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

The world collapsed.

It was as if a white A4 sheet of paper had been submerged in an ink bottle, the ink spreading and consuming everything. The entire world was overtaken by "blackness." No color could resist it; all were assimilated into its embrace. When every color is mixed together, the final result is always pitch-black.

Li Mo didn't actually dislike the color black. In fact, he enjoyed pairing black and white in his clothing—it was simple and elegant.

However, when black takes on meaning beyond just a color, one's attitude toward it shifts toward aversion.

For instance, right now— 

Black mud flowed from every direction, rising to ankle height and surging toward him. It was as if he were inside a room, and someone outside was flooding it with water—not ordinary water, but black mud.

The atmosphere shifted.

In this country, there's a phrase, "reading the air," which implies learning to sense the mood. Now, Li Mo was truly reading the air.

The air itself carried emotions—the purest form of malice. Humans inevitably interact with one another, and these interactions cause friction, and friction breeds malice.

For an individual, malice might be suppressed by reason, preventing it from causing too much trouble. Even if reason fails, the consequences are usually limited to a one-on-one fight, at worst resulting in mutual death.

For an organization, the outbreak of malice leads to group fights, physical combat, or the clash of cold weapons, potentially leading to mass casualties.

For a nation, the consequence of malice exploding is war, where countless lives are lost.

"All the evil of this world... feels like the malice of humanity."

Humans are the most adept at killing each other.

"Yes, just like what you did earlier. Weren't we having a pleasant conversation? Why did you act so decisively?"

The Black Grail reattached her head, her attire transforming under the influence of the black mud. Her previous low-cut dress became a deep-V long gown.

Her spiritual core intensified.

Li Mo said, "Yes, our conversation was enjoyable. But you remind me of Satan. You want to drag me straight into hell. Your willpower isn't bad, but you can't put yourself in danger.

Besides... wasn't that exchange rather meaningless? I don't need to converse with you."

He came here to kill her, to pave the way for transcendence.

Talking to her served no purpose for him.

"Do you think you're like that priest, Kotomine Kirei, capable of withstanding your own corruption?"

Baptized in black mud and reborn.

Not only Gilgamesh achieved this, but also Kotomine Kirei. Compared to Emiya Kiritsugu, Kirei fared much better—his body remained healthy like any normal person. Without the events of the Fifth Holy Grail War, it would have been hard to guess how long Kirei might live.

"Who knows?"

Li Mo no longer concealed his aura.

The "Celestial Fox" representing the White Chen Bloodline.

The "Beast" symbolizing the Authority of Beasts.

At this moment, Li Mo had gathered strength akin to Koyonskaya before she absorbed the King of the Otherworld.

He responded to the Black Grail, "Why wouldn't I be able to?"

The black mud had already reached his feet. Ten years ago, the great fire was caused by this very mud, yet Li Mo felt no burning sensation. Instead, when the mud touched him, "malice" seeped in.

When the world is enveloped by "evil," life enters darkness.

Everyone questions you, denies you, rejects you. There's no place for you in society, no position for you in the community.

Countless accusations press upon you, overwhelming.

Layer upon layer of illusions appeared before him, as if countless timelines unfolded simultaneously.

One scene showed a funeral where his parents gazed at the urn containing ashes. The mournful sound of trumpets played—a parent burying their child, the saddest event imaginable.

A young boy with markings on his forehead pulled at him, saying, "Why haven't you come back? Why didn't you return sooner? The Kamado family was wiped out because of Muzan Kibutsuji! Why didn't you kill him!"

A gentle doctor stood before him at the Butterfly House, saying, "Why didn't you arrive earlier that night? If you had, the sisters wouldn't have been left behind. Did you intentionally invite demons?"

A masked shrine maiden stood before him, saying, "You can't save them..."

And so on, from his past life to this one, from the mundane world to the alternate realities he'd experienced—everything he didn't wish to see, every thought he tried to suppress, appeared before him.

All the sorrow buried within, all the pain hidden deep in his heart, was unearthed.

Malice.

Beyond harsh words and icy rejection, fear and grief are also forms of malice. Past choices resurfaced, forcing him to make those decisions again. This is humanity's greatest weakness—just because one could once be cold-blooded doesn't mean they are immune to guilt. When regret surfaces, it can crush everything.

"I see..."

Li Mo began absorbing the secrets Koyonskaya had taught him. As the black mud infiltrated him, malice arose both internally and externally. Hallucinations and auditory delusions followed in succession.

Based on his deepest fears and terrors, these illusions manifested one after another.

"You probably understand what Kiritsugu went through."

Killing his own father.

Killing his childhood friend.

Killing his adoptive mother.

His life had been filled with far too much suffering. Yet, he usually buried these feelings deep within.

For Emiya Kiritsugu, the ship dilemma was merely the last straw. Long before that, he was already teetering on the brink.

The black mud had already enveloped his entire body but was restrained around his neck. He returned the Tianmu Shadow Blade to the system interface; using a blade couldn't kill Avenger while inside the Holy Grail.

If not for absorbing the mud, the best option would have been to let Arthuria destroy the summoned Holy Grail with Excalibur. But would that ensure Avenger couldn't still influence the outside world?

"But it seems you understand Emiya Kiritsugu yet, like Kotomine Kirei, don't really care about these things."

The Black Grail spoke, her ethereal voice echoing within the Holy Grail. She recalled ten years ago when three people encountered her: Emiya Kiritsugu, who, despite collapsing, left rationally and destroyed the Holy Grail.

Gilgamesh, the proud man whose golden soul could never be tainted by darkness.

And Kotomine Kirei...

His soul was already black. What pollution could affect it?

"No, you're different from Kotomine Kirei. You've experienced the greatest despair the world has to offer, and nothing more."

Li Mo replied.

The Black Grail displayed a serious expression. She could now feel it—like a vortex, he was continuously devouring the black mud.

Malice became nourishment.

Behind him, she saw a pristine white tail emerging.