Black Mud

This amount of bleeding...

Seeing this, a heavy-hearted Saber walked up to Medea and said to her:

Please accept my condolences, Caster.

"It's Saber..."

Upon hearing Saber's words, Medea's blank expression relaxed slightly, and she turned her stiff neck to look at the knight beside her who had just returned from the flames of war.

Looking at Medea's vacant eyes, Saber opened her mouth, but all the comforting words she had just thought of stuck in her throat.

"Did we win?"

Seeing that Saber's armor, already tattered from the battle, still seemed to retain the scent of gunpowder, Medea, whose attention had been entirely focused on Wang Xiaoming, subconsciously asked...

"Yes, Archer has retreated for some reason."

"I see..."

Upon hearing Saber's response, Medea nodded, then her pale fingers touched the cheek of the man in her arms:

"Then the rest is up to you, Saber..."

"Caster?"

Saber seemed somewhat puzzled.

"My Master is dead..."

The sound was almost inaudible, but it was still caught by Saber's keen hearing.

Servant exists by being replenished by the Master's magical energy.

But that doesn't just refer to "magic".

Servant is allowed to exist in this era only by maintaining relationships with the people of this era.

This means that if Master loses their vessel, which is essentially their passport in the mortal world, they will be forcibly sent back to the Throne of Heroes.

Medea didn't want to think about anything anymore.

Due to the previous battle, only a small amount of magic power remained in my body. Judging from the current rate of depletion, it won't be long before I disappear from this world.

"Of course, Saber, if you'd like, you can also send me off early."

"Caster!"

Saber's tone was very serious.

"Sorry, sorry, just consider what I said earlier as the defeated team's dying joke."

Although she apologized, her expression remained stiff. Looking at Medea like this, Saber suddenly felt very curious and couldn't help but ask.

"Caster, what is your wish?"

My wish...

Medea subconsciously repeated the question, then lowered her head to look at the man in her arms and chuckled:

"It's already done!"

Medea's somber expression paired with her beautiful smile made her appear exceptionally poignant, while her overly vague answer puzzled the knight beside her.

Following Medea's gaze to Wang Xiaoming in her arms, Saber couldn't help but think:

Is it because of this man?

A curious gaze swept over Wang Xiaoming, but when Saber saw the horrific wound on his abdomen, her pupils constricted sharply.

"Caster..."

The tone of surprise caused a slight ripple in Medea's otherwise calm heart:

"What's wrong?"

His wound is stopping bleeding.

Saber's completely illogical words angered Medea, but she still subconsciously glanced at the horrific wound on Wang Xiaoming's abdomen.

Really--

As Saber stated, although Wang Xiaoming's abdominal wound had not healed, the amount of bleeding in his abdomen had indeed decreased, and the wound was covered with a layer of purple fluorescence.

"This is..."

Medea was taken aback at first upon seeing this, then gently pulled back the clothes covering his chest and discovered:

Where Wang Xiaoming's chest had been empty, a purple emblem was now shimmering faintly. The moment Medea saw this purple emblem, she felt all the strength drain from her body. Tears streamed down her face uncontrollably, yet a faint smile of relief crept onto her lips.

"What an idiot!"

Medea eyes brimming with tears and a smile, suddenly muttered a curse under her breath, unsure whether it was because of the man who had captured her heart, or because of her own clumsiness.

I completely forgot about this because he got injured!

The purple emblem on Wang Xiaoming's chest is a crystallized magical energy that Medea had stored in him. It is also Medea's last trump card left for Wang Xiaoming to save his life.

Originally, Medea envisioned that this magic crystal would automatically release the magic stored within it in times of crisis to enhance Wang Xiaoming's rudimentary Magecraft, and that most of the Magecraft she taught Wang Xiaoming was for self-preservation.

Even if he were to leave the stage, the magic stored in the magic crystal would be enough to ensure Wang Xiaoming's safety for the rest of his life.

However, Medea did not intend to tell him this, since such trump cards are only revealed at crucial moments to be most effective.

Even Medea never expected that the magic within the magic crystal would be released at this moment, saving Wang Xiaoming's life.

In any case, as long as he survives, that's all that matters!

The sudden "surprise" caused Medea's brain to short-circuit. It was only after Saber kindly reminded her that "it's best to get treatment as soon as possible" that she came back to her senses.

Giving Saber a grateful look, Medea, using the little magic she had just recovered, disappeared from the battlefield with herself, Wang Xiaoming, and Saber.

With that, tonight's battle has come to a complete end.

Ryuudou Temple

With the help of the Holy Church, the long-abandoned temple welcomed its first guest.

With heavy, orderly steps, Kirei Kotomine entered Ryuudou Temple. If one ignored the "object" he was carrying on his shoulder.

Thump--

With a casual toss, Kirei Kotomine threw the "object" on his shoulder to the ground, still preparing his unfinished "work" of giving a gift.

He turned around, but suddenly paused, then revealed the Command Spell on the back of his left hand and said:

"In the name of the Command Spell, Archer, return to my side."

Chapter 118. Black Mud

"In the name of the Command Spell, Archer, return to my side."

The Command Spell on the back of his hand glowed faintly red, then a golden light flashed, and a golden Servant appeared before Kirei Kotomine.

Unlike before, Gilgamesh looked extremely disheveled at this moment, with blood seeping from the wound on his chest... no, it should be said that the amount of blood flowing out was like a waterfall, quickly staining the steps of Ryuudou Temple red.

"In the name of the second Command Spell, Archer, let your wounds heal."

Without the slightest regret, Kirei Kotomine casually used up what was considered an extremely precious "resource" by the other participating Magecraft.

"With the third..."

"Enough, Kirei."

Before Kirei Kotomine could finish delivering the third Command Spell Seal, Gilgamesh interrupted Gilgamesh, simultaneously taking out "Kayneth's severed arm" from the treasury and tossing it to Kirei Kotomine.

"These are your father's belongings; consider this a reward for you."

What exactly happened?

Kirei Kotomine glanced at the arm he received before casually putting it away, his gaze returning to Gilgamesh was still in poor condition. More than the arm covered in Command Spell, Kirei Kotomine was more concerned about who could have rendered this once-arrogant "King of Heroes" so wretched.

"He was just tricked by a rabid dog."

When this matter was brought up, Gilgamesh's expression was no longer one of anger; having recovered most of his strength, he wore a wry smile.

"Although it's a rabid dog, it's also quite an interesting opponent."

After his long-dormant curiosity was satisfied, Kirei Kotomine nodded silently. Only then did Gilgamesh notice the scene around him.

"Hey, Kirei, who are these two?"

A flicker of curiosity crossed Gilgamesh's eyes as he looked at the two people lying side by side on the ground.

"One is the homunculus of the Einzbern Family, which is also the 'Holy Grail Vessel' in this Holy Grail War."

After listening to Kirei Kotomine's emotionless introduction, a hint of disgust flashed deep in the golden Servant's eyes. However, out of a king's principles, he still commented on Kirei Kotomine's actions:

"Well done, Kirei. It seems you've been working hard behind my the King as well."

"..."

Kirei Kotomine, having received his evaluation, maintained a very serious expression. Knowing his nature well, the King of Heroes merely smiled slightly before turning his gaze to another person, "And this one?"

The golden-haired Heroic Spirit initially only glanced at the short, reddish-brown-haired man lying beside Irisviel, but Kirei Kotomine's next words piqued his interest:

"Ryunosuke Uryu, a serial killer who roams the country committing crimes, enjoys experiencing death by killing others. He accidentally drew a summoning ritual circle, which was then bumped into by Caster's current Master. He was subsequently knocked down by Caster, who responded to the summon, and then arrested by the police."

With the support of the Holy Church, Kirei Kotomine easily found all the information about Ryunosuke Uryu. During his eloquent narration, Kirei Kotomine failed to notice Gilgamesh's slightly eerie smile.

"Before his arrest, he had already murdered 42 people..."

That's enough.

Clearly, Gilgamesh's patience wasn't insufficient to allow him to finish listening to Kirei Kotomine's narration. Looking at Kirei, who remained expressionless even after being interrupted, Gilgamesh revealed a wicked smile:

"Kirei, you really know your stuff!"

The golden-haired Heroic Spirit was clearly not the type to care about others' feelings; he leaned back against the wall and continued speaking to himself:

"Killing for your own pleasure, Kirei, have you now reduced yourself to proving your ideas through such bastards?"

"..."

Kirei Kotomine instinctively wanted to refute, but after opening his mouth, he found himself unable to explain why he had inexplicably brought Ryunosuke Uryu along. He covered his chest with his right hand, and even through the chest, Kirei Kotomine could still feel the soundless beating of his heart, just like his current thoughts, which were irrefutable.

"Perhaps..."

With a soft sigh, Kirei Kotomine turned and walked out of Ryuudou Temple. There were two unconscious children in the car parked outside the temple that he needed to bring back.

But as soon as they turned around, something unexpected happened to both the human and the Heroic Spirit present.

Heat rose from behind him, and Kirei Kotomine instinctively turned around to find that Irisviel, who had been lying on the ground, had suddenly burst into flames.

Irisviel's body was instantly burned to ashes, revealing the golden cup within.

That's not all. The terrifying heat from the scorching flames brought a meaty aroma to the unconscious Ryunosuke beside him. By the time the quick-thinking Kirei Kotomine pulled him out, Ryunosuke Uryu's body was already charred.

The golden cup in the flames floated in the air as if held up by an unseen hand. The Holy Grail Descent Ceremony, which the "Founding Three Founding Families" had dreamed of, quietly began without even a priest.

"Heh--looks like this thing is quite self-aware."

Undeterred by the scorching heat, the golden Servant slowly walked to the Holy Grail, which had revealed its true form, and reached out to take his "trophy."

But in a place he can't see

--The tightly closed [door] suddenly developed a crack as fine as a hair. Through the tiny gap, something from the other side of the door quietly seeped into the Holy Grail.

The thing looked very similar to [soil]. It was black, just black, like a soil-like "thing".

The substance that had seeped into the Holy Grail suddenly gushed out, drop by drop, like a crack in a dam that could no longer withstand the pressure, gradually widening until—

"This... this is...!?"

As the "Black Mud" almost gushed out of the Holy Grail, Gilgamesh, who was closest to the Holy Grail, was caught off guard and splattered all over with Black Mud. His golden figure vanished the instant it touched the Black Mud.

Upon witnessing this scene up close, Kirei Kotomine instinctively moved away from the ominous-looking entity, but before he could take more than a few steps, he was swept away by the surging black waves behind him.

After "consuming" the Heroic Spirit, the "Black Mud" gradually calmed down as if manipulated, but this did not mean that the "destruction" had stopped.

Like melting snow, it gradually seeped into the hard stone bricks at the entrance of Ryuudou Temple, creating a bizarre and terrifying appearance.