The mighty Grand Temple Complex of Radiance was no match for the locust-like swarm of the Glamoth Iron Cavalry. Having lost his temple, Ozymandias was naturally deprived of his greatest asset.
Even without it, he was still a formidable Servant with his Mesektet and personal skills.
But... facing [Illya], who had personally entered the fray in her Glamoth Empress Mode, even the proud pharaoh could only surrender with a sense of powerlessness. "My apologies, Your Majesty, Empress of Glamoth. I have failed to provide you with a worthy challenge."
"Well... I have lost. It's a bitter pill to swallow, but I have witnessed something truly magnificent."
"If it is you, then I shall acknowledge it. You will be an even greater king than I."
"Share one last drink with me, Empress of Glamoth."
Ozymandias tossed a flagon of wine to [Illya], making his final request.
She did not refuse. Raising the golden cup in a toast, she drank it all in one go.
Rider Iskandar and Rider Ozymandias faded from the world.
Of course, just because their Servants were gone didn't mean their Masters' journeys were over.
Waver Velvet would likely still walk the path to becoming a lecturer at the Clock Tower... however, he would no longer have to work himself to death to pay off his debts.
Because Kayneth El-Melloi Archibald did not die in this Holy Grail War.
To [Illya]'s surprise, this was something he learned from Manaka Sajyou.
Although Manaka's relationship with her former teacher was far from pleasant, and she'd even had to resort to some forceful measures, she had ultimately taken a surprisingly gentle approach with Mr. Lemonhead.
After all, with a Lancer of that temperament, killing Kayneth would have made him much more difficult to control, wouldn't it? Foreseeing this, Manaka chose to win over his heart instead.
Kayneth had no particular desire for the Holy Grail; he was merely here in the Far East to participate in the ritual.
What he truly cared about were two things: first, his magecraft, and second, his fiancée, Sola. It might sound absurd, almost fantastical, that a Lord of the Clock Tower, an outstanding magus, could genuinely possess something like love, treating Sola—who was meant to be little more than a vessel for producing an heir—as his beloved. But this fact saved Manaka the trouble of finding a weakness to exploit.
"If you forfeit this Holy Grail War and help me gain control of Lancer, I will grant you the secrets of magecraft and a way to win your fiancée's favor. But if you refuse..."
Kayneth was no fool. Though he hated to admit defeat, faced with Miss Manaka Sajyou and her pure-blooded Far Eastern lineage, he had no choice but to concede.
As for Ayaka Sajyou...
Hiding in the shadows, Manaka Sajyou watched a familiar figure who had somehow dyed her hair blonde, taken off her glasses, and was now clinging intimately to [Illya]. With the Holy Grail War concluded and her omniscience restored, Manaka nearly ground her teeth to dust.
Ayaka, my dear little sister, you're a real piece of work! Hiding your claws all this time! No wonder the little brat had shown up in a whole new getup when she came to give her answer after being threatened. At the time, Manaka had actually been in a pretty good mood.
Though her parents and sister were disposable to her, providing only cheap emotional validation, and she would much rather be with her Prince, the sight of her foolish little sister—who always used a tough act to hide her insecurities—trying to imitate her style had brought Manaka a small measure of delight, speaking from a big sister's perspective.
So... this was the reason!
You're a thieving little cat, too!
The thought that not only her own Servant had tried to backstab her and steal her man, but even her own good-for-nothing sister, whom she'd never paid any mind, had managed to connect with her Prince right under her nose... Seeing Ayaka, looking like a Manaka Sajyou cosplayer, snuggled up against the Prince she yearned for, Miss Manaka was on the verge of a breakdown, wanting nothing more than to send this sister of hers to a blood-soaked grave.
...Ugh, but I promised His Highness I wouldn't do anything too extreme, that we'd get along peacefully... Ayaka, you damn little witch!
Still... a big sister disciplining her little sister is perfectly natural, right?
With that thought, Manaka Sajyou, her resentment rivaling that of a vengeful spirit, became eager to tear apart the thieving cat hiding in her midst.
And that, of course, included Elysia.
"You naughty Jiang Qiao. I'm very~ interested in that little girl~"
After Manaka dragged Ayaka away, Miss Elysia came calling, her words sweet but her smile sharp.
While she didn't mind him getting close to other cute girls, the rate at which they were multiplying was getting a little out of hand!
"Oh, you mean her..."
Even [Illya] himself felt a bit helpless about the situation.
Jiang Qiao was genuinely just trying to be helpful. Sure, he might have picked up a few of Elysia's bad habits, but wasn't it just a case of beautiful friendship between girls? He was in a cute girl's body, after all, and he hadn't had any improper thoughts when he got close to them.
Yes, he was innocent. Mr. Jiang Qiao was certain of it.
If he had to point out a flaw, it was probably that he wasn't very good at saying no.
However, when it came to that particular problem, wasn't that pink elf the real culprit?
"...You naughty Jiang Qiao!"
Elysia gritted her teeth. He can't bear to break a beautiful girl's heart or see them disappointed, so he treats them like close friends. But he pays no attention to personal space, so the intimacy goes too far and friendship turns into something else. And the worst part is, he's completely oblivious to it!
If Elysia had been determined to lock him down from the very beginning, even Mobius probably wouldn't have found an opening to sneak in.
People influence each other and gradually become more alike. There was no doubt that Miss Elysia, who wasn't exactly innocent herself in this regard, had no right to point fingers. All she could do was swallow her frustration and puff out her cheeks in a silent sulk.
But even though she knew full well that she should be angry at her own immature past self, and even felt a twinge of regret—a passing thought of going back to the beginning and locking him down for her private use—that very un-Elysia-like thought was the source of her current frustration.
BOOM!
A dull clap of thunder echoed under the clear, sunny sky.
[Illya] sensed something and turned his gaze in a specific direction.
The Fuyuki Great Cavern.
As one of the few survivors of the Holy Grail War who still had a Servant, Prelati clearly had no intention of settling old scores like the others. Or rather, for her, there was no rush.
She had no desire for the Holy Grail; she sought only depravity and pleasure. From that perspective, keeping Kama by her side was obviously the right choice.
Still, she was very interested in visiting the epicenter of the battlefield, the Fuyuki Great Cavern, to see if she could find anything interesting.
She couldn't get the Holy Grail, but All the World's Evils? Now that was something she quite liked.
Prelati eagerly anticipated seeing whether that French village girl could maintain her saintly purity after being drowned in the black mud. If she could be twisted into something obscene, this Holy Grail War would have been more than worth it. She swore she'd be in a wonderfully high mood for the next two hundred years.
Just imagining that Saintess rolling around in a pigsty, Prelati could almost hear the oinking.
"This is the ultimate high~!"
"How disgusting," Kama said listlessly, looking at her Master with disdain. But as a Servant, she suddenly sensed something.
"Looks like you're in trouble," she commented casually.
"Oh my... looks like I've been caught. But it doesn't matter, I just have to run away..." Prelati, completely unconcerned by Kama's words, chirped cheerfully. But as she spoke, she saw the approaching figure, and her words stuttered to a halt as if a gear had jammed.
Before her stood a woman in warrior's attire, with purple hair tied in a long braid. Her cool, beautiful face immediately suggested she was probably a good cook... yes, the perfect wife-material look, though in reality, she was the type to completely waste such a face.
But her attire and appearance weren't important; none of that had anything to do with her.
If she wanted fun, she could always go mess around with the pigs in the pigsty. But this person...
"You..."
"So it is you... He was right. You are a mess only I can clean up."
...For once, Prelati couldn't smile. She was silent for a moment before laughing, seemingly at herself.
"Ah... this feeling... It really is you, isn't it? Seriously... this is like some kind of cosmic joke."
This feeling... it was slightly different, but there was no mistaking it! This person was also François Prelati! ...No, that's not right. It was Baal!
The one François missed the most... her original self. Even if many things were different, as the same person who had experienced it all, Prelati understood exactly what this person before her represented.
A fallen, utterly filthy piece of trash facing a brilliant, loving god. Just seeing each other was a mockery of fate.
"..."
In fact, Ei was feeling the same thing.
Even if this was another world, a different version of herself, the sight of this decayed, rotten form struck a chord. The stoic Kagemusha couldn't help but feel a pang of sorrow for her kind.
She said nothing more, simply reached a hand toward her chest. With a piercing crackle of lightning, her signature blade was slowly drawn forth.
"Honestly, and here I was looking for a chance to toss that pig-headed Saintess into a pigsty and hear her squeal..."
"But... I suppose this is fine, too."
"A broken goddess, killed by her own hand... I don't reject such an end."
"Come. I have been waiting for a very, very long time."
Prelati offered no further resistance. Instead, she spread her arms wide, calmly accepting death.
She had long been prepared for this.
A broken goddess should not exist in this world. Like Tiamat, a being like her could only bring pain and torment.
That was something her former self would never have wanted. But... her current, wretched self could only find meaning in the very things her past self despised, find some motivation to keep going.
If she abandoned even that, she would surely become something even more hideous, more repulsive—a form she would absolutely detest.
But now, the eternal suffering that being had inflicted upon her could finally end.
"Sever the shackles, slash all evil. A mind clear and still... In this moment, the flash of lightning is eternity!"
Terrifying lightning engulfed Prelati, but she showed no sign of distress. Normally, she would have probably screamed in pain.
After all, humiliating her own pathetic self was another form of amusement.
But now, this time... this was the end.
The broken goddess had met her final destination. And it was also her best.
Watching Prelati dissipate into spiritual particles, Ei remained silent.
"Looks like things are wrapped up over here, too."
"Yes... So this is Erosion."
A young girl's voice sounded beside her. Glancing at [Illya], Ei's tone was heavy.
She had always feared Erosion, pursuing Eternity relentlessly to escape it.
And in that moment, in François Prelati, she had witnessed the shadow of herself, completely worn away.
"Well, you could call it that."
"But it's also an unavoidable trial."
Fading memories, accumulating pain... birth, age, sickness, death. The sorrow of parting, the bitterness of resentment, the agony of unfulfilled desires.
In Teyvat, it was called Erosion. On the Xianzhou, it was the malady of long life, the Mara-Struck. This was never a blessing, but a trial.
"Those who lose to it become what François was."
"...I understand."
In the past, Ei might have been lost and confused. But Jiang Qiao had, in a way, pointed her toward a new path. Even though he had made it clear that it was just his personal path and everyone would face a different end, it had cleared the haze from Ei's heart.
"Thank you, Oneechan."
"I'm not really in any state to be your Oneechan right now."