Originally, by relying on a specialized Einzbern magic circle, Irisviel had managed to maintain a sliver of consciousness even after housing the souls of five Servants.
When Artoria visited her at the church, she learned that the Holy Grail War was nearing its end. Thus, after Artoria left, Irisviel had Maiya Hisau move her to the church courtyard.
With the defeat of Iskandar, Irisviel—now containing six souls—lost her homunculus form as the Lesser Grail. Her life functions ceased, and her internal structure rapidly converted into the Grail's mechanism. Now, the true form of the Holy Grail finally manifested.
The golden vessel was lifted as if by an invisible hand, floating in the air above the church courtyard.
After sixty years, the ritual for the descent of the Holy Grail—the dream of the three founding families: Tohsaka, Matou, and Einzbern—was finally about to begin.
At the bottom of the hill, Artoria and Ludwig, having just finished their battle, noticed the change immediately and raced back toward the church.
"Ah... so this is the Holy Grail..." Standing at the entrance of the chapel, Tokiomi gazed at the Grail with eyes full of longing and profound regret.
He had lost his precious Servant and dropped out of this Holy Grail War ritual. Though he had escaped death, his defeat marked the total failure of the founding families in the very ritual they had meticulously planned, allowing the fruits of their labor to fall into the hands of others.
It was unacceptable, yet there was nothing he could do.
"That is... the Grail..." Artoria stared at the golden radiance. "Irisviel..."
The homunculus woman, who knew nothing of the world and had stepped out of Einzbern Castle for the first time only because of this war, had finally passed away, completing her mission as the Grail's vessel.
Artoria had known this would happen, yet she still felt a chill of sorrow. But having come this far, there was no room to turn back. Resolving herself, she prepared to enter the church to touch the manifested Grail.
However, before she could take a step, Ludwig stopped her. He grabbed her by the waist and suddenly soared into the sky.
"Lud?! What are you doing? The Grail is right there!" Artoria cried out in panic. She struggled to make him let go, but even with Mana Burst, she couldn't break free from his grip.
Hope and despair intertwined; Artoria thought for a moment she had been betrayed.
"Calm down and look closely," Ludwig reminded her in a low voice. "Is the Grail supposed to look like that? Something feels wrong."
"Wrong?" Artoria looked up and saw a crack as thin as a hair opening in the sky above the Grail vessel.
It was a "Gate," opened via the vessel of the Holy Grail.
The souls of Servants who exit the Holy Grail War do not return to the Throne of Heroes immediately but are stored in the Grail vessel. Once enough souls are collected, the power of these souls returning to the Throne opens the gate to the Root.
If it were that simple, it would be fine, but Ludwig saw something else. On the other side of that "Gate," something was churning and seeping into the vessel through the tiny crack.
Because the dripping substance blended into the night and Artoria's attention was fixed on the Grail's radiance, she hadn't noticed at all. Ludwig, who had harbored no expectations for the Grail from the beginning, was the first to notice. He had taken Artoria with him as he ascended to investigate.
Now, the King of Knights could see clearly what was inside the vessel.
The black substance filling the pure golden vessel could only be described as "Mud." A deep, bottomless pitch black.
Then, like a dam breaking, the surging black mud filled the Grail vessel in an instant and began to overflow, spilling onto the sacred Fuyuki Church and swallowing the courtyard in moments.
"What is that thing?" Having calmed down, Artoria felt a flicker of dread.
She could feel the magical energy contained within the mud, radiating an abnormal, even evil aura. If Ludwig hadn't noticed this, if she had touched the Grail directly, the consequences would have been unthinkable.
The black mud continued to gush out, flowing toward the surroundings. Perhaps due to the nature of the Grail, the speed of its flow and overflow was quite limited.
At that moment, Ludwig noticed Tokiomi Tohsaka. Having closed the chapel doors, Tokiomi had manipulated his mana to make himself light, slowly lifting off the ground to hover where he wouldn't touch the mud. He stared at the scene in absolute shock.
Remembering that Tokiomi was the head of the Tohsaka family—one of the three families that founded the war—Ludwig dove down, reached out with his other hand to grab Tokiomi by the collar, and flew out of the church grounds, landing on a nearby streetlamp.
"Tokiomi Tohsaka, you'd better make sure every word out of your mouth next is the truth. I don't have the knack for telling if someone is lying, so if I think you're deceiving me, I'll drop you right into that Grail," Ludwig warned coldly, still holding Tokiomi by the collar.
Tokiomi understood Ludwig's meaning perfectly. He relied on his lightweight magecraft to ensure he wasn't strangled by his own collar, allowing him to respond with his usual elegance.
"I am well aware of your dissatisfaction and anger, but the Grail was meant to be a path to the Root. As for why it has become like this, I am also in the dark," Tokiomi said softly. "I have no idea how to resolve this."
"Even you, of the Three Houses, don't know?" Ludwig didn't believe him. "You founded the ritual, you manage this land, and you're telling me you're completely ignorant? How about I throw you in right now?"
He hated the feeling of being cheated. Merlin might be an unreliable fellow, but he hadn't lied to him yet, nor had he done anything truly harmful; in fact, he had been helpful and cooperative. Thus, he had a basic level of trust in Merlin.
In contrast, Ludwig had zero trust in his opponents from the Holy Grail War, such as the now-eliminated Tokiomi.
"If that would appease your anger, I can only resign myself to fate," Tokiomi sighed. "The victor has the right to dispose of the loser, especially since I have failed so miserably as the administrator of this ritual's land."
"So, you have no objection to that outcome? Fine, then I'll—"
"Wait, Lud." Artoria could see the signs of Ludwig reaching his breaking point.
Regardless of whether the Grail was useful, he had indeed worked hard throughout this journey, hoping it would be of use to her. Now, it seemed all for nothing. Compared to his anger at being deceived, Artoria felt more lost and disappointed.
"Before you dispose of this worthless Tohsaka descendant, would you care to hear a few words from me, boy from Brunestud?"
Suddenly, the vigorous voice of an old man came from nearby.
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Type-Moon: The A-Ray Knight's Holy Grail Journey(98 Chapter - Ongoing)
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