Chapter 69. Round Table Meeting Start, Thirteen Restraints Released! Holy Sword of the Stars, Activate!
If the battle at the West Gate was a blood-pumping, fist-to-flesh, hardcore action blockbuster, then at this moment, the North District's style had completely mutated into an eerie and suffocating thriller mystery.
There were no deafening explosions, no roars of monsters; even the wail of the wind blowing through the ruins had vanished. There was only a deathly silence.
This silence was not tranquility, but an abnormal phenomenon where the very concept of "sound" had been forcibly stripped away. It was as if a pair of invisible giant hands had crudely pressed the mute button on the entire world, making all life activities within this gray domain appear pathetic and powerless.
...
Shirou Emiya's group ran through the empty streets. Though they had just undergone a death struggle and their bodies were on the verge of falling apart, the buff from the [Emiya Special: Hero's Feast] still staunchly maintained their vital signs, acting like a tireless engine forcibly dragging this broken car forward.
It's so quiet... Ryuu Lion gripped the dagger in her hand—the charm Shirou had given her. Her sensitive elven ears could currently only capture the sound of her own heart beating like a war drum, each thud feeling like a heavy hammer striking her chest. Is this... the domain of Silence?
"Yeah, that's right." Alise wiped the sweat—or perhaps cold sweat—from her forehead. Her gaze was more solemn than ever before. Though the [Guren no Ken] in her hand still radiated heat, that tiny bit of warmth seemed insignificant in the surrounding freezing air. Compared to Zard's straightforward violence, this invisible, untouchable pressure was far more nauseating. It was exactly like walking into a horror game you hadn't cleared yet; you never knew from where a "Death Sentence" monster would jump out in the next second.
"Stop raising flags, Captain," Kaguya commented coldly, though her hand remained fixed on her hilt, her knuckles white from the grip. Her sharp intuition told her that in the darkness ahead stood an insurmountable monster. That woman... was just ahead.
At the end of the street lay a field of ruins. At the highest point of that wreckage stood what was once a glorious cathedral bell tower, now reduced to a jagged wall pointing lonely toward the sky. A gray figure sat there quietly.
She wasn't looking toward them. She was looking up at the sky, watching the moon obscured by war smoke. Beneath her feet lay the corpses of countless adventurers. They had no wounds, no blood, looking as if they had simply fallen asleep. But a slight approach would reveal that their internal organs had been vibrated into powder by high-frequency sonic waves—a tragic and eerie way to die.
Silence—Alfia. She was the ultimate masterpiece of the Hera Familia, a favored child of the gods who possessed the very concept of "Talent." She was the strongest Mage of this era and the nightmare of all who pursued magic.
"Have you come?"
Alfia's voice was very light. But in this realm of absolute silence, the voice sounded like a thunderclap exploding next to the ear, instantly piercing everyone's eardrums and reaching the depths of their souls. She slowly turned her head, her heterochromatic eyes—one emerald green like a forest, one gray and dim like embers—swept over the group.
"Zard's presence... has vanished," she said flatly. One couldn't hear joy or sorrow in her tone, as if she were merely stating an inconsequential fact. "Did that gluttonous fool finally eat until he burst? What an ungallant exit."
"He didn't eat until he burst." Shirou Emiya took a step forward, looking directly at the strongest witch. His gaze was clear and firm, without a trace of fear.
"He left with a smile. As a warrior, and as a... senpai."
"Is that so." Alfia's gaze softened for a fleeting instant, but was immediately covered again by icy killing intent. It was a gaze that had seen through everything in the world, regarding life with the utmost indifference.
"Since he has exited, then... only I remain on this stage."
She slowly stood up. Her gray dress fluttered eerily in the windless air, like a ghost's dance step. A massive, suffocating amount of mana began to diffuse outward with her as the center. That was no ordinary wave of mana; it was a tsunami, a despair capable of drowning everything.
"I am Alfia. Alfia of the Hera Familia. I am the... Examiner, meant to sift out true heroes in this era of despair."
She raised her hand, her slender fingertip pointing at the people below.
"Brats of the Astraea Familia. And that... interesting faker.
Just as Zard tested your strength, now, let me test your... resolve.
Those who do not pass shall die here."
Hum—
The air began to vibrate. It wasn't a physical vibration, but a resonance of mana. [Gospel]. It was an illegal skill capable of nullifying all magic while simultaneously converting mana into ultra-high frequency shockwaves. It was like a law of the world, overbearingly declaring the rules of this place.
"SCATTER!!!" Alise let out a heart-wrenching scream.
Boom!
The ground where everyone had been standing was instantly turned to powder. There was no fire from an explosion, only the dust of disintegrating rock. That destructive power was precise and terrifying, as easy as cutting a cake with a scalpel.
"So fast! No incantation?!" Lyra rolled several times on the ground, climbing up covered in soot, her shield already cracked from the vibration.
"This is basically an instant-cast Ultimate! Where is the GM? I want to report someone for cheating! This casting speed is illegal!"
"Stop complaining! Counterattack!" Kaguya unsheathed her blade, her eyes sharp. "[Gokou—Momiji]!" Five invisible slashes cut through the air, carrying a sharpness that could tear through anything, heading toward Alfia on the bell tower.
"Too slow." Alfia didn't even lift a hand. With just a glance, those five slashes stagnated in mid-air and then... collapsed. The mana was forcibly "muted." The once-sharp sword qi, upon contacting her domain, was like having its bones removed, dissipating limply.
"What...?!" Kaguya's eyes widened, unable to believe her secret technique had been broken just like that.
"Be it magic or sword techniques," Alfia said nonchalantly, as if teaching a group of novice apprentices, "as long as it is constructed based on mana, it is invalid before me. I am... the bane of all mystery."
"Then how about this?!" Ryuu Lion appeared on the flank, her wooden sword (enchanted version) hacking down violently. "[Luminous Wind]!" She poured all her speed and mana into this strike, turning her entire being into a green bolt of lightning.
"Boring." Alfia lightly waved her sleeve. An invisible wall of sonic waves took shape instantly. Bang! Ryuu and her blade were sent flying back, slamming heavily into a wall, a mouthful of blood spraying out.
"Ryuu!" Alise wanted to save her, but a sonic wave had already locked onto her. "You should go to sleep for a while too." Alfia's finger moved slightly; that invisible force felt like a giant hand about to crush Alise.
"Trace On -Shield!"
Just then, a purple light shield appeared out of thin air, blocking the path in front of Alise. [Rho Aias]. The absolute defense capable of stopping a Great Hero's thrown spear.
Sizzle— The light shield collided with the sonic wave, producing a piercing friction sound like fingernails scratching a chalkboard amplified ten thousand times. The first layer... shattered. The second layer... shattered. It wasn't until the fourth layer that the casual strike was barely neutralized.
"That shield again?" Alfia looked at Shirou Emiya standing before Alise, a flash of impatience in her eyes.
"Using the same trick a second time before me is a foolish act. Do you think I cannot analyze its structure? Such simple accumulation of mana is full of openings in my eyes."
"So what if you analyzed it?" Shirou dispersed the shattered light shield, his hands cupped as if holding something. Though his mana had been heavily consumed in the previous battle, the Hero's Feast buff was still recovering his energy, and his eyes still burned with fighting spirit.
"As long as it can block, it's a good shield." Shirou flashed a provocative smile and wiped the blood from his lip.
"Besides... Auntie, your attacks are fierce, but it seems your CD isn't zero, right?"
"Aun... tie?" A cross-vein popped on Alfia's forehead. The surrounding air temperature instantly dropped fifty degrees, even the flames on the ruins were frozen.
"Very well. I originally intended to give you a quick death. Now... I've changed my mind."
Alfia slowly rose into the air. She spread her arms, and the space behind her began to distort. Countless gray magic circles unfolded in the air, densely packed, blotting out the sky. Every magic circle radiated the aura of destruction, as if they were entrances to hell.
"I will... grind you to powder... bit by bit!"
"[Satanas Verion]—Full Barrage Mode."
"What the hell is this! A meteor shower?!" Lyra looked at the sky in despair, her legs turning weak. "How do we dodge this?! There's nowhere to hide! This isn't a battle; this is a one-sided purge!"
"If you can't dodge it... hit back!" Alise gripped her [Guren no Ken] and roared loudly. Though her voice trembled, it was full of strength. "Everyone! Don't give up! We are the Astraea Familia! How can we lose to this... this auntie going through a menopausal rampage!"
"Well said!" Though Kaguya's legs were shaking, she retook her stance, her gaze becoming sharp again. "Even if we die, we'll bite a piece of her flesh off!"
"Exactly." Ryuu wiped the blood from her lip and stood beside Shirou. "Emiya, give the order. You are our... strategist."
Shirou looked at these girls who, despite their fear, still chose to fight. A warm current surged through his heart. This was... the scenery he wanted to protect. This was the only light in this cruel Dark Period.
"Listen up." Shirou took a deep breath, his brain working at high speed. "Against this full-screen AOE, simple defense is a dead end. We must attack. We must break her casting rhythm. Kaguya, Lyra, you're responsible for interference! Use all your throwing items—don't
worry about whether they hit, just obscure her vision! Ryuu, you move at top speed and draw her attention! Your parallel chanting is the key! Alise... you prepare your ultimate."
"And what about you?" Alise asked.
Shirou lifted his head, looking at the witch in the sky. "Me?" He clenched his fists, the twenty-seven magic circuits in his body beginning to let out the pained scream of an overload.
"I'm going to... knock her down!"
"ACTION!"
At Shirou's command, the Astraea Familia's final counter-offensive began.
"Please hit! Smoke bomb! Flashbang! And this... Stink bomb!" Lyra threw all the stock in her bag like she was tossing out trash. Multi-colored smoke exploded in the air; while the damage was low, the insult factor was extremely high.
"Tch, children's play." Alfia dismissively waved her hand to disperse the smoke. But in that very instant—
"[Luminous Wind]!" Ryuu's figure flitted through the ruins like a wraith, firing countless green wind arrows at Alfia's blind spots.
"Annoying." Alfia had to divert a portion of her focus to defend against those arrows that possessed the "guaranteed hit" attribute.
Now! Shirou saw the timing.
"Trace On - Maximum Output!"
He didn't project a sword. What he projected were—chains. They were the fakes of fakes of the [Enkidu] chains once used to bind Divine Beasts. Though they lacked divine binding power, their hardness was sufficient.
"Go!" A dozen silver chains erupted from the ground, lunging toward Alfia in the air like vipers.
"This kind of thing..." Alfia was about to shatter the chains. But she was surprised to find that these chains... were actually wrapped in a certain concept. It was—Though they are fakes, they are very persistent.
Clink! The chains wrapped around her ankles. Though they only trapped her for a second, that fatal second was enough.
"ALISE!!" Shirou roared.
"COOOOMING!!!"
A red meteor soared into the sky. Alise Lovell. This girl known as the "Scarlet Flower of Justice" burned all her mana, even igniting her life force.
"[Astraea Burst]!!!"
The [Guren no Ken] in her hand turned into a twenty-meter-long flaming greatsword. Carrying a momentum that refused to look back, she slashed violently at Alfia, who was briefly bound by the chains.
"BOOM!!!"
A brilliant firework exploded in the sky. White radiance and red flames interlaced, collided, and annihilated one another. The massive shockwave plowed through the ruins on the ground once more.
"Did... did we win?" Lyra poked her head out of a dirt pile, looking expectantly at the sky.
The dust settled. Alfia was still floating in the air. A corner of her gray dress was torn. On her cheek, a shallow bloodstain had appeared. But that was all.
"..." Alise fell from the sky and was caught by Shirou. The sword in her hand had completely shattered, and she was unconscious.
"Is this... the gap?" Shirou looked at the girl in his arms, then at the seemingly invincible deity in the sky. A combined attack with everyone putting in their full effort only managed to scratch her face? Is this the true strength of a Lv. 7? Is this the so-called "despair"?
"Impressive." Alfia touched the wound on her cheek.
"To be able to wound me... you have enough to be proud of."
But immediately after, her gaze became even colder.
"However, the game is over. Since you cannot kill me... then accept the end."
She raised both hands. The magic circles that had been interrupted lit up again. And this time, the scale was even larger and more terrifying than before. It was the true... 7th-tier magic, [Satanas Verion].
Despair. True despair descended. The blade in Kaguya's hand fell to the ground. Ryuu knelt on the earth, her eyes hollow. All effort, all tactics, appeared so pale before absolute power.
"It's not... over yet."
A voice rang out. Shirou Emiya gently set Alise down. He stood up, blocking the path in front of everyone. His body was trembling, his mana was at its floor; even standing required the support of his willpower.
"Emiya...?" Ryuu looked at his back.
"It's not over," Shirou repeated. He looked up at the witch in the sky. His brain was working at high speed.
Unlimited Blade Works? No, that kind of mystery based on accumulation of numbers would be entirely nullified by her Silence.
Close combat? No, I can't even get close.
Conventional Noble Phantasms? No, the rank isn't high enough.
To break this despairing silence, he had to use that... he had to use the light that transcended the realm of Magecraft and touched the planetary level... the miracle that had saved the world in countless parallel universes.
'Even if my body collapses... even if I die...'
Shirou closed his eyes. He recalled that golden silhouette. He recalled the Holy Sword that saved the planet, sealed by thirteen restraints. That was not a sword swung for slaughter; it was the light that shone to protect the future.
"Trace On."
The air began to vibrate. It wasn't the flow of mana, but a change in weight. A holy, ancient, and majestic aura radiated from Shirou's hand. The surrounding ruins began to resonate, as if welcoming the arrival of a King.
"Hmm?" Alfia's movements stagnated. For the first time, a look of consternation appeared in her heterochromatic eyes.
What is that...?
Her domain of Silence was actually trembling? Something... was rejecting her magic? No, it was suppressing her magic!
"I am the bone of my sword."
Shirou ignored his body's screams. His skin began to crack, blood staining his clothes. This was the price for forcibly projecting a Divine Construct. His bones were making creaking sounds, and his magic circuits felt like a searing pain, as if they were on fire.
Golden light particles emerged from the void, gathering in his palm. The outline of a sword gradually became clear. The hilt, the crossguard, and the invisible blade wrapped in the unseen [Invisible Air].
No. This time, there was no need to hide. This was—[Excalibur Proto].
"Steel is my body. Fire is my blood."
"Is that... a Holy Sword?!" Alise's eyes widened. Though her body couldn't move, her soul was trembling. That sense of holiness... it was exactly like a God descending! No, it was purer than a God!
"ROAR!" Alfia felt a fatal threat. Her instinct as a powerhouse told her—she must kill him immediately! If she didn't kill him, she would be the one to die! "DIE! [Gospel]!"
The gray light cannon roared downward, carrying the will to destroy everything.
"Seal Thirteen..." Shirou snapped his eyes open, a resolute fire burning in his golden pupils.
"Decision Start!"
He didn't have the time for a full release. Nor did he have the life to spare for a full release. If only... if only he could release a part of it! If only he could cut through this darkness!
"—This is a battle to survive (Kay). [Accepted]." Facing the dead-end of certain death, the first seal was released. The golden radiance surged, forming a barrier that physically blocked Alfia's Gospel. Light and darkness collided in the air, stirring up visible ripples.
"—This is a battle against one stronger than oneself (Bedivere). [Accepted]." A mortal challenging the strongest witch; the condition was met. The light on the blade turned into substance, and the surrounding ruins began to dissolve within the radiance.
"—This is a battle that does not defy humanity (Gareth). [Accepted]." To protect companions, for the sake of justice.
Three seals released. Although it was only a [Partial Release], this was... the prototype of an Anti-Planet Noble Phantasm! It was the radiance capable of scouring the surface of a planet!
"EX—CALIBUR!!!"
Shirou held the Holy Sword, which had already turned into a pillar of light reaching the heavens, with both hands. Toward the witch in the sky, toward those magic circles filling the air, he swung down violently!
"BOOM!!!"
A golden torrent soared into the sky. It wasn't a slash. It was—a flow of light.
Alfia's domain of Silence, upon contact with this stream of light, was like snow meeting a scorching sun, melting instantly. What?! Alfia found with horror that her magic was being purified. It wasn't nullification, nor was it a clash. Rather... it was completely overwritten by that higher-level Mystery.
"Is this... your trump card?!" Alfia had no choice but to defend with all her might. She condensed all her mana before her, trying to block this light. But before this light that was sufficient to pierce the stars, her power appeared so minuscule.
Rumble rumble rumble!
The collision of light and darkness. The entire North District was lit up as if it were midday. The shockwave swept through half of Orario, even the Gods at the top of Babel were awakened by this surge.
-
-
-
A long time passed. The light dissipated.
Shirou Emiya still held the posture of having swung the sword. The Holy Sword in his hand had vanished. His right hand... had completely lost sensation, hanging at his side, charred black. He panted heavily, his consciousness blurred, supported only by a single breath to keep from falling.
Opposite him, the once-unbeatable Alfia was now half-kneeling in the ruins. Her gray dress was in tatters, her body covered in burns. Blood flowed from the corner of her mouth—proof that the "Price of Talent" was flaring up.
"Cough... cough..." Alfia lifted her head, looking at the boy who was on the verge of death. Her gaze was complicated to the extreme.
"You actually... broke my 'Silence'... with that light filled with... 'hope'..."
She had lost. Though she still had combat capability, though she could still kill everyone here, she had suffered a total defeat in the clash of convictions. The light of that boy had illuminated the darkest corners deep within her heart.
"Meteria..." Alfia whispered low. "It seems... this era is not as despairing as I imagined."
"Alfia!" At this moment, another massive silhouette came stumbling from a distance. It was Zard. He too was covered in wounds, appearing not far from death.
"It's over, Zard." Alfia stood up. Though she was swaying, she maintained the pride of a witch. "Our 'Great Feud'... has failed."
"Ah... we were defeated by a group of brats." Zard gave a bitter smile. "But... this taste isn't bad."
Two remnants of the old era supported each other. They looked at those girls who, though covered in wounds, still alertly protected Shirou.
"Let's go." Alfia turned around. "The role of the final 'Evil'... has been played. The next stage... belongs to them."
The two slowly walked into the depths of the darkness. Their backs looked desolate, yet carried a sense of liberation.
"Did we... did we win?" Alise looked at this scene in disbelief.
"Yeah... we won." After Shirou said those words, he could finally no longer hold on and fell backward.
"Shirou!" Ryuu rushed over and caught him. Looking at the boy in her arms who was covered in wounds, Ryuu's tears flowed uncontrollably.
"You... big liar. Saying you're just a passing blacksmith... what kind of blacksmith... uses a sword like that, which scares even the Gods away!"
Shirou managed to open his eyes, looking at Ryuu's crying face, a weak smile curling his lips.
"Well... consider it... a special service."
This night, the history of Orario was rewritten. The most evil Dark Period was declared over amidst the golden radiance. And the legend named "Shirou Emiya" carved its most profound stroke upon these ruins.
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