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

Inside the Holy Grail, it was a bright and sunny afternoon. A gentle breeze harmoniously rustled through the leaves of the forest, creating a soft, whispering sound.

It was hard to imagine such an existence—a world so harmonious, almost like a beautiful dream.

The world seemed so perfect, and Li Mo felt as if he were being purified just by standing there. But nothing in this world is flawless, not even the world itself.

The figure standing there disrupted this harmony, like a single drop of ink on a pristine white sheet of paper, so out of place that Li Mo noticed them immediately.

She had long, pure white hair and blood-red eyes—two distinctive features that identified her as someone from the Einzbern family.

Her facial features were unmistakable, making her name come to mind instantly.

Irisviel von Einzbern.

Ilya's mother.

But, could it really be her?

Li Mo couldn't quite recall the details; too much time had passed. Who knew what kind of "Black Irisviel" Kiritsugu Emiya encountered inside the Holy Grail all those years ago?

He preferred to call her "Angra Mainyu," Avenger—the embodiment of this world's hatred.

At that moment, her expression was calm, without any signs of madness, suggesting she might be open to conversation.

Li Mo asked, "Why black?"

Her attire was identical in style to Irisviel's from ten years ago, except the color had changed from white to black.

Yet, black didn't fit this scene.

It was like throwing a crazed clown into a cheerful family drama—how out of place would that be?

"Why can't it be black? Do you prefer white instead?" 

She twirled around, her black dress fluttering lightly under her movements before settling back down.

Every gesture was refined, like that of a noble young lady.

It was soothing, like a warm spring breeze.

It was as if the living Irisviel stood right in front of him.

"How much of Irisviel's memories do you have?"

"I am her."

"You're not her."

"Do you think so? Then consider me Irisviel's sister. Would you care to take a walk with me, stranger?"

The Black Irisviel.

For now, Li Mo decided to call her that. He walked beside her, his guard fully raised. He didn't know what her true intentions were. Was she merely borrowing Irisviel's appearance, or did she possess some part of Irisviel's personality and memories?

"Don't be so wary, alright? Actually, I could have influenced Illyasviel early on, driving her hostility toward Shirou to its peak, rather than letting her be persuaded by him."

The Black Irisviel dropped a bombshell with her opening statement.

Avenger could indeed communicate with the outside world within the limits Li Mo had anticipated. However, he hadn't expected her to already have been influencing Ilya… Was it due to the connection between the Lesser Grail and the Greater Grail, allowing her to subtly influence Ilya over time?

If true, that was troubling. If Shirou failed to persuade Ilya, dealing with Berserker would become complicated. Of course, it would only be troublesome, as Berserker wasn't an insurmountable opponent.

But if Heracles had arrived as an Avenger-class Servant, that would be problematic. His immense power combined with his skillful techniques would make group battles extremely challenging.

"Should I say thank you then?"

"You're welcome."

"What are you trying to say? Are you planning to treat me the same way you treated Kiritsugu Emiya?"

When Li Mo said this, the figure resembling Irisviel paused momentarily. She stopped walking and said, "I originally thought you were the same kind of person as Kiritsugu Emiya. To this day, I still remember how that man broke down. When his ultimate beliefs collapsed, everything he had done turned into nightmares.

But now, I see you're not the same kind of person as Kiritsugu Emiya."

The Black Irisviel looked at the young man in front of her. Observing him from afar through the Greater Grail hadn't revealed much, but now she could sense something about him.

Something similar to herself.

No one understood who she truly was better than herself. For the first sixty years, she was a non-entity, an ordinary boy labeled as "evil," who died in flames without any concern for his fate because, at that time, he didn't feel it was wrong.

Ten years ago, after absorbing Irisviel's memories, she reviewed that past and realized—it was wrong...

Why should she have died?

"But, I'm curious. What would you do if faced with the same choice as Kiritsugu Emiya?"

The scene shifted dramatically.

What was once the shore of Fuyuki City transformed into an endless ocean.

On the azure sea, Li Mo could see two ships.

One carried three hundred people, the other two hundred.

"If everyone were of equal value, my choice would be the same as Kiritsugu Emiya's," Li Mo began. "But I think Kiritsugu was foolish, blindly led by you. If he decided to abandon the smaller group, why did he stand on their ship?"

In moments of life-and-death urgency, when perfection isn't possible and choices must be made, choosing the majority and abandoning the minority is logical. But the problem lies in whether one has to act personally.

Li Mo remembered an event where a plane crashed in the icy mountains. The survivors, after running out of ammunition and food, decided that whoever died first would be eaten to keep the others alive.

This was a survival strategy during dire situations, impossible to criticize, provided the condition was natural death! If someone chose to kill another to survive, that would be wrong.

Li Mo stared at the Black Irisviel.

She was Avenger, and also the consciousness of the Holy Grail itself.

During the sixty years between the Third and Fourth Holy Grail Wars, Avenger polluted the Holy Grail, becoming part of it, embodying its consciousness.

She was—

"The Black Grail"

"I will kill you."

After the initial shock, Li Mo no longer hesitated, his eyes flashing with determination.

At this point, Li Mo saw no reason to engage in further conversation. Similar? What about him was similar to her? Could it be the aura brought by the "Beast Authority" that caused her misunderstanding?

He had realized that he had no need to converse with her.

The Black Grail was decapitated, yet strangely, her head did not fall off.

"That was decisive. I thought we would continue talking."

"There's no need. I don't rely on the Greater Grail as a wish-granting machine. All I need is the Greater Grail itself."

Li Mo said calmly.

Then, he saw the world darken in an instant.

As if the sun had set on the world.