Shinji Matou at Your Service

The Root is indeed the ultimate goal of magecraft, the final dream of magi, a place that records everything and grants omniscience and omnipotence. However, no magus who has reached the Root has ever returned to the physical world. This is the greatest gift, but also the most brutal punishment.

"Can the Holy Grail open a path to the Root?"

Lorelei suddenly turned her head and asked Justeaze. The latter nodded stiffly.

"The Holy Grail was indeed given this functionality, at the cost of seven Heroic Spirits."

Currently, the Servants who had perished were: Gilgamesh, Scathach, Cú Chulainn, Iskandar, Heracles, Darius III, Senji Muramasa, and the Assassin whose true name was unknown—a total of eight. Even if one of those souls had an issue, it would still be enough to open a path to the Root.

"You bastard! Spear of Light!"

Lorelei was truly enraged. She poured all her mana into her magic spear, unleashing the full power of her primary divine weapon.

Five spears of light shot across the sky, destroying everything in their path. It was a literal five-star bombardment.

However—when the spears of light dispersed, flesh and blood once again surged up from where Roa had been standing, reshaping into the man with golden curls and small round glasses, even restoring his priest's robes.

Roa bowed slightly, chuckling, "It's useless. You cannot kill me."

"Oh? Is that so?"

Upon hearing this, Ryougi Shiki was not convinced. She raised her head and focused her Mystic Eyes, then—her expression changed to one of disbelief.

"Shiki, take off your glasses and see for yourself."

Tohno Shiki complied, and soon, his face mirrored hers in shock.

"How is this possible?... No lines or points?"

"Did you use that monk's technique?"

Shiki recalled Araya Souren, who had once used a relic implanted in his body to blur the line between life and death, rendering Shiki's Mystic Eyes ineffective.

At this question, Roa shook his head.

"His method was effective, but ultimately a trick that you would eventually see through. I am different. I no longer have the concept of death. I am now truly immortal. I have finally obtained eternity."

With that, he dropped his pretenses and laughed maniacally, filled with pride.

No concept of death—true immortality.

It sounded like a lie, but from the current evidence, it seemed highly plausible.

The Mystic Eyes of Death Perception, which could see death, could not perceive any lines or points. Medea, who had once studied under the gods, knew that some deities—at least certain ones—had transcended the boundaries of life and death, which was considered the first step toward achieving eternity.

There were several ways to achieve this: becoming a phenomenon, a concept. Roa had likely taken one of these paths.

Upon hearing this analysis, Roa's laughter grew even louder.

"As expected from the famous witch of the Age of Gods. You understand well. I don't mind telling you. The power of the White Princess elevated my soul, and Elisia's unique nature allowed me to comprehend the meaning of life. The Genesis Soil born from the Holy Grail has allowed me to step into the domain of the gods. According to modern theory, I should be called a divine spirit, or more accurately, a Beast. Wouldn't you agree, Princess?"

"Die."

A cold voice accompanied a tearing of the atmosphere, slicing Roa's body into countless pieces.

At the other end of the pressure wave, the pure white vampire stood hovering in midair. The pure killing intent and coldness in her eyes had only been seen before by Ciel, who had once died at Roa's hands.

However—

"Unfortunately, I cannot die."

In less than a second, Roa's body reformed, as quickly as Ciel, who was blessed by the world's order.

"As a being attuned to nature, you should understand better than anyone the way I exist—the very meaning of a Beast."

"So what?"

Arcueid scoffed, her golden eyes connecting with the memory of the earth.

"You're still far from it. At best, you're just a larva of a Beast."

"That may be true, but even so, you can't do anything to me. The Genesis Soil is simply that powerful. It is the origin of all life and the end of all life. Unless you can destroy all life on Earth, or unless Tiamat herself, the Sea of Life, dissolves me, I am truly immortal—how unfortunate for you, princess."

The true Genesis Soil or Sea of Life was born in the genesis of this planet. All life emerged from it, even the concepts of life and death.

The existence of life itself was a manifestation of the Sea of Life, which had branched into a vast system. To negate its source, there were only two ways: either destroy the entire system or erase it with a higher level of authority.

The former was essentially the destruction of the world. The latter required venturing into the Imaginary Sea to find the abandoned Mother of All, Tiamat, a forbidden zone of life where the rules of time and space were in disarray.

"Immortality doesn't mean there's no way to seal you. Shinji taught me the best way to deal with someone like you!"

Arcueid clasped her hands together, and a white light engulfed Roa and the entire surrounding space.

"I see."

Roa examined the white space around him thoughtfully.

"You intend to seal me in the marble phantasm? It's true, no one could overpower you in the marble phantasm. If you can seal me in that world."

Arcueid had no desire to engage in more pointless conversation with the man who had hunted her for eight hundred years. She poured her mental energy into further eroding reality.

At that moment, blood sprayed through the air. A hand pierced through Arcueid's chest from behind, without any warning. Arcueid didn't even turn around, slicing off the hand that had attacked her while letting out an enraged roar.

"You again, Altrouge!!! Why do you always stop me?!"

Indeed, the owner of the severed hand, the one who had taken advantage of the situation to launch a sneak attack, was none other than Arcueid's older sister, Altrouge.

Now in her golden-haired, mature form, the Black Princess regenerated her hand and casually replied:

"Because it's the order of Mother, the will of the planet. You should be able to sense it as well—or have you spent so much time with humans that you've lost yourself?"

"Anyone can become a Beast, but not him!"

"Which is exactly why I have to stop you, my foolish sister. Of course, from a personal standpoint, I'm happy to do this as well, because it allows me to see you suffer. The wound you left on me eight hundred years ago still throbs with pain."

Altrouge gently licked her fingers, her movements seductive and alluring, embodying the very image of a vampire from legends.

Unbeknownst to them, the moon above had gradually taken on a blood-red hue.

"Now, attack!"