"Violet."
"Begin the analysis."
Damien called out to Violet, who used her authority to connect to the Root of the Nasuverse through the Cardinal World's rules.
Beside Damien, Irisviel's body was summoned.
The woman lay with her eyes closed, as if in a peaceful sleep.
"Iris!"
Artoria stepped forward to check on her, finding Irisviel still unconscious.
This filled the girl with worry, unsure of what to do.
"Her soul remains within All the World's Evil."
"We need to release the black mud first."
Damien, too, coveted All the World's Evil.
Reality Marbles, Noble Phantasms.
He had acquired two major power systems.
In a sense, this journey was already a success.
But who would complain about having too much power?
All the World's Evil was right before him.
And with Irisviel as the vessel of the Lesser Grail, Violet could, according to her, use Irisviel to save her soul while establishing a connection with another.
Through her, Damien had a high chance of claiming the power of All the World's Evil!
"What can I do?"
Artoria had fully embraced her role as Damien's guardian knight.
"Just stand guard."
Damien shrugged and sat down in the ruins, "Not just you, there's little I can do either."
"It feels... unsettling."
Artoria voiced her honest thoughts.
"Leave it to Violet."
"In terms you can understand, Violet's magical expertise far surpasses mine."
"..."
Artoria felt a bit awkward.
She wanted to prove her worth.
But with Ogerpon and roughly fifty or sixty Kijin around, was there really a place for her?
Artoria began to feel somewhat redundant.
Suddenly, she started worrying about her future.
Being so weak, what could she truly do for Damien?
Make the bed, bear children?
The thought made Artoria's cheeks flush, and she quickly pushed it down.
It was laughable... even as a woman, she wasn't particularly qualified.
Her underdeveloped figure, her lack of skill in pleasing others.
No wonder. Someone like me isn't suited to be a partner, is she?
Unaware of Artoria's thoughts, Damien appeared to be resting his eyes but was closely monitoring Violet's progress.
"Master!"
Soon, Violet spoke up, "The connection is established. Shall I awaken her consciousness?"
"Awaken her."
"Then, patch me through."
With that, Damien immersed his mind.
Gradually, his consciousness, guided by Violet's Soul Corridor, entered a realm of boundless darkness.
"Where... is this?"
Before Damien stretched an endless void.
The only features were countless mountains of naked women, densely packed across this world.
"The homunculi of the Einzbern family?"
Damien had seen this scene in the anime.
Since the Saintess of Winter, the Einzberns had continuously created homunculi.
What lay before him was the tragic manifestation of their kind.
"Who are you?"
As Damien stood in a daze, a clear, ethereal voice came from behind.
He turned around.
There stood a stunning woman with red eyes, silver hair, and clad in the Garment of Heaven.
Her appearance was nearly identical to Irisviel's.
But their auras were worlds apart.
Unlike Irisviel, who felt like a warm, approachable sister, this woman was like a saintess detached from the mortal world, untouched by its ways.
"Justeaze Lizrich von Einzbern?"
"Who... are you?"
Justeaze blinked, her consciousness muddled.
"I'm Damien."
"And do you remember who you are?"
"I?"
"I am..."
Justeaze was confused, unsure of where she was or what she was meant to do.
Her gaze drifted to the mountains of flesh.
She showed no fear.
Instead, as if realizing something, she nodded with understanding.
"I see. This is the world within the Greater Grail, isn't it?"
Justeaze finally recalled her identity and her final moments of sacrifice, "So, you succeeded?"
"No, you failed."
Damien wasn't here for the Holy Grail War or to explore the Third Magic.
His goal was clear... this woman before him.
"Rather than explain, it's easier for you to see."
Damien extracted a strand of memory, forming a blue orb of light, and handed it to Justeaze.
"Hm."
Justeaze didn't refuse or doubt.
She was already dead, her body part of the Greater Grail's magical circuits... what was there to fear?
Could things get any worse?
Besides, if not for Damien, her personality and soul would still be submerged in the Greater Grail, unable to awaken.
That alone was enough for Justeaze to be grateful.
"Is that so?"
"Two hundred years have passed."
"For the Third Magic, they... and she..."
"All of them..."
"Is such a cost truly worth it?"
The Third Magic, for magus, meant access to vast mana and immortality.
The Einzbern family began as a workshop founded by disciples of a Third Magic user.
Using unique techniques, they created Justeaze.
She was the embodiment of the Third Magic.
Immortal, with boundless mana.
But her miracle couldn't be replicated in others.
In other words, only Justeaze was immortal.
Other magus, seeking immortality, could only continue their research and experiments.
"Time and again, year after year."
"Too many have wasted their lives, sacrificed for this."
Justeaze didn't know what to do.
Stop them? Something else?
She didn't know.
All she could do was heed their desperate pleas.
***
Bonus Chapter:
100 Power Stones = 1 BC
300 Power Stones = 2 BC
500 Power Stones = 3 BC
700 Power Stones = 4 BC
1000 Power Stones = 5 BC
***
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