Chapter 326: Shirou vs. Charlemagne
"Charlemagne needs to gather a truly massive amount of magical energy for his Noble Phantasm. These two girls, who possess Holy Grails, are the most ideal choices," Scheherazade explained to Shirou.
"A Noble Phantasm that requires two Holy Grails to drive it? What exactly is that Emperor trying to do?" Shirou asked, the image of the towering Emperor surfacing in his mind.
"To be precise, it is three. The one that escaped from your body was also lent to Charlemagne by the Witch. For her, as long as she can achieve her goal, even sacrificing a Holy Grail is a bargain," Scheherazade said.
"Charlemagne needs powerful warriors to slaughter one another. Even setting the Holy Grails aside, the King of Knights and Jeanne Alter are undoubtedly incredibly powerful Heroic Spirits. By borrowing their Saint Graphs, he allows the Heroic Spirits best suited for this era to manifest in this world. For the two women lying inside the machine, this world is indeed a dream. However, for the two currently fighting, these things are undeniably real within this world."
The images on the scroll shifted, returning to the pre-medieval battlefield. Roland, with Artoria's face, and the Arabian warrior with Jeanne's face, had already repelled the Black Veil Army, but now the two had begun to fight each other.
The silver-haired girl brandished two Damascus sabers, charging at the blonde female knight.
The blonde knight parried each blow with her Holy Sword, knocking the exquisite sabers away. Though they were weapons forged by master craftsmen, they were still a grade lower than the indestructible Holy Sword; unavoidable nicks and notches appeared on the two scimitars in the silver-haired girl's hands.
"You bastard! An infidel like you doesn't deserve that Holy Sword. Hand it over to me!"
"That's not happening. Shirou gave this to me; it is filled with the love between the two of us!"
"Love your grandmother! I'm definitely taking that Holy Sword! The sword is mine! And Shirou is mine too!"
The blonde girl's gaze turned cold as she glared. "Hah, it seems you really don't understand human speech. You're the one who's a damned infidel!"
"Hah! Brigand infidel! I'll slaughter you right now! This is the land of Allah!" The silver-haired girl gripped her twin blades, glaring back and roaring.
"You see? In this world, they are still lively and brawling. This is exactly what Charlemagne needs," Scheherazade said, looking at Shirou and smiling as she spread her hands.
Shirou frowned and said, "What is the meaning of such a war? What are the Witch and Charlemagne really after? Is a Heroic Spirit who has already died still so obsessed with a dynasty that has already perished?"
"You've got it wrong, Shirou. While many parts of this world are dreams reshaped by stories, behind the dream, Charlemagne is indeed a living human born and raised in that world—it is just that his world has deviated from history and is on the verge of extinction. Charlemagne saw this clearly, so he prepared to carry out the necessary transformation of the world. Sharing the same goal, the Witch and he walked the same path," Scheherazade said.
"What?" Shirou said in shock.
"What the Witch desires is true peace. As long as the White God no longer interferes with the various worlds and the influence of the Counter Force is weakened, she can find a loophole herself. By avoiding the Counter Force and the Throne of Heroes, she can live in a world without Mystery and obtain eternal peace. It's truly quite cunning."
"As for Charlemagne, he wants to change his world. World peace and human happiness are important, but these must be under the prerequisite that everyone worships Christianity. If the doctrines of Christ are not extended, then even if everyone lives and works in peace, what meaning does it have? That is likely how Charlemagne thinks. He washes this world into a river with blood and the fires of war, all to turn this world from a 'Pruned Postulate' destined for failure into a 'Lostbelt' where Christians unify the globe. Charlemagne even seems to hope to seek a further hand to perform a reorganization of Human Order. However, those things don't matter to the Witch."
"None of that matters to me. Artoria and Jeanne are locked away, slumbering in the enemy's hands. Knowing this, I must make them return to normal as quickly as possible no matter what. Since they aren't in this world, I have to go see them. How do I get out of here?" Shirou said, looking at the woman.
"Then you only need to walk out of this dream world and wake them up from their slumber," Scheherazade said.
"I understand! Thank you for telling me all this," Shirou said.
"I will open the passage for you now. But this is the 'Gate of Judging Justice' set by the Witch. Only those who truly believe themselves to be righteous can pass through, though it only judges one person at a time," Scheherazade said.
"Does that mean for Sita and me to get out, one of us has to stay here?" Shirou asked.
"Yes. Though I wish for you to get out, unfortunately, I am not 'righteous,' so if I go in, I won't be able to come out either," Scheherazade said.
"It seems I don't quite count as righteous either," Shirou said with a wry smile.
"No, that depends on what is in your heart. At the very least, you have that potential," Scheherazade said, watching the youth.
"Do you have a way?" Shirou looked up and asked her.
"Yes. Just find your 'innocent heart' again!" As Scheherazade spoke, she raised her staff, emitting a dazzling light that directly enveloped Shirou.
As soon as she finished speaking, Shirou's body actually shrank. The clothes that originally fit his middle-school-aged frame became incredibly loose.
"What! No way! I've become smaller again? What are you trying to do?!" Shirou looked at his small hands. He had reverted to the age of an elementary schooler, and his clothes were now so large he didn't even need the skirt anymore. He shouted angrily at Scheherazade, but the voice that came out was that of a delicate young boy, completely lacking any manly momentum.
"Try walking through now and see," Scheherazade stepped away from the door and suggested.
"Now?" Shirou asked, puzzled.
"Or else, should this big sister turn you back into a baby and lure you to crawl out with some treats?" Seeing Shirou hesitate, Scheherazade made the suggestion.
"No! That's not necessary!" Shirou jumped up and said.
"Sita, let's go out together!" Shirou woke the red-haired girl lying on the stone bed.
However, as an elementary schooler now, if he were in the original world, he would probably only be able to maintain justice in the sandbox of a community park—stopping an elementary school version of the "oldest bully in human history" or defeating a little devil like Tohsaka.
"Then, let's go." Shirou draped Sita's arm over his shoulder, letting her lean her weight on him.
"Mmh," Sita agreed.
Scheherazade lifted her staff and opened the passage.
The small Shirou mustered his strength and led Sita toward the door.
Against the iron prison that "none but the righteous may pass," Shirou walked directly through the iron gate this time. The moment he touched the iron door, it simply vanished without any resistance. Shirou walked out of the cage.
"The key to undoing all of this is Charlemagne himself. If you want to wake those two girls, you must find him alone and defeat him."
"Is that so? Then do you think letting someone as egocentric as the King of Heroes survive in this world would be a good thing? If war-mongers like Iskandar the King of Conquerors, or fanatics like Charlemagne here, were reborn, do you think humanity would become better or worse?" Scheherazade continued to ask, looking at Shirou.
"Go on then. Please head to the main hall to defeat Charlemagne. I will wait for the moment you change your mind."
Scheherazade, who had understood from the start that she would be discarded by the Jungle Witch after being used, had prepared a backup plan out of her strong desire for survival: she chose to stand on Shirou's side. However, what happened next depended on Shirou. She would continue to act as the storyteller, watching him as an observer until he changed his mind and completed the trial.
With Scheherazade's help, Shirou settled Sita in a safe place and set off toward the palace at the center.
The path was unobstructed, and there was no one to greet him, as if his arrival was expected.
Inside the magnificent palace, Shirou once again saw the tall, middle-aged man. Golden armor, white hair, and a curled beard—he was the man who inherited the legacy of the Western Roman Empire and laid the foundations for the Middle Ages in Europe. The French called him Charlemagne, the Germans called him Karl der Große; Germans, half of Italy, and the French all recognized him as their Emperor.
In reality, he might not have been this powerful, but in this world where stories and reality mingled, he was a near-invincible existence.
As a Western Roman Emperor recognized by the Pope, Charlemagne was like a chosen king of Christianity. He possessed the skill Holy Overlord's Voice (Joyeuse Ordre), which could assimilate those around him, turning them into his subordinates who would willingly serve him.
The greatest achievement of his life lay in expanding his territory and actively spreading Christian doctrine. Regardless of the means used, he exerted every effort to convert not only his own lands but also neighboring countries to Christianity.
The condition for activating this skill required the target to have at least a slight bit of recognition or approval of Charlemagne himself. Once this condition was met and provided there was enough magical energy, even a Servant would find it difficult to refuse, provided they lacked a Mental Interference Resistance skill.
And as a Christian Saint, Charlemagne was extremely magnanimous and kind toward the people within the Christian sphere of influence, while toward hostile infidels, he possessed the decisive killing intent of a warrior. Honestly, given his civil and military achievements and his contributions to religion, it was hard for anyone not to feel a shred of recognition for him.
Charlemagne spoke first: "Emiya Shirou, I am willing to grant you the greatest of privileges. Whether in this world or my own world, I can give you the prizes you deserve. I hope you can stay here forever. Even if I were to disappear one day, as long as you are here, the Lord's love for my people will continue forever."
"Sorry, but I never planned on following your religion or anything. Your so-called happiness is actually an atrocity built on the sacrifice of others!" Shirou said coldly. One had to remember that his only master, Xuanzang, was covered in wounds specifically because of Charlemagne.
"Nothing I have done is an error. Everything I possess will benefit all my people. I can say with confidence: I am the Emperor. Whether in the past, present, or future, my benevolence is second only to God!" Charlemagne said righteously.
"God this, God that... isn't it better to leave the future of humanity to the humans of the future?! Give me back my companions!!!" Shirou shouted loudly. He decided to hold nothing back. Magical energy surged through his entire body as he charged forward with blinding speed!
"How reckless. In that case, I shall make it so you can no longer walk." Charlemagne unsheathed his Holy Sword with the golden hilt, Joyeuse. The blood-colored blade met Shirou's strike. If Shirou drew close, Charlemagne was confident he could easily subdue a brat.
To oppose one of the three great swords of Europe, the Sword of Joy, Shirou had to bring out a Holy Sword of the same caliber.
In that instant, Shirou projected the Holy Sword he was most familiar with. The golden blade clashed with the blood-colored blade, both snapping back violently and kicking up sparks. Shirou, whose projected Holy Sword was a grade lower, and Charlemagne, whose swordsmanship was slightly inferior, each had their advantages, and they fought to a standstill.
At that moment, in the outer world, the massive machine connected to the sleeping Artoria and Jeanne emitted two beams of light.
"It is complete! Hahaha! Now this world belongs solely to me and my compatriots." The palace behind Charlemagne began to tremble. Through this sky fortress, he activated his Holy Overlord's Voice.
"I have to stop him!" In this moment, Shirou made his resolve!
In this instant, a dazzling white light flashed in his eyes. The long white line representing the connection to the White God, which had been severed by the Witch earlier, reconnected.
Shirou regained control of the God's power.
"OOOOOOH!!! Excalibur!!!" Shirou opened his Mystic Eyes, and the Sword of Promised Victory in his hands received the ultimate reinforcement. The Sword of the Planet unleashed its maximum power. He gripped it with both hands, raised it high, and gritted his teeth as he poured in every ounce of strength, swinging down a brilliant golden radiance.
Charlemagne, in both strength and glory, was undoubtedly a top-tier Heroic Spirit, and his faith in God was supreme. However, Shirou's power came from a true God.
Powered by three Holy Grails, the sky fortress shifted its form, turning into a massive robot. Within the descending holy light, it was sliced clean in two, falling apart.
"Gaaaaah!" Charlemagne, sitting within the fortress, let out a cry of agony. Amidst the golden radiance, he let out a regretful sigh: "Does my long-held wish end here...?"
The tall Emperor was swallowed by the radiance in the next instant. Arcs of electricity flew out of control from the massive robot's severed edges, and it exploded violently.
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