The call

Fran vanished in the light of the Ionioi Hetairoi, and the world seemed to fall silent. The Holy Grail, connected to the spiritual veins, lay beneath them, with the only remaining guardian being the Berserker, who was barely able to stand.

"I know what you're planning. Don't worry, with your current mental strength, that thing isn't enough to threaten you. Even if you take that little girl with you, you'll be perfectly fine."

The system's voice suddenly rang in his mind, causing Bai Mo to pause for a moment, as if he were thinking about something, his eyes growing increasingly deep.

He approached Illya, Illya now knew everything: her mother was gone and now she was someone who had to be eliminated. For a child, accepting this was incredibly difficult.

"There's still hope." Bai Mo's voice was like a rope, leading through the abyss of the precipice to the only possible way out.

"Brother Bai Mo, what did you say?" Illya could hardly believe her ears. When everyone had given up hope, she heard words that she herself could hardly believe.

"Irisviel can still be saved. Her soul should be in the Holy Grail down there, but I can't find her. Illya, do you want to try?"

Hope can be so beautiful, yet so deadly. Kiritsugu Emiya immediately retorted, "Don't be ridiculous. Letting Illya come into contact with that kind of thing is utterly delusional."

"If I wasn't sure, I wouldn't have said it." Bai Mo's voice remained calm. He reached out his hand to Illya, just like that first snowy night when he suddenly entered her destiny and reached out his hand to her.

"And, I wasn't asking for your opinion. I was just asking Illya whether she should go save her mother." Bai Mo cut off the communication with Kiritsugu. At this moment, Illya's small, delicate hand was already in his palm.

An immense power surged into her body, and even a drop of sweat appeared on Bai Mo's head. Having expended a great deal of power and exerted himself to the Complete Realm, Bai Mo injected this power into Illya's body as a protective force.

But was it necessary to do this? Was Bai Mo extremely worried about Illya's safety... or did she have other ideas?

The next moment, Bai Mo moved like lightning, instantly bringing Illya to the pit. His blade energy sliced through the rocks as easily as cutting tofu, revealing a pool of blood reeking of a foul stench, where the repulsive Holy Grail lay.

"Illya, hold on tight. Remember, no matter what happens, I'll be by your side." Bai Mo's words brought Illya a sense of security. The next moment, she grabbed Bai Mo's arm, and Bai Mo placed his hand on the Holy Grail.

Everything around them plunged into darkness again. In this pitch-black place, Illya heard a hoarse voice behind her.

"Illya..."

Looking back, she saw the same grotesque mass of flesh that Bai Mo had encountered earlier. Seeing her mother's face contorted into such a disgusting shape, Illya almost vomited. When the mass of flesh saw Illya, it opened its mouth wide and stretched out more than a dozen limbs, crawling towards Illya.

Its body was twisted but its speed was extremely fast. It tried to grab Illya, Illya screamed in fear. But in the next instant, those arms shattered as if they were filled with explosives, and were casually destroyed by the person behind Illya.

"Illya, focus on feeling it; Irisviel is inside that thing."

Bai Mo stood behind Illya, Illya leaned against Bai Mo freely. In this dark place, he was the only one who could bring her safety.

Hearing this, Illya felt as if she were about to cry. Her mother... inside that thing?

"Maybe we should go back..." This thought flashed through Illya's mind in an instant. For a child, the negative impact of this pile of twisted things was immeasurable.

"Illya, if you leave now, no one can save her. Don't worry, I'm here." Bai Mo's words were like a shot of adrenaline for Illya. She gripped Bai Mo's hand tightly with her left hand, and reached for the disgusting pile of rotting flesh with her right, trying to banish those inappropriate thoughts from her mind.

How terrifying, how outrageous, I want to run away... but I can't do that, I'm the only one who can save my mother.

"Mom, where are you?" The voice echoed in the empty world. Irisviel opened her eyes, as if... she had just had a terrible nightmare. But if it was a nightmare, why hadn't she woken up yet? Why couldn't she see her husband and daughter?

Oh, is that so? I'm already dead, after I was kidnapped. But why am I hearing Illya's voice?

A tiny ray of light appeared in her world. She was stuck in the mud, but she still desperately wanted to touch it. Whether it was real or not no longer mattered; it was the only thing she could do and wanted to do.

His body sank deeper and deeper into the mud, his legs sinking in, his body sinking in, until finally his head was submerged, with only one hand reaching out to grasp the faint light.

Illya felt as if she had grasped something warm. Bai Mo acted decisively, grabbing Illya's hand and pulling Irisviel out of the mass of flesh. Irisviel opened her eyes, and there she was, the Illya she thought she would never see again.

Bai Mo succeeded, but he felt no emotional fluctuation, as if it were all perfectly natural.

How could a mother ignore her child's cries?

But that's not right, because Bai Mo never felt even a little bit of love from her parents. If she had any memories, they were only those unpleasant words.

"I've spent so much money raising you, I remember it all, and you'll have to pay me back when you grow up!"

Everyone says raising children is for old age security, but I've spent so much money on you, at least half a million, and I remember it all!

Why would someone like that believe such a thing? But Bai Mo believed it wholeheartedly, and perhaps only he himself knew the reason.

The words from the past surfaced in her mind, only to vanish in an instant. Bai Mo shook her head, trying to dispel the troubling memories. At this moment, Irisviel's condition was definitely not good; her body was battered and bruised, as if she had just been pulled out of sulfuric acid.

"Mom, how could this happen?" Illya looked at Irisviel, who was about to die, her heart breaking.

"It's alright, Illya. I'm already so happy to be able to see you one last time." She looked at Bai Mo behind Illya with gratitude, a gentle smile on her face, which, combined with her broken features, created a kind of desolate beauty.

"Thank you, Mr. Bai Mo. Illya is so glad to have met you. My body was created from the beginning to become the Holy Grail, so don't worry about it, Illya. You must listen to your father and live a good life with him."

Illya's tears flowed uncontrollably, mingled with streaks of blood. This was the end result she had received, causing her heart to ache as if it were being torn apart. Irisviel pressed her forehead against Ilya's, as if bidding her a final farewell.

Goodbye, Illya...

He wanted to say something more, but Bai Mo's voice interrupted him. In this situation, it would be too tactless to interrupt these words of farewell. But if this person had the power to change the ending, everything would be different.

"Illya, hold on tight!" Bai Mo roared. Outside, bolts of electricity surged from the pit, each containing terrifying power. The sky and earth changed color, and even the Black Mud was torn apart and decomposed by this power.

A piece of the Holy Grail was cut off and held in Bai Mo's hand.

Bai Mo stretched out his right hand, his right arm muscles almost contorted under the terrifying power. In his hand, tender red shoots sprouted new buds, and his marrow burst forth like seeds under this power. Everyone outside could feel the pulsation of life.