The lake is eroded by black mud and fire, and the resentment that spreads from it soars into the sky, and the scene is like being in purgatory.

Feeling the intense resentment emanating from the golden cup, Artoria's unwavering conviction suddenly became a little questioned, and her fanatical mood calmed down a little, and she couldn't help but murmur, "That's—what? Isn't it the Holy Grail that can fulfill the dream of redemption? ”

Zhang Chai shook Artoria's slender shoulders and said in a deep voice, "You can see clearly what is flowing out of the Holy Grail. Haven't you wondered why Emiya Kiritsugu ordered you to destroy the Holy Grail? ”

Whoa, whoa, whoa......

Evil, filthy black mud is gushing out of the golden cup.

Anyone can feel that the golden cup and the hoodoo in it are not 'holy things' in the traditional sense.

“Saber。” Zhang Chai let go of Artoria's shoulders, stepped forward to look at the wriggling black mud on the surface of the lake, and slowly told the truth, "The Holy Grail War, a ritual established by the magicians of the Three Imperial Families to reach the root, except for the people of the Imperial Three Families, the other Masters and Servants have been deceived, it is not something that can fulfill the universal wish, it is just a despicable means for magicians to ingest powerful magic power or reach a higher level of magic realm!" ”

"Ah......h

Seeing this, Zhang Chai sighed secretly, and simply continued: "Maybe this so-called Holy Grail was able to fulfill some superficial wishes...... However, as early as the Third Holy Grail War, this so-called Holy Grail was tainted by a malicious Servant. The way that directly leads to the fulfillment of the wish of the Holy Grail is dominated by destruction and destruction, so. Whatever wish you make for the Holy Grail now, even if it's a fluke. In the end, the price can only be the destruction of humanity. ”

The Holy Grail is going to destroy humanity!?

Artoria stared at the golden cup that had been revealed, and she was terrified, if it was really as he said, then her desire to save the ruined Britain would be completely shattered......

"Anyway—" Zhang Chai sighed, sighing for Artoria's sorrow, and he said helplessly, "The Holy Grail War is just a ritual for magicians to trample the soul of the Servant under their feet and want to smoothly reach the Vortex of the Roots. That kind of thing is impossible to fulfill Servant's wishes. Do you understand it now? Saber……”

Thump......

Artoria fell to her knees in despair, clutching at the weeds in her hands. I didn't even notice that the tears that had accumulated in my eyes had already slid down my cheeks.

Hope is shattered.

Ideal Crush -

There's not much magic left, and it won't be long before I'm out of this world.

At the end of the day, what will be kept?

"Woo, woo......"

From the choking to the silent crying, from the glorious to the downcast, the knight king, not far from the golden cup, even within easy reach—was filled with endless despair.

Feeling the weaker and weaker fluctuations on Artoria's body, Zhang Chai felt gloomy in his heart.

In a little more than an hour at most, Artoria will dissipate on its own due to lack of mana...... In fact, there is no difference between dissipation and annihilation, only 'killed' and 'suicide', two outcomes with the same result but in different forms.

It's good.

It's okay to dissipate on its own......

If he really let him swing his sword and kill Artoria with his own hands. He thought he couldn't do it.

Gu Xinyan looked at Zhang Chai and Artoria, one stood lonely, the other knelt in pain, and her mood was not very comfortable.

Although Artoria is secretly regarded as a rival in love. But Gu Xinyan didn't want to see Zhang Chai show that kind of trance, looking like he was about to regret his loneliness for life.

Thinking of this, Gu Xinyan suddenly spoke out and broke the atmosphere of dead silence. "If you two have anything to say, go ahead and say it. After all, time is running out. ”

After speaking, Gu Xinyan turned around. Dodge and disappeared into the woods.

"Gu ......" Zhang Chai was stunned for a moment, then lowered his head in embarrassment, stretched out his hand and pulled Artoria from the ground, who was in a daze, and asked in a low voice: "Saber, parting is imminent...... In the last time, why don't we have a good chat? ”

Artoria lifted the pretty face full of tears, that heartbroken and sad expression, and Zhang Chai couldn't help but feel suffocated.

Only when despair is extreme can such a 'terrible' expression be revealed.

"Huh......" Zhang Chai exhaled very carefully, feeling extremely distressed, causing him, who had never regretted it, couldn't help but start to regret why he exposed the cruel truth and broke her heart so thoroughly......

But—

If the truth is not revealed, Artoria will go after the 'Holy Grail' that does not need to exist, which is something he does not want to see.

Artoria, who was suffering a lot, leaned weakly on Zhang Chai's shoulder, and said in a hoarse voice: "...... You asked me before if I had ever heard the king say that he did not understand the human heart, and I did not answer at the time, but it was because I did not have the courage to face up to my own mistakes—let alone accept your reproach...... Once, after I had won some wars, I punished hundreds of sinners, and that was when one of my knights once said something like this—a king who does not understand the mood of others. ”

Zhang Chai immediately denied it: "I didn't mean to blame you, and you didn't make any mistakes!" You just lack communication with your subjects, right? In other words, you should be too 'heroic' and take all the responsibility on yourself, so that other people can't understand what you're thinking, and they will think that you don't understand people's hearts. ”

"Now again...... Artoria's eyes were blank, but her tone was particularly calm, "has lost its meaning, has it?" My dreams are shattered and I can't pick them up anymore. ”

Zhang Chai was dumbfounded.

Yes, her dreams were shattered to the core, and her wish to save Britain was an unfulfilled wishful thinking from beginning to end.

"But—" Artoria laughed suddenly, her eyes still so empty, as if she was smiling rather than laughing, as if she were crying, "Isn't there still you...... Paladin。 You are my King of Britain, you are my last hope for the realization of my delusions, and the continuation of the kingdom of destruction, you are my last hope......"

Her hope......

When Zhang heard this, the guilt that had been buried in his heart for a long time suddenly came to him, especially when he looked at Artoria's beautiful side face with a look of fascination, and the strong self-blame and guilt in his heart began to expand infinitely. (To be continued......)