How could this happen? How could this happen? Why did it turn out this way?

The instant he saw the Black Sludge rise again, the instant he watched that figure clad in pure white be swallowed by the darkness, Lin Luo felt an icy chill spread through his limbs, utterly unable to comprehend.

The core of the Black Holy Grail had been pulverized, it had been annihilated—why could it resurface? This was fundamentally impossible! His perception couldn't be wrong; the core of the Black Holy Grail was singular, the sole vessel capable of absorbing the souls of the ervn. Once it was destroyed, then… wait.

Did he miss something just now?

What was it? Grail… core… soul…

Finally, Lin Luo understood. He finally grasped what was going on… it was because of Lancelot.

The core he had shattered was indeed the unique core of the Black Holy Grail, but that core only contained the souls of four ervn. At that time, Lancelot was not yet dead, so it was incomplete—or perhaps, it was merely in its nascent form.

But after Lancelot died, even though the core was destroyed, the Black Sludge did not vanish. Her soul provided new strength to the Black Holy Grail. The damaged core regenerated, and now it was a far more powerful Black Holy Grail.

"Stop, Saber! Don't go near it!" Realizing this, seeing the King of Knights charging toward the Black Sludge, Lin Luo instantly cried out to stop her, but his voice was useless.

At that moment, the King of Knights, already teetering on the brink due to overwhelming grief and rage, saw Lily devoured. This was the final straw that broke the camel's back. She seemed to enter a state of madness, heedless of any command. In her eyes, there was only the surging tide of blackness, and she only wanted to use the Holy Sword in her hand to rescue that pure white knight.

"Excalibur…"

A torrent of light, a roaring brilliance, converged upon the golden Holy Sword. Then, amidst Saber’s enraged roar, it poured forth like the waters of the Silver River, instantly dissolving all the Black Sludge before her… but—

When the light of the Holy Sword receded, endless Black Sludge surged back up—from the left, the right, and the front, enveloping the girl simultaneously from three directions. Facing such a seemingly fatal situation, she showed no thought of retreating, raising her Holy Sword once more…

"Fall back!"

Just then, a cold voice rang out. Prompted by that sound, the girl did not swing her sword again but instead retreated with lightning speed, dodging the engulfing sludge.

"Kiritsugu Emiya, you…" However, the rescued girl displayed no relief; instead, she glared with intense fury at the man not far away. Only a Command Spell could compel her, in that situation, to make a choice that defied her own will.

"Consider what needs to be done now." Kiritsugu Emiya glanced at her expressionlessly, swiftly retreating with Irisviel while struggling to evade the Black Sludge attacks.

"What needs to be done? You still have more to say, but before you finish, her hand was seized. Reflexively, she turned to look.

"Though I don't particularly care for Kiritsugu Emiya as a person, I agree with what he says now. This is not the time for recklessness; we still have a chance." Utilizing instantaneous movement, Lin Luo grabbed the hand holding the Holy Sword and said gravely, "Now is not the time for rash action; we still have a chance."

"What chance?" Saber's expression shifted slightly.

"We'll discuss that later. Let's retreat first." Grasping her hand, he used instantaneous movement to rapidly pull back to a range the Black Sludge couldn't immediately reach. Then, casting a glance at the already precarious situation of Kiritsugu Emiya’s group, he looked up toward the person in the sky and commanded, "Mugino, go protect Kiritsugu Emiya and Irisviel."

"Huh? Protect them?" Mugino paused in confusion.

Lin Luo nodded. "Yes. If they are swallowed by the Black Sludge, we are truly finished." The Black Holy Grail is currently only absorbing the souls of Servants. Without Irisviel as the vessel, it remains incomplete, and there is still a way to deal with it. But if it manages to acquire the vessel as well, then we will truly have no hope left.

"Alright, I understand." Hearing Lin Luo say this, Mugino hesitated no longer, spreading her wings and swiftly flying toward Kiritsugu and the others. With the combination of black feather arrows and white electrical energy attacks, the pressure on Kiritsugu Emiya immediately lessened significantly.

"Irisviel…" Saber’s expression was tinged with anxiety.

"She's alright for now, but how long she can last is hard to say. She's probably clinging to life already, given that five Servants have already been absorbed," Lin Luo sighed, shaking his head.

"Is there anything we can do?" Saber pressed.

"Completely destroy the Evil of This World, destroy the Black Holy Grail. That way, both we and Irisviel will have a chance to live," Lin Luo stated grimly.

Next, Lin Luo ordered Shiray to take Saten and the unconscious Rin far away from the battlefield. He himself merged with Lei once more, grasping the Blade of Verdant Wind, and addressed Mikoto and Saber beside him. "Mugino is protecting those two, so the only ones who can launch a tangible attack against the Evil of This World are the three of us. We must annihilate all the Black Sludge in one go!"

By this time, little Saber had returned to her Command Spell state, and the black cat had returned to Rin's gem.

"Her?" Saber suddenly asked softly.

Lin Luo knew who she meant and sighed. "She is temporarily gone."

"What do you mean, temporarily?"

"Literally what I said. Swallowed by the Black Sludge, she is dead."

"Wh—" The girl couldn't speak.

"But don't worry. The Servants we summon are different from those summoned by the Holy Grail. Her death is only temporary. Once her power is fully restored, she can live again." If she had been truly consumed by the Black Sludge, she wouldn't have returned—either her soul would have been absorbed or corrupted. But Lily used all her magic power to resist the erosion of the Evil of This World. When her power was exhausted, just like in the Toaru Majutsu no Index world, she transformed back into a Command Spell and returned to the back of Rin's hand.

"Is that so?" Although Saber didn't fully grasp what he meant, Lin Luo's tone suggested he wasn't lying, so she nodded and said gravely, "Then what do we do now? Facing the Evil of This World, do you have a strategy?"

"Strategy is pointless now. We just have to beat it until not a single drop remains," Lin Luo said calmly, then handed the scabbard he had taken from little Saber to Saber. "Use this. If you have this protection, it should stop the Sludge's corrosion."

"This... alright." Saber paused, but at a time like this, she wouldn't refuse something that was rightfully hers anyway.

"Then let's give it our all, make this thing evaporate from this world completely... Ring of the East Wind!" Lin Luo raised the Blade of Verdant Wind and launched the first attack against the Black Sludge.

The other two hesitated not at all. Since there was no water here, Mikoto couldn't create water wings to ascend, but summoning lightning was even more effective. A furious bombardment immediately struck the Black Sludge.

With the protection of the scabbard, the Evil of This World's corrosion on Saber was minimized. At this moment, she was at her fiercest, destroying the Black Sludge like cutting through rotten wood.

Lin Luo knew they had to eliminate all the Black Sludge now. After all, there were still two Servants left. If they only destroyed the core like before, it wouldn't be enough. As long as a trace of Black Sludge remained, the moment either Saber or Gilgamesh vanished in this world, they would grant the Evil of This World the power to regenerate. Therefore… they had to batter it so severely it wouldn't even have a chance to be reborn. Of course, before that, they still needed to destroy the core.

So, Lin Luo arranged for Mikoto to clear a path externally while he and Saber advanced aggressively, heading straight for the core. After all, Mikoto's body was relatively fragile, and this direct confrontation was too dangerous for her; serving as a long-range artillery platform was much more suitable.

Not long after they charged into the pool of Black Sludge, Lin Luo suddenly felt a heat rising in his chest. Before he could react, a buzzing sound echoed in his ears.

What is happening?

Lin Luo's expression changed. Just as the question formed, he felt a sharp sting on the back of his hand, followed by the appearance of a red mark… Nero’s Command Spell had returned.

But this time was different from the first time, and different from when little Saber returned. That sound of unwilling whimpering… she had been cut down and returned.

The red Command Spell on the back of his hand flashed a faint crimson light, then fell silent, as if proclaiming, "I lost."

Lin Luo understood. Nero had ultimately succumbed to the King of Heroes and been defeated.

"What does it matter? Victory and defeat are common in warfare. Your opponent was the strongest Heroic Spirit, Gilgamesh. There's no shame in losing. As long as…" Lin Luo smiled, as if offering comfort, and launched a storm-formed spiral from the Blade of Verdant Wind, "as long as you win the next time!"

Unlike the Command Spells tied to the Holy Grail, the Servants summoned by his Command Spells or Rin’s Command Spells, although they could die, would not vanish. Lily was annihilated by the Black Sludge, and Nero was slain by Gilgamesh. Though they were dead now, it was merely a return to the Command Spell form—in essence, their HP had dropped to zero. Once their HP was restored, they could be summoned again… in a way, they were the truly immortal ones.

Even so, the fact that both of them had ‘died’ in this manner made Lin Luo feel incredibly oppressed.

"Damn it, take another hit... Ring of the East Wind!"

A violent white whirlwind tore through the Black Sludge. Beside him, brilliant holy light annihilated all nearby sludge. The two advanced relentlessly.

"You brats, what trick are you playing now? Are you preparing a welcome for your King?" Just then, an intensely arrogant voice sounded near their ears.

Both instinctively looked back. The golden-haired, red-eyed girl gripping the Ea—who else but the King of Heroes?

"Get back!" Saber’s expression shifted instantly upon seeing her, then she shouted in alarm because she saw countless tendrils of Black Sludge surging toward the golden Heroic Spirit.

"Damn filth!" The golden-haired, red-eyed girl clearly saw it too. She gritted her teeth, and immense magical power erupted as the Ea rotated like a screw. "Enuma Elish!"

In an instant, all the Black Sludge before the girl was obliterated. Not only that, but under that invincible, immense power, nearly a third of the entire pool of Black Sludge vanished.

"Hmph, mongrels. Did you see that? That is the power of this King. To think someone who shares a table with me is forced into such a desperate situation by mere filth. Truly pathetic," the girl stood proudly, resting the Ea on her shoulder, feeling utterly self-satisfied.

But—

The moment she finished speaking, the churning Black Sludge surged up from the ground once more… Boom!

In an instant, countless strands of Black Sludge enveloped the strongest Heroic Spirit with golden hair and red eyes, giving her no time to react at all.

"Damn it!" Saber’s face changed drastically. The absorption of even Gilgamesh was undoubtedly the worst possible development.

If, as Lin Luo had said, the Evil of This World had grown this powerful by only consuming Lancelot, then after devouring this strongest golden Heroic Spirit, did they still have a chance to win?

The last sliver of hope in her heart was destroyed, but then—

"Nonsense! I am… the KING OF HEROES!"

At that moment, an incomparably domineering, incomparably furious voice, utterly disregarding everything, exploded from within the Black Sludge. Then, as if a volcano were erupting, all the sludge enveloping the King of Heroes was violently flung away. Standing where she had been was the girl whose golden armor shone even more brilliantly.

"This… how is this possible?" Saber could hardly believe it. Even without experiencing the curse of the Black Sludge firsthand, she knew that absolutely no Heroic Spirit could withstand that curse. Yet, this girl before her…

"What are you thinking? Do you think I can be tainted?" As if perfectly aware of the Knight King's thoughts, the golden-haired, red-eyed girl sneered. "Don't be absurd. If you can't endure a little curse, how can you call yourself a Hero? All the sins of this world? Hah! If you wish to corrupt me, bring three times that amount! Heroes are meant to bear everything and look upon everything within their sight until infinity. I have already shouldered everything in this world long ago!"

Shocked, she finally understood. Although the path this person walked was completely different from her own concept of kingship, she was indeed a King—unique, supreme. Aside from her, no one else could withstand the curse of the Evil of This World.

"However, I am still slightly displeased, bearing this curse all by myself…" The girl suddenly showed a playful smile, then raised Ea forward. "Come, let you two taste the flavor of that filth as well."

"Bad!" Lin Luo and Saber's expressions changed simultaneously, but it was too late. The King of Heroes’ Ea strike was unleashed, and under her control, it did not annihilate the Black Sludge but instead gathered all of it together, surging toward the two from all directions.

"You who share a drink with me, bear this curse, and then swing the sword in your hands, and let us sing of the world's dominance together! Hahahaha!" The girl threw her head back and laughed wildly.

"Lin Luo!" Since Mikoto was only clearing the path outside for the two of them, the Black Sludge did not surge toward her. Seeing the situation, her expression changed drastically, but with her abilities, there was no way she could stop it; she could only watch helplessly as the two were swallowed by the Black Sludge…

Boom!

This time it was real. The two were consumed by the Black Sludge.