Flames burning in the darkness.
Freezing air enveloping in the light.
Around Tomoe and Naoki, two utterly opposing elements clashed.
(Lord ■■ wants to kill me.)
Tomoe realized this fact clearly at that moment.
(But why?)
Though her sanity had crumbled, Tomoe was still utterly convinced that this time, she had to fight by Lord ■■'s side until the end, burning away all who stood in his path.
Thus, only Lord ■■ would never betray her. Only Lord ■■ would always be with her!
So why?
*SWISH!* *SWISH!* *SWISH!*
A flash of icy blue streaked through her vision. Naoki, standing in the light, charged straight at Tomoe. The daylight-like radiance expanded in sync, its beams illuminating her once more.
Then—
*KRAK!*
The naginata in Tomoe's hands froze instantly. The piercing cold abruptly calmed her madness toward Lord ■■. She immediately leaped back.
But that was an impossible feat.
*KRAK!*
Along with the frozen naginata, the Absolute Zero air unleashed by Naoki encased Tomoe's hands and feet. At that moment, she was an ice statue, unable to move.
Naoki had no intention of wasting time with Tomoe. If he was to free her, he couldn't let her linger in this state even for a second.
*PU-CHI!*
His arm pierced through her chest. Blood and flames mingled, gushing from Tomoe's back.
Aiming for her Spirit Core, Naoki delivered a fatal strike.
*KRAK!*
Shattering the frozen Spirit Core, Naoki withdrew his hand from Tomoe's body. He supported her limp, collapsing form: "That's enough, isn't it, Gozen?"
The key to a Servant's existence is the Spirit Core. The same held true for Heroic Spirit Swordsmen. Though they possessed immortality that allowed recovery even from decapitation, if the Spirit Core sustaining their existence was destroyed, no immortality could save them.
And the karma of Slaughtering All Things embedded in Tomoe's Spirit Core was destroyed by Naoki along with it.
The blood-red hue in her eyes receded like a tide. Leaning helplessly in Naoki's arms, Tomoe gazed at the Lord ■■ holding her: "You... you are... Naoki... Naoki-sama?"
"Huh?" Naoki was startled. "You... you remember me, Gozen?"
"Yes... because... I... am... Ugh... Uruk..."
"Wait a second! Don't talk yet!"
Hearing Tomoe's voice growing fainter, Naoki hurriedly stopped her. Supporting the back of her head, he pressed his lips to hers. Through their mucous membrane contact, a vast amount of Mana flowed from him into Tomoe's body. Simultaneously, the same Fairy Protection he'd given Musashi entered her as well.
Under the immense Mana and Fairy Protection, the hole in Tomoe's chest where Naoki had struck began healing at a visible rate. Even her shattered Spirit Core miraculously started reforming, bit by bit.
"Ugh... Haah..."
After injecting Mana equivalent to half his reserves into Tomoe, Naoki stopped the flow and lifted his head: "That should do it, Gozen. Feeling better?"
"Ah... Ugh... Hmm..."
Tomoe, her face now completely flushed, could only nod. Clearly, she was in a state of confusion from the massive mental shock—though Naoki was the Lord she'd sworn to dedicate her life to in this summoning, she was, after all, another man's wife. Being forcibly kissed like this was truly...
(No, don't think strange thoughts, Gozen! Naoki-sama only did this out of necessity! It was to save your life! Don't ever measure Naoki-sama's good intentions with petty thoughts!)
Yes, that's right, it had to be.
Quickly calming and reassuring herself, Tomoe stood from Naoki's embrace: "I'm sorry, Naoki-sama, for making you expend so much Mana for Gozen."
"Mana's not an issue for me. What matters is that you're safe." Naoki waved his hand. "So... you're really the Tomoe Gozen I knew from the Seventh Singularity?"
Tomoe nodded: "Yes, Naoki-sama."
Servants don't carry memories from previous summonings, but if they don't return to the Throne of Heroes and maintain their existence in the world, that's a different story. Like Morgan, Mordred, Atalanta, and Artoria.
They were all Servants who remained in the world after the Holy Grail War ended.
However, Tomoe's situation wasn't entirely the same.
"After the Seventh Singularity collapsed, I didn't return to the Throne of Heroes... Or rather, I thought I would, but for some reason, when I came to, I was already in this somewhat unfamiliar Japan."
"Were you re-summoned?" Naoki speculated. "But re-summoning only targets the Heroic Spirit itself. Your situation... it's like you were accidentally transported here. Then what happened?"
"I was attacked."
Tomoe said: "Not long after arriving here, I was ambushed by a Heroic Spirit Swordsman. He was truly an extraordinary swordsman. I lost and fell. Just when I thought I'd be killed, a Magus appeared before me, implanted something into my Spirit Origin, and then..."
"You became Archer Inferno, right?"
"Yes."
Tomoe looked slightly remorseful. Though she'd been implanted with karma, turning her into an evil Oni, she remembered—the crimes she'd committed, how she herself had turned all of Hitachi Province into a land of death.
"Naoki-sama, could you... could you let Gozen die?" Tomoe pleaded. "I've committed unforgivable sins, carried out unforgivable slaughter. These are no longer sins Gozen can atone for, so—"
"You want to die to atone for your sins?"
Naoki frowned.
"Logically, yes, you should be killed to atone for the crimes you've committed—but how much is one life worth? The hundreds of thousands of lives in Hitachi Province—do you think your single life can make up for them?"
"T-That's... not what I meant..."
"Then don't think about dying. Your death here would be utterly meaningless. The dead won't come back because of it, and the future won't change because of it. Instead of wasting time on suicide, use your time in this world to save as many people as possible."
Naoki didn't believe that those who kill must die.
If it was a crime of killing without remorse, sure, they should be shot dead to prevent further harm to others and the world.
But if it was Tomoe...
She didn't kill intentionally but committed great crimes under someone or something's control. She shouldn't be allowed to die so easily. She must live, bearing her sins, guilt, and regret, and atone through her actions.
"Besides, even if we take a step back—Archer Inferno, not you, destroyed Hitachi Province. And I just killed her."
"That's just your sophistry." Tomoe shook her head. "But... what you said makes sense. If I die like this, it'd look like I'm running away."
This was common in the military. Soldiers who committed grave mistakes weren't executed but were allowed to atone through meritorious deeds.
Tomoe understood Naoki's intent in letting her live.
"I understand, Naoki-sama."
"Just like in Uruk, or the vow I made to you back then—it still holds now. Until this summoning of Gozen ends, I will do my utmost for you and for the many who died due to my negligence, powerlessness, and weakness."