Multiverse: Becoming a Giant of Light, Godslayer from the Start

Two silver-haired girls—one a quiet, listless child, the other a tiny little bundle of danger. Su Mo honestly hadn't decided how to deal with them yet.

But before he could think further, Illyasviel tugged him to the side and whispered something to him. Judging by Irisviel's expression, she also seemed interested in adopting the two girls. After thinking about it, Su Mo agreed to keep them for now.

Still, considering Caren's strange personality and Jack's somewhat dangerous wish, he decided it would be best to place some magical bindings on them for safety. Using the solar authority he inherited from Mithra, Su Mo applied a binding contract—one that would prevent them from harming Irisviel or anyone else, or attacking innocent bystanders.

And to make sure Caren and Jack wouldn't be ostracized for the marks, Su Mo deliberately chose not to place the seal on their hands or feet where others might see it.

Instead, in what he thought was a very thoughtful gesture, he inscribed the magical crest on their lower abdomen—an area unlikely to be revealed unless they wore very questionable swimsuits.

A small, clever touch—even Su Mo found himself a bit impressed with his own ingenuity. That said, for reasons unknown to him, Caren's expression turned utterly speechless and resigned when she learned where the contract was placed. Even Illya blushed furiously.

Only Jack remained blissfully unaware, her expression as blank as ever. Kiyohime, meanwhile, was unusually calm, though her eyes sparkled with what could only be described as suspicious eagerness.

Su Mo didn't understand their reactions at all. Wasn't it just a crest? What was so weird about it? As far as he was concerned, he had no idea why they were reacting like this (totally unaware). Once the matter with Caren and Jack was resolved, Su Mo cleared his throat and moved on to more important topics.

"The Holy Grail War is essentially over," he announced. "I'm preparing to begin the Grail ritual. Before I do that—do any of you have a wish?" The Holy Grail's true purpose was to open the path to the Root and achieve the Third Magic. But its function of granting wishes wasn't entirely fake. Of course, it wasn't omnipotent. It couldn't grant any wish.

At its core, the Grail was simply a nearly infinite source of magical energy for magi. With such power, most wishes were theoretically achievable—at least for ordinary magi. Basically, brute-force magic at its finest.

But for someone like Su Mo, it was almost meaningless. With the absurd amount of mana in his body, he could basically craft a Holy Grail himself if he wanted. People often say they can make wishes to the gods. Well, when the scope of the wish fell within the realm of a Campione's authorities, making that wish to a god-slayer could get you the same results.

The only problem was: Campiones had tempers.

So, unlike indifferent gods, there was a real risk of getting smited if you annoyed a god-slayer. That's why nobody ever tried. Hearing his question, Sakura shook her head.

"I just want to stay with Onii-chan. That's enough." Her wish didn't require a Holy Grail. And anything she wanted from her heart—well, if it was granted by the Grail, it wouldn't mean anything to her. So, she had no desire to make a wish.

"No problem," Su Mo smiled, gently patting her head. He turned to Irisviel.

"Huh? Me?" she blinked in surprise.

She'd only just arrived the day before—and now she was being offered a wish from the Holy Grail? Could it be… Su Mo really already thought of her as Illya's mother? As his wife?

A faint blush crept onto her cheeks. After a moment of contemplation, she answered seriously.

"The Einzbern family's long-standing wish has always been to reach the Heaven's Feel."

"So, as long as you can achieve the Third Magic, Su Mo-sama, that'll be enough."

As a homunculus of the Einzbern lineage, Irisviel felt no particular aversion to her family's goals. She wasn't someone with grand wishes of her own. If Su Mo could attain the Third Magic, and if she could raise Illya as her beloved daughter—that would be all she needed.

"That's something I can achieve without needing to make a wish," Su Mo nodded.

Next—

"Don't worry about me, Papa!" Illya said proudly, her hands on her hips. "I'm the personification of the Holy Grail! I don't need to make wishes to it!" Jack had once wished for a mother, but now that Irisviel had decided to adopt both her and Caren, she had nothing left to ask for.

Caren was a little surprised to even be included in the question. But in truth, she didn't have any wishes either. Despite her sarcastic mouth and twisted personality, she was surprisingly content with the way things were.

Who would have guessed? The same Holy Grail that had once driven countless heroes and magi into a frenzy, forcing them to fight and kill each other for their one shot at a miracle…

Now, not one person wanted it.

At least, not until—

"Master, I have a wish!" It was Okita Souji who raised her hand at last.

"I don't want to be separated from Master!" The sword-wielding girl looked at Su Mo with large, pleading eyes. Ordinarily, once a Servant's wish had been fulfilled, they would return to the Throne of Heroes. But Okita didn't want that. These past few days had been among the happiest of her life. If possible, she wanted to stay by Su Mo's side forever.

"In that case, same for me," Kiyohime echoed quickly.

"I haven't fulfilled Master's wish yet—I can't leave!" Her tiny fists clenched as she declared it. Su Mo's romantic future was still uncertain. How could she leave now? Hadn't she been promised the Kiyohime Route True Ending? If she left now, she wouldn't descend into the world again for another sixty years! How would that count as victory?! According to what Illya had hinted about the future, she should remain in this world. Hearing Kiyohime's impassioned words, Sakura felt… complicated. Partly touched. Partly suspicious.

She had a nagging feeling that Kiyohime's desire to stay had nothing to do with her. But she had no proof.

Still, hearing all of them speak like this Caren had nearly forgotten about that detail. Upon remembering, she quickly turned her gaze to Su Mo with hopeful eyes. She didn't want to see Jack disappear either. In response to the wishes of the two Servants and Caren's silent plea, Su Mo merely offered a rhetorical question.

"I didn't tell you already?"

"Once a Servant makes contact with the Greater Grail, they can obtain a physical body. So even without making a wish, none of you are going to vanish." In addition, once he acquired the Third Magic, Su Mo would be able to grant them true bodies regardless. In other words, this had never really been a problem in the first place. Everyone present blinked in surprise.

"You never said anything like that, Master!" Okita pouted, clearly feeling wronged. But her face quickly brightened into a smile. "Well, that's perfect! That means I can stay with Master forever!" She had been worried until now, but it turned out there was nothing to fear. Kiyohime looked equally delighted—so she really would get to stay.

Which meant that the future Illya had spoken of… was real. Victory for little Kiyohime! Somewhere along the way, she had completely forgotten her original mission to help Sakura. Whether it was a matter of fate, or just the fickle nature of girl friendships, one thing was certain—Kiyohime was overjoyed.

"I've heard all your wishes," Su Mo said, glancing at the group.

"Sakura, you all stay home for now. Okita and the other Servants, head to the central park in Fuyuki and wait for me."

"Before the Grail descends, there's still one more task I need to take care of."

This time, the Holy Grail was going to manifest at Fuyuki City Central Park. But if they just went ahead and made a wish like usual, all they'd receive would be a desire twisted by All the World's Evils. In order to restore the Grail's proper wish-granting function, that corrupted essence had to be purged. So, before the Grail could descend, Su Mo had a necessary errand to run. Even Illya didn't fully understand the details about All the World's Evils. Still, no one raised any objections to Su Mo's plan.

The group quickly split up and departed, and Su Mo soon arrived at his destination:

Ryuudou Temple.

Beneath the temple, within the hidden depths of Mount Enzou, lay a massive magical array designed to draw mana from the leylines beneath the temple and store it. This was the true form of the Greater Grail. At the center of this massive structure was a colossal altar—its core formed from the sacrificed body of the Saint of Winter, Justeaze Lizrich von Einzbern.

This was the heart of the Greater Grail. By touching the outer shell of the Grail, Servants could be granted physical bodies. But in its current state, doing so would also result in their corruption. And the reason for that was obvious—just look at the black mud oozing nearby.

"To think colorless magical energy could be dyed into All the World's Evils… even if this is just a counterfeit of Angra Mainyu, its power is still this potent?" Su Mo stared at the black sludge surrounding him, genuinely surprised.

This evil mud, which could even taint Heroic Spirits, cowered before him like mice before a cat. It continuously recoiled, unable to display any of the terrifying presence it once had in the original timeline. Su Mo, however, had expected this outcome.

"Wherever light shines, darkness will vanish. Good will always triumph over evil."

He recited the sacred words to summon the power of the sun. In that dark cavern, the radiant brilliance of Mithra—the god of light and contracts—blazed forth. Like flames scorching flesh, the black mud immediately recoiled.

Light and darkness, good and evil, order and chaos—the eternal struggle between opposing forces. This was the very essence of Zoroastrian doctrine.

Dualism.

Under Mithra's light, the counterfeit All the World's Evils was burned away, reduced to half its strength. With every step Su Mo took, it writhed like a cornered maiden, panicking in its futile struggle. Like a grotesque monster of writhing tentacles, the remaining sludge desperately tried to flee the light's reach—but couldn't get within ten meters of Su Mo. In the end, completely unable to retaliate, it was utterly annihilated.

The magic within the Greater Grail, previously corrupted and tainted, was restored to its original, colorless state. Watching the ashes of All the World's Evils scatter to the void, Su Mo sighed with regret.

"You failed for one reason—because you didn't transform into a loli and beg for mercy."

Had it done that, he might've softened for three seconds. And then still destroyed it anyway. Because unlike Caren or Jack, All the World's Evils was something inherently irredeemable. From the very start, Su Mo had no intention of sparing it.