The Resolve to Protect One's Companions / The Final Trial

"Oops, sorry." Shirou quickly let go, letting the girl slide off his arm and land on her feet.

"Can't you put me down in a more gentlemanly way?!" Ishtar landed on her feet, then angrily bumped into Shirou, clutching the Holy Grail tightly to her chest.

Enlil, Father of the Gods, laughed excitedly upon seeing the Holy Grail in his hands, shouting, "Well done, Ishtar! Because the Great Forest has been destroyed, the ley lines have been shaken, and the balance has been broken! Now destroy the Holy Grail!"

"Hahaha! The time for us to return to heaven has finally come!"

"Enough with the nagging! I haven't decided what to do yet!" Ishtar caught the Holy Grail, but she didn't destroy it as her family had suggested.

Ishtar had no regrets. Her father was the Father of Gods, the highest ruler of the heavens. Among her many brothers and sisters, she was the most beloved and naturally had to become the goddess that the gods were most proud of.

Therefore, she also possesses the dignity of a goddess in Mesopotamian civilization. Unlike her sister Ereshkigal, and constantly restrained herself.

She desires everything, whether it be a person or a thing, and she will obtain it. To defy her is a sin, deserving of punishment. The world exists for her, the earth revolves for her, because all of this originally belonged to her!

Her current actions are to prove all of this; she doesn't want any mountain in this world to exist that can challenge the gods, so she goes to challenge the mountain. She can't stand the way her older sister, Ereshkigal, the ruler of the underworld, acts like a good girl who sacrifices herself for everyone, so she storms into the underworld, even resorting to force to bring Ereshkigal out. However, something goes slightly wrong, and she is stripped naked and hung up.

Her respected father had lost his Divine Power and become an old man who spent all his time in meetings. Her other relatives had become ugly, useless adults who only knew how to complain, and she had reverted to being a child, so naturally she felt dissatisfied.

However... this does not include sending her sister, Ereshkigal, back to that boring and lonely underworld.

Chapter 338 The Awareness of Protecting Comrades

Ishtar chose to let the white light in the Holy Grail consume each other with the ley lines here. Even if they are affected, as long as the white light of the limiter disappears completely, there will always be a way to recover. And if Ereshkigal can borrow the power of the Holy Grail, she may not have to stay in the Underworld forever.

The price to pay is simply the disappearance of magical creatures that shouldn't have been there in the first place—it's a bargain!

Ishtar glanced at Ereshkigal in the distance. Since there was no other way, the priority should naturally be herself and her family. "If you can't make the decision, then I will!"

Ishtar had a premonition of something, though she wasn't sure. Nevertheless, she restrained herself and didn't form any bonds with any beings in the mortal realm, whether they were humans serving the gods or magical creatures from elsewhere. The only one she had ever bullied, Gil, whose mother was also a god, was considered an ally on her side. His existence was, in fact, a pillar maintaining stability in the mortal realm.

Because she has no emotions, it doesn't matter what the magical creature becomes; Ishtar will not hesitate to do so, for she is the daughter of a god, and as the most excellent goddess, these are things that should be done as a matter of course!

"Magic power for you! Destroy this forest! Gugalanna!" Ishtar raised the Holy Grail high. As the girl who was the master of the strongest Divine Beast of this land, she used the magic power of the Holy Grail to continuously pour a large amount of magic power into the Bull of Heaven, who was connected to her. Golden patterns appeared on her skin.

The next moment, the beast's characteristics were amplified infinitely by the golden light, while the god's characteristics were reduced to the minimum by the white light, leaving only the size of a grain of rice.

"Moo!!!" The giant bull broke free of its golden chains and let out a long moo, like an elephant's bellow, yet carrying the chilling intent of a tiger's roar. The Bull of Heaven stood up again, its pair of curved horns crackling with purple lightning resembling two crescent moons in the sky, and its crimson eyes like two blazing suns, slowly rising from the center of the towering forest.

The ox's head rose, its body rose, towering above the thickest Songbai and the tallest bamboo, like a giant whale leaping high out of the sea, then sprouting wings and soaring ninety thousand miles into the sky. From then on, the great forest on the ground was nothing more than a tiny green dot in its eyes.

"Roar!!!" Quetzalcoatl saw the Bull of Heaven again, so he transformed into a fireball of miniature sun and shot down from the sky.

This time, however, lightning flashed between the purple horns of the Bull of Heaven, and a blue-white electromagnetic arrow shot out from the center of the electrode collision.

The fireball, blazing and dazzling like the sun falling from the sky, collided with the light arrow from below, piercing the sun like a rainbow.

The violent collision generated intense wind pressure, knocking down hundreds of trees from the air and then penetrating the ground, causing it to tremble. A hot wind, mixed with faint sparks of electricity, swept in.

All beings on the ground felt a jolt of electricity, followed by a burning sensation throughout their bodies. The smaller, more ground-dwelling magical creatures were even more affected, their fur standing on end and their bodies tingling. The hot air made them feel unbearably hot, and they slumped over, their tongues lolling out.

"Roar!" The feathered serpent goddess in the sky was blown into the air by the explosion, and was obviously no match for the Bull of Heaven was as steady as a rock on the ground. However, she was blinded by bloodlust and flapped her wings again, transforming into a sun firebird and flying towards the bull.

"Moo!" First, he was reluctantly summoned to this world, and then he was besieged by the giant birds in the sky and annoying chains. It hurt! It was annoying! Now that he had gained power, the Bull of Heaven had only one thought in his mind, which was to take revenge on everything.

'Destruction! Destroy this wretched forest, destroy everything!' The cataclysmic destruction erupted centered on the Bull of Heaven.

"Ishtar! Tell the Bull of Heaven to stop! There are other ways. Ereshkigal will be heartbroken if those children don't survive," Shirou said to the girl.

"Nonsense! If we just let things continue like this and do nothing, we'll really be in trouble!" Ishtar retorted, waving her hand. She wasn't...

"Please!" Ereshkigal called out to her sister.

"Ereshkigal! What are you saying! You call yourself a god?!" The gods who were fighting the magical creatures shouted angrily. The aftershocks of the battle with the Bull of Heaven had caused the small animals on the ground to lose their fighting ability due to the electric heat, so they stopped. Unexpectedly, they saw Ereshkigal and outsiders interfering with Ishtar.

"Fool! To hinder the revival plan of the gods for such things!" The other gods also cursed without any politeness.

"So this kid's been underground for so long, his mind is already different from ours."

"Hmph! These are just humanoid monsters. Even if it were all of humanity, it would be worth killing them all if we could regain our Divine Power. Humans were created to serve us, to hunt wild game for us, and to cultivate fruits and vegetables for us!"

It's just some underground creatures dying now, so what!

As they spoke, a deity stretched out both hands, grabbed the necks of the small animals lying on the ground on either side, and lifted them up.

"Gah..."

"Asshole..."

The Cú Chulainn and his dog Cú Chulainn were in agony, but they had no strength to resist.

"Roar..." Dragon Cú Chulainn, who was trying to fight back underground, was now unable to exert his fighting power.

"Stop! Uncle! I'll find another way! So don't hurt them!" Ereshkigal cried out in anguish.

"Fool! I'll execute your pets now and shatter your foolish ideas. After we return to Heaven, we'll elect a male god to take over your position in the Underworld, Ereshkigal! You're no longer qualified to be the ruler of the Underworld. From now on, you'll obediently accept your discipline as the wife of the new Underworld god."

Little Gil crossed his arms and coldly looked at the gods, saying, "These scoundrels, since they're already stray dogs, they should have stayed quietly in the mountains, and I could have turned a blind eye and let them go. Now they still want to jump out and make a fuss, really... they're not even clowns in a farce."

"!" Enkidu, the little green-haired figure, made his move in perfect unison! Because he had been in the tree the whole time, his injuries were minor and did not affect his combat ability.

Golden chain spikes emerged from the ripples behind him; the ultimate technique known as the Star Chain was ready at any moment, poised to launch him once fully charged. There were no gods here who could kill him now.

"Hahaha! Traitors are emerging one by one. Once we regain our victory, the first thing we'll do is punish you!" A god raised his leg, about to stomp on the Lion Saber on the ground.

"Awooo, gurgle..." the little lion roared, but there was nothing it could do.

"Gah!" Just then Panda Jeanne d'Arc and the little tiger used bamboo to support themselves and stood up. They walked to the little lion and hugged her tightly, wanting to protect their companion with their own bodies.

"Hmph! You seem to be getting along quite well, but a beast is still a beast. You can't even comprehend the greatness of a god, so die!" The god raised his leg and stomped the ground with all his might.

"Take care of them!" Little Gil waved his hand and gave the order!

"Stop!" But before Enkidu make a move, Shirou had already rushed out! He Projection flying swords from his hands and charged towards the god's head.

"What can a mere human like you do?" The god easily dodged Shirou's flying sword, speaking contemptuously, and raised his leg again to kick the little lions on the ground.

"!" Shirou's eyes flashed with white light, and the next moment a hammer the size of a human appeared in front of the god, just like the Muramasa raised his hammer high, forging black iron, and forging the embryo of a divine weapon through thousands of hammerings, revealing an invincible power, and instantly smashing him away.

"What! How dare he attack a god! Stop this insolent brat! He must be executed! He must know the power of the gods!"

"Shut up!" Shirou waved his hand, and the white light turned into mud, overturning the rushing gods and knocking them to the ground.

"Whoa! What is this thing? It's sticky and I can't shake it off!"

Before the attacks of the gods could even touch Shirou, they were blasted away by the white light sonic wave Shirou unleashed. The white light transformed into gray mud, pressing the gods to the ground and pinning them there.

"You brat! How dare you insult the gods like this! You will be torn to pieces and never be reincarnated!" The gods cursed them all, uttering the most vicious curses.

"No, you already said you wouldn't let me go, didn't you?" Shirou glanced indifferently at the gods on the ground. They wouldn't understand the feelings between humans and small animals.

These high and mighty gods never imagined that the boy they wanted to kill, who relied on his affinity with magical creatures, would actually possess divine Divine Power stronger than theirs.

Shirou approached the girl, faced her, and said, "Please give me the Holy Grail, and I will make everything perfect."

"Ereshkigal, trust me," Shirou said, looking at the girl.

"Give it to him." Ereshkigal and Shirou stared at each other for a few seconds, then Ereshkigal turned to her sister Ishtar and called out.

"Wait! I finally managed to snatch the Holy Grail!" Ishtar exclaimed.

"Foolish daughter! What are you saying! He is our enemy, we must not let him get the Holy Grail!" cried the god trapped on the ground.

"Give it to him! Shirou said he has a way, so he must not be lying!" Ereshkigal said.

Ishtar glanced at her relatives on the ground, then glared fiercely at Shirou and said:

"Hmph, I know! You saved my life before, but if you lied to me, even in the next world I'll find you, kill you, strip you naked, and hang you up!"

"That's terrifying. Why don't you try to change this personality trait and get rid of those cruel punishments? You'll definitely be cuter then. I know. I would never lie to you." Shirou raised his hands and agreed.

"Stop nagging! Humph, here you go!" Ishtar glared at Shirou angrily and tossed the Holy Grail over.

"Oh! Leave it to me!" Shirou replied.

Shirou turned around again, squatted down, and looked at the magical creatures that had accompanied him these past few days—three companions with different personalities but compatible temperaments.

Shirou patted the heads of the three small animals one by one, and said with a gentle smile, "I'm so glad you're all unharmed. Thank you for your company these past few days. I hope you will live happily here from now on."

"Oh?" The little lions looked at Shirou in confusion, their eyes glistening with tears. Although they didn't quite understand what the boy was saying, they felt a little sad.

No one needs to become unhappy, there's no need to sacrifice either side, and if the gods want, they can restore their Divine Power, as long as they stop causing trouble. The magical creatures will continue to live happily in this world.

Yes, I'll create all of this myself!

Shirou stood up and said to Little Gil, who had just climbed down from the top of the tree:

"The spirit of rebellion against the gods—perhaps I should learn from the people of this era." Shirou looked at the King of Heroes in the mythological epic. In a way, the Epic of Gilgamesh fired the first shot for mankind to not blindly follow the gods and to put people first.

He influenced the critical thinking about gods in many later pantheons. For example, in Greek gods, Athena was always causing trouble and was always at war, but often lost Ares, God of War; Zeus was a womanizer; and the goddesses were promiscuous and unfaithful.

Yes, changes in the heavens are nothing to fear, ancestral laws are nothing to follow blindly, and public opinion is nothing to heed! Everything depends on the choices people make today, and on how well we do in the present! The gods here are not enough to frighten him, nor is the white god.

"Hmph! What humans need is a king, not a god. As long as there are people of value, I will rule them. Everything in this world belongs to the king! If it's you, with your ability to please magical creatures, I might as well let you stay and keep you entertained." Gil pointed at Shirou and said.

"Ugh... Not cute at all, you've grown up now." Shirou looked at Little Gil with disdain. If it weren't for his power, he would just be an annoying chuunibyou (middle school syndrome) patient.

"Why is the standard for me growing up to be unlovable?! And aren't you blind already?" Gil pointed at his face and looked at Shirou.

"..." The little green-haired figure next to him crossed his arms, looking like he was watching a good show.

"Looks like it's too late. Oh well, although I can't appreciate it, you are still a very remarkable king in some ways. Good luck." Shirou waved goodbye to Gil.

"Hey kid, where are you going? Will we ever see each other again?" Little Gil asked.

"Well, even if we hate each other in the future, we'll still keep running into each other, although we might be completely different people then." Shirou waved his hand.

"Ereshkigal, Ishtar, this is the best way. The white light inside was originally from me, so let me take it away now." Shirou's eyes flashed with white light as he absorbed the white energy contained within the Holy Grail.

Using the white light, Shirou quickly moved to the side of the feathered serpent goddess, looked into her eyes, and the blood-red pupils on her dragon head gradually faded, regaining her rationality and returning to her normal eyes, finally transforming back into human form.

The fallen Bull of Heaven, comforted by him, transformed back into its miniature calf form. Shirou healed all its wounds, leaving it as clean as when it first arrived.

"Moo!" The Bull of Heaven nuzzled Shirou in gratitude.

A white light drifted by with the gentle breeze, healing all the small animals on the ground. The previously damaged ground and trees were restored to their original state under the repair of the white light.

"Really? Is that all? And the Holy Grail absorbed it so easily? This aura... you were the god who emitted the white light all along!" Ishtar exclaimed in surprise.

"To be precise, I'm just one of many. Although I consider myself unique. I will take the Holy Grail with me. I've transformed the ley lines here into the largest Dragon Vein on this continent, so all the small animals can continue to live healthy and energetic lives."

The influence of the white light on this world will gradually fade away. I believe that you gods will be able to gather your Divine Power again in a few years. Well then, farewell!"Shirou said to the girls with a smile.

"Wait! Where are you going?!" Ishtar asked.

At that moment, a portal of light appeared in the sky, and a white figure emerged from it. Shirou leaped up and flew rapidly toward that portal.

With a loud bang, a sound like cars colliding with each other, like steel clashing with steel, echoed in the sky.

The white divine clone was knocked back into the portal by Shirou.

Chapter 339 The Final Test

Shirou slammed the divine clone back into the portal, where he was met with a vast expanse of white light. This was a light tunnel that compressed time, a passage one would pass through during spatial travel. Normally, passing through here would only take a few seconds, but once inside, the time could be infinite.

Shirou pressed his advantage, throwing a punch that sent him flying backward, where he was quickly countered by the divine clone.

Shirou's chest caved in, and he spat out blood, but the white light quickly restored him to his original state.

Also struck and staggered, parts of the white light membrane covering the face and body of the divine clone were shattered and peeled off by Shirou, revealing Asian yellow skin and short crimson hair.

"It seems you're ready, huh?" The voice of the divine clone rang directly in Shirou's mind.

"Ready? Ah! As for the resolve to fight, I'm ready now." Shirou glared at the divine clone, assuming a fighting stance once again.

"No, I mean after that," the divine avatar said, shaking his head.

"And then?" Shirou frowned, because this enemy was far too powerful. He hadn't yet figured out how to have a chance of winning, let alone what would happen next.

The divine avatar said, "Our stubbornness has caused tremendous changes in the world. Now, whether we stop or make changes, it will have a huge impact."

Defeating gods can no longer be simply described as a story of a hero defeating a villain. The real issue lies in the impact on the world after the villain leaves.

"Although, if what you do harms my family and companions in my world, then I will never let you go no matter what," Shirou said.

The divine avatar continued, "The divine has evolved too purely, sacrificing too much, and may indeed no longer be suitable to protect humanity. So, do you wish to replace him and manage the world you created?"

Shirou shook his head and said, "Absolutely not. I can't possibly be anyone's master. I simply hope that everyone can be happy, that's all."

"Haha, what a naive thought, but it really does sound like something someone who idolizes a hero would say."

Upon hearing Shirou's words, the god let out a hearty laugh. The next moment, he shed his divine white light. No, perhaps he should now be called Shirou Emiya from another world. He was a tall and robust young man with crimson hair, skin of typical East Asian descent, and that familiar face. If Shirou had grown up smoothly to the age of graduating from university and starting work in his previous life, he would probably have looked like this.

"As an incarnation of a god, shouldn't you be the same as the god? Why are you so human now?" Shirou asked, voicing his doubts.