Kotomine Kirei stared at the dead bodies of the Khaos Brigade.
The church was absolutely quiet.
He let out a dry, empty laugh.
He raised his hand, and Rider slowly stepped back into the shadows, lowering her weapons.
"I give up,"
Kirei said simply, looking right at Elias.
"My grand plan is completely ruined. There is no trick or magic in this world that can defeat you. I surrender."
Rin lowered her glowing gems. She glared at the priest, her chest heaving with deep, bitter anger.
She walked straight up to him. She didn't use any magic.
She just pulled her fist back and punched him right in the face as hard as she could.
*Smack!*
Kirei stumbled back, his lip bleeding. But he just smiled his twisted, fake smile.
"Does that make you feel better, Rin?"
Kirei asked smoothly.
"Because I feel wonderful. I orchestrated this entire mess just to see you suffer."
"What are you talking about?"
Rin growled, grabbing the front of his black shirt.
"I helped arrange Sakura's kidnapping,"
Kirei confessed calmly.
"I knew exactly what Zouken wanted to do to her. I wanted to see your despair. I wanted to watch your mind break when you realized your little sister was completely destroyed."
Rin's eyes widened in pure horror.
Her own guardian had tried to ruin her sister's life just for a cruel, sick experiment.
"You are a monster!"
Rin screamed.
She punched him again. And again.
She let out all of her fear, stress, and heavy anger on him.
Elias stood completely still. He raised a hand to stop Luvia, Archer, and the others from interfering.
He let Rin let it all out.
She needed to release the heavy burden she had been carrying all night.
Finally, Rin let go of the priest's shirt.
Kirei slumped heavily to the floor, completely unconscious. His twisted smile was finally gone.
Rin took a deep, shaking breath. She wiped a tear from her eye and looked at Elias.
"This war was an absolute mess,"
Rin sighed, forcing a tired but genuine smile.
"But at least we won. Getting you on my side was the best decision I ever made, Elias."
"You did great, Rin,"
Elias smiled warmly.
"Now, let's go get your prize."
They walked toward the back of the church.
Floating above the stone altar was a glowing, golden cup. It was the Holy Grail.
But something was wrong with it. Thick, black mud was bubbling inside the cup, giving off a terrible, sick feeling.
Dee's sweet voice whispered into Elias's mind again.
"Eli, The Grail is completely corrupted. It is full of pure, ancient evil. It will destroy anyone who tries to use it."
Elias looked at the bubbling black mud.
"It is corrupted,"
Elias told the group.
"If you make a wish, it will cause a massive disaster."
"Corrupted?"
Luvia gasped.
"Then... What do we do with it? We can't just leave it here!"
"Don't worry,"
Elias said calmly.
"I know exactly how to fix it."
Elias walked right up to the glowing cup.
He didn't hesitate for a single second.
He grabbed the core of the Grail, lifted it to his mouth, and swallowed the corrupted magical mud in one giant gulp.
"Elias!"
Rin screamed, her face turning pale with absolute shock.
"Papa, no!"
Illya cried out in pure terror.
Everyone watched in complete horror as Elias's body began to glow with a dark, heavy light.
But Elias just stood there calmly. He didn't explode. He didn't turn evil.
His incredible Adaptivity power instantly went to work.
It completely destroyed the ancient evil inside the Grail and absorbed the pure, original magic underneath it.
The dark light faded away, replaced by a beautiful, warm, pure white glow.
Elias blinked his eyes. He felt a brand new, incredible concept flowing through his soul.
"Wow,"
Elias said softly, wiping his mouth.
"That tasted terrible... but I adapted."
He looked at Rin, who was still frozen in complete shock with her mouth hanging wide open.
"I just absorbed the magic inside,"
Elias smiled brightly.
"The Holy Grail is completely gone."
Rin finally snapped out of her shock.
She grabbed her hair with both hands.
"You... you literally ate the Holy Grail?!"
Rin shouted, not knowing if she should be angry, scared, or amazed.
"Are you crazy?! What if it killed you?!"
"I told you, I adapted,"
Elias laughed softly.
"I am perfectly fine. It just tasted really bad."
Luvia crossed her arms and let out a long, heavy breath.
"Well,"
Luvia said, shaking her head in disbelief.
"I suppose that is one way to win. You didn't just claim the prize. You completely destroyed the game itself."
Elias looked at his empty hands. He could feel the pure, amazing magic resting peacefully inside his soul.
He looked up at Rin and Luvia. He looked genuinely curious about how the magical world worked.
"So, what happens now?"
Elias asked.
"The war is over for tonight. But what about the future? Will there be another Holy Grail War? Will the mages try to fight again in a few years?"
Rin slowly shook her head. Her blue eyes looked very calm, and a huge weight was finally lifted off her shoulders.
"No," Rin answered softly.
"The war is over, Elias. Forever."
"Are you sure?"
Elias asked, wanting to be absolutely certain no one else would get hurt.
"I am absolutely sure,"
Rin smiled, looking at the empty stone altar where the cup used to be.
"The Holy Grail War was powered by a massive magical core hidden deep under this city. But you didn't just drink the mud. You absorbed the true core itself. The entire system is completely broken now. There is nothing left to fight for."
Luvia nodded in agreement.
"The great Fuyuki Holy Grail Wars are officially history,"
Luvia stated proudly.
"No more summoning Servants. No more killing for wishes. It ends tonight, all because you ate it."
Illya ran over and grabbed Elias's hand tightly.
She looked up at him with bright, happy tears in her eyes.
"That means the Einzberns can never force me to fight again!"
Illya cheered happily.
"There is no Grail left for them to win. I am completely free!"
"Yes, you are,"
Elias smiled, gently squeezing her small hand.
"You are free, and you are coming home with me."
Elias turned around and looked at his group.
Scathach, Archer, Rin, Luvia, Illya, and the giant Berserker.
They had survived a very long, crazy night.
"Let's go back to Kuoh Town,"
Elias said warmly, ready to leave the dark church behind.
Far away in London, inside the highest room of the magical Clock Tower.
An old wizard with a white beard sat behind a large, messy desk.
This was Kischur Zelretch Schweinorg, one of the most powerful mages in the world.
A younger, tired-looking man with long black hair stood in front of his desk. It was Lord El-Melloi.
"The Fuyuki Holy Grail War is completely gone,"
Lord El-Melloi reported, looking very stressed.
"The magical core just vanished into thin air. Do you know what happened?"
Zelretch didn't look angry. He actually laughed out loud.
"I know exactly what happened,"
Zelretch smiled, looking at a glowing, multi-colored gem resting on his desk.
"A teenage boy named Elias just ate it."
"He ate it?!"
Lord El-Melloi gasped in shock.
"That is impossible! A human body would instantly explode!"
"Nothing is impossible for him,"
Zelretch said, his eyes shining with deep, intense curiosity.
"My magic, the Kaleidoscope, connects to all parallel worlds. And right now, it is reacting incredibly strongly to that boy. He is an absolute anomaly."
Zelretch stood up and grabbed his walking cane.
"I have to go to Japan,"
Zelretch said excitedly.
"I must meet this Elias Thorne in person. I want to see his power with my own eyes."
Lord El-Melloi let out a tired sigh.
"You are just going to cause trouble, aren't you?"
Zelretch just smiled.
He raised his hand, preparing to cast a spell to teleport straight to Kuoh Town.
But suddenly, the old wizard froze.
His hand started to shake.
A cold, terrifying shiver ran straight down his spine.
He looked deep into his glowing gem.
Through the magic, he saw the pale little girl with endless dark eyes waiting on the porch in Kuoh Town.
Dee.
Zelretch's confident, playful smile completely vanished.
He slowly lowered his hand and sat back down in his chair. He looked incredibly pale.
"On second thought,"
Zelretch muttered, wiping cold sweat from his forehead.
"I will stay right here in London."
Lord El-Melloi looked very confused.
"What changed your mind?"
Lord El-Melloi asked.
"You never back down from something interesting."
"His little girlfriend,"
Zelretch whispered, his voice full of genuine, deep fear.
"His girlfriend?"
Lord El-Melloi asked, raising an eyebrow.
"Is she a powerful mage? A Servant?"
"She is not a mage,"
Zelretch said softly, staring blankly at his desk.
"I have traveled through thousands of different worlds and timelines. I have seen ancient gods, immortals, and monsters. But I have never, ever seen an entity like her."
Zelretch gripped his cane tightly.
"She is the absolute end of all things,"
Zelretch explained, his voice shaking just a little bit.
"She is Death itself. And she is completely attached to him."
Zelretch forced a nervous, dry laugh.
"If I go there and annoy him, she will not just kill me,"
Zelretch warned.
"She will completely erase my existence from every single timeline."
The old wizard pushed his glowing gem away.
"Let's just leave the boy alone for now,"
Zelretch decided firmly.
"I think the Clock Tower is perfectly fine without him."
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