The establishment of the Time Travelers Alliance began in the first year of Conan

Chapter 407 Rushing into Mother's Arms (Seeking Monthly Tickets at the End of the Month)
Is that... Irisviel?
Kiritsugu could see that solitary, helpless figure running towards him from afar.

Even though he couldn't see the person's face clearly, their anxious demeanor and calls to their daughter made him feel disoriented.

The call just now was so urgent and worried, the trembling voice seemed to say that she had been separated from her child for a very long time.

Kiritsugu could understand this long separation, even without any apparent reason.

Time is swaying all around.

As the woman ran, her increasingly urgent emotions and heightened feelings resonated throughout the rest of the city.

Snow began to fall from the scorching sky.

The color of snowflakes or ashes is the same as the color of the deaths Irisviel caused on her journey to save Illya.

But to Kiritsugu, it was more like the burnt paper offerings and grayish-black ashes from the Obon festival.

Can I really convince her?
At this moment, looking at the changing scenery around him, Kiritsugu had lost all confidence.

Her goal is as firm as it was for her in the past and for her now.

And naturally, the destruction caused by this unwavering resolve is all the more resolute.

Even knowing that the Alice in front of her was not her Irisviel.

But the maternal love that Black Alice showed at this moment still stirred a sense of sympathy in Kiritsugu's heart.

If I were to lay out all the things the [Alliance] could do...

Immediately afterward, Kiritsugu rejected this weak idea in his mind.

To state your bottom line in negotiations from the outset is the most foolish idea.

Looking at the devastated scene around him, Kiritsugu's feelings for Irisviel seemed to fade away the instant they arose.

"This must not be allowed to happen," a voice, his own voice, said to Kiritsugu in his heart.

Even Alice's behavior—

"Kiritsugu, although I do not support this view."

ZC-01's final words echoed in my mind.

"But that is indeed the case. Neither Irisviel nor Matou Sakura caused as many casualties as those 'strong' who pursue other things."

"The pursuit of the Holy Grail was indeed something that could never be accomplished in the previous War of Branches."

"According to Merlin's memories, Matou Sakura, who is only pursuing the resurrection of Illya or winning Shirou Emiya's love, is not very dangerous."

This is also why Conan's bottom line softened slightly under Lin Sheng's persistent persuasion.

Perhaps Black Sakura has some reputation among the many "strong individuals"—

But that was also because of her stubbornness and the difficulty in eliminating that "sea of ​​resentment".

And what about Black Alice?
Merlin had never even heard of her before.

Death, this heavy word, is a very common thing in the Type-Moon universe and in the Branch Wars.

Even if we compare the deaths caused by Merlin at his most insane period with those of Irisviel today.

If this nightmare hadn't invaded the [Starry Sea], where it mostly killed fairies or gods, it wouldn't be included in the [League] or [Edogawa Conan]'s statistics.

Merlin caused far more deaths.

Compared to Black Cherry, which requires a slow process and the use of black mud to complete the transformation, the "stronger" ones are much more efficient at utilizing [branches].

In Merlin's words, "To ensure that most of the 'strong' come from the original main branches."

"During the period before Chaldea completed its intelligence repair mechanism, some pruning operations carried out by 'strong individuals' not only occurred on a universe-by-universe basis, but sometimes even resulted in the recovery of entire sectors."

"Hoo—" Kiritsugu exhaled a deep breath.

He kept thinking about those cold descriptions, which made the influence of his "persona" on him slightly lessen.

Even so, a chill still blew more firmly from the depths of his soul, freezing the once hesitant sea of ​​emotions into a clear mirror.

That burning heart cooled down.

Even if it brings the desire for peace, it will be much harder to achieve than in the past.

However, Kiritsugu Emiya quickly brought back the wish related to the Holy Grail from the depths of his heart.

The Alliance did not hide this fact.

After all, anyone would have doubts about why the Holy Grail of one universe could affect the entire Type-Moon universe.

"But if we exclude other main branches and only keep the [historical inertia] related to World War IV or V, then..."

It seemed as if another person had joined in the persuasion, and another voice from ZC-01 rang in Kiritsugu's ears.

"This will be a true Holy Grail, a wish-granting machine that can grant any wish."

"The number of universes is meaningless here, Kiritsugu."

"As long as the Holy Grail's character design dictates that it can make any changes to the surface of the world, the completion of the Holy Grail Ritual can indeed open a hole leading to the Root."

"Any wish will be granted—in a malicious way."

"..."

Kiritsugu was puzzled as to why he could remember so much information after hearing it only once.

He even felt some pain—the pain of having a choice.

In the past, Kiritsugu Emiya never sought to find out if something had some kind of truth or answer.

He simply vowed to save as many people as possible, that's all.

That is why the lives he saves are not divided by social status, and no reason or background can affect his choice to sacrifice the "lesser party".

But he can't do that now.

The CYZ Alliance's philosophy is completely different from that of this extreme man in many ways.

For example, there might be some concealment in the process, or even proactive contingency plans for the worst possible outcome.

But as Lin Sheng has always said, he will definitely give everyone the opportunity to choose and tell them the truth that they most want to know and do not want to be hidden.

It's like how he told Akako the answer even though he knew she might not be able to accept it, because she "wanted to know".

What kind of answer do I really want?

Kiritsugu lowered his head slightly, glancing at his chest out of the corner of his eye.

The modified Thomson competitor, with its walnut handle, was inserted into a position where it could be easily pulled out.

At this moment, the dark barrel of the gun gleamed with the light of the [Origin Bullet].

What is the purpose of my long-held vision of saving the majority?
……

Perhaps because he was an adult, Kiritsugu's pace was much larger than Illya's.

Perhaps it was because Ilya was worried that she wouldn't be able to persuade Irisviel.

Illya was originally being led forward by Kiritsugu, whose steps were firm.

But now, in just a few breaths, the situation has changed so drastically that Illya is dragging Kiritsugu towards Irisviel.

Illya knew that Kiritsugu was struggling with this difficult dilemma.

For this sensitive and perceptive "Lesser Grail," Kiritsugu's emotions were completely laid bare.

He wavered between becoming a cold machine again and giving up his long-cherished wish and reconciling with his desires.

Ilya didn't want to think about whether this was due to the changes in time.

This child has undoubtedly grown a lot compared to the past.

However, she still found it difficult to fit Kiritsugu's changes into the cold, hard algorithms provided by the Alliance, to confirm whether it was the character design or historical inertia that was influencing her father at this moment.

"Anyway, as long as we manage to save Kiritsugu and Irisviel in the end!" "As long as we save Dad and Mom, we can leave the rest to the officers!"

With this expectation in mind, Ilya pulled her father aside and ran towards Irisviel.

……

And so, the pink figure met two figures, one large and one small.

“Ilya!” Irisviel said.

She no longer wanted to think about when tears welled up in her eyes.

She still had a smile on her face, and opened her arms to Ilya, wanting to hug her.

But Kiritsugu's actions immediately dampened her spirits.

My daughter wanted to run away to get here—

Regardless of whether Ilya wanted to do this or not, Black Alice interpreted it this way, and she couldn't accept any other answer.

In her view, the two hands that were tightly clenched together were Kiritsugu pulling Illya, who was running ahead, and forcefully pushing Illya to his other side.

This action immediately calmed Ilya down as well.

The Alliance's assessment that Illya and Kiritsugu Emiya must travel together was very accurate.

No matter how much Ilya tried to use the image of Irisviel to cover it up, or how much she tried to ignore the abnormalities that Kiritsugu had noticed.

She couldn't do it at that moment.

Even though Kiritsugu's hand tightened for only a moment, it was Illya who held Kiritsugu's hand tightly in return.

A sense of doubt arose in Ilya's heart—

Is this... really Mom?
That malevolent, demonic nature was fully revealed at this moment by his own desire for himself.

This love for his daughter had become so extreme as to be almost black—

Those arms that seemed to be melting, and the faintly undulating black ground around them, all materialized under Irisviel's excited emotions.

There is absolutely no need for the souls of those [Heroic Spirits].

Over the years, regardless of their class, countless souls have been filled in the Black Grail named Irisviel in order to successfully complete their mission.

A kind of dazzling golden light tried to burst out from that "corpse".

Unrivaled.

At this moment, there is no "stronger" who can match Irisviel.

A vast amount of magical power gathered around the family, and with countless spells, it distorted the entire Reality Marble itself along with Irisviel's Mind Image.

A universe is about to be born.

That would be a universe filled with a mother's boundless love for her child and an infinite longing for happiness.

Now, this fragile, illusory, and unreal universe is contained within Irisviel's cauldron.

As long as someone can lift it up.

Within this skeleton, about to be swallowed by black mud and burned to ashes by flames, a universe recognized by the entire Type-Moon universe will be born.

The ceremony consisting of three branches will then be completed.

Even if the entire shell is burned away, it will try to fulfill the wishes of the person who holds the Holy Grail.

But at what cost?

A scene from the movie "Historical Inertia" now seems to shine brightly.

Like a fountain, what will support this universe and anchor its brilliance in an unshakeable position are those black, rotten things.

……

The boundless, endless flow of black mud overflowed from Irisviel and from that container.

"I...I am..."

This woman, this mother, who has fallen into paranoia, now seems to have entered an even deeper phase of madness.

As if recognizing herself for the first time, Irisviel stared blankly at what was seeping out from the gaps and cracks in those arms.

Her ruby-like eyes were filled with confusion and fear as she watched in despair as those unfamiliar acts of malice and evil dripped onto the ground, melting everything around her.

Kiritsugu had already put his right hand inside his robes.

He had no time to hesitate.

The situation is many times worse than the Alliance anticipated—

Such a degree of "evil in this world"—no, it absolutely cannot be called "evil in this world."

That overflowing filth is an evil substance formed from the love and obsession of only one or two people.

Even those beings in the [Alliance] archives who are given the name "beast" and symbolize "human evil".

The worst evil they could do was nothing compared to what was in that cup.

Kiritsugu glanced at that universe and immediately recognized the utterly irreversible outcome from the very words Irisviel had intended to use to "convince" him.

That is the deep love that the character design has for the character design.

They do not care about any "external things" and do not crave any "others".

All other living beings, all planets, universes, and even existence itself, are merely an existence called [Irisviel]—

The background of the "character".

If such a universe were realized, what would the world be like?
Kiritsugu didn't even think that the concept of "world" existed at that time.

Perhaps all that will remain in the future will be a photograph, a painting, or a sentence.

A photograph of a happy and fulfilling family; an oil painting depicting Ilya, herself, and Alice.

Even just a simple sentence: "In the end, Irisviel found her child."

This most extreme desire even sent chills down Kiritsugu's spine.

This is not the peace he wants, nor is it the peace Alice wants; Kiritsugu firmly believes this.

He didn't know what Irisviel had gone through to have such extreme thoughts.

Given this desire, even the original wish of the Holy Grail to kill everyone else seems acceptable.

then--

Just as he was about to pull the trigger.

Just as that bullet loaded with the [Origin Bullet] was about to shatter the [Holy Grail] through the coat...

"Illya—!!!" Kiritsugu's roar rang out.

This happened so suddenly that even Irisviel and Kiritsugu were completely caught off guard.

Ilya suddenly released her grip on Kiritsugu's hand.

She didn't hesitate.

His face bore a sad and worried expression.

The child simply leaped high and threw himself into Irisviel's arms, who was trembling with fear.

Ilya hugged her mother tightly with all her might, burying her face in her chest.

“Why are you crying, Mom?” she said.

The darkness that swept through the world seemed to freeze at that moment.

(End of this chapter)