Chapter 78: Bearing World's All Evil?

Three enormous black mud masses coalesced into three gigantic spheres. The mud tightened, compressing until it merged into a single entity.

"Hahaha, I've finally won!!! You are destined to be losers!"

Angra Mainyu stared coldly at the three mud spheres before him, but none responded.

"Not good!! Master!!!"

Diarmuid, witnessing the scene, charged forward in fury—but how could he possibly defeat Angra Mainyu? With a mere wave of his hand, Angra Mainyu summoned three colossal mud pillars that shot toward Diarmuid, ensnaring him momentarily and rendering him helpless.

"Damn it!!"

Another dismissive gesture from Angra Mainyu sent three more black mud pillars hurtling toward Diarmuid. Under the relentless assault, Diarmuid found himself in dire peril.

Time seemed to freeze.

Then—crack!

A fissure split the spherical prison. The crack widened rapidly until—

Light erupted!

A surge of magical energy shattered the black mud shell. From within, Arthur emerged, gripping a radiant golden greatsword—Excalibur, the Sword of Promised Victory!

Crack! Crack!

Two more ruptures echoed. One mud sphere was impaled by a Noble Phantasm, while the other was obliterated by a tempestuous gale. Gilgamesh and Artoria stepped forth, unharmed.

"Angra Mainyu, you've underestimated us too much!!!"

Arthur tightened his grip on his blade. High above, a colossal pillar of light descended from the heavens, enveloping him in a celestial glow.

"Gil, Artoria, prepare!!!"

The auras of the three shifted, their overwhelming regal might radiating outward.

"Then I shall drown you in darkness once more!!!"

An endless tide of black mud surged forth, rising like a devouring wave.

"Gilgamesh—Enuma Elish!!!"

Gilgamesh finally drew Ea. The tri-blade weapon spun violently, unleashing torrents of magical energy that warped spacetime itself. The three streams of power clashed against the black mud—

BOOM!!!

The collision of evil and energy sent shockwaves hurling everyone back.

"You dare defy me?!!" Gilgamesh roared. Crimson light flared, and Ea's might repelled the black mud, scattering it into nothingness.

"Impossible!!!" Angra Mainyu's disbelief was palpable. Desperately, he summoned more mud, but—

Swish!

Artoria's golden strike followed, annihilating his gathered energy in an instant.

Angra Mainyu faltered. Now at his peak, the black mud ceased spreading—instead, it converged onto his body, amplifying his power to apocalyptic levels.

"I will ask you one last time!!! Submit... or perish!!!"

Arthur answered by raising his sword. The world seemed to split into two: absolute light and consuming darkness.

The final battle—would light prevail, or would evil devour all?

"Excalibur!!! Nine seals—RELEASED!!!"

As the radiance coalesced, Arthur's blade shone brighter than ever. If Artoria's Excalibur was a blazing beacon, his was a supernova—dazzling, blinding, unstoppable.

The black mud surged forth in response, but upon contact with the holy light, it melted like frost under the sun. The light advanced, unrelenting, as the darkness crumbled.

Time lost meaning—a second? A year?

For Angra Mainyu, it was an eternity. In his final moments, his mind raced. And as the light consumed him, he felt... liberated.

"This power... remains unmatched!!!" Artoria murmured, her gaze lingering on Arthur's sword.

"Splendid! This is the might befitting my friend!" Gilgamesh grinned approvingly.

"Is it... over?" Diarmuid exhaled, watching the dissipating mud. Angra Mainyu's form dissolved into motes of light.

But then—

The remaining black mud on the ground began to spread anew, corroding everything in its path, as if intent on reducing the world to ashes.

"System!! What’s happening?! Didn’t I defeat Angra Mainyu?"

"Ding-dong. Angra Mainyu has been slain. However, the 'World's All the Evil' persists. Failure to eradicate it will result in..."

"Will what?!"

"Mission failure. Consequences: total erasure of the host’s existence from this world."

"What?! Why didn’t you say so sooner?! How do I destroy it?!"

"Ding-dong. Host possesses Avalon, a Noble Phantasm capable of purifying the mud. To complete the mission, the host must bear all the evil."

"Bear all the evil?!" Arthur’s eyes widened. The World's All the Evil—how could one person endure it?

"Host, the black mud is merely concentrated negative energy—still magical in nature. If the host can expend its energy quickly, success is possible."

"What will happen to me?"

"Until the mud’s energy is exhausted, the host will remain in a blackened state."

Blackened.

I...

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