Scathach's act of burning her spiritual base seemed to have angered the "evil of this world" that wanted to descend upon the human world.
The black mud in the sky and on the ground suddenly became violent and boiling. More and more black mud poured out of the hole, as if it wanted to expand the "hole" in this way and complete its descent.
However, this was in vain.
Without Scathach's soul, the hole lost the possibility of continuing to expand. The rules of space and the rules of the world restrained the "Black Sun" and prevented it from expanding further.
However, now is not the time to feel at ease. Nearly ten minutes have passed since the appearance of the "Black Sun". The black mud contaminated by the curse of "The Evil of This World" has formed a torrent like a waterfall, washing away the pre-arranged dam around the altar.
If the black mud is allowed to continue to rush forward like this, this simple dam made of gullies and stones will be washed away in two minutes at most.
"Please, Mr. Emiya, please, Saber—please destroy the Holy Grail."
Without Justisa's request or Shinji's reminder, Emiya Kiritsugu and Saber, the master and servant who have very different styles of doing things but have something in common at heart, had already made preparations.
"Master, please use the Command Seal. Without it, I cannot destroy the Holy Grail."
This is not only the only way to use the body of a Servant granted by the Holy Grail to rebel against the Holy Grail, but also a necessary step for Saber to replenish her magic power when it is exhausted.
"In the name of Emiya Kiritsugu—"
After receiving Saber's request, Kiritsugu did not hesitate at all, and pulled open his sleeves, revealing the Command Seals on his wrist to his Servant.
"Saber, use the Command Seal to destroy all the black mud."
"Saber, use the second Command Seal to destroy the Holy Grail on the ground."
"Saber, use the third Command Seal to destroy the hole in the sky."
"I did receive your order."
Saber held the holy sword high, and the light that symbolized victory was brighter than ever.
When the command of the Command Spell is in perfect harmony with the Servant's will, the Servant will receive unimaginable amplification.
At this moment, Emiya Kiritsugu's will and Knight King Artoria's faith merged into one.
Not only them, but also Irisviel, Hisau Maiya, Justissa and Matou Shinji who also recognized the true nature of the Holy Grail and hoped for its destruction.
This prayer was gathered in the golden holy sword that illuminated the night sky, and it pushed the Knight King to shout out the true name of the Noble Phantasm.
"Ex-calibur (Sword of Promised Victory)!"
The first beam of light was like a wild horse that had broken free from its reins, crossing half of the Liudong Temple and rushing directly into the mud pond that was blocked by black mud.
The cursed and contaminated black mud could not resist the roaring torrent of light. The scorching light destroyed the dam and completely evaporated the entire mud pond.
Then the huge magical power granted by the Command Spell was accelerated by the Dragon Factor and quickly transformed into a second beam of light, which followed a similar trajectory to the first beam and accurately hit the golden cup floating above the altar.
The container that was once a part of Irisviel’s body quietly lost its shape and disappeared in the brighter light.
Irisviel opened her eyes wide and memorized this scene firmly in her heart - this was the turning point of her destiny. She used to live as the container of the Holy Grail and the guardian of the Holy Grail, but from now on she would live as Irisviel, a human being.
The consecutive use of the Noble Phantasm pushed Saber's body to the limit, but the coercive force of the Command Spell and Saber's own will continued to oppress the Servant's body, draining away even the magical power that maintained the entity.
This is the final sword.
The golden sword was swung up, sweeping away the darkness in the sky with its overwhelming firepower.
The "hole" from which black mud kept oozing out, and the entire sky was split in two by the light of the holy sword.
This is the flood of light that dissipates everything.
In the midst of that, the girl holding the sword accepted the fact that the battle was over.
"—That's it. My fight ends here."
This isn't addressed to anyone.
The wielder of the holy sword bent his knees and stared at the light that contained a myriad of thoughts.
The Holy Grail begins to crumble.
What she seeks should be something that can bring her salvation.
And now it is destroyed by my own hands.
Is it ironic
Maybe.
Is it a waste of effort
No, if there hadn't been this encounter across time and space, if there hadn't been this chance encounter, perhaps I would always be obsessed with the desire to deny myself and all my companions - this result is enough.
"—The contract has been completed. It is your victory, Irisviel, Kiritsugu."
The holy sword became thin, the body began to become transparent, and without the support of magic and the contract, Altria could no longer remain in this world.
"Saber—"
Irisviel stretched out her hand, trying to grab the knight who had always protected her, but found that she could not hold anything.
"It's a pleasure to meet you, Irisviel. If possible, I would like to stay with you until your family is reunited. Unfortunately, I can no longer see it."
The transparency did not stop, and the Knight King's body could be blown away by the wind at any time, but her voice remained clear.
"But it doesn't matter. If it's you, it will definitely work. Irisviel, please be happy."
The night wind blew by, taking away the last trace of the girl's smile, leaving only her bond with the world - the scabbard named "Avalon".
Irisviel nodded vigorously. If she had a body, she would have cried. She held Kiritsugu and Maiya's hands and nodded vigorously: "I, we will definitely be happy! Goodbye, Saber."
"Goodbye, Saber."
Shinji was saying the same thing in his mind.
He was not only bidding farewell to the vanished Young Knight King, but also to the beautiful figure that had lingered in his heart for more than ten years.
"Goodbye, Knight King. May you break free from the shackles of restraint, step down from the sword railing, and enter the utopia. May you find happiness as a young girl."
In the silence, a man stumbled into the temple. His red suit was already tattered, his bow tie was half torn off, his handsome face was covered with blood and dust, his eyes were cloudy and crazy, and he kept muttering.
"The Holy Grail, where is the Holy Grail? Where is the Holy Grail? I must get the Holy Grail and reach the source—"
"The Holy Grail has disappeared, Tōsaka Tokiomi. It's all over."
For Sakura's sake, Yustisa kindly stepped forward to remind her, but was pushed away forcefully by Tokiomi.
"No, you are lying to me. The Command Seal is still there. The Holy Grail must still be there. Where is it? Where is it? Ah, the altar. It must be here."
In fact, he had already seen the light that destroyed the "hole", but the Command Spell in his hand still had not disappeared, giving him the last hope. He gambled everything, and he did not want to and could not accept the outcome of failure.
Tokiomi staggered over the temporary embankment, passed through the ground scorched by the holy sword, and climbed up the altar that was split in two by the torrent of light, falling and standing up several times during the process.
In the corner of the altar, he found a broken piece of gold, and he held it in his palm as if it were a treasure.
"Found it, found it, this is the Holy Grail."
No one noticed the shadows hidden on the inner wall of the fragments. They were black mud residues contaminated by the "evil of this world". Perhaps the Holy Grail was bounced aside when it was shattered by the light of the Holy Sword, and escaped with a few drops of black mud.
The black mud followed the fragments and touched Tokiomi's hands, then penetrated into his body along the holes in his hands.
Gradually, Tokiomi felt his eyelids getting heavier. In a trance, he saw a dark space and heard all kinds of whispers. Although they were not clear, they were irresistible temptations.
Tokiomi laughed, laughed loudly, laughed until tears came out, laughed until blood came out.
"So this is the root. I have finally reached the root. I have finally reached the root."
PS: Currently, there are only two Servants who directly challenge the Holy Grail. One is Saber, who has used the Command Seal in every line and every generation. The other is Jeanne d'Arc, but Jeanne d'Arc is a Ruler-level Servant that represents the rules of the Holy Grail War. Her existence is very special. She is not a Servant in the pure sense, but has borrowed the body of a human girl. In addition, Jeanne d'Arc has only destroyed 80% of the Holy Grail, and it is not Mushroom's work. She is temporarily considered a special case - at least in the Type-Moon world, Mushroom is the boss, and others should follow Mushroom when eating books.