253 All the World's Evil

"Archer's Master approached us for cooperation?" Artoria widened her eyes.

"Yes." Kiritsugu nodded minimally. "He wants to ally with us and, together with Berserker, eliminate Lancer first."

"What's your answer, Kiritsugu?" Irisviel asked nervously.

"I agreed." Kiritsugu answered calmly. "Lancer's group currently holds the absolute advantage. If we don't defeat them first, we have no hope of obtaining the Holy Grail."

"B-But..."

Irisviel hesitated, unsure whether she should reveal the harsh truth at this moment.

"Just speak your mind, Iri."

Seeing Irisviel's conflicted expression, Kiritsugu spoke gently, a rare softness appearing in his eyes. This man, who had devoted his entire life to 'Justice', now displayed a trace of human compassion.

"The Holy Grail has been... contaminated..." Irisviel cautiously stated.

Kiritsugu's face immediately stiffened, his eyes filled with unmistakable surprise.

"The Holy Grail... contaminated?" Kiritsugu murmured in disbelief. "Impossible... It's an all-powerful wish-granting machine. Nothing should be able to pollute it."

"Kiritsugu..." Irisviel looked at her beloved with a complex expression. "Do you remember the Servant summoned by the Einzbern family in the last Holy Grail War?"

"You mean Angra Mainyu?" Kiritsugu raised an eyebrow slightly.

Before coming to Fuyuki, he had thoroughly reviewed all records of the Holy Grail Wars involving the Einzbern family. He wouldn't forget such details.

"In the previous Holy Grail War, our family intended to summon an evil god from Persian mythology, Angra Mainyu. However, for some unknown reason, the Angra Mainyu our family ended up summoning was a very weak Servant."

Irisviel explained as she sat beside Kiritsugu and gently held his hand, hoping to provide some warmth to his troubled heart.

"Angra Mainyu died on the fourth day of the Holy Grail War, and as a result, the Einzbern family lost their chance to compete for the Holy Grail."

"Over the years, our family believed it was due to the nature of the Saint Graph that Angra Mainyu turned out to be so weak. But, in reality, that wasn't the case."

"The Angra Mainyu from Persian mythology is the oldest evil in the world, a true demon. Such a strong being is impossible to be summoned by the power of Fuyuki's Holy Grail. The Angra Mainyu summoned by the Einzbern family was just an ordinary human given that identity, nothing more."

"So, that Angra Mainyu was just some kind of symbol?" Kiritsugu's eyes showed a pensive expression.

Over the years, he had encountered such customs in remote villages worldwide—people resorting to such symbolism when they couldn't find redemption, expressing their grievances in this way.

"Yes, he was merely an ordinary man burdened with 'All the World's Evil' through the expectations of those around him. He didn't exist by his own will but was shaped into Angra Mainyu by the wishes of the people. That's why he was so weak..." Irisviel gently rested her head on Kiritsugu's shoulder.

"But what does this have to do with the contamination of the Holy Grail?" Kiritsugu asked again.

"Angra Mainyu was a Heroic Spirit born through people's wishes. After being absorbed by the Holy Grail, he essentially became the wish itself and the Holy Grail accepted the wish imposed on him by humanity—becoming the embodiment of all the world's evil."

"Angra Mainyu was a Heroic Spirit born from people's wishes. Essentially, he embodied the wish itself. After dying and being absorbed by the Holy Grail, the Grail accepted the wish imposed on him by humanity—to become the embodiment of all the world's evil."

"Because of this, the neutral and colorless Holy Grail was influenced by Angra Mainyu's 'evil' and was tainted with endless malice. That's the truth behind the contamination of the Holy Grail..." Irisviel explained softly.

Silence followed.

A prolonged silence that turned the not-so-spacious room into a deathly quiet space.

After a long pause, Kiritsugu took a deep breath and opened his mouth.

"Did Acht tell you about this?"

"No." Irisviel shook her head. "Lancer was the one who told me."

"Lancer?" Kiritsugu's brows furrowed again. Of course, he knew about Lancer's clairvoyance. This meant that Lancer probably wasn't making things up but had genuinely seen something.

'Should I give up?'

After sacrificing so much and severing numerous ties like family, friendship, and love, staking everything precious, trampling his own life beyond recognition, and crossing through countless deaths, must he now give up his final glimmer of hope?

'Should I just give up like this?'

'Don't joke with me!'

The confusion on Kiritsugu's face vanished in an instant. At this moment, the cold and ruthless Mage Killer had returned.

"Kiritsugu?" Irisviel seemed to sense something, looking at her husband with concern.

"No need to say anything, Iri." Kiritsugu's voice was as calm as the unruffled surface of a lake. "I won't give up."

Artoria, standing nearby, raised an eyebrow slightly.

"But Lancer has already said, the Holy Grail is..." Irisviel anxiously pulled Kiritsugu's sleeve, her face showing clear worry.

"Can the Holy Grail still grant wishes?" Kiritsugu asked.

"It can..." Irisviel still seemed reluctant. "But Lancer said it would be fulfilled in a very twisted way."

"Even so..." Kiritsugu turned his head slightly. "It's enough for me."

Because the Holy Grail was the only choice he had.

"Kiritsugu..." Irisviel opened her mouth but didn't know what to say. Her crimson eyes gradually dimmed.

"Saber, what about you?" Kiritsugu turned to look at Artoria. "What's your take on this?"

"From our first meeting, I've made it clear that my only goal is the Holy Grail. I'm willing to use any means for it." Artoria's tone was flat. But soon, her face displayed undisguised disgust. "But if it's for that filthy thing, I don't think it's worth fighting for."

"Do you really trust Lancer?" Kiritsugu's expression became somewhat complicated. "Maybe he just sees the future where we, Archer, and Berserker join forces to take him down and wants to disrupt us in advance."

"It's just my intuition." Artoria said with an unchanged tone.

'If that's the case...' Kiritsugu's gaze slightly lowered, looking at the crimson command spells on the back of his right hand.

"But what you said makes sense. Making judgments without seeing the truth firsthand is not wise." Artoria crossed her arms, maintaining her calm tone.

Hearing this, Kiritsugu secretly breathed a sigh of relief, but his facial expression remained unchanged.

"It's good that you understand." Kiritsugu nodded slightly.

"Well then, since now both of your issues are resolved, it's my turn."

Artoria's tone turned cold and her pale golden eyes narrowed, forming a dangerous arc.

"Tell me, Emiya Kiritsugu, what's going on with Irisviel's body?"