Chapter 12: Tenfold Darkening!
Chapter 12: Tenfold Darkening!
The sound of gunfire echoed from outside the cave, causing everyone to instinctively pause.
Mash turned her head, trying to confirm what had happened, but she no longer heard any more sounds.
"That was… Assassin fighting just now?"
She had personally witnessed that white-haired Assassin use his powerful gun to take down Rider.
"Oh? Looks like the battle has been decided."
Cu Chulainn gripped his oak staff and glanced backward.
Ethan merely furrowed his brows, staring intently at the semi-transparent livestream screen. In the image, two white-haired men lay on the ground.
At the moment Kiritsugu pulled the trigger, Shirou instinctively deployed a petal-shaped shield, but the bullet from that gun shattered it effortlessly.
Like a fragile pane of glass, the shield crumbled, and the bullet pierced through, embedding itself into Shirou's body.
At the same time, the twin swords Kanshou & Bakuya that Shirou had thrown spun like a boomerang, stabbing deep into Assassin's back.
"I never expected… it to be you… Kiritsugu…"
Blood trickled from the corner of Shirou's mouth as he leaned against a rock, struggling to stay upright.
"Even you… have become a pawn of Alaya… cough cough…"
Fresh blood gushed from Shirou's lips. The bullet had inflicted severe damage, even his Saint Graph was breaking apart—he had clearly reached his limit.
"…Sounds like you know me."
Under a nearby tree, Kiritsugu also leaned against the trunk, looking over.
The white-haired man before him gave him an inexplicable sense of familiarity.
Perhaps that strange feeling he had earlier was because of this.
"Ah… of course I know you… If possible, I never wanted to meet you like this."
Shirou then gazed at Kiritsugu, his eyes revealing a complex sense of nostalgia.
"Kiritsugu, without you, there would be no me today. Being used by Alaya like a dog is truly bothersome… but still…"
Shirou smiled faintly, as if relieved.
"Thank you, Kiritsugu."
After saying that, he turned toward the cave he had been protecting all this time.
"Sorry… Saber, I can only accompany you this far."
The moment his words fell, Shirou's body turned into light and dissipated.
Kiritsugu watched the young man disappear, silently pulling a cigarette from his pocket. He lit it, bringing it to his lips and taking a deep drag.
"Hoo…"
White smoke curled upward, drifting into the pitch-black night sky.
"Master, the mission here is complete. Sorry, I need to rest for a bit."
Five thousand viewers had just witnessed the life-and-death battle between these two men.
Though there weren't many words exchanged, the intense fight had left everyone holding their breath.
[So… so it's over?]
[But which side was the good guy, and which was the villain? I can't tell anymore.]
[I heard from others that the one who won is actually the father of the one who lost.]
[Huh? Did they only realize at the end that this was a 'Shirou, I'm your father' moment? This is peak classic storytelling.]
Those who understood the situation reacted quite differently.
[Stop fighting! Why can't you two just sit down and have a proper meal together?!]
[Can't deny it, they really do look alike.]
[Archer probably never imagined that even after becoming a Heroic Spirit, he'd still get beaten down by his dad, huh?]
[Light Novel Title: "Because I Wanted to Be an Ally of Justice, I Signed a Slave Contract With the World After Death, But in the End, I Couldn't Escape My Father's Belt."]
[A father and son standing on opposite sides, each pursuing their own ideals… Man, this really makes you sigh.]
[Wait! Wait! Is that really the end? Where's 'Bone of My Sword'???]
The number of livestream viewers kept rising, and the comment speed increased significantly.
'System, what happens if a summoned Servant dies?'
Right now, this was Ethan's biggest concern.
As long as battles existed, casualties were inevitable.
[If a summoned Servant dies, the Host can use livestream points and a Command Spell to repair their Saint Graph.]
[One Command Spell can be restored per day.]
[Hint: The stronger the Servant, the more points required to repair their Saint Graph.]
'If Assassin - Kiritsugu dies, how many points would I need to repair him?'
[Current Servant: Assassin - Emiya Kiritsugu. Points required to repair Saint Graph: 10,000 livestream points.]
Hearing the system's response, Ethan felt temporarily relieved.
In the worst-case scenario, he would only need to consume a Command Spell and some points to repair the Saint Graph.
Ten thousand points might not even be enough to summon a Servant, so using them for repairs was still an acceptable cost.
"What's wrong, Senpai?"
Noticing Ethan's silence, Mash approached him with concern.
"It's nothing. Let's keep moving forward."
Right now, he needed to focus all his attention ahead, as the crucial moment to conquer the Fuyuki Singularity was approaching.
As the group advanced deeper into the cave, an enormous open space quickly unfolded before them.
The cavern was vast enough to hold dozens of stadiums, a massive void formed through both natural processes and artificial excavation.
"Everyone, stay alert. Up ahead is where Saber is guarding the Greater Holy Grail."
Cu Chulainn gripped his oak staff tightly, readying for battle.
Olga Marie anxiously clutched the Magic Crystal that Ethan had given her earlier. She had infused a significant amount of mana into it, making its power comparable to high-level offensive magecraft.
Mash raised her shield, prepared to protect Ethan and Olga Marie as the group slowly advanced.
The moment they stepped into the vast space, a powerful surge of magical energy rippled toward them.
Olga Marie's gaze snapped forward, her face filled with astonishment.
Before her eyes, a colossal structure resembling a mana reservoir continuously spewed forth dark energy, spreading across Fuyuki.
"This… isn't this an Ultimate-Class Magic Reactor?! Could this be the Greater Holy Grail?!"
At that moment, a clear yet sharp voice rang out from ahead.
"Caster, you've come again? Archer didn't stop you? Oh? It seems you've brought along an interesting Servant this time."
Ethan immediately switched the livestream feed to the source of the voice.
Everyone looked forward—standing before the pitch-black Greater Holy Grail was a female knight clad in jet-black armor, towering over them as she observed the group.
The overwhelming aura radiating from her enveloped the entire space, pressing down with suffocating intensity. The black holy sword in her hand emitted faint crimson glows, exhaling a miasma of destruction.
Ethan instinctively swallowed hard.
Artoria Pendragon Alter.
The King Arthur who had lost her "ahoge" and succumbed to darkness, becoming a tyrant of absolute power.
Compared to her original self, she possessed vastly greater mana reserves and was far more ruthless.
Even though he had mentally prepared for this, Ethan couldn't help but feel the crushing pressure of her magical aura.
Could Mash really face her head-on?!
Doubt crept into Ethan's mind. He glanced at Mash, who was staring at her nearly invincible opponent with a solemn expression.
The final battle at the Fuyuki Singularity…
was about to begin!