"Use my hands… to create (Project) a new planet?"
Shirou looked stunned.
He thought he had already gained a deep understanding of how unreasonable Magi could be.
But he had still underestimated the thought process of Ziz, this Magus of the Wandering Sea.
Compared to him, the ideas of the Atlas Institute Magi and Wuzhiqi seemed simple and small.
And Shirou was not the only one.
Ziz's disciple, Ye Sizhen, had heard it all with him, and after listening to his solar-system-scale plan, she was so shocked that she was left speechless.
"To think you wanted to use Shirou for something like this… the creation of celestial bodies… ngh!"
Shirou frowned. "This isn't some whim of yours, is it?"
"Of course not," Ziz said with a soft laugh.
"'Recreating celestial bodies' is not something that can be achieved on a whim. Even in the modern day, the time required to complete a single Magecraft varies widely. Take the Gem Magecraft of the Tohsaka family, the owners of this land, for example. It takes more than a decade, sometimes even several decades, to cultivate a single gem. For more than two thousand years, I have continued advancing my plan to create a new planet. But… it has never gone smoothly. As expected, perhaps it really is too difficult for humans to accomplish a feat that surpasses the gods."
Creating a planet… That was far beyond a feat that surpassed the gods.
In the end, even omnipotent gods were nothing more than the planet's tactile sense, extensions of the planet itself.
For a mortal to try to create a planet was absurd from the very idea.
Among the gods, there were likely beings capable of destroying a planet.
The sky god of Greek mythology, Zeus. The god of destruction in Indian mythology, Shiva…
Beings like that could probably shatter the Earth into cosmic debris with a single blow.
It sounded unbelievable, but it was like a finger being only a small part of the human body. Used properly, it could easily kill a human.
For gods, killing a planet was not difficult. But creating one was a matter on an entirely different level.
After all, even the creator gods from the myths of various nations did not truly possess the Authority to create a planet, did they?
"Mm."
Ziz spoke lightly, a smile on his face.
"There was a time when I thought I might never accomplish it in my lifetime. I even considered giving up, but fortunately, I held on. Then I found you, Shirou Amamiya. If used properly, your 'Projection Magecraft' is fully capable of creating a new planet."
"…What exactly happened to make you want to create a new planet?" Shirou asked helplessly.
Ziz stared at the boy with his deep eyes.
"Then what do you think, Shirou Amamiya? With your power alone, you could push forward a civilization that has already stagnated and regressed. All life, humanity included, could gain a new evolution. So what would you do?"
"..."
The figure of the Magus from the Age of Gods was reflected in Shirou's Mystic Eyes.
This man was not lying.
For two thousand years, he had genuinely agonized over the grand, abstract subject of "the future of life," and had reached the conclusion that only by creating a new planet could humanity and the civilization on the earth continue to develop.
There was no selfish motive in it.
Shirou was struck by the purity of his heart, yet at the same time, suspicion appeared on his face.
"Then what's the cost? Even if my 'Projection Magecraft' really can create a planet, where do the resources for it come from?"
"How sharp."
Ziz laughed when he heard that.
"Indeed, although Shirou Amamiya's 'Projection Magecraft' has performance that even Age of Gods Magecraft cannot reproduce, activating a formula still requires resources, Mana. The Mana you need to project a Noble Phantasm… hm… is probably only one-thousandth of the Mana contained in the Noble Phantasm itself. That is hardly different from creating something out of nothing. But what if the target rises to the scale of a planet? Even if creating (Projecting) Earth only required one ten-millionth of Earth's own resources, that is still an amount of Mana neither you nor I could ever afford."
He paused, then continued, "There are two things born from this planet's history that serve as the finest Mana resources. Since you participated in the Holy Grail War, you should understand."
"!"
In contrast to Ziz's cheerful smile, anger showed on Shirou's face.
So the materials for creating a planet were…
So that was it. Shirou clenched his molars.
The humans living on the earth.
And the noble radiance born from the planet's history, known as "Heroic Spirits."
Ziz said, "To be honest, both the materials and the blueprint ought to be made from scratch, but I truly no longer have the resources for that. Everything requires compromise. Still, as long as the core soul is different, it will ultimately become something unlike the current Earth. You will be responsible for the planet's creation (Projection), and the planet's soul will be replaced with Heroic Spirits. As for the fuel needed to establish the formula, I think roughly one percent of the surface population… sixty million should be enough. It will be a truly magnificent new celestial body."
Ye Sizhen's face went pale at his merciless words, and Shirou spoke in a low voice.
"You want to deny human history and sacrifice innocent people on top of that?"
"Perhaps life on this planet was a mistake from the very beginning. Radiance born atop that mistake… Are Heroic Spirits really so valuable?"
Ziz said, "Besides, humans have multiplied too much. They have swollen far beyond proportion. If the direction was wrong from the start, then it would be better to pay a small sacrifice and entrust the future to new life that will not repeat the same mistakes. If consuming sixty million humans can create a new planet and realize a better future for the Primates than the one we have now, then tell me, what is wrong with that? It is already an excellent bargain, is it not?"
"Yeah. You don't even have to think about it. Creating a new planet is a great undertaking on par with recreating The Root itself."
Shirou agreed.
That was what Magi were.
As long as they could obtain the result they sought, they would not blink no matter what sacrifice had to be made.
If it could bring about the result Ziz desired, human lives would mean nothing to most Magi.
"Even so, I won't accept your proposal."
Shirou said calmly, "Magus, I cannot accept your way of thinking. I don't believe human lives can be treated as units or numbers and weighed against one another on a scale. It may not be anything impressive, but… that is my justice."
"Shirou…"
Tears welled in the corners of Ye Sizhen's eyes.
I'm so glad I fell in love with him, she thought.
Ziz sighed. "Sigh, so it really is as I expected."
"If you still want to fight, I'll take you on anytime."
As Shirou spoke, he assumed a natural stance.
The other three, Ye Sizhen, Wuzhiqi, and Latio, were all secretly startled by the unusual aura they sensed.
This time, Shirou Amamiya truly intended to kill Ziz.
Of course, the Magus of the Wandering Sea noticed it as well.
He raised both hands in surrender again. "No, no. I can't beat you."
Shirou smiled. "Then stand there quietly and wait for me to kill you."
Although he suspected that even if he destroyed this man's body, he would probably come back from the ashes, it was still better than doing nothing.
Mm, decided.
"Wait."
Ziz said, "Shirou Amamiya, let's make a bet."
"What?" Shirou frowned.
Ye Sizhen grew uneasy and tugged at his sleeve.
Ziz said, "Let's bet that you will change your mind."
Shirou: "..."
"I have already waited more than two thousand years to achieve my goal, so I do not mind waiting another hundred."
The Magus of the Wandering Sea continued, "Shirou Amamiya… as Wuzhiqi said, you must have lived through a very long span of time as a human. We do not know where you were or what sort of long life you led, but what you saw was, in the end, not the scenery of 'this planet.' As far as 'this planet' is concerned, you are still only a child who has yet to reach adulthood, and your understanding is extremely limited. I believe your answer should be one you give after you have come to understand this world well enough."
Ziz spoke with certainty. "After you have witnessed enough death, grief, plunder, betrayal, and endings… after you have witnessed enough hell, will you still be able to maintain the justice you hold now? Shirou Amamiya, let us wager on that."
"————"
After a brief silence, Shirou slowly spoke.
"No problem. I accept your wager."
Shirou spoke with an unwavering expression.
"No matter what happens in the future, no matter what I face, I will never change my 'justice.'"
"Is that so? If you truly manage to go that far…"
The figure and voice of the Wandering Sea Magus grew increasingly indistinct, gradually melting into the void.
"When that time comes, I suppose I will admit my defeat and give up completely."
With those words, Ziz disappeared, as if he had never existed in the first place.
"What about you two?"
Shirou looked at Wuzhiqi and Latio.
"I won't accept your proposals. If you want to fight, I'll take you on anytime."
Latio's familiar, the Bone Giant Tangrey, began to stir restlessly, but its master stopped it.
"That will be all for today."
The blue-haired girl with wavy hair bit her lip, flung her long sleeves aside, and stormed off in a huff.
Halfway through, she suddenly stopped and turned back to look at Shirou.
"Latio will not give up!"
"..."
Ye Sizhen suddenly felt a bad premonition.
It had to be her imagination, she told herself.
And so, of the three Magi who had come to Japan for Shirou, only one remained.
"…What about you?" Shirou asked.
Among the three of them, only Wuzhiqi's motive was the purest. She simply wanted to devour Shirou, literally.
In Shirou's eyes, compared to the other two mad scientists who could bring disaster with one careless move, she was actually relatively safe.
That said, Shirou had no intention of offering himself up as food.
Wuzhiqi spoke with a sly smile. "I've changed my mind."
Shirou said flatly, "What are you thinking now?"
"Nothing much. I was only thinking… it would be too much of a waste to eat you right now."
Wuzhiqi stared at Shirou with her "Golden Eye" and licked her lips.
"I am a woman who can be patient for the sake of good flavor. Even now, you are delicious enough. In my eyes, you surpass even peaches of immortality and golden elixirs that grant eternal life. However… you can become even more delicious, Shirou Amamiya. I will wait with all the patience in the world, until the day you have grown so much that I can no longer endure it and must swallow you whole."
Shirou snorted. "You've been calling me delicious over and over since earlier, but I'm not your food."
"Hmm~~~"
Wuzhiqi stretched leisurely, then loosened up her hands and feet, which had cooled down a little after she had spent so long listening to them talk.
"I may not intend to eat you, but… I never said I would let you off today!!"
Wuzhiqi laughed joyfully and launched an attack without the slightest warning.
Metal chains spread from her handcuffs like venomous snakes, lashing toward Shirou.
Before he even had time to react, the chains had wrapped around the boy's arms, legs, and neck.
"Shirou!"
Ye Sizhen shouted and prepared to counterattack.
However.
"Trace On."
The whisper sounded, and Shirou released his Magic Circuits.
The Mana within his body began to boil. Light gathered in his hand and crystallized into a divine weapon that slew gods and demons.
"What… My chains, they actually!?"
Wuzhiqi's eyes widened.
Shirou had not even swung his blade. With a snap, the chains wrapped around his body shattered like glass.
Those were chains that even serpents and dragons from the Age of Myths could not break free from or bite through, yet now they had been crushed so easily.
The "Blades of Chaos" in Shirou's hand stirred up flames.
That beautiful, hell-like flicker made Wuzhiqi hold her breath.
Before long, she smiled.
"I see. So this is the ultimate 'Anti-Divine Spirit' and 'Anti-Demonic' weapon?"
For Wuzhiqi, who was both a Demon King and an Immortal, it was an absolute natural enemy.
If she had dodged with all her strength, her physical ability would have allowed her to avoid it entirely. And yet…
Wuzhiqi watched with her own eyes as the blade passed through her body, and divine energy gushed from the wound.
It was like a black hole born upon the earth.
The Xian's color and voice disappeared, leaving only the empty afterscent of myth.
"As expected… magnificent. You truly are magnificent… Shirou Amamiya… To think you can go this far. Haha, if it's you, then perhaps…"
Wuzhiqi's words ended there.
The destruction caused by the "Blades of Chaos" erased her existence from the surface of the earth.
Twisted nothingness tore through all things and triggered a collapse.
In the instant of destruction, Wuzhiqi's overwhelming Mystery even ripped space apart.
Before long, everything returned to calm.
"Shirou…"
Ye Sizhen stared blankly at the red-haired boy.
Even if that had only been a Yang God, he had still erased the Demon King Wuzhiqi in a single strike…
Now she finally understood why Shirou was called the "Heroic Spirit Killer."
"Let's go back, Sizhen."
Shirou held out his hand to her.
The Thought Magus took his hand and stood up, then asked in confusion, "Go back? Eh… but…"
Go back? Back where?
Shirou smiled and said, "With your injuries, you'll have to rest at my place for a while, won't you?"
Hearing him say that, Ye Sizhen's heart immediately began to race.
Was she going back to living with Shirou?
But soon, the guilt in her heart overwhelmed her girlish excitement.
"But I caused you so much trouble this time, Shirou… Is that really okay…?"
"Mm, that's true…"
The red-haired boy pinched his chin and said, "The fact that I secretly picked you up and hid you at my place has already been exposed. Since we left in such a hurry, Iri hasn't had time to settle accounts with me yet. Perfect. Let's go back and apologize together."
"But…"
The qipao-clad beauty hesitantly bit her lip.
She had come to Japan to capture Shirou, yet in the end, things had turned out like this.
If Shirou himself had not been exceptional and powerful enough, by now he might have been devoured clean by Wuzhiqi, or carried off by the other two Magi.
After all that, how could Ye Sizhen have the face to keep living in Shirou's home?
"But Sizhen, you wanted to protect me, didn't you?"
"That was nothing but worthless self-satisfaction."
Risking everything for the person she loved. That kind of behavior was practically like something a middle school girl would do, filled with self-satisfaction.
"Why?"
"Nothing. Please forget it."
"Besides, Sizhen, didn't you promise to treat me to the Chinese pastries you make?"
"..."
Ye Sizhen froze.
It was true. They had made that promise.
Perhaps that was what it meant to fall in love with someone.
One simple sentence from Shirou was enough to give her the courage and strength to start over.
Ye Sizhen's delicate face regained its usual confident beauty.
"Understood. I'll go with you. I'll be troubling you again for a while, Shirou."
"Mm-hm."
And so, the two of them set off on the road home.
"Shirou, can I ask you something?"
"What?"
"How did you find me?"
As expected, that was the one question she could not figure out no matter how hard she thought about it.
How exactly had he managed to find this seaside estate, so far away from Fuyuki?
Shirou scratched his cheek, a little embarrassed. "That. Actually, it's pretty simple."
Ye Sizhen's curiosity was piqued, and she pressed him. "What exactly was it?"
"If I tell you, you'll definitely get angry."
"How could I possibly get angry at Shirou?"
Ye Sizhen said it with a completely serious face.
She could no longer imagine what Shirou would have to do to make her angry.
No matter how terrible his behavior was, if it was Shirou… Ye Sizhen would probably find it endearing.
"You really won't get angry?"
"Shirou, you're fussing too much."
Ye Sizhen's fine brows furrowed slightly. "If you're a man, just say it openly."
"Hah…"
Shirou sighed, then confessed.
"Actually… I put a tracking device on your cheongsam."
"!"
Ye Sizhen's eyes widened.
Then, as if she had realized something, she reached toward her chest.
Sure enough, nestled between her full, snow-white breasts, she found a paperclip that had been modified with Magecraft.
So that was it…
The corner of Ye Sizhen's mouth twitched. Just like when he had given her the fake name "Shinji," Shirou had not trusted her, so he had secretly planted a tracker.
"Don't get mad!" Shirou shouted in a hurry.
"I'm not mad."
Her slender fingers crushed the tracking device.
One day, I will definitely win your heart…
As the Thought Magus thought this, she linked her arm through the boy's.
"Sizhen…?"
"Is there a problem?"
"Ngh, no."
"Hehe. Let's go back, Shirou."
With a bewitching smile, Ye Sizhen held onto the boy and led him toward Fuyuki.