."

Fujimaru Ritsuka smiled and said:

"However, I also have to thank Kama, because of her actions, the Black Grail, which was originally capable of destroying the world, has become less of a threat."

Ultimately, love, this emotion that hurts people, can be said to be one of the most harmless of all extreme emotions.

Fujimaru Ritsuka never expected that after Kama absorbed the evil of the Holy Grail, he would not become an extreme evil god, but instead weaken the evil of this world by more than half.

"What about Sakura's condition..."

Tokiomi Tohsaka asked, troubled, "Is it also related to the Holy Grail?"

"I advise you to give up, Mr. Tohsaka."

Fujimaru Ritsuka glanced at Tohsaka Tokiomi.

“That is no longer your daughter [Sakura], but has become the god of love [Kama]. Although she still has the personality of [Sakura], she is no longer a being from the same dimension as [Sakura].

"In other words, Sakura has already..."

Tokiomi Tohsaka was stunned.

He hadn't expected it to be like this; Sakura's experience was something he, a magician, had never heard of before.

“Yes, you can say that the Sakura you know no longer exists. Now there is only Kama, the god of love born from the individual Sakura.”

"But..."

"This is already the best possible outcome."

Fujimaru Ritsuka rolled her eyes at Tokiomi Tohsaka:

"You should know that Sakura will suffer from disgusting insects when she is adopted by the Matou family. Not to mention that she will not be able to inherit the Matou family's magic and Crest, her nerves and even her ovaries will probably be eaten by the Crest Insects."

"What did you say?!"

"Hey, didn't you know?"

Tokiomi Tohsaka shook his head: "The inheritance of demonic arts is a family secret. How could I possibly know their methods? Even if I wanted to know, they would never reveal it to us..."

"and..."

After a moment's thought, he gave his answer:

"If this is all the pain she has to endure, I believe it is merely a price to pay compared to inheriting the demonic path. Although it may seem too cruel for a young child, she will be grateful for this pain someday."

Fujimaru Ritsuka remained silent.

She looked at this boring man.

For a moment, it felt like Gilgamesh's judgment was more accurate than ever before.

Strip away the magician's facade, and this kind of heat is just a typical example of the "I'm doing this for your own good" paternalistic mindset.

He believed that seeking the demonic path came at a price, which was only natural, but he never considered whether his child truly shared such thoughts.

Considering it's 1994, there are quite a few older people who think this way.

"Alright. I won't comment on whether your thinking is outdated or not. Take your daughter and leave quickly. If Kamaichi loses his temper, I won't stop Sakura's personality from getting angry."

Fujimaru Ritsuka's tone was noticeably worse.

Tokiomi Tohsaka didn't know what he had said wrong, and just kept his head down and looked meek.

So these kinds of people are really boring. They're not exactly deserving of death, but they are definitely the kind of people you'd find annoying.

Too affected.

If you're going to give up on Sakura, then give up on Sakura. Making up all those reasons as if you're so helpless or forced is pointless.

at this time…

Right beneath everyone's feet, the Greater Grail spell still seemed ready to unleash its power.

The intricate patterns began to ripple with an eerie unease.

Right above Moro's head, something black, like a hole, like the sun, appeared out of nowhere.

Perhaps calling it "something" is too strange. The physical form of that black sun is actually a hole. It is a spatial tunnel connecting the altar of the descent ceremony to the Great Grail hidden deep beneath Mount Enzo on the west side of Fukayama Town.

Over the past sixty years, the Greater Grail has continuously absorbed the immense magical power from the earth's ley lines, and its interior is now filled with an enormous vortex of magical energy.

This is the true appearance of that dark, wriggling creature.

Or rather, part of the true face.

Although Moro devoured it and turned it into his own energy, it still had its own rituals, evil accumulated over countless years... coupled with the most perfect vessel and soul, it possessed the power to burn all life.

And the person who controls all of this.

It was Irisviel.

No, that wasn't Irisviel, but some woman who looked similar to her but was wearing a strange black outfit.

She had long, silvery-white hair that flowed like moonlight, with a few strands falling over her shoulders. The dim light made her crimson eyes appear even more eerie and bright, like congealed blood.

The woman wore a tall black hat and a black dress with red trim, the fabric clinging to her figure and outlining her alluring curves. Her steps were light and rhythmic, like a rose in the night.

"It's finally out."

Fujimaru Ritsuka stared at the woman in black and murmured softly.

"One of the calamities that will destroy this world, the [Black Grail]..."

The woman wore a smile, her face brimming with an evil grin that concealed boundless malice and wicked intent.

This gave Artoria, who was present, an extremely bad feeling.

"Is that Irisviel?"

Artoria's hand holding the holy sword trembled involuntarily.

Now, must we turn against our former comrades with swords drawn?

Artoria looked at the woman opposite her with a wicked grin, feeling resentful.

"Artoria..."

Fujimaru Ritsuka's voice became somewhat heavy:

"I will free everyone from the Holy Grail in a moment. You take them and leave here quickly."

"You plan to... [illegible characters]"

Artoria's gaze fell on Fujimaru Ritsuka.

“This guy is a bit troublesome to deal with. After all, he is not a product of the Third Law. Even if there is a difference in quality, his magic power is almost as endless as mine.”

"Furthermore, I cannot guarantee that going all out outside my territory will not accidentally injure others."

Fujimaru Ritsuka's voice was cold.

This time, Fujimaru Ritsuka truly has no intention of forgiving calamity.

It's better for a world-destroying catastrophe to disappear as soon as possible.

Compared to a fool like Kama, something like "All the Evil of This World," an evil entity that can bring disaster to the entire Fuyuki region in an instant, is far superior.

"We must wipe it out completely in one fell swoop."

"Want to escape? Why not pursue the Holy Grail... People filled with desire and malice, your wishes are right before your eyes, whether it is to reach the source of sorrow or to save your homeland... I can still grant them for you."

So said the black-clad Irisviel.

"It's just a price to pay, a negligible, very small price. Everyone can bear the price of malice."

"So, even if the Holy Grail is corrupted, it can still grant wishes, right?"

Fujimaru Ritsuka slammed her fists together, feigning ignorance as she asked, "Can any wish be granted?"

"Hey, that's right."

Black Irisviel smiled sweetly: "Any wish can be fulfilled."

"That's great."

Fujimaru Ritsuka clapped her hands and said, "I do have a wish, can you grant it for me?"

She looked at the black Holy Grail with her scarlet eyes.

The other party had a certain oppressive feeling, giving Fujimaru Ritsuka the feeling of the evil black cat, Yuki (II) Hatoji.

The surging tide of black mud began to spread, and the magic of the Black Grail began to expand as Fujimaru Ritsuka prepared to make a wish.

"I've already said, I can grant any wish..."

"Is it really okay?"

Fujimaru Ritsuka pinched her index finger and thumb together, closed one eye, and asked mischievously, "My wish is a little difficult."

"I've already said that any wish can be fulfilled by picking seven leeks and relying on the mountain and land, why don't you understand?"