Chapter 537
King Hassan did not respond to Emiya Kiritsugu's question. His gaze remained fixed on the Calamity Dragon in mid-air, and facing the Calamity Dragon, he calmly uttered the words he knew best.
"O Root Princess of your fall into the Calamity Dragon, you who wield the principles of calamity, the companionship you speak of is not love, but the Root of selfishness and destruction. This is why I have dedicated myself to this cause."
"However, since the Fallen Beast is still the Root Princess, I must reveal my name."
As soon as he finished speaking, a deep blue flame rose up, and golden feathers rained down from the sky.
At this moment, the area around King Hassan transformed into Valley of Shadows, directly isolating the spread of the Black Mud.
Then, the skeletal eyes, flickering with eerie blue flames, spoke calmly.
"From the deepest Valley of Shadows, from the darkest valley, death rushes forth, carrying the principles of the Grand Rank. I am the Old Man of the Mountain, Hassan -i-Sabah."
"Today, I wield the Sword of Destiny to strip you of your foundation."
"This is... Hassan?!"
Upon hearing his words, regardless of how Sajyou Manaka felt, Emiya Kiritsugu the side, was already numb.
He glanced at the black-clad swordsman, who was over two meters tall and wielded a greatsword and shield made of skulls. He couldn't possibly think this was Hassan.
However, that is indeed the case.
King Hassan sensed the aura of the Beast of Calamity in Sajyou Manaka's current state. Although it was much weaker than when she Tiamat, it was still the Beast of Calamity.
That is why he appeared here, only to bestow upon him his destined death at the right time.
"Hey, are you kidding me? Kill me? Do you really think a Grand Servant can do that? Why don't you bring the other six over here?"
Looking at the skeleton swordsman below who had appeared on his own and spouted a lot of words, Sajyou Manaka said with some annoyance, "But he's really a troublesome fellow. I have absolutely no interest in what this world is like. All I look forward to is my own king. If you know what's good for you, get out of here, or I'll destroy you too."
"Although you have no intention of destruction, your very existence is the Root of destruction."
In response to Sajyou Manaka's words, King Hassan looked up at the huge hole in the sky and simply said...
The enormous hole appeared simultaneously with the appearance of the Beast of Calamity and cannot be closed by normal means unless it is allowed to pour out its calamity until it dries up, or the Calamity Dragon is defeated.
Although Sajyou Manaka isn't interested in this either, the reason she's able to come out now is because she's using the Beast's state, so she can't separate from it for a while, which is why she's being targeted by King Hassan.
"So you're not planning to let me go at all! You have to destroy me, right?"
Sajyou Manaka narrowed her eyes, exuding an overwhelming aura of power.
"..."
However, King Hassan simply stood there quietly, leaning on his sword, his attitude self-evident.
Their great battle was about to erupt.
--
On the other side, the three Servant who were about to start a chaotic battle were now looking at the aura of calamity with grim expressions.
"Things are really going badly..."
Sensing this aura, Cú Chulainn, who most wanted to fight, reluctantly lowered his gun.
"How many times has this happened?"
He asked the other two.
"I can't remember anymore, but this Holy Grail War is definitely different from what I imagined."
Lionheart King also sheathed his sword.
"It's the scent of the beast, this is a major event."
As Servant had been controlled by Goetia, he naturally recognized the aura of the Beast of Calamity.
At this point, internal strife is no longer an option.
"Seriously... why are there still dragons from the Book of Revelation appearing? Is it because God doesn't want us to have a proper fight?"
Cú Chulainn tapped his shoulder and said:
"You two think so too, right?"
Just moments ago, the three of them were brandishing weapons at each other, fighting for their respective beliefs.
If nothing unexpected happens, that should have been their last battle.
As heroes, they either kill Hercules together with Lionheart King, then fight to the death and leave one of them alive, or they are both defeated by Hercules and willingly submit to end the battle.
But that's assuming there's no human crisis, so the heroes can fight more recklessly.
But now...
Sensing the terrifying aura, Cú Chulainn looked at Hercules hurrying towards Ryūdō Temple and spoke without hesitation.
"Need any help? Don't worry, I definitely won't do anything reckless in this kind of situation."
Lionheart King also picked up his sword and followed.
"That's not someone you can fight alone; I also have a duty to fight."
Hearing that these two guys also wanted to help, Hercules nodded.
Thank you.
In situations like this, he wouldn't refuse help from others; even heroes fight alongside each other.
In that case, let's join hands and move forward together.
"So, that's how it is. I'm so sorry, Master."
Cú Chulainn scratched his head, then turned to look at the enormous red dragon above Ryūdō Temple, which seemed to have wandered into the wrong movie. He then sent a message to his Master, "Although I really want to help you win this battle, both my heroic intuition and my duty Heroic Spirit tell me that I must deal with that guy quickly, or the world is probably doomed."
"I see... I understand."
Bazett's expression became subtle upon hearing his words.
Even now, she can still remember why she participated in the Holy Grail War.
It's simply a matter of the Department of Law making its presence felt and then trying to find clues about Aozaki Touko.
What happened to me here?
Having just gotten off the plane and been scammed out of all his money, he started working odd jobs, then encountered many legendary protagonists, including the mythical Thunder Bull that could raze Fuyuki City to the ground in an instant. And now, has a Book of Revelation dragon appeared?
Not long ago, she naively thought this was just a simple paid vacation. After all, while Magus are usually quite clueless, they wouldn't be so clueless as to act recklessly, especially with her acting as their Executor.
As for the result...
So the Holy Grail War is really this dangerous?
She covered her head and couldn't help but think to herself.
By day, there was a colossal thunder bull; by night, a red dragon. Both were dangerous events that even she, the strongest Sealing Designation executor who had completed numerous Sealing Designation missions, was not confident in resolving.
What kind of Magus could come up with such a Holy Grail War?
Oh, it's that madwoman Aozaki Touko.
That's alright then.
"What exactly is this...?"
On the other side, Luvia, Reines, Gray, whose hearts were still hanging in suspense, were now completely dead.
They looked at the red dragon's figure and breathed a long sigh of relief.
Although I had a bad feeling about it, it still felt quite surreal when it actually happened.
Reines, in particular, regretted believing Aozaki Touko's nonsense. What did she mean by everything being part of her plan, just going through the motions, and bringing Rovey back no matter what? And you and Sakura could just be here to make up the numbers for a vacation.
But now that things have come to this point, she's no longer naive enough to think she can still win, and there's no need for her to keep trying.
So she took out her phone and made a call. When she confirmed that Sakura was alright and was currently watching the broadcast of the giant red dragon with Matou Kariya, Reines breathed a sigh of relief.
She told Sakura not to come over and to stay in a safe place, saying she would be there right away, and then hung up the phone.
Richard I.
Subsequently, Reines took the initiative to contact her Servant.
"Master."
"Go, go and fight too."
Reines answered without hesitation, "Don't you admire the Holy Sword Wielder and King Arthur? If so, then there's no reason not to go, right? After all, your Holy Sword was meant to be wielded for this moment, wasn't it?"
"That's exactly what I was thinking too, my master. It's truly wonderful to have met you," Lionheart King replied with immense gratitude. "If I had another chance, I would definitely win the Holy Grail War for you!"
"Then forget it. You can take the fragments of King Arthur with you. I have no more wishes now, and even if I had the chance, I wouldn't participate in the Holy Grail War again." Reines shook her head, then looked in the direction of Ryūdō Temple: "Besides, I will never let go again. I am already very happy, and I will always be happy."
Although I was eager to go along, it's important to know my limits sometimes.
Given this situation, Reines knew without a doubt that she would become a burden to Rovey in the past, so she very rationally entrusted the situation to them.
After all, isn't it a wife's duty to trust her husband and wait for his triumphant return?
So...
"I will strengthen you with all the Command Seal, Lionheart King, and help me protect my elder brother."
Reines raised her hand, bidding a final farewell to her Servant across the void.
"Understood, Master. I will not fail in my mission!"
With a final farewell, Lionheart King severed all communication with Reines and continued his relentless march to the final battlefield.
--
So...
As expected, someone like me isn't even qualified to set foot on the final battlefield.
Inside the cavern of Ryūdō Temple, while King Hassan held back the enormous red dragon, Emiya Kiritsugu, without hesitation, slipped into the massive cavern and began desperately searching for his daughter in the darkness.
However, this does not mean that he deserted his post, nor does it represent his cowardice; on the contrary, it was the most correct choice.
After all, the battle between King Hassan and the red dragon was a realm that no human could possibly enter.
Rather than being pointlessly destroyed by area-of-effect attacks, what he still needed to do was save his daughter.
As he continued forward, the pool of dark silt reached up to his waist, and the burning sensation and the terrifying curse continued to spread across Emiya Kiritsugu's body.
Pain, malice, and countless human sins.
These were all things that had once confused him.
Even so, even though he was in excruciating pain and his soul was being tormented, Emiya Kiritsugu's steps did not waver in the slightest. He continued to move forward in the dark mud, even though the echoes in his ears never ceased.
Give up.
[You damned executioner!]
The sins on your hands can never be washed away; once a murderer, always a murderer!
You're just running away. You'll never escape the consequences of killing your biological father and your adoptive mother.
Because you are...
[A sinner.]
[Your blood-stained hands will only tarnish your daughter, just like they have in the past.]
You cannot escape.
Enduring the whispers in his ears, Emiya Kiritsugu trembled as he continued forward, until finally he saw the girl, as white as a snowflake, sleeping on the stone platform.
He reached out and, with trembling hands, lifted the tiny body.
Scenes from the past began to replay before my eyes.
In those sinful hands, he had killed the old, women, and even children. For his obsessive ideals, he had committed many unforgivable acts. Now, he could only sink into the mud, reaching out to gently scoop up the pure white snowflakes, praying that they would be safe.
This was his atonement, his redemption, and his final belief.
Emiya Kiritsugu continued forward, forward, even though his body had lost all feeling due to the corruption of the curse, he still kept moving forward, and even though there was no end in sight, his body never collapsed.
As he felt his will growing increasingly faint, he looked up at the sleeping Illya above him. Emiya Kiritsugu instinctively reached out a hand to her cheek, as if preparing to say a final goodbye.
But at that last moment, as if he was worried about something, his finger stopped in mid-air.
Will the blood of the innocent in my veins taint her pure soul? Will the inescapable sins clinging to me harm her? Is my very existence a disturbance to her?
Perhaps I should have died long ago...