Finders Keepers

"Drink!" Rin Tohsaka's Jewel Sword appeared in Shirou's hand, carrying the girl's will, and cleaved through the barrier of space.

"Senior! You absolutely must win!" the purple-haired girl said expectantly, clasping her hands together.

"Drink!!" Shirou opened his other hand, and the energy released by Sakura's Imaginary Magic tore open a black void in space. It was a vortex that devoured everything, even sucking in light.

Finally, there's Artoria's Holy Sword!!!

"Drink!!" the girl and boy shouted in unison, "Ex-calibur!!!"

The dazzling light blasted the white deity into the black hole, instantly engulfing half of its body.

"Great! We won!" Artoria exclaimed in delight.

"Hmph! It's not over yet!" The white god's entire body radiated white light, and in the instant before entering the black hole, it emitted a large amount of light, attempting to rush out of the black hole.

Having seemingly defeated the white god, Shirou did not absorb it as planned by the Counter Force. Instead, Shirou chose to perish together with the white god inside the black hole, lunging forward.

The boy crashed into the god, pulling him down into the black hole. The increasingly strong suction was drawing them further in.

"Don't die. We still need your strength to face the terrible crisis that's about to come." Just before falling into the black hole, the white god regained his strength, pushed Shirou, and sent him out. He then smiled freely and disappeared into the black hole.

Shirou now understands that he was actually a safety mechanism designed by the White God. After all three worlds were resolved, the White God released a light circle at the end, giving a hint. That's how Artoria was able to find this place and find Shirou, and Rin Tohsaka was able to reunite with everyone.

Before the collapse, the white god guided Shirou and the girls to this place, and then they defeated him.

At this moment, the white-clad deity completed his final mission of protecting humanity.

Some things even the gods cannot stop, so we leave that to you, humanity.

Like Goetia, who chose to Incineration of Humanity and format it because the Earth was invaded by a virus, returning to the beginning of humankind and rewriting their destiny.

Unlike the Lion King, who used the power of the Holy Lance to create a Sanctuary, allowing a small number of humans to hide in the Inner World and escape this crisis.

Even the gods who created everything couldn't find a way, they could only keep creating and saving, making that day come later.

However, the Counter Force is not so strong as to be invincible. Even as a vast stellar consciousness, a blue planet teeming with countless lives, it faces its own predicaments, whether it be internal destruction or external enemies capable of devouring the planet.

When such a true catastrophe arrives, neither the Counter Force, the Demon God King, nor the White God will be able to stop it.

[Shirou, quickly absorb the power of the gods and inherit the power of the creator god!] Alaya shouted in reminder.

"Absorb this as soon as possible, then form a contract with me, and you will become the strongest guardian of Earth. Otherwise, you will also disappear along with the disappearance of the White God," Gaia said.

"Ah, that's true, but..." Shirou slowly agreed. His entire body began to emanate white light cracks identical to those of the previous white god, and enormous energy was concentrating at its core, seemingly about to erupt.

"Alaya! Gaia!... Don't underestimate humanity! The will to survive, and the infinite possibilities born from struggle!" Shirou said to the two Counter Force.

[Shirou! Are you going to break your promise?!]

"No! I'm just giving humanity the future it deserves!" Shirou said firmly.

[Shirou! Stop! If you do this, you will disappear without Divine Power. Even if you do this, humanity will not be truly saved, and in the end, everything will just repeat itself.] Alaya advised.

"No, this is the best way," Shirou said with a light laugh.

"Foolish... The plan to cultivate the strongest fighting force has failed again. But humans, that's just how humans are, truly unfathomable and dangerous..." Gaia murmured these words before severing her connection with the world and disappearing.

Regardless of the absolute Counter Force of reason, and whatever the best choice he could make, he will now make that choice as a human being. Then he will hand the world over to the living.

Shirou turned to look at the three girls over there, chuckled softly, and said politely, "Goodbye."

Sensing Shirou's gaze and realizing what was happening, the girls quickly ran over, their mouths agape as if they were calling out something.

In the next moment, white light burst forth, filling the entire world; for a time, heaven, earth, and ocean were all white.

Shirou unleashed his Divine Power, restoring all the worlds to their original state, while preserving all the worlds he had created, entrusting them to humanity—the most ordinary of humans, both ugly and sacred.

The being named Shirou Emiya will appear wherever there is still trace of their existence in the world. The souls of the dead will either leave this world as the deceased or ascend to the Throne of Heroes to become Servant.

The boy who accomplished all of this was sucked into the black hole and drifted silently in a void, falling into a deep sleep... until someone found him and could awaken him.

Chapter 414 Whoever finds it owns it.

Although the world seems prosperous and thriving, some things, once lost, can never be regained. When Shirou made this choice, he was destined to bear the corresponding consequences.

Everything returned to normal. At those points in the past, Shirou Emiya's existence would develop along different paths due to his choices, leading to different outcomes in different parallel worlds.

A little boy rescued from a fire in the Small Town of Fuyuki.

In the hospital, the black-haired man approached the red-haired boy's bed and extended his hand in invitation.

On the school playground, a boy repeatedly challenged the high jump hurdle, but the hurdle was knocked down time and time again. In the end, he failed to succeed and could only obediently pack up his sports equipment, walk out of the school gate and go home.

He had no idea that two girls were quietly watching him from behind, witnessing his embarrassing moment until the very end.

After participating in the Holy Grail War, he realized his shortcomings and went to the Clock Tower for further study. Upon completion of his studies, he began volunteering for international organizations, traveling the world. Wherever he was needed, he went...

During a mission, a man whose skin turned black and whose hair lost its color due to overuse of magic encountered a saintly woman...

They will continue their lives, perpetuating their destinies, regardless of a cruel life, a regretful past, or even a cursed and crumbling end.

People have no choice but to accept it, after all, it was their own choice.

All the parallel worlds returned to their original state and resumed their pre-alteration pace.

But there are a few worlds that are suddenly missing something.

The Higashiya family has no idea what happened to their son.

And there's Rin Tohsaka and Sakura Matou...

Besides Artoria, these two girls, like Shirou, were also reborn under the subconscious influence of the gods. In essence, they were no different from the sacrificed Shirou; they were beings whom the gods desired to bring them happiness.

But now the gods have disintegrated, and the two girls are now lonely survivors.

There were four of us when we arrived, but now there are only three left. The joy of a rare reunion, the long-cherished wish in our hearts, we had just begun to experience this happiness, but now it has been lost once again.

The girls felt a deep emptiness.

Rin Tohsaka clenched her fist and slammed it against a nearby tree, saying bitterly, "Damn it! I decided to fight alongside this boy and then we'd all go back together. Idiot! Bastard! Idiot!"

"Rin, don't say that! Shirou fights based on his beliefs. Even in my time, he was a knight worthy of respect," Artoria said earnestly to the black-haired girl.

Although Artoria awakened from her slumber in Avalon, her destiny with Shirou was already fulfilled under the guidance of the Holy Grail before she made her choice. Regardless of her choice, Shirou remains her most important partner. It is because of Shirou that she was able to let go of her obsession with England and take another step forward.

She felt no less grief than the two girls over Shirou's disappearance.

However, as a knight herself, she could better understand what Shirou was willing to do, even at the cost of his own life. Although she felt sad, she was willing to support Shirou's choice for his beliefs.

"What?! I'm just angry at myself!" Rin Tohsaka said, her hands falling limply to her sides, tears welling in her eyes.

"No, the fault lies with me. I came here as savior, yet things turned out this way. To be honest, it's my fault." Artoria lowered her head as she spoke.

"No! It was me who didn't need anything," Sakura said.

"Sakura also tried her best. Without you, it would have been impossible to defeat that white god," Rin said, changing her tune.

"Yes, Shirou definitely thinks so too," Artoria quickly chimed in.

"Even so, there's no point in saying these things now..." Sakura lowered her head dejectedly.

[Girls, stop arguing.] At that moment, a seven-colored light appeared in the air, and a rhombus-shaped crystal appeared out of thin air.

"Counter Force? Why is it here!?" Rin Tohsaka looked warily at the colorful crystal that had suddenly appeared in the space. As someone who aspired to reach the Root and become True Magic, Counter Force was her greatest enemy.

"Rin, don't panic, listen to what she has to say!" Artoria put her arm around the girl's shoulder to calm her down.

[The Shirou you seek did not disappear, but was drawn into a black hole. At the last moment, the energy he released restored everything to its original state. Shirou Emiya did indeed give up being a god in the end; no one valued humanity more than him, so he also disappeared from this world as a human. The purpose of the Creative Power was to restore everything in human life to its original state.] Alaya transmitted these words to the three of them through telepathy.

"What! Shirou! He's still alive!"

"That guy wasn't so easy to kill after all!"

"Senior! Senior didn't disappear?"

"Where is he?!" The three girls were both surprised and delighted. They all looked up at the crystal that Alaya had transformed into and asked anxiously.

Alaya said calmly:

He didn't follow my pre-set plan and chose self-destruction. To be honest, I was shocked when he took human form. But what cannot be erased is his contribution to humanity as a whole. This time it wasn't five hundred people, or thousands or tens of thousands, but countless worlds.

However, all of this came to an end because of his choice. His decision was erased to nothing, and even Earth stopped recording his attack. But as Counter Force for humanity, I still hope that he can continue to be humanity's guardian.

[When that boy was still alive, he engaged in some exercise, though not intentionally. Subconsciously, he considered himself a member of the original world. So when all the energy erupted, although he was sucked into the black hole, the Creative Power still created a body for him that allowed him to be reborn.]

His body will drift in space, awaiting rescue.

"The universe? Um, in that kind of environment, are you alright?" Sakura asked worriedly.

[Don't worry, his body is currently under temporary sealing. As long as his body senses changes in the outside world and realizes that he is in a safe place to wake up, he should wake up on his own in a short time. Go and find him!] Alaya said.

If it weren't for the premise of making Shirou feel safe, Alaya herself would have wanted to go find Shirou. As the Counter Force, she clearly doesn't have the qualifications to do so. However, mobilizing humans to quickly awaken Shirou is also something she hopes to accomplish.

"Ahhh~! Oh right~! I remember before I came here, I added hot water to my instant noodles in my room but didn't have time to eat them. If I don't go back soon, the noodles will get soggy and won't taste good. So I'm going now~! Sakura, Rin, I'll come visit you guys later~!" Artoria said to the girl in an exaggerated way.

"Sbaer, you're completely different from the Knight Lady you used to be! You've definitely gone astray!"

"Of course it's me! It's just that I always try my best to be number one in everything I do! I'm going to find Shirou now, see you later!" Artoria jumped onto her rocket ship, pressed the switch, and was about to shoot into the sky when the machine completed an instantaneous teleportation.

"Stop right there! Don't even think about running!" Rin Tohsaka rolled up her sleeves, gripped her Jewel Sword, and was about to use her Second Magic to give chase!

"Sister! Take me with you!" Sakura grabbed her sister's hand and looked directly at her as she spoke.

Rin Tohsaka she was being held back, turned around helplessly and said, "Sakura... hand! Your hand is too strong, it hurts!"

"Ah, I'm sorry, sister, I was too impulsive." Sakura smiled apologetically and apologized to Rin repeatedly.

"Then let go first!" Rin said frantically.

However, Sakura maintained her smile, a kind one, but her grip remained firm, showing no sign of letting go until she achieved her goal.

"Sister, I've made up my mind this time. I'm not going to wait for Senior to return; I'm going to find him. So no matter what it takes, I'm going to find him." Sakura said earnestly, her eyes shining with unwavering determination.

Rin Tohsaka gave in and said, "I know, I'll take you with me to look for it, okay?"

"Okay, sister, please take care of me." Yingxin let go of his hand and said with a smile.

Rin Tohsaka withdrew her hand, looking at her arm, which had never stopped exercising since childhood, with a purple handprint left from where it had been gripped. She said with lingering fear, "Sakura, you can be quite scary sometimes..."

Now that they know Shirou was teleported out with a conscious will to survive, the black hole can't be too far from Earth. Rin Tohsaka and Sakura decide to search for it in the vicinity of Earth.

Meanwhile, at Chaldea side, they also received a notification from Alaya and obtained the relevant information through various Magecraft and scientific devices.

"Huh? Shirou-senpai has been teleported to space?! And he's in a coma? He can't wake up unless someone goes there? Huh? Huh?" Even the usually composed Mash exclaimed in surprise.

"That's how it is, it's really troubling. He's still human now, but I still hope he can come to Chaldea to take up a post in the future. But if I rush to rescue him, I feel like I'll get involved in some strange incident. But... now that I know where he is, it wouldn't be right to just let him die." Da Vinci said, resting his chin on his hand, looking very troubled.

"What should we do? What should we do!" Gudako frantically waved her hands and feet, jumping up and down as she spoke.

The group of Servant had been eavesdropping all turned to look in that direction.

When Mash noticed them, they quickly turned their heads away.

"Ah~ the weather's nice today, and I've had enough of a lazy nap. It's time for me, you in the kitchen, to go hunting, woof!" Tamamo Cat said with a spirited laugh, taking out a wooden stick with a cloth wrapped around it. Then, arching its back, it vanished like a gust of wind.

However, the way she bent over, tiptoed, and walked silently was exactly like a kitten trying to sneak out of the house to meet a stray cat.

"Oh, right, I think I received an invitation to Halloween carnival."

Medusa looked around and, finding her sister wasn't there, quickly made her escape.

Once she teleported out and summoned Pegasus, she was confident that with the child's speed, she could find the boy no matter how vast the world was.

"I just can't do anything with you, Illya. Since you're afraid to go to the toilet outside, let me take you." The little girl with brown skin, wearing a red crop top and upturned eyes that seemed to have a strange hint of lewdness, said with a mischievous smile.

"Wait! Chloe! I'm the older sister, right? And..." The pink-haired magical girl on the other side raised her small fist and retorted. However, she still took small, quick steps towards the outside.

"Guda-senpai, Mash, I won't waver!" The pink-haired girl with glasses quickly turned around and assured him. "Eh? Senpai? What's with that outfit?"

But when Mash turned around, she saw that Gudako had changed her clothes, was wearing a straw hat, and was carrying a bug net, looking eager and full of fighting spirit.

Seeing Gudako still standing there in a daze, Mash quickly urged her on:

"What are you dawdling for, Mash! Spring is here! It's time to hunt! The happiness of everyone in Chaldea from now on depends on us!"

Because of the world's restoration, Chaldea has also fully recovered, and the Servant who had disappeared before have been summoned back one after another.

"Oh, Master is going to do something interesting again. Will it be like the prince who kissed Snow White awake, or like Romeo Juliet?" Shakespeare stroked his mustache, full of curiosity.

"Don't ask me. Applying fairy tales to reality, don't you think it's incredibly stupid? Why would so many people yearn for a stupid woman who's been harmed time and time again and still eats whatever others give her?" the blue-haired boy said sarcastically.

"Kissing?! Daddy won't allow it!!!" the bearded gentleman uncle ran out and said.

Bang! The middle-aged man was slammed against the wall by a tall shadow. The silver-white cow—no, it was Minamoto no Raikō —was radiating lightning as he rushed toward the teleportation device!

"Shirou! Mommy's coming to find you soon~! This time we'll never be apart again!" the tall woman shouted, using her superior strength to squeeze into the teleportation device's container.

At this moment, the horned girl who had been watching from behind blinked and said with a smile, "It seems I also need to get involved. After all, he's Komachi's older brother, and quite a good drinking buddy."