As everyone discussed the Feathered Serpent, Shirou Emiya's gaze drifted outside the ziggurat without him realizing it.
He was already staring into the distance.
"What's wrong, Senpai Shirou?"
Mash, who had been listening nearby, noticed the change immediately and asked.
Caught off guard by her voice, Shirou Emiya paused for half a beat.
A trace of embarrassment crossed his face.
After all, he couldn't exactly say that he was thinking about how to deal with the Feathered Serpent in a moment. Even more so, he still clearly remembered that promised duel with Quetzalcoatl that had never taken place.
And whether she would bring that up later.
There was no way he could say any of that to Mash.
"I feel a little uneasy," he said instead. "It feels like something is coming."
"Something...?"
Mash had just begun to wonder what he meant when-
Bang.
A loud explosion echoed from within Uruk.
The next instant, hurried footsteps followed, and a soldier burst into the ziggurat.
"Report! Report!"
"O King! Forgive the intrusion, but an urgent report from Uruk's south gate!"
"The soldiers stationed at the south gate have been wiped out. Please dispatch reinforcements immediately!"
"What?"
Gilgamesh, who had been sitting on the throne moments ago, stood up abruptly.
"An enemy attack? Damn it-what are the watchtowers doing?! If it were a demonic beast swarm, there should have been warning signs!"
The soldier's face was pale as he answered.
"There is only one enemy."
"A goddess calling herself Quetzalcoatl crushed the city walls with her bare hands and invaded Uruk."
"She is currently advancing straight toward the ziggurat."
"...What?"
"You said Quetzalcoatl?"
The moment that name was spoken, the atmosphere changed.
Everyone present became alert.
They had just been discussing her moments ago.
The Jungle Goddess.
The Feathered Serpent.
...
By the time they rushed to the street where the Feathered Serpent had appeared, what greeted them was a scene of devastation.
"Corpses" lay everywhere.
A soldier's body was flung into the air like a broken doll.
At that instant, Shirou Emiya stamped heavily on the ground.
The street cracked.
And in the blink of an eye, he appeared in front of Quetzalcoatl.
His fist came straight toward her.
Quetzalcoatl reacted instantly, extending her arm to block.
Their arms collided.
The impact exploded outward, the clashing force forming a violent shockwave that swept through the street like a storm.
"Truly perfect technique!"
Quetzalcoatl laughed, her eyes shining.
Shirou Emiya answered calmly, his expression unchanged.
"As it should be."
In the next moment, he twisted his arm, locked onto her limb with both hands, and hurled her away.
Quetzalcoatl spun through the air.
Mid-flight, she shed all external force with absolute precision.
She landed smoothly, her feet touching the ground as if she had never been thrown at all.
"To encounter a wrestling expert like you..."
She smiled broadly.
"How wonderful!"
"I don't find it satisfying at all."
Shirou Emiya glanced at his own hand, flexing his fingers slightly.
His tone was flat.
"Does this kind of one-sided bullying really make you that happy?"
When he had grabbed Quetzalcoatl's arm earlier, he had applied more than enough strength and technique to cripple it.
The force should have destroyed the structure completely.
And yet-
Once that damage entered her body, it vanished.
Like a stone sinking into the sea.
Gone without a trace.
Shirou Emiya wasn't surprised.
He had already prepared himself mentally for this result.
After all, Quetzalcoatl stood at the pinnacle of good.
Any attack without malice was ineffective against her.
And "malice" did not refer to the attacker's emotional state.
It referred to essence.
To intent.
To identity.
In short-
Shirou Emiya's current attacks could not harm Quetzalcoatl at all.
If it had been him before his metamorphosis, things would have been different.
The Golden Sword that sealed Authorities and cut through concepts.
Or his Noble Phantasm, For That Promise Under the Snow.
Those would have worked.
But now-
He could only admit one thing.
He was powerless.
"Tch."
Quetzalcoatl clicked her tongue, visibly annoyed.
She stopped fighting.
Seeing that, Shirou Emiya stepped back toward the group.
Fujimaru Ritsuka, acting as Chaldea's representative, moved forward to speak with her.
After some exchange-
Because of a self-imposed constraint of "only fighting one hundred people a day," and because she had already met her quota-
Quetzalcoatl mounted a Pteranodon and vanished before their eyes.
After that, the Jaguar Man appeared and carried away the "corpses" of the fallen soldiers.
...
"Damn it!"
Gilgamesh slammed his fist down after hearing the report.
"If she keeps causing trouble like this, the soldiers' morale will collapse!"
"The craftsmen and soldiers have already evacuated the South Market."
Siduri spoke with concern.
"If this continues, His Majesty's secret project will-"
"Secret project?"
Mash tilted her head, curiosity slipping into her voice.
"Is the King building something?"
"I am not!"
Gilgamesh denied it immediately.
However, the stiffness in his expression made the lie obvious.
Seeing that no one believed him, he grew irritated.
"Enough!"
"The real issue is that goddess!"
"What are your thoughts on that Feathered Serpent?!"
"...If we're talking about thoughts."
Shirou Emiya spoke up calmly.
"I do have some."
Mash's eyes lit up.
"What kind of thoughts?"
With everyone looking at him, Shirou Emiya continued in an even tone.
"Appeal to her with reason and emotion."
"Use words to move her."
"How about that?"
"..."
Silence followed.
After a moment, Merlin let out a helpless sigh.
"Shirou, you should probably skip to the detailed plan. That would be easier for us to understand."
"Exactly."
"Indeed."
Hearing the chorus of agreement, Shirou Emiya shook his head faintly and went on.
"First, you need to understand one thing."
"The Feathered Serpent is not an evil god."
"She stands at the pinnacle of benevolent deities."
"A goddess of kindness."
"Whatever she does, her original intent is benevolent."
"Even if she claims that she was summoned by her 'mother' to destroy humanity."
"That doesn't sound right."
Mash spoke up immediately.
"I'm not denying Senpai Shirou's reasoning, but honestly..."
"This is the first time I've seen someone so terrifying."
"She smiles from the heart. There's no hatred, no hostility."
"And yet she kills without hesitation."
"Is she really a benevolent god?"
The ziggurat, already quiet, grew even more silent.
What Mash described was indeed unsettling.
"I understand how you feel, Mash."
Shirou Emiya raised his hand and gently rested his palm on her head.
His voice softened slightly.
"That scene was terrifying."
"But that's only if you assume that she truly killed those soldiers."
Mash froze.
"Though it's hard to notice," he continued calmly, "I saw it very clearly."
"Those fallen Uruk soldiers..."
He paused.
"They're not dead."
"They're still alive."
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