In the dim underground world, various unknown plants emitted a faint glow, and strange ores on the damp walls illuminated the dark space.
Suddenly, a beam of light penetrated the rocky ceiling above, illuminating the dark world below.
Moments later, as the light gradually dimmed, several figures descended through the massive opening.
Looking ahead towards the blue pillar of light deeper inside, Wu Gengli put away the small magic circle that was slowly rotating in her hand.
She spread out her perception, feeling the intense battle waves continuously emanating from the front. Among them, a familiar aura was weakening rapidly.
Golden flashes and purple lightning lit up simultaneously. Keqing and Borsalino turned into streaks of light, disappearing instantly.
Nearby, Wu Gengli took one step into the shadow beside her and greeted the three others behind her before vanishing as well.
Lumine, Megumin, and Venti watched as the others disappeared, and their bodies also began to glow.
Venti waved to Lumine and Megumin, smiling before transforming into a breeze. Only the faint echo of his cheerful laugh remained in the darkened space.
Lumine and Megumin exchanged a helpless look. Without a means to move quickly, they could only fly towards the perceived direction of the battle.
The spacious and dim area was filled with the overwhelming scent of blood. Thousands of beastman soldiers lay on the ground, groaning softly, their blood continuously oozing from the deep wounds on their chests.
Scarlet flashes rushed towards the cause of this devastation, reverberating loudly within the space. Shirou Emiya watched the approaching crimson figures, knowing his body could no longer continue fighting and thinking of abandoning the task he was close to completing.
"Have you ever been kicked at the speed of light?"
A sly voice sounded beside Shirou Emiya's ear, and a golden flash appeared before him.
Carter, charging at full speed, suddenly halted. His arm, which had originally swung towards Shirou's head, was now positioned in front of him, attempting to block the incoming golden kick.
Bang!!!
In the massive impact, Carter's body erupted with a burst of airwaves, rocketing backward as he crashed into pillar after pillar. The sound of shattering stone echoed, accompanied by a rain of rubble falling from above.
Keqing appeared shortly after, glancing at the beastman still standing guard around Shirou. The purple lightning gradually subsided as she began to move.
"Dark Magic - Dark Binding!"
Wu Gengli's figure emerged from the shadows on the ground, a magic circle forming before her. The heavily injured blood-boosted beastmen found themselves bound by dark energy, unable to move, while an overwhelming darkness invaded their bodies through the bindings.
Keqing, seeing that the remaining beastmen had been subdued by Wu Gengli, allowed the lightning to dissipate and moved to support the staggering Shirou.
"You've worked hard," she said gently.
Shirou looked at Keqing, who was now helping him, and shook his head in embarrassment. "Thankfully, you all arrived in time; otherwise, I would've had to abandon our plan."
"How's the situation above?"
As if suddenly remembering something, Shirou frantically opened the group chat, only to see two active live streams—one showing Riku and Kazuma Sato attempting to capture the Holy Grail. The blue pillar of light in the background showed the Grail slowly moving toward them, while both their faces grew increasingly pale.
The other live stream showed the divine battle between the Geo Archon Morax and the war god Alchut. Massive rock spears, like mountain ranges, were hurled continuously by the Geo Archon toward Alchut. Alchut responded by punching each one down, destroying the sky with his immense divine power, but he couldn't breach the thin golden shield in front of Morax.
"What about Hiroshi and the others?!" Shirou asked anxiously, not seeing their presence in either live stream. "Are they alright?!"
"Oh-ho~"
Lumine's voice echoed from beside him as a golden light fell, revealing her figure.
She squinted, assessing Shirou's condition, and in his nervousness, she pinched her chin thoughtfully. "It looks like you were part of the plan, huh?"
"Don't worry. Hiroshi and the others are fine; Aqua is already treating them," she said.
Seeing the relief wash over Shirou's face, Lumine's hands emitted a green glow, which she pressed against Shirou's body, raising her voice. "But once the mission is over, I'm not so sure if they'll be okay, considering how angry we are."
"Ah... haha..." Shirou laughed awkwardly, straightening his now-healed body. With a quick bow, he faced his comrades, shouting, "I'm sorry! We shouldn't have kept this from you!"
"Hmph."
Lumine's glowing hand gradually dimmed, and a smile appeared on her face. Then, she became serious again, saying, "Since you've sincerely apologized, I suppose I can forgive you—but only if you make extra good food for me at the celebration later."
"Of course!"
Moving his now-recovered body, Shirou nodded and smiled. "I'll make lots of delicious dishes for everyone."
"Look, Riku has taken the Grail!"
Megumin shouted as they watched Riku's stream. Venti was standing beside the two of them, a green wind surrounding the trio. A flash of bright white light enveloped Riku and Kazuma Sato, and finally, the Holy Grail appeared in Sato's hands.
Wu Gengli looked on, joy evident on her face, as Riku accepted the Grail from Kazuma. In the group chat, everyone had been watching closely and now sent sincere congratulations.
"Now it's time to restore this world," Megumin said, looking at the Holy Grail in Riku's hands. "So, will Riku become a deity now, since he's got the power of the One True God?"
"I don't think so."
Keqing shook her head, explaining as Megumin looked on, confused. "Take my divine power, the power of Heavenly Punishment, for example. It is also essentially a power of divine level, but having it doesn't mean I am a deity. Plus, it has enormous limitations and consumes a lot of energy—not something I can handle easily."
"So, Riku only has divine-level authority but may not have enough power to wield it?" Megumin pondered aloud. "But this is the power of the One True God—it's probably beyond our abilities to use, right?"
"Don't worry, Megumin."
Riku's voice interrupted, as Riku, Shuvi, Kazuma Sato, and Venti appeared beside them.
Waving with a smile, Riku held the Grail and explained, "The Grail is the authority connecting to the spirit corridor. While in this world, using its power will be sustained by the spirit corridor itself. I won't be in danger of not being able to handle it."
"Let's go, everyone," Riku continued, looking down at the Grail in his hands. "Let's reconstruct this twisted world."
A flash of white light, and the group found themselves at the entrance to the underground.
Wu Gengli immediately rushed towards Hiroshi's location as she looked up at the sky, where the divine battle had just ended.
Megumin, seeing Wu Gengli disappear into the distance, turned to glare at Kazuma, just as he quickly grabbed her.
"I'm sorry. I didn't tell you because I didn't want you to worry, Megumin. Please forgive me."
Kazuma's sudden embrace silenced Megumin. Feeling his warmth, she sighed and looked away.
Riku, watching Wu Gengli vanish, held Shuvi's hand with the Grail in his other hand. He sighed lightly, "I'll apologize to Gengli later."
"I'll come too."
Kazuma, still holding Megumin, stood beside Riku, patting his shoulder. "Don't worry, Gengli will forgive us. Besides, the plan was made by all of us together. Don't overthink it—everyone's safe, right?"
"Yeah."
Riku nodded gently, taking a deep breath. He raised the Holy Grail, ready to begin the restoration of the world as he sent a message to the group chat.
"Riku, remember to apologize to Shuvi too. You kept it from her, and Shuvi is upset."
"I will. I'll spend my life apologizing from now on."
"Shuvi only needs one apology, but Shuvi wants to be together with Riku forever from now on."
"Yes, we will always be together."