Fate in Bleach: Unlimited Blade Works!-Chapter 466: Fate/Zero - Finale

However, before Ailin could launch a second attack against Artoria, a white light flashed, and the wounds on her body healed completely.

This was the passive ability of Avalon.

Although Avalon's true name release had drawn both Ailin and Artoria into the Everdistant Utopia, causing Artoria to lose her strongest defense, she, as Avalon's master, still benefited from its passive abilities. This included, but was not limited to, the power to "maintain oneself constantly at peak condition."

"The tables have turned, Saber!"

Though Ailin's previous strike hadn't killed Artoria, the moment she lost the boost from the Command Spells signified that she had lost her final hope of victory.

"Ah, I must admit, you are much stronger than I imagined, Berserker!"

Artoria was naturally aware of her disadvantageous situation. But she accepted this defeat wholeheartedly.

Throughout their battle, Berserker hadn't used other powerful Noble Phantasms, relying solely on his own formidable strength. That attack method, similar to Excalibur, wasn't a Noble Phantasm ability but rather an application of Berserker's own immense magical energy, condensed to an extreme degree and then unleashed. Artoria could discern that much.

"However, Berserker, there has only ever been a King of Knights who died in battle, never one who surrendered. If you wish to claim final victory, you must step over my corpse!"

With those words, Artoria gripped the Sword of Promised Victory tightly with both hands, channeling vast magical power into it.

"Ex—calibur!"

A golden radiance burst forth. Even without the Command Spell amplification, Artoria's attack was as dazzling as ever.

"Then, as a sign of respect, allow me to end this with my next move!"

Raising the Zanpakutō in his hand high, Ailin called out its true name.

"Burn—Ailin!"

"One-Sword Asura!"

BOOM!

At Ailin's call, the Shikai ability of the Zanpakutō "Ailin," "One-Sword Asura," activated. Instantly, Ailin's spiritual pressure erupted like a tangible pillar of light, flooding the Utopia with his immense power.

He extended his left hand, and Artoria's Excalibur was directly blocked by his palm. Then, Ailin flexed his fingers. Blackish-red spiritual pressure spread from his digits, crawling onto Excalibur, staining the golden torrent of light with dark, creeping patterns.

Ping!

Crack, crack—

Ping!

With a clench of his fist, the Excalibur blast unleashed by Artoria was crushed by Ailin.

Before Artoria's horrified eyes, Ailin slashed down—

BOOM!

…

"The time has come!"

Feeling the Command Spells on the back of his hand begin to dim, Kiritsugu Emiya shuddered. Even amplified by over twenty Command Spells, Saber had still been defeated.

At this moment, Kiritsugu couldn't help but feel relieved that he hadn't bet everything on Artoria. Otherwise, he would likely have been killed by the enemy Servant, just like her.

After Saber's death, her soul was absorbed by Irisviel. Now containing the souls of six Servants, Irisviel had completely transitioned from a "homunculus" into the Holy Grail.

Boom!

Under the immense magical power, Irisviel's entire body levitated, radiating colossal energy. The sheer pressure of this power forced Kiritsugu to clamp a hand over his mouth to stifle a gagging reflex.

This was the rejection reaction experienced by magi when exposed to magical energy concentrations far exceeding their tolerance. Immersed in this vast ocean of power, Kiritsugu felt as if he could be assimilated at any moment.

"O Holy Grail, grant my wish..."

Forcing down the nausea, Kiritsugu staggered towards Irisviel's position. In his eyes, Irisviel no longer resembled a human; she had transformed into a golden chalice. Boundless magical energy spilled from it, so dense it resembled black mud, emanating an intensely ominous aura just by looking at it.

A flicker of unease crossed Kiritsugu's heart. He felt this Holy Grail differed significantly from the legends. But he had already staked everything to obtain it. He couldn't stop now.

Reaching the base of the Grail, Kiritsugu looked up, and his consciousness was instantly sucked inside. There, he witnessed the materialized form of the Grail's will. She looked almost identical to Irisviel—the most perfect homunculus created by the Einzbern family: The Winter Saint, Justeaze Lizrich von Einzbern.

What followed was the well-known method the Grail used to process Kiritsugu Emiya's wish. The Trolley Problem. In the end, Kiritsugu realized that if he truly wished for world peace upon the Grail, all of humanity would eventually perish.

"Ah, ahhhhhhhhhhh..."

Beneath the Grail, Kiritsugu clutched his head and wept loudly. He never imagined the Holy Grail could be such a thing. His lifelong pursuit, the ideal of "becoming a partner of justice," would ultimately lead to the world's destruction.

This undoubtedly shattered Kiritsugu's worldview, negating all the efforts he had made over the years. The figures he had eliminated on the path of "justice" now seemed to mock him.

"Saber, destroy the Holy Grail!"

Kiritsugu desperately called for Saber, hoping to use the power of her Anti-Fortress Noble Phantasm, the Sword of Promised Victory, to destroy the Grail.

He had already made his wish. If this Grail descended, the vast magical power within it would inevitably manifest the events Kiritsugu had experienced within the Grail's consciousness.

Humanity would be divided into "majority" and "minority." As long as opinions differed, the "minority," even if short by just one person, would be erased by the Grail's power, continuing until humanity's final extinction. The only way to prevent this now was to destroy the Grail, stopping its descent.

But tragically, no matter how Kiritsugu called, Saber did not respond. Staring blankly at the faded marks on the back of his right hand, tears streamed uncontrollably down Kiritsugu's face.

"Right..."

"Because I distrusted Servants, I chose this method to obtain the Grail."

"God, is this my punishment?"

"Is anyone there?"

"Anyone at all, please, stop this thing from descending..."

"Ah, ahhhhhhhhhhhhhhh..."

BOOM!

Amidst Kiritsugu's cries, the ceiling of the basement was pierced by a beam of blackish-red light. Then, Berserker's figure descended into Kiritsugu's view like a savior.

"Berserker, I beg you, please stop the Grail's descent."

"Something like this shouldn't exist in the world..."

"Please, whatever price you ask, I'll agree. I only beg you to completely destroy this thing..."

…

Dispelling the spiritual pressure surrounding him, Ailin slowly sheathed the Zanpakutō at his waist.

Crack, crack...

A crisp cracking sound echoed as several black fissures appeared on the mask covering Ailin's face.

Ping!

The mask shattered, revealing Ailin's features.

Before him stretched a bottomless chasm, extending to the very edge of the Utopia.

Under the combined power of Ailin's Hollowfication and One-Sword Asura, Artoria had been utterly crushed, Avalon's recovery ability unable even to activate in time.

The sky, the ground, began to fracture extensively. The scenery of the real world started to interlace with that of Avalon's Utopia, making Ailin's vision a mosaic of reality and the ideal land. This was the consequence of Artoria's death: the Utopia's barrier could no longer be maintained and was collapsing under the encroachment of real-world space.

Within seconds, Ailin was expelled from the Utopia, reappearing in the church courtyard.

A cold wind howled.

Looking up at the round moon in the sky, Ailin slowly calmed his mind. This Holy Grail War had finally concluded at his hands.

All seven Servants, starting from Caster Gilles de Rais, followed by Assassin Hassan, Lancer Diarmuid, Rider Iskandar the King of Conquerors, Archer Gilgamesh the King of Heroes, and Saber Artoria the King of Knights... had been slain by him alone.

Having devoured the souls of six Servants, Irisviel must have begun transforming into the Lesser Grail, right?

Glancing towards the Matou residence, Ailin ultimately decided against saying goodbye to Kariya Matou and Sakura Matou.

Closing his eyes, Ailin extended his spiritual senses, searching for the location of Kiritsugu Emiya and Irisviel. Knowing the true nature of the Grail's contents, Ailin wasn't worried about whatever wish Kiritsugu had made.

"Oh?"

Soon, Ailin pinpointed a location in Fuyuki City where magical energy converged. Leaping into the air, he arrived seconds later at a relatively remote area: Ryūdō Temple! The immense magical power, practically overflowing, originated from beneath the temple.

Spiritual pressure condensed at his fingertip.

"Cero!"

Boom!

A blast of blackish-red spiritual pressure erupted, carving a massive crater into the grounds of Ryūdō Temple. Through the opening, Ailin could still hear Kiritsugu's desperate, mournful cries.

"Is anyone there?"

"Anyone at all, please, stop this thing from descending..."

"Ah, ahhhhhhhhhhhhhhh..."

Boom!

With a surge of spiritual pressure, Ailin widened the hole and slowly descended through the opening. Looking ahead, the magnificent, noble Holy Grail hovered in mid-air. Contrasting sharply with its appearance, however, was the overflowing, ominous black magical energy within it.

Just looking at it stirred the violence and killing intent within Ailin. It was as if this thick, black mud contained all of humanity's evils, capable of entering one's consciousness through sight, seeking to birth a being existing solely for humanity's destruction.

"Berserker, I beg you, please stop the Grail's descent."

"Something like this shouldn't exist in the world..."

"Please, whatever price you ask, I'll agree. I only beg you to completely destroy this thing..."

Kiritsugu Emiya's pleading words reached Ailin's ears. This man's lifelong conviction had completely crumbled in these few short moments.

Ignoring Kiritsugu, Ailin's gaze remained fixed on the Holy Grail and the black sludge within. These were his ultimate objectives in participating in this Holy Grail War.

"Come then, show me your limits, Angra Mainyu!"

Angra Mainyu, the Avenger-class Servant illegally summoned by the Einzbern family in the Third Holy Grail War, represented all the malice of humanity at that time. After being killed and its soul entering the Grail, the originally attribute-less magical power of the Greater Grail was entirely converted into "All the World's Evils," containing endless malice towards humankind.

Instantly, Esdeath, the Zanpakutō Ailin had left to protect Sakura, awakened her. Following Ailin's command, Sakura used a Command Spell, fully restoring Ailin's condition.

Feeling his state instantly recovered, Ailin hesitated no longer. He extended his palm towards the Holy Grail.

"Bankai—Unlimited Blade Works!"

…

Bleach World, Seireitei.

Within the underground training ground left by Kisuke Urahara, Ailin sat cross-legged after setting up a powerful barrier, immersing his consciousness into his inner world.

Everything experienced by the "past self" he had severed would become Ailin's memories, much like dreams. The relationship between Ailin and his "past self" was now akin to that of Heroic Spirits in the Throne of Heroes and the Servants summoned in the Holy Grail War in the Type-Moon world.

The summoned Servant was merely a part of the Heroic Spirit's main body. After the Holy Grail War concluded, the Servant's memories returned to the Heroic Spirit, as if they had experienced the war themselves.

Ailin was the same. His "past self" was a part of him; its experiences were, to the "present," a past already lived.

Each time the memories of the past self merged, the swords copied and crafted by that past self would also synchronize within Ailin's Unlimited Blade Works.

Just last night, Ailin's "past self" had finally collected the Fourth Holy Grail War's Grail and the "All the World's Evils" within it into Unlimited Blade Works, concluding the war.

Consequently, the Grail and All the World's Evils, taken by Ailin's "past self" into Unlimited Blade Works, were now rampaging within Ailin's own Reality Marble.