The Exorcism Tale of Hachiman

Conversely, the black mud appears to be acting like a fluid, sliding down the mountainside...

After waiting patiently for a while, the fleeting glimpse of the starry sky confirmed that Hachiman Hikigaya's guess was correct.

As the black mud continued to sink downwards, the three people who were originally encased in the mud gradually emerged to the surface.

Hachiman Hikigaya seized the opportunity, leaping onto a huge rock that jutted out from the black mud. He then used chains woven from divine power to pull the other two people out of the mud as well.

Has she already fainted?

Seemingly naturally, the two people inside the 'cocoon' fell into a coma at just the right time.

However, this saved Hachiman Hikigaya the trouble of explaining, so he didn't complain.

"So, how do we purify this thing next?"

After temporarily settling Sakura and Irisviel on the rock, Hachiman Hikigaya stared into deep thought at the black mud in front of him.

Alaya didn't tell him how to purify himself before kicking him out, so he had to figure it out himself.

Can divine power purify?

In Japanese mythology, divine power is generally accompanied by purifying effects, especially for deities like Inari, whose purifying effects are particularly powerful.

Hachiman Hikigaya attempted to channel some of his divine power into the black mud before him. However, the Inari divine power, once it entered the mud, was like a pebble thrown into a deep pool—it only created a ripple and then nothing more.

However, the power of the Inari deity wasn't entirely without effect. In Hachiman Hikigaya's view, at least half a foot of black mud vanished instantly before the power completely disappeared...

"Heh, it's simply impossible to complete the purification using only divine power..."

After a simple calculation of how much divine power he would need to completely remove the black mud, Hachiman Hikigaya decisively abandoned the idea of ​​using divine power to purify it.

"I remember Alaya saying that the Holy Grail was contaminated because there was a source of contamination within it..."

With his idea of ​​eliminating the problem from the outside shattered, Hachiman Hikigaya decides to address the issue at its root.

"As long as the source of pollution is eliminated, there shouldn't be any problems, right?"

Thinking this, Hachiman Hikigaya raised his head and looked at the pillar of light at the top of the mountain.

Looking back at the two unconscious people, and worried about their safety, Hachiman Hikigaya called out the chief priestess who had been relying on him to heal her wounds before heading towards Ryudouji Temple, using the footholds protruding from the black mud around him.

During the climb, Hachiman Hikigaya unexpectedly encountered the two people who were supposed to be fighting Gilgamesh.

"Lancer, Saber, what are you doing here?"

Seeing the two disheveled individuals also heading towards the summit, Hachiman Hikigaya raised an eyebrow and asked curiously.

Could it be that they've already dealt with Archer, and are now back to pick up the Holy Grail and make a wish?

If that's the case, I'm afraid we'll have to disappoint them.

After all, the Holy Grail is completely unusable now...

"During the battle, Archer was suddenly summoned away by his Master using a Command Spell,"

Karna briefly explained their situation, then looked at the black mud beside him and asked Hachiman Hikigaya:

"Master, do you know what this is?"

"Black mud, or to put it in a more dramatic way, you could call it the evil of this world. Anyway, just try to avoid touching that stuff, because it's something that brings bad luck."

Is there evil in this world?

Decisively ignoring the rather rustic name "Black Mud," Karna frowned as he watched the constantly flowing black mud, seemingly lost in thought.

However, Artoria, who was standing to the side, did not have the patience to wait in place.

The Holy Grail has appeared in the world, and it is currently ownerless.

Archer's whereabouts are currently unknown, and she is likely heading towards the summit like them. She doesn't have the luxury of time to stay put and ponder what that black thing is.

"Alright, since we've run into each other, let's all go up and retrieve the Holy Grail first."

Hachiman Hikigaya noticed Artoria's anxiety. He woke Karna from his reverie and led the two Servants toward the temple on the mountaintop.

Meanwhile, at Ryudou Temple, Archer was looking at Kirei Kotomine, who had summoned him, with a displeased expression.

Although he was somewhat overwhelmed fighting two opponents, he didn't believe he would lose that battle.

Before the three of them could even determine a winner, he was forcibly transferred here by Kirei Kotomine, which made it seem as if he had run away.

"Please calm down. The reason I forcibly summoned you here is because this Holy Grail is acting rather strangely..."

As he spoke, Kirei Kotomine pointed to the Holy Grail, which was still spewing black mud out of the pillar of light.

"Oh?"

Upon hearing Kirei Kotomine's words, Gilgamesh's anger subsided slightly, and he turned his head to focus his gaze on the so-called Holy Grail.

With just one glance, the black mud, filled with all sorts of negative curses, made him frown.

"When did my things get tainted with this disgusting stuff?"

Speaking with disgust, Gilgamesh moved closer, trying to figure out what the black mud on the surface of the Holy Grail was.

However, even the oldest king in the world, when he saw the black mud, could not discern its true nature except that it was filled with a powerful curse.

"If it gets dirty, there's absolutely no need to recycle it..."

Gilgamesh showed little interest in the Holy Grail, which was now completely stained.

His original reason for participating in the competition was simply to punish those who had used his treasures without permission.

Now that the Holy Grail is so filthy, it has completely lost its value as a collectible. He would absolutely not allow such a filthy thing to enter his treasury and defile the other treasures!

"Archer!"

Just as Gilgamesh was about to leave, Saber arrived at the mountaintop first.

Upon seeing Gilgamesh next to the Holy Grail, Artoria mistakenly believed that he was going to seize the Holy Grail and charged forward with her sword without hesitation.

"Interesting... Even something as filthy as this, you're still drawn to it, Saber?"

Seeing that Artoria treasured what he had once disdained, Gilgamesh suddenly realized the last remaining use of the Holy Grail.

Several Noble Phantasms shot out from behind Gilgamesh in an instant, forcing Artoria, who was rushing forward, back.

He then reached out and picked up the Holy Grail, whose surface was covered with black mud.

The moment his hand touched the black mud, countless curses swarmed and tried to crawl all over Gilgamesh's body.

However, faced with this curse that could corrupt everything, Gilgamesh merely frowned, and then acted as if nothing had happened.

"Saber, do you want this?"

Gilgamesh raised the cup in his hand, looking at Artoria with an expression of anticipation.

"........."

Upon hearing this, Artoria glanced at the Holy Grail in Gilgamesh's hand, her eyes filled with longing.

However, she clearly did not lose her composure and remained vigilant.

"Well, let me think about it..."

Gilgamesh rested his chin on his free hand and began to ponder.

Could the Holy Grail be used to make Saber and Lancer fight each other?

However, they all seem to obey that brat's orders. Even if Saber temporarily rebels, that brat can simply make her leave the scene.

"Anyway, how about we put down our weapons first?"

Gilgamesh carefully examined Artoria's face and spread his hands.

"I'm afraid she can't do that!"

Before Artoria could answer, Hachiman Hikigaya's voice came from behind her.

Walking up to Artoria's side, Hachiman Hikigaya glanced helplessly at Artoria, who had come up ahead of him, before turning his gaze to the extremely nasty guy opposite him.

"You have the Holy Grail in your hand?"

Soon, Hachiman Hikigaya's attention was drawn to the Holy Grail in Gilgamesh's hand.

Hachiman Hikigaya stared at Gilgamesh, who was completely unharmed, with a look of utter disbelief. He couldn't understand why Gilgamesh could be unharmed after directly touching the black mud.

"This originally belonged to me. As the owner, is there anything wrong with me taking my own things?"

Gilgamesh looked at Hachiman Hikigaya with an arrogant expression and asked in return.

"That thing has been contaminated and can't be used."

Hachiman Hikigaya kindly reminded him.

"so what?"

Gilgamesh asked with an indifferent expression.

He was well aware that the Holy Grail had been corrupted, but what did that have to do with him?

"Wait a minute, Master! What do you mean by 'contaminated'?"

Artoria, who was standing nearby, panicked after overhearing the conversation between Hachiman Hikigaya and Gilgamesh.

"So it's unusable, Saber. Don't you understand such a simple thing?"

Seeing Artoria's flustered expression, Gilgamesh maliciously stirred things up.

"Is that right?"

Ignoring Gilgamesh's words, Artoria looked at Hachiman Hikigaya with a serious expression and questioned him.

"That's right. It seems to be due to an accident during the last Holy Grail War. In any case, the Holy Grail cannot function properly until those impurities are cleansed..."

Artoria's unwavering gaze made it impossible for Hachiman Hikigaya to lie.

He nodded, acknowledging that the Holy Grail was no longer useful.

"How could this be?"

Upon hearing Hachiman Hikigaya's confirmation, Artoria staggered backward.

She persevered for so long and sacrificed so much...

Just when they were about to obtain the Holy Grail, they were told that it was no longer usable...

"But it can still be used after purification!"