Chapter 45: Rin and the Goddesses
Gudako, Mash, and the others on the ground all witnessed the appearance of that holy sword, and Roman's surprised voice rang out from the communicator.
"Hey, hey... isn't that the 'Sword of Promised Victory'?"
"No... looking at its shape, the difference is quite distinct. What on earth is this..."
The holy sword, as magnificent as the most exquisite work of art, was shining with brilliance akin to the sun in the sky as Shirou raised his right hand.
"The Round Table conference begins—"
In the mysterious void, the voices of the thirteen knights of the Round Table rang out one by one.
Bedivere: Can only be used when fighting someone stronger than oneself—Denied!
Gaheris: Can only be used when the battle does not deviate from human morality—Accepted!
Lancelot: The target cannot be an elemental—Accepted!
Mordred: Can only be used against the wicked—Accepted!
Galahad: Cannot be used for one's own selfish desires—Accepted!
Arthur: Must be used for the battle to save the world—Accepted!
Palamedes: Can only be used during a one-on-one duel—Accepted!
Kay: Must be used to fight for survival—Accepted!
Agravain: Must be fought in pursuit of the truth—Accepted!
Gawain: Must be fought for honor—Accepted!
Gareth: Must not wield the sword against the virtuous—Accepted!
Tristan: Must be accompanied by a brave hero—Accepted!
"Restriction released—"
As a torrent of energy gushed forth like a solar flare, the sword transformed into a brilliant golden pillar of light that pierced the sky and reached into space.
As the energy was released to its absolute limit, Shirou swung the sword down.
"『Excalibur』!!"
The massive energy contained within surged wildly, blooming with a dazzling, brilliant radiance that prevented anyone from looking away.
Tiamat's massive body was struck by this torrent of light and engulfed within it.
BOOM—!!!
The heavens and earth shook, the entire planet vibrated, and the world before Shirou changed as Tiamat was defeated.
In a world of pure white and silence, without a single noisy sound, Shirou opened his eyes.
Standing before his gaze was a beautiful woman with giant horns and long sea-blue hair.
Her pink eyes were now fixed on Shirou.
"Tiamat?" Shirou walked closer to her.
Then, the woman opened her mouth, her voice healing the soul, making one feel incomparably calm.
"I gave birth to many lives, and I was once loved by all, but my children? They used me as a stepping stone and left me behind... I wanted to love them always, wanted them to remain by my side forever. Could it be that my love... was all a mistake?"
With a dazed gaze, clear tears slid down Tiamat's fair cheeks.
"Don't go... don't leave me behind..."
Yet at this moment, Shirou extended his arms and pulled her now-petite frame into his embrace.
"Eh...?" The woman's expression went blank; she could not comprehend Shirou's actions at all.
"Humanity no longer needs the path guided by the gods. The end you brought has been severed by me. Your soul will no longer exist for the sake of humanity."
At Shirou's words, Tiamat's expression shifted from her initial daze to a growing sense of relief through understanding.
"Ah... is that so..."
Her body turned into scattered points of light, gathering in Shirou's hands.
Watching the orb of light in his hands—the symbol of her soul—Shirou's pale golden eyes flickered slightly, and then his figure transformed into light, departing that space.
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After returning to the real world, Shirou did not forget to bring Rin's body with him; he couldn't leave her there indefinitely.
However, having two goddesses occupying her body, Rin was clearly quite displeased.
"Damn it! I could clearly feel the body moving, but I couldn't do anything!"
"So, even though your body was being controlled, you could still feel your consciousness, right?" Gudako asked, somewhat curiously.
"That's about it," Rin said, then looked at Shirou with great annoyance. "Shirou~ you don't think I didn't know you were secretly getting cozy with those other two goddesses, do you?"
"..." Shirou paused for a few seconds, then mimicked Gudako by sticking out his tongue and tapping his own head. "I forgot, hehe~!"
Rin, whose jealousy was practically overflowing, glared at Shirou. "Hmph! Even if you act cute, I won't forgive you!"
"Um..." Shirou coughed. "Actually, I brought one more back this time."
"Ha!?"
Rin pounced on Shirou, knocking him to the ground, straddling him, and grabbing his collar with both hands.
"You're such a lecher. I think I'll call you 'Sero' (Lecher Shirou) from now on."
Gudako and Mash on the sidelines couldn't help but blush, as Rin was still wearing Ishtar's revealing outfit, and the position between her and Shirou was truly rather subtle.
"Ana, don't look!" Mash hurriedly covered Ana's eyes.
"Don't treat me like a child!"
Ana unhappily swiped Mash's hand away, pouting as she watched Rin and Shirou bicker, her gaze growing increasingly dissatisfied.
At this moment, the personalities of Ishtar and Ereshkigal began to speak as well.
"Hmph hmph~ Doing such a thing in broad daylight? Have mortals become this open now?"
"Whoa, how embarrassing, hurry up and get up..."
"You two, don't just pop out so suddenly! Damn it!"
Amidst the noisy, schizophrenic-like voices, Rin finally stood up, busy setting terms and conditions with the two goddesses.
Shirou, meanwhile, cast his gaze toward the city of Uruk.
Night had fallen; campfires were lit throughout the city, pointing the way for everyone.
They found the Wise King Gil, who was watching his people, at the temple tower—which had become somewhat dilapidated after the war.
"Tiamat has clearly been annihilated, yet this King remains alive."
The Wise King Gil said: "According to normal human history, this King should have already been in the Underworld by now. Hmph... well, it's not much different. Since you have retrieved the Holy Grail, the era will surely be restored. When that happens, the living King Gilgamesh will likely be cleared away as an anomaly, right? This King is actually looking forward to seeing what kind of death the Holy Grail will give me."
"We will meet again," Shirou said with certainty.
The Wise King Gil was stunned for a moment, then burst into hearty laughter.
"Then until we meet again!"
At this moment, Merlin also walked over.
"Hey, hey, isn't anyone going to praise me? I was busy running around the city saving people earlier."
Saying this, Merlin let out a breath. "Those devilish little things were really troublesome, and there were so many of them. I accidentally bit my tongue while chanting magic, and I ended up having to just chop them with a sword."
Gudako blinked upon hearing this: "Did you just nonchalantly mention that you can use a sword?"
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