Chapter 269: The Diary in the Church
"Fuu-wuu!! Fou!" The small white animal leaped high, its four paws tugging at the man's white trouser legs as it climbed onto his shoulder. It then raised its front paws and patted the man's face repeatedly, seemingly complaining about something.
"I'm sorry for forcing you to come here." The man could no longer feel pain in this body; from the moment he chose this path, it was destined that he would never be harmed again.
"Fuu-wuu..." Fou shook its head, its anger apparently dissipated. It stopped patting the man's face with its paws and crawled from his head to his right shoulder, sitting down quietly.
"Is that so... Thank you, Fou, for being willing to stay by my side and do this with me," the man said gratefully, rubbing Fou's chin.
The man himself was not strong; the only power he possessed was creation and transference—creating a new thing and transferring it to another world. For destruction, he had to rely on others. Thus, he utilized Tiamat, Fou, and all existences possessing such destructive power; even if they were unwilling, he would transfer them by force.
He was the creator of all things, an existence equivalent to the Root. This Emiya Shirou, who sought out possibilities, had crossed the boundaries of Heroic Spirits to become a higher-dimensional "Concept" through the Root—the concept of "Creation."
However, compared to the Magicians who reached the Root and fled, he had gone deeper. He chose to merge with the Root, becoming a part of it. Through sheer steel-like will, he miraculously retained his sense of self, appearing in the world as the man who governed creation.
Emiya Shirou no longer existed in the mortal world; through fusion and contraction, he was transforming into a unified concept. He maintained his own memories by constantly drawing upon the memories of Emiya Shirou's counterparts, strengthening his spirit. Thus, even the Counter Force could not stop him; the worlds of all universes shifted according to his will.
But having been assimilated by the Root, the day would eventually come when he would lose all memory and capacity for thought, becoming a pure concept. Yet, he wished for this conviction—of allowing all living beings to find happiness—to endure forever.
Nothing that was a "created thing"—born or evolved from nothingness—could cause him harm.
Transfer, destroy, transfer, destroy. The man simply repeated this cycle. Unbound by time or space, he could appear in any timeline simultaneously. Thus, he never rested, standing forever like a white ice sculpture atop a snowy mountain...
Within the man's pupils, rainbow-colored bubbles burst and formed anew. A split-entity of the man murmured to himself, "Is the next one Kiara Sessyoin...?"
Then, taking Fou with him, he vanished from that world.
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In A.D. 2030, Tokyo sank. Various countries sent rescue teams to provide support, take in stranded travelers and expatriates, and search for survivors. Strangely, not a single body of those reported missing was found; experts speculated they had all been swallowed by the ground subsidence.
In reality, all those destined to be casualties—whether they were blonde-haired and blue-eyed, black-haired and dark-skinned, the middle-aged women who came to Japan to buy toilet seats, the otaku on a pilgrimage to Akihabara, the young girls shopping for cosmetics in Shinjuku, or the couples traveling and showing off their love in short videos—had all been transferred to another world.
On international news channels, the Secretary-General and world leaders offered prayers before declaring: "Though the world has suffered a disaster, the Earth continues to turn, and human civilization must continue to march forward..."
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Back at the sinking oil base, after Shirou and Gudako escaped, they followed BB's suggestion and headed toward the church. It was one of the few places here that hadn't been digitized, serving as the spiritual pillar for the local staff.
The environment of this world was actually very harsh for a human like Gudako. Excessive mental fatigue could even lead to one's own dissolution, so she had to rest well.
In truth, Gudako wasn't the only one in poor physical condition. Shirou glanced at the petite girl beside them; even Gawain and Tristan likely sensed her precarious state.
"You there, could you stop staring at me? If you have something to say, why don't you just say it?" Lilith looked at Shirou strangely.
'But even if I say it, you'll just put on a brave face and brush it off.' Knowing this, Shirou said simply, "No, it's nothing. Let's hurry to the church and get some rest!"
However, on their way, they were blocked by a rugged, burly man with long, disheveled gray-white hair, a full beard, and spiked armor. He was a terrifyingly powerful foe.
The man was Vlad III, summoned as a Servant in his identity as a Duke famous for his military exploits, not the Dracula of vampire and dragon legends. However, as the one who had repeatedly repelled Ottoman invasions and was revered as the guardian deity of Romania, he
was now emitting an aura of madness. The red cloak draped over him was soaking wet, seemingly drenched in blood.
He had been slaughtering relentlessly here, killing not only the Heroic Spirits summoned to this place but also many of the walking dead-like humans. His current self retained no trace of heroic glory or pride.
"I'm from Chaldea..." Gudako attempted to speak with him.
"Oh, how unexpected. A Master still exists." Vlad III looked at the girl with surprise, then let out a crazed laugh.
"This won't do. How can a pure and upright Master appear in this filthy world? You must be killed! You must be pulled out by the roots! God's love shall be displayed by me.
Let us go to hell together! Friend! Enjoy the slaughter to your heart's content! Fall into the evil path! In this twisted world, there is no longer any righteousness or justice to be found. The church ahead is the very birthplace of all evil. This body has already been possessed by a Demon God. Let us slaughter to our hearts' content! Hahaha!" Vlad III's eyes were already bloodshot with rage as he laughed manically.
"Uwaaaa, it's an evil Servant! They've lost control and are rampaging everywhere, so many people have been killed, it's terrifying!" the female staff member with glasses cried out in panic.
"Has he lost himself to rage...? Truly sorrowful, we cannot even hold a conversation," Tristan said, frowning.
"Ara, isn't this exactly the same as a certain someone who wouldn't listen to anything and insisted on fighting earlier?" Lilith said with a smirk, glancing at the handsome man.
"Guh... to be mocked like this by an enemy, it truly is sorrowful..." Tristan said, feeling dejected.
"Demon God? What did you just say?" Gudako asked, her eyes widening in surprise.
"Talk is useless! Slay!" Vlad III spread his claw-like hands and charged.
"This one has completely fallen into madness. We have no choice but to end him, Master! Please give the order!" Gawain shouted.
"I understand. Battle!" Gudako agreed.
Following Vlad III's charge, a pack of black demonic beasts also rushed out.
"Leave the Lancer to me!" Gawain unsheathed his greatsword, smashing through the beasts in his way as he charged toward Vlad III.
"Lilith, you take the rear and protect Gudako, leave the rest to us!" Shirou said to the girl, then charged forward. He projected his black and white blades, blocking and hacking down the savage, bull-like beasts that pounced toward them.
Tristan plucked his bowstrings, and invisible blades sliced through the carapaces of the demonic beasts one by one, eventually slaying them all.
Vlad III's hands were encased in black steel gauntlets. One hand swiped forward with sharp claws, while the other raised a summoned black spear. At this moment, he looked less like a legendary vampire and more like a black, rampaging dragon.
Historically, Vlad III's father, Vlad II, also bore the title of "Duke of the Dragon" (Dracul), which was why Vlad III was also called the Son of the Dragon. In fact, in the West, there is a saying that the image of the vampire originates from the evil dragon.
But whether facing an evil dragon or a vampire, the Knight of the Sun, Gawain, did not show the slightest fear. His strong, powerful hands raised his greatsword, steadily catching the oncoming onslaught. He activated his Noble Phantasm, and the silver greatsword erupted in scorching flames.
"Excalibur Galatine—The Sword of Revolving Victory!"
The blinding solar radiance swallowed the black dragon-general, incinerating the surrounding demonic beasts as well. The battle was decided.
As his Spirit Graph began to dissolve, Vlad III regained his senses. He spoke to the group: "Truly a nightmare. To fall into endless slaughter without even meeting the Master I owed fealty to... at last, it is over. To die in a duel with a worthy opponent—as a warrior, this is not a bad end."
"Before you disappear, please tell me what happened here!" Gudako said urgently.
"The church is just ahead. The clues you seek are inside. There is no one there now. I wish you luck in battle!" With those words, Vlad III turned into motes of light and left this world.
"Is there something inside the church?" Gudako asked.
"That place always gives me an ominous feeling, but I suppose it's better than having nowhere to rest," the female staff member with glasses said fearfully.
Thus, the group arrived at the church with the cross hanging high outside. The entrance led into a modest chapel, shrouded in gloom. However, seemingly because of the magical protection here, it had not been eroded by digitization, and there were no demonic beasts. They could rest peacefully for a while.
"Shall we investigate? We might find a key to the next area. But let's leave that for tomorrow. There are many empty rooms on the second floor of the church. Master, go up and rest first," Gawain suggested with a smile.
"Yes, let Gudako rest first. She's already exhausted," Shirou nodded.
"I understand," Lilith nodded in agreement and began walking toward the exit. As an Alter Ego, she wasn't trusted; now that Gudako had Shirou to protect her, she decided to rest outside the church.
Just then, the girl noticed Gudako looking toward the wall by the church podium. Something seemed to be scattered on the floor, resembling the wreckage of a doll or broken ceramics.
"There's nothing there anymore. It's meaningless to you, so go and rest quickly. I'll watch you go upstairs before I head out," Lilith spoke softly to Gudako.
"..." Gudako continued to stare, feeling as though something lingered there—perhaps a lingering emotion, or an important memory. After a long while, she finally agreed.
"That's it. It's just wreckage. Forget about it," Lilith said with a faint smile, gazing at Gudako.
"...Yeah. Goodnight, Lilith," Gudako replied, turning to go upstairs.
"Yes, goodnight, my little doll," Lilith whispered, watching the girl's retreating back.
'How like you. To notice even when you know nothing. Thank you... my Master. To have even this much attention paid to her death, which no one else knew of, is a great salvation...' Lilith thought, walking out with a sense of relief tinged with sadness.
"..." Shirou did not follow her out. For now, he would let the girl be alone for a while.
Gawain and Tristan escorted Gudako and the female staff member upstairs. For a moment, Shirou was the only one left in the first-floor chapel.
Shirou opened his Mystic Eyes and found a diary. As someone possessing both human and Servant characteristics, Shirou read the deep, hidden memories of the diary's owner.
The owner of this diary was a woman recruited to the oil base to provide mental therapy and psychological counseling. She was assigned to this Western-style church to serve as a nun or priest. Listening to the troubles of the people working there and soothing their inner sorrows—that was her job.
Although it differed from what she had studied, the woman vowed to do her utmost to be a support for those lost in confusion and pain. Though there were moments of worry and frustration, every day felt fulfilling.
She was originally the daughter of the sect leader of a "Joyous Meditation" style religious group. She had suffered from an incurable disease since childhood, and her father wouldn't let her interact with the outside world. Thus, she could only lie in bed, receiving the hollow comfort of the sect members. No one came to save her; the only companion of her childhood was a book of Hans Christian Andersen's fairy tales.
Until one day, a doctor came and cured her illness. After that, she went to a church high school at the foot of the mountain and even got into a university, experiencing a life she had never imagined before.
Kind-hearted as she was, because of her childhood experiences, she always did her best to help anyone. In the eyes of some, she was like a saint. However, this approach didn't seem to be liked by certain people, and she was expelled.
So, she had no choice but to come to this oil base, living a life far removed from the city.
For someone like her, coming here was actually quite fine. As long as there were people, she would help them. No matter where she was, she could lead a fulfilling and meaningful life.
Yes, that's how it should have been.
Until she and the others saw something they weren't supposed to see...
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