"......"
The sudden turn of events left Jeanne and the others stunned.
"Manaka!!!!"
Shirou was the first to rush over.
Ignoring the Golden Cup that had rolled aside, he rushed forward and gathered Manaka into his arms.
"Sa…ber…?"
The moment he took her hand, Manaka Sajyou murmured softly.
"Don't worry. I'll embed Avalon into your body right now!"
Shirou shouted as he summoned the Golden Scabbard and placed it into the girl's pierced chest.
"I'm so happy…"
Feeling the warmth of his hand against her palm, Manaka Sajyou smiled in pure bliss.
Her vision had grown terribly blurred, and she could no longer make out what he was saying.
"Thank you for always believing in me…"
"Don't talk right now!"
The poison afflicting Manaka Sajyou was "Hydra Venom."
In Greek myth, it was a deadly poison that had slain countless heroes.
In terms of toxicity alone, it was not especially outstanding among the poisons of the Age of Myths, yet it had achieved the strongest "record."
That was because the agony caused by "Hydra Venom" was so intense that even the mightiest heroes could not endure it.
Legend said it was the ultimate pain that drove the great hero Heracles to suicide and made the sage Chiron willingly give up his immortality.
Since it had struck her heart, the venom spread through Manaka Sajyou's entire body in an instant, leaving no chance to save her.
Right now, she should have been suffering indescribable agony, as if strong acid were coursing through every blood vessel in her body.
And yet, aside from the cold sweat on her brow, Manaka Sajyou showed no sign of pain so severe that it would make her writhe on the ground.
The reason was painfully ironic. Born as a maiden (goddess) connected to The Root, she had lacked a certain part of being human since childhood, a real sense of being alive.
Had her encounter with Shirou not restored her humanity, she might not have felt the venom eating away at her body at all.
But Manaka Sajyou still felt pain.
It hurt so much. So much. It truly hurt.
I'm so happy. So happy.
I finally know how you feel. Everything I gave with all my heart wasn't for nothing.
To offer everything I have to you, the one who made me an ordinary human girl, makes me truly happy.
I'm so sad. So sad.
I can't hear your voice anymore. I can't see your face clearly anymore.
I never thought it would end so suddenly. I thought it would never end.
I want… at the very end… to see your smile one more time…
"Wait, Manaka…!"
Shirou realized his vision was darkening, and his thoughts were slowing.
It was a sign that the Mana supply from his Master had dropped sharply.
Even though his physical body possessed extraordinary Mana and the Albion Core, the strongest on the planet, Manaka Sajyou was still the key that allowed him to remain manifested in this world.
Now that Manaka's Circuits had burned out and her life was fading, Shirou's own capabilities had fallen to their lowest point.
The girl with platinum-white hair used the last of her strength to raise her small hand and touch Shirou's cheek.
"......I love you, Saber."
With one final smile, the girl's breath faded completely, and she quietly closed her eyes.
…
"Master!"
Though she had suffered a fatal wound in her battle with Mordred, Semiramis would not die so easily as long as she remained within the Garden.
She staggered forward, picked up the Holy Grail that had rolled across the ground, and threw it toward Amakusa Shirou in the distance.
Semiramis remembered the conversation they had when she had first been summoned.
"What if I do not agree to your plan?"
At the time, Amakusa Shirou had smiled and said that without her support, he could do nothing, so he would give up this time and wait for the next chance.
He had spoken of "waiting for the next chance to be summoned as a Servant" as though it were the most natural thing in the world.
Semiramis had no intention of becoming anyone's servant.
Anyone who believed they could stand as her equal would be betrayed by her, just like that little girl over there who fancied herself all-knowing and all-powerful.
Her Master, Amakusa Shirou Tokisada, was of course no exception.
Semiramis intended to betray him after the Greater Grail was activated.
All of humanity would be saved, but in that new world,
Semiramis would reign over all, becoming the eternal ruler of the world.
For now, however, the Empress temporarily forgot her wish and her ambitions, focusing only on delivering the Holy Grail to her Master.
"…I won't let you succeed!"
Jeanne rushed toward the Holy Grail's landing point.
After Manaka Sajyou lost consciousness, the souls of the eight Heroic Spirits returned to the Greater Grail.
In other words, the Holy Grail was now in a state where it could be forcibly activated at any moment.
Whoever touched the Holy Grail first would determine everything.
Amakusa Shirou was closer.
He spread his arms to catch the Golden Cup. However, just as Amakusa Shirou was about to touch the Holy Grail, Jeanne threw her Holy Banner.
"Ahh… stop… Do you know what you're doing?!"
Amakusa Shirou's face twisted. He sensed the malice coming from the Holy Maiden.
This woman… she had thrown a banner infused with the power of Baptism Rite with the intention of destroying the Holy Grail!
Jeanne had made her decision. The Holy Grail was too dangerous. It was something that could not be allowed to remain in the world.
Using an omnipotent wish-granting machine for one's own desires was not the problem.
Its power was simply too vast, enough to shake the foundations of the world itself.
One wrong move… and the Mana spilled from that vessel could drown millions.
The tip of the Holy Banner knocked the Holy Grail away.
Unfortunately, it was not something that could be destroyed by force alone.
To destroy it completely, she would need at least the sword at her waist (La Pucelle).
Not using her "Special Attack Noble Phantasm" without hesitation was Jeanne's mistake.
Amakusa Shirou threw himself to the ground and clutched the Golden Cup tightly.
Sixty years of obsession, four hundred years of cherished sorrow, and two thousand years of karma all erupted into a roar in that instant.
"Jeanne d'Arc! How could I ever lose to you?! How could your meager obsession possibly overcome mine?! This is the hope of all humanity! I won't hand it over to anyone!"
It worked.
The Holy Grail is in my hands now.
Nothing can stop me anymore from saving humanity, from saving the world.
In Amakusa Shirou's original plan, what exactly was the "miracle" he sought to bring about?
Over the past sixty years, the young Father had analyzed himself and deciphered these phenomena.
It lay in his two arms, which could connect to every Thaumaturgical Foundation.
Alchemy, curses, Baptism Rite… he could forcibly connect to the Thaumaturgical Foundations engraved into the land and activate Magecraft (miracles).
In other words, without even consciously intending to, he could use every form of Magecraft that existed in this world, including Witchcraft, alchemy, Kabbalah, Spiritual Descent, and Summoning.
He had analyzed his own Magic Circuits. The Magic Circuits that should have become fixed organs once switched on were constantly changing by the second, and at times, even the number of Circuits increased or decreased.
So that was it. This was why he had been regarded as a "saint."
Had he been born in the modern era rather than in Japan at the end of the Warring States period, the Mage's Association would likely have "sealed" him away as a valuable special specimen.
Amakusa Shirou possessed a rare talent for Magecraft, yet he was not a Magus.
He did not regret being born in an age filled with war, starvation, and ignorance.
He firmly believed that he was meant to live to save the world and humanity.
The Third Holy Grail War, the reason Amakusa Shirou now stood here, and the Greater Grail of Fuyuki.
That thing, simply put, was the Magic Circuits left behind by a Homunculus named "Justeaze."
It was the "ritual formula for the establishment of the Third Magic," permanently sealed away through the Saintess of the Winter's sacrifice of her own life.
Justeaze's consciousness no longer existed.
She was a massive electronic brain, responsible only for managing the System's operation.
The Holy Grail itself had no consciousness. That gave Amakusa Shirou the chance to intervene.
He would control the Holy Grail with his own consciousness and make his wish come true.
At last, his hands touched the golden vessel he had longed for day and night.
"O Holy Maiden of Salvation, do not underestimate sixty years of obsession. Do not underestimate me, Amakusa Shirou…!!"
The boy spoke with joy overflowing from his voice, impatient to connect his Magic Circuits to the Greater Grail.
The sound of wind being cut apart interrupted his Mana transmission.
"...What?"
Amakusa Shirou looked back and saw the "Red" Archer holding her bow.
Atalanta, who had watched from the sidelines ever since arriving at the Upper Garden, had made her choice after a long struggle.
Two arrows pierced Amakusa Shirou's wrists with perfect accuracy.
"Why did you betray me, Red Archer...? Wasn't your wish to save every child? Aren't we comrades who share the same wish?!!"
The young Father roared hysterically, his voice thick with resentment.
"...I can't bear to watch this anymore."
A hint of grief showed through Atalanta's icy expression.
She could no longer understand it.
In her eyes, Amakusa Shirou's face was no different from that of a Beast.
There was nothing wrong with his ideals. His heart was more righteous and pure than anyone else's. And yet...
What exactly was right, and what was wrong?
What was justice, and what was evil?
Atalanta had only loosed her arrow on a hunter's instinct and intuition.
Inside that cup, which radiated colorless, transparent Mana, there was something demonic that seemed to far surpass "Calydon."
In that moment, the wild wariness in the huntress's heart outweighed even her own wish.
A ritual of mutual slaughter that bewildered the mind, magnified desire, and reflected ugliness.
Atalanta was exhausted.
So perhaps it would be better if no one obtained it at all.
"Just for a reason like that...?"
Amakusa Shirou roared.
"Don't mock me! Don't mock me! Don't mock me! You bastard!"
It was not over yet!
No one was going to stop him!
His Magic Circuits had been severely damaged, and Amakusa Shirou could barely perform "miracles" anymore, but one must not forget.
He was a Master in the Great Holy Grail War.
In other words, even if he could not control the Greater Grail, he could still make a wish upon the Holy Grail, which had already been filled to the brim with eight souls!
"...!!"
The Greater Grail resounded.
The radiant golden cup slipped from Amakusa Shirou's hand and floated into the air.
Though several Heroic Spirits still remained on the ground, the Grail, now given its wish, began to operate with the redemption of humanity as its objective.
The Holy Grail would perform autonomous calculations and find the optimal path by which humanity, and the world, could be saved.
It was no longer an omnipotent wish-granting machine. It had become a machine for humanity's redemption, advancing toward a single purpose, and no one could stop it now.
Amakusa Shirou's wish was simpler than anything else.
For these four hundred years, the boy had endured agonizing contemplation, walking through an empty wasteland filled with death and suffering.
For the past sixty years, not a single night had passed without the boy dreaming of a beautiful, happy future for humanity.
This soul had only one desire.
Only the salvation of humanity.
No more children dying of famine.
No more elderly people dying of illness.
No more conflicts born from jealousy.
No more plunder born from greed.
No more killing, aging, parting, hatred, sorrow, or despair.
Even if he could not witness it with his own eyes, that was fine.
May such an ideal world descend upon the earth.
"Lord..."
"Grant salvation to the earth."
...
The first person to sense the anomaly was Jeanne.
"Uh... what... is this...?"
The second person to sense the anomaly was Leticia.
"Holy Maiden... what's happening...? It feels like my strength is being drained..."
"I don't know, I don't know..."
Jeanne frantically looked around.
"But... mm... I don't know why... I suddenly feel so sleepy. My eyelids are so heavy... Sorry, I'll leave the rest to you... Leticia..."
"W-wait! Holy Maiden! This is no time to sleep. Sleep after this is over... Oh no... I'm getting sleepy too... Ugh... why...?"
"Thud."
The Ruler abruptly collapsed heavily to the ground, as though her thoughts had been cut off midway.
"?"
Everyone present turned their attention to her at once.
Not because Jeanne collapsing and falling asleep on the spot was particularly strange, though it certainly was, but because something even more unbelievable was happening.
Jeanne, lying on the ground, was glowing.
That was far too mild a way to put it. White light shot out from Jeanne's body, connecting the Sky Garden to the very top of the heavens and forming a blazing pillar of light.
"What... in the world is that...?"
Atalanta stared, dumbfounded.
Whether in terms of Mana reaction or blinding brilliance, that vast pillar of light was enough to rival the fully released Holy Sword of the Planet.
Immediately afterward, more pillars of light appeared in the sky.
One, two, three, four...
They continued spreading outward from the first beam at the center.
Countless pillars of light, each strong enough to match the Holy Sword, linked the night sky and the land of Romania... no, all of Eastern Europe.
And their numbers were still increasing faster and faster.
At this rate, it would only be a matter of time before those blazing pillars of light covered the entire Eurasian continent, and then the whole world.
"...?"
The Heroic Spirits above the Sky Garden sensed it.
Within that light, which seemed ready to devour everything, something was stirring, being born.
At first, all they could make out was the slender outline of a human figure and the white wings of a bird.
As they gradually adjusted to the glare, they could tell it was a blonde girl.
She had the exact same face as the Ruler. Or rather, it was clearly Ruler herself, floating in the sky.
However...
Within that refined beauty befitting a Holy Maiden, there was not a trace of the emotion a human ought to possess.
That overwhelming Divinity and torrent of power far surpassed the limits of human understanding.
"The request has been received."
The girl's hollow voice rang out.
It did not travel through the air. It directly invaded everyone's mind and echoed inside their brains.
"Servant of God, Archangel... Jeanne Metatron. I look forward to working with you."
The winged blonde girl revealed her True Name, recorded in the Apocrypha, without the slightest attempt to conceal it.
After all, hiding one's True Name was something only fragile, insignificant Heroic Spirits needed to do. The perfect, ultimate, absolute representative of God had no need to hide her identity.
She was one of the beings who stood at the very pinnacle of Abrahamic monotheism, the One Who Stands Beside the Throne (Metathronios).
Even though this was only an incomplete manifestation possessing the Spirit Origin of the Holy Maiden, her majesty was enough to rival the Beast of the Apocalypse.
Then...
The supreme angel, who had been manifest for less than ten seconds, delivered her final verdict as if it were only natural.
"Next, salvation (destruction) will descend upon this world. Please prepare yourselves."
"O humanity, know that destruction is the mercy of God."