Shinji Matou at Your Service

The liquid-like curse intensified further, almost solidifying into lumps.

The overwhelming, nauseating malice and the pure power it carried made those nearby feel dizzy and disoriented.

"How is this possible?"

"Hey, hey, this is way too much!"

"The density of this magical energy—"

"Even Servants can't stand up to it!"

Amidst the shaken voices, one person stepped forward.

"It's alright, believe in him. He's someone who can create miracles."

It was the King of Knights, Artoria Pendragon, who, like Shinji, had participated in three Holy Grail Wars and witnessed his numerous ascensions and transformations as a comrade.

She clasped her hands together, closed her eyes, and softly spoke the name that had been on her mind, just as she had five years ago.

"Shinji... I lend you my strength..."

The flow of magical energy, the spread of her thoughts.

Though both were intangible, everyone could sense them.

Artoria's thoughts were pure and noble, unstained by the world's filth. Her will bypass the cursed lumps, coalescing before Shinji.

It took the form of a sword, embodying both the nobility of the Excalibur and the grandeur of the Calibrun—a reflection of the King of Knights' life and convictions.

"Thank you, Artoria. You've helped me once again."

Shinji's soul extended his right hand and grasped the sword, while his left hand beckoned toward the Black Holy Grail.

"Foolish. What difference can one more soul make? You're only adding more food for me."

As she spoke, the lumps of curses launched an assault, with the force of a full-scale release resembling the Gates of Babylon.

"The foolish one is you!"

Shinji swung his sword, and with a flash of light, all the lumps evaporated.

"Impossible!!!"

The Black Holy Grail's pupils contracted.

The magical power she had unleashed was enough to overwhelm three Servants, yet it had been effortlessly dispersed by a false Servant wielding a broken sword.

Unconvinced, she continued her barrage, but Shinji calmly obliterated each curse with a swing of his sword, speaking as he did so.

"Thoughts are power and will create miracles. Even if you truly are the embodiment of all of humanity's malice, even if you have sixty years of accumulated magical energy, you cannot defeat the power of love—because love is the strongest magic in this world!"

"Impossible!"

The Black Holy Grail intensified her output. In a short time, she spent enough magical energy to sustain another Holy Grail War.

However—

"It's useless."

The sword's light shone brightly.

But it wasn't just the sword's light—other manifestations of thoughts appeared as well.

Artoria had conveyed her feelings; how could others fall behind?

These powers gathered either in Shinji's hands or around Justeaze. No matter how much the Black Holy Grail unleashed curses or magical power, it was no match for the purest thoughts and blessings from the hearts of humans.

Shinji had insisted on having everyone witness this event for this precise moment.

Ten years ago, Justeaze had fought alone and lost. But now, with so much trust and support from comrades, how could they lose?

"Justeaze, hold my hand."

"Yes, this time, we will—"

"—Restore the Great Holy Grail to its original form!"

"RAAAAHHHHHH!"

"OOOOOOHHHHHHHH!"

The man and woman joined hands, and all their thoughts, all their power, converged into one.

The holy sword, which had originally been only a meter long, now surged in length, instantly surpassing the limits of space.

In the roars of the two who had fought for ten years.

In the presence of their comrades as witnesses.

The sword of magic, the sword of love, the sword of thought pierced through the Black Holy Grail, splitting her in two.

Even so, the Black Holy Grail continued to scream.

"Impossible! Impossible! Impossible!"

"Face reality. You were wrong," Justeaze sighed softly.

The blackened eyes began to dissolve, as did the body formed from darkness and the will conglomerated from malice.

"How could this be... these hands... they had already reached the ends of the stars..."

"Sorry, but I won't let you do that. My goal all along has been to prevent the end of both the stars and humanity."

The malice and darkness crumbled, and the blackness staining the sun gradually faded, returning to its pure form.

"Is it over?" someone sighed in relief.

"No, not yet. There's still one more step."

However, Shinji, floating in mid-air, did not relax. He hadn't even withdrawn his sword, and instead, he maintained a stance that could either attack or defend at any moment. He looked toward a certain spot below and said:

"You might as well come out now. Or do you think such a crude hiding technique could fool me? I could sense your malice from a kilometer away."

"Have I been completely seen through? Ah, how annoying, how troublesome."

A strange, frivolous voice echoed out. In the corner of a secondary reservoir near the main one, there was an unremarkable, easily overlooked shadow. Aside from a pair of eyes and a vaguely humanoid form, there were no other discernible features.

"You see, the world is all about conserving energy these days. I planned to give you all a quick death once you let your guard down. But, well, being found out isn't too bad either. It's better than having to reveal myself alone. I appreciate you coming to greet me."

The shadow's voice wasn't as crazed as the Black Holy Grail's, yet the pressure it exerted was even greater.

It was as though this shadow was the true demon lord, and the Black Holy Grail had merely been a general under its command.

And yet, Shinji remained calm, holding the Sword of Magic steadily.

"No need to thank us. If anything, we should be thanking you for coming out. If you'd stayed hidden, I wouldn't have been entirely confident. So thank you for coming out to die."

"Oh, is that so? Is that so? Turns out we were thinking along the same lines. What a delightful discovery! You—couldn't possibly be one of us, could you?"

Faced with the shadow's obvious glee, Shinji nodded, then shook his head.

"Yes, but no. Hatred can never overcome my love, and grudges can never defeat goodwill. That's why humanity has made it this far."

"But your love and goodwill are merely the collection of yourself, or at most, a small group of people. I, on the other hand, am Angra Mainyu, the Evils of Humanity."

Angra Mainyu.

The name of the demon lord from Zoroastrianism, the one who fought against the gods, the commander of demons for thousands of years, the embodiment of all the world's evil.

"We are on completely different levels."

"If you were the real Demon Lord who fought against the gods, that might be true."

Shinji remained unshaken.

"But unfortunately, you're not. You said it yourself—we're the same. You, like me, are only a proxy wearing a certain guise, nothing more."

Ps: Power of Love!