Chapter 334

"Yan Feng!!!"

He completely failed to understand why this man would do something so meaningless at this very moment.

"The war won't end until only one pair remains." Yan Feng Qili opened his arms as if embracing the world, his lips parting slightly, a sneer lurking in his smile: "Let me guide you, Weigong Shilang."

How utterly absurd—but everyone could feel that this man was fulfilling his duty, guiding others as a priest ought to.

Tenzan Lixiang gazed coldly ahead, her pupils reflecting Yan Feng Qili, stirring uncontrollable rage within her—but even now, she maintained the composure of a Master.

Chaldea retained information on Kirschtaria and others; though furious at the attack on her companion, what she must do now is uncover what Yan Feng Qili is plotting.

Instantly, she halted Gilgamesh's actions.

"We are not participants in this Holy Grail War!" Tenzan Lixiang said. "Yan Feng Qili, what are you trying to do?!"

Though this man's nature is vile, he would never perform such a desperate, self-destructive act without a deeper purpose.

"Of course, to ensure the Holy Grail War proceeds normally. Don't be fooled by my appearance—I am, after all, the supervisor of the Fuyuki Holy Grail War."

"Five Servants have been eliminated now. The enhanced effect of over twenty Command Seals was meant to wipe out several others, but due to restrictions here, I could only target those three mediocre ones."

"Kirschtaria's unexpected survival is a pleasant surprise, hehe."

Yan Feng Qili gazed at the Chaldea group, his smile fading as he looked toward his own reflection, aided by Rasputin's spiritual foundation, his expression turning solemn.

Weigong Shilang froze—what meaning could there be now in the "normal" continuation of the Holy Grail War?

He suddenly tensed and turned toward Illya in the crowd—she stood frozen, her eyes instantly hollow.

"Shilang, the Holy Grail… is about to overflow."

Illya von Einzbern is the Lesser Holy Grail of this war, the vessel that holds the souls of deceased Servants, a necessary device for the Third Magic that stabilizes the magical channel between the Greater Holy Grail and the world.

The souls of Servants trapped within the Holy Grail cannot return to the Throne of Heroes; when enough accumulate, at the moment of the Holy Grail's ritual, the gate to the Root will open.

"Servants not summoned by the Fuyuki Holy Grail system have also been absorbed?"

His heart surged violently; the image of Gilgamesh walking calmly toward death flashed through his mind—a deep sense of wrongness welled up.

No!

What Yan Feng Qili intends to do is—

"The Fifth Holy Grail War… has come to an end!"

With solemn declaration complete, Yan Feng Qili made a cross over his chest and clenched his right fist.

"Lord, I sincerely thank you!"

He swung his fist—targeting none other than his own skull.

Amidst the shock and vigilance of all, Yan Feng Qili died.

"Why?" Tenzan Lixiang's eyes trembled as she stared at the corpse growing cold on the ground, utterly baffled.

Almost instinctively, everyone turned their gaze toward the Chaldea side's Yan Feng Qili.

"Sorry—I forgot one thing."

"For the Holy Grail War to conclude, five Servants aren't enough. The rule requires seven, but at least six are needed to reach the critical threshold."

A chill ran down their spines.

These two were indistinguishable; rather, when the Yan Feng Qili of this world perished, the other revived—his "Yan Feng Qili" record updated.

The Chaldea Yan Feng Qili possesses memories from countless worldlines…

"Manannan!"

The instant Tenzan Lixiang spoke, black calamity dragons surged around Yan Feng Qili; at the last moment, Manannan (Bazett) summoned a unicorn to escape the dragon's maw.

"Repent your sins! Return to dust!"

Interwoven, converging—the malice of this world's evil curse descended once more.

"Evil ones, those whose time has come—I summon you!"

"Burn your sins. Etch the mark."

Even if Chaldea severed all connection and magical supply, it could not stop it—as if the entire world had instantly been replaced by an ancient hell.

"May the Lord have mercy."

The blackened heart, scattered and overflowing with artifacts

A clergyman who devoutly worshipped the divine, yet beneath his solemn exterior harbored the most extreme "evil" artifact.

The eternal curse of evil surged like a flood, cold to the eye, yet heavy with a scorching sensation—destined to burn all things in the world.

A hell for the wicked, the end for the good—only the imprisoned, caught in contradiction and mediocrity, might survive.

Yan Feng Qili stood still, arms outstretched, hands open, calmly watching the Servants preparing to unleash their artifacts and obliterate him.

"What a pity, Bazett. This is a far greater endeavor than saving human history."

Black mud became a river—not the black mud from the Fuyuki Holy Grail, but the Sea of Evil opened by "Azdaha. Angra Mainyu" summoned by Yan Feng Qili.

He stood at the ocean's center, his gaze fixed on Weigong Shilang.

Da Vinci: Yan Feng Qili's spiritual base reaction is fading!

"Weigong Shilang, I never imagined it would end like this," Yan Feng Qili spoke as if to a long-time friend: "We stand on the same side now."

"Stop talking nonsense," Weigong Shilang said, already beside Illya, holding the hollow-eyed girl in his arms: "Yan Feng, stop!"

"Why stop?" Yan Feng Qili countered. "You've transcended yourself. To truly be born into this world and mend your own personality flaws, this is the perfect moment."

Weigong Shilang gritted his teeth and opened a gate to other worlds, intending to send Illya away first.

"I advise you not to do that—her soul is already linked to the Greater Holy Grail and the entire ritual," Yan Feng Qili said, letting his artifact burn his own body.

"Six Servants—from the Heroic King to me—have become sacrifices. The countdown has begun. If you remove her now, you know the consequences."

"The gate to the Root should have been opened by you and Illyasviel."

"Hehehehehehehe!!!" His inner joy could no longer be contained—the agony of flesh and soul burning meant nothing compared to the impending release of "evil."

Shi翁: According to observations, the magical energy at your location is continuously rising—the atmospheric magical concentration in all of Fuyuki has reached abnormal levels! It's about to reach the level of the Seventh Singularity!

Da Vinci: This is terrible! The anomaly detection system is alarming every five seconds! The magical energy situation is understandable, but the singularity is on the border between formation and non-formation!

Da Vinci: Winterthur has detected a massive spiritual base reaction! 3 Servants… 20 Servants… 107 Servants… the number keeps rising! Are these Servants summoned by the Counter Force?!

Caster Gilgamesh: I told you long ago to cut off that man's head. This man's face will betray you at the perfect moment and turn everything you've painstakingly built into nothing.

Da Vinci: Forget about that for now! Fujimaru, the number has risen to over a thousand Servants, and their spiritual bases have already begun to manifest!

From the beginning, the Winterthur Gilgamesh, after understanding Weigong Shilang's nature and situation, set his sights on the Winterthur Holy Grail System.

Alaya's Counter Force prevents humans from reaching the Root because that is power humans cannot attain; attempting to touch the Root triggers the Counter Force, for if a godlike human emerges, the probability of world destruction increases.

Gaia's Counter Force restricts humans from touching the Root simply because human actions might cause planetary destruction.

Therefore, with Weigong Shilang—an inherently unstable, extreme factor—involved in this ritual leading to the Root, even if the one who completes the Third Magic is not him, as long as he participates, the Counter Force's operational mechanism will notice the anomaly of 'Weigong Shilang.'

Moreover, when the Greater Grail activates, the aperture to the Root will open.

The Counter Force will never allow Weigong Shilang to touch that 'aperture'; it poses a threat to every worldline under its control.

"Weigong…"

The instant Tenzan Lixiang spoke.

Faster than lightning.

The priest's wild laughter had not yet faded when a Servant decided to strike the Greater Grail—it was Red A from Chaldea.

The moment the 【Pseudo Spiral Sword】 was unleashed and pierced through space, the prearranged array had already absorbed the first wave of explosion; amid twisted air and magical energy, a rainbow-like blade light struck the air barrier.

The sound of flesh tearing echoed; Lei Guang swept, the cold blade returned to its scabbard, and Red A's left hand was severed.

Tenzan Lixiang: "Weigong?!"

"Indeed, if you destroy the Greater Grail now and leave this world, you could indeed avoid this world forming a singularity or the Counter Force's interference." Yan Feng Qili's body continuously dissolved into spiritual particles, yet his Noble Phantasm continued to spread, halted only at the boundary:

"The cost is merely a group of Servants long overdue for extinction losing their physical forms in this world; otherwise, you and the Grail alike will be deemed hazardous factors."

"Moreover, if you destroy the Greater Grail now, Illya von Einzbern's soul will return to her body, and the damage she suffers will be minimized."

"What will you do, Weigong Shilang? Will you let things settle, or will you bring forward your future path into this era?"

"How thrilling…"

Yanfeng Qili, with a delighted smile, returned contentedly into the Grail.

Weigong Shilang tightened his grip on his sword. He had no way to deal with a creature that calculated his life—because the man was already dead. To drag him out and kill him again would have to wait for another opportunity.

"The best choice now is to destroy the Greater Grail!" Red A, clutching the stump of his severed hand, gritted his teeth against spasms and pain, his eyes bloodshot, screamed:

"If you choose to take Illya's hand, don't drag her into this mess!"

"You're right." Weigong Shilang did not deny it: "I originally intended to help Illya complete the Third Magic under more controllable conditions, but my own limitations caused this situation."

"This planet has several safety mechanisms; bypassing all of them to unleash destructive power is difficult." His wine-red eyes no longer gleamed, yet Illya still retained self-awareness, though the emotion in her voice gradually peeled away.

"You have no means to counter Gaia like the Olympus machine gods. The number of Servants the Counter Force can deploy is incalculable; they can even summon the Grand Classes."

"Shirou, leave now. Don't worry about me."

The resonance between the girl in his arms and the Greater Grail grew stronger, yet even so, she was still thinking of a solution for Weigong Shilang.

Flee first, return later when a solution is found? That is indeed feasible.

"Don't be ridiculous," Weigong Shilang snapped: "You call yourself the heroine every day, but have you ever seen a male lead abandon his heroine and run away?"

Flee?

Yes, but unnecessary.

Weigong Shilang's expression darkened as he felt Noble Phantasms striking the outer barrier; even at this level, they could not penetrate the defense array of the King's Divine Weapon.

Since no life-or-death crisis has arrived, if I truly did that, not just others—I myself would despise me.

"Even if I'm the mildest-tempered person, anyone would be angry at this kind of targeting!"

Due to the atmosphere of other worlds, his latent personality had grown somewhat irritable; Weigong Shilang grew increasingly dissatisfied with the Counter Force's actions.

He carried Illya toward the Greater Grail directly beneath the Servants of the Fifth Holy Grail War; beside him, Tenzan Lixiang bit his thumb but said nothing.

"Under normal circumstances, I've already analyzed the Greater Grail; with enough time, I could replicate it. But now, time is lacking."

Caster, expressionless, spoke with complaint: "I don't even have enough time to obtain a physical form. Should I destroy the Greater Grail? If I involve Zong Yilang, I'd rather return to my seat."

Tohsaka Rin crossed her arms and sighed, asking seriously:

"I didn't expect you'd drag the Counter Force into this. So, what will you choose? If you involve Sakura in this crisis, I won't accept it."

Archer remained silent; his attitude mirrored that of his Chaldea counterpart—if merely returning these replicated Servants to their seats could resolve this, the cost would be too cheap.

"Though it was only a verbal agreement, the contract was sealed from that moment. I will fulfill it and help you remain in this world." Weigong Shilang looked solemnly at Caster: "Is there a way to suppress the connection between the Greater Grail and the Lesser Grail?"

"Theoretically possible, but now the Greater Grail holds dominance." Caster said: "Logically, it shouldn't be this way. Something must be missing."

Weigong Shilang looked at Saber, who understood immediately: "I'll go to the Einzbern Castle and bring Lijielite and the Celestial Robe."

That was the Einzbern family's magical weapon, capable of controlling the heart of the Greater Grail, carrying a spell that materializes a soul for only seconds.

Weigong Shilang nodded, sensing the thousands of Servants already manifested within Winterthur.

How many strange Noble Phantasms they possess remains unknown.

The array was never his strongest suit; with this many Servants, and increasingly powerful spiritual bases descending behind them,

Breaking in here is inevitable.

Before Saber returns, he must guard this place—both the Greater Grail and Illya.

Weigong Shilang thought of this and glanced again at Illya in his arms; she still wore the costume of the Holy Maiden from the film shoot—originally meant to be worn for fun, with a hint of showing off before her other-world self.

Combined with his own attire, Weigong Shilang suddenly felt a sense of déjà vu.

The scene from the movie where the Holy Grail was guarded was unfolding in reality.

He found it amusing, and teased Illya: "Holy Maiden of Light, please handle the magical energy supply."

The snow-white girl, with a face as delicate as a doll and expressionless, gave a slight nod: "Go, brother. Just as before the cycle, the Grail will favor only you."

"Hahaha"

Amidst the strange glances of others, Weigong Shilang smiled and shook his head.

The next moment.

Countless swords covered the wasteland; piercing sword qi converged into an ocean, and Weigong Shilang stood at the center of this world of blades, gazing at the people of Chaldea.

Shen City, Ye Zhetian Trading Association

Ye Fan shoved Su Lin and said, "Aren't you just now saying you wanted to go beat up Gilgamesh? Go now, and bring back my employee while you're at it."

Su Lin replied with a forced smile, "Aren't you the one shouting that you wanted to teach him what happens when you insult the Hun Tian Di? My lord Hun Tian Di, please go first."

Going to Type-Moon, Ye Fan might not fear it, but Su Lin couldn't help being afraid—especially now that Weigong Shilang had become the center of global attention.

Someone like him, a special five-star card, would likely be snatched away by the entities watching Chaldea the moment he landed.

"I think this must be something orchestrated by Gilgamesh of Dongmu City," Zhong Li shook his head:

"It's pointless to think about this now. The urgent matter is to consider the risks we'll face before the Third Law is realized."

"According to the current information, neither of them ever permitted any human to touch the Root. When such a human appears, Alaya's Heroic Spirits and Gaia's monsters will emerge to block them."

"If Weigong Shilang remains in his original world, the danger will only grow higher."

"I just suggested he leave first," Han Li said. "But he intends to use this opportunity to realize the Third Law."

"Soul materialization—come to think of it, in their world's Parallel World, the so-called Servant Universe, those强者 capable of destroying galaxies and universes, are the product of all humanity achieving soul materialization." Meng Qi picked up a spirit fruit and bit into it, his eyes brightening:

"In a certain sense, the Third Law has great potential."

"Servant Universe? I think I've seen this setting before," Zhang Chuang said. "I can't remember exactly what it was like."

"Servant Universe? If you don't blow up a galaxy, you can't even claim to be famous—it's like sages walking everywhere, great sages as common as…" Song Shuhang was idly mocking, then turned and stared: "Huh, you look familiar… your face is a bit like that guy in our group, Yuan Shi Tianzun."

Shhh—

"I'm Meng Qi. You can also call me Su Meng." Meng Qi smiled and said, "I haven't officially joined the Yu Xu Palace yet—I'm not worthy of the name Yuan Shi."

The moment he finished speaking.

Shhh—

"Liu Li Ge, wait for me!"

Shhh—

"Little Dragon has something at home—my brother's eldest son is about to be born."

Shhh—

"Simulated Universe—I need to test the Simulated Universe! Without testing the Simulated Universe, I feel itchy all over!"

Shhh—

One after another, teleportation gates flared to life, and the group scattered like birds and beasts.

Zhang Chuang's jaw trembled twice; he was about to move but froze— not because he didn't want to leave, but because the man beside him had just said, "Stop."

"Old Zhang, I've always wanted to go to Longhu Mountain, but the park entrance fee was too expensive." Meng Qi looked up, recalled something, and patted Zhang Chuang. "Take me over the fence, let me burn some incense, take a photo, and post it on my Moments. Deal?"

(End of Chapter)