Chapter 50: Heroic Spirit All-Stars, Reunited at the Grand Time Temple
"Oh no..." Seeing the incoming beam, Mash couldn't help but tighten her grip on her shield. This power had transcended the category of Heroic Spirits. Even as a Demi-Servant, she could only block it once, even at the cost of her life.
"Mash..." Gudako murmured, looking at the slender girl standing in front of her with her shield raised.
The blood-red light grew increasingly blinding, making it difficult for them to even open their eyes. Until that terrifying heat suddenly vanished, and Gudako and Mash looked ahead in astonishment. A red-haired figure was standing in front of them. In his hands, he gripped two great swords, one black and one white: "Twilight" and "God-Slaying Sword of Salvation." These two swords, much like the original "Kanshou" and "Bakuya," had become Shirou's new standard weapons.
"Leave the rest to me." Shirou said this in a gentle tone, then held high the pitch-black magic sword "Twilight" in his right hand.
"This moment is the time for reunion!"
The pitch-black blade began to crack inch by inch, and a brilliant golden light burst forth from within, transforming into a massive beam of light that pierced the sky. The starry river turned, and to Goetia's surprise, Heroic Spirit after Heroic Spirit converged like meteors.
"This... what is this—!?"
Originally, Shirou lacked the qualifications to freely connect to the Throne of Heroes; he had to forcefully break open a passage to pull people out. Just like when he defeated Jeanne earlier, her soul returned to the Throne, and Shirou had to forcefully enter the Throne to "snatch" her. While this was incredibly arrogant, Alaya couldn't stop him anyway. But today, Shirou had intended to do the same, yet Alaya unexpectedly opened the passage voluntarily, allowing Shirou to enter with ease.
Whether it was the Demon God King Goetia, or Gudako and Mash, everyone was dumbfounded watching the many Heroic Spirits descending from the sky. Heroic Spirits who had forged bonds with Shirou, met him, or fought him—be they friends or enemies—descended one after another through the passage Shirou had opened to the Throne of Heroes. In addition, Alaya took the liberty of bringing Saber and the others from Fuyuki City along with them.
The Fourth Holy Grail War: Karna, Artoria Pendragon (Goddess), Gilles de Rais, Hassan-i Sabbah, Iskandar—— The Fifth Holy Grail War: Nero, Scáthach, Morgan, Arjuna, Jeanne d'Arc, Medea—— Divine Realm of the Round Table: Camelot: Bedivere, Mordred, Gawain, Lancelot, Tristan, Agravain, Ramesses II, Nitocris, King Hassan—— Absolute Demonic Front:
Babylonia: King Gilgamesh, Enkidu, Merlin, Ana, Ishtar, Gorgon, Ereshkigal, Quetzalcoatl, Jaguar Warrior, Ushiwakamaru, Musashibo Benkei, Leonidas I——
A host of Heroic Spirits descended into the Throne of Time, their incredibly complex gazes all cast upon Shirou in an instant.
Shirou looked at them with a smile: "Everyone, long time no see."
Heroic Spirits are existences detached from the timeline; they are summoned in all eras, regardless of the past or future. However, only 'The World' can summon the true bodies of Heroic Spirits. Humans cannot summon their true bodies; they can only summon Servants as their avatars.
Although Shirou himself was capable of doing such a thing, Alaya had chosen to assist him this time, directly allowing Shirou to summon the true bodies of the Heroic Spirits.
Of course, one more point must be mentioned: when Heroic Spirits die in their Servant state and their souls return to the true bodies in the Throne of Heroes, they can know their memories from their time as Servants by reading them like a book. Therefore, this is the true significance of the bonds forged.
However, the people summoned this time were not limited to friends, but also included Heroic Spirits who had previously been enemies. Although they were no longer restricted by their Servant states, it still caused quite a stir.
"Oh, oh, oh! It's Jeanne——!!!" First, Gilles de Rais let out a cry full of surprise.
"Please don't make such embarrassing noises in such a public place..." Jeanne clutched her forehead helplessly, feeling so ashamed by the gazes directed at her by the surrounding Heroic Spirits that she wanted to find a hole to crawl into.
At the same time, Karna and Arjuna locked eyes, sparks already flying between their gazes.
"I never thought we would meet again in such a strange way, Arjuna..." "But this state isn't bad either; we can both use our full strength to truly settle who is better, right?" Arjuna stared at Karna with piercing eyes, as if afraid that he might disappear.
"I won't run, Arjuna. If you want to duel me, you can do it at any time." Karna's smile also revealed a soaring fighting spirit.
"Hey, hey, you two—pick a better time and place if you want to fight." King Gilgamesh condemned their behavior, then looked at Enkidu.
"Hmph, no matter how interesting the entertainment is, I suspect it could not make this King experience the pleasure of today." "I am very happy to have another chance to compete with you, Gil."
Enkidu's smile was as refreshing as a spring breeze. Coupled with that beauty that transcended common sense and gender, it gave one the feeling of a lush green flower in
bloom. Compared to the other Heroic Spirits, his attire could be called quite simple; he wore neither armor nor flamboyant weapons, and the clothes on his body seemed to be of little value.
He stood as tall and graceful as a fragrant flower. If one only looked at that beautiful face, the lustrous, tender skin, and the facial features that gave a soft impression, one would instantly conclude that he was a woman. However, his chest and waist were hidden beneath his collar, and the hands and feet visible were not only fair but also felt somewhat sturdy.
Whether one called him a man or a woman was acceptable, but regardless of whether he was a man or woman, judging by his physique, one could easily infer at a glance that he was capable of movements as supple as a spring.
From his appearance, he was overly beautiful, possessing both the individuality of a human and the purity and contradictions of natural objects. He was like a smooth, growing tree wrapped around a statue of Venus; it was as if he were asserting that it was meaningless to distinguish whether he was male or female, human or nature, god or demon.
Enkidu's appearance was identical to when the two first confronted each other, though Enkidu lacked a fixed form to begin with; perhaps he would change his appearance slightly due to different periods.
Besides them, the rest of the Heroic Spirits were also chatting with people they were familiar with.
Morgan looked at Artoria, her gaze wandering up and down her now-plumper body, with a bit of teasing in her expression.
"Long time no see. Sister, you seem to have gained a little weight."
Read ahead (60 chapters) by supporting me on buymeacoffee com/varietl or ko-fi edwriting