The Tohsaka Sisters

Such behavior and such emotions were utterly unacceptable to Ishtar, whose personality was the most proud, not to mention that she had also had her treasure taken away.

Now that things have come to this, Ishtar is ready to unleash her true fury.

So what if Maanna is gone? Do we still have the key?

Do you really think this will completely render her helpless?

How naive! She still has her ultimate trump card!

"Come out here, Gu--"

However, just as she was about to call out loudly...

Suddenly, a sound came from afar.

Splash--!!

It sounded like the harsh scraping of metal chains.

"This is?!"

The sound was so loud it nearly triggered Ishtar's PTSD. The next moment, several Chains of Heaven flew out from different directions, accurately binding Ishtar's limbs and suspending her in mid-air.

"You really do like to cause me trouble. The fight's already gotten so ugly; isn't it a bit too undignified to keep going like this, Ishtar?"

Turning his head, Rovey sat on the bench, manipulating the Chains of Heaven in the Gate of Babylon to suspend Ishtar, and said, "Although I'm somewhat lenient with you because we're friends, sometimes you go too far, and I can't just pretend I didn't see it."

At that moment, Ishtar realized that she had probably gotten too carried away.

Only...

"None of your business! No way, I won't agree to this no matter who comes today! This guy has to be dealt with! Even if it means letting him go..."

"The Bull of Heaven?"

Looking into her eyes, Rovey couldn't help but feel a little disappointed. "I thought you would have grown a bit, but I didn't expect you to still be like this. But I can tell you, even if you released the Bull of Heaven, you wouldn't be able to move him."

"Ha?"

"What's wrong? Is it hard to understand?"

Rovey raised an eyebrow and continued, "After all, he's just a child hero right now. He doesn't need to kill or fight. Just standing there is enough to keep him unmoved. So what if it's the Bull of Heaven? It's just a divine beast. How could it possibly shake a true hero?"

"Am I right, Emiya Kiritsugu?"

"Yes, it's time to stop fooling around, Goddess."

As his voice faded, the sound of a lighter being struck echoed through the park, and then Emiya Kiritsugu appeared between Astraea and Ishtar.

"I'm so sorry, you two, but my daughter is taking a nap at home. You've been disturbing her. Could you please leave things quiet for a while?" Emiya Kiritsugu lit a cigarette, took a deep drag, and exhaled a smoke ring before calmly addressing the two goddesses before him.

Although he had long lost the sharpness and edge of the Magus Killer of yesteryear, and looked just like an ordinary middle-aged man, this very man slowly walked to Hercules' side and stood beside him, his entire body gradually growing taller like an iron tower.

"Are you Heracles' Master?"

Upon seeing Emiya Kiritsugu appear, Astraea narrowed her eyes and spoke.

"That's right."

Emiya Kiritsugu nodded in agreement.

Upon hearing this, Astraea glanced at the weathered Emiya Kiritsugu Hercules her, then at Hercules, who resembled a guard, and nodded, as if she understood something.

"Although I don't know what's going on between you, you must have reached some kind of agreement or share some common goal, right? Although I still don't understand, let's leave it at that for now. I have no interest in this Holy Grail War, and I won't actively participate. I won't help you or interfere with whatever you want to do."

"If there's anything that needs to be done, then go ahead and do it."

Because she knew Heracles so well, Astraea didn't press him for an answer. But precisely because she knew him so well, even without a proper explanation, Astraea could guess what was going on.

Although Heracles possessed unparalleled strength, he took the life of an innocent child due to his madness.

That was his sin, something he could never forgive himself for.

His response to Emiya Kiritsugu's call was not merely due to the bond he formed with Illya in a certain time and space.

I was more moved by Emiya Kiritsugu's determination and conviction, and I resonated with his spirit.

What Emiya Kiritsugu needs is not Heracles's giant axe that can cleave the heavens and the earth, nor an arrow that can pierce the stars at will, but a shield, a guardian, a hero who can help him protect.

Therefore, Heracles buried his glory, rejected the name Heracles associated with the gods, and instead existed under the name Hercules. This time, his hands would not take any more lives, and his legs would not be able to budge him in the slightest.

He was just a hero, a hero who existed to protect the little girl, and all his meaning was to atone for his sins with his blood-stained hands.

This is his obsession and desire.

Illya will be fine, and no one will die in this Holy Grail War.

He is the arbiter of this Holy Grail War, guarding the scales in his heart.

"Really, don't you look so energetic? No matter how you change, you're still yourself. Seeing old friends on this trip made it all worthwhile."

"Come on, Heracles, don't do anything you'll regret this time."

Astraea ignored Ishtar, who was still fuming even though her body was hanging up, and simply sighed before turning and leaving.

She didn't do the pointless thing of fighting Hercules.

It is precisely because she is the goddess of justice and the scales that she is able to understand this more clearly.

At this moment, Hercules was invincible, not even to the goddess.

Ishtar over there is the best example.

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--

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<Honkai: Star Rail, at the beginning, swaps bodies with Castorice>

Having traversed the Honkai: Star Rail, he is orphaned, living in Xianzhou Luofu, and owns a car and a house.

Tianqing, who had no special abilities, thought he could live a peaceful life like this, but he never expected that he would suddenly switch bodies with Castorice.

Crossing the Honkai: Star Rail, orphaned and alone, Amphoreus faces a bleak future.

Fortunately, this exchange is not permanent.

But gradually, Tianqing discovered that Castorice wasn't the only one who had swapped bodies with him...

PS: The introduction is inadequate, please proceed to the main text.

PS2: Slow-burn, mostly slice-of-life~

Chapter 383 The Tohsaka Sisters

"So... what exactly is going on?!"

Upon returning home, Rin Tohsaka slammed her knees onto the floor with a thud, clutching the exorbitant bill Luvia had brought back, and screamed hysterically.

"I really... want to die right now..."

Ishtar's recklessness had already led to her being shot down from hundreds of meters in the air by Hercules, leaving her sore all over. Now, Luvia actually kept her word, reported the damage to her park, and then sent her an exorbitant bill.

In just a few days, from blowing up Luvia's villa to blowing up her family's park, Rin Tohsaka's debts have reached a point where she would have to sell the Tohsaka Family to pay them off. Even Rin Tohsaka couldn't help but cry out in pain when faced with the mountain of debt.

What's even more outrageous is...

At this moment, she was holding a beautiful box that she had found in her room.

However, the box was empty; normally it should have been full.

This place holds all the gems she'd accumulated since childhood; how could it suddenly be so empty?

Do you really need someone to tell you the truth?

Looking at Rin Tohsaka, who was kneeling on the ground, ignoring the excruciating pain in her body and crying while hugging the box, Rovey reached out and covered his forehead, speaking to Rin Tohsaka with a rather helpless tone.

"Telling you the truth yourself might be very cruel..."

"No, no need, I've been watching the whole time."

Two lines of bloody tears streamed down Rin Tohsaka's face.

"That Ishtar found my secret stash while I was asleep, and then took all the jewels as if they were her own. Not long ago, she even waged a war of attrition against that super-rich woman Luvia like she was throwing away trash."

"That's obvious, and you haven't been able to intervene because stopping her would make things worse, so this is how it ended up."

Rovey shook his head and explained.

"Ugh, what can I do? If I try to stop her, she'll probably just fly up and start bombing Fuyuki City too, right?!"

"Yes, that's true, but even if we hadn't stopped it, the situation would have already become like this. However..."

As he spoke, Rovey smiled, "There's still good news. Although my initial assessment of Ishtar was indeed somewhat flawed, there are no problems now, because whether she comes out or not is no longer up to her."

"What's the meaning?"

Rin Tohsaka looked up and asked.

"As the name suggests, Ishtar is really in deep trouble this time."

Rovey continued, "Not only was Maanna of Ishtar completely destroyed by Hercules's Nine Lives, but even the Heaven's Wedge, symbolizing the two powers of Venus and war—the Star Key she wielded—was stolen. For Ishtar, this isn't just the loss of a Noble Phantasm; it represents the loss of a power, so..."

"The balance within your body has been completely disrupted."

Rovey spoke softly.

What do you mean by "the balance has been broken"?

Rin Tohsaka was still a little confused.

However, at this moment, Ereshkigal, one of the parties involved, occupied half of her body and provided an answer.

"He was referring to the balance we maintained between the two of us."

"That's right, that's it. Ishtar was rampant in your body because no one could truly suppress her. Even Ereshkigal couldn't completely control her after leaving the Underworld. After all, she is one of the most renowned goddesses in Mesopotamia. But now the situation is quite different."

Rovey explained, "As the mistress of the heavens, the loss of the Heaven's Wedge signifies war. All of Venus's power has been usurped, leaving her with only wealth and procreation as her true strength. She has been weakened to the extreme and can no longer maintain a balance with Ereshkigal. The fact that she hasn't come out to rage is probably thanks to Ereshkigal, right?"

"So we were found out after all..."

Upon hearing this, Ereshkigal smiled first, then nodded somewhat helplessly.

"Yes, because that guy is too reckless. Not only did she open the gate to Venus's star system in the human world, but she even tried to release the divine beast bestowed upon her by the Father God to plow the entire land. Such behavior has exceeded the limits of playfulness and the Holy Grail War, so I've put her to sleep for now. I plan to let her sleep until the end and return directly to the Throne of Heroes."

"Could we let her sleep all the way to the Throne of Heroes?"

Upon hearing Ereshkigal's words, Rin Tohsaka, who had been feeling down, brightened up and hurriedly asked, "Does that mean I can...?"

"Yes, I will bind with you from now on to maintain control over Ishtar. As long as I'm still here, you probably won't see her again."

"Great! This is really great! I finally got rid of that annoying guy!"

Upon hearing this good news, Rin Tohsaka couldn't help but raise her hands and cheer.

However, this joy didn't last long. After all, the thought of the bills she owed—no, the bills Ishtar owed—and how she could just sleep with him and be done with it while she had to bear it, still made her feel like she was having a heart attack.

But there was nothing she could do now.

Moreover, the bills have accumulated to nearly ten million yen, which is probably something she can never afford to pay in her lifetime.

Therefore, at this moment, Rin Tohsaka only has one path left: to win the Holy Grail War.

As long as we can win the Holy Grail War, as long as we can achieve final victory.

Everything will be alright!

She, Rin Tohsaka, wishes to become the richest and happiest person!

This is absolutely necessary!

Despite being burdened with millions in debt, she won't lose!

Trying to bolster her own spirits, Rin Tohsaka then turned to the other goddess within her and asked a question.

"Um... Your Majesty, is it alright if I address you like that?"

"Eh? The noble goddess of the underworld?! Master, were you just calling me? You, what you just said wasn't really... the gloomy and withdrawn goddess of darkness?!"

Upon hearing this, Ereshkigal's expression and tone immediately became extremely surprised.

"... How dare I address you like that?"

Rin Tohsaka looked helpless. She had been so busy dealing with Ishtar that she hadn't really communicated with the other, quieter goddess. She hadn't expected the other to have this kind of personality.