Multiverse: Why does the world show a health bar? !

"Mongrel!"

Gilgamesh's attention was instantly drawn to Li Mo. That familiar aura reminded him of the Mother of Beasts.

It was the scent of a **Beast**.

The person before him was no mere magus, but a "young beast" seeking its path.

Even if his **Beast** aura was almost on the verge of withering, his rank had already changed.

By the time he thought of using Ea, it was already too late.

"What a clever plan, mongrel! This time, I will remember."

If he had been killed by an ordinary magus, he would have been furious. But the man before him was no ordinary magus.

He was a **young Beast**.

Gilgamesh could sense an aura similar to that of the Mother of Beasts from Li Mo.

Li Mo did not react.

The next moment, Gilgamesh closed his eyes.

Li Mo beheaded Gilgamesh.

From beginning to end, as Gilgamesh closed his eyes for the last time, he never spoke a word. That Gilgamesh was a contradictory, complex man with many facets.

"Ah, it's finally over. I was so nervous. I thought he might pull off a desperate counterattack."

Li Mo felt better than ever. The moment he killed Gilgamesh, his experience bar filled to the max. The automatic healing from leveling up restored his body to its peak condition.

"Master, what should we do with his body?" Koyanskaya jumped down from the helicopter. The moment she landed, the helicopter disappeared.

It was her ability as a Servant, much like Medea's magecraft or Cú Chulainn's spear techniques.

When she stopped supplying it with magical energy, the helicopter vanished, returning to the world it belonged to.

"Medea, please help burn his body into ashes and collect them."

The body Koyanskaya referred to was Gilgamesh's. After being incarnated through the black mud, his body did not disappear like a normal Servant's would upon death. Instead, it remained as a physical corpse.

Li Mo's plan was reasonable. Medea used magical flames to burn Gilgamesh's body into ashes, which she then collected and stored.

—Ilya should have sensed the first Servant's magical energy by now.

Li Mo looked in the direction of the Einzbern Castle.

He wasn't sure how Shirou Emiya and Ilya's discussion was going.

"What's next, Master?"

"Medea, you won't be needed for now. Please return to the hidden mountain. Koyanskaya and Cú Chulainn, come with me to buy ingredients. Let's celebrate the end of the Holy Grail War."

"Wait, Master. This Archer is a Servant from the previous Holy Grail War. There are still several Servants remaining. The Holy Grail War isn't over yet, right?"

The battle with Gilgamesh was Cú Chulainn's pledge of loyalty. Without a doubt, he had earned Li Mo's trust. Naturally, his demeanor became more relaxed.

Li Mo said, "But now, all the remaining Servants are in an alliance, aren't they?"

"Huh?! But there's only one Holy Grail, right?" Cú Chulainn exclaimed in surprise.

Li Mo replied, "The problem isn't scarcity, but inequality. Since there are multiple Masters and only one Holy Grail, why not just ensure that no one can use it?"

Cú Chulainn was stunned.

This was a path he had never considered.

Then, he burst into laughter: "Haha, Master, you're much more interesting than that priest!"

"Of course, I'm more interesting than Kirei Kotomine. I'm a modern swordmaster, aren't I? In ancient times, I would have been a hero worthy of becoming a Servant," Li Mo responded.

Soon, Li Mo and Cú Chulainn were shoulder to shoulder, chatting like old friends.

Koyanskaya pursed her lips, wondering how her Master could trust a defector so easily.

---

Meanwhile, at the Einzbern Castle located in the outskirts of Miyama Town, an unexpected warmth filled the air. Sella and Leysritt were busy serving tea and snacks to their guests. The Einzbern family, being a wealthy and ancient magus family, had never skimped on Ilya's living expenses. For magus families, household expenses were often the smallest part of their budget.

Ilya was deep in conversation with Shirou Emiya and the others. Her feelings toward Shirou, this unfamiliar "little brother," were complicated. In the latter years of Kiritsugu's life, it was Shirou who had been by his side.

She didn't particularly like him.

But when Shirou presented old plane tickets with "Germany" as the destination, Ilya fell silent.

The tickets were proof of Kiritsugu's intentions. If Kiritsugu hadn't wanted to see her, why would he have flown back to Germany? He knew full well that it was Einzbern territory.

As an old and influential magus family, the Einzberns held significant power in Germany.

So, had the family lied to her?

Kiritsugu Emiya...

Ilya thought back to her childhood. Back then, just like now, it was winter. The snow-covered landscape of Germany stretched endlessly, and the Einzbern Castle was blanketed in white.

She and Kiritsugu had ventured into the forest together. What had they been doing? Were they competing to see who could find the first sprout of green? Who had won in the end? Kiritsugu or her?

She couldn't remember.

That was ten years ago. Ilya's memories of those days were hazy. Now, her recollections of winter at the Einzbern Castle were mostly of playing in the snow with the maids.

Until the year Berserker arrived.

Ilya's eyes sharpened. She understood why Shirou had come to her. It was because Berserker stood by her side.

She wasn't opposed to forming an alliance. But the question was, what would happen to the Holy Grail after they defeated their enemies?

Just as Ilya was about to ask how they would handle the Holy Grail after defeating their enemies—whether they would turn on each other or not—she sensed something unusual.

"!!!"

"A Servant has been defeated!"

Ilya immediately thought of the mysterious man who had appeared at the Matou household that night, the Master who had brought Rider and Assassin to destroy the Matou family. The Rider from that night now belonged to Shirou and Rin's faction.

What was the relationship between Assassin and them?

More importantly, whose Servant had been defeated, and which class?

Shirou Emiya, upon hearing the news, exchanged glances with Rin Tohsaka and the others before speaking: "It must be Lancer who was defeated."

That magus, Li Mo, had gone after Lancer. At this time, he must have succeeded, right?

"So, what's your situation? I need to know everything before I can agree to an alliance," Ilya asked. She felt that Shirou's visit was shrouded in mystery.

Shirou, sensing the shift in Illya's attitude, calmly began to explain the situation, with Sakura Matou adding details where necessary.