The Truth of the Holy Grail War

The sky gradually darkened, and the room was filled with a tranquil atmosphere.

Under the soft glow of the lights, Illya lay quietly on the bed, her expression looking very weary.

Illya gently curled up her petite frame, like a tired kitten, pressing tightly against the mattress.

Her silver hair, which reached her waist, spread across the pillow, and the faint sound of her breathing drifted from the tip of her nose, caressing the peace within the room.

Illya's eyes were slightly closed, her long eyelashes fluttering gently like butterfly wings.

The air seemed to grow heavy in sync with her condition; the burden, pressure, and exhaustion she bore surfaced on her face at this moment.

A look of worry etched itself between Illya's brows, as if she were contemplating how to face tomorrow.

Although she was exhausted, fortunately, Illya remained conscious.

It was clear that the room's layout was within the home of Kaoru Sakura.

However, this was likely not Kaoru Sakura's bedroom.

The layout of the bedroom where Illya stayed was quite simple, but the room was extremely tidy, and everything was arranged with impeccable order.

Dragging her weary body, Illya slowly sat up from the bed and leaned against the headboard.

Just as Illya had guessed, she was currently inside the Fish Fresh House.

Seemingly hearing the movement of Illya waking up, Sasuke slowly pushed open the door and asked expressionlessly:

"When will Kaoru wake up?"

Illya glanced at the clock hanging in the room and replied in a somewhat weak voice:

"She should wake up in an hour."

"Rest assured, Kaoru will be fine."

"I would never harm her..."

Sasuke's deep black eyes seemed devoid of any emotion as he looked at Illya sitting on the bed with a detached expression:

"Indeed."

"Otherwise, I wouldn't have let you live until now."

"Next question."

"That guy in the forest today said you are the vessel for the Holy Grail. What is that?"

The guy Sasuke referred to was naturally Gilgamesh.

Regarding this, Illya fell silent for a moment; it wasn't that she was unwilling to speak, but rather that she was thinking about how to describe it to Sasuke.

Fortunately, this was not a difficult task.

Illya lowered her head, her slightly pale hands clutching the quilt covering her:

"Originally, I would have told the full truth to the last remaining Master in the Holy Grail War."

"But now, it seems there is no longer any need."

"The so-called Holy Grail War is the summoning of seven Heroic Spirits to engage in slaughter for the ownership of the Holy Grail."

"But that is only the superficial rule."

"In truth, Masters are merely tools to summon Servants into this world; what is needed to complete the Holy Grail are the Heroic Spirits themselves."

"Their souls are collected by the Holy Grail prepared by the Einzbern family, transformed into the furnace core used to activate the Greater Grail."

"The Greater Grail is a magic circle constructed on the territory managed by the Tohsaka family, and it governs the system of the Holy Grail War."

"The origin of the matter dates back three hundred years."

"The Einzbern, Makiri, and Tohsaka families."

"These three great families wanted to use the power of the Holy Grail to reach beyond the world; that is the true purpose."

"And the mystery lost by the Einzbern family is the grand ritual capable of achieving true immortality."

"Heaven's Feel."

"The magic that can materialize the soul."

"As for the Holy Grail vessel, that is me."

"More accurately, it is my heart."

"A magus refers to someone who possesses Magic Circuits, but I could be said to be a person created using Magic Circuits."

"A living sacrifice for the Holy Grail..."

Hearing this, Sasuke's expression did not change in the slightest as he looked at Illya and continued to ask:

"Then why did the Holy Grail become a tool for murder?"

Upon hearing this, Illya's expression turned grave, for she knew this matter very well.

Illya took a deep breath, easing her exhaustion slightly, and continued to speak to Sasuke:

"Avenger."

"The eighth class of the Holy Grail War."

"The very entity that Golden Sparkle claimed was washed away by the torrent."

"Angra Mainyu."

"This is a story that took place in a village that practiced Zoroastrianism."

"The villagers pondered: could they liberate all of humanity from evil thoughts, allowing them to live kindly and righteously?"

"Thus, they chose a young man, intending for him to bear all the sins of this world."

"And to prove that, apart from him, all of humanity was good."

"And so, a hero was born."

"A nameless person, hated by the masses as the embodiment of evil, yet simultaneously worshipped as a god."

"This is the anti-hero, Angra Mainyu."

"During the Third Holy Grail War, the Einzbern family summoned Angra Mainyu as a Servant."

"However, that Heroic Spirit was incredibly weak."

"Angra Mainyu failed shortly after the start and was absorbed by the Holy Grail."

Speaking to this point, Illya's tone grew heavy:

"At that very moment, the Holy Grail granted a wish."

"Angra Mainyu was born from the prayers of the masses, who wished for him to be 'the embodiment of pure evil'."

"And this prayer was finally realized within the Holy Grail, manifesting his wish."

"All the World's Evils."

"An individual capable of cursing all of humanity in this world."

"It is also the true face of what lies within the Holy Grail."

"Last time, the Holy Grail was destroyed."

"Because of that, Angra Mainyu could not be born into the world and remained inside the Greater Grail."

"Someone bore a portion of it, such as that golden guy."

For Sasuke, this was not difficult to understand, and he remarked:

"In other words, the current Holy Grail will only bring destruction?"

Illya couldn't say for sure, as Angra Mainyu had never successfully descended, but it was undoubtedly a catastrophe.

"Furthermore, based on your words, is it possible that the golden guy still hasn't vanished?"

Although Sasuke had defeated Gilgamesh and even erased his physical body from this world.

Gilgamesh, who had obtained a physical body to descend into the human world, was ultimately a product of the Fuyuki Greater Grail.

Having seen many bizarre techniques in the Ninja World, Sasuke naturally harbored doubts about this.

Yet, Illya did not know how to explain this question to Sasuke.

But it was not impossible.

Seeing that Illya was also unsure, Sasuke couldn't be bothered to delve deeper into it.

After all, in Sasuke's heart, no matter how many times Gilgamesh appeared, he could never be his match.

Looking at Illya's weary appearance, Sasuke asked again:

"So, what is your current situation?"

Hearing this, Illya naturally understood what Sasuke was referring to and replied:

"The souls of defeated Servants are absorbed by me, and I gradually lose the functions of my body."

"If any more Servants are defeated, I might fall into a permanent slumber until this Holy Grail War ends."

Having said this, Illya looked up at Sasuke:

"If possible, before I lose consciousness, I would like to spend some more time with Kaoru Sakura..."

Hearing this, Sasuke looked at Illya with a calm expression:

"It doesn't matter."

"Kaoru Sakura is in her room; you can go find her."

Upon hearing this, Illya didn't know what to say, and the room fell into silence once more.

Illya tried her best to get out of bed, her gait already staggering.

Fortunately, Illya eventually reached the room of Kaoru Sakura.

At this moment, alone in the room, Sasuke's phone chimed with a text message notification.

The sender was...

Shirou Emiya.