Artoria, I... Miss You So Much / Shielding Heroic Spirit / Two Wishes

Artoria Pendragon.

The moment Ian heard that name, he felt as if his soul had been pulled out by tentacles.

Various past scenes assaulted his every nerve, leaving him completely stunned.

This reaction surprised Cu Chulainn somewhat.

"You... are you scared?" he asked, observing Ian's frozen state.

"I thought you wouldn't be afraid."

Before Ian could answer, Olga Marie explained first.

"That's not it," she clarified, shaking her head.

"Then it's probably because of blood relations," Cu Chulainn speculated, his gaze shifting between Ian and Olga Marie.

"Blood relations?" Cu Chulainn looked puzzled. "What do you mean?"

"Because Ian's full name..."

Olga Marie cleared her throat.

"Is Ian Pendragon."

"What?!" Cu Chulainn was shocked once again, his eyes widening in disbelief.

But he soon burst into laughter.

"Hahahaha!" he roared, amusement dancing in his eyes.

"So you're a descendant of the King of Knights! No wonder you were able to fight me for so long with a human body!"

"But in that case..."

Cu Chulainn looked at Ian with a bit more hesitation.

"You probably wouldn't be willing to fight your own ancestor, would you?" he inquired, his expression uncertain.

"..."

Ian shook his head.

"No," he stated firmly, his gaze resolute.

"If that's the case, then it's even more necessary for me to get involved," Ian declared, a newfound determination in his voice.

"I... absolutely cannot stand by and watch this happen," he added, his eyes filled with conviction.

"..."

Cu Chulainn was silent for a moment, then a smile of approval appeared on his face.

"As expected of the descendant of a hero, your actions are also those of a hero," he praised, nodding in admiration.

"Then—"

"Let's go together, to defeat Artoria and end this twisted Holy Grail War!" Cu Chulainn exclaimed, extending a hand towards Ian.

"Yeah!" Ian replied, his voice filled with determination as he clasped Cu Chulainn's hand.

Once the goal was confirmed, their steps forward became even more resolute.

The group soon arrived at the foot of the mountain where Artoria was located.

A path leading to the summit lay before the three of them.

"This is way too high!" Olga Marie exclaimed, looking at the stone steps with a fearful expression.

"If we climb all the way up there like this, we'll die!" she added, her voice filled with apprehension.

"It's alright, Director, you don't need to climb," Ian reassured her, crouching down.

"I'll carry you on my back," he offered with a gentle smile.

"...Is that okay?" Olga Marie hesitated. "Aren't you going to face King Arthur head-on later? Wouldn't it be bad to waste your stamina on something like this?" she asked, her brow furrowed with concern.

"Director, you seem to underestimate me a bit," Ian chuckled lightly.

"A girl like you... I could carry you back and forth a few times without any problem," he boasted playfully.

"..."

Hearing this, Olga Marie didn't say anything more.

She obediently leaned on the man's back, being carried like a child.

Tears fell from the young Director's eyes, finally turning into a choked thank you.

"Ian... thank you," she whispered, her voice filled with gratitude.

"You don't need to thank me, you're my Director after all," Ian replied softly, his smile widening.

Watching this scene, Cu Chulainn once again felt a bit redundant.

However, this feeling didn't last long this time.

Because Ian quickly asked the next question.

"By the way, Artoria... how long did it take her to turn Fuyuki City into this?" Ian inquired, his gaze thoughtful.

"Half a day," Cu Chulainn answered truthfully. "It's only been about half a day since she descended."

"...Only half a day, huh?" Ian muttered, a look of grim understanding on his face.

As expected.

Even in her current state as a Servant, Artoria, as the King of Knights, was still as strong as ever.

"I understand, let's go," Ian said, his voice firm.

But things were far from as simple as they imagined.

At the mountainside, Ian saw a pair of unexpected figures.

It was Mashu and Fujimaru Ritsuka.

Fujimaru Ritsuka looked much the same as usual.

But Mashu looked completely different.

Her usual pale Chaldean uniform was gone, replaced by purplish-orange armor.

A large shield was held firmly in her hand.

And in front of them stood a man with completely black attire and snow-white hair.

He wielded twin blades, his expression incredibly cold.

Needless to say,

Just like those black shadows earlier, this was also one of Artoria's "Servants."

And unfortunately, Mashu and Fujimaru Ritsuka had become his enemies.

"Hiss..."

Cu Chulainn looked at the white-haired man before him and gripped his magic staff tightly.

"Ian, those are also people from your Chaldea, right?" he asked, his gaze serious.

"Yes," Ian nodded in confirmation.

"Alright," Cu Chulainn responded. "You guys hurry up to the summit, I'll deal with this guy."

Ian was a bit surprised.

"Weren't we supposed to go up together?" he asked, tilting his head in confusion.

"No," Cu Chulainn shook his head. "In my current state, I'm destined not to be able to defeat Artoria."

"However—"

"I believe you can," he said, his gaze filled with trust.

"Cu Chulainn..." This feeling of being trusted moved Ian somewhat.

"Alright, enough talk!"

Cu Chulainn pushed Ian forward.

"Hurry up and take those people up there, and then finish what I asked you to do cleanly!"

And so—

At Cu Chulainn's insistence, Ian led the Chaldean members towards the mountain top.

And he stayed behind to fight the white-haired man.

"You are foolish," the white-haired man said, looking at Cu Chulainn before him with a blank expression.

"You're holding an unfamiliar weapon, yet you want to act like a hero and stop me?" he questioned coldly.

"Heh."

Cu Chulainn twirled his magic staff, striking a pose as if to reorganize his stance.

"Aren't you the same?" he retorted, a smirk playing on his lips.

"Arc—her."

A great battle was about to break out.

On the other side.

Ian and his group were hurriedly rushing towards the summit.

At this moment, they were the only pieces that could solve this deadlock.

However, Ian was still very concerned about Mashu's current state.

"Mashu, you..." Ian began, his voice filled with curiosity.

Perhaps knowing that her current state was vastly different from her usual appearance,

Mashu, carrying Fujimaru Ritsuka on her back, explained while closely following Ian.

"Senpai... for some reason, Ritsuka and I just formed a contract," she said, her voice a bit strained.

"The current me is already a Demi-Servant."

"Demi-Servant?" Ian was puzzled by this concept.

Fortunately, he was carrying Olga Marie on his back—she knew all about this kind of thing.

She explained.

"It's a state just below that of a 'Servant'."

"Ignoring external conditions, it's fine to tentatively consider it as a 'Servant' itself," she clarified.

"This..."

Time was pressing, and before Ian could ask more about this, the summit appeared before his eyes.

A familiar yet unfamiliar figure stood there at this moment.

It was Artoria.

But unlike the Artoria in Ian's memory, who wore blue and white armor—

The armor covering her entire body was now black, looking like a piece of charcoal standing there.

Excalibur was thrust straight into the ground before her, with inky black mist swirling around it.

This was the real Artoria.

But she was definitely not the Artoria in Ian's memory.

How could this be?

What exactly happened?

Ian was only stunned for a moment before Artoria launched an attack.

He saw her pull out Excalibur, which was overflowing with black energy, and charge directly towards the people present.

No!

To be precise, she should be charging towards Ian.

That action was almost like an instinct!

"Senpai!"

Mashu, who had reacted, immediately put down Fujimaru Ritsuka, who was on her back, and then pounced towards Ian's location.

The man was knocked away by Mashu.

Olga Marie fell to the other side.

And Mashu took the full brunt of the attack.

The difference in their strength was simply too great.

With just that one impact, Mashu, along with her shield, was sent flying, rolling several times on the ground before stopping.

"Mashu!" Fujimaru Ritsuka shouted, a heart-wrenching cry escaping her lips.

Clearly, in the time before reuniting with Ian, the two girls who supported each other had built a considerable friendship.

But Artoria completely ignored this cry.

She turned around and looked at Ian.

The King of Knights, completely clad in black, now raised Excalibur Morgan, which was radiating black energy outwards, high above her head.

"Excalibur Morgan!"

It was a beam of black light that reached the heavens, and even Olga Marie, who was forced to get involved in the Servant battle, could feel its power.

"Ian! Run! Do you want to die?!" Olga Marie screamed, her voice filled with terror.

But Ian didn't move at all.

It wasn't that he couldn't feel how powerful Excalibur Morgan was.

But rather that he saw something even more concerning than that.

It was—

Her tears.

Artoria was crying.

She hadn't failed to recognize him, but was forced to do this because of something binding her.

What... exactly happened?

Ian's thoughts were completely thrown into chaos by Artoria's tears.

That was something only she could do.

However, what the man didn't know was that,

At this very moment, two people's hearts had reached an astonishing consensus.

It was Mashu and Fujimaru Ritsuka.

——It doesn't matter if she's a fake Servant!

——It doesn't matter if he's a foolish Master!

——I want to protect him!

——I want to save him!

This was a united wish of the two!

Mashu and Fujimaru Ritsuka looked at each other at the same time, and with just one glance, they already knew each other's thoughts.

The wounded pink-haired girl picked up the giant shield once again and pounced in front of Ian.

Fujimaru Ritsuka reached out her hand, as if touching something.

As a Master, she felt for the first time how to transmit magical energy.

"Noble Phantasm!"

"Deploy!"

With Mashu's roar, the giant shield in her hand erupted with unprecedented swirling runes!

When it fully bloomed, the shield had transformed into the shape of a round table, firmly blocking Excalibur Morgan.

The Shielding Heroic Spirit (Shielder), Mashu of the Extra class, born from the united wish of the two, appeared on the summit of Fuyuki City!

Artoria's lips curled up slightly.

She seemed incredibly pleased that Mashu was able to block her Excalibur Morgan, which was meant to kill Ian.

However—

The command that bound her had not stopped.

She raised Excalibur once again.

"Excalibur Morgan!"

Another fierce black light slash.

But Mashu, who had successfully deployed her Noble Phantasm, was no longer as fearful as before.

At this moment, her heart held an unshakeable belief—to protect the man behind her, for herself and for Fujimaru Ritsuka!

Boom!

Excalibur Morgan struck the round shield Noble Phantasm deployed by Mashu squarely.

And it seemed that because the previous attack had been blocked, this time Excalibur Morgan was clearly much stronger.

Mashu was struggling to withstand it.

But she had no intention of giving up.

"Senpai, please recover quickly!"

"Let's... defeat her together!"

The most simple request turned into the most effective call at this moment.

Drip.

Ian felt a drop of water fall into his mind.

His thoughts gradually cleared.

Yes.

Artoria was indeed crying.

If that was the case—

Then he had to find a way to save her from this pain.

Could he do it?

No.

It wasn't a question of whether he could do it or not.

But rather—

How to do it.

Thinking along this line, he had to understand what method could save her from this restraint.

That's right.

Let her recall those things.

In this way, maybe she could break through these shackles.

"Mashu."

"Eh?!" Mashu was overjoyed to hear Ian's voice. "Senpai, you've recovered?"

"Yeah."

Time was pressing, and Ian didn't exchange any pleasantries.

"Mashu, can you get a little closer to Artoria?"

"This..."

Ian's request was undoubtedly extremely dangerous.

After all, with every step forward, the amount of magical energy they would be exposed to would increase by a level.

However—

Since Ian had said so,

Then she had to try!

"I understand, Senpai."

"Please... stand behind me!"

Mashu's voice at this moment was powerful and resolute. She was no longer as timid as before.

Ian couldn't help but feel a sense of relief.

However—

This wasn't the time to care about such things.

Step by step.

Mashu held up the round shield and approached Artoria's direction step by step.

She could clearly feel the shield trembling because it was bearing a large amount of magical energy.

But—

She couldn't be afraid!

Just like that, the two approached a position quite close to Artoria.

As if it were a reward for the brave.

Excalibur Morgan temporarily stopped due to excessive release.

"Senpai!"

"Yeah, I know."

Ian was no longer hiding behind Mashu's shield.

He walked towards Artoria step by step—even though she was filled with killing intent.

The man faced the sword and came to her.

He reached out and touched her head.

Then came the man's hoarse yet sincere words.

"Artoria."

"I... miss you so much."

Pat.

It was as if something had broken through its shackles.

Clang.

Excalibur fell to the ground.

Two lines of clear tears flowed from Artoria's eyes.

"Sir Ian."

"I... I missed you too."