Chapter 217: Stepping Into the Uncharted Layer of the Labyrinth
The surprise attack caught Leonardo completely off guard.
"Master, watch out!!!"
Just as Lip's Noble Phantasm was about to hit Leonardo, Gawain's figure suddenly stepped in front of him.
"Gawain!!!"
With the last of his strength, Gawain used his broken holy sword to block the Noble Phantasm.
"Master, I understand—everything you've done has been for the future of humanity."
Gawain's gentle voice came from ahead.
"Gawain, what are you doing!!!"
"I once blamed myself for not being able to save my own King, so at the very least… allow me, in this moment, to fulfill my final duty as your knight."
Under the massive surge of magical energy crashing down, Gawain's shattered holy sword immediately disintegrated into ash.
Leonardo was sent flying backward, staring in astonishment at the explosion that erupted right before his eyes.
"You were just saved by your own Servant."
Meltryllis landed and walked directly up to Leonardo.
"So this is what it feels like… to be saved by one's own Servant."
Leonardo calmly lowered his head, looking at his own hand.
"Looks like Gawain carried too much for me."
Ethan and Mash quickly caught up.
"This time, you win."
Leonardo admitted it outright.
"Never expected you'd manage to get two AIs to cooperate with you. That's the one thing I didn't anticipate."
"Leonardo, what exactly did you see?"
Ethan frowned at the man sitting on the ground before him.
What exactly did he see that made him choose to stop anyone from advancing further into the Labyrinth?
After losing Gawain, all the magical energy in his body began to dissipate.
"I've forgotten."
Leonardo spoke coldly.
"Forgotten???"
"Yes. Humans are not omnipotent beings—we can only survive by constantly letting go."
As he spoke, Leonardo looked directly into Ethan's eyes.
"To survive, I had to forget what I saw, what I experienced, the memories I once had. But that fear… that fear remains, buried deep within my soul."
There was no exaggeration or intimidation in Leonardo's words.
"Master from another world… if you continue forward, you may never be able to turn back."
"Thanks for the warning."
Ethan replied with a calm expression.
"Maybe… I haven't been able to turn back for a long time."
"…I see. Looks like what you carry and what you've experienced… is completely different from mine."
Leonardo's expression slowly softened.
"It's finally over. Feels like everything dragged on for far too long."
Only now did Ethan notice that Leonardo's arm had started turning black.
"Leonardo?!"
"His body's long been corroded by a virus."
Meltryllis stared intently at the spreading black spots on Leonardo's body.
"Rather than saying it like that… the fact that he held out until now is already quite remarkable."
"Seems like in the world I lived in, humanity was completely wiped out… then what kind of ending will await the world you came from, I wonder…"
The darkness slowly consumed Leonardo. In his final moments, he asked Ethan:
"In the world I lived in… what became of humanity…"
Ethan looked at the thick black sludge left behind on the ground — that was the final end of Leonardo.
"Ethan!!!"
A loud shout from Tohsaka Rin rang out from behind.
"Huh, what's wrong? Tohsaka???"
Ethan turned around, confused as he looked at Tohsaka Rin running toward him.
"You… you really are Ethan, right? The Master from that Cha-Cha place or whatever???"
"…It's Chaldea."
Ethan sighed, correcting Tohsaka Rin's phrasing.
"Whatever, doesn't matter… you're alive, right?"
Tohsaka Rin looked slightly wary.
"What, you think I'm a ghost digital or something?"
"Uhh… honestly I'm not good at dealing with that kind of thing…"
Tohsaka Rin said, her expression a bit uneasy.
"Don't you find people who just pop out of nowhere with no logic totally suspicious? Ghost Digitals or whatever—they're totally unscientific!!!"
"Hold on… aren't you a Magus? Isn't that kind of talk a bit off?"
Not to mention, you're currently a digital spirit yourself!
"Rin, the way he talks proves he's real. Plus, ghosts don't have shadows."
"Shadow! That's right—just check if he casts a shadow or not!"
Tohsaka Rin immediately began checking whether Ethan had a shadow beneath his feet.
"Tohsaka-san, please don't worry."
Mash spoke up beside Tohsaka Rin.
"Senpai and I are both truly alive."
"Mash!!!"
The moment she saw Mash, Tohsaka Rin's expression finally softened.
"Thank goodness… After seeing you fall, I had no idea what to do. Actually, I…"
"Mama!!!"
A figure dashed over at blinding speed and slammed Tohsaka Rin aside.
"Mama! Are you alright?!"
The little white-haired girl charged in, tightly hugging Ethan's body.
"Fou~~"
Fou also leapt over, landing on Mash's shoulder, rubbing eagerly against her face.
"Ahaha, Fou, that tickles."
At that moment, the other Servants also began arriving one after another.
"Master, you still seem rather composed."
Jack the Ripper, having taken on the form of a gentleman, approached calmly.
"Climbing back from hell—certainly not something one sees every day."
"If I'd really gotten stuck down there, someone definitely would've jumped in to pull me back up, wouldn't they?"
Ethan turned to Draco, who was walking over, and spoke.
"I already told you. Until I revive and return as a Beast, I absolutely won't let you die meaninglessly."
Draco's eyes were filled with solemn determination.
"If you had truly been killed by a weakling like that, then even if I have to burn my own Saint Graph, I would destroy this world!"
"I see… Looks like for the sake of this world, I'll have to make sure I stay alive no matter what."
Ethan shrugged.
"Don't worry, Master. I won't let that day come."
Noah appeared just in time, stepping forward.
"If you ask me why, it's because I'm a candidate for Grand of Rider—just temporarily without a Grand Saint Graph."
"Rider… you…"
Draco's expression clearly shifted upon seeing Noah.
"Don't look at me like that. Don't tell me you're planning to thank me? I just made the most reasonable judgment in that situation."
"Hmph, I guess I was being too suspicious. You're nothing more than the lapdog of the Human Order, enemy of the Beasts—of course someone like that wouldn't die so easily."
Draco crossed her arms and turned her back, though her voice sounded a bit softer.
"Well, I know it sounds strange, but the moment I showed up, someone literally tore me to pieces…"
Noah still seemed bitter about being wrecked by Draco in a completely unredeemed state.
"Didn't expect we'd end up as allies in the end. As expected of humans—just living long enough and you'll see some wild things… or so the Noah within me once said."
"Master, I'm so glad you're safe~~~"
From the crowd, Tamamo no Mae burst out and grabbed Ethan's arm, theatrically pinching herself while pretending to cry.
"After seeing Master fall, this Tamamo couldn't eat, couldn't sleep—nearly stopped breathing, you know."
"You look pretty lively to me."
Ethan bluntly called out her fake crying act.
"You're mean~ That's only because the moment I saw Master, I instantly felt better~"
Tamamo no Mae's eyes sparkled like stars as she spoke with adoration:
"To return shining from that trash heap, convince two Advanced AIs to follow you, and even make a grand entrance to save this Tamamo from that wicked Saber~~~"
"Alright, enough flattery. Time to prepare to head up."
Ethan waved her off, cutting Tamamo no Mae short without hesitation.
Just as Leonardo and Gawain were defeated, heavy thud, thud sounds echoed from afar.
It was as if dangerous giants were marching this way.
"Meltryllis, where's the path to the upper layer?!"
Ethan immediately asked Meltryllis.
"Human, behave yourself a little—remember, you're the one needing my help right now."
Meltryllis rolled her eyes, then seemed to notice something nearby.
She stepped forward, and before long, a large sealed door appeared.
"Looks like this path's already been destroyed."
Meltryllis examined the door from top to bottom and quickly came to a conclusion.
"There's no way to open it?"
"None. It's been completely wrecked. Seems that human from before didn't want anyone going further."
"What about the elevator from before?"
Referring to the one Lip and Meltryllis had used earlier.
"You've misunderstood something. That's a privilege only Advanced AIs can use—and even then, only once."
Meltryllis's tone was full of irritation.
"Melt… you definitely have a way… right?"
Lip carefully stepped forward, trying not to let her massive claws touch anything.
"Hmph, a person like you becomes utterly blind the moment you fall in love, yet you still shamelessly come begging me?"
"S-sorry…"
Faced with Meltryllis's teasing, Lip reflexively bowed her head and apologized.
"Fine, whatever. Things have come this far anyway. Let's just say I owe that damn BB a little payback—I'll figure something out."
Meltryllis took a deep breath.
"All of you, step back a bit!"
Ethan nodded, signaling everyone to move back.
A massive amount of magical energy began gathering at the sharp heel of Meltryllis's shoe. She gently raised one leg, then, as if targeting a specific point, unleashed a direct kick forward!
"Un, deux, trois! Valse étoile!!!"
"BANG————————!!!"
The damaged door shattered like glass, pierced directly in the center, leaving behind a small hole.
Cracks began spreading outward from that hole.
Finally, at the moment it reached its limit, the entire door crashed down to the ground!
"Alright, that'll do."
"This is kind of…"Ethan peered beyond the broken door, where nothing but a bottomless void awaited.
"That frame was only there to anchor this area in place. In principle, passing through here means you can reach anywhere."
"Anywhere?!"
"Yeah. When MoonCell first created this place, the idea of layers didn't even exist. The divisions were just for easier management. Don't you have someone on your side who understands that? Stop pretending."
At Meltryllis's pointed comment, a familiar voice finally came through Ethan's communicator—a voice long unheard.
"Apologies. That wasn't my intention."
"Sakura?!"
Upon hearing Matou Sakura's voice, both Ethan and Mash lit up with joy.
"So we're able to contact you again now?"
"I'm sorry, Senpai, for only responding just now."
Sakura's voice was filled with remorse.
"Actually, I've been aware of your situation from the start, but for many reasons, I couldn't assist you."
"It's alright. What matters is, we made it up here."
Ethan didn't blame her at all.
As a management AI of MoonCell, Sakura was obviously restricted by the system.
"This is the moment we need you. You still have access to high-level permissions, right?"
"Yes. I've already assessed your current location. I'll begin reconstructing the access path now."
As Sakura spoke, a golden staircase began forming behind the shattered door.
It gradually extended and connected to the platform where Ethan stood.
"This is great! Now we can move up!"Mash was overjoyed at the sight of the staircase.
For some reason, Sakura's voice suddenly became weaker.
"Sakura, are you okay?"
Ethan immediately questioned her through the communicator.
"I'm alright… Senpai, the area above this staircase is the Fifth Layer. There's a high chance you'll encounter BB—please be careful."
Sakura's voice continued:
"As BB's interference grows stronger, I'll do my best to establish a connection between Chaldea and your current location."
"I'm counting on you."
After saying that, Ethan looked toward the staircase ahead.
Meltryllis was already walking toward it on her own.
"Everyone, let's go!"
Ethan turned and signaled to the Servants behind him.
After getting everyone's agreement, Mash took the lead, and the group ascended the golden spiral staircase.
Before long, they reached the level above.
This place was completely different from the vast Digital Ocean of the previous floor—here, it was simply an expansive, wide-open space.
To describe it more clearly, the overall atmosphere felt… chaotic.
"Pachi pachi pachi~~~"
Just as Ethan stepped onto the new layer, clapping sounds echoed out.
"Unbelievable! You all actually made it here—what a surprise~~~"
BB stood directly in front of them, smiling.
"This kind of thing usually only happens in dreams, and yet here you are, proving that humans can reach even this place! But——"
A flawless, fake smile spread across BB's face.
"There's no knowledge to be found here. No 'Holy Grail' either. So, Senpai… would you kindly go back now???"